Chapter 24: One failed subject
Ruelle pulled out her book, placing it gently on her lap, though her attention was far from the open pages before her. She couldn’t help but glance at Ezekiel, who was currently engaged in a hushed conversation with their instructor, Gemma. Why now? Why here?
Ezekiel had never mentioned working at Sexton. As far as she knew, her family wasn’t aware of it either. He had spoken before about working for vampires in high society, but never did it cross her mind that his work would involve being an assistant teacher in a Seduction Techniques class.
"You girls fawn over every instructor," Kevin muttered under his breath, breaking into her thoughts.
"Oh, hush! There’s no harm in admiring something good-looking," Hailey chimed in, nudging Ruelle with a knowing smile. "Even Ruelle thinks he’s handsome."
But Ruelle’s eyes were on Ezekiel for different reasons. Her mind flashed back to the night he had hugged her behind the bell tower. No, don’t think about it, she told herself. There was no need to dwell on it. No one had seen, and it was a memory best left buried.
"As I mentioned last week," Gemma’s voice rang out, drawing attention back to the front of the room. "Your task for the first week was to observe your partner and document their characteristics—observe, analyse, and present your findings. We’ll now review your answers before moving forward." She clapped her hands, commanding the room’s attention.
As Gemma called on the first students to present, their words floated around Ruelle without truly registering.
"Miss Clifford, share with us what you have gathered," the head instructor said after a few students had taken their turn.
June, ever confident, stood up, holding her notebook like it contained the most insightful observations. But only she knew that it contained nothing as she flipped through the blank pages with ease that suggested they were filled with meticulous notes.