Bastial Energy (6 page)

Unwilling to attempt a conversation with his roommates, he stood at his doorway and peered down the short hall, wondering if he’d ever think of this place as home. He listened to the bumping and shifting of his roommates arranging their belongings. It was pleasant noise, for it meant they were occupied. It was in the brief moments of silence when he became skittish, for only once the busy sounds stopped was there a chance of someone walking into the hall. He learned that these were the moments when conversations were more likely to occur—when someone had finished putting something away and wanted to chat as a reward.

It was during one of these silences when Steffen popped out to tell Cleve that he and Reela would tour the campus sometime after Effie and her sister showed up, and that Cleve should come with them. But he declined. It wasn’t like him to start something without finishing it. He’d almost lost the bow once when the guards had come to investigate. He wasn’t about to let that happen again.

When Gabby first arrived with Effie, she followed her older sister past Cleve’s room and into the last empty bedroom, dropped Effie’s bags, and looked for Steffen. She gasped when she found him sitting on his bed reading.

“Your room is incredible!” Gabby exclaimed in what sounded to be genuine excitement to Cleve, who couldn’t help but listen and watch from his room across the hall.

“It’s the same as my room,” Effie called to her, “which you said you would help me set up.”

Gabby ignored her. She gasped again and took a vial from a nearby shelf. “Another new potion! It’s so pretty.”

Cleve thought Gabby looked older than she sounded. In fact, if Effie hadn’t said something about her room, Cleve might have figured Gabby was the one moving in.

“Careful with that one.” Steffen spoke with grave concern as he reached for it.

Gabby faced him and hid the vial behind her back. “Did you finally create something useful?” she teased. “Wait, is this the fire potion we’ve been talking about?”

“Yes, and the ingredients are difficult to come by.” Steffen reached for it again, and she backed away, giggling.

“You did it? Impressive. You’ve always had such a thirst for destruction.” Her voice had a playful cadence. “Can I try it?”

“There’s wood all around us,” Steffen said.

“That didn’t stop you,” Reela exclaimed from her room.

Gabby squeaked, letting her mouth drop. “You tried it here?”

“Outside I did, but I shouldn’t have,” Steffen muttered.

“Let’s go.” She took his hand and dragged him toward the door.

Effie yelled from her room, “Gabby, stop flirting with Steffen and help me unpack.”

“I’m not!” Gabby yelled back. “I’m just excited about a new potion. You wouldn’t understand because you’re not a chemist.” Gabby released her grip on Steffen’s hand and gave him back the vial. “We’ll do it later,” she said with gloom, stiffly walking into Effie’s room and shutting the door hard behind her. Cleve could hear them arguing as he continued prying at the floorboards.

Reela checked on Cleve a few times throughout the day. She asked questions about his progress but tended to hover in silence after her queries were answered. It made him feel as if she was waiting for him to speak or possibly ask her something in return, but he was more comfortable with silence than with trying to keep the conversation going. Though even with his project keeping his eyes busy, Cleve had trouble stopping himself from glancing at Reela. His gaze seemed to stick to her each time he looked, needing to be ripped away with great effort.

Reela eventually brought in Effie and Gabby to introduce them. After brief handshakes, they were out of his room as quickly as they’d entered, but not before Gabby could say, “He’s huge” with a tone like he was some animal. Cleve felt better when he heard Effie smack her sister after they left his room.

Steffen had stepped in on his own accord earlier in the day. “I’m sorry about what happened in the woods,” he led with, reaching out his hand. “Very glad you’re here.”

Cleve gave the chemist’s hand a firm shake, possibly a bit harder than he’d meant.
I may be a little angry still,
he realized. “How is Fred?” Cleve asked with as much feigned interest as he could muster.

“He’s dead. Reela put him out of his misery.”

“Dead?” Cleve felt his grip tightening. “After what you made me do to save him?”

Steffen yelped softly. “You’re strong! Reela helped me see that he was more of an, um, abomination than a successful experiment.” He whimpered softly. “I’d like my hand back?”

“So that other rat in your room?” Cleve released the chemist’s hand.

“Leonard. Test subject number two. I’m using a modified formula that should produce the results I want—size and strength without incessant aggression.” Steffen gave Cleve a lingering look, as if he might be talking about more than just the rat.

“Hope so,” Cleve said, deciding to ignore the insinuation and get back to work.
If he wants me to be nicer, that better have been the last time he makes me risk my life for a rat.

“Want to know what the formula is?” Steffen asked, nearly bursting with excitement.

Cleve didn’t respond, hoping that would be a clear enough sign of his answer.

“There are three ingredients, but one is quite interesting—hair. Human hair! My own Human hair!”

“As opposed to your non-Human hair?” Cleve muttered, hoping it might stop the conversation even for just a moment so he could focus on his floorboards.

Steffen didn’t seem to hear. “I’ve never known a potion that required Human hair. This creates so many fascinating variables to work with because hair itself is different depending on whose body it grows and even where on that body it grows. I tried a hair from my head first, but guess where the hair is coming from in this new version?”

“That’s disgusting,” Cleve replied honestly.

“No, not
there
,” Steffen guffawed, “I’m talking about my arm.” He displayed his forearm for Cleve.

Cleve politely looked while letting his disinterest show. There was a patch of hair missing.

Steffen was smiling. “It started to fall out after I poured my fire potion on it.”

Chapter 8: Rules

CLEVE

Throughout the day, Cleve’s thoughts danced around Reela. Effie was eye-catching, but there was something about Reela that was different from other women who drew his gaze. It felt as if she knew things about him that he didn’t know himself and his heart ached to know what they were.

