Page 45 of A Whisper of Cinders

The snow has begun its slow descent, little flakes swirl around us and crisp air fills up my lungs. I take a deep breath and notice how Siri isn’t as happy as I am to be outside.

“By the moon,” she mutters, struggling through the snow-covered path. “How is it even possible that so much snow has already fallen? The paths were clear not so long ago.”

“A snowstorm must’ve passed, I didn’t even notice it.”

She looks up at the sky and sighs, the clouds seem a little lighter, but not much. “Me neither, I’m relieved we don’t have to walk through a storm, though. That would’ve been a whole other fight.”

“Definitely,” I say, picking up my pace so we walk next to each other. “Thank you, Siri.”

She looks at me, a confused expression on her angelic face. “What for?”

“For helping me. For being kind. I haven’t known much…kindness in my life. People mostly ignore me or they make fun of me. So, thank you for not despising me.”

A hand halts me in my tracks, a tingling sensation traveling up to my shoulder, down my spine. Confusion is exchanged for sadness. “I would never do that to you or anyone, but I am so sorry to hear that, Maily. That’s horrible and lonely.”

“I had a friend, my best friend really,” tears burn in my eyes, but I smile through them. “She made everything better, bearable even.” Siri notices the change in mood and waits for me to say more. “She died in the institution I was in before I came here. A place where we should’ve been safe.”

I start walking again before I crash down completely. Siri easily keeps up with me. “I am sorry for your loss. What was her name?”

I swallow and clench my teeth, trying so hard to keep my tears at bay. “Ami,” I whisper. “Her name was Amira.”

Something shifts in Siri’s expression, but it’s gone before I can decipher it. “Such a beautiful name.”

I sigh, trying to relieve some of the tension in my chest. “It is. It’s the perfect word to describe her, beautiful inside and out. Ami was my sunshine on a snowy day.”

She offers me a soft, compassionate smile, which I return and we walk in silence for a little while. I enjoy the quiet, even though it makes it so much easier to overthink everything.

The enormous door of the Academy rises in the distance and it is no time too soon, since dark clouds hover above us. Thunder rumbles in the distance and our gazes lock, a little panic in both our eyes, before we break into a sprint and run until we are safe within the walls of the Academy.

I lean heavily on my knees, gasping for air that isn’t there. I am so out of shape. Now might be the time to work on it. I’m seconds away from coughing up a lung.

After a couple of minutes, my breath doesn’t sound as laboured as before and I manage to right myself. To my surprise, Siri still stands next to me, gaze aimed at the heavy snowfall outside. “You’re still here?”

She turns back to me. “Of course I am. Are you okay?”

I don’t think I am. “Yes, sorry about that, I’m a little out of shape.” Understatement of the year.

“No worries, running through snow isn’t easy.” I would almost kiss her for not pointing out the state I’m currently in. “Would you like to freshen up before we go grab something to eat?”

My forehead is damp and I am practically on fire, but I think I’ll manage for now. “No, that’s okay. Eating something sounds perfect to me.”

I don’t know if it’s from the little run, the long morning or the fact that I know there is a lot of food here, but oh my, am I starving.

We walk through the double doors that lead to the restaurant and I freeze. It’s a lot busier than it was this morning. I’m not that surprised, but if I had known, I might have taken Siri’s offer to go to my room for a couple of minutes.

I take the two steps down and follow her on unsteady legs. Staring at my feet feels safe, but it looks weird to others. With a confidence I didn’t know I have, I raise my head and look around, only to notice that…no one is actually watching. Some curious eyes meet mine as I let my gaze roam over the seating area. They only look for a couple of seconds, probably wondering who the new face is. But no one is pointing or making nasty comments, no one laughs or calls me names.

A tiny weight falls off my shoulders. Siri waits in line and I halt next to her, taking in the lunch menu.

The meals are again unfamiliar to me, but I order the same thing as Siri. A Caesar salad, whatever that might be. A salad doesn’t sound that bad.

We grab our trays and I follow her, still a bit hesitant. She turns around, noticing my stalling and lowers her voice. “Everything okay? We can eat somewhere else if you’d like?”

She throws me off with her offer, but it’s so tempting to take it. Even though I’ve only met her a couple of hours ago, I know she wouldn’t mind. I look around at the other tables, again noticing how no one is bluntly staring. I shake my head. “That’s okay, I’ll manage.”

Siri takes me in a second longer before she turns and walks towards one of the free tables. I follow her, ready to crawl out of my skin, but I reach the table and keep my eyes on my plate.

I pick up my cutlery and start eating, surprised to find so much taste in the lettuce. I keep my gaze down, my attention fully on the food in front of me.