The force of someone shaking her pulled Iota from her dream forcefully. She looked up to see Nella standing above her with a large smile on her face.
"Guess what?"
Iota blinked. She searched her mind for what Nella could be referring to. "What?" Nella shoved a piece of paper towards Iota's face. Frowning, she took it. The numbers and letters swam before her eyes. "I'm so sorry, but I have no idea what it is. I did just wake up."
Nella nodded furiously. "It's the equation Braxiatel gave me yesterday. I think I've finished." Iota cringed as she mentioned Braxiatel. She could remember what she had thought the day before, as she watched her brother give Nella steps up in the Academy. It made her feel terrible to remember.
"That's great." Iota sat up, forcing Nella to move back and sit on her own bed. "Are you going to show it to the Found at breakfast?"
Nella yawned before answering. "I think so."
"Did you stay up all night working on it?" When Iota had returned to the room at night, Nella had been scribbling on multiple pieces of paper. Iota had kept silent as she got prepared for bed; she could tell it would be a bad idea to interrupt her. As she had drifted off into sleep she had heard Nella's pen scratching away.
"Not all night. I think I slept a bit."
"You do remember we have other classes today, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I'll be fine, don't worry."
Iota raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure I believe you."
"I'll rest while you get changed, how about that?" Without waiting for an answer, she fell to the side and immediately began snoring. Iota stared at her for a second before changing and brushing her hair, listening to the sounds outside.
When the sounds had reached their normal levels, Iota gently shook Nella awake. The girl curled away, swatting at the air.
"You have to wake up. Remember that equation?" That shot Nella out of bed.
"Do I look alright?" She asked franticly, clutching Iota's arm. When Iota nodded she sighed. "Can you stay with me when I go see him?"
Iota was tempted to say no. The professors would only stare at her strangely, wondering why she was there if they didn't ask for her to be. She would have to watch closely as Nella most likely received praise for what Braxiatel had given her. But Nella looked frantic, and Iota knew that as much as she wanted it, there was no way Nella was going to talk to the Found alone.
"Sure. Don't worry; I'll be there."
Without another word, Nella pulled Iota from their room, leaving Iota to grab their bags franticly. She was thankful that Nella had taken the liberty of organizing them at some point in the night. It was likely otherwise they would be heading to classes with nothing.
There was no crowd of people shuffling into the dining hall that morning, and no Prexitel, Giro or Viru making their way through the hall. Not that Iota thought Nella would separate from her if they were.
The Found sat at one of the larger tables, surrounded by other professors. He looked up when Nella and Iota entered, glasses perched on his head. Nella took a deep breath before pulling Iota over to the table. As they neared, the table of professors went silent, save for a few that were talking to students of their own. A few steps away Nella separated from Iota, letting Iota stay still.
"Good morning, Nella." The Found nodded to her.
Nella held the paper out with a shaking hand. "I believe I've finished, Professor."
He pulled his glasses from his head onto his nose and took the paper from her, looking it over carefully. The two professors on either side leaned over to look as well. Even from behind Iota could see that Nella was vibrating with nervousness.
The Found raised his eyebrows, smiling slightly as he looked back up to Nella. "This is not completely correct, but it is impressive for a First Year Novice." He handed the paper back to her before turning to the two who had been reading the paper along with him. "The Seven, Mary," he gestured to each of them in turn, "this is Nella."
Mary smiled at her, gesturing for the paper. Nella handed it to her and Mary read it through quickly. "The Found is correct; this is impressive. He said you're a First Year Novice, correct?" Nella nodded. "If you were to work on this for a little bit longer, I have no doubt you'd get this."
Out of the corner of her eye, Iota noticed the Hunter watching her. He leaned to the side and whispered to the professor who sat next to him. That professor nodded to her before gesturing towards her. Iota took a few steps towards them.
"Are you Iota Xi?" the professor asked. Iota nodded, bracing herself for them to comment on her father or brothers. "The Hunter just told me you were the one who told him about the TARDIS cradle and the particles."
The professor looked at her as though he expected her to acknowledge his statement. Iota sifted. "I am."
"I am Percy." He smiled at her. "Both the Hunter and I pay attention to students who show any type of bond with TARDISes."
The Hunter nodded. "Normally, there is one child per Year. They tend to come from families who work in the TARDIS farms, meaning they've grown up among them their entire life. As you know, those communities are small, which explains the small amount of students with a bond." He frowned. "But you, however, are not."
"Your mother, Penelope, is." Percy began to explain. "But she never showed a bond with the TARDISes. She cared for them, as her entire family did, but she never showed any special connection. Have you ever visited the TARDIS farms, Iota Xi?"
Iota nodded. "When I was five. My mother brought me, my brother Theta Sigma and Koschei." She didn't like referring to Theta is his full name, much like she didn't like to be referred to by hers. But Theta and Iota were more nicknames then names themselves and it would have felt strange to use them with a professor she just met.
"Could you tell anything was wrong with the TARDISes then?" The Hunter asked. "Any similar feeling to the one from when you went into the TARDIS cradle?"
