Self Studies: The Thorns of Charbon Institute, page 11
“Why a hundred?” I asked, trying to wrap my head around it.
Derek leaned back and bounced, his face lighting up. His voice went back to its usual tone. “Because it’s an easy number to keep track of. I don’t think it works exactly like this, but at least it gives me something to focus on. Why’s your phone off?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Honestly, because I couldn’t figure out how to turn it on.”
I hadn’t even finished answering him before the kid had my phone in his hands. The screen lit up, and he moved into the seat right next to me. “Let me show you how to use it. Fair is fair; you taught me how to prepare water in Alchemy.”
My posture relaxed as his words warmed my heart.
Although I think I mumbled something along the lines of thank you, Derek didn’t respond. Instead, he powered the phone back off to show me what he did to turn it on. I caught on quickly. The black box functioned much more straightforward than it first appeared. He sent me a smiley face emoji text before showing me how to add contacts.
“Everything’s connected through Mêler,” Derek explained. “Though there’s no private chat system, it’s only public sharing. Hence, you still need to exchange phone numbers.” He glanced at my gem. “Your advisor should have set up your accounts. Everything’s on a closed network. We have some internet access, but nothing goes out of the shield around the Institute.” Derek smiled. “Back in the real world, everyone has a phone. My mom always said it was just as much of a right as breathing these days.” His face fell.
I wanted to reach out and hold his hand but held back.
“I heard there’s a way to talk to family - even though this place cuts you off,” He frowned. “But it involves talking to someone who I’m pretty sure gives negative points, so I’ve not really looked into it.”
“Do you miss your family?” I asked.
He started to tear up. “I do, a lot.”
I badly wanted to hug my new friend, but he shook off his tears before they could come and forced a smile onto his face.
“Mêler’s the Institute’s version of social media,” he began talking fast and showing me an icon on the phone. “I’m still unsure how much of it is part of our Aptitudes, but our responses to it are most definitely recorded. The camera that’s built into your phone can turn on and film you with or without your permission; they could be watching us right now.” He sounded both frightened and excited at the same time. “We’re always on camera, anyway.”
I followed his finger as he pointed to a little glass dome on the ceiling. A shiver ran up my spine, not liking the idea of constantly being watched.
When I looked back, Derek’s thumb hovered above the Mêler icon. The excitement left his gangly body. Uncertain eyes rimmed with apple green looked up at me. “You’re big news. A lot of stuff about you ended up on Mêler.”
Before I could ask what social media was, Beryl’s muscled build slipped into the seat across from me. He gave me a wide grin. “Morning, Dot,” and picked up my empty coffee cup, replacing it with a full one. “I didn’t peg you as a morning person.”
“Negative points,” Derek mouthed, not so subtly pointing at Beryl.
The kid stood, pulled his full food tray off the table and quickly shuffled away. Several boys his age sat across the room. I recognized Dead Eye from alchemy. High fives surrounded Derek as he rejoined his friends. It made me smile.
I almost jumped out of my seat when Beryl’s foot found mine under the table. Blood rushed to my face as everything but the mage now in front of me fled my mind.
“Dot?” I asked.
“It’s your nickname.” Beryl grinned. “Aphrodite’s a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
I laughed, probably more than was necessary. “It is, and more fitting. Aphrodite was the goddess of love, beauty, and passion.”
“I think that description fits you perfectly.” Beryl leaned forward. “It’s a nickname; I’m not taking away your status as a goddess.” He sat up straight and put a hand over his heart. “I do intend to worship you.”
I snorted and clapped my hands over my mouth. I’d never made a noise like that before.
Beryl’s foot gently rubbed up against my ankle as he chuckled. My heart fluttered, both never wanting to leave this table and to run at the same time.
Saffron’s scowling face rushed up to my table. “Aphrodite, it’s time to go.”
Leaning back, Beryl put one of his beefy arms above his head and winked.
