In the morning, there were a dozen roses waiting for me where I usually sat for breakfast. I tried to keep myself from smiling. Instead of picking them up, I only put them aside.
"Someone is trying to get on your good side" Ezra commented as he sat down in front of me
"So what happened?" Thomas asked eyeing the roses as well.
"We broke up. We are taking a break" I shrugged. "He cheated on me"
Ezra and Thomas looked at each other quickly. There was a confused expression on their faces.
"Does he realize that you guys broke up" Ezra picked at one of the roses.
"We are taking a break" I shrugged. I wanted to pick the flowers up and smell them. I had never been a fan of flowers but they were beautiful. It was a mixture of white and red roses. "Besides Lindsay" I made a disgusted face. "Might have picked them"
"Good morning, guys" Henri was right behind me.
"Morning" I continued to eat. He sat down next to me but I ignored him.
"Did you like the roses?" Henri asked. He hadn't served himself.
"Yes, they are nice. Thanks" I took a gulp of my drink. "Shouldn't you be leaving for class?"
"Yeah I just wanted to"
"Henri" I heard a voice and I couldn't help looking. It was a tall skinny girl with really pretty ombre hair. "Ready for class?" she had a huge white smile on her face. Her skirt was much shorter than the standard skirt we wore. It had to be the girl he had kissed.
"Yeah, I was just eating breakfast with"
"We should go" she took his arm. "We are going to be late" she didn't bother looking at us. Henri took off with her without glancing back at me.
"What a jerk" I stabbed my ham as I looked after them. She was laughing and clinging onto him. He didn't seem to mind that she was all over him.
I was in a horrible mood the rest of the day. I kept receiving a rose from Henri but I refused to pick them up. I just ignored them.
"What?" I snapped at Byron who was training me. He raised his eyebrows at me. "Sorry" I apologized quickly.
"What is going on, Burke?" he lowered his sword. I glanced down at my arms, I had cuts all over. My face was also bleeding. I had been so distracted that his blade had met my open skin.
"Nothing that I want to talk about" I shrugged not meeting his eyes. He probalby knew that Henri and I had broken up.
There was shouting coming from the hall.
"What is going on?" Ezra turned to the door with a smile. Drake was trying to get his attention. There was some more shouting and Ezra took off.
"He is so damn nosey" Thomas grumbled. We stayed put but there was a loud scream. Byron took off and I followed him.
"Move aside" Byron squeezed in between people. I stuck close to him. I looked over my shoulder Vino and Drake were following us. There was a huge fight. It looked like ten or more people were fighting.
"What the hell?" Byron breathed. "Break it up" he shouted. "Get to class now" he barked at the watching students. They all ignored him. There were girls sobbing in a corner. "What happened here? Why are they?" he stopped talking because two boys fighting fell on top of him. I stepped away bumping into Vino and Drake.
Byron dragged himself out and pulled them apart.
"Repetitions for a month" he barked. He pushed them away from each other in different directions. Vino and Drake helped him break up the fighting. I noticed there was someone on the ground. He looked like if he had been really beaten up.
Ezra was watching with enthusiasm, he was dying to get in.
"Help me" I snapped at Thomas and Ezra. He looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't tell because his face was bruised. There was an angry shout. I turned to see someone punch Byron.
Byron returned the punch which really surprised me.
"Repetitions for two months with me" he barked down at him. "The rest of you get to class or I will give you all"
The crowd dispersed immediately. Byron was bleeding slightly from his mouth.
"I can't believe you punched him back" I was shocked by Byron's reaction.
"That hurt" he massaged his jaw. "That one actually really hurt." I rolled my eyes in response.
"That was unbelievable, they were all Guard students" Vino was massaging his own cheek. "What the heck happened? Who is this guy?"
"We need to get him to the infirmary" Byron kneeled beside me. "I think this is that Dragon Trainer"
The guys white shirt was stained with blood. He had a dragon across his chest.
"Alec?" Vino peered at him. "Oh damn it, it his Alec Carson. The trainors are going to be pissed"
Byron picked him up. The three of them hurried to the infirmary. Nurse Gail met us.
