I really should have washed the blood off when I had the chance, I thought as I walked down the

hall.

A drop of blood made a trail from my nose to my mouth where it quickly became crusty like the split that
divided my thick bottom lip. Three dark lines marred my pale cheek, but I didn’t even feel them as I walked through
the swarmed hallway. The fearful stares of my peers and classmates burned my skin much more than the scratches
ever would.

I held my head high, showing off my ‘spoils of war’ with an arrogance that I shouldn’t have had. My
friend Ebony walked down the hall next to me, her head held even higher than mine, proud that she was the one
who was walking next to me, the girl who had broken one of the Commandments of our school and didn’t care.

I wiped my lip on the back my hand before putting my smug grin back in place. All the students watched
me with a curiosity they knew they should have hidden, but couldn’t. I could not have cared less. They took in my
busted lip and bleeding nose, though it was the three red scratches on my right cheek that drew the most attention. I
had to admit that they did sting, but I was too busy holding my head up to pay any attention. Beside if they were
looking at me like that, they really should have seen the other girl.

Ebony reached the Central Office door before me and opened it. As I stepped inside I felt the atmosphere
change from the gawking students to the questioning staff. They looked at me with such disapproval in their eyes
that I could have swallowed it. I gave Ebony a nervous look, but her cocky grin made my smile return.

Teachers watched my back as we stepped into the Disciplinary Office, my first time there out of my three
years of high school. I was trembling inside at the thought of having to deal with Shannon Carden. Shannon was one
of the only people in the world who could make me tremble and my skin crawl. It wasn’t that he was hideous or
creepy or even terrible, but looking at his face was unnerving. Has it ever felt like someone was staring straight into
your soul? Like they could see right into your very thoughts? That was Shannon in a nutshell. Shannon had these
intense gold eyes that could dig deep into your very core. What was even worse was that he was the youngest on the
Academy’s entire staff, so he wasn’t some old decrepit man whose cheeks were drooping to his equally sagging man
boobs.

No no, Shannon was only nineteen. So, why was someone so young part of the staff you may ask?
Because Shannon was a genius…and manipulative. I would never admit it aloud, especially to anyone who knew
Shannon, but it was the truth. Shannon was smarter than anyone I had ever met, or probably ever will meet, in my
entire life. It was something that only added to his unsettling gaze that made my toes shiver.

I felt a chill race all the way from my tailbone up to my skull as the door opened then clicked quietly shut.
My whole body shuddered from it, and I could already feel his eyes on my back. Ebony’s eyes locked with mine and
I could see the encouragement in her expression. I felt somewhat better having my best friend next to me, but as
Shannon’s form moved into my line of vision, I lowered my head.

“Ms. Blauvelt,” he nodded towards Ebony before his eyes rested on me, “Ms. Roswell.”

As my name left his lips I wanted to vomit, literally, from the nerves that were tearing up my insides, but I
still managed to reply, “Mr. Carden.”

I mentally congratulated myself on keeping my voice even, which did take a lot of effort. I could feel his
gaze watching my head and I lifted my eyes slightly. My confidence rose a little when I saw his relaxed expression
but I still kept my head down

“Been in a little ‘tiff’ I see?” his voice held humor, but I could still that he wasn’t going to drop his professional
exterior.

I looked straight into his dark eyes and said in perfect honesty, “Yes, but only in self defense.”

He looked down at something on his desk before searching my face again, “I’ve seen the other girl,
Adelaide. She must have done something pretty appalling for you to do that.”

When he said my name I could feel an invisible fist grasp my lungs squeeze until I felt dizzy and the air
passed my lips in a well concealed sigh that sounds more out of exasperation than anything. Thank the gods.
Shannon was the only who would ever call me by my given name, everyone else just called me Adia.

“Actually, it will seem petty to you,” I didn’t miss the flash of amusement in his eyes. “Rora Winslon began to
antagonize me about me being an Unown which I tried to ignore.” I stopped for a moment, “But then she began to
talk about my friends. I asked her to stop but she continued on even worse.” I glanced over at Ebony and saw her
lips pulled tight as she tried to avoid saying anything. “Ebony here told her to shut her mouth at which Rora…
provoked her? And they shared a few words. Rora then tried to punch Ebony but I stepped in between the two at the
worst possible moment and got a fist to my nose.”

My gaze lifted slightly as I looked up at him from under my lashes, trying to see his expression but he just
nodded, “Continue. I knew she did not get all those…ahem…damages from hitting you.”

“Well she tried to swing again but I caught her arm and dug my nails into it to it keep there while I tried to talk her
down, but she said that if that’s how it was going to be, then she could play too,” I turned my head so he could get a
clear look at the shallow scratches on my right cheek. “She tried for my eyes but that is why she can’t open either of
hers at the moment.”

I looked back up at him, but this time a knowing smile played his lips.

“So basically, you protected yourself from getting your eyes ripped out?” humor laced his deep voice, “Funny,
Adelaide. I always took you for the quiet type, but I suppose when you have some girl’s nails coming at your eyes
you can only react one of two way. Which, by the way, nice job avoiding her blows. You don’t know where her
hands have been.”