I hadn’t noticed when he’d picked up my phone, but he handed it back to me with another grin. I had two contacts now, Derek and ‘Beryl the Boyfriend.’ I bit my lower lip.
“They both start with B,” he pointed out. “It’s only fitting.”
I wiggled like a kid unable to sit still. Taking a calming breath, I turned off the little screen without correcting him.
Saffron made a jerky gesture with his fist. “We can’t be late for your placement tests.”
I untangled my foot from Beryl’s and put my hood up. Obediently, I trailed after the Greek God, unwilling to look back to see if Beryl watched me go.
We paused once we were out of the cafeteria.
“I know I said you should pick your own friends,” Saffron began. He turned my shoulders to face him. His fingers brushed my face as he pushed down my hood. The tie slipped awkwardly around my neck with my collar still buried under the hoodie. Placing a finger under my chin, he guided my gaze to his own. “Beryl shouldn’t be one of them.”
I wrinkled my nose. Pulling my chin out of Saffron’s hands, I matched his scowl with one of my own and said, “A little late.”
Saffron narrowed his eyes and shook his head before grabbing my hand and pulling me after him down the hall.
The day dragged. Question after question appeared either on paper or on a little laptop in front of me. The drab gray stone walls became a madding blur behind the stern older woman who watched me like a hawk. I looked blankly at the final question: ‘In five-paragraph essay form, describe the first time you accessed your magic.’
I bit my lip in frustration.
The things I knew, I knew well: like alchemy, runes, and meditation. However, history, magical application, practical skills, and the nature of magic all had questions I didn’t even understand.
Look for answers to questions in other questions and always put something down. Even if you don’t know, write down something. I, we, want to get to know you so the Institute can help you in the long run. Professor Garnet’s advice bounced around in my head.
Crossing my eyes, the test in front of me went out of focus. Although the professor honestly believed the faculty existed to help students, I wasn’t so sure. Advisor Crowe even told me teachers were cruel and set students up to fail. Alchemist Blickenstaff certainly ran her class that way. Derek was convinced it was all a set-up. The thought Professor Garnet had lied to me stung.
“That’s time, Aphrodite. Pencil down and turn it in.” The proctor’s voice brought me out of my thoughts.
I dropped my pencil and looked down at my five-word answer: ‘What is five-paragraph form?’
“Now, Aphrodite,” the proctor snapped.
I stood so fast I hit my thighs on the table and winced. The woman barely spared me a glance. She came forward and piled up my tests on top of the lapbtop. “You’re to report to your advisor in two hours to collect your new schedule.”
The woman’s dramatic layered robes billowed as she swiftly exited the room.
Saffron’s light steps entered moments later. “How’d it go?”
I tugged on my braid. “It’s only placement, right?”
Saffron grunted. “I’ll drop you off in the library until dinner; we’ll pick up your new schedule after that. Don’t leave the library.”
I sucked in a breath and eyed Saffron. If he was so keen to get rid of me, maybe he shouldn’t have come at all. If he noticed my unhappiness, he didn’t show it.
Once again, I found myself following his backside down the halls. At least it was a good view.
Usually, I could sit still for long periods, but that was pretty much all I’d done today. After lossing interest in a second book, I ignored Saffron's command. I wanted to walk the barrier again, and no one could tell me not to—especially not another overbearing mage.
Alice gave my hoodie a quick magical wash before I made my way out of the building. As it turned out, Alaska had longer days during the summer and almost no daylight during the winter. Being the end of summer, the early evening light still blazed like mid-day.
I focused on the brilliant horizon and the crisp air refreshing my lungs. I’d not seen any animals yesterday, but maybe I’d spot something today. I missed the antics of the stray cats who lived outside my old window.
Footsteps crunching on the packed dirt and gravel didn’t register until they were right behind me. Before I could turn, a hand clamped down over my mouth. Something hard hit my shins, kicking my feet out from under me. Instead of hitting the ground, an arm clamped around my stomach. Although logic told me to fight, my body went limp.
