Bloodlines Page 0,32

like Jill did with hers, but it had too many layers to do that neatly. Eyeing where they hit my shoulders at different lengths, I wondered if maybe it was time to grow it out.

After a breakfast neither of us really ate, we rode the shuttle bus up to Central Campus, which was suddenly packed with people. Only about a third of the students were boarders. The rest were locals, and they had all turned out today. Jill barely spoke throughout the entire ride and seemed to be sick again. It was hard to say, but I thought she looked paler than usual. Her eyes were bloodshot once more, heavy with dark circles. I'd woken up once in the night and seen her fast asleep, so I wasn't entirely sure what the problem was. Those dark circles were actually the first flaw I'd ever seen in any Moroi's skin - it was always perfect, porcelain. No wonder she could usually sleep in late. She didn't have to bother with the powder and concealer I used.

As the morning progressed, Jill kept biting her lip and looking worriedly around. Maybe she was just nervous about immersing herself in a world populated entirely with humans. She didn't seem at all concerned about the logistics of getting to the right rooms and completing work. That was the aspect that still scared me a little. Just get from one class to another, I told myself. That's all you have to do.

My first class was ancient history. Eddie was in it too, and he practically ran me down when he saw me. "Is she okay? Have you seen her?"

"Well, we share a room, so yeah." We sat down at neighboring desks. I smiled at Eddie. "Relax. She's fine. She seemed nervous, but I can't really blame her."

He nodded but still looked uncertain. He gave his full attention to the front of the room when the teacher stepped up, but there was a restlessness about Eddie as he sat there, like he could just barely stop himself from springing up to go check on Jill.

"Welcome, welcome." Our instructor was a forty-something woman with white-streaked, wiry black hair and enough nervous energy to rival Eddie - and if her giant coffee cup was any indication, it wasn't hard to figure out why. I was also a little jealous and wished we were allowed to have beverages in class - particularly since the dorm cafeteria didn't serve coffee. I didn't know how I was going to survive the next few months with caffeine-free days. Her wardrobe favored argyle. "I am Ms. Terwilliger, your illustrious guide on the wondrous journey that is ancient history." She spoke in a sweeping, grandiose voice that made a few of my classmates break into snickers. She gestured to a young man who'd been sitting behind her, near the large desk. He'd been watching the class with a bored expression, but when she turned to him, he perked up. "And this is my co-guide, Trey, whom I believe some of you may know. Trey is my student aide for this period, so he'll mostly be skulking in corners and filing papers. But you should be nice to him since he may very well be the one entering your grades into my computer."

Trey gave a small wave and grinned at some of his friends. He had deeply tanned skin and black hair whose length flirted with the dress code's rules. The neatly pressed Amberwood uniform gave him the illusion of all business, but there was a mischievous glint in his dark eyes that made me think he didn't really take being an aide seriously.

"Now," continued Ms. Terwilliger. "History is important because it teaches us about the past. And by learning about the past, you come to understand the present, so that you may make educated decisions about the future."

She paused dramatically to let those words sink in. Once she was convinced we were awed, she moved over to a laptop that was wired up to a projector. She pushed a few keys, and an image of a white-pillared building appeared on the screen at the front of the room.

"Now, then. Can anyone tell me what this is?"

"A temple?" someone called out.

"Very good, Mr. - ?"

"Robinson," the boy supplied.

Ms. Terwilliger produced a clipboard and scanned a list. "Ah, there you are. Robinson. Stephanie."

"Stephan," corrected the boy, flushing as some of his friends giggled.

Ms. Terwilliger pushed her glasses up her nose and squinted. "So you are. Thank goodness.