"What happened? Oh dear" she clutched her mouth. "I'm surprised you two weren't involved in that mess. Byron, was it all Guard students?" Thomas and Ezra rolled their eyes. I agreed with her. I was glad they hadn't gotten involved in that mess.
"Yes" Drake answered. Byron laid Alec down who hadn't made any noise. "Let's go see Professor Parson, he is going to be pissed that one of his students was beaten up."
Ezra, Thomas and I stayed behind as Nurse Gail looked over Alec.
"He will eventually come around." she told us. That was our cue to go.
"I wonder what happened?" Thomas wondered out loud. "That was a ridiculous fight with so many students."
"They probably all lost it" Ezra commented with a sneer. "They can't handle the pressure"
"Ezra" I shook my head at him.
"Maybe" Thomas seemed to like the idea too.
"Boys" I grumbled under my breath. At that moment Henri passed by with his friends. With him was-
"Ughhh" I hissed under my breath. I couldn't lift my eyes from them. They didn't notice us because they kept walking.
"Is that Slutty Lindsay?" Ezra craned his neck as he checked her out.
"Yeah" I made a face. The urge of kicking something passed through me.
"No wonder he cheated" Thomas was also checking her out.
"Shut up" I crossed my arms across my chest angrily. "Don't even say that. I can't believe he is hanging out with her."
"I can" Ezra answered. "He is probably sleeping with her" I snapped my teeth at Ezra. "Sorry but it might be true."
"I might just end up hexing him" I replied in a low voice. They both turned to me with raised eyebrows. "Just kidding, I wouldn't do that. He should at least stop sending stupid roses. They will just die and attract flies"
"Stop being so angry. Revenge is sweet, Iris" Ezra winked at me. "Trust me, it is the best feeling in the world. Date someone he hates."
"I can't go around trying to figure out who he hates. Let me take a poll of who hates Henri" I answered sarcastically.
"Probably most of the Immortals since he hangs out with those two" Thomas answered. We were standing by the front entrance. They had stopped to talk on the other end near the stairs. "I know I'm starting to dislike him"
"I could care less" Ezra shrugged. Thomas and I gave him a dirty look. "He was a cool guy, he knew some influential people."
"Anyway" Thomas cleared his throat. "You just need to move on and forget about Henri and his new girlfriend."
I could only glare at Henri and the girl he was with. She kept putting her hand on his arm and leaning towards him. It was annoying to watch so I headed for my room.
Two days later, I received a note that I should go to the infirmary. Ezra and Thomas said they would meet me in the gym. They were going to help me practice with my knives because I had refused to have Henri train me. I needed at least a week away from him.
I arrived at the infirmary to find Alec up. His face was purple and one side of his face looked twice its size.
"Thanks" Alec's eye was bandaged. His leg was propped up on pillows and there was a bandage around his torso.
"I didn't do anything" I sat down next to his bed. It looked like if he was in so much pain. "Byron carried you here."
"I'll have to thank him."
"What happened?"
"I don't know, all I remember is a group of students surrounding me and trying to drag me towards the back field. Some other guys noticed and they got into it. It was weird" he rubbed his head. His face was still swollen and bruised from the fight. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for helping me out. I'll thank Professor Enden later"
"Your welcome. I'll come back and visit you. Let me know when you leave"
"Sure" he tried to smile but ended up grimacing. "Thanks Iris" he reached and held onto my hand. "I'll have to thank some of the other guys too. I think you might know them, they were Guard students."
"If not Ezra and Thomas probably do" I smiled at him. "So I have to get to class. Feel better" I squeezed his hand in return. "See you"
"You look much better" I told Alec. He was seated on the edge of the bed. His face had lost all bruising and wasn't as swollen. One of his eyes was still bloodshot.
"I feel way better" he smiled at me. "I had never ended up in the infirmary before."
"Not even after training your dragon?" I laughed at him. He was trying to get to his feet. I helped.
"Nope, she is a calm dragon. Poor girl, is probably wondering where I am. Maybe I can see her tomorrow when I'm released."
"What time is Nurse Gail going to release you? Did she get upset"
"Yeah but Professor Parson stepped in because otherwise I would be here for another week or so" we were walking slowly around the infirmary. He sounded like if he was having a hard time walking. "OH man, they really got me good" he clutched his ribs.