I heard Ebony snort from an ill repressed laugh before actually laughing aloud. This gave me courage to
smile a little.

“Well, Ms. Adelaide, it seems you have probable cause so I see fit to let you off this time.”

His mellow voice drifted through the air and seeped into my head making everything fuzzy. I knew what he
was doing but I wasn’t going to say anything. He was letting me off the hook so easily that the happiness coursing
through me made me want to kiss him. If it weren’t for those eyes…

“However, even knowing that you are telling the truth and it was not entirely your fault, I do not want to see you in
my office again,” as we stood and walked to the door, Shannon placed one large palm on the small of my back and
led me out the door, which he then leaned against. I could feel the shiver race through me and prayed to the
Immortals that he didn’t take any notice.

“I won’t,” I replied with a big smile, trying to keep my nervousness to a minimum. “Thank you so much, Mr.
Carden.”

Shannon returned my smile with a small mysterious one of his own before Ebony and I turned and walked
out.

Ebony burst out laughing once we made it clear of the Central Office and walked down the now empty hall.

“Wow, if that wasn’t awkward,” I said in a small voice.

“You think?” Ebony laughed beside me, her jocular mood reaching her steps as she practically bounced down the
hall beside me.
 I smiled as I lowered my head and shook it to shift my bangs into my face. It could have gone a lot worse,
but somehow I knew that Shannon wouldn’t have punished me. After all, he was just a Senior two years ago when I
was just a freshman.

“Gods, I thought he was about to kiss you make me leave. Had I known it was going to be like that I would have
decked the brat myself. Would have punched her freakin’ lights out!”

My laugh echoed all the way down the hall and, I was pretty sure, every corner of our Academy. I quickly
snapped my mouth shut and looked at my friend.

“By the way, why didn’t you hit her? It was you she was poking at, not me,” I asked trying my best not to sound
accusing.

Ebony just smiled, “Because unless she drew blood she wasn’t worth it. See, if you wouldn’t have stepped
in between, it would have been my lip she busted, not yours. Then we would have had a full out brawl, man, right
there on the floor.”

My smile was still in place when we walked down the hallway leading to the ART Department of the
Academy. We knew that Lenton would be down this way along with our friends Soon-Yi, and Zada. Our footsteps
must have echoed because as soon as we turned into the next hall, Soon-Yi was already standing there with her
usually worried look. As soon as she saw us, she unfolded her arms and hurried towards us. Zada had been standing
beside her but she held back as Soon-Yi moved.

“Lenton told me what happened. Did you get into trouble?” I couldn’t help but grin slightly at her sisterly voice.

“No, Carden let me off this time,” I said with a smile as I dabbed my lip with one finger before pulling it away to
examine the blood.

I heard her huff in agitation and looked up to see her flushed face, “I just don’t understand why she had to
go attacking you like that! That’s stupid.”

I tried to smile but realized that my lip hurt too badly. Soon-Yi must have seen me flinch because she raised
one hand to my face.

“Here, I’ll heal it so you can go wash all that blood off. I’m sure it itches,” she said and I could literally feel my
flesh coming together to reform itself.

“No, Soon-Yi, she loves it. She deliberately provokes people to get bloody noses and split lips,” Ebony replied
sarcastically.

Soon-Yi and Zada laughed knowing that Ebony was just joking and I gave a small smile of my own,
waiting for the pain from my lip from doing such even though it didn’t come. Thank the Magistrate. Once my lip
was fully healed, I followed Ebony into the bathroom so I could wipe off the blood. After a while, however, Ebony
became impatient and snatched the wet paper towel from my hard and took over. I felt like a little kid whose mother
was wiping dirt off of my face. Quite frankly it was annoying and embarrassing but there were no mirrors in the
bathroom. It was a shame that the ART students “borrowed” them all.

As Ebony finished up, Soon-Yi turned to open the door for us and slipped, falling flat on her butt; I
flinched as her sharp scream hurt my ears.

“Oh god, Soon-Yi!” Zada exclaimed rushing to her side but it was Ebony who reacted swiftly, helping Soon-Yi to
her feet before readying another rag for Soon-Yi’s now bleeding hands.

I surveyed the floor while Ebony took care Soon-Yi and soon realized what was unusual. Small shards of
glass laid ominously on the floor, covering the majority of it. I walked around studying them and could see my
crystal green and blue eyes looking back at me from some of the pieces which send a chill through me. I was
wondering why we hadn’t seen the glass when we first walked in even if the pieces were so small but I guess we had
been so busy thinking about the fight and washing my face that we hadn’t even noticed.

“Now who in Whithrown is dumb enough to leave glass on the floor,” Ebony growled when I told her about the
glass everywhere.

Zada gave me her typical odd look where she scrunched up the side of her face in confusion, “Seriously.”

For lack of a better answer, I just laughed and opened the door for them. I was about to follow the three out
when I turned to stare at the strange glass one more time. This time I didn’t catch my eyes staring back at me.