22
The next morning, Ruva woke up starving.
She hadn't eaten anything for about a week, one of the downsides of being unconscious. Ruva sat herself up, relieved that her all-consuming weakness was gone. The Med Ward was silent, and Ruva could see Alex sleeping peacefully. She was glad that Alex was going to be okay, but the next few days weren't going to be easy for her.
Ruva tentatively stood up, her toes freezing on the tile floor. She was still wearing the dirty riding clothes that she had on for her ES lesson, but she didn't know where Fletcher was. She didn't want to leave without giving him some warning, or he would panic when he realised that she wasn't there. Fletcher had plenty on his shoulders, he didn't need more stress.
Ruva walked around the bed, grabbing the glass of water on a table. As she drank, she realised that her throat no longer hurt. Ruva stopped. Was her gift replenished?
"Is it true?" she whispered, Ruva beamed when as she spoke. "My gift is back to normal!" she said, her voice only slightly croaky.
Fletcher walked in. He had large bags under his eyes and Ruva knew he hadn't slept. "Are you feeling okay, Ruva? Anything I need to know about?" Looking at Fletcher's tired eyes, Ruva knew he wanted her to say no.
Ruva gave a soft smile. "My voice is back now, I just feel really hungry."
Fletcher sighed. "Good, I'll send you on your way." He handed her a vial as she put on some shoes. "Drink this before you go to sleep tonight, it will help things run smoother for the next couple of days. Also, last night when you were asleep Alex came in again. If anyone asks, she's had a bad case of food poisoning."
Ruva nodded, understanding that the whole school didn't need to hear about how Aven Dalmarta had stabbed a student.
"Bye, Fletcher," she called as she walked out the door.
"Goodbye Ruva, and please go easy on your gifts for a while."
…
The next few days were exhausting, to say the least. Ruva had been exempted from the exams because of her illness, but now she had to repeat them all, by herself. She hadn't done her Core Skills Exam yet, Marmaduke had given her another week so she wouldn't put too much strain on her gifts.
Ruva was unsure which exam she hated more. In History she had to sit on a desk for over an hour, answering questions about how things worked before TCDs. SOSAC and Medical Science was just as hard, but at least she enjoyed the subject more.
She found all of her practical exams easier, and her favourite one was for PE. Finn set her on the obstacle course through the field and forest, and Ruva enjoyed herself despite becoming covered in sweat and grime. The best part of that exam was that Finn didn't make Ruva do anything in the lake, although Ruva had been refusing to enter the water.
According to Arra, Finn made them all swim one hundred metres for their exam, but for some reason, Finn didn't mention anything about the lake during Ruva's exam.
Her ES exam was less than Ruva expected. She was put through a cross country course through the forest, she wasn't allowed use a saddle, but that didn't make much difference. The hardest part of that exam had been where the track became so thin, Ruva had to stand up on Dancer so her legs wouldn't brush the thorny bushes.
…
Ruva collapsed on the bed, groaning. Arra looked up from her textbook, smirking and Ruva's position. "I take it you didn't enjoy your Chemistry exam."
Ruva mumbled into the pillow, unable to communicate her thoughts.
Arra chuckled. "I was wiped after Chemistry too, but you're lucky. I still had another day of exams to do, while you get to do you exams more spread out.
Ruva mumbled into the pillow again, and Arra rolled her eyes.
"If you haven't noticed, I don't speak pillow."
Ruva rolled over. "I said, let's stop talking about exams. I've had enough of them for today."
Arra smiled. "If you say so, Angel," said Arra. Then she spoke again, with the enthusiasm of a news reporter. "How are you feeling after overusing two gifts?"
"Arra," Ruva groaned.
"What?" said Arra. "You're the first person in Medora to overuse more than one gift, I just want to know how you feel."
Ruva rolled her eyes. "I had the world's worst headache, a throat sore enough to kill and I was tired enough to fall asleep even as someone was bleeding to death in front of me."
"Wait, what?"
Ruva groaned, she wasn't supposed to mention this to Arra. Why did she find it so hard to keep secrets when she was tired?
"I'm… not supposed to tell you this, understand?" began Ruva. She didn't continue until Arra nodded. "On Friday night, Alexandra Jennings was stabbed by the murderer of my parents, Aven Dalmarta."