My attacker pulled me into the shade of one of the buildings. The cooler air made me shiver as I struggled to get a full breath.
‘You need me to protect you,’ Damon’s voice echoed in my thoughts.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to focus on anything, but my brain scattered, and my body stayed limp.
“If you scream, I’ll gut you,” a woman’s voice said from in front of me.
My eyes shot open. The person who grabbed me still held me, and now a second person stalked forward.
Broad and dressed in a student uniform, a vicious smile played on her dark lips. Her hips rolled with every step. The tip of a large sharp knife dented one of her fingers as she played with it. I closed my eyes again. The hand across my mouth squeezed painfully before releasing my mouth.
“Breath, slut,” the woman demanded.
Her command didn’t help my short, jerky breaths. The woman stepped forward and slapped me hard across the face. Hot metallic blood filled my mouth. My next inhalation pulled the thick liquid down my throat and into my lungs.
I choked on it and started violently coughing. The person behind me dropped me, and I fell forward – my palms biting painfully into the ground. A meaty hand thumped me hard on the back.
“I don’t think that’s necessary, but whatever,” the woman said.
I managed a few normal breaths. The hand stopped its motions, flattening out and running down my back before rubbing across my rear. My body stayed frozen, and my mind went numb. It always hurt less if I stayed relaxed. I’d learned that the hard way. I didn’t want to remember that lesson.
The hand squeezed my butt.
I didn’t want this.
“She’s not even runnin’ from it,” the gruff voice of my first attacker said. One of his fingers pressed into my butt-crack through my skirt. “That get-up she pranced around in...” He smacked his lips. “A little cum in her cunt ain’t gonna fuck-up her scales, right?”
“Assuming she’s actually got them,” the woman pointed out. “If she were that powerful, she’d be fight’n us, not grinding her pussy against your bumbling fingers.”
I tried to shake my head; I wasn’t doing that. The woman squatted down in front of me as the man lifted my skirt. Cool air brushed my ass. I began shaking, but I still couldn't move.
The woman carefully slid the knife into my mouth, forcing me to meet her gaze. Cold steel nicked my lips as the point of the blade came to rest against my teeth. I clenched my jaw shut.
“Open,” she purred.
My jaw opened. I hated myself with every fiber of my being. Hot tears began streaming down my face. I didn’t want this.
“What the fuck!” Beryl’s voice made my tears come out faster.
The knife scored my lower lip as the woman abruptly stood. The heat of the man’s hand left my backside, and my skirt fell back into place.
“Beryl,” the woman said. “I mean, we would’ve….”
Before the woman could say anything else, the sound of a fist colliding with a body filled the air. I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see it.
“Fuck, what’s up your asshole?” The man spit, and his footsteps moved away from me.
Steel replaced Beryl’s usual tone. “Get the fuck out of here.”
I still didn’t move, trapped by my fear. Based on the sounds, I assumed the two helped each other up, and the pair’s footsteps vanished. I still didn’t move.
“Dot,” Beryl said.
The world began to spin. “I didn’t want it.” I said so quietly I almost didn’t hear it.
My arms trembled from holding myself up. I didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath, and I gasped in a lungful of air. “I just…I wasn’t. I’m not…”
Before I could continue, Beryl sat down heavily next to me. He pulled me into his lap, wrapping his arms around my frame. “I know.”
I collapsed into a heap and pressed my face into his chest. Although I didn’t want him to look at me, he coaxed my face up.
“Shit, Dot, your face.”
I hadn’t noticed the pain, but as if talking about it made it hurt, my cheek started throbbing from where the woman had slapped me. Blood dribbled down my chin. Even my wits had gone with my fear. No wonder Damon hadn’t even tried to teach me magic. I started shaking.
Next to us, Beryl’s fingers danced before his hand disappeared into thin air. An interdimensional pocket like Saffron’s appeared.