"Should you be out of bed?" a stern voice asked. Byron was walking towards us with a disapproving glare.
"Professor Enden" Alec inhaled sharply. Byron hurried over and helped support him. "Yes, Nurse Gail told me to start moving around." We helped him back to his bed. "Sir, I hadn't had the chance of thanking you for breaking up the fight."
Byron smiled. I nudged him to stop. He loved to be called Professor.
"Call him Byron" I rolled my eyes at him. "I do"
"Call me Professor" Byron corrected me. "It is more respectful"
"That might be the reason that I don't call you Professor, I don't respect you" I grumbled to myself. Alec chuckled but it turned into a moan.
"Thank you Professor. Thank Vino and Drake for me. I haven't gotten a chance to see them" Byron nodded.
"I will do that for you. Let me know if there is anything I can do. Professor Parson was angry"
"I figured he would be" Alec made a face. "That's the last time I try to use the gym."
"No, you and your team are always welcome. I'm taking care of the students involved in the fight." Byron crossed his arms. I hated that he liked looking official. It got on my nerves.
When Alec was released, I went to help him move to his room. He had a few gifts from some of his fans which were sweet. He had received a lot of get well cards and little plush toys.
"Iris" I turned to Henri. He was walking with his friend Fred. "What are you doing?" he stared between Alec and I.
"I am helping Alec to his room. Alec this is my boy" I cleared my throat. I had been receiving flowers from him but I kept throwing them away. There had been a few times that I had noticed him with Lindsay. "This is Jude Henri" Henri's eyes narrowed. "Jude this is Alec Carson"
"Yeah we know who he is" Fred made a face. "We also heard what happened" Fred's lips twitched. "Remind me to send the immortals who beat you up some flowers or something. Too bad they didn't hurt you worse" I stared in disbelief at him. Henri wasn't saying anything. There was a look of dislike on his face.
"I made a speedy recovery because my Nurse was helpful and nice" Alec responded.
"Yeah Nurse Gail is great at this sort of thing" I nodded in agreement with him.
"No I meant you" Alec laughed. "You helped me get better much faster."
Henri's eyes narrowed. My face started to turn red.
"Iris do you mind of we talk?" he cleared his throat. He wasn't bothering to hide his dislike.
"No I'm kind of busy" I turned to Alec. "Ready?"
"Yeah, thanks" Alec replied with a small smile. He looked uncomfortable having Henri and Fred around.
"Wow" I glanced around at the Trainers main room. There were leather couches in the main room and flat screens. There were doors leading to their rooms. "You guys got some money for your rooms."
"Yeah, Professor Parson has made sure we are taken care of" Alec chuckled. His room was messy, there was a giant poster of his dragon the wall.
"Zena, right?" I pointed at the poster with the black dragon.
"Yeah, good memory" he nodded with a smile. "Want to go see her?" his eyes lit up. "I see her every single day so she must be worried about me."
"Sure, I have never seen a dragon up close. The games were the first time I had seen a dragon"
"What? No way!" he exclaimed. "You don't know what you are missing. Dragons are the best creatures ever"
"I could make some arguments about that" I replied thinking of Ares. "Where are the Dragons?"
"You'll see" he grinned broadly. He led me back to the main room. There was another door with some spiraling staircases leading down. We walked slowly and carefully down the stairs. We walked into a stone-stable with a giant entrance leading out. I hadn't realized we were in one of the far towers. The trainers rooms were in the highest part of the tower, the bottom of the tower had been converted into stables for the dragons.
"Holy" I clasped my mouth. "That is so cool"
He leaned forward and picked up a feather. My face drained, it was a bright red long feather from his tail. I was going to strangle him.
"I have been finding these everywhere. I haven't seen the bird but I'll catch a glimpse" he held onto the feather. "I've been keeping them. They look really cool in our common room"
"Yeah they are really pretty" I cleared my throat. He motioned for me to follow him to a far stall.
