The Budding Metalinguist

IV

Lillian was worried about a number of things. Her chief concern, of course, being the progression of her sessions with Professor Kern- which, she sensed, would become an integral part of her education. She felt surprisingly excited about their meeting later in the day. More than just thaumaturgy, he had said. She had a sneaking suspicion that what she was about to learn had something to do with Rolf's Fifth Wheel hypothesis.

However, she was also concerned about Galena. She had told the professor that she would keep any information about their meetings from the DIAO, and yet she knew that she couldn't keep it a secret forever. Galena's ability to read faces was almost on par with Lillian's, and there would come a time when Lillian wouldn't be able to disguise her emotions.

During this detailed analysis, Lillian was missing an opportunity to take notes for her THAUM101 test. She tried to pay attention to Professor Perid's lecture, but it all seemed rather pointless in light of her inability to do thaumaturgy. She was about to set down her pencil when she noticed the expression of hopeless confusion on Aidan's face. Much as she disliked Aidan, she couldn't help but realize that she should continue to learn from the class. Even though she couldn't use thaumaturgy, the physics was still exceptionally interesting. And, after all, who was she to take such a selfish approach as ignoring something simply because it didn't apply to her? Lillian was also motivated by the fact that she probably needed at least a basic thaumaturgy education to understand whatever Kern would be teaching her.

Kern. Every time she thought about the enigmatic thaumaturgy professor, Lillian felt a compulsion to return to his office and continue their lessons. At first she had been fearful, but her curiosity was just too irresistible to stop her from returning. Even though she knew barely anything about him, she could already tell that he knew more than most about thaumaturgy- not to mention his apparently endless knowledge about topics that no one else understood. Still, Lillian had a right to be suspicious; he was clearly keeping secrets.

She wondered if he would ever tell her everything.

☙❧

Dakota was sitting on the rim of the towering roof in the Alin Gap where Ashley and Rory were staying, dangling his legs over the edge. He looked out into the fog, lost in remembrance.

He didn't even hear Ashley come up behind him. When she began to speak, he flinched such that he slipped off the edge. Ashley wrapped her hand tightly around his wrist and pulled him back up onto the roof before he fell too far. Dakota clambered back onto the roof, thanking her while keeping his eyes focused on the fog in the distance.

"What's bothering you?" Ashley asked, her voice tight.

Dakota didn't answer for a few seconds. Eventually, he responded with a sigh.

"Don't tell me it's Mira again."

"Well... not exactly..." Dakota began awkwardly. "Every time I start teaching Lillian, I remember how she taught me. But then I start feeling bad for missing her..." Dakota was unwilling to elaborate. He stared into the distance, keeping his expression as vacant as possible.

"Listen to me, Dakota," Ashley ordered, resting her hands on his shoulders and turning him toward her. "I know they're gone now, but they will never be forgotten. Never."

Dakota looked like he was about to wipe his eyes. His expression suddenly seemed unnaturally guilty. He was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "No, I'm talking about Em and Ray."

Ashley didn't respond.

"When someone is in that kind of danger, where they could be hurt or killed any minute and you can do nothing to help, it feels worse than if they were already dead."