“I should have died with him.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized I’d thought them. “I keep having these moments where I think I can do this, but….”
“You can,” Beryl cut me off.
I shoved the heels of my palms into my eyes. Pain spiked in my cheek, but I didn’t care.
“Professor Garnet said I needed to find myself. But I’m not a real person. There’s no one to find. I’ve spent my life doing what I’m told.” My voice cracked. “I didn’t even run. I just waited for them to use me so it would be over faster.”
A sob racked my form.
Beryl stopped rummaging through his pocket to pull me into his chest. “You’re real, my goddess. They could’ve killed you. You did good.”
I shook. “They wouldn’t have killed me. They wanted my scales.”
Beryl’s arms went slack around me. “You’re the dragon.”
My heart sank. I didn’t want to push him away.
“I’m nothing like my soul beast,” I started blabbering. “It’s a thing under my skin. I didn’t even want it to come out.”
Beryl’s neutral face turned from me to focus on his dimensional pocket.
“I thought everyone knew,” I whispered, realizing my stream of words wasn’t going to fix this. “I destroyed an entire classroom in front of witnesses.”
I tried to wipe the blood off my lips and winced.
Beryl found what he was looking for. Turning, he held out a glass vile. The red, purple, and crystal-clear swirls of a healing potion sparkled.
“The Institute removed every scrap of information about the dragon from Mêler and the institute servers. It’s word of mouth now. All the power-mongers are taking credit for it. It’s become a running joke that it’s you.” He gave me a soft smile. “Sorry, but you don’t quite radiate the powerful vibes.”
I tried to smile at his humor but couldn’t. “It doesn’t bother you that I’m a dragon?”
Beryl shook his head. “I was surprised. Sorry to worry your pretty face.”
I took a deep breath, not sure if I believed him, but desperate to take him at his word. “Is that a healing potion?”
Beryl tried to hand it to me.
“I can’t take that from you.” I pushed it back toward him. “It’s just bruising and a few cuts on my lips. Those are very expensive and hard to make. Even harder to charge.”
Beryl shook his head. He wrapped an arm around my waist again, and I leaned into him, my worry vanishing.
“It’s my fault.” He said quietly, his shoulders sinking. “I should’ve been here. I’ll force the potion down your throat if I have to.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You wouldn’t.”
Beryl shifted me in his arms. His face darkened. “You don’t know me, Dot.”
A curl of fear made me shiver. I didn’t know him at all. This was the longest conversation we’d ever had.
Beryl’s gaze bore into me before he took a large sip of the potion and pressed his lips to mine. By magic or skill, I wasn’t sure; he managed to transfer all of the sweet liquid into my mouth. Somehow I didn’t choke as it slid down my throat. Immediately the throbbing in my face subsided, and cuts and bruises on my body healed.
I snuggled into Beryl and kissed his neck. This, I wanted this.
Beryl held me for a moment before releasing me to re-cork the potion. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” Beryl said, slipping the remaining liquid into his interdimensional pocket.
Beryl stood, lifting me with one arm. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his uniform. “Thank you for rescuing me.”
He hesitated before pressing me to his chest. “Always, my goddess. Always.”
I don’t know how long he held me, but eventually, my fear subsided, and we walked, arms around each other’s waist back toward the Institute.
My moan filled Beryl’s small, moody bedroom. I rocked and bounced as his cock filled my pussy from behind while his skillful fingers rubbed against my clit. His other arm wrapped around my breasts, holding me tight to his chest as if he could protect me from the world.
It wasn’t only the sex; it was all of him—a wall of muscles, safety, and acceptance. I tried to back myself further onto his dick, but he couldn’t go any deeper at this angle.
As if reading my mind, Beryl’s hands shifted to my hips. He rolled us, so he was flat on his back, and I was straddling his waist, looking at his feet. Once again, his fingers returned to my clit as I let his entire length slide in and out. Over and over, faster and faster until in a massive wave, my muscles bunched and released.
