Heart of Glass

Chapter 18

"Can't we just stop for today?" Ben complained.

Ariel sighed and closed her textbook. She had been tutoring Ben for two weeks, and she was beginning to understand why Peyton had been so temperamental. Every complaint Ben could think of, he named it; headache, broken fingers, sinus problems, even dysentery. If there was a method to get out of learning, he tried it.

The most popular ailment this week was an upset stomach. If it had been something he'd mentioned two weeks ago, she would have believed him. Now, however, she simply resisted the urge to roll her eyes and glared at him.

"I think you'll survive another twenty minutes of Tudor history." Frankly she didn't see how it was important for a ten year old boy to learn about a dead King with mental issues, but she knew she couldn't question what the government said he needed to learn.

Ben groaned, slamming his head down on his history book. "It's only twenty minutes! Please, Ariel. It won't matter if I miss that much."

"Yes it will. Now tell me about King Henry."

In a monotone drone, Ben started listing off all the facts she'd made him recite about Henry VIII. She ticked it off on her chart, writing little comments in the margins about his wording and general understanding.

It was sort of satisfying, to mark his work and note areas of improvement. She liked finding ways to help him understand the parts that he didn't know, and when he finally got it, it filled her with a sense of accomplishment.

Pat pat pat.

They both looked up to see rain starting to fall in a light drizzle. She saw the look of disappointment flit across Ben's face. He couldn't hide outside if it was raining, and she was beginning to learn all his favourite hiding places inside.

The weather had gradually cooled over the last couple of weeks, and rain was becoming a regular occurrence. Emily had stopped going outside, even just to sit on one of the chairs near the back door. Her paranoia of water had increased ten fold, to the point where she was walking around inside with a raincoat and gumboots on.

She chose that moment to walk past the library, looking completely miserable at the sound of the rain.

Ben frowned. "I don't know why she has to wear all that stuff inside. It's not like the rain is going to get inside the house."

"Leave her alone," Ariel said firmly. "Coming into Winter, she's probably scared of being caught unawares and I don't blame her. She might be a bit excessive, but your Dad is probably helping her with that."

"I guess. How's your treatment going?"

She knew this tactic. Distract the teacher with talk and hope she forgets to teach. Undeterred, she continued writing notes. "My treatment is fine, but it has been a bit difficult lately."

"Why?" He sounded concerned and she wondered if he truly was, or his acting skills were getting better.

"Because, this young boy I am teaching keeps making things difficult for me by running off and trying to get out of doing his school work."

From the corner of her eye, she saw him look away guiltily. She didn't like to use guilt as a ploy, especially on a young boy, but she was tired. Last night the moon had been full outside her window, and remembering that Oscar became human once a month, she'd waited up until three in the morning, only to discover that the moon wasn't completely full until tonight.

She'd seen him lounging on a window sill that morning and she swore the creature was staring at her smugly, as if he knew what she'd been doing.

The guilt worked, and she finished up the class a few minutes early, but not before piling him with homework for the weekend. His little face fell and she promised him that if he finished it all by next Wednesday, she would take him outside for a special work free class.