Page 72 of A Dose of Agony
His lips twitch. Although, to be honest, as we enter the domed lunchroom filled with massive packs of supernaturals, I recognize that this is what I’ve mostly been missing.
I get to spend time with Janet and Lola in Elite Hall, but it’s different when they’re so out of their element.
The lunchroom is the school’s natural habitat.
I spy Marcus on the other side of the cafeteria, ducking his head away from eye contact. That’s a bad sign.I’d begun to suspect their relationship had fizzled out, but this nearly confirms it.
The biggest shock for me, though, are the pixies.
Since the beginning of the year, the pixies would dart around in their little swarms, hanging out with several different groups and tables but never ours.
Lola was never included.
So, imagine my surprise when that same swarm of pixies is now hovering over the table with Lola and Janet. Stassi sits there too, which is news to me.
Laithe and Manuela are at their usual Elite table. Elliot, the shifter who sat with us a few times last semester, is back to his wolf pack.
Janet squeals when she sees me approaching with Jarron, even though I saw them twice in the halls this morning.
“I’m so excited you’re back!” Janet says. “Both of you.” She grins at Jarron.
“Thrilled to be here.” He winks.
“I’m sure you missed your girl, didn’t you?” Lola chirps, circling her perch another three times before settling down.
Jarron squeezes my hand. “Very much. It’s really good to be back. It’s amazing how normal it can all be, even when other things are… not.”
“How is everything in Oriziah?” Janet asks, munching on a roll from her tray.
“Tense,” he answers slowly. “But it’s fine. Nothing major has happened yet.”
That yet lingers over the table. We all feel it. What big thing will happen? An attack on the palace? An assassination attempt? A death?
I swallow and try not to think too deeply about it.
The group of at least a hundred pixies vibrate a few feet above the far side of our table, drifting closer to us.
“This is different,” I mutter, eyeing the swarm of pixies.
Janet’s eyes flare, but she says nothing.
I didn’t know a whole lot about pixie behavior or societal structure before coming to Shadow Hills, but I’ve learned a lot since. Lola is essentially a pariah to her people simply because she failed to test out of Minor Hall fast enough.
She had to put a troll to sleep using her pixie dust but has performance anxiety, so she failed, and it cost her whole family and community. The story of her saving my and Janet’s life against a minotaur by using her pixie dust has gone around the whole school, so the group started warming up to her a little after that. This, though… this is different.
Now, the pixies seem to be following her around.
Lola has expressed determination to stay in Minor Hall to prove a point, even though her worth is now being acknowledged. Being in Minor Hall doesn’t mean she’s lesser than the rest. She’s strong and smart and capable, regardless of what her failure in one test claimed.
And the way she was treated for this perceived failure is unacceptable.
I can tell Lola feels a little torn about the attention.
“Yeah, ever since the list, it’s been like this,” Janet says.
“Well, it’s a little bit more intense today with you here, but they’ve definitely been around more.”
And this is exactly why it’s bothered me not being out here with the rest of the school. I’ve asked Janet and Lola both what’s been new, and they never mentioned the pixie palooza.
