The Apprentice's Apprentice

Part 15

"Man, I'm starved," Zoe said as she watched Cora root around in her locker for her lunch.

Cora shook her head. "You were just eating cookies during Spare. How are you hungry?"

"Cookies aren't a meal. They're a snack. A delicious one, but they're not enough to fill me up. I want real food."

"How you don't get fat is a mystery. A pisses me off kind of mystery."

Zoe grinned. "You're just jealous of my sweet metabolism. Of course the fact that Moira used to be on the rowing team and has gotten me running with her every morning might have something to do with it to."

"Maybe just a bit."

"Hey guys!"

Cora looked up at the familiar voice at the same time Zoe did, her lunch in one hand. A smile that Cora couldn't figure out if was real or not on his face, Warren stopped in front of them. "How's everything with you two?"

"Good," Zoe replied drawing the word out as her eyes rapidly darted between them. Then she smiled. "But I'm wicked hungry so I'm going to go on ahead. See ya!"

She opened her mouth to stop her, but Cora knew there really was no point. She sighed, already mentally preparing herself for what Zoe was inevitably going to say, and looked up at Warren. "Back to being Mr. Sunshine I see."

He took a step closer and snorted, his voice quiet. "We're at school aren't we?"

Cora rolled her eyes. "As much as this may surprise you, I had noticed. What do you want?"

"Lessons. Today, after school. I'll pick you up here again."

"Alright, but I have to be home for dinner or my mom'll kill me. How long will these lessons take anyway?"

"As long as they take. But even someone Wild like you ought to pick things up quickly enough that we don't have to spend much more than a few hours on it."

Cora wrinkled her nose at the thought of hours more of learning but said "Fine. I'll see you later then."

Warren nodded and turned away from her, his face back to its friendly mask. She wondered how long he'd be able to keep it up. She knew she wouldn't last more than a couple of days but maybe he was used to it.

She grimaced and kicked her locker shut. Obsessing over Warren's behaviour was pointless. She sure as hell wasn't going to be able to change it, even if she wanted to. She'd certainly seen enough girls try and fail to change boys. Of course they were usually dating them, but the same fundamentals applied.

Her musings carried her all the way to the cafeteria. The large, square room's white walls and tiled floor were lit harshly by the fluorescent lights overhead. The room was practically an explosion of sound as most of the student body was crammed in there, sitting at the lines of tables that marched from one end of the room to the other, with just enough space for people to squeeze between the occupied tables. At the far end from Cora lay the cafeteria proper, the line there still stretching almost to the room's doors. It would be another fifteen or more minutes before it died down.

Cora walked towards the tables at the closer end of the room, aiming herself towards the far corner. Zoe was already there and waving at her. She waited for Cora to sit, one leg jiggling and her fingers drumming on the table. As soon as she'd dropped her lunch onto the table, Zoe said "What was that about?"

Even knowing it was coming didn't keep Cora from sighing. "Nothing really."

"It didn't sound like nothing to me. And I saw you walking with him yesterday, in the opposite direction from your house, so don't try and pretend nothing's going on. I know you too well. Spill it!"

For several seconds Cora focused on opening her bag, the rustling of plastic the only sound between them. As her hands moved, Cora's mind raced. She needed some reason, any reason, that she'd be hanging out with Warren that didn't involve magic or dating him. And it had to be good enough to satisfy Zoe and be something she wouldn't pry too much into. Something that Cora would be able to do...

A sudden thought had her grinning inwardly. She shrugged and looked back at Zoe. "I'm helping him with a project of his is all."

Her friend's eyes narrowed. "What's this project?"

"He's translating some manga and I'm proofreading it for him. I read so much of it I've got a pretty good feel for what's right and what's not."

Zoe wrinkled her nose. "Ew. I mean, I've always gotten a bit of a geek vibe from Warren, but I didn't think he'd be up there with you and all your weird anime crap. This isn't one of those weird ones about stretching people or cross-dressers or giant fighting robots is it?"

Cora sighed. "You think all manga are about that kind of thing."

"That' s because all the ones you tried to get me to read were like that. What's this one called?"

"Baka Inu Asa," Cora said, using the first three Japanese words she could think of. And while her insult arsenal was impressive, she didn't really know that much actual Japanese. But then again, Zoe knew none, so she figured she was safe enough.

"Yep, that sounds like one of the stupid things you would read. Oh well. I still have hope that after spending so much time together you'll find yourself liking him and he'll like you, and the two of you can date."

Cora knew a losing battle when she saw one so she just shrugged. "Whatever."