Chapter 40: [40] The Ice Queen Cometh
The morning sun filtered through the tall windows of Class 1-D’s room, casting long rectangles of light across the polished floor. Xavier slouched in his seat next to Sayuri, one hand idly spinning a pen between his fingers.
Calypso sat two rows ahead, already deep in conversation with Margaret and Selena. She’d practically dragged Xavier out of bed at 6:30 AM, insisting they couldn’t be late again. Now here they were, fifteen minutes early, and Xavier was fighting to keep his eyes open.
"G-good morning, Xavier." Sayuri’s soft voice came from his right. "Did you finish the reading for today?"
Xavier turned to her, noting the dark circles under her eyes. "Morning. Yeah, I skimmed it. You look tired."
Sayuri ducked her head, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "I stayed up too late practicing my sketches. Professor Rousseau mentioned we’d be discussing gate topology today, so I wanted to make sure I could visualize different gate structures properly."
"You work too hard," Xavier said, leaning back in his chair. "It’s just the second day."
"GOOD MORNING, COMRADES!" Luka’s booming voice made both Xavier and Sayuri jump. The large Russian student slammed his hand down on Xavier’s shoulder with enough force to make the desk creak. "Is excellent day for learning, da?"
Xavier winced, rolling his shoulder. "Do you have to be so loud this early?"
"Early? Sun is high in sky! Day is half gone already!" Luka grinned. "In Russia, my father would have us training since dawn. Build character!"
"Your father sounds terrifying," Xavier muttered.
"He is! But in good way." Luka pulled out a protein bar from his pocket and unwrapped it. "You look tired, friend Xavier. Did not sleep well?"