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Chapter VII

"Dyslexic? What's that?" she asked eventually.

"It's... a condition. What I think you're struggling with. You can read all letters-or most anyway-individually, but keep mixing them up as soon as there's more of them." Jade watched him with a very worried look as she found it hard to digest the fact that she had a mental illness.

"Can... can it be cured?" she asked, already trembling. Cinder hesitated but then spoke, unsure himself.

"Maybe... maybe with practice, I'm not sure. It's the first time I see dyslexia in action. But what if..." He stopped.

"What if what?"

"What if you can read in a different script? This is the Latin script, but maybe dyslexia doesn't apply to Greek characters or to Cyrillic or Arabic. There are many scripts out there."

"I don't know what to say, Cinder..." she said, not even realising she had spoken out loud his name. "I don't know any Greek, Slavic language, Arabic or anything else so even if I were to read the texts, I wouldn't understand them."

"You have a point..." he whispered as if to himself."I'll have to think about it. I might just know someone who could help."

"You're not going to tell the others, are you?" she asked worriedly as she took a look around. I knew this was a bad idea. At least, nobody was close enough to hear so she didn't have to worry about eavesdroppers.

"Don't worry, I was referring to someone in town, a scholar whose life I saved a while ago. We've been acquainted ever since and I know he would help. I promise I won't tell anyone from the Brotherhood," he then added, keeping a hand on his chest and the other in the air.  "Although I suspect your father already knows." The girl ignored the last sentence, and spoke with a knowing smile.

"Don't make promises you can't keep!" They both laughed.

"Well, it's getting late, we should go for dinner." The girl had to agree. She was exhausted by now.

In silence the two of them walked back to the central hall and put back the book from where they had taken it. "You know where to find it," winked Cinder. Jade doubted she would attempt reading anytime soon. She was, however, curious to know what it was about. When she asked Cinder as they were having dinner, he simply mocked her, saying she had to read it to find out.

At the dining table, the girl noticed several familiar faces, but didn't talk to any of them. She noticed Britney, Kris and Vex, but each of them was busy talking to someone else.

Several minutes later after finishing dinner, both Jade and Cinder went out on the hallway together, and then started walking towards the chambers.

"Did you see Lloyd yet?" he asked.

"No. Actually I don't even know what he looks like. Where was he?"

"Sitting next to Vex. They talk often. She's like a mother to him."

"I was actually wondering... Father said he hadn't told Lloyd about me but apparently everyone around here knows that we share the same father, therefore we are siblings."

"I see what you mean. And no, I doubt anyone told him yet, but he tends to ask many questions and refuses to have them left unanswered. Takes after his father, I guess." Cinder let out a short laugh as he remembered the similarities. "Sooner or later he will find out, but there's no telling how he's going to react."

"You know what I find weird?"

"What?"

"That he doesn't stand out in the crowd.He's just ten after all!"

"Actually he's almost ten."

"Exactly! He looks too mature for his age."

"I think he resembles a lot master Stefan himself. But he's not grown up yet. He's the shortest of us all, but judging after his face and after the way he speaks and thinks, you might easily confuse him for a teen. It's because of the people he's been around with. He never had kids his age to play with so he had to force himself mature when underage."

"Poor him..." whispered Jade.

She realised how many issues ran in her family. Her dad was ill-tempered and anything but a good father, her mother was dead, her brother was maturing while still underage and she was a dyslexic runaway. Things just couldn't get any better.

"Oh well, here's your chamber," suddenly said Cinder.

"Which one is yours?" asked the girl without thinking.

"I live in town. I only stay here overnight in case I have more business. Last night for instance I stayed in order to see you get through the escape test successfully," he smiled. "But now I have to get home since I'm exhausted and I bet you are too."

"In that case, good night and see you tomorrow."

"Actually, I think I'll remain in town tomorrow."

"Oh no, not you too!"

"Huh?"

"Both you and Benjamin are gone away what am I supposed to do?" Cinder tried not to laugh as he answered her silly rhetorical question.

"Make new friends? You've already met Vex and Kris, you know who Lloyd is and master Solomon is sure to keep you busy."

"I also met Bridget," added Jade with pride. "Well, I won't hold you any longer. Good night," she then said and closed the door.