Chapter 236

Chapter 236 Lila’s POV “Shouldn’t you be writing your speech for the election? It’s only tomorrow,” Rachel asked, staring down at me with narrowed eyes.

I sat, cross-legged, on the couch in the student lounge with my sketchpad on my lap and I peered up at her with a frown.

“I’m designing the border for the mural the art class is creating,” I told her.

“Your speech is important Lila, and you haven’t thought anything about it,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “I thought you wanted to be the president of the student committee.”

“I do!” I exclaimed. “Of course, I want it. I created the committee.”

“Then why aren’t you acting like you want it?” She asked, sitting down beside me. “Sarah has been bragging to everybody that her speech will wipe you out.”

“If the students want Sarah as their president, then there’s not much I can do,” I said shrugging as I looked back down at my sketchpad.

I was proud of the work I was doing for this border.

“You could try to win,” Rachel muttered. “She would destroy the committee if she won.”

, I sighed and looked at her.

“I know you are worried, Rachel. But I’m telling you, you don’t have to be. I can’t really explain it, but I have this weird feeling that everything is going to work out the way it should. Don’t worry too much.”

“So, what are you going to say at the debate tomorrow without a speech?”

“I’ll figure it out,” I told her with a reassuring smile. “In the meantime, I need to finish this border.”

She sighed but she didn’t say anything else. She took out her textbook and started to study for her upcoming exam.

“Lila!!”

I looked up to see that girl in my history class running toward me. I tutored her with a couple of others in the library yesterday.

She looked extremely eager, and, in her hands, she held a piece of paper that I couldn’t see properly because she was waving around in the air.

á “Hey,” I said, giving her a fond smile.

“I got an A on my exam!” She shrieked, excitement radiating her face and lighting up her features.

I nearly jumped to my feet; instead, I put my sketchpad down and clapped my hands happily.

1/5 11:29 “Oh, my goddess,” I breathed, staring up at her with large and happy eyes. “I’m so happy for you! Congrats!”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” she said with a grin. “Thank you so much for spending time tutoring me yesterday.”

Before I could say anything more, the door of the student lounge burst open, and in came the other two that I had tutored as well.

“We passed!!!” They said at the same time, running over to where we sat.

“Lila! I got a B on my assignment,” one of them said.

“And I got a B- on my math test,” the other said with a grin that stretched out from ear to ear.

“That’s amazing,” I said happily, and this time I jumped to my feet. I knew they could do it; they just needed a little confidence.

I was so incredibly happy for them.

“I’m going to recommend you as a tutor to all my friends,” one of the boys said, giving me a quick hug.

I chuckled.

“Well, if anyone needs help, they can feel free to find me,” I told them. “I’m really glad you all passed. If you need help again in the future, don’t hesitate to ask.” “Thanks again,” the girl said, also hugging me. “You saved my ass.”

“Did I overhear correctly?” A girl who was sitting alone at a table asked. “You are a tutor?”

“Do you need help with something?” I asked, cocking my head at her.

She had a textbook and an open notebook laid out in front of her, but I couldn’t make out what the book said. Her face reddened slightly, and I could tell it was difficult for her to speak about this. Maybe she was embarrassed.

“Lila is the best tutor,” one of the boys said to her. “She can help you no problem.”

“Thank you, but I can speak for myself,” I said, but there was laughter in my tone. “How about you guys continue your studies?

I’m going to speak with this girl alone.”

They all nodded in agreement as they left the student lounge.

I smiled after them, still feeling all sorts of bubbly after that interaction. My heart was incredibly full and all the problems and stresses that were once in my head had ceased to exist.

At least for a moment.

“I’m sorry to bother you...” the girl said, looking down at her book. “You don’t have to help me. I just thought-”

“I’d love to help if I can,” I said, walking over to her table. “What’s your name?” “Kayla...” she said, still staring at her book. “My old friends used to call me Kay.”

2/5 11:29 D “Old friends?” I asked, furrowing my brows together. “What happened to them?” “They are at my old school. I haven’t heard much from them since I moved a week ago.”

“You are new here?” I asked; that explained why I didn’t recognize her.

She nodded her head once.

“I just transferred,” she explained.

“What school did you transfer from?” I asked.

She was quiet for a moment as if she was trying to decide what to tell me or not, which made me even more curious about her.

