Free Fallen Angel by Melody John Page B

you mean?’
     
    ‘Lizzie, Dmitri,’ the tutor called. ‘If you’ve something to contribute to the class, then please wait until you’re asked to do so, hm?’
     
    ‘Sorry,’ Dmitri said.
     
    I waited until the tutor was in full throttle again, then hissed, ‘What are you talking about?’
     
    ‘Your power,’ he said. Again, he sounded fairly calm about it, just kind of thoughtful, and as though he were sorting it all out in his own head as he went along. ‘Your power with which you threatened me. It’s nothing more than a party trick. You can make pencils float.’ He sounded vaguely incredulous, like he couldn’t believe it, and that, even more than outright scorn, made my face turn bright red. ‘And I believed you straight away, without any doubts. Surely that’s not very safe. Or normal.’
     
    ‘I…’
     
    He sounded almost dreamy, as though he were telling a story of something that had happened to someone else entirely. ‘Because that is the way of it. That’s how it goes. We believe and we lie, and even though we lie, we still want to believe. Like Lombroso. It makes it all so much easier.’
     
    I felt cold. ‘What are you going to do now?’
     
    He looked faintly surprised. ‘What do you mean?’
     
    ‘About me, and about David. Now that you know about it, about me, what are you—are you going to—’
     
    ‘I don’t think you quite understand, though,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to do anything. I don’t need to do anything.’
     
    My heart withered and died inside me. ‘You—you’re—’
     
    Dmitri waited, eyebrows raised.
     
    I tried to stamp down on my swirling emotions. ‘You’re not going to use the mesmer on him. Are you?’
     
    ‘You know, I find it a little insulting how you think I need the mesmer to get a guy to like me.’
     
    ‘I—I didn’t mean it like that, I just—’
     
    ‘Lizzie and Dmitri.’ The tutor put his hands on his hips. ‘Right, that’s it. Both of you, out. If you can’t be quiet in my class, then you’ll have to leave. Even if you don’t want to learn, you shouldn’t try and sabotage those who do.’
     
    I shoved my books and pens back into my bag. My face was bright red, and I could feel tears pricking in my eyes. Outside in the corridor, I turned on Dmitri. ‘You’re not going to use the mesmer on him, though. You said promised you wouldn’t, you said it was the oldest law, and—’
     
    ‘I’m not going to break the law,’ Dmitri said. ‘I’m not stupid. Don’t worry about that.’
     
    ‘But you and David…’
     
    Dmitri shrugged slightly. ‘We—what’s the phrase?—we hooked up last night. But there was no mesmer involved. I told you. I don’t need to.’
     
    I stared at him. I wanted to scream at him, wanted to punch him—but there was no reason to do so, apart from jealousy. He said he wasn’t using the mesmer; if he was willing to use the mesmer, then why hadn’t he mesmered me into being quiet and just accepting this?
     
    He was right. He didn’t need the mesmer. David just liked him better than me, without any magic involved.
     
    Dmitri shrugged. ‘Well, so that’s that. I’ll see you back at the dorms. David was saying about a movie night tonight. See you.’ He turned and went back down the corridor.
     
    ‘See you,’ I whispered, feeling as though the world were crumbling down all around me.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    ‘Last week of the first term!’ Laura crowed, flinging a handful of popcorn into the air.
     
    David picked kernels of popcorn out of Dmitri’s hair and ate them, grinning. Dmitri grinned back at him, and slung his arm across David’s shoulders.
     
    I tried to smile as though I didn’t care.
     
    ‘We should do something,’ Laura said. ‘Before the holidays.’
     
    ‘The beach,’ I said. I’d meant it sarcastically, but David’s eyes lit up.
     
    ‘Yes!’
     
    ‘Dude, it’s winter ,’ I said. ‘You know. In case you missed it,