Iota shook her head. "There was nothing different to me about seeing them except that my mother's family was there."
Percy and the Hunter leaned together to discuss something. She could faintly hear what they were saying. "It is possible that it was just because there was nothing wrong with them." Percy whispered.
The Hunter seemed to laugh. "As if. Even I know the farmers can't have every TARDIS completely fixed the all the time. She likely just wasn't able to 'sense' the TARDISes then."
"Then what? Did age activate it?" Percy scoffed.
The Hunter reacted as if he realized something. He turned to look at Iota. "How long did you look into the Schism?"
"I've been told nine minutes." Iota felt herself beginning to blush. "I don't know personally though."
Percy nodded. "Thank you Iota Xi. We have to discuss something, so you are able to leave."
Iota nodded goodbye before looking to where Nella stood. She was still talking with the professors, the Seven explaining something to her. She didn't seem to need Iota anymore. With a sigh Iota made her way over to Tirin.
Tirin laughed as she sat down next to him. "Great. Now both of you are getting professors talking to you outside of class. What made you two so special?"
The blush that had been forming arrived in full force. "Nella needed support when she showed the result of the equation to the Found. The Hunter and another professor named Percy started asking me about the TARDIS cradle."
"Well, at least it wasn't about your brothers or father." Tirin fingered some of his food. "I mean, it's better that it's about something you actually did, right?"
Iota laughed slightly. "Yeah, I guess so."
Nella slid into the seat across from Iota. Her eyes were bright with excitement and she no longer looked like she had spent the entire night awake. "They said they would talk about it and would likely give me something else to attempt later." She sighed, staring at the ceiling. "I'm so glad Braxiatel gave me that equation."
Both Tirin and Iota giggled, looking at each other out of the corners of their eyes. Thankfully, Nella didn't appear to notice.
Braxiatel walked up a few moments later. "I saw you talking to the Found. Did you solve the equation?"
"I did, but I didn't get it fully correct. They're going to talk and maybe give me something else." She turned and smiled up at him. "Thank you so much for giving me that paper."
He waved a hand dismissively. "I'm glad it went well for you." Before leaving, he rubbed Iota's hair in passing.
She had been talking to a professor as well; two of them. And they had called her over. In front of the entire dining hall. Didn't he notice her? She was his sister. Though she supposed the reason the professors had wanted to talk to her wasn't as impressive as why they wanted to talk to Nella. Nella's was because she showed promise in the Academy. Iota's had just been because she said something was wrong with the TARDIS cradle. Not nearly as impressive.
They were unable to shake Nella from her state of amazement the rest of breakfast. She did eat, but as though it was just something she did automatically. They had to pull her out of the chair so they could go to class.
As soon as they stepped into their first classroom Nella seemed to snap back into the world. She rushed to the front of the room, pulling her bag from Iota's hands as she went. Both Tirin and Iota watched with surprise.
"Well, I guess this is better than before." Tirin commented as they slid into their normal seats at the back of the room. "At least now she's acting like her normal self."
"Yeah, I guess." Iota watched Nella from above. There was a yearning in her chest to go and join Nella, to be near the front while the professor lectured in order to get the full purpose of what she was saying. Iota blinked. It wasn't normal for her to feel like that. She normally was perfectly happy to stay at the back with Tirin.
But there, her chest burst with warmth and she felt herself leaning forward earnestly.
"What are you doing?" Tirin whispered. He knew they weren't supposed to talk during classes. Joni, a boy who sat near the back, had done it at the beginning of the year and they had been escorted out quietly, only to appear later in the day looking pale.
Iota didn't look at him. She was still processing what was happening in her head. It felt like she hadn't acted by choice, but it felt right. There was a burst of something cold in her chest and she fell back. The feeling had vanished. She blinked.
"Are you alright?" Tirin whispered again.
Iota glanced at him, blinking. "I'm fine, yeah."
The professor glanced up from the front, but didn't say anything. Iota could feel her eyes on them for the rest of the class. Every moment Iota adjusted herself she knew the professor was following it. She supposed it was a good thing that the professor only watched instead of calling them out for talking. She didn't want to discover what Joni had seen.
Throughout the rest of the day Tirin watched Iota closely. It felt stranger to have his eyes on her then it did the professor's. Constantly, she felt the urge to slap them away as though they were bugs. It was only at dinner, when Iota was forced to attempt to shake Nella from a thoughtful trance so that she could eat that he looked away.
A/N: Bursts of warmth and cold in Iota's chest? That can't be good! Something's happening with her...hm.
On a happier note, Iota got recognized by two professors! And it was for something she did herself rather then one of her brothers or her father. Very impressive for her. But, of course, being at the Academy means she doesn't think TARDISes are as important as the academics Nella excels at.
Notes on reviews:
Teddy bear 007: Yey! I'm so glad you enjoyed it :). Hopefully you have people like the Hunter and Percy helping you realize what you're amazing at, just like Iota. We're all good at something; a statement Iota still needs to learn.
Henny14: That is such an amazing compliment! Thank you so much! I literally got up in my room and danced around in a circle :D. Hope you like this chapter!