With her father's memory failing and her mother gone, Soraya Thenayu enrolls in distant Darkwood Academy and immediately becomes enemies with the richest kid at school. Between hiding her father's gift of illegally harvested magic, befriending socia...
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The overpowering smell of greasy, sizzling bacon mixed with freshly cut fruit, fermented cheeses, and sweet sparkling cider greeted Soraya's nose before she even had a chance to look at the various breakfast portions within the Dining Hall. Her ears were filled with the buzz of students chatting away with one another.
The girls spotted Rhys sitting in the center of one of the large tables and excitedly waved at him. His wine colored eyes lit up and sparkled like rubies when he saw them heading towards him.
"Morning," he said softly when the girls slid into the wooden chairs on the opposite side of the table from him. "How are you both?"
"Well, we would have slept in a little longer, but Jacquelle decided to wake everyone up at six," Moiya explained while rolling her emerald eyes to the ceiling. "Solis is the one day breakfast starts later in the morning, and she ruined it," the girl sighed. "At least tomorrow is a holiday and we don't have any classes."
"Mow!" Yabo cooed from beneath the table before hopping up into Moiya's lap.
"You really know how to lighten the mood, don't you?" Moiya laughed, then stabbed a thick, juicy piece of meat with her fork. She held it out towards the pandacoon's fuzzy black paws.
"How are you, Rhys?" Soraya asked the boy, her large, sky-blue eyes filled with curiosity.
"I'm well," he replied with a voice as soft as a feather floating in the wind. "I like your hair, by the way. It looks great."
Soraya's face grew hot while she stroked her braid. "Thanks, Moiya did it for me."
When her fingers reached the bottom and slid across the silky smooth ribbon at the end, Soraya suddenly remembered the spare ribbon in her friend's pocket. "Do you want a bow in your hair, too?"
"Sure," Rhys smiled. "That sounds nice."
Moiya handed the white ribbon over to the Casmerahn boy, and he tied it around the navy blue band holding his braid together.
"Now I match you two," Rhys smiled playfully at both of his friends. "I appreciate this a lot, thank you."
"Of course," Soraya beamed. Just as she was about to ask where Ujuu was, she spotted the other twin emerging from a large crowd of chattering students surrounding the tables.
"Hello, ladies," he bobbed his head politely towards Soraya and Moiya. "Hey, bro," Ujuu slid into the empty seat beside Rhys. They bumped their fists together before piling bacon and eggs onto their plates.
"I have a question for you two," Ujuu said from behind the tall, mountainous stack of protein before him. "Would you both have time to hang with us after breakfast?"
"Oh yes!" Soraya exclaimed giddily.
"Absolutely," Moiya agreed.
The taller Shadelkin grinned mischievously while elbowing his twin's shoulder. "Do you want to tell them what we have planned for today?"
