Page 56 of House of Pain
Yes, witches were cruel and savage. It was in their blood.
But they were not running around attacking each other like the old times anymore. They were civilized now.
That’s why they had things like the Game, to get it all out of their systems in a proper manner instead of going mad and burning the whole world down around them.
“Miss Black,” the professor said. Alecto’s platinum blond head snapped up, hand frozen mid-drawing. “Care to answer my question? Should I repeat it, or have you been taking notes all this time your nose has been shoved in your notebook?”
“Aether magic draws the energy from the space in between the realms of Inathis, Hel, and the mortal world,” Alecto answered.
Alecto seemed to always be ready to answer any questions that came her way from professors.
Blaze never thought about it before, but could provocative Alecto Black be a…bookworm?
The possibility of that girl being a teacher’s pet was unsettling. And highly amusing.
“And why is that forbidden?” Professor Namiad prompted.
“Because disturbing the energy between the realms threatens to alter reality, which can cause drastic events in one or all of the three realms,” Alecto explained, putting the pen down and closing her notebook. “If too many witches practice Aether magic at the same time, it can tip off balance.”
Professor Namiad smiled, pleased at Alecto’s answer.
“Thank you, Miss Black,” the professor said, walking back to her desk. “I’m glad to see that at least someone is doing their reading.”
A few mocking chuckles came from the left of the auditorium, but Alecto didn’t seem to care, not even sparing a glance to a group of students whispering to each other.
“Half-breed teacher’s pet,” someone hissed, and more laughs went around the auditorium.
The professor didn’t seem to hear the remark. Or maybe she just pretended not to.
Something inside Blaze’s chest tightened, but he ignored the feeling, watching Alecto’s reaction instead.
To his surprise, Alecto didn’t react.
Instead, she leaned back in her chair, shoulders relaxed as she swiped her long hair over her shoulder, dropping one long leg over the other.
It was immaculate, watching Alecto ignore the hate coming her way like it was nothing.
Like it didn’t touch her, sharp words didn’t sink into her skin, her flesh, the marrow of her bones.
Alecto Black might have only hadhalfof what made witches superior, but it seemed that she had all the right things in her blood.
How fascinating.
“You might be onto the right path here,” Val whispered to Blaze.
When Blaze glanced at her, he found her attention on Alecto.
“What do you mean?”
Val smirked and caught Blaze’s gaze, eyes flickering with something dark. Mischief? A touch of amusement? With Val, Blaze could never tell.
“Sometimes a witch needs a little nudge to start moving in the right direction,” Val mused. Blaze frowned, lost at the meaning behind her words. “Surprisingly, you were the little push we needed.”
Val’s mouth bloomed into a full smile. Blaze was about to ask what the fuck Val was talking about, but he didn’t get the chance.
“I know, it’s absolutely heart-wrenching—”
Professor Namiad was cut off by the door opening and Miss Bellthrove strutting in, a file in her hands.
