“Too many memories?” Bryn asked.
Zavien nodded and stared straight into her eyes. “Too many memories and too many bad decisions.”
Bryn blinked. Was he talking about their failed relationship? No. He was probably thinking about Nola.
She broke eye contact and placed her fingertips on his forearm. “Let me know if this is uncomfortable.” She focused her life force in her chest and then imagined the Quintessence flowing from her fingertips like beams of healing light.
Janelle worked on his right arm while Bryn worked on his left. Time seemed to slow down, and she traced her fingertips over the scratches and scrapes while she imagined the skin mending itself…returning to its unblemished state. The fact that she was touching Zavien made the whole thing disconcerting, and he was smiling at her like they shared some sort of secret. They didn’t. At one time she had fallen for him, but it had been a first crush, not first love. Although it hadn’t felt that way at the time. What she’d felt after Valmont had broken things off with her…that had been far more devastating, but maybe that had to do with the dragon-knight bond they’d shared. At least she’d never have to worry about having her heart broken again. She’d never have the chance because she’d never have the opportunity to fall in love…which was depressing and reassuring at the same time.
It took ten minutes to heal Zavien’s injuries. “There you go.”
He held out his arm and turned it over, looking at it from all angles. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Maybe you should invest in a pair of protective gloves.”
“Not a bad idea. Or I could go back to painting. My paints never fought back.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” The way Zavien was looking at her and talking to her reminded her of how things had been when they’d first met…when they’d been friends, which was kind of nice.
Janelle was still working when Medic Williams came over to check on Bryn’s progress.
“Nice job, Bryn.” She checked the arm Janelle worked on. “Try focusing on one scrape at a time rather than healing the whole arm.”
“Okay.” Janelle frowned and concentrated. Soon the scrapes and cuts began to disappear.
“Much better,” Medic Williams said.
Once Janelle was finished, Zavien stood and rolled his shoulders. “That was oddly relaxing.”
Later, in Basic Movement, Bryn told Clint and Ivy about her experience healing Zavien. “At first it was awkward, and then it felt sort of okay. Is that wrong?” Bryn asked.
“No. He has kind of paid his dues,” Clint said.
And then she remembered something. “Do people really volunteer to pose nude for art classes?”
“Yes,” Clint said. “And most of the time it’s someone our parents’ age, which is disturbing.”
“It’s not sexy,” Ivy said, “if that’s what you’re wondering. It’s more…hellaciously awkward.”
Bryn cringed. “I can’t imagine. Have you ever known any of the people who have volunteered?”
“Not so far,” Clint said. “And that’s a good thing.”
“What are we going to do today?” Bryn asked, gesturing at the joust station, the weight lifting area, and the treadmills.
“That depends,” Ivy said. “Do you want to punch something or whack something with a giant cotton swab?”
The joust featured two platforms raised high in the air where students faced off with jousting sticks which resembled giant foam-tipped cotton swabs. You could push people around with them but not really hurt anyone. It felt like being hit with a couch cushion. Although being knocked off the pedestal into the pit of foam blocks below was still unnerving…especially since she’d once landed on a javelin buried in the pit.
She shook off the remembered sensation of the metal tip driving through her thigh. Jaxon had been the one to help her that day. Funny how that was one of her positive memories of him. “There are days when I feel like my life is a game where people keep changing roles. Jaxon used to be evil, now he’s mostly my ally, with a dose of asshat and sadness thrown in. Zavien used to be my friend, my sort of boyfriend, the guy I most wanted to blast into a cinder, and now he’s an acquaintance I could become friends with again.”
“At least we’ve stayed your friends the whole time,” Ivy said.
“Yes. You have,” Bryn said. “Thank you for that.”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s go see who we can knock off one of the platforms,” Clint said.
…
At lunch Bryn was surprised when Zavien approached their table. He wasn’t carrying a tray, so he probably hadn’t been through the buffet line yet. “Can I ask you a question about what you did to my arms?”
“Sure.”
He sat down, rolled up his sleeves, and held out his arms. “It may just be a difference in skill level, but the arm you fixed feels normal.” He held out the arm Janelle worked on. “My right arm feels weak, and does the skin look strange, or is it just me?”
Bryn traced her fingers over the arm Janelle worked on. “It’s not just you. You almost look dehydrated. Let me try something.” She focused Quintessence through her fingertips into his forearm. His skin returned to a normal color and his muscles flexed and filled out. Once she stopped they compared the two arms. “There you go. You now have a matched set.”
“Thanks.” He rolled his shirt sleeves back down. “What do you think she did wrong?”
“I don’t know. She’s new at this. It’s like she used your own Quintessence to heal your injuries rather than using hers.”
“Maybe you should tutor her before she works on someone else.” He grinned and headed for the buffet line.
Clint cleared his throat. “You’re about to have company.”
Jaxon came to their table and he was carrying a lunch tray. Without asking he sat and said, “I hadn’t planned on eating with you but since you were just seen touching your ex-boyfriend in a strange manner, I thought I’d come say hello.”
“You mean Bryn hasn’t told you about her forearm fetish?” Clint asked.
Jaxon snorted in response.
Bryn laughed. “It’s not like I was groping him. He was one of the guinea pigs in my Quintessential Meds class today. My partner didn’t do such a great job on his arm so he asked me to look at it,” she explained about Janelle.
“Maybe she should change her field of study,” Jaxon said.
“Or maybe she’s a Quintessence-sucking vampire,” Clint said. “A dragon-pire.”
Jaxon paused mid chew and looked at Clint like he’d just said something insane…which he sort of had. After chewing and swallowing Jaxon said, “What are you talking about?”
Clint explained about the Silver dragons and the theory that the Cult might be making a comeback.
Jaxon reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “We just fought off a Rebel uprising. For the first time in the history of the Institute, hybrids and throwbacks have been welcomed onto the campus. I am not mentally prepared to deal with an evil Quintessence sucking cult, so I sincerely hope you’re wrong.”
“But you’re not dismissing the idea completely,” Clint said.
“If this involved anyone but Bryn…” Jaxon didn’t bother finishing his sentence.
“We’ve decided she’s a chaos magnet,” Ivy said.
Jaxon nodded. “Sounds about right.”
“What can I say?” Bryn shrugged. “I lead an interesting life.”
Chapter Twelve
That night after dinner, Bryn went to speak with Medic Williams in the infirmary.
The Medic looked up from the file she was reading. “Bryn, are you injured?”
“No. I wanted to talk to you about something and I didn’t want to do it in front of the class.”
“Okay.” She closed the file and placed it on a stack to her right. “Have a seat.”