Iridescent

10 | Who Are You Calling Average?

I thought Jaxton was a man that could be trusted. 

It had to be him! Who else could it be! Marty was the other suspect, but I trusted him more than Jaxton, who had threatened me more than once and never failed to remind me of the leverage he had. 

At the same time, he would be the most universally acknowledged idiot if he told. I would repay his kindness and simply spill his little secret to the entire school! Whoever needed to know what he was doing that night would find my little rebellion against Jaxton very satisfying, indeed. 

I wasn't going to go hasty. I was going to see what Professor wanted from me. So as I sat in Professor's room that day, watching his lenses reflect the light in the room, I waited with a nonchalant stance.

I tried to make eye contact, but all I could do was stare at his lenses and the light. He straightened, rubbed his stubbles under his chin. "On the first day of school, you dueled with Lambert."

If he was asking about that bully, then the conversation was going to be smooth and easy. "He asked for a duel and I accepted. He wasn't really nice, by the way."

I suddenly remembered that Professor Allister could've been the man I saw on the bridge hallway.

"I saw you fighting with Lambert," he continued. 

There was a feeling in my stomach that I didn't like. He sat in a casual stance, but his shoulders were tense. He was testing the waters, trying his best to be subtle before he trips me up. 

"Your sword is Iridescent." 

His tone was confident, and I was too nervous to tell whether it was bluff or fact. My heart took a leap. I shot a shocked look at him, not hiding my surprise. "Sorry?"

"I noticed the way it reflected. You can say it's the usual Light Divergence technique but..." he slanted a smile, his voice quiet, "it shines differently."

My body turned rigid, I clutched to the hilt of my sword protectively and used simple words, "I don't understand." 

He stifled a laugh. He had seen through me. "It's not a simple metal blade."

I didn't falter, and undermined him by flatly stating, "it is metal."

"It looks like one. I almost thought it wasn't. Iridescent's shine is hard to spot," he breathed, leaned back on his chair. That was when I saw his grey eyes. "Your real name is Cassidy Snow. Your ancestors wielded the blades of Iridescent, having the ability to share a bond with the metal and have it lend you the powers the crystal holds."

I could feel my expression slipping.

"Your mother was one of them, and knowing the dangers, you were homeschooled until you entered high school, where they changed your name," he got up from his seat and made his way around the table. "Against their wishes, you stole your ancestor's sword from the inventory and came to this Academy to pursue further studies."

He stopped, towering over me. "And here you are, Cassidy."

I stilled under his gaze and felt all my hopes shatter, but I wasn't going to give up. "My name is Cassandra Williams. Not Cassidy."

Professor's expression softened. "The whole 'sword thief' thing was a guess – a good one, I believe. This information I dug up were censored very well. Your parents have done a good job to protect you."

He sat himself down to the seat next to me and, with gentle eyes, he contemplated over the next words he was about to say, "I've censored them further."

I couldn't comprehend what he just said. I simply looked up. "What?" 

"I'm not going to do anything to you," Professor said, a reassuring smile, "I know students like you who are in this school." He was saying all this in merely a whisper now. "I don't anything but for all of you to be safe."