Page 94 of Class Studies

Deadeye had been Derek’s best friend when I got here. He lost control during his first Aptitude test and died. I honestly agreed with Derek on the broken system. Deadeye was a kind kid who shouldn’t have had to take the control test after magic tore his life apart.

But I couldn’t do anything about Deadeye, so I focused on what I could fix. “Saffron never kidnapped anyone.”

“Just going to move on from Deadeye? Like everyone else? I hate this hypocritical place.” Derek turned from me and crossed his arms, his eyes shimmering with tears he refused to shed.

I squeezed my fingers into my palms, wishing I wasn’t so bad at this.

“I wasn’t—”

“You’re spending all your time with Saffron,” Derek spat. “You would defend him first. The rest of us don’t even matter to you.”

He got out his book and set up a physical wall between us.

My world tilted. Derek didn’t make assumptions or accuse people of things. He had the kindest heart . He collected the kids here no one else would talk to. Most of all, Derek had believed in the Aptitudes. No one liked them, but he’d genuinely wanted to control his magic and be a better person.

The blare of the bell made Vac bark, and I turned in my seat with my hands folded across my lap. I wanted to cry and scream at the same time. Something changed my friend like it twisted the student body.

Anger radiated off Derek. As the morning wore on, it didn’t get better. When Vac stayed a neutral guard, the hatred returned to my peers' faces. Derek chatted with kids I’d never seen him talk to before, side-eyeing me. By the end of my morning classes, Derek exiled me from my usual group of friends.

With no one to ask, and my phone broken, I guessed when it was halfway through my last class before lunch. Not a single friendly face looked at me when I disrupted the lecture to go to my session with Doctor Roy.

Instead of letting Vac walk behind me, I moved close to his side. well aware of the irony, I hid in a monster.

As I rounded a bend in the halls, four familiar faces met my view, blocking my path.

“Hi, Cunt.” Cozbi, flanked by his two goons, gave me a toothy smile. Alrick waved at me just off to Cozbi’s left.

I sucked in a sharp breath, and my heart raced with fear.

Vac growled. The low rumble vibrated the air making Cozbi’s two friends shift uncomfortably. Even Alrick’s confident beady gaze shifted.

I petted Vac and straightened my shoulders. “Hi, Cozbi, do you need something?” I asked, trying to sound bored, though my knees shook.

Cozbi narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. Unlike a human who might have given Cozbi a chance to talk or do something more aggressive, Vac snarled and lunged. He sunk his teeth into Cozbi’s arm. The squat mage tried to get away, but Vac shook his head back and forth. Blood coated Cozbi’s blue shirt as the flesh on his arm shredded under the monster's teeth.

Behind the violence, Alrick glared at me before running in the opposite direction. Cozbi’s two friends stood frozen in shock.

Vac flung Cozbi’s body from side to side like a rag doll. His pain-filled scream echoed on the stone walls, while blood pooled under his feet. He slipped on the slick surface and landed hard on his back, his cry cutting off.

A smile pulled at my lips.

A few weeks ago, I would’ve closed my eyes, desperate not to see the violence in front of me.

But now, I took a calming breath. “Vac, stop.”

He didn’t.

I moved forward and put a hand on his backside. “Vac, Tanwyn will get in trouble. Please, stop.”

Vac growled around his mouthful of Cozbi but released him. The squat mage clutched his shredded arm to his stomach and managed to inch away from my protector.

I turned to Cozbi’s friends, making eye contact with the one with blue rims. “That’s a lot of blood. Maybe get him to the medical wing?”

His friend snapped out of his stupor. Still staring at Vac, he eased forward and scooped up his shaking and moaning leader. The trio booked it down the hall.

I glanced around, but, as always, no one came out of their classrooms to check on the violence. Vac lowered his head and lapped up blood.

A shiver of fear ran down my back.