Aether Academy

(Re-written)Friendships, Feelings and First Acquaintances

As promised, here's the re-written version.

Happy reading!

"Again!" Oliver's voice boomed from the corner.

Bria sighed and summoned a fire ball once more. But as usual, it didn't burn azure.

"What's going wrong?" Kiera said. "I don't get it at all!"

Bria shrugged. She had been training since morning along with Kiera; but try as they might, she couldn't achieve that perfect balance.

"You could always ask Professor Drake." Rita uttered.

"Right." Bria admitted. She didn't want to ask him though. The more she spent time around him, the more her feelings grew.

"Why don't you then?" Kiera whispered to her.

"I...uh...he might be busy...or...something."

Kiera cocked her head to the side and then looked straight at her. "Do you like him?"

In her surprise, she lost focus and the fireball extinguished.

"Sorry!" Bria said to Oliver and then to Kiera, "Why would you say that?!"

Kiera narrowed her eyes at her. "But I'm right, aren't I?"

Bria sighed but said nothing.

How could she admit that she had fallen for someone forbidden to her?

"It's okay, you know." Kiera said. "Many girls like him."

That much was true. Professor Drake was famous amongst the female students. He was a young and handsome man after all. And yet there was something different about him that pulled her to him. Perhaps it were those moments when she had seen him in a vulnerable state. Or perhaps it was the loneliness that she suspected he hid. Or perhaps it were those smiles of his that would make her heart beat faster. Or maybe it was all of that. She didn't know. All she knew was that she had fallen hard. There was only one single fact that stopped her from taking any step...

"He's a professor." She said solemnly.

"Do you need some help with that, Ms Grant?"

Was she now hearing voices as well?

"Ms Grant?"

She turned around to find Oliver standing along with Professor Drake.

"Professor! Oh...um...I...yeah sure."

If professor found her stutter unusual, he didn't comment on it.

Thankfully.

"Well, we'll be going then." Oliver said. "Good luck!"

Bria immediately stopped her and whispered, "Going where?"

"You can train with him now, Bria. We'll meet again tomorrow." Rita answered. "You have fun." She finished with a wink.

Was it so obvious?

"But...but..." She fumbled with words. "What about training later then?"

 "You'll be going with your friends in the evening." Oliver said. "Besides, I think all of us deserve a break."

"Oliver is right, Ms Grant. Training is important. But there's no need to over-exhaust yourself."

"Okay."

That was another thing that bothered her. He rarely called her by name. Everyone else, he did.

Why?