Page 22 of The Lost Elemental

Slowly, I turned back to face the stranger. “Why?”

He shrugged. “There’s enough room for two. As long as you aren’t going to lose it again.”

I ignored the dig and moved towards the edge of the roof.

“You’re not going to jump, are you?”

“Not tonight.”

Instead, I lowered myself to the edge and hung my legs over. The campus looked peaceful, lit only by the glow of a few lamps along the paths. The trees shimmered, their iridescent foliage picking up the light. The forests surrounding the campus did the same.

The guy sat then. Taking up my same position but on the other side of the roof. He didn’t say a word, simply stared out into the night. But somehow, just his presence, the tiny kindness of letting me stay…I felt a little less alone.

12

“Aura, you have to get up!”

I groaned as Kerry shook my shoulders. “Too early.”

“No, it’s not. I’ve been trying to get you up for the past hour. Do you want to be late for class on our first day?”

My eyes flew open. I sat up blinking a few times as I took in Kerry in the pleated skirt and white button-down shirt. “Uniforms? Seriously?”

She plucked up a hanger with an identical outfit. “It’s supposed to even the playing field or something. Like that works.”

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood. My muscles ached. From sitting on the roof for hours or lack of sleep, I wasn’t sure. Dark eyes danced in my mind. But I was beginning to wonder if I’d imagined them. That I’d made up the shadowy figure in my mind. Like an invisible friend.

“You better move it. We’ve already missed breakfast,” Kerry called as she shoved things into a tote bag.

My stomach let out a loud growl at that. I’d skipped dinner last night, opting for a few hours of alone time in our room. My stomach was about to eat itself.

Kerry tossed a granola bar in my direction.

I caught it mid-air and tore the wrapper with my teeth. “You are a goddess among mortals.”

She snorted. “Tell that to the rest of the Academy.”

“I’ll shout it from the rooftops.”

I chewed quickly as I changed. The skirt hit me a couple inches above the knee and the shirt was perfectly molded to my frame. “How did they know my size?”

“Air elemental magic. A burst of air and they can sense all your measurements.”

“That seems like an invasion of privacy or something.”

Kerry slid her bag over her shoulder. “That’s the tip of the iceberg.”

I didn’t even want to know. I looked down at the Mary Jane shoes the school had provided and shook my head. That wasn’t happening. I pulled open my closet and searched the bottom of it. Seconds later, I was slipping on my Chucks.

Kerry lifted a brow. “You might get in trouble for those.”

I knotted the laces and straightened. “Gotta make a stand somewhere.”

“Let’s not make that by being late the first day.”

She led the way out of our room and down the stairs. My bag bounced against my hip as I walked. The only thing inside was a notebook and pen. “I’m not supposed to have books or anything, right?”

“No. Most of the classes aren’t really book heavy and the ones you need, they’ll provide. You’ll have water first. I have that in the afternoon.”