Arra gasped, "There was a – a murderer on school campus? And he stabbed Alex?"
Ruva nodded. "I don't know much more than that, and if anyone asks, Alex was in the Med Ward for food poisoning."
Arra snorted. "Nobody's going to believe that. Everyone out and about after exams, celebrating and having dinner. At least twenty people saw her getting rushed into the Med Ward on a stretcher – while bleeding – and since then, rumours have been flying left, right and centre about how she was injured."
"Does anyone know what actually happened?" asked Ruva.
Arra shrugged, "Everyone agrees that D.C. was there when it happened, but Bear and Jordan weren't. It's pretty unusual, normally Alex drags them into whatever mess she's gotten into, but somehow D.C. ended up with her instead. Besides from that, everyone's guessing."
"Why doesn't someone ask Del– D.C.?" asked Ruva, almost revealing Delucia's identity.
Arra snorted. "As if anyone would want to go up against her. She's been so moody these past couple days that you can't even look at her without suffering from her glare."
Ruva winced, she had seen the princess' glare the night Alex came in, she wouldn't wish that upon anyone.
They fell into silence, and all the tension Ruva felt from the exam melted away.
"I can't wait for summer holidays, I really need a break," said Ruva. "But I don't want to leave here, too."
Arra smiled, "It feels like we've been here forever, it's almost surreal to think we'll be back home in a week's time."
Ruva unintentionally activated her second gift. Arra could have been talking, but Ruva couldn't hear what she was saying. She had been accidentally using her ribbon-seeing gift more and more, and she had difficulty turning it back off. It was almost like she'd become too good at using her gift, but Ruva found she couldn't use the pinpoint control that Marmaduke had taught her.
However, Ruva knew that this was happening because she'd overused her gift, and had to let it heal naturally. The lack of control she had was frustrating, but she was beginning to find it easier to examine the ribbons while still being aware of her surroundings. She felt a squeeze on her arm, and she knew Arra was trying to talk to her. "I'm sorry," said Ruva. "But I've activated my gift again and I can't turn it off. I can't hear what you're saying or see what you're doing."
She felt Arra let go and move away, and Ruva resolutely rested her head on her pillow. It was calming, feeling the ebb and flow of the ribbons, and it didn't use much energy because she wasn't interacting with anything.
Ruva fell asleep a few minutes later, the swaying ribbons exactly what she needed.
…
The following morning, Ruva and Arra were having breakfast with Harry and Leo, they were all talking about what they were doing over the holidays.
"We're going to see my grandparents in Karonia," said Alex. "Their house is the best, and Grandma makes the world's best noodles."
Arra smiled. "I'll just be helping out in the café, it sounds boring, but I really love being there." Arra looked to Ruva. "What about you, Angel? What are you doing in the holidays?"
Ruva shrugged, "Nothing really, just riding and helping Sela in the palace infirmary."
Leo smiled. 'You make holidays sound relaxing. Holidays in our house are more like a warzone.'
Ruva frowned, "What do you mean?"
'Imagine sharing a house with ten other people,' said Leo, 'Then try and organise three meals a day for them, making sure everyone has a bed, clothes that fit, along with solving any fights that break out.'
Ruva shuddered, she would never be able to cope with that many people living in close proximity.
"How many rooms does your house have?" asked Arra.
'Not too many,' said Leo. 'We've got three bedrooms, but there's always a few who fall asleep on the couches.'
"Only three bedrooms?!" Arra shouts. "How do you fit ten people into three bedrooms?"
Leo shrugged. 'We've got three girls in the smaller room, the one with only two bunk beds. The boys get the bigger room, but they've got three bunk beds instead of two. Mum, Dad and baby Milly are in the last room.'
"That's… interesting. So how can we have a sleepover at your place?" asked Harry.
Leo smiled. 'We're only allowed one guest per night, because we don't have enough room for any more. Mum had to set up a chart, because everyone wanted to invite a friend over for a sleepover. I'll only be able to bring one of you at a time.'
"Okay, Leo. Most of us will be free all holidays so it will be up to you."
Leo didn't respond to all of them, but Ruva saw Leo turn to Harry.
