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It's my second day in Rosethorne, and I find myself once again in Professor Lucious' class. He's looking swoonworthy as always, maybe even more than usual. Waistcoats and bowties outside ballrooms can be rather gaudy, but the professor somehow makes it work, even with a mere schoolroom as a backdrop.
He goes into lecture mode right away, and although the stuff he's teaching us about advanced shapeshifting abilities of the fully divine is interesting, my mind keeps flashing back to last night's Fifty-Shade-ish incident. It's frustrating to say the least, and I know I've promised myself to stop obsessing with how surreal things are in this place, but how do you focus on what's normal when it's just one bizarre thing happening after another?
Case in point—-
I found a beast in a labyrinth, but said beast then turns out to be a pervy god with a talent for invading my dreams.
The girls in this school hate me for supposedly flirting with the professor, but they don't seem to care I've been suspected of mass murder.
And the professor, well...
Where do I even begin?
The jerk says I'm certain to eventually bore him, but he keeps dashing to my rescue like a preppy-sexy knight. I catch him crawling out of the woodwork (figuratively, of course) with a half-nymph smooching his knuckles to death, but here he is now, his dark eyes gleaming every time our gazes accidentally clash.
The gall of him, really.
Maybe I was wrong to have run away like I did last night. Maybe I should've just stayed and told him to his face that I—-
Would like to know what the hell was that secret entryway for?
Was jealous as hell?
Wished it were me playing those kinky S&M games with him instead of Isabella?
Yuck, yuck, yuck!
I'm so disgusted at the turn my thoughts have taken that the moment his class ends, I'm out of my chair in a flash. All I want is to be as far away from the professor as possible, and I force myself to keep walking even as I feel his gaze following me.
The rest of the day proves to be a struggle, with annoying memories of Isabella and the professor persistently popping up in my mind again and again. It's a shame, really, since classes in Rosethorne are proving to be a lot more interesting than any of the subjects I've had in my older school. P.E. used to be just the usual ball sports, but here in Rosethorne we're actually scheduled to go scuba diving next week. I've never been much of a water baby, but if what the other kids are saying is true, then the school's lake is supposed to be this underwater world of mystical beauty. It's definitely something to be excited about, but thoughts of it sadly take second place to stupid flashbacks of the guidance counselor playing Anastasia to the professor's Christian Grey.
Nia and I meet up for lunch, and my roommate notices right away something seems amiss. "You look horrible, dude."
"That's so sweet of you to say, thanks."
"I'm just being honest, and you're welcome."
Grr. I wish I had the energy to tell Nia how awful she is, but all I can do is glower and tear another chunk off my sandwich.
"But seriously, you do look horrible."
I nearly groan. "You don't have to keep repeating it. I got it the first time."
Concern flashes over her features, and the other girl leans forward to whisper, "Did he punish you or something?"
I stare at her, bewildered. "Who's punishing whom?"
It's Nia's turn to look perplexed. "Your divine benefactor. I figured that's why you look so awful—-"
"Shit." I groan out loud, and I'm so pissed and frustrated that I actually end up knocking my forehead against the table. "Shit, shit, shit."
Nia asks me what's wrong, but all I can do is shake my head. I can't believe I've forgotten all about the god! He's the reason I went out last night in the first place, but thanks to that gorgeous sexy dazzling jerk of a professor—-
Shit, shit, shit.
By the time classes finally end for the day, my head feels like I've got gorillas thumping their chests inside of it, and all I want is to dive into my bed and sleep. But because this is shaping up to be a really unlucky day, raindrops strike my face the moment I step out of the building's front doors—-
Yikes!
I quickly jump back under the portico and stare incredulously as an afternoon rainstorm turns the skies overcast.
Note to self: You're not in sunny Cali anymore, Dorothy, so start acting like it.
Everyone but me seems to have their school-issued umbrellas with them, and seeing me stranded outside Anise Building has the other girls making a show of snapping their umbrellas open before flouncing off.
Whatever.
Were they eighteen or eight? Did they really think I'd feel like a loser just because they had umbrellas and I didn't? It's not like I couldn't make a run for it if I wanted—-
"Forgot your umbrella, Ms. Mariposa?"
Holy Greek heavens!
Hearing his voice suddenly purr into my ear makes me start, and I see the professor's lips curve into a smirk.
"Am I making you nervous?"
I lift my chin and don't hesitate to lie through my teeth. "Nope."
"Glad to hear that," the professor says just before suddenly clicking his umbrella open above our heads. "Shall we?"
Hell no!
But because I've already told him he doesn't make me nervous, I keep my chin up and say brightly, "We shall."
The professor places a hand on the small of my back as we descend the steps, and I nearly trip over my own feet in shock.
"The steps are slippery," he says silkily.
Riiiight.
"But I can take my hand away if you're feeling nervous—-"
"I am not nervous," I practically growl.
"Good girl."
"Shut up—-" I remember too late who I'm talking to, and I add lamely, "Professor."
But he only chuckles, and the sound is just too sexy that it makes me wonder if Rosethorne has somehow managed to turn me into a slut. I've never even dated before coming to this place, but here I am now, having wet dreams with a god while crushing on the professor during the day.
"You have no need to fear any kind of repercussions from me, Ms. Mariposa."
It's not something I expected to hear at all, and I can't help looking at him suspiciously. "Are you saying that because of what I saw last night?"
"What did you see last night?" he asks blandly.
'You and Isabella getting your freak on' is what I'm dying to snarl out, but because that would only make me sound like a jealous cat, I force myself to shrug and say just as blandly, "I have no idea."
The professor's lips curve into another smirk. "You can just ask me, you know."
I know I can, but if I do, that's only going to make me seem like I care, so...
"It's your business to do whatever you want—-"
"But what if I want it to be your business?"
My heart skips a beat even as his words have me choking back an incredulous laugh. "Have you forgotten you're a professor?"
"If you ever bothered to read the handbook—-"
"No one ever bothers reading the handbook!"
"—-then you would've known from the start that Rosethorne allows relationships between professors and students."
I start to laugh, but when he only gazes at me, my laughter fades. "You're not serious, are you?"
"Rosethorne is under divine protection," he says with a shrug.
And in Post-3rd, that basically translates to Rosethorne being outside the jurisdiction of all human laws.
"Will you admit it now?"
"Admit what?" I ask flippantly.
The professor's steps come to an abrupt halt and he grabs my wrist when I attempt to keep walking. "Why do you bother hiding what's obvious?"
He sounds genuinely curious, and it would've made me laugh if I weren't so infuriated. "You're seriously asking that?"
"Yes."
"You said you'll eventually get bored of me," I hiss under my breath.
"So?"
"So?" I nearly yell the word out, and I probably would've if we weren't still out on the streets and students all around us weren't dying to eavesdrop on our conversation. "You really are a jerk, aren't you?"
"Yes. I am." The professor's tone was sardonic. "But you still like me in spite of it, don't you?" He starts to reach for me, but this time I finally have enough sense to jump back.
"Don't touch me!"
Dark eyes gleam at me in cold amusement. "Or what?"
"Or the god I belong to," I hear myself say, "will make you pay for it."