The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 45

“Oh, god, Rafe,” I sigh. shaking my head up at him and glancing down the hall. “Do we have to do this now? My schedule says we have ten minutes for lunch before. our next mystery class –”

“Here,” Rafe says, dropping a wrapped power bar and a bottle of water on top of my books. “Academy isn’t big on hot lunch – just a snack before a big dinner. Eat while you walk, talk while you eat.” He puts a firm hand between my shoulder blades and urges me forward, making me keep pace with his quick stride.

“How do you even know where we’re going.” I murmur, struggling with the wrapper of my lunch with one hand. Rafe sighs, taking the food back and unwrapping it for me before slipping it into my hand.

“I looked at the map, obviously, and don’t try to change the subject,” he says. “What was going on with Luca this morning? He was staring at you, completely freaked out, and Jesse almost had a conniption he was laughing so hard.”

“How the hell should I know!?” I ask, blatantly lying and talking with my mouth. full.

“Ari!” Rafe sighs, glaring at me. “I know you’re lying – I’ve known you since you were born –”

“You were just a baby,” I mutter, even though he’s right.

“Fine!” he snaps, moving on, “pressing subject number two! Why the hell did you invite Jackson to have breakfast with us yesterday?”

I stare up at him for a second, forgetting to chew in my surprise, even though he keeps me moving. “What?” I ask, swallowing hard. “Rafe, that was like, a million years ago –”

“That was twenty–four hours ago,” he says, giving me a withering stare.

“Well a lot has happened in the meantime!”

“A lot that you were hoping would make me forget!” he counters, pointing ahead to a door that I understand from his body language is our destination.

I grin up a him, because…yup. He’s got me there.

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Rafe stops, grabbing my arm, making me stop with him. “Ari, we had a deal – that guy tried to kill you, and you promised never to speak to him again, and all of a sudden he’s at our breakfast table? What the hell!?”

“Rafe,” I sigh, glancing towards the door, knowing that we’ve only got a few minutes to get in there and I really, really hate being late for school. “I promise I’ll tell you, all right? Jackson – he saved me in the obstacle course –”

“What?” Rafe asks, leaning closer, shock all over his face. “He what?”

“He is the only reason I made a better time- and considering that I was the 90(th) candidate let in? If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here. We owe Jackson – and I promise that I will tell you all about it, but can we just get to class? None of this is pressing right now, right? We have time.”

Rafe scowls, glancing between the classroom door and me.

forward by the arm before I wrench it from his grasp, not wanting whatever professor is in this classroom to

his word, though, because as

the room…

face–to–face with the man

has to look down at him. But seated at the desk in the front row, Jesse lounging in the

1. me.

groan as he walks into the room, shoving me in front of him and heading for the desk next to Jesse. When I hesitate, Rafe barks my name,

dark–haired cadet and the professor – who is, of course, the handsome professor who handed us all the weird orb yesterday, his dark hair tied back low at the base

nodding to all of us and moving to the door,

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Chapter 45

that we’re all here, we can begin.”

the room now, confused.

a class of

is going

to the program, only the five of you showed a particular aptitude for my teaching specialty. Unlike the rest of your peers, you will

He go

turn, I think enjoying the fact that each of us are completely confused. Silence

first to break it, frustration in his every word. “I’m sorry,” he says, though he certainly doesn’t sound it, “I don’t understand. What are these affinities. you’re

will be here, over the course of the next several months and years, to see whether or not your particular skills can be honed for the

almost to my

of us when we turned sixteen that the Goddess has given each of us a particular magical gift. But that is

have shown any either. Which mom and Aunt Cora said not to worry about – they didn’t find out about their own gifts until

My eyes dart immediately to the

seeing the

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Chapter 45

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as well. “The sphere measures magical aptitude – one of my own inventions, very useful. And while it does allow us to identify candidates who have an affinity for magic, it does not at all tell us what kind of

So!”

at the five of us. “Does anyone know what they

us sit in absolute silence,

I mean.

casually told us that we’re all magic, and that he’s going to train us in battle

is maybe the coolest

definitely a

sitting on it, tucking his leg in beneath him. “Surely