"See you later, Star, and try not to get into another fight before we see you again, okay?" Elle said, giving Starlight a pointed look as the four roommates stood outside the girls’ locker room. They had all changed out of their training gear and back into their academy uniforms, trading their sweat-soaked clothes for the neat outfits that identified them as students of Asterion Academy. While Chloe was busy straightening her tie, Ariel was still adjusting the collar of her uniform, making sure she looked presentable before heading to her next class.
Starlight raised an eyebrow at Elle’s warning, clearly amused by her concern, while Chloe could only snicker at the exchange, clearly entertained by the fact that Elle felt the need to remind Starlight to stay out of trouble when the girl herself rarely seemed interested in avoiding it. Elle, however, pressed her lips together, looking thoroughly unimpressed by their reactions. "I’m serious, Starlight Dawson. Stay away from trouble until we see each other again, okay?" she insisted, pointing a finger at her roommate as though that would somehow make the warning more effective.
Starlight rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Mom. Now stop wasting my time and get going before you’re late for your next class." She waved them away dismissively, already eager to enjoy a little peace and quiet without someone constantly getting on her case. "I’ll see you later, Star!" Ariel called with a wave as she began walking down the corridor, with Chloe following close behind her. Starlight nodded in response, watching them leave before turning her attention to Elle, who was still standing right beside her.
"What? Aren’t you going with them? Don’t tell me you’re planning to skip class?" Starlight narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Elle immediately pouted. "Try not to miss me too much, Star! We’ve barely spent any time together today, and now we have to separate again."
Before Starlight could respond, Elle opened her arms expectantly. "Come on, give me a hug before I go. I’m going to miss my favorite roommate so much!" She stepped forward, apparently expecting Starlight to surrender to the embrace without protest, but she quickly sidestepped her, leaving Elle hugging nothing but air. "What’s wrong with you? Go to class, you idiot!" Starlight exclaimed, staring at her roommate as though she had completely lost her mind. "You’re acting like we’re never going to see each other again."
Elle straightened up and pouted even harder, looking so ridiculously offended that Starlight couldn’t help but stare at her in disbelief. "You’re such a big meanie!" she declared, huffing dramatically before stomping away down the corridor. Starlight shook her head, watching her roommate’s retreating figure with an expression caught somewhere between amusement and exasperation. Honestly, she never knew what to expect from that girl. No matter how much time they spent together, Elle always managed to reveal some new side of herself that left Starlight wondering whether she was dealing with a grown woman or an oversized child.
With a quiet sigh, Starlight turned away from the girls’ locker room doors and started down the opposite corridor. For once, she was looking forward to having some time to herself, provided nothing else happened to interrupt her plans.
It was all thanks to the fact that combat class had ended under rather unusual circumstances, and she still couldn’t decide whether to consider it a good thing or simply another suspicious development in an academy that seemed determined to keep her on her toes.
Instructor Ezabel, she had decided, was the only appropriate way to address that woman from now on. There was absolutely no way she would ever call her academy mother, let alone acknowledge her as anything remotely resembling a maternal figure. The woman had done nothing to earn that privilege, and Starlight had no intention of pretending otherwise. Ezabel had received a call in the middle of the lesson, shortly after the sparring drills began. Starlight had been preparing to join the others after finally getting her much-needed rest when Ezabel’s phone chip rang.
The instructor had seemed irritated by the interruption at first, but the moment she answered the call and listened to whatever the person on the other end had to say, her entire expression changed. Her face lost its color, and her eyes widened slightly as she stared at the screen. Whatever she had heard, it was enough to make her immediately dismiss the class, instructing everyone to resume their training from where they had stopped during the next session. She hadn’t even waited for the students to respond before striding out of the hall with her phone chip pressed to her ear, leaving behind a room full of bewildered students.
Starlight couldn’t help wondering who had called and what they had said to make Ezabel react that way. The woman’s expression had been so startling that, for a brief moment, Starlight had wondered whether someone had informed her that her house was on fire. Whatever the case, it had clearly been urgent. The woman who had spent the better part of the lesson determined to squeeze every last drop of effort out of Starlight had suddenly abandoned the entire class without a second thought. To say Starlight hadn’t been delighted by the unexpected interruption would have been a lie. She loved physical training, enjoyed testing her limits, and had no problem pushing herself when there was something worth gaining from the effort. However, there was a difference between challenging herself and being deliberately pushed beyond reason simply because an instructor wanted to assert her authority. Starlight had no intention of allowing anyone to use her love of training as an excuse to bully her, and Ezabel had come dangerously close to discovering just how little patience she had for that kind of nonsense.
With the combat class over and no immediate obligations demanding her attention, she could finally concentrate on something far more important, figuring out how to get as far away from the Crown Twins as possible. The thought alone made her expression sour. Those two had some nerve thinking they could easily corner her under the guise of school authority.