The Afterlife Academy Saga

Chapter 31

31

“Ahem.”

A short cough woke me from my restless slumber. The bright morning sun pierced through the holes of the Barn and tickled my face. It’d have been a perfect way to wake up, if it hadn’t been for the face glaring at me.

I rubbed my eyes, surprised at the sight. “Flavia?”

“Ahem.”

Another voice demanded attention and it was no surprise.

“Ah. And Astrid. Of course.” I stretched my arms and rolled my head around my shoulders, trying to get rid of the stiffness. The hay wasn’t the most comfortable to sleep on, but it was far from the worst place.

“Are you sleeping here?” Astrid sneered, her voice sharp and as annoying as ever.

“None of your business,” I remarked. I dusted some straws of hay from my shirt and pushed myself up to my feet. As much as I liked the dusk wolves, I wasn’t going to stay with Flavia and Astrid in the room.

For one, I immensely disliked the latter. But I couldn’t look Flavia in the eye, not after what she said to me.

“I’ll see you later, Hyde.” I scratched him on his head and he grumbled sleepily, not too bothered by me leaving.

“So what are you doing here?” Astrid asked, following me as I exited the Barn.

“I said, none of your business.”

She placed her hands on her hips, clearly mimicking Flavia. “I demand to know.”

“Hah,” I scoffed. “Your demands mean nothing.”

Without paying much attention to her, I retraced the path back to the dormitory. The sun had only just come up, so most students were on their way to class.

My blonde classmate hurried to catch up with me and grabbed my wrist. “Hey, I’m talking to you.”

Disgusted, I stared at where she was touching me. That was really Wind Children etiquette 101. No invading of personal space.

I yanked myself from her grip. “Careful where you put your hand or next time, you might lose it.”

“How dare you!” She turned around, her whiny voice shattering the early morning. “Flaviaaa?”

The third-year raised her eyebrows at her name. “What?”

“Ylva is threatening me.”

Flavia shrugged. “So?”

My former friend and I exchanged a look. My chest burned with shame as she glared at me, but something was different than the other times. Her eyes were different. The seething anger was gone and they’d dulled to a non-expressional blue. She looked at me, but she was staring right through me.

I averted my gaze and aimed it back at the ground. We were both hurting from different things, but in a similar way. If we were still friends, I’d have found solace in that knowledge.

“Hey, I wrote to my mother about what happened with the dusk wolves and guess what, Ylva?” Astrid crossed her arms, another way of pretending she was powerful. “She said she was going to write to the school board and try and get you expelled.”

“Really?” I shrugged. “Whatever.”

“Whatever? Are you serious? Umm, being a Valkyrie is a lifelong dream and a privilege. You should be so—”

Something moved in the corner of my eye, but when I turned, there was nothing to see. Huh.

Astrid clapped her hands. “Hey, I’m talking to you!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I drowned out her chatter and checked around me again. I could’ve sworn I saw something, but maybe it was just a bird… Hmmm… Maybe.

We weren’t super close to the forest and from Var’s ranting, he couldn’t actually leave so it couldn’t be him. Unless he finally found a way and was coming to exact his promised punishment?

“Honestly, I think—”

A branch snapped and I jumped up.

“Shhh.” I cut off Astrid blabbing so I could listen better. This wasn’t in my imagination, someone was here. I knew this sensation, like someone was watching me.

“Did you just shush me?”

“There’s someone here.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ugh, it’s probably another student. Don’t pretend—”

I caught something else in the corner of my eye, but I didn’t turn quickly enough. Whatever it was, it was gone.

A shiver ran down my spine and goosebumps jumped to my skin. Something was seriously wrong, but I didn’t know what. Var, Ryuga, or maybe someone else with bad intentions. It was hard to tell, but I wasn’t going to stand here and find out what it was.

“Flaviaaa,” Astrid whined. “She keeps interrupting me.”

I held up a hand. “We should go back to the school.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” My classmate refolded her arms, but even I could tell she didn’t have the confidence to pull it off.

“I’m serious.” I directed my attention to Flavia, even if that unleashed all the shame and guilt within. “We need to go.

Flavia sighed. “Let’s just go, Astrid.”

“But—”

“I’m not in the mood.” Her voice was flat and only echoed the power she once held. Even so, Astrid obeyed without another peep of protest.

As the two passed me, I shared another look with Flavia. For a moment, it seemed like she was going to say something, but she didn’t. Her eyes wandered off and the two students passed me as if I wasn’t there. I wasn’t even sure if they were wrong.

I waited a moment, just to make sure there was enough distance between us. I didn’t want to give Astrid more reasons to whine and pout.

Another crack sounded from behind me and I took that as my signal to go. Whatever was lurking, I wasn’t waiting for it to catch up with me.

Quickly, I hastened after the blondes. I wasn’t going to catch up with them, but just stay close enough that I wasn’t all alone. I didn’t trust myself or what I’d do if I got attacked. I wasn’t sure whether I’d defend myself. And that just seemed like asking for problems.

I kept checking over my shoulder until I was back in front of the Valkyrie dormitory. Squashed between the main building and the dorm, I breathed again. Only a fool would attack in broad daylight in the middle of campus.

Yet, the corner of my eye caught another movement and I turned, fists at the ready.

Dark eyes blinked slowly. “Hello to you too.”

“Ryoko?” I lowered my hands. “Umm… What are you doing here?”

The Dragon shot me a strange look. “Going to class…?”

“Oh, right.” I smacked my head. “Forgot people still did that.”

“You’re the only one wasting your education!” Astrid shouted from a couple of meters away.

“I wasn’t talking to you!” I hollered.

