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I give him another quick kiss, and then the bell rings, and our chemistry teacher enters. She seems a little frazzled as she hurries to the lectern and puts down her bag.
“I hope you’ve taken a good look at the assigned reading. I’ll be asking you a few questions about it today.”
I mentally roll my eyes. Chemistry’s not my best subject. Ms. Pilgram launches straight into it, asking which metabolic processes occur during odeon production and which formulas are used to calculate them. She calls on a few students to answer questions, and again I feel like I’m in some kind of military barracks. Ms. Pilgram’s tone is harsh. Now she turns to Kate.
“In my last class, you were the only one who could explain how the concentration of odeon changes in the cells of key carriers when we transmit odeon to our spirits. It very much depends on the speed at which this happens. Various chemical processes occur in the key carrier as well as the spirit. Today, I’d like to take a closer look at that because it’s a very important topic for all of you. Would you mind writing the formula up on the board again?” she asks Kate.
Kate hesitates before standing up. I know she’s uncomfortable standing in front of the class. But Kate’s an ace in chemistry, which is great for me because it means she can help me with the homework.
Kate takes a whiteboard marker, holds it up to the board, and then freezes. At first, I assume she’s just thinking and trying to recall the whole formula. At least that’s what her tense expression suggests. But when she continues to just stand there and do nothing, I wonder what’s wrong with her. Is she having another vision? No, that’s not what it looks like. She seems to be fully present and thinking hard. Her eyes keep wandering across the board. Finally, she turns to face the teacher.
“I’m sorry, I just can’t remember the formula right now.” She’s clearly reluctant to admit it. She’s ashamed, but there’s also something else in her eyes. It looks like fear. But why? Sure, it’s unlike Kate to suddenly forget something in chemistry, but it can happen to anyone. Why is she so afraid? It’s not as if Ms. Pilgrim will bite her head off.
The teacher looks at her closely, frowns, and then nods. “Hmm, that’s a shame. I really thought you’d memorized this stuff. But I guess you need to apply yourself along with the rest of the class. Alright, let’s get to it then.”
Kate returns to her seat looking contrite.
“Don’t worry about it,” I whisper to her. “It happens. Nobody can remember everything all the time.”
Kate just nods and tries to smile.
At the end of class, she seems to be doing better. But I broach the subject anyway.
“You feel okay now?”
She nods. “Yeah, I’m fine. It was just an awkward moment.”
“Hey, do you want to come with me to visit Mom in the hospital? We could grab a coffee and a muffin on the way.”
She immediately declines. “Thanks, but I need to show my face at home again. Mona’s looking forward to seeing me, and she’s probably baked something delicious. I could bring you some of her baking tomorrow.”
“Okay, some other time.”
She gives me a quick hug. “For sure. And thanks for inviting me along. Enjoy your time with Ayden. I wish I’d had more time with Ty.” A shadow flickers across her face, but she quickly pastes on a smile again. “But I’ll always have a part of him with me.”
We both look at Gray, and I’m glad that at least she has his key spirit by her side. I zip up my backpack, and Ayden shows up as I’m shouldering it. He hugs me from behind and pulls me in close.
“I’ll see you at lunch. I have to go meet up with the hunters for a bit and then go to class.”
I kiss him and can’t wait to see him again.
Chapter 23
Mom’s really happy to see me, although she’s a little concerned at first about the fact that I’m no longer living in the school residence.
“Are you coping okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, you don’t need worry about me. I can keep up with the school work. It’s just so I can benefit from a little extra tuition.”
I can tell that this doesn’t completely allay her fears, but it reassures her a little.
“You’re strong, I know you are. If you set your mind to something, you’ll succeed.”
She glances at Ayden again and smiles. She was surprised at first because she didn’t know I was seeing someone. We chat for a while, but soon duty calls.
“I’m really glad you brought him so that I could take a good look at him,” she whispers to me with a wink. “He’s super cute. You have excellent taste. I guess you get that from me.”
I laugh and shake my head. Although secretly, I have to agree with her. Ayden’s hot, and I’m constantly reminded of that when I’m out with him and he turns the heads of half the young women we pass.
