Vala Eminence Read Online Free Page A

board.
    After grabbing a bagel and a can of highly caffeinated soda, he walked out of his dorm. He was still wearing his clothes from the day before, but he didn't care. Nor did he care about what the other students thought. They either accepted him for who he was, or they didn't.
    He was able to sneak into his first class before the bell dismissed it for the day. Denver had been sitting in his desk chair for all of three minutes before it was time to move on to second period.
    â€œMr. Collins, how good of you to join us,” Mrs. Danielles said and picked up a notebook from her desk.
    He flashed her a wide grin. “You know I wouldn't ever miss Alchemy for the Twenty-First Century. It's one of my favorite classes.” To take a nap in. The students weren't taught any actual alchemy. It was a fancy title for generic magic-related lessons — most of them were history rather than practical. Denver loathed it. The entire class was nothing but a waste of his time.
    Mrs. Danielles walked over to his desk. “You're only here for a few minutes, but I guess that's better than nothing. Your homework is on the board, maybe someone will be nice enough to give you notes from the hour because you'll need those if you have any hope of getting it done. Technically, I should mark you as a no-show, but I'm feeling generous today.”
    â€œI like when you feel that way.” He glanced at the white board at the front of the room and jotted down a few notes about the assignment. All he had to do was write a report on one of the various fields of magic. He wouldn't need notes for it. She always likes to make things so much more dramatic than they need to be.
    Mrs. Danielles nodded. “Yup, and you want to know why I feel so giving?”
    â€œNo, but I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway.” He forced a smile on his face, making sure she knew just how forced and fake it was.
    â€œThe office staff wants you to see them. They told me to pass along the message. Instead of second hour, you're supposed to go there.”
    â€œBut that's a class I actually want to take,” he protested. There was no sarcasm in his tone either, but she probably would interpret it as such anyway.
    â€œOh well, chop-chop. See you Thursday.”
    The bell rang, and he left for the main office. It was on the other side of the school building from where he was, of course, and he would take his good, sweet time getting there. The staff at the school might try to control him, but he made sure it was clear to the world that no one could.
    Vala's halls were relaxing, even with the buzz of students rushing to class. Denver strolled confidently across campus. The main compound was made up of three buildings. Lord Reyld's Manor was the first building to become a part of the school. It used to be a mansion where the school's late owner lived. Toward the end of his life, Lord Reyld dedicated his home to other creatures of myth just like himself. As the school grew, so did the mansion. The next addition was the Sunshine Hall where the cafeteria, auditorium, gymnasium, and most of the larger open-roomed necessities were kept. Finally, the Autumn Wing was where the rest of the classrooms were, as well as the science labs.
    Denver was in the Autumn Wing and making his way toward Lord Reyld's Manner. The Autumn Wing got its name because of the close proximity it had with the forest. Every fall, the trees displayed an assortment of colors for all to see. The interior of the building was decorated in solid maroons, oranges, and browns. As he passed into the Sunshine Hall, the orange became more of a focal point and the halls started to brighten, much like the name of the building implied. The deeper he moved through the Hall, the more classic the architecture became. Where the Sunshine Hall and Lord Reyld's Manner met, there was a perfect seam. One wouldn't be able to figure out there were ever a new building and an old one unless they paid extra