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He nodded. "I see. Nari, do not ever let someone make you cry because of things, ok? For people, or emotions, that's fine, but not because of things."
"I'm crying because I'mmad," I insisted. "I want to smack her right in her face."
"No," Amerlee told me. "There are much better ways to prove your point than hitting someone. Sometimes, doing nothing at all is best. There will be people in this world who want to make you hurt so bad, and you'll have to just ignore it. This is not one of those times. Sounds to me like that girl is a bully, and she wants to scare you away from taking any of her spotlight. The only way to make her stop is to steal it all. Think you can do that?"
"But I don't know how!"
She lightly rubbed my arm. "That's ok, because I do, and I'm here to teach you. This, sweetie, is my responsibility to you. Now dry your face, because you're going to have to tell this story a few more times, ok?"
I used the corner of my towel to wipe at my eyes, aware that Jamik looked away. He always did that, unless it was Amerlee. It made me wonder if he could explain what Anver had been talking about, and I decided to ask him later.
Saval came into the bath a moment later, with Anver trailing behind her. Immediately, she saw my ruined boot hanging from the wall. It made her close her eyes and let out a heavy sigh.
"What else?" she asked.
I told her about the purple lace bra and panties, then decided to check the rest of my clothes. Not surprisingly, they'd been messed with as well. Ink had been poured down the middle of the stack, seeping through the fabric to leave large dark stains in an almost random-looking pattern.
"And who did this?" Saval asked.
"Ciella, Kald, and Ryshie," Anver told her. "I didn't see them, but they were the ones giving us a hard time."
"Why?" Saval asked.
Anver's face turned instantly red, so I decided to answer. "Because he kissed me, and when they laughed, we didn't stop. Those three were playing around with each other and didn't like that we pulled attention away, I think. They tried to splash us to make us stop."
Saval turned her eyes on Anver. "And where is your mentor?"
"He's with his priestess on assignment for today and tomorrow," he explained. "Said something about a holiday party."
"Ah, the Tulip Festival," she said, proving she knew what he was talking about. "Well, let's get all of this cleaned up. Anver, go back to your room. Jamik, can you make sure Nariana gets there with her towel in place? Amerlee, can you help me with this?"
"I'd be happy to, Saval," Amerlee promised, looking back to nod at Jamik that it was ok. "Get her a change of clothes, and we'll have dinner in my rooms and talk about the rest of this, ok? I do not need those kids picking on her between now and then."
Jamik sighed but gestured for me to lead the way. Once Amerlee made a decision, it seemed he always followed it, even when he didn't really want to. I had a feeling this was one of those times. Anver followed, pausing once we were in the hall.
"Nariana?" he asked, looking over at Jamik and then back. "Maybe we can sit together in mathematics tomorrow?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that."
"Ok. I'm sorry about your things, too. I didn't really think they'd do that."
"Me either," I assured him. "But you'd better go before you miss dinner."
He jiggled his head, kinda waved, and then jogged off down the hall. Beside me, Jamik had to clear his throat twice, and I knew he was trying very hard not to laugh. He also stayed right at my shoulder and kept his eyes on the end of the hall without even blinking.
"You don't like Anver?" I finally asked.
"I used to be him," he corrected. "I'm also trying very hard not to make you feel embarrassed or ashamed like my mentor made me."
"Why?" I asked, pausing when we reached my room.
He gestured for me to go in. "Because doing something for the first time is a little intimidating. It's rarely perfect, but it's also not supposed to be. I also want to ask you if your first kiss was all you'd hoped it would be."
"It wasn't bad," I admitted.
"But not good?" he asked, leaning against the frame, making it clear he wasn't coming in.
"It was better before he told me he didn't want to do anything more than kissing." I chewed my lip. "He said he wants to be a guardian, and that he doesn't like touching. He called it asexual."
