Love Poison No Cure Needed

Inexplicable Hostility 2.28

Sorrel filed into the English classroom one step behind Kayad and settled at his seat. As he looked up, he caught Dr Hayhurst as she glared at him. Dr Mary Hayhurst was a Doctor of Literature and also a completely normal uninitiated human. Thus, Sorrel couldn’t think of a single reason for her to be unhappy with him.

While Sorrel waited for the clock to tick over to start reading time, he mentally scrolled through all his English classes for the year and determined that he had seriously paid attention in each class and diligently done all the readings before class started. Sorrel was then left more confused what on earth could be the reason for the animosity?

“Reading time starts now.” Dr Hayhurst said coldly. Sorrel looked down and started to flip through the English paper. He simultaneously absorbed the questions just to be sure he wouldn’t miss anything and realised that more than half of the questions were on chapters of the textbook that hadn’t been covered in class yet.

Sorrel flicked a look back up and spotted the triumphant smirk on Dr Hayhurst face. Sorrel turned his eyes back to the paper and waited for the start of writing time. Once time started, he quickly began to work.

He wrote until the last minute and then put his pen down. The exam might have been very hard if Sorrel hadn’t gone through the entire book as a basis for human school. It was in some ways actually less advanced than what his tutors had covered. So Sorrel was confident and comfortable when he left the classroom. As an afterthought he turned to Kayad wondering how he handled it.

“Geeze, when she covered new stuff last week and immediately said it would be on the exam, I thought she meant it would be touched on, not that it would be the focus on the exam.” Two girls followed them out talking to each other as they went. 

Kayad smiled at Sorrel before gesturing that they leave. Given the weirdness of the day they decided that rather than staying on campus they would head out. Kayad flicked a text message off and by the time they reached their bikes a group had gathered around them. It seemed that we weren’t the only ones with early finishes for the day.

William and Dimitri stood to one side with Simon standing awkwardly to the side while Jasper and Ella seemed deep in conversation while Victoria and Daylen looked on awkwardly from the side.

“Right, so then Sorrel grabbed him by the lapels and shoved him against the tree–” Ella was animatedly telling Jasper, but she paused when Victoria nudged her and gestured to Sorrel’s and Kayad’s approach. Ella made an ‘I’ll tell you later’ gesture before she turned and smiled at Sorrel.

“Hey, haven’t seen you in a while. I thought I’d bump into you at the club house.” Ella said with a wave.

“Ah, I’m staying with my Uncle for this semester while I get used to the city,” Sorrel explained. While he kinda wanted to know what Ella had been telling Jasper in the end though Sorrel decided not to. It was probably just Ella explaining that Kayad had been poisoned and that Sorrel had ended up having to do an emergency detox.

Back at the club house Sorrel waved at Ivan who flung out a tendril and carefully examined everyone as if it was his first time meeting them. Though he paused and went around Kayad twice when he walked up directly beside Sorrel.

Sorrel rolled his eyes before shoving the tendril aside. To enter the main clubhouse. “Which room did you pick Ella?” Sorrel asked as he walked into the flower garden that was the club building's first floor. Unlike the Riven club house their building only had two floors. The main first floor where the dining room and recreational things where and the second floor where there were 15 bedrooms. More than enough for all the members.

“I took the tulip room on the east end.” Ella responded and Sorrel nodded. It was a good choice so the soothe tulips liked to guard people and so the relatively fragile human who arguably needed the most protection, even if she was deadly with a slingshot, was a good match for the tulips to protect.

“Soooo study or relax?” Jasper dragged out as he held up his backpack and then looked around the room. Sorrel glanced down at his phone as it vibrated and pulled up the email that showed the new exam schedule. 

“I have meteorology and stealth tomorrow, so I don’t mind not sure that they need studying really.” Sorrel replied and Kayad nodded affably.

“Relax.” “Definitely Relax.” “Hundred percent Relax” Ella, Daylen and Simon spoke simultaneously. Sorrel nodded but then tilted his head. He’d thought Simon was the studious type given the way he’d been working on a magic formula that first day. Huh, maybe he was just tired after the exams today?

“Though, not sure what to do here? we normally just have a meal and then either talk or play on the computers in our rooms.” William wondered as he looked around what Sorrel supposed was an exotic garden to the human.

“We can play on the game consoles?” Sorrel said.

“There’s a game console?” Simon asked as he started to look all around.

“Sure? Didn’t you take a tour?” this time all the members of Bloodied Petal shook their heads while Kayad started to chuckle.

“Oh well, this way.” Sorrel glanced down at Kayad’s chuckle; he was probably making fun of the fact that the other dryads hadn’t thought to inform the humans. Sorrel turned and let the way past two pots of white peony and through a pseudo screen formed by a grape and passionfruit vine to a large area filled with couches with four mounted tv’s and a long tv cabinet behind it very similar to the lounge section in the Riven Time main floor. 

“I never realised this was back here…. What else am I missing.” While Simon spoke, he pounced over to one of the large couches while the others followed laughing.

“Um the library and the board game room?” Sorrel responded.

“Really? Wow this place is like a treasure hunt. I’m going to go find them.” Ella bounced straight back up and took off amongst the plants while Victoria trailed behind her.