Until Death Do Us Apart

What's Your Inclination?

I ascend the stairs. It doesn’t even seem to be real. I feel like all this is just a dream.

I’ll give them the time to answer. They’ll have plenty of it, because I don’t plan to go to the dungeon any time soon. I have two months ahead of my training and I will prepare for forthcoming events thoroughly.

I have the weapon which I need. The Mirror dagger is with me now. I my powers have returned. I can fool William, because my blood can shapeshift now. I’m satisfied.

Don’t get cocky, Seraleyane (btw, how do you like my new name?).

It’s not over yet. Remember the last time you thought you’re the winner? You had lost completely!

“Yara?” a voice appears from nowhere suddenly.

I freak out a little. When I turn around, I see William.

“Too late,” he sighs, “you’d be dead if I wanted to kill you,” he almost laughs. He bites his lower lip looking at me both sharply and interested.

“If you excuse me, I want to go back to my room,” I state coldly, because I don’t intend to participate in any kind of games. I’m tired and I haven’t even realized it. I haven’t slept for the whole night. And thank God I have Xena’s clothes on, otherwise he’d have noticed my body had healed; and more important, he would have found out I have the Mirror dagger.

I have to disappear ASAP.

“What is it with you?” he asks suddenly dead serious and his voice is far from playful. It actually sounds that he cares. “What are you even doing here?”

Yara must stay true, but Seraleyane doesn’t have to.

“I heard you,” I announce slightly annoyed, “I have seen my door,” I say more sharply than I intended to, but I can’t get involved with him. He looks dangerous when he eyes me like that. “I decided to not to stay in the room anymore.”

William gazes at me while examining my body language. “So, you’ve just decided to seek the one who did it,” he smirks in disbelief.

Not exactly, but I’ll let you think that.

“Very clever! What a great idea, Yara!” he barks out and he folds his arms at his chest. He doesn’t approve it at all.

“YOU wanted to cover it up and hide it up from me!” I hiss at him. I presume that’s what Yara would do. He stops biting his lips.

“Yara…” William tries to say something while reaching for me.

I start panicking. When we touch it’s as if there was an infinite spark filled with desire. I can’t do it right now. I actually feel exhausted from everything what has happened so far. Although I’ve gained my powers back, it’ll take some time to adjust to them. There’s so much going on right now.

“I’m very tired. I have been up for almost the whole night. If you excuse me, I need to get some rest and prepare for my training, which starts at 7,” I wish my voice persuades him and he won’t ask me other questions.

“Yara,” he tries it for the second time. This time, he grabs my shoulders and looks me in the eyes.

“William,” I don’t let him finish, “I have just two months, remember?” I say it out loud so he can hear the words from me and finally realize that I know. Not that I have two months, but that he’ll kill me himself if I fail. It has the effect which I had hope for. It silences him and he lets go of me. For the first time I see regret in his face, but it disappears right away.

“On you go then,” he just nods and clears the way.

Since I have entered the Academy, I haven’t got a decent sleep. This night is no exception. I don’t even plan to go to sleep. I have to hide The Mirror Dagger.

Maybe not, William is still the topic nr. 1 for me.

***

I go downstairs to have a breakfast. It’s probably around 7’o clock. When I get to the dining hall nobody’s there. That’s surprising. They show up eventually, staring at me enviously and surreptitiously.

“What’s up, Yara?” I hear Ava’s voice which is full of hatred. She slowly approaches my table. “What did you do last night? You look like a s**t,” she hisses while almost laughing.

I just glance at her and then I look back at my food.

“How did someone like you get William to be your supervisor, you poor girl?” She just grumbles poisonously.

I don’t answer and I continue eating my food peacefully.

“Did you sleep with him, you poor little thing?” she taunts me. “Did you have to beg on your knees while sucking his d*ck?” She twitters those words like a bird which sings a harmless song. Everybody can hear it and she’s painfully aware of it. “Did he show mercy to you, because shagging you must have been both repulsive and hilarious.”

I shouldn’t be reacting, but I’m having a hard time to stay quiet any more.

“You didn’t find me repulsive the last time you were begging for your life,” I retort and Ava’s face turns to a stone.

“Whoa…” Some guys in the background applaud. I hear admiration in their voices.

“You were just lucky, you b***h! You’re poor and pathetic considering your need to sleep your way through,” she adds more oil to the fire.

“But unlike you, I don’t need to hide my face,” I smile at her and she’s raging. “Your problem is you get upset so easily and then your face changes to a hideous demonic form. You’re just like a little petty child who desires undeniable attention, but doesn’t get any. Maybe I’m the poor here, but at least my face looks good under any circumstances.”

She can’t hold it no longer. The rage is just like a spring which desperately desires to set free. She grabs her knife in order to wound me, but I immediately dodge. She didn’t expect me to avoid her move and she falls on the ground. Everybody starts to laugh at her which ignites her demonic inclination even more.

I can feel adrenalin flowing through my veins. I must be careful though. I haven’t fought with passion for a long time and if I get carried away, she will die. I’m a royal and she’s just a mundane creature. She stands no chance in winning against me and she doesn’t even know. She may be petty and ridiculous, but I want her to live.

I’m holding all my threads. I don’t let them come into my veins except of the angelic one. I’m trying to decrease the levels of strength of my power and in the very same moment Ava cuts me. It’s not a very deep wound, it’s just a small one, but it’s bleeding just a little bit more than I expected.

“Enough!” I hear William’s thunderous voice.

Everybody is scared and retreats. He doesn’t scare me off. Ava calms down a little bit, but she’d love to continue. I can see it in her eyes. She promises me a revenge with the two black orbs of hers, but then her eyes turn back to normal.

My blood soaks my clothes a little.

“Go to the infirmary and get it stitched or treated,” William announces into my direction severely and I obey him.

It’s not serious, however I almost run to the infirmary though. I’m trying to supress my powers, because they’d heal it immediately. The nurse just nods and shows me the place where I should sit.

She disinfects the tools, gets rid of my blood, then she says that it’s not serious and just puts a bandage on it. She’s almost done, but suddenly William appears. He gazes at me (with a scope of blame) and then he glances at the bandages with my blood.

“You look awful, Yara,” he comments, “get some rest and I’ll pick you up in the afternoon. We’ll practice then, but first, you need to calm down and get at least some sleep,” he announces seriously.

I don’t object and I go to my room. I lie on the bed smiling at the ceiling.

You think I didn’t notice, The Pure Blood Prince? I saw you staring at the bandages with my blood. This time, my life is just my and my own, and nobody else’s. I know you’ll take one of them and test my inclination; and you’ll find that my inclination is angelic. But guess what, this theatre with Ava was on me. This time, I’ll play with you. You won’t play with me unless I want you to.