Ryoko looked at the blonde and then back at me. “Oookay… Excuse me, can I pass?”

“Ah, yes, sure.” I stepped aside, but bumped back into her. “Sorry.”

“Sorry.”

I moved to the left, but so did she. “Sorry.”

“Just—” She reached out to hold me still. “There.”

Her hand was warm on my arms, her touch so familiar it called upon old feelings. For a moment, the walls around my heart relented and I caught myself wondering. What if…

Astrid’s cackle chased the vulnerable thoughts away. “You’re in the way, Ylva!”

“Shut up!” I shouted back.

“Why? Don’t you know it by now. You’re a waste of space.”

Ryoko tugged on my sleeve, but I was too preoccupied in my screaming match with Astrid.

“Takes one to know one,” I sneered, earning a gasp from my classmate.

“How dare you! I’m nothing like you.”

Ryoko tugged harder. “Ylva?”

“Just a moment.”

“Ylva!” She raised her voice, louder than I’d ever heard. That wasn’t like her.

“What?”

She gestured and I followed her gaze, immediately realising what was wrong.

A slender figure limped towards us. His dark hair hid his face, but I recognised the white streak. Ryuga.

Shit. What was he doing here in broad daylight when there were others around?

Last time, he made sure to isolate me and attack me when he was powered up by the moonlight. But the night was long gone.

“Get behind me,” I warned, trying to push Ryoko behind me.

“I don’t need your protection.” She pulled her wrist from my grip and walked towards the thin teacher.

I caught her by her shirt. “Don’t.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Ylva.”

“He’s dangerous.”

She tilted her head. “I don’t know, he looks like he might need help.”

Hah. She was right. He wasn’t walking properly and his head seemed too heavy for his neck. He wasn’t actually looking at us or moving very fast. Almost as if he wasn’t there…

I released Ryoko’s shirt. “Just be careful…”

“Master Ryuga?” she called, slowly approaching the swaying man. “Ryuga-sensei? Everything okay?”

He threw his head up, his eyes leaking silver. Drool trickled from his mouth as he struggled forward. He scanned his surroundings, slanting back and forth. “Hehehe.”

Despite our differences, the ordeal drove Astrid and Flavia towards me.

“What’s going on? Who is he?” Astrid asked.

“It’s one of the Shinigami teachers. He is…” How much could I tell them? “A troubled man.”

She nodded. “He looks like it.”

“Do we have to help?” Flavia sounded bored and from the look on her face, it looked like she only suggested out of obligation.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. Ryoko was right. He didn’t look all there, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous. Even if all my feelings were dulled down, I still remembered the panic and fear from the night he attacked me. He wasn’t someone to underestimate, even if he looked like he lost his mind.

Ryoko reached the slender man and she extended her help, but he didn’t seem to hear her. He just struggled forward, kind of throwing one leg in front of the other to keep moving.

My roommate looked at me with confusion written all over her face. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe we just leave him?” I suggested.

She sighed. “That’s not very responsible. Come help me.”

Oh, that didn’t sound like a good idea. I wasn’t going anywhere near that deranged lunatic.

I held up my hands and shot her a fake-smile. “I’ll pass.”

“Ylva! Get here!”

Ryuga’s head shot up and he looked straight at me. One side of his face was rippled with silver scales, but his eyes were dark again. “Ylva.”

“Shit.” Whatever just happened, this couldn’t be good. If I was on my own, I could’ve just run, but there were other people around me. People that, even if we were fighting, I cared about. “Ryoko, get over here!”

“What?” She clamped her books tighter to her chest.

“I said, get over here,” I hissed.

Astrid scratched her head. “He looks creepy.”

“He’s trouble,” I warned. “Get to the school. Now.”

She chortled. “Yeah, right. Like I’m going to take orders from you.”

“Dude.” I shoved her towards the main building, ignoring her curses and protest. This was not the time for it.

The slender teacher cracked his neck and growled. “Shadows. Mine.”

With one fluid motion, he thundered towards me. Before I could react, he crashed into me and slammed me to the ground. The fall knocked the air out of me and my head spun from the sudden impact.

“Give it to me!” Ryuga howled. He clawed at my face, his nails carving open my skin and tearing into my flesh. The stinging pain consumed me, but I didn’t fight it. After all of this, I deserved it. If he wanted to take the Shadow magic from me, I’d gladly let him.

I didn’t want it, I didn’t need it. He could take whatever he wanted from me.

Clonk.

The man instantly froze and the pain stopped.

Flavia’s voice sounded. “Pull him off.”

Ryuga’s body was lifted from me and two hands pulled me back to my feet.

“Are you okay, Ylva?”

That was Ryoko’s voice.

I rubbed the blood out of my eyes and regained my vision. The Shinigami teacher laid on the ground, either unconscious or dead.

“What did you do?” I asked, giving him a little kick. Was he really out?

Ryoko held up a thick textbook, her hand shaking. “I whacked him on the head. With his own book.”

Astrid snorted. “Really?”

“Yes. I was on my way to class. His class. Oh, what did I do? I hit a teacher! He’s totally going to fail me!”

“Really? That’s what you’re thinking about right now?” Astrid mocked.

She gasped. “I hit a teacher!”

“He was attacking me,” I added, placing a hand on Ryoko’s arm to reassure her. “You did the right thing.”

She hid her face against my shoulder, sobbing softly. “I can’t believe I killed him.”

I stroked her hair, hoping that calmed her down. “You didn’t kill him.”

“I don’t know…” Astrid gave Ryuga a little kick. “He’s pretty out of it.”

“He’s not dead,” Flavia weighed in. “He’s just knocked out.”

I drew in a deep breath. “Well, that’s something. But now what?”