"Neve"

The sound of senior enchanter wynne calling her name jolted Neve back into focus,

"Neve"

"Yes Senior Enchanter"

"it would seem that you've managed to set your paper on fire, very nicely done however you now have nothing to write on"

It had happened a lot recently, in fact every single class with Senior Enchanter Wynne for the last 3 months, Neves desk was positioned next to the window overlooking the Templar training court, she had noticed over the last few months she would find herself absent-mindedly staring into the courtyard as the newest recruits were training, and on several occasions had managed burn or freeze several things, ranging from paper to robes,

"I'm sorry Senior Enchanter i was...distracted"

"yes I've noticed that seems to be happening a lot of late, i think a week of library duties should help with your focus"

Library duties, a week of running around after senior mages fetching this book and that book, returning this book and that book, and worse suffering the constant sleazy gaze Templar Carroll, who seemed to always be on library duty, at 18 Carroll was 2 years older than Neve, and it would seem he'd noticed her blossoming into a young woman, she could feel his eyes follow her when ever she was near by, so a week of library duty meant a week of creepy Carroll.

"Sorry Senior enchanter it wont happen again"

"After a week in the library i should hope not, i want you all to finish reading the chapter on entropic magic and write me a 1000 essay on how Entropic magic and its importance, Miss Amell i shall see you in the library after super"

The room emptied, Neve collected her things and followed her fellow apprentices towards their quarters, that's when she spotted him, a new Templar recruit, he looked to be of an age with Carroll, he was tall with sandy red hair, handsome, well for a Templar, without realising she's was no longer walking with the crowd, she had come to a complete stand still in the middle of the hall, staring,

"AMELL, will you not stand in the middle of the hall"

"Sorry Gregoir i was just... thinking"

"yes well I'm sure you can find better places to think, I've been informed that your on library duties this evening, come with me"

Neve followed as the Knight commander walked over to the new recruit, an anxious feeling crept into her stomach, she hoped this new recruit hadn't caught her staring as Gregoir had,

"Cullen, this is Neve Amell, an apprentice mage who has been with us here at the circle for the past 10 years, she will be on library duties this evening as well, although seemingly lacking in focus of late she is an honest and capable girl who I'm sure will be able to aid you in finding the books i have asked you to read"

Cullen smiled and nodded at Neve but never said a word, Neve returned his smile and shifted from one foot to the other.

"that will be all Neve, you had best return to you dorm, the supper bell will ring soon and from what i hear you may have a busy evening ahead of you"

"yes knight commander, i shall see you later this evening Cullen"

"ye..ye..yes...i shall se..see you this evening"

Neve watched as they walked away, taking a deep breath she continued to her dorm room, where she collapsed on her bed books and all and closed her eyes.

She had only had her eyes closed for what seemed like a minute when Jowen, her best friend appeared above her, shaking her frantically,

"NEVE...NEVE, wake up your going to be late, you've missed super, Wynne will be after you if you don't head down to the library now"

She sat bolt upright, dazed, surely she had only rested her eyes for a moment, she glanced to the window, darkness, she must of drifted off and now she had missed super and was dangerously close to being late for the evening library duties. She jumped up, straightened out her robes and ran from the room, shouting her thanks to Jowen over her shoulder, she had lost count of the number of times that boy had saved her skin, not only from situations like this but also from the moments she found herself alone with creepy Carroll.
She reached the door of the library with mere seconds to spare, greeted by Senior enchanter Wynne.

"your cutting it awfully fine this evening miss Amell, two minutes later and i would of had to come looking for you, and do straighten your hair out, you look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards"

In the rush to get to the library after falling asleep she had completely forgotten that her hair would likely be a mess, unruley at the best of times her long crimson red hair looked tangled and messy coming out of the bun she had placed it in when waking that morning, she pulled the band holding the remainder of the bun in place out allowing her hair to fall down her back, it was almost long enough for her to sit on and beautiful when brushed out,

"it's an unusual shade of red"

a voice said from behind her, she spun and came face to face with Cullen, the new Templar recruit,
"is..is it..natural, th..the color"

"we're not sure, it's like no hair color anyone else has seen, but it was this color the day they found me and hasn't faded since, so i would say yes"

"it's Ve..very beautiful" Cullen stammered giving her a goofy smile

"Thank you" Neve returned the smile, thinking to herself, that maybe not all Templars where that bad.