Strains

Chapter 28

I manage to get through my morning classes without any issues, outside of the normal ones that is. It's lunchtime and I get the privilege of eating a peanut butter sandwich on a chair in the corner.

"Goodness. I know Matthew has you on a leash, but you don't have to subject yourself to sitting alone," a voice above me says.

"Oh, hi Ms. Tiffany."

"Just Tiffany is fine. We're practically the same age," she says, sitting across from me.

She's right. Other than April up at admissions, we were the only women in the same age range on campus. If we weren't dead, I bet it wouldn't look out of place for us to be in a coffee shop together, sipping overly priced sugary brews and groaning about our colleagues.

"So, what brings you out this way?" I ask. She doesn't have a tray in front of her, and her hair, which always lays on her shoulders, is pulled back.

"Just grabbing a few bottles of water for my next class. The vocal exercises we're doing today are a little more intense than what we usually do."

Why couldn't I have been enrolled in her class? I'm not big on singing, way too shy for that, but it'd be nice to have a professor who cared for their students the way Tiffany did.

"Sounds like fun," I say.

"Would've been nice if that grump of a facilitator had put you in my class instead of Hercules's. Oh well, maybe you could convince him next semester?" she says with a swing of her ponytail.

I lean back. "I'm not sure I could convince that man of anything."

"Stranger things have happened. You've somehow made a softy out of Hercules, just work that magic on Matthew."

"I'm not magical, and I'm not sure I'd want him to be as enthusiastic about killing me as Hercules is."

"Well, I think you ought to at least give it a try," she says.

A group of girls pass by our table and as usual, make hushed snide comments about a hypothetical relationship between Tiffany and me. Tiffany's eyes widen, but instead of doing anything, she just sighs and rests her hands on her palms.

"Why the hell hasn't Matthew done anything to stop those rumors from going around? It's his damn groupies spearheading this."

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't see what anyone can really do about it."

"How are you going to make any friends with all of this crap going around?" she leans forward. "And I worry what the council will say about it."

Not another thing to worry about.

"Sorry, Elizabeth. I better get that water and prep for class."

"It's fine, really. I get it, have a good class."

She leaves and heads in the direction of the kitchen. How long will it take for me to disappear into the background at this place? The way Tiffany puts it, with Matthew as my facilitator, it'll never happen.

What the hell am I going to do?

I glance at my watch. Apparently, I'm going to Hercules's class.

I get to class on time with everyone else, so I don't get the luxury of knowing what the assignment will be today. Hercules leads the class through the woods and to the sandy shores of the lake. On the water are different colored buoys. I don't like the looks of this.

"We're going to be going for a swim today," he says, grinning at me.

Welp, I'm dead meat now. The students around me begin to take off their shoes. Looks like they're relieved. This must be considered an easy day. I take my shoes and socks and pack them away in my backpack, then tuck the bag into the base of a tree. I'll have to come back for this stuff later.