THESE HIDDEN WINGS

[84.1] THE STUDENT EXCHANGE

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"I want to offer an exchange."

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"REGROUP ACCORDING to your Houses," Lucas Bowne instructed, his voice was loud and audible, authority blazing through as he walked back onto the stage alone this time.

Harvest and the twins remain on ground level.

He was still standing at the very front of the row I was in, his eyes focused ahead and yet I could somehow still feel them on me.

I tried not to focus on them or David's concerned eyes that flashed onto me momentarily.

"Regroup in front of your Team Captains," he paraphrased, "Krakens, to the left."

I immediately noticed a large group of people break away from us and begin to weave through the rest of the students moving to the left of the hall, my heart falling when I noticed both David and Claire leaving too.

Lucas joined them, Daya and a few others in grey following after with parcels in their arms.

Claire gave me an apologetic look and David sighed, his shoulders falling before moving toward the other end of the hallway with the other students that were supposedly in the Kraken.

"Leviathan's," Harvest called out, his first word, and everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him, even those on other teams.

He paused for a second as if making sure he was the only focus, his jaw clenching.

"Follow me," he finished, then walked down the aisle, passing by me to the back of the hallway. I noticed Lira trailing after him with some other students in grey. She gave me a small nod and I returned it slightly relieved I wasn't completely on my own this time around.

I found myself regrouping at the back with the rest of the students who were unfortunate enough to pick the Leviathan paper slips.

I could hear the twins calling the Hydra to also regroup at the other side of the hallway.

Standing in between my fellow leviathans, I made it a point to shield myself with some bodies, taking my stand at the back of the group, breathing in heavily when I heard him speak, my eyes trailing up to where he was addressing us at the front of the group.

"First things first-" he began calmly- standing straighter looking out, then paused, his eyes meeting mine.

I shuffled my feet to the side so that I was well hidden by a bulldozer boy over here who looked strangely familiar, his buff body completely hiding my small one from view, staring straight ahead at his broad back, sucking in a breath.

"Arrange yourselves according to your height, the shortest ones first."

I double blinked at the statement, shoulders falling glancing at my side where I saw my fellow students rearranging themselves.

I took a deep breath coming out of the comfort zone I had created slowly, moving gingerly to the front, stopping in the second line, next to a guy who honestly was this close to being surpassed by me, which visibly made him uncomfortable, straightening out his shoulders as if that would make him taller.

"You with the fuzzy hair."

My eyes shot up to him and he held them in for a second, "here."

My eyes widened at the spot he recommended to me, at the very front of the group, right where he was standing.