Page 30 of Nova Academy

‘W-what?’

‘You’re a girl. I know. It’s a really good disguise, but not much can fool me. Good try though!’ I grinned at her, but it only seemed to make things worse. Instead of smiling back, she paled even further and swayed as if she were about to faint.

I reached out, prepared to catch her if she fell, but the colour suddenly returned to her skin. She steadied herself so quickly I almost believed I imagined it. Huh.

‘How?’ A ha! Confirmation received.

‘Well, there was just something about you that was a little too feminine, and when I was on top of you yesterday I felt the chest binding beneath your uniform. Oh, and when you leaned over in your sleepwear the other day and I noticed two little somethings underneath. You should really make sure the binding is tight enough. Anyway, when I put two and two together, I couldn’t see you as a boy anymore. Not unless you were going for pre-teen.’

I expected a little laughter at the joke but must have misread the room.Oops.I was proved correct when she looked me square in the eyes, and I suddenly felt as if I were prey and she the predator.

‘What are you going to do?’ she asked, her voice a higher tonenow that she wasn’t trying to lower it to blend in as a male. But the cold, calculated quality almost had me backing away. The fatal promise in her voice was unexpected. I kept my feet firmly planted on the floor, though. I was right about her. I knew it. She wouldn’t hurt me.

‘What do you mean?’ I retorted, her question a little too vague for me to answer adequately.

‘You know I’m masquerading as a male enrolled in a strictly male institution. You’re confronting me about it. So, what now? What happens next? Are you going to turn me in? Have you already done it?’

My eyes widened so much I feared they’d pop right out of my head. ‘No! No, no, no. Not at all. Sorry, I can see now why you might think that, but I really did mean it when I said I wanted to be friends. You can trust me. I promise.’

Her face twisted up into a puzzled scowl. ‘I don’t understand. Why wouldn’t you turn me in? You could lose your job if anyone found out.’

I scoffed, insulted. ‘How many times do I have to tell you? We’re friends. You can trust me. Your secret is safe with me.’

‘Friends,’ she tested the words on her tongue. ‘Why? What do you want from me?’

That question alone made me sadder than I’d been in a long time. ‘I want to befriends, Arty – is that even your name? It doesn’t matter. Anyway, I knew I could trust you after we met. I don’t know why you’re masquerading as a boy, but I figure you’ll tell me eventually. You wouldn’t be doing this without a good reason. Plus, I don’t have many friends. Just Xander, and he’s so surly and broody all the time it can get a little annoying. And I’ve never had agirlfriend before. I’ve always wanted one.’

Her brows disappeared beneath the bangs that constantly flopped in front of her eyes. ‘That’s it? You just want to be friends?’

I nodded once, firmly. ‘That about sums it up, yep.’

She paused. ‘Oh.’

I released a boisterous laugh at her utter bewilderment. I took great pleasure in doing the exact opposite of what people would expect and then watching as they attempted to reconcile the expected outcome with the reality. Arty did not disappoint.

Arty… Speaking of which.

‘Whatisyour real name, by the way? Your girl name?’

Her entire body deflated as if she’d been full of air and I’d just popped her. ‘Arty works. My name is Artemis. I picked a male name that was close enough to my chosen name to avoid confusion.

Wait a minute… ‘Chosenname? Is Artemis not your given name?’

Wrong question. I’d been doing so well, but every one of her muscles tensed and I knew I’d stepped in it. I didn’t know what it was I’d stepped in, but I was covered in it.

‘You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to,’ I assured her.

The small, grateful, closed-lipped smile she shot me was like the sun shining down on me from a clear sky on a warm summer’s day. Bittersweet but a confirmation of what I’d already discerned from my past scrutiny. Earning her trust was going to be an uphill battle, and I could see the fight hidden just beneath the skin. She was strong and persevered even when things went tits up.

Yup, that decided it. We were going to be friends for life.

‘Maybe another time. I should go meet the others before they come to find me. Dorian did not look happy to leave me behind.’

‘Ha! He sure didn’t! I’ll see you after lunch, yeah?’

She inhaled slowly, held it for a moment, and then exhaled before responding. She was back to the cooly confident Arty I’d come to know, her mask securely in place. ‘Yeah, I’ll see you in a bit.’

And then she was gone.

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