Harry nodded to Leo before turning to the rest of them. "Leo needs a break from using his gift, he's still got the rest of the day, and we've got Core Skills first up."
Right on cue, the gong sounded, and they all got up and headed to Core Skills.
Marmaduke began the lesson with a long lecture about how to responsibly use their gifts during the holidays, and gave them all a sheet to fill in on how their gifts could go wrong and who could help them. Ruva struggled with the sheet, because both of her gifts had no lasting consequences. She could definitely provoke an animal to attack her, or examine some ribbon that she wished she never saw, but her gifts themselves wouldn't damage anything.
At the end of the lesson, Marmaduke approached Ruva. "Ruva, it's time to have your gift exam."
Ruva was about to protest. She had PE next, and she didn't want to miss one of her lessons in the forest. But before she could speak, Marmaduke interrupted her. "The headmaster has cleared it with Finn, and I think you're well overdue for your gift exams."
Ruva reluctantly nodded, sitting back down in her chair.
"Since you have two gifts, I'll have to give you two separate exams. The first one you'll have now, with the second after your final lesson today. It doesn't matter which exam you do first, so I'll let you choose."
Ruva thought carefully. If she had her animal speaking exam first, it was most likely she wouldn't be able to speak for the rest of the day. Then again, if she did her ribbon seeing one then she could get a bad headache and be exhausted for a long time.
When she thought about it like that, Ruva knew it was best to choose her animal speaking gift. She told Marmaduke her choice, and Ruva prepared herself for what she was sure would be a gruelling exam.
But it wasn't gruelling, it was… easy. Marmaduke didn't push her, just made her translate different phrases from Medoran to another tongue. She didn't pick hard animals either, just tame, domestic ones that were much easier to mimic.
When Marmaduke finished the exam, Ruva's throat didn't hurt. She still had plenty of energy, the exam nothing compared to the lessons she'd done earlier in the year. Ruva was about to question Marmaduke, but she left without dismissing her, something that surprised her. If there was one thing she knew about her Core Skills teacher, it was that she was consistent. Always, - always – consistent.
She always opened the lesson with a lecture, gave them two page's worth of homework, and dismissed them as soon as the gong sounded.
But… Marmaduke hadn't dismissed Ruva, something that was as out-of-character as Fitzy remembering someone's name.
Ruva hesitantly went to her next class, still unsure why Marmaduke had acted so strangely.
…
After the classes for the day, Ruva found herself back with Marmaduke, ready to do her second gift exam. However, this time she wasn't surprised when Marmaduke set simple challenges. Although, Ruva found this exam so much more frustrating than her first one. Twice a week, she had spent two hourly one-on-one sessions, concentrating on her gift. She had built up its power remarkably, and – for a time – she had unparalleled control. Because of Marmaduke's sessions, she could summon ribbons to her hand, although she hadn't dared try it since she severely overused her gift.
Once her exam had finished, she asked Marmaduke why she had been so easy on her. Marmaduke's response, however, was to break into tears.
She gave tiny, hiccupping sobs along with the tears, a sound that made Ruva pause. Her second gift activated, and two of Marmaduke's ribbons drew Ruva's attention.
The first was a yellow friendship ribbon, like the one between herself and Dancer. This ribbon was severed, with the black tainting the end by death. The second was Marmaduke's gift ribbon. It was pale in colour, like when Ruva was close to the limits of her own gift. But it also seemed thinner than usual, like something had pushed it back from its usual vitality.
But before Ruva could better interpret the ribbons, Marmaduke started talking. Ruva knew better than to try to deactivate her gift, so instead she tried pushing away all the lesser ribbons. Remarkably, it worked, leaving only the important ribbons in Ruva's sight. She concentrated on Marmaduke, hearing what she had to say.
"When I was in Akarnae, I overused my gift often, sometimes even once a week. I had a strong mind-reading ability back then, but not as strong as I wanted it to be. I strived to be the best of the best, testing my ability more and more, which often ended up with me in the Med Ward." Marmaduke smiled through her tears, remembering something from her past.
