Twisted Wings

chapter 8

It was the last day of exams, and Celeste and Grim hurried to class. It had been a few weeks since the Spelldrive tournament, the days since then being relatively uneventful.

The exam today was alchemy, and while Celeste wasn't especially good at it, she felt she'd read enough material on the subject to obtain a good grade. She had been paying attention in class and, unlike Grim, had been keen to learn about the potions and ingredients used in the human world.

Professor Crewel announced the end of the exam and ordered everyone to turn in their tests. Cheers went up around the classroom, celebrating the end of exams.

“Down! SIT! Don't begin celebrating just yet. Any bad dogs who fare poorly in their exams… Will be given mandatory remedial lessons over the winter holiday. Consider yourselves warned. Class dismissed. ” Crewel chastised them before permitting the class to leave.

“Whew! It's FINALLY over! ” Ace exclaimed as he and Deuce strolled over to Celeste and Grim.

“I gave it my absolute best. All that's left now is to wait for our scores to come back. ” Deuce said, and Grim scoffed.

“No lousy test is a match for my brilliant intellect!” Grim boasted, puffing out his chest.

Ace let out a snort. “Really? You're always scramblin' to pass. Celeste is the only reason your grade isn't failing.”

“Today's the dawn of an improved me!” Grim declared confidently. He had actually studied for this exam, although it had been only one last-minute cramming session.

“Oh? I look forward to it. Perhaps you'll improve your table manners as well?” Celeste lifted an eyebrow at him, putting on a teasing smirk.

“Woah now Celeste. One step at a time.” Grim held up his paws in the air to prevent her from saying anything outrageous.

Ace let out a laugh. “I can't believe you're still on that, Celeste. Talk about an impossible task.”

Harry made his way over to them, having overheard their conversation from across the classroom. “Grim sittin' proper sippin' tea? I'd pay to see that." He chuckled before letting out a sigh. "Anyway, that test man… Crewel really put us through the wringer, huh.” His brown rabbit ears drooped with exhaustion as he recalled the exam.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty confident of my performance this time.” Deuce seemed unconcerned as he smoothed back his black hair.

“Says the guy who's barely staying above a failing grade. Of course, this test was a piece of cake for me. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna come out on top.” Ace gloated confidently, puffing out his chest.

“Seriously? I wouldn't put my money on any of you guys.” Harry eyed them skeptically, before turning to Celeste.

“Speaking of cake, I've come up with a new carrot cake recipe for you to try, Celeste. I'll bring it over to you tomorrow.”

“O-oh, you really don't have to, Harry. I mean, you must be exhausted from exams.” Celeste tried her best to hide the dread she felt at his words. Harry had become accustomed to sharing his recipes with her, all of them carrot based.

She had thought it was sweet of him at first. However, she quickly became overwhelmed with carrots. His latest dish had been a carrot jello that even Grim had refused to eat. Ace and Deuce always concocted some sort of excuse, explaining why they couldn't eat Harry's food, leaving Celeste at his mercy. She simply hadn't the heart to tell him she wasn't that fond of carrots.

“Nah, it's fine! I already baked it and for some reason half the dorms allergic to carrots… So, I figured you'd like some!” Harry insisted, and she sighed in defeat.