The immortal's queen

Chapter 5: judgement

The administrative wing was cold. Quiet. Sterile. The kind of quiet that made you feel like you were walking through a library where even the books were holding their breath.

I sat in a hard wooden chair outside a closed door, my hands clasped in my lap, my leg bouncing uncontrollably. Noemi had tried to follow, but I'd told her to go. She'd squeezed my arm once and said, "Good luck. You'll need it."

Thanks. That helps. That really, really helps. I'm going to die in there.

I pressed my palm against my knee, forcing it to still. Don't look nervous. Even though you are. Even though you're about to get expelled on your first day.

First. Day. That's a record, Celine,your Dad will be proud of you.

I heard footsteps inside the office. Voices—low and clipped. Then nothing.

The door opened. Professor Vance walked out, her face still flushed, her glasses askew, her hair escaping from its perfect bun. She shot me a look so venomous I half-expected to drop dead on the spot. Her thoughts were a storm of fury and embarrassment, but I didn't bother reading them. I didn't want to give myself another reason to vomit.

"Go," she hissed. "He's waiting for you."

I stood on legs that felt less steady than before and walked into the room.

The office was nothing like I'd expected. No dark decor. No dramatic flourishes. Just clean lines, tall windows, and a massive desk at the center. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with ancient texts and leather-bound volumes. A single lamp cast a pool of warm light across the desk.

And behind it sat Theo.

Of course he sits there. Like he owns the place. Because he does. Because he owns everything. Including my dignity, apparently.

He wasn't wearing his usual black coat. Just a simple dark shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, revealing forearms that probably shouldn't be that distracting. His silver eyes lifted from the papers in front of him, meeting mine with a gaze that held no expression. No anger. No curiosity. Just... emptiness. Like I was an insect under a glass.

This guy is Impossibly handsome, too bad he is heartless

"Close the door."

I did.

"Take a seat."

I did.

Silence stretched between us. He didn't speak. He just watched me, his fingers resting lightly against the armrest of his chair, perfectly still, like a predator waiting to see what his prey would do first. The silence was suffocating. It pressed against my chest like a weight, squeezing the air out of my lungs.

Say something. Anything. Before the silence eats me alive.

But I didn't. I couldn't. My throat had closed up. My tongue had turned to lead.

"You exposed a professor's private misconduct," he said at last. His voice was calm. Clean. Empty of warmth. "In front of an entire class. On your first day."

I'm going to get expelled. I'm going to get expelled and my dad is going to be so disappointed and I'm going to have to go back to The Rusty Spoon and serve pancakes for the rest of my life.

"I didn't mean to—"

"I am not interested in what you meant to do."

The words cut cleanly through mine. No shouting. No volume. Just ice. Sharp enough to draw blood.

"You spoke information you had no right to know," he continued. "You created a disruption. You undermined the authority of an instructor. And you did it publicly."

Again, she was sleeping with a student. That's not exactly a small thing.

I forced myself to hold his gaze. "It slipped out."

"That is precisely the problem."

He leaned back in his chair, fingers resting lightly against the armrest. Everything about him was controlled—posture, voice, expression. There was no raised volume, no visible anger. Somehow that made it worse. I'd rather him yell at me. At least then I'd know what I was dealing with.

"Your ability invades the minds of others," he said. "That alone makes you dangerous. Lack of control makes you unacceptable."

The word settled heavily in my chest. Unacceptable. Like I was a defective product. Like I'd failed some test I didn't even know I was taking.

"I can learn," I said.

"You will." His eyes narrowed slightly. "Because the alternative is removal."

My fingers curled against my thighs. "You're threatening to expel me?"

"I do not threaten," Theo replied. "I state consequences."

The room felt colder. Like someone had opened a window to winter. I shivered.

"You will report for disciplinary labor after your final class for the next five evenings," he said. "East hall. Lower archive wing. Training room maintenance. You will not be late. You will not speak unless addressed. You will not make excuses."

Five days. Five days of scrubbing floors and polishing equipment. This is my life now. This is my new normal.

"And," he added, "you will attend suppression drills under Darian's supervision beginning tomorrow. If your power continues to leak into public spaces, the restrictions placed on you will escalate."

I swallowed. "That's all?"

His gaze sharpened. The room seemed to dim. His voice dropped a fraction.

"Do not mistake structure for leniency." He stood, the movement smooth and final. "You are not special because your ability is rare. You are a liability until proven otherwise."

The words landed harder than shouting would have. They buried themselves in my chest, sharp and cold.

He looked down at me from across the desk.

"You will control your mouth. You will control your power. Or this academy will control you."

My throat felt tight. "Understood."

"Good." He sat back down and reached for the papers on his desk again, already dismissing me. "Get out."

I stood on legs that felt less steady than before and walked to the door. My hand was on the handle when his voice stopped me.

"Celine."

I looked back.

Theo's eyes were ice. Ancient. Unforgiving.

"If you create another public incident," he said quietly, "I will not waste time on labor assignments. I will restrict your power by force."

There was no emotion in his face. No cruelty for show. Just cold certainty. He meant it. Every word.

I nodded once and left.

*****

The hallway was empty. I leaned against the wall, pressing my palms to my burning cheeks.

I'm not expelled. I'm not expelled. But I have five days of labor and suppression drills and apparently I'm a "liability."

I'm a liability. That's what he called me. A liability.

And he threatened to restrict my power by force. What does that even mean? Is there a magical muzzle? A leash?

Noemi appeared from around the corner, her face pale. "You're alive!"

"Barely," I muttered.

"What happened? What did he say?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "Five days of labor. Suppression drills with Darian. And he called me a liability."

Noemi winced. "Ouch."

"He also said if I cause another public incident, he'll restrict my power by force."

Noemi's eyes widened. "That's..."

"Terrifying? Insane? Completely unfair?"

"I was going to say 'extreme,' but sure."

We stood there in silence for a moment.

Then I laughed. It was a hollow, slightly hysterical laugh. "I've been here one day, and I've already been called a liability and threatened with magical restraint. This is a new record, even for me."

Noemi squeezed my arm. "You'll survive. You're stubborn. Annoyingly so."

"Thanks. That helps."

"Come on," she said. "I'll buy you the biggest dessert in the cafeteria. You've earned it."

Earned it. Right. I earned a threat from the most feared person in this school and five days of scrubbing floors.

But at least I'm not expelled.

Small victories.