As usual, the tray contained a number of hot drinks which she distributed to the small group in attendance. In the few months he had been here, Conrad had quickly realised this was a ritual that not only he looked forward to, even the lecturer enjoyed this regular treat courtesy of their student. Ashley made the best hot chocolate he had tasted, and everyone seemed to agree as they thanked her for their boon.
“Why is it that the school cafeteria allows you to use their supplies?” Conrad questioned, eyeing the metal cups suspiciously. It was a thought that had been playing on his mind, but he had never thought to ask. He placed it to his lips, breathing in its scent before taking his first sip.
“My supplies, their utensils,” she corrected, with a playful wave of her finger.
“Have you not noticed? She doesn’t leave with the rest of us,” Jack commented, as Ashley took her seat beside Tess after depositing the final cup in the place where the lecturer would stand. “She stays behind after hours to help clean in exchange for use of the kitchen.”
“You really can’t be trusted with secrets, can you?” Ashley sighed, turning her reflective eyes towards the ceiling. Conrad had seen first-hand how they altered slightly in shade depending on her mood. The light shade they adopted now suggested she was more amused than annoyed. “Until I can replace my cooker, it’s helping me out more than them. Besides, it saves me waiting around for my shift, and everyone is feeling the recent strain of absences.” Ashley lifted her cup, not quite managing to disguise her yawn. He felt his lips twitch, thinking the fact she had tried was adorable.
As they settled down to the lecture, Conrad felt his vision being drawn towards the vampires. They were eyeing him with an all-too-familiar contempt; their kind were often wary of his. Then again, this group seemed to show the same kind of animosity towards the few other preternatural beings in attendance. Oddly, he thought, they didn’t appear to hold any contempt towards Ashley. They even graced her with a smile as they accepted their drinks. Then again, although part of him wanted to believe she was something more than human, he wasn’t sure if she was anything more than enchanting, and their lack of reaction served only to confirm what his senses told him. She was human, normal—except for those witch eyes, he added to himself.
“You can tell, can’t you?” Ashley whispered, nudging him lightly with her elbow. He hadn’t realised he’d been staring. In his last academy he had always had to be alert, especially around preternaturals more prone towards violence. One of the young men blew him a kiss, causing a fit of chuckles from his friends. “How?”
“Maybe the same way you can?” he ventured, quirking an eyebrow in the hope to tease some information from her. He hadn’t missed the way her eyes altered when she recognised someone who wasn’t human. There was no judgement, no prejudice, just recognition. He wondered how a human could sense something so intricate. Most preternaturals were aware of others, but identifying the species was something few could do, and a trait he was thankful for.
“Hey, Ash,” Tess interrupted. “Dad got some comp tickets to the movies, wanna come?”
“That would be amazing.” Tapping on her phone, she brought up her shift rota. “How’s tomorrow? I have the day off.”
“Lies,” Jack hissed, comically feigning heart pain.
“You know I never work spring equilux,” she said, and there was something in the way her vision shifted to her drink that he couldn’t quite place.
“Equilux? I never pegged you as superstitious,” Conrad said, glancing at the date on his watch, double-checking it. With so much happening over the last few months, he had missed the approach of the Spring Equinox. It had slipped his mind completely until she reminded him that the time of equal night and day was almost upon them. He glanced at her again. Few humans attached any relevance to the genuine time of equality. Most didn’t even realise the equinox was not it.
“Are we going back your place after?” Jack posed. “Sleepover?”
“Of course! Don’t we always?” She glanced towards Conrad, as if weighing her thoughts. “You’re welcome to join us if you don’t mind the couch.”
Conrad wasn’t sure what movie they had just watched. Sitting beside Ashley had been his first mistake. The scent of her hair had tormented him, the sweet honey aroma more appetising than any of the snacks they had purchased. He had never seen her with her hair down or straightened before. The way it cascaded down her back like a waterfall of liquid fire, shimmering in the light of the film, begged him to reach out and touch its silky texture. While her gaze remained transfixed on the screen, her expressions altered with whatever occurred, her emotions on display, unfiltered for all to see.
Occasionally, she would turn towards him, giving him the most brilliant smile, often as his fingers brushed hers within the popcorn bucket he had brought for her. The way she glanced at him made him want to shuffle closer and execute one of those clichéd moves from the old-fashioned films, allowing him to embrace her. He had almost done it, but every time he worked up the courage he reminded himself of his past. If he were to hold her, he knew he would want more, need more. To try to change their friendship would be to risk himself again. The part telling him it was worth the chance just to feel her lips upon his, to explore the ever-present tether, was growing louder, more difficult to ignore. But even with the best intentions, they could never be. His very nature meant they could never be together. His love would consume her.
“So, what is it about the equilux that sees
