After hearing the headmaster's question, I could feel my jaw drop. He was a human? That was something I never would have guessed.

"I didn't forget that you are human," Mathias answered Mr. August's question. "I just stopped thinking about you as one of them."

"Couldn't you then stop thinking about Azora's parents as one of them?" Mr. August asked in a calming voice.

"I don't know," Mathias said. His head was bowed and his stare was fixated to the parquet flooring. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his black hoodie.

"That's not good enough. Can you or can you not?" The headmaster wouldn't let him get away without a solid answer.

"It's not the same!" Mathias allowed his dark eyes only a quick glance in Mr. August's direction. "You've been a part of this world for so many years. I can trust you."

Mr. August stepped towards Mathias. He placed a palm on his shoulder, making him lift his eyes. "Then show me that you trust me. I would never let any harm come to any of my students. You need to know that. And when it comes to Azora's parents, I've had a chance to get to know them a little better. They are good people."

Mathias' head bowed again. His jaw bone kept moving under his skin. As if he felt my look, he glanced in my direction. I instantly looked away.

Mr. August walked up to his desk. He stayed in front of it, but placed his fingers on its surface. That way we were both within the reach of his chocolate colored eyes. "Like it or not, you're both students at this school and that's not going to change any time soon. For you, Mathias, that means you're going to stop taunting Azora. You will keep a promise you gave me."

"Fine," Mathias mumbled, head bowed in avoidance of further eye contact.

"And I think you owe Azora an apology."

Mathias first looked at Mr. August, then at me. His eyebrows were lowered, lips pressed close together.

"Well," the headmaster prompted.

Mathias pulled his hands out of his hoodie pockets and crossed them. "Sorry," he said barely moving his lips.

"Now say it like you mean it." Mr. August wouldn't let him get away with it. I wished I didn't have to be there. If the werewolf had a hard time tolerating me, this situation wouldn't change it. But I couldn't argue with the headmaster.

Mathias forced himself to look at me. He was much more articulate when he said, "I'm sorry."

"You can go back to your class now," Mr. August said and Mathias instantly left his office.

I did not follow his example.

Noticing me standing there, Mr August said, "I sense you have some questions for me."

That was very insightful. I did have questions. They were swirling in my mind like sea water sucked in a tornado.

"I thought this was a school for hidden races. How can a human be a part of it? And what's more, a headmaster?" I asked with surprise painted all over my face.

"Let me answer you with another question: Who better to connect hidden races and human beings than a human being? Especially if that human understands and accepts the fact that there is more to this world than meets the eye."

I gave his words a thought. I never really asked myself which race he might be, but there was something about his presence that just didn't seem to correspond with my perception of humans. "Yes, I guess you're right about that," I said. "But still, how are you just a human?" 

"I was born that way," Mr. August said with a smile.

Looking at his warm, chocolate-colored eyes, I felt encouraged to ask further questions. "But... how? I mean, you seem to be somehow... more. Are you sure they haven't done anything to you?"

"You do know how this works, don't you, Azora? The goal is to make other races look humanlike, not the other way around. Besides, how am I different than other human beings?" he asked, placing both hands on his hips.

"I don't know. It's not how you look on the outside. Maybe... maybe they've changed you on the inside." I was still looking for an explanation.

"And how would they do that?" Mr. August was easily one of the most forbearing persons I had ever met. He should lend some of his patience to Professor Fortius. That man could certainly use it.

I did not share my thoughts with him, though. Instead, I shared my hypothesis. "They can make changes through genetic engineering, perhaps. You know, when they take genes of someone and then insert them into genes of someone else."

My explanation was world class! I knew something about the whole process, but my knowledge was tragically superficial.

"That is not possible. At least not when it comes to combining human genes and genes of the hidden races. There are unwritten laws about the subject."

"And no one has ever even tried something like that?" The fact that I hadn't known a lot about the matter, didn't mean I shouldn't at least try to find out more.

"Not to my knowledge," Mr. August said. He crossed the office, nearing the door.

"Do you think they ever will?" I asked another question, promising myself that it would be the last one.

"I do not know," he replied. He opened the door, cueing me to leave.

Slowly, I walked up to the opened door. "I think they will," I said before walking out.

° ° ° ° ° ° °

The three weeks that followed brought normality to my life. The main reason for that was the fact that Mathias kept his distance. "Don't come near me," he said to me the day after our conversation at Mr. August's office, and I took his advice. I did see him occasionally, but he would avert his eyes. I did the same. Peripheral vision was all we used to look at each other.

But then, Friday happened.

I saw Mathias right after Chemistry as I was rushing to get to my next class. I had to hurry because I forgot to bring a textbook, so I went back to my room to get it.

I was running down the hall when I noticed Ms. Cyan walking in my direction. I knew I wasn't her favorite student, so I moved to the side. Bumping into her surely wouldn't change her attitude towards me for the better.

As I passed her by, I felt the need to apologize for my haste. I looked over my shoulder and shouted, "I know I shouldn't be running, but I'm really, really late!"

When I turned my head, my eyes widened and my jaw dropped. Mathias was right in front of me and I was on a collision course.

I slammed into him. Immediately I moved several steps away. "I'm so sorry," I uttered.

He just stood there in front of me. The dark colour of his clothes depicted his mood perfectly. His breathing was irregular, and his stare affixed to something in the distance. I dared to cast nothing but a quick glance over my shoulder. No one was there. Ms. Cyan already turned around the corner, unaware of my predicament.

I looked at Mathias again. "I'm sorry," I repeated.

He turned his attention to me. There was an unnatural glow in his eyes that seemed redder than they should be. Full Moon. Last night was full Moon.

"Make sure you don't come near me again." His voice was as dark as his clothes.

Then he turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the hallway with the sound of my beating heart.

It took some time to pull myself together. As a result of that, I was late for my class. Professor Garnet already started his lecture and Opal was soaking up every word. I don't even know if she realized I was late. She loved Geography for two reasons. Number one – Professor Garnet was a dwarf. Number two – he shared her love for gemstones, gold and other precious metals.

As it turned out, my distress did not go unnoticed. Nia handed me a folded piece of paper. As I unfolded it, I noticed a name with a question mark written on it: Mathias?

I nodded, and Nia asked no further questions. It took a bell marking the end of the class for Opal to snap out of her temporary trance called Geography.

On our way to lunch, Nia just said, "You'll tell me all about it, won't you?"

"Tell her all about what?" Opal intercepted my answer. "What do you have to tell her, Azora? And why would you tell her and not me? And if you were going to tell me, why would you tell her first?"

"I'll tell you both while we eat, okay? Just find a secluded table," I whispered, trying to put a stop on Opal's rambling before it would attract unwanted attention.

I was walking and talking at the same time, not noticing the person coming out of the dining room.

"I thought I told you to stay away from me," he said quietly, yet I felt prickles like the time a sea urchin rolled down the surface of my bare skin.

"I'm sorry. I was just..."

"...making a mistake," Mathias finished my sentence. "And that might be costly," he added before rushing out.

Chapter 10, and you're still reading! Thank you so much!

Special thanks to those who left wonderful comments and to those who voted for my story, encouraging me to keep writing.

Stay tuned if you want to find out more about Azora.

If you like this chapter, do me a favor - leave your comments and also, vote.
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