When Zero came back from patrol that night, he found Jem leaning against his wall, more than halfway done with the thick classic.
"What are you doing awake?" he asked surprised.
She looked up. "Zero? What are you doing back? Are you taking a break?"
He lowered his eyebrows. "Duty is over."
"It is?" she asked, shocked.
He looked at the book again. "Have you been reading the whole time?"
She looked down at it. "Yeah, you were right, I love it. I just started Paradiso." She looked back up, over at his desk. "Oh no, I forgot to copy your notes."
Zero sighed. "Or do your homework? And I bet you didn't eat either?"
"No," she confessed, then added rapidly and almost apologetically, "but I was about to any minute."
Zero sighed again, walking to his desk to gather his things. "Well get your stuff, we'll go to the kitchen and I'll make you something." She promptly did just that as he turned, knowing she had to be quick to keep up with him.
When they arrived at the kitchen, Zero set his work down on the table, then went to the cupboard. "Egg noodles work for you again?" he asked.
"Yeah, that's fine," Jem answered as she sat down at the table. She took out her notes and began to copy them as Zero prepared the food. He finished first, setting the steaming bowls down between them as Jem continued to scrawl notes. It worked out quite well, giving Zero a minute to himself and allowing her meal to cool.
She finished the notes and tore them out. "Ok, here you go," she said as she handed them to him. He had just taken a bite, and set his utensil down with one hand, taking the notes and placing them next to the noodles in front of him. She took a quick bite of hers, then reached out, grabbing her stuff and laying it before her. "Ok, let's power through this."
Zero did the same. The two sat at the table late in the night, working away. They were quiet more than half the time, but did talk to each other occasionally. Jem asking Zero to help her think about a certain question, Zero asking her to clarify something for him.
After a while, Jem looked up and over at Zero working. She took a minute to acknowledge how much she liked this. In her whole life, this was by far the best place she had ever lived. And she didn't want to leave when these next couple weeks were over. She overwhelmingly didn't want to leave.
"I'll be right back," she suddenly said to Zero. He looked up. She stood, and walked out of the room. Zero watched her skeptically. He decided he would give her a few minutes, and then hunt her down if she didn't return.
Jem found her way to the headmaster's office, not sure if he would be there, but if he wasn't she didn't have anything to lose. She knocked softly. "Yes? Come in," she heard the headmaster respond.
Again, she slowly opened the door, only enough for her to slide through. Once she entered, she saw the headmaster and another boy looking at her inquisitively. The boy had long dark brown hair and he wore a white uniform. He was a night class student, sitting cross-legged opposite the headmaster, peering at her from behind his wisps of hair.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Jem apologized. "I didn't realize you were meeting with someone."
"No, it's quite all right," said the boy calmly and forgivingly. Something about him made Jem a little uncomfortable—something about him didn't seem sincere. He stood up, "I should be getting back to class, anyway." He turned to the headmaster, "We will continue this conversation another time."
"Yes, I will see you soon, Kaname," he replied. Kaname turned and left, walking by Jem, who stood humbly waiting for him to pass. As he passed her, his eyes narrowed. She carried a hint of Zero Kiryu's scent. He continued on his way, however, not revealing in any way that he had noticed something.
Once he left, the headmaster asked, "Jemmea, is everything ok? What brings you to my office so late at night?"
"I am sorry to bother you so late," she began, "but I have had something on my mind, and I came when I knew I had a minute, hoping you would have one as well."
"Well, what is it?" asked the headmaster, leaning back in his chair and turning it a little to the side. He added, "You can come over here to talk to me, you know. I don't bite." As soon as he said that, he realized the irony of that statement here at the academy.
"Right," she responded and came over swiftly. She sat in the chair Kaname had just been in. He had left it facing sideways, so she slid sideways into it, facing the headmaster. Her knee bumped the armrest as she kept her legs together, her feet crossing right against the front of the chair. She put her hands in her lap and tried to sit up straight. She then reached for words, not really having anything prepared. She decided to start with, "I really like it here," then paused.
"Good, I'm glad you have had such a turnaround," replied the headmaster.
"Yes, well, I was wondering if maybe, I don't know, you had any summer programs or anything?" she inquired, her face almost pleading.
"Ah, I see," he responded. "Like summer school?"
"Yes," she answered, "anything."
"Yes, well, I'm sorry to say that we don't. And even if we did, I cannot say that you would benefit from it, Jemmea. You have been doing quite well. It's just me and my family here in the summer. I am sure your family misses you and are waiting for you to return home for the summer," he went on.
Jem turned her eyes down to her hands. She didn't want to know what her father had planned for her this summer. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked.
"No," she said quietly, still keeping her eyes down, "that's all, thank you for your time." She rose and walked out, solemnly.