NOVEL NEXT Chapter 304: Jaylin's Morning
{Jaylin}
Jaylin checked her reflection in the mirror one last time, scrutinizing every detail of her appearance. Hair neatly braided? Check. Uniform perfectly pressed? Check. Not a single wrinkle or imperfection to be found.
[Perfect. Now I just need to escape without—]
"Jaylin! Are you still here, sweetie?"
[Damn it.]
Margaret's voice carried through the door with that frustratingly cheerful lilt that seemed to follow the nim woman everywhere. Jaylin briefly considered pretending she'd already left, but knowing Margaret, she'd probably just barge in anyway.
With a resigned sigh, Jaylin opened her door to find Margaret already standing there, hand raised to knock. As usual, the nim woman's impressive chest was practically at eye level, making Jaylin's face heat up uncomfortably.
"There you are!" Margaret beamed. "I thought you might have left already. Have you had breakfast? Let me fix you something before you go."
"I'm fine," Jaylin said stiffly, trying to edge past Margaret in the hallway. "I'll grab something at the academy."
Margaret clicked her tongue, reaching out to adjust Jaylin's collar.
"At least let me make sure you look presentable. Your aunt would never forgive me if I let you go out looking anything less than perfect."
"I'm perfectly capable of dressing myself," Jaylin protested, but stood still anyway as Margaret fussed over her. The nim woman's purple fingers straightened her already-straight tie, smoothed her already-smooth sleeves, and tucked a non-existent stray hair behind her ear.
"There," Margaret said finally, stepping back to admire her handiwork. "Now you look ready to take on the world."
[I looked exactly the same before you started pawing at me,] Jaylin thought.
"Thank you," she said instead, with forced politeness. "I should really be going now."
"Of course, of course. Oh! But before you go, I made some fresh pastries this morning. Let me pack one for you—"
"No, really, that's not—"
But Margaret was already jogging off toward the kitchen, her hips swaying in that exaggerated way that made Jaylin wonder how nim women didn't fall over from the weight distribution issues.
With Margaret momentarily distracted, Jaylin seized her opportunity. She grabbed her bag and slipped out the front door as quietly as she could, mentally apologizing to Hazel, who'd be left to explain her sudden disappearance to Margaret.
[Sorry, kid, but it's every woman for herself in this house.]
The morning air was crisp as Jaylin made her way through the streets of Syux toward the academy. She walked briskly, focusing on mentally reviewing the spells she'd been practicing rather than thinking about the awkward living situation she'd found herself in for the last nine years.
She was so lost in her bitter thoughts that she almost collided with a nim man carrying a heavy load of laundry. She sidestepped at the last second, muttering an apology that the man didn't seem to hear as he hurried on his way.
Jaylin frowned, suddenly aware that she'd been unconsciously noticing all the nim on her walk—something she'd never done before. There was a nim woman sweeping the front steps of a shop. A nim child carrying water buckets that looked too heavy for his small frame. A nim man in shackles being led by a stern-looking human overseer.
[When exactly did I start seeing them?]
It was unsettling. Before Melisa had come into her life, nim had been practically invisible to Jaylin—just part of the background of life in Syux, like stray cats or street vendors. But now she found herself mentally cataloging each one she passed, noting whether they were slaves or free, how they were treated, whether they looked healthy or undernourished.
She didn't like it. Didn't like the uncomfortable feeling it stirred in her chest.
[This is all Melisa's fault. Her and her stupid family, making me... notice things.]
By the time Jaylin reached the academy gates, her mood had soured further. She stalked through the corridors to her classroom, hoping to have a few minutes of peace before the day's chaos began.
No such luck.
The moment she stepped through the door, she was greeted by the now-familiar sight of Isabella perched in Melisa's lap, arms wrapped around the nim girl's neck as she whispered something that had Melisa's purple cheeks darkening to almost violet.
Across from them, Armia sat beside Raven, valiantly attempting to engage the stoic human girl in conversation. From the looks of it, she was getting one-word responses at best.