“School of Magic in Emerson,” she said in a breath.

I raised my brows at her; Emerson was very far from here. Not as far as Monstro, but it was an airplane ride away. School of Magic was one of the best schools for both witches and fairies. We didn’t have a lot of witches at this school, but we did have a few and we had a bunch of different courses for them.

We had no fairies at this school though; fairies aren’t always known for their niceness despite what popular stories might say.

Most of them couldn’t stand shifters and other creatures of the night. They were selfish and if you got too close to one, they could, and most do, harm with their magic. They are known to keep to themselves, and they certainly aren’t ones to mess with.

With that being said, most fairies don’t want to attend a school where shifters are, so we don’t have any at this school. But that doesn’t mean this school isn’t open to them.

I never encountered a fairy myself; I’m not exactly sure what one would look like.

I imagine them to be very tiny just as the stories say, however, the stories tend to be wrong about a lot of things.

When I didn’t say anything, she continued.

“There’s no one of my kind here... so making new friends is difficult,” she admitted, her face growing even more red.

“So, you are a fairy.” It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway.

“I know what the rumors say that we aren’t nice creatures,” she said as she met my eyes. “And that may be true for a lot of fairies. But my family and I are different. We moved away and started a new life. It’s a difficult adjustment...”

“It’s always hard going to a new school. This is my second year at this academy and I’m still trying to get used to it.”

Her eyes widened.

“Second year? How old are you? You look so young, I would have thought it was your first year or something,” she said, staring around my face with an alarmed expression, making me chuckle.

“I’m 18,” I answered. “The academy starts at the age of 17,” I further explained.

3/5 11:29 “You’re my age,” she said. “The school of Magic starts at the age of 15. I went there for 3 years before coming here. I’m starting fresh with my family, so I guess technically this is my first year.”

I sat down beside her.

“So, you are from Emerson? I heard that’s a beautiful city,” I say fondly.

I’ve only ever briefly heard about Emerson in class, but I never visited, and I always wanted to.

“It was very nice yes,” she said, but I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. “But the city life wasn’t a place for us. We stuck it out for a few years, but...” Her voice trailed off, not wanting to continue any further.

“It’s okay,” I said quickly. “You don’t have to talk about it.”

She swallowed hard before taking a deep breath.

“My mother got sick because we couldn’t be in our natural habitat,” she said in a breath.

“Natural habitat?” I asked, unsure of what that meant.

“We are forest fairies,” she explained. “We have to be near the forest and in the city, there aren’t many forest lands.”

“A forest fairy?” I asked, my eyes widening. “So, you draw strength from the forest?”

She nodded her head once.

“We work to keep the forest alive,” she further explained. “It’s our main job.”

“That’s cool,” I said, and I truly meant that. “I too draw strength from the forest in a way. It helps strengthen my abilities as a Volana and it centers me.”

She gasped loudly.

“You’re a Volana wolf?” She asked.

She didn’t sound terrified, just shocked. I nodded my head in response.

“Wow. I had never met a real Volana before. But I heard of them. You don’t seem as vicious in real life,” she said, staring around my face in wonder.

I laughed.

“I could say the same about you,” I said in return; this made her laugh as well. “Did you say you needed help with your studies?”

She sighed and glanced at her book.

“I’m behind because I’m starting in the middle of the school year. These lessons are different than the ones I’m used to at my old school and I’m kind of lost...” she admitted. “I’m not sure what to do. My parents are paying a lot of money to send me here and I don’t want to disappoint them.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said with a smile. “I don’t mind helping you. I’m pretty good, at most subjects. I can swing by your dorm later and we can get to work. I’m 475 11:29 assuming the rest of your assignments are there, right?”

She was quiet for a moment longer, staring down at her hands now.

“I actually live off campus with my parents,” she said softly. “There weren’t any singular rooms left and no one wanted to room with a fairy...”

My heart fell into my stomach, but before I could say anything, I heard Enzo’s voice in my head as he used his mindlink to connect with me.

“Lila, where are you?”

“In the student lounge talking to someone. Why?” I asked in the mindlink.

“I need to see for myself that you are okay and safe,” Enzo said quickly. “Stay where you are.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“I just got word from Ethan,” he quickly explained. “It’s about Jazzy...”

“Jazzy?” I asked, feeling my heart weigh heavily in my chest. “What happened?”

“She escaped.”