"Zena is the biggest dragon so we had to take down a couple of walls to fit her in." Alec laughed. He poked his head inside. "Hey there"
I heard a soft snort. I followed him and poked my head. A giant black dragon was staring back at us.
I was speechless. She had to be bigger than any house I had ever seen. Her eyes were a soft yellow color. She briefly met my eyes and she curled up.
"Yes, I'm much better. Have they fed you?"
She nodded. They could communicate just like Ares and I could.
"Tyler did? Good. Do you want me to warm up the stables" she shook her head. "Zena this is Iris, she is one of my friends" she glanced at me with one eye. "She helped me out"
"No I didn't" I nudged him gently. "I didn't do very much" I smiled at her. She blinked at me.
"She says thank you. She is tired, they trained her this morning. I'll have to take her out tomorrow" we backed away. I heard a soft twinkling sound. Ares was around. I was going to fry him if someone saw him. I had a feeling that the dragon knew about Ares.
"What kind of training do you do?" I asked interested. The dragon was watching us. I heard the soft sound again and my heart jumped to my throat. Ares had to be close. I looked up, there was a feather poking from one of the pillars.
"Did you hear that?" Alec asked.
"No, what?" I cleared my throat.
"Nevermind" he rubbed his head. "Normally some flying techniques, and fire-breathing practices so she doesn't burn players. We also teach them how to use their talons during the games so they don't tear off a limb" Alec chuckled softly. There was a certain spark in his eye as he talked about dragons.
"How long have you had her?" I asked. I had never met someone who was supposed as passionate about a creature.
"All my life" he responded with a grin. "She was a gift from my parents"
I nodded understanding.
"Would you like to come see some of her practices?" Alec invited me. I helped him walk slowly up the staircase. "They are a lot of fun and they get pretty intense"
"Yeah, I think that would be cool" I nodded with a smile. Dragons would surely make me forget about my cheating ex-boyfriend.
"Were you and Henri together?" he asked awkwardly. I met his eyes and he lowered his eyes. His face was slowly turning red.
"Yeah we dated briefly" I replied with a shrug. We emerged back to the main room. "We just broke a couple of days ago"
"Oh" he cleared his throat without looking at me. "I'm sorry to hear that. I thought you were going to gouge his eyes out when you saw him back there"
"I wanted to gouge Fred's eyes too not just Henris" I laughed. I hadn't realized I had been that obvious.
"Yeah, they are a difficult bunch. I think it is just a goblin's personality, they don't like to be proven wrong" he rolled is eyes. I snorted in agreement. He was completely right. "You are Immortal right?"
"Yup"
"Cool, I have never really spoken to an Immortal girl before. I've seen you a couple of times training outside with Professor Enden"
"Just call him Byron. We need to decrease his overgrown head." I rolled my eyes. We took a seat on the leather couches which were surprisingly comfortable. "Anyway, yeah I'm a Guard student. He is my mentor"
"Really? That's cool. I have heard he is one of the best. Anyway I am a Warlock"
"Warlock" I blinked in response. My mouth was set carefully.
"Don't stare at me like that" he laughed. I realized that I was frowning at him. "Not all of us are pure magic loving maniacs. As matter of fact- I have no drop of magic in me, which is why I am a dragon trainer. My dragon Zena is currently undefeated"
"So you can't do any magic at all?" I blinked surprised. There were stories of people that were magical but certain individuals could not do any kind of magic. I had never met one before. "Not even light a fire"
"Nope, if you hand me a wand. Nothing happens" he chuckled. "We don't even get that ridiculous honking sound." he shook his head. He probably remembered what happened at the fight. "Yeah my parents were absolutely disappointed and we had to move out of Warlock territories. They probably figured that by giving me a dragon I would stay connected to the magical world."
"Not being able to do magic isn't bad" I replied with a smile. "I mean Immortals aren't any better"
"Noo you guys have some really cool skills. Your Guard is impressive"
I heard the five o'clock bell going off.
"I am sorry Alec but I have to get going. My friends Thomas and Ezra were going to meet up with me in the library. You can join us if you want"
"No thanks" Alec rose to his feet as I got up. "I should rest for awhile. My classes are not excused tomorrow. Thanks for keeping me company"
"Anytime" I smiled at him.