She’s dangerous. I can’t tell if any emotions I have for her are genuine. It’s good to keep my distance.

After his roommates left to explore the campus, he had an urge to look through their rooms. He knew he shouldn’t, but he also knew it was a good way to find out more about the people he might be stuck with for a year.

When his project was completed and the bow tucked away, the urge became more difficult to resist. He began unpacking the rest of his clothes and weapons. Finishing that rather quickly, he brought his mug, bowl, and other kitchenware into the shared eating space in the front of the house. He was officially done unpacking. He couldn’t fathom how it took others so long. All that was left was his workout routine and weapons training, but he decided to take a rare day off.

Dust and sweat had caked together on his forehead, so he wiped it with his shirt. He shuffled toward Steffen’s room, stopping in the doorway. There were dozens of plants fighting for space and more potions and books than Cleve had ever seen in one place, all organized neatly. Cleve liked to keep his room tidy as well but never had to deal with sorting more than his clothes and a few weapons.

He couldn’t have possibly read half of those books
. Cleve walked into the room to investigate Steffen’s reading material.
Most of these aren’t even recipe books for potions. History, math…and books about languages I’ve never heard of. Could he really like this stuff?
Cleve tried, and failed, to find a book he recognized. Soon he found himself just looking for a storybook, anything fictional, yet again he couldn’t find one.
What kind of person has this many books but doesn’t read any fiction?

He sneaked into Effie’s room next. Her black staff rested on her bed beside a pile of clothes. Among the pile, a garish blue cloth stood out. It looked soft and inviting but disgustingly showy. Expecting it to be an extravagant mage’s robe, he pulled it from the other clothes, curious about how it looked in its entirety. Shocked, he found himself holding the lower half of Effie’s undergarments, so petite they were seemingly inadequate. He dropped them onto the other clothes, poking at them until the pile appeared as he’d found it and leaving as soon as the job was done.

Reela’s room was similar to Cleve’s—neat without a lot to see. There were no clothes in sight.
They’re
all folded neatly or hung in her wardrobe, I imagine.
Instead of weapons, as in his room, Cleve found a number of books: fiction, history, biography, and many about psyche as well. One looked more like a journal. The cover was worn and without a title. Although tempted, he resisted opening it.

The room had a fragrance unlike any other he’d experienced. It reminded him of Raywhite Forest after a downpour, when the sun pierced through the wet trees. It was mixed with something sweet, though, maybe honey.
He sniffed around the room, curious about its origin. There were no plants or candles in sight.
Could she have left this scent?

Cleve opened her wardrobe and breathed in deeply. The fragrance was found, and it permeated through him. He let out a soft sigh.

She likes light colors.
He thumbed through the dresses in front of him.
I hope I get to see her wear some of these
. His heart jumped.
What am I doing?
He closed the wooden door to her wardrobe and returned to his room.

His earlier decision to skip his workout suddenly was overturned. It was time to get out of the house. Cleve wanted his bow but settled on his sword. He sheathed the blade securely into the leather casing attached to his belt and made his way to Warrior’s Field—a stretch of lush grass half a mile long and wide. Terren had explained to him years ago that if he was to attend a class as a warrior, it would be on that field, not sitting in a classroom.

His routine started with stretches, followed by technique and form, and ended with muscle strengthening. Later, he would meditate to regain some of the lost Bastial Energy. He wasn’t surprised to find a few other warriors scattered across the field, training as well.

By the time Cleve got to push-ups, the sun had almost set. He heard his name being called in the distance. It appeared to be Reela and the others. At the sight of her, he felt his heart nervously rattle around in his chest as if she somehow knew he’d looked through her room. She and the others stood on the edge of the field, just before the grass began, like touching Warrior’s Field would send them to the dungeons. Steffen motioned for him to meet them where they stood, and Cleve jogged over reluctantly.

“Show them that flip you did in the forest,” Steffen said.

“What flip?” Cleve pretended not to know while he thought of some way out of the request without being rude.

“That flip! You spun and flipped at the same time. Then you slammed down your quarterstaff in front of the bear to scare him off.” Steffen gestured with his hands to demonstrate. “I was just telling them about it.”

“I think that was you,” Cleve joked, keeping his tone serious. There was something about Steffen that made Cleve want to tease him. He hadn’t figured out what yet. There was nothing particularly jarring about Steffen’s appearance. He was like many other chemists, generally smaller in stature. His nose was neither small nor large, his lips were thin, and his eyes were wide. His hair was brown, lighter than Effie’s but still far darker than Reela’s. It was short and always appeared kempt, like his clothes. Cleve assumed the urge to make fun had to do with Steffen’s personality. He seemed unreasonably stubborn yet overly nice, if that combination was even possible.

“Me? I can’t do that.” Steffen looked to be authentically concerned that Cleve wouldn’t remember correctly.

“Cleve,” Reela interrupted, her puffy lips curved into her usual smile. “We met someone who’s hosting a party. We’re stopping at our house briefly, then we’re going there. Come with us.”

“It’s a good chance for us to get to know you better,” Effie added. “Or you can watch my sister, who’ll be staying at our place and going to sleep early so she can leave for Oakshen at sunrise.”

“I told you,” Gabby squeaked, “I’m coming to this party, and I’m leaving
sometime
tomorrow, not in the morning.”

Effie sighed. “I’ll let you come if you promise to leave early tomorrow.”

“Fine.”

“And you can’t tell Father about the party.”

“Fine.”

“Or Mom.”

“Stop.”

The sisters looked at each other and appeared to carry on the conversation through silent expressions that were lost on Cleve. He couldn’t help but notice the two of them looked alike, although they sounded completely different.