The Dragon Queen's Heir [book one]

14

BEFORE I CAN SAY ANOTHER WORD, Oliver has stood and disappeared, the world's volume abruptly returning to normal. "Great," I mutter, hurrying back to the breakfast table where Nikolai waits. "Just as I get a break."

"What was that about?" Nikolai asks, brows creased. "You don't look happy."

I shake my head and take a large chunk of pancake, the fluffy goodness of the food doing nothing to soothe my nerves. Whatever just happened, it can't possibly be good. When I swallow, I say simply, "The headmaster wanted me to give a message to Oliver. He didn't tell me why, but I don't think it was good from the way Oliver stormed off."

"Uh oh," Nikolai says. "So much for your break. At least you get to enjoy good food."

I giggle. "Yeah. To good food!" I say, taking a piece of pancake on my fork and pretending to clink it together with Nikolai's. Then I slide it off the fork with my teeth, enjoying the explosion of flavors all over again. Nikolai and I talk a little while longer, long past the point where our plates our empty.

During a moment of comfortable silenced shadow falls on our table, and I glance up. "May I sit here?" Colin, the boy that interrupted my talk with the headmaster, asks gruffly. Clothed in all black, he could be Nikolai's twin if only his eyes weren't a blue so light you could barely see their color.

"Of course," I say, smiling as Colin slides his food onto the table and sits. "Colin, right?"

Colin nods, taking short, quick bites of his breakfast. "You know him?" Nikolai asks, his brows furrowed. "I've never seen this kid before."

"Well, I don't actually know him," I say. "We just brushed by each other in the--"

"Hallway," Colin quickly says, shooting me a dark look. "I accidentally knocked some of her things out of her hands and stopped to help her pick them up." I frown but don't say anything. Why is he lying? It's not like my talk with the headmaster is top-secret or anything.

Nikolai's face quickly brightens. "Oh, hey! I'm Nikolai. Nice to meet you," he says, shaking Colin's hand over the table. I don't miss how Colin wipes his hand on his trousers afterwards, a scowl deep on his face. "Where do you come from, Colin?"

"I've lived here my entire life," Colin says, taking more bites of his breakfast. "I'm an orphan, so the headmaster took me in at a young age to help out around the school. It's a great honor to be able to be a student here."

I grin. "That's so cool! I didn't know Professor Singh did that for people."

Neither boy says anything as they continue eating, Nikolai finishing off his breakfast after a few moments of silence. "Well, I'd better get going. Sara said she wanted to see me in my dorm right after breakfast." He stands, picking up his plate. "See you guys later. Nice to meet you, Colin."

I murmur a quick goodbye, but Colin says nothing, staring at Nikolai's retreating back. "How do you know him?"

"Why does it matter?" I ask, suddenly irritated. "You show up here, lie about how we met, then treat Nikolai like a jerk. Why do you care how I know him?"

Colin flinches. "I'm sorry. I just don't trust people as easily as you do. Not everyone here is what they appear to be."

Now it's my turn to flinch, Milay's words echoing in my ears. Not everyone is as they seem. What if Colin is somehow related to Milay? "I have to go," I say, standing abruptly with my plate in hand. Colin just scowls and continues eating, ignoring me as I hurry to the trash cans and toss my plate inside, then hurry out of the dining hall.

What a jerk, I think to myself, shaking my head. What an insufferable, self-righteous jerk.

~