Jaylin huffed, marching to her seat without acknowledging any of them. Just because she'd grudgingly stopped hating Melisa didn't mean they were friends. Far from it. Melisa was still her rival—the person she needed to surpass to prove herself worthy of Aunt Javir's tutelage.
[At least I don't have to pretend to like her.]
She pulled out her notebook and quill, arranging them precisely on her desk as more students filtered into the classroom. Most gave Jaylin a wide berth, well aware of her prickly reputation. That suited her just fine.
"Jaylin!"
[Spoke too soon.]
Isabella's voice cut through the classroom chatter like a knife through butter. Of course it had to be the damn kitsune too, the most annoying and most extroverted one of the bunch. The kitsune had finally detached herself from Melisa and was now bounding over to Jaylin's desk, pink tail swishing enthusiastically behind her.
"What?" Jaylin asked flatly.
"Just saying good morning," Isabella replied, utterly unfazed by Jaylin's coldness. "Are you excited about the project announcement today? I heard from a second-year that we might get to choose our partners!"
"Very thrilling," Jaylin deadpanned.
Isabella grinned, leaning in conspiratorially.
"If we do get to choose, you should pick me. I've been told I'm excellent at..." she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, "...collaborative efforts."
Before Jaylin could formulate a suitably scathing response, the classroom door opened and the professor strode in. Isabella straightened up, but not before giving Jaylin a wink that made her want to sink through the floor.
[Why me? What did I do to deserve this?]
"Take your seats, everyone," the professor called, setting his books down on the desk with a thud that silenced the room. His eyes swept over the class, lingering briefly on Jaylin before moving on.
Isabella skipped back to her seat, though Jaylin noticed she chose to sit beside Melisa rather than on her this time. Small mercies.
"As you're all aware," the professor began, "today we'll be discussing the details of this year's inter-year research project. This is a significant portion of your final grade, so I suggest you pay close attention."
The room fell silent. Even Isabella seemed to be listening intently, her ears perked forward.
"This project is designed to test not only your academic knowledge but also your ability to work collaboratively with students at different stages in their magical education. Each of you will be paired with a student from another year—either above or below your current level."
A murmur ran through the classroom. Jaylin frowned. Working with a younger student would be annoying, but being paired with an older one might mean being overshadowed.
[Neither option sounds great.]
"The topic of your research," the professor continued, "will be the historical applications of cross-disciplinary magic. Specifically, how different magical schools have been combined throughout history to create innovative solutions to complex problems."
More murmuring, louder this time. Cross-disciplinary magic was a fascinating topic, even Jaylin had to admit. The potential combinations were nearly endless: Elemental and Mind, Arcane and Life, and so on.
"Each pair will be assigned a specific combination of magical schools to research. You will be expected to produce a comprehensive written report, as well as a practical demonstration of at least one historical cross-disciplinary spell."
Jaylin's mind immediately began racing with possibilities. This was perfect—a chance to show off both her theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Maybe this project wouldn't be so bad after all.
"As for your partners..." The professor reached for a scroll on his desk, unrolling it with deliberate slowness that had several students leaning forward in anticipation. "The pairings have already been determined."
Jaylin's heart sank. So much for choosing her own partner—not that she'd had anyone in mind. Anyone would be better than—
"Jaylin Folden will be paired with Melisa Blackflame."
The world seemed to stop. Jaylin blinked, certain she'd misheard.
[FUUUUUUCK!]
She turned, almost in slow motion, to find Melisa staring back at her with an equally shocked expression. For a moment, they just looked at each other, mutual horror reflected in their eyes.
Then Isabella burst out laughing, the sound shattering the stunned silence between them.
"Oh, this is going to be fun!" the kitsune declared, clapping her hands with undisguised glee.
Jaylin turned back to the front, desperately hoping this was some kind of cruel joke. But the professor was already continuing down his list, pairing other students together without a care for the bomb he'd just dropped on Jaylin's carefully ordered life.
[NOT AGAIN!!!]