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Griever: Chapter Five

Griever: Chapter Five

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Chapter FiveBounding out of bed, Shaeda grabbed the sword, and flung open the bedroom door … then had to stop short.Unexpectedly, Migael was standing right outside, so close that she almost bashed him in the face when she opened the door. She dropped the sword in surprise, and he jumped back, eyes wide. Then his shoulders sagged, his whole face flooding with relief.“Oh man,” he breathed, “you’re up! You’re okay! I mean, uh … are you okay? How you feeling?”Shaeda just blinked at him.“Feeling?” she asked, sounding stupid even to her own ears. It was a very difficult question to answer. She kinda had a lot on her mind.Migael, she then realized, had a large bandage wrapped around his head, and there was something a little shifty and dazed in his eyes.An ugly weight settled in the pit of Shaeda’s stomach as the memories began to trickle back in, and again, she suddenly wasn’t sure where the reality started and the dream ended … or was it the other way around?“What’s happening?” she whispered. “What am I-?”“Whoa, steady, now.” Migael grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Take a breath, man. You, uh, kinda had a traumatic experience. Wait, maybe that’s not the right way to put it, but, uh … anyway, they said you might not remember what happened, so. This is fine, I’ve got this. What DO you remember?”Shaeda wasn’t sure. There were strange, blue-eyed non-humans, and glowing swords, and terrifying mud monsters with tentacles, and a familiar silvery shape that had risen out of pure rage and channeled it into a powerful certainty.She swallowed hard.“Yeah,” muttered Migael. “Yeah, okay, so maybe let’s skip that part. We can catch up later. Right now, Professor Sharm wants to see you.”That, of course, made sense. If she really had accidentally summoned something in the middle of the examination, then of course he’d want to talk to her.“I didn’t do it on purpose,” she managed.That isn’t true, is it?Maybe she hadn’t exactly intended to summon a spirit; she hadn’t even been sure she still could. At the same time, Migael was obviously alive, and presumably Talie was, as well, or he’d have said something about it by now, and so whatever Shaeda had done HAD worked. She couldn’t be sorry about that. She couldn’t wish it hadn’t happened.Something inside her HAD intended every bit of it.“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay, um … I’ll go see the professor.”Migael shook his head.“WE’LL go see him,” he corrected her. “I’m not leaving you alone with that creep.”Shaeda raised an eyebrow.“Do you think he’ll let you stay?” she asked.Migael shrugged.“Not planning to ask for permission,” he said, and then he started off down the hall.***Professor Sharm’s office, which had only recently belonged to Professor Petwardan, was on the first floor to accommodate Professor Petwardan’s wheelchair. Professor Sharm hadn’t changed much about it when he’d taken over; even the tiny painted portrait of Professor Petwardan’s late wife was still in its place on the mahogany desk when Shaeda and Migael walked through the half-open door.Talie was already there, seated in an uncomfortable-looking wooden chair with one slightly shorter leg that kept it off balance. Shaeda had a theory that neither Professor had ever replaced that chair because sitting in it unsettled any students who were brought to them for reproach or punishment.As soon as she saw Shaeda, Talie jumped up and ran to embrace her.“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered. “We were really worried. What WAS that thing?”“Ah, Ms. Clare.” Professor Sharm nodded at Shaeda, then glanced with some resignation at Migael. “And Mr. Hansa. I don’t remember inviting you along.”“Nope.” Migael smiled. “You didn’t.”Shrugging, Professor Sharm let that go.“How are you feeling?” he asked Shaeda. “And, Hansa, is the dizziness clearing up?”Shaeda turned on Migael.“You’re dizzy?” she asked. “How dizzy?”Migael threw up his hands.“I got my head bashed against a rock,” he reminded her. “What did you expect? And thanks, Prof, but I’m fine. I mean, I’ll be fine.”Talie sighed.“He really will be fine,” she murmured, smiling softly. “He’s definitely concussed, though. If you hadn’t done … well, whatever that was, Shaeda, then things might have gotten a lot worse.”“Yeah, no s**t.” Migael shuddered. “Thanks for the save, bestie.”The word “bestie” filled Shaeda with so much sudden warmth and excitement that she had to quickly trace the shekra symbol on her wrist several times to keep the unexpected joy at bay.Forcing herself to refocus, Shaeda carefully looked Talie over for signs of any injury.“I’m okay, too,” insisted Talie. “Everything’s going to be fine, okay? Don’t freak out.”Those words hit Shaeda like a physical blow, and she winced. Talie looked instantly contrite, biting her lip and shaking her ...
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