"The fact that I was a mind-reader estranged me from my classmates. They didn't like being with someone they could keep no secrets from them. My only friend was a girl called Jacinta, whose mind was shielded enough that I couldn't read her. We both had strong gifts, and we didn't realise it at the time, but we damaged them. Every time we went past our limit, we had violent reactions, but we laughed them off."
Marmaduke looked Ruva in the eye. "That is, until we pushed them too far.
I severely overused my gift, ending up unconscious in the food court. Jacinta became a bit worried, since fainting wasn't one of my usual symptoms, so she brought me to the Med Ward."
Marmaduke started crying again, and Ruva patted her on the shoulder, not sure whether to intervene or to tell someone what had happened.
But the teacher calmed herself enough to keep speaking. "When I woke up, I knew I had gone too far. I tried to use my gift, but I – I couldn't. Only a few surface thoughts came when I tried to read their mind, even though I was at my full strength.
I didn't realise until later, but my gift was broken. I did permanent damage to it by overusing it so much, so that I could barely read surface thoughts."
Understanding washed over Ruva. Marmaduke had been trying to help her, not wanting her to ruin her gift like she'd done to her own.
After realising this, Ruva understood why Marmaduke had been so careful with her gift exam. She still thought the teacher was being overprotective, but Marmaduke wasn't without cause.
"It was after that event that I knew that I wanted to be the Core Skills teacher, to teach others the lessons that I learnt the hard way.
I tried to tell Jacinta, warned her to use her gift carefully, but she was too free-spirited, she ignored my warnings."
Something tickled at the back of her memory, but Ruva pushed it away, trying to listen to Marmaduke.
"Inevitably, Jacinta pushed her gift well beyond its limits, but the results were much worse. She fell into a coma, one that we couldn't wake her from. The only reason she woke up was because of a first year called Grimm Helkin, who could bring people in and out of comas with his gift. We were ecstatic when Jacinta awoke, and Edward…" Marmaduke smiled, reliving the moment. "He kissed her, and Jacinta kissed back."
Ruva frowned. Although Marmaduke's story made sense, Ruva felt that she was missing a vital piece. After searching through her mind, Ruva made a crucial discovery. "W-What was Edward's last name?" asked Ruva, a bold idea in her head.
Marmaduke blinked, as if only just remembering that Ruva was there. "His name was Edward Springden, and he was enamoured with Jacinta Lock. It was entertaining how blind she was to his obvious affection." Marmaduke smiled, lost in thought again. Ruva didn't prompt her to keep talking, she was occupied enough by the thought that Marmaduke had known her parents while they were at Akarnae.
Looking at the ribbons once more, Ruva realised that Marmaduke's gift ribbon was so small and pale because of the permanent damage she had done in her youth. It saddened Ruva to think of what Marmaduke had lost, Ruva would hate it if she lost either of her gifts.
The yellow friendship ribbon, Ruva realised, had once been connected to her mother. Jacinta Springden had been friends with Astrid Marmaduke, and the ribbon was severed by death.
Ruva desperately wanted to ask Marmaduke about her parents, but she didn't want to push her teacher when she was in such a fragile position.
But before Ruva could make a decision, someone knocked at the door. Looking through the transparent door, Ruva saw Maggie standing outside the door. Marmaduke wiped the tears off her face, and walked over to the door. She let Maggie in, and thanked Ruva for her time here. Ruva took that as her cue to leave, heading to the food court.
She couldn't see her friends in the food court, so Ruva ate a quick meal on her own before going up to her dorm. Ruva pulled out the photo album from its spot on their bookshelf. Looking through all the photos, Ruva stopped at one from her parent's days at Akarnae. There were two pictures that drew Ruva's attention. The first was a picture of Jacinta, smiling with another girl who Ruva realised was a young version of Professor Marmaduke.
The second was a photo of Edward and Jacinta, hand in hand. But Ruva noticed something in the background. Marmaduke was hugging a thin, tall boy who she realised must be Grimm Helkin. A smile touched Ruva's lips as she imagined her parents at Akarnae. Did they have the same potential classes as she did now?
Ruva went to bed, imagining her parent's life.
So thanks to everyone still bothering to read this far.
(I know it's getting pretty long)
I'm terrible at being social but I want to say that your comments mean a lot to me, they're the reason I'm still writing chapters week after week.
Yeah, thanks for reading this week after week
