Chapter 110: Attack of the Eclipse
Alex blinked, his heart still racing from the almost-moment they’d been sharing. "Wait, what? Who is it?" he asked, sitting up, his hands hovering awkwardly as the mood fizzled out.
Velenda was already halfway to her wardrobe, yanking a woven tunic over her head. "It’s probably my mom," she said, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Dad’s super chill, lets me do whatever, but Mom? She’s strict, like, zero-tolerance strict. If she catches you here, we’re toast." Her gaze flicked to the window, then back to him, her expression a mix of apology and urgency. "You need to go, like, right now."
Alex’s stomach twisted, a mix of disappointment and nerves kicking in. "Seriously? I just got here," he said, trying to keep things light, but Velenda’s frantic look told him this wasn’t the time for jokes. He grabbed his soft leather boots, fumbling to pull them on as she practically pushed him toward the window.
The spark between them was gone, smothered by the threat of her mother’s disapproval. As he climbed out into the cool night air, the moonlight glinting off his pale skin, he glanced back at Velenda’s silhouette, framed in the soft glow of her room’s bioluminescent orbs. "Message me later?" he whispered.
She gave a quick nod, her attention already elsewhere, and slid the window shut. Alex sighed, his breath misting in the chilly air, and slipped into the shadows, his mind replaying the moment they’d almost had.
*****
The next morning, Alex wove through the bustling halls of Crestwood Academy, his satchel slung lazily over one shoulder. The school was a whirlwind of activity, elves darting between classes, their vibrant hair catching the light, the air filled with the clatter of lockers and the hum of enchanted lights overhead.
He was still a bit grumpy about last night’s interruption, but the energy around him was starting to lift his mood. He spotted Bastian leaning against a row of intricately carved lockers, his mischievous grin as bright as ever, his crimson hair tousled like he’d just rolled out of bed.
"Dude, you won’t believe what I pulled off last weekend," Bastian said, his voice brimming with excitement as he launched into his story. "So, I totally botched Professor Callahan’s alchemy experiment. He was working on this glow potion for the festival, right? I swapped his moonpetal extract for starvine syrup.