Page 39 of Ocean of Ink
“Friends assist one another,” Finn joked and opened the door for her with a grand sweep of his arm.
A blissful warmth chased away the damp cold as she entered. The building was brightly lit with dozens upon dozens of candles and oil lamps burning. Uniformed students milled about the halls, chatting with friends before disappearing behind classroom doors.
Wren looked down at her map. The ink was smudged, and the words blurred from the heavy mist outside.
“The fourth door on the left,” Finn directed her straight ahead.
Wren gave him a sheepish look. “Thank you.”
They walked together. Wren did her best to breathe through the battering emotions of those around her. The longer she was here, the more she’d be able to tamp down her senses, but it would be challenging to focus with them present today.
“And since we arefriends.” Finn nudged her shoulder with his. Her muscles tensed. Though he likely meant nothing by it, she was not accustomed to nor fond of being touched by a man without warning. “I will offer to help you reach any of your other classes should the weather persist this week,” he finished, unaware of her discomfort.
“I hope to gain my footing rather quickly,” Wren replied as she tried to recenter herself. “But I appreciate your offer.”
Finn opened a door with a gold plaque that readGiftingson it in swirling script. Inside was an array of wood tables, each one had two velvet-backed chairs behind it, most of which were already filled by students. There were only two seats left.
“Lady’s choice,” Finn said as if he did not know which Wren would choose.
At the back of the room, perched like a king on a throne, was Castien. His dark hair was pushed back from his face today, and he had abandoned his jacket on the back of the chair next to him. He regarded Wren and Finn’s entrance with an unreadable expression. The other seat was at the front, closest to Ambassador Westover’s desk, which the man was currently sitting on top of. Wren did not recognize the student she would be sitting next to, but she could not sit beside Castien all semester. It would be difficult enough to focus knowing he and Finn were in the room.
She walked to the seat at the front. The ambassador took notice of her, his amber eyes aglow with curiosity.
“Welcome, Lady Kalyxi. I am pleased to have you in my class.”
“Thank you, Ambassador, I am eager to learn,” Wren said, instead of grumbling that he chose for her to be here.
A chime sounded out. There was only one clock in this room, above the chalkboard, and it was positioned at ten in the morning. The ambassador hopped off his desk and locked them all inside.
“Welcome, students, to your first class of the new semester. As I have met all of you, no introduction is needed.”
His grin was wide and his excitement palpable even in the fray of others’ emotions. His charcoal trousers swished as he paced the length of the room. His coat matched and would have made for a subdued ensemble if not for the canary yellow shirt he wore beneath it.
“I am pleased to be teaching on Giftings yet again this semester. For those of you who are second-year students or beyond, rest assured that if you have taken this course in the past, it is different each year. I have taken care to be certain that all of you will benefit individually and as a whole.”
He paused to look over the room. Wren glanced at her tablemate. The woman had curly blonde hair, but it was a few shades darker than Wren’s and warmer as well. There were freckles across her nose and cheeks, indicating time spent in the sun. Her accessories were simple; only a gold locket hung from her neck, and a pale green sash was tied around her waist. The woman’s hands were folded atop a journal open to a blank page, and her nails had dirt under them.
“This year, I have devised a brilliant activity that is sure to abound in creative use of your Giftings and exponential growth!” the ambassador proclaimed. “You will be paired together and work on weekly assignments that will test your intelligence as well as your Gifts.”
Murmurs overtook the classroom. Wren’s tablemate glanced at her. They offered each other timid smiles. Wren was glad she had not decided to attempt boldness to spite Finn and sit next to Castien. That would not have paid off for her.
The ambassador laughed, causing silence to fall.
“How amusing! You think you are working in the pairings you have chosen for yourself.” He shook his head. “No, no, I have carefully selected your partners based on what I know of your strengths, weaknesses, and Gifts.”
Anxiety shot through Wren like a harpoon. She clenched her fists under the table against the uproar of emotion.
Ambassador Westover slid a piece of parchment off his desk and cleared his throat.
“When I announce your pairing, move to sit with your partner. I trust you can all figure out the arrangements necessary to make room.” He held the paper out in front of him. “Ambrosia Whitethorn and Galendor Rowander.”
The woman next to Wren stood at the same time as a man at the table beside them did. Wren herself stood and swapped with the young man to make room. She glanced at her new–likelytemporary–seatmate. The woman cut her eyes at Wren. Disdain and contempt billowed off her like smoke. Wren recalled her at Castien’s table at breakfast that morning, though she did not know her name.
The ambassador continued down his list. Wren had to move seats several more times. The smaller the selection in the room got, the tighter her chest became. It was down to four people. Her, Finn, Castien, and Alysia. She was not fond of any of her options, but if she could avoid the worst of them then she would be able to manage–hopefully.
“Finnick Valengard and Alysia Fairweather,” Ambassador Westover announced, then lowered the paper. Wren’s stomach dropped. “And of course, that leaves Wren Kalyxi and Castien Valengard. Please take your seats.”
Wren felt as though she was wading through water as she switched seats with a smirking Finn. She set her bag on the table and Castien snatched away his jacket before she sat down. Neither of them looked at one another.
