Page 26 of Trivium

“Excuse me, Artie, what exactly are you insinuating?” Rory’s hand was on her hip, exaggerated shock on her face.

“What?” Artie laughed, while waving his hand chaotically in the air. “Everyone’s a little freaky. Maybe he has a new student kink or something.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Rory said pessimistically.

“Oh, stop.” Ahmina rolled her eyes. “I probably just came off nervous or something.” She pulled at her dress, which suddenly felt even tighter.

“Yeah, loosen up, will ya?” Rory teased.

Artie leaned in, hungry for gossip, “So… is there anyone around here you two would want to, you know, get freaky with?”

“Not yet, but the night is still young,” Rory said with a grin.

When they had graduated school and went off to Academy Prep College, Rory had become more adventurous. She had boyfriends and enjoyed nights out with groups of girls, while Ahmina stayed back and studied. Perhaps they would have grown apart if it wasn’t for their shared background and determination to get into the Academy. Despite their differences and Ahmina’s lack of dating, they always remained friends. And it wasn’t like Ahmina was a prude. There was one boy who worked in the library whom Ahmina dated for a year, but when his family moved to Northern Jarrah, they broke up, and she hadn’t heard from him since.

“Our Trivium leads weren’t bad to look at,” Artie said, answering his own question.

As if on cue, Lennox emerged from the crowd with Emerson at his side. “Talking about my magnetic charm and unreasonably good looks?”

“Aw for the love of the Moon Goddess.” Emerson groaned, looking up at the sky, and Lennox laughed.

Ahmina glanced at her friends to find Artie’s eyes wide and Rory smirking. “No,” Ahmina said because the silence was killing her. “We weren’t.”

“What were you talking about then?” Lennox’s eyes flared, challenging her.

“That you’re wayyyy more confident than you should be with that sorry excuse for a haircut.” It wasn’t in her nature to satirize others, but when she was nervous, sometimes it happened. A form of self-preservation. It came out of her mouth before she could stop it and she internally cringed, cursing at herself. There was no way she just blatantly insulted their second-year lead. Their second-year lead who looked painfully handsome in his Gala attire. And honestly, she quite liked his hair.

Emerson laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and held up his drink to cheers her. “Now that’s more like it. Checkmate.”

“You know, they say if a girl bullies you that means she likes you,” Lennox said, eyes locked on Ahmina.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Lennox laughed, a beautiful carefree sound that loosened something in Ahmina, making her laugh too. For the first time that day, she felt her tension ease just an inch.

“Wow, such a warm welcome tonight.” Lennox shook his head. “The way this conversation is going, I think I’d have a better time with the creatures.”

They probably didn’t want to get on Lennox’s bad side. There was a reason he was their lead: he was an exceptional warrior, and an even better killer. But when he playfully nudged her elbow and offered her a smile, she knew he hadn’t taken any of it to heart.

“Well, you’ve made Emerson’s night. He loves a good dig at my appearance.”

“It warms my heart,” Emerson joked, and they all laughed before their attention was stolen as sharp voices rose over the crowd. Two men argued, their faces inches apart, until one pushed the other and the crowd surged in response, egging them on.

Lennox eyed them. “Remy and Tristan again.” He ran a palm down his face. “Can those two go a single hour without breaking each other’s noses?”

Lennox and Emerson attended to the fight, disappearing into the crowd. Suddenly, Ahmina had reached her social limit and the Gala felt like the last place she wanted to be. Slightly tipsy and exhausted from the day, she set her empty glass down on the fountain and turned to leave. All she wanted to do was sink into her bed, safe and hidden from the world. “I’m not feeling good; I’m going to head back to the dorms.”

“Sleep well!” Rory hugged her drunkenly. Before anyone else could notice, Ahmina quickly slipped away, eager to escape the party.

As she left her friends in the crowd, Artie’s voice faded in the background, his words clinging to her ears all the way back to her dorm: Honestly, I blacked out. Do you know how many creatures that man has killed?

Ahmina’s stomach turned.

How many creatures had Lennox killed?

17

ZEINA