~YULIA
The ride back home had been a silent one.
Miles and Jamal went their own way, while Issa took us home. I could tell that he had been very angry about our lack of breakthrough with the people who wanted me dead.
“It seems like we are back to square one,” I told him as we entered the house.
I noticed that the walls have been repainted and new art works have been hung.
“Not necessarily, now I know that there is a pattern,” he said as he sat down on the sofa.
“What do you mean?” I asked him, curious.
“This is the second time we have witnessed men burning up, it means someone is behind the scene and they have access to powerful magic,” he replied. “Powerful enough to burn men up from a very long distance.”
It was strange.
“The secrets they are hiding must be that bad if they are burning up the men they hire like matchsticks,” I said.
“Or they are doing everything in their power to stay hidden, but I will find them.”
It was one in the midnight and I was tired.
“Let’s call it a night, you look exhausted,” Issa said, giving me a small smile.
“So, why the smile?” I asked him as I stifled a yawn.
“I find you more alluring when you look tired,” he replied.
I scoffed and shook my head.
I pushed myself up from my seat and went upstairs. I pulled off my jacket and kicked off my boots before I crash landed on the bed. It was an immediate light out.
***
I woke up very late for school the next day but luckily my uniform was already laid out. I dragged myself into the bathroom and began to brush my teeth. The cold water in the shower jolted me fully awake and active. I wore my uniform and ran downstairs. Issa was nowhere to be seen but Miles was waiting in the living room.
“Miles?” I frowned, a bit puzzled by his presence.
“I am driving you to school today, Boss had to take care of something urgent,” He said as he read my face.
I remembered Issa having a tense discussion with Deucalion and I wondered if that was where he went. I followed Miles to where a big black SUV was parked.
Miles opened the door for me. “In you go, Madame,” He said heartily.
I rolled my eyes at his playfulness and got into the large vehicle. We got on the road and my phone buzzed. It was a message from Lana.
‘He is so dreamy,’ she texted.
‘Who?’ I asked.
‘The detective/professor of course,’ she replied.
A small giggle escaped my throat.
‘You have a thing for Jamal?’ I asked.
‘It was inevitable, he takes very good care of me,’ she replied.
‘Wait! You are at his place? Since when?’ I asked.
‘Since the hospital, you silly girl,’ she texted back with a smiling emoji.
I did not know how to digest the news.
‘Are you okay at his place? Is he treating you well?’ I typed furiously.
‘Yulia, he is treating me like a princess! I think I am in love,’ she replied.
“We are here,” Miles announced as he parked.
“Thanks, Miles,” I said and got down from the car.
‘I am heading to class, Lana, we will talk later, I want details,’ I texted and killed the screen of my phone before I literally ran to the class I knew I was already late for.
It was the class for Dark Magic and Ashley’s mom was in deep on the disadvantages of the use of Dark Magic on the body and soul when I entered. She did not seem to mind my late appearance.
I quietly took a seat and listened in silence for the duration of the class. Well, I was not paying much attention, the incident at Death Valley was still fresh in my mind. There was a question burning in my mind.
I raised my hand bringing the attention of the class to me. “Yes,” Professor West asked as she looked at me.
“Is it possible to use magic on someone from a very long distance?” I asked.
“How long of a distance are we talking about?” she asked.
“A thousand miles,” I replied.
“It is very possible if you have something…an object or the blood of the person you are casting a spell on,” she answered.
I nodded thoughtfully. So that was why those men had been so afraid when Issa was talking to the unknown person on the phone. They knew that they were going to die because the magic user had their blood.
“We will continue this lecture in our next class, and please read about Magic and Distance,” Professor West announced. “We shall also talk more about it.”
A few grumbles and scoffs filled the class and I knew that it was my fault.
“You just made a few enemies with your question,” Ashley said as she came to where I sat.
“They should join the line,” I replied with a shrug.
“You look like you did not get enough sleep,” Ashley said, looking at me with concern.
“I slept very late,” I replied.
“And what were you doing so late in the night?”
“Riding around town on a motorcycle,” I replied.
Technically, I did not lie. Ashley raised a puzzled eyebrow to my answer.
“Why would you do that so late in the night knowing you have class the next day?”
“I was bored,” I shrugged.
That was a lie but there were things that she did not need to know.
We exited the class together and began to walk to our next class for the day. Suddenly, I heard surprised gasps and grunts from a few people but I did not really pay much attention to it. I had come to accept that weird things happened on this campus and that was normal.
“You fucking bitch!” I jerked at the sound of Leia’s voice.
“Yulia, look out!” Ashley screamed but it was too late.
Before I had time to react, Leia speared into me from the back and we both crashed on the grass.