Heartless - Chapter 38：Advice

“I brought you lunch,” August told me as he entered the room a few minutes before the lunch bell rang. I blinked my eyes open as I lifted my head from my arms, a red mark where my head was resting on my arm.

“Thankyou,” I told him as I reached for the strawberry milkshake. Frowning at the scent of blood that clung onto him. Whatever was the cause, I shouldn’t be one to ask as I no doubt smell unpleasant.

“So what do you think of the yearly test coming up?” he asked as he sat on his chair. At some point in the past week, he had brought a chair into the classroom.

“There’s nothing to think of.” I told him, I wasn’t planning the thing so there wasn’t much to think about except how to make sure my students stay alive. We sat there for a peaceful second or two before words forced themselves out of my mouth unknowingly and I found myself asking, “Why weren’t you here this morning?”

“It’s the full moon tonight,” he didn’t seem to mind the question and answered rather nonchalantly and I found myself nodding along with what he was saying.

“I didn’t think the legends were true,” I said before frowning at my actions.

“Is that sarcasm I hear?” August asked, a silly smile on his mouth. It was the type of grin that made anyone see it want to smile along.

“Perhaps,” I turned to look away and his smile toned down a little before changing the topic. “It’s much easier to hunt on a full moon, something about it that brings the forest to life. So to say that the animals are much more active during that time.”

“I see,” we both descended into another round of comfortable silence as I drank from the cool drink. A sudden nagging feeling interrupted my lunch and I stood up to leave.

“Where are you going?” August asked.

“Where I must go.”