[✔] Someone Named Xelqua (Hermitcraft Fanfiction)

XII.

Zachariah jumped and whipped around, startledly looking at me with his black eyes. Previously, he was sitting on the floor and peacefully examining the fake tree. Now, he was on his side. His robes slightly parted to reveal red and grey clothing underneath. He covered it up, as if I'd get him in trouble. I ignored the action, not thinking anything of it. I walked closer to him, pulling the doors shut and using magic to quiet it.

"Uh," Zachariah so smartly said, flushing red with humiliation. "What... what are you doing here?" I shrugged, sitting down on the floor in one graceful movement.

"I could ask you the same thing." I say, narrowing my eyes at him. Zach subtly flinched, looking to the side. He hid his hands in the sleeves, which were longer than they should be.

"You're not going to tell on me, right?" His voice jumped an octave.

"What? No." Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms. "I'd be in trouble too." Zachariah's eyes widened, but stayed glued to the floor. We sat in silence for a few minutes. In those minutes, I closely examined Zachariah. We never paid much attention to each other in the past two years. Yes, we were roommates, but one was usually sleeping or not there to talk.

Zachariah's hair fell just below his jaw by now, where when we met, the length was right above his eyes. The roots of his hair were white, which faded into black at the bottom. More scars littered his face, a result from endless training. His coal-black eyes haven't changed, but over the two years, they have become more exhausted and tired, as if he were done with life.

It was like he was a whole new person. He might not even recognize himself in the mirror, if there are mirrors around here. Not even bathrooms have one. It's like they want us to forget ourselves.

"Funny, isn't it? We're roommates, and yet we barely know anything about each other." Zachariah said, chuckling at the ground. I exhaled, looking away. Partly my fault. I purposely stayed away, as I didn't want to deal with the others.

"Yes. I guess so." I state. Zach turned his whole body to me, looking me dead in the eye. At that moment, I didn't see a Watcher-in-Training, like what I see every day in class. Instead, I saw a broken eighteen/nineteen year old, lonely and longing to go home.

I'm a bad classmate/roommate. I don't even know his age-

"How do you do it?" Zach interrupted my thinking. I blinked at him and shook my head.

"Do what?"

"Everything. Magic skill, shown as earlier, speak Galactic like it's your first language... you know. How can you do everything so perfect? Every teacher favors you, it's so obvious." He ranted. "There here the rest of us are, struggling to conjure a shield, summon an object from the other side of the room, speak a single sentence in another language... it's not fair."

"Tell me Zachariah, what did you do before you were brought here?" I start, trying to not make the situation worse. There is a possibility magic could start being used.

"I was with my family. Well, part of it, anyway." He answered, not seeing where this was going.

"Did you ever go to school?"

"No, my parents didn't let me. My brother did, but not me." I hid my obvious surprise by looking away.

"Why isn't your brother here? Or is he and I just never paid attention." I added.

"No. If there are siblings with Watcher blood, one is chosen. They chose me." Zachariah said.

"Oh, that makes sense then. Anyway, my point is that I went to school before this. I have study habits from before. In that school, I also picked up on the topic easily, so..." I trailed off. Zach shrugged. He pulled his knees to his chest. After a few moments of sitting in silence, Zachariah sniffed quietly.