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CHAPTER
27
RAYNA
“Go!” Mr. Conine called.
Our class dispersed. I waded out past the mangroves, through the reeds, water sloshing up to my chest as various herons called out bits of advice.
“To your left!”
“Just a little further!”
“No, that’s where Hank likes to wallow. And trust me, you don’t want to mess with Hank’s wallowing unless you want a horn up your—”
I blocked them out, trying to focus on the task at hand. A difficult feat considering that Predators & Prey was the last place I wanted to be right now.
Over the last two weeks at the Esholian Institute, I had attempted to find Mr. Gleekle to no avail. Even the other pre-elites seemed to avoid me every time I tried to catch them in a conversation, their blatant stares quickly turning to averted gazes as soon as I made my way toward them on Bascite Boulevard or in the courtyard in front of the Testing Center. I was always left standing with my mouth halfway open, confusion and frustration simmering in my veins.
How could I prove to them that I was loyal to the elite system if I didn’t even know when our next meeting was? Mr. Gleekle had said my mysterious mentor was heading my way, but I had yet to hear a single word about whoever they were.
“Something troubling you, my dear? You looked worried.”
The voice came from a creature that had risen from the reeds right before my eyes: large crescent-shaped horns that curved backward, coarse dark hair slick with water, a long face, and nostrils that huffed in my direction. She didn’t rise to her full height, leaving everything below her chin submerged, but I could tell she would tower over me if she did.
Still, I didn’t balk in the water buffalo’s presence, only smiled.
“I get told that a lot, but I think that’s just what my face looks like.”
A high-pitched, bellowing laugh came from the reeds as a calf with lighter, reddish-brown hair swam up beside us. “I like her, Mom. Can we keep her?”
“I’ve told you a million times, Higgie, you already have three herons! You can’t have another pet until you’re three.”
“But look at her, Mom! She looks so lost and helpless!”
Okay, this conversation was doing wonders for my self-esteem. Especially when the mother buffalo scanned me with a rush of pity.
“You do have a home, don’t you, my dear?”
“Wha—yes!” I glanced over her massive shoulders. Most of the class was still wading through the reeds, but a few were now deep in conversation with other water buffalos while Mr. Conine made his rounds observing. Rodhi appeared to have found the bull of the herd and looked like he might be on the verge of shitting himself. Did all of us look like poor, lost kittens to the buffalo, or just me? “I live in a really big house with a nice, warm bed and plenty of food,” I promised.
This made the little water buffalo gasp. “Ooh, Mom, can we go see her house? I’ve never been inside a human’s personal abode before. You are human, right?” he added suddenly. “Something about you seems a little different than the others.”
“Don’t be rude, Higgie,” his mother admonished. “The poor dear has feelings, too, no matter what she smells like.”
I refrained from sniffing my armpits, snagging on what the baby buffalo had just said: I’ve never been inside a human’s personal abode before.
Maybe that was my answer. I’d been wandering around like a lost kitten, trying to spy on the other pre-elites in passing, never slipping into their domain.
“Everything good here?” Mr. Conine said suddenly, appearing at my side.
The baby buffalo shrieked and plunged back into the water, creating ripples that splashed up against my chest.
I gave Mr. Conine a thumbs-up amid a new rush of hope.
“Everything’s great.”
It was going to be. I’d make sure of it.
