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“Doesn’t matter. I just need to get cleaned up.”

He swims closer and his smug expression softens slightly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

My face flames. “So what?”

His intense blue eyes brighten. “Did someone do this to you?”

I shake my head. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Who did this?”

“I said, don’t concern yourself with me.” I straighten my back. “Do you happen to know how long until the first class?”

“It started half an hour ago.”

“What? Are you kidding me?”

“No.” He stares at my arm. “That’s quite a gash.”

I shrug. “I’ll live.”

Bash holds my gaze and rubs his scruff. “We should get you to the infirmary.”

“No.”

“Why not?” His eyes narrow.

“Because I want to take care of this myself.”

“I’m supposed to help you out, remember?”

I pull away from him. “Right. I’m your punishment. Don’t worry about me. You’re officially fired.” Then I spin around before he can see my inflamed face.

“Marra!”

“Leave me alone!” I race for the door and swim inside, slamming it behind me.

The hallway is dark and goes to the right and the left. I have no idea which way the Royal dorms are, so I choose the right. Go as fast as I can, then take the first turn I come to. The last thing I need is for Bash to follow me. It’s bad enough that he saw me like that. Beat up, weak, exhausted. He has to think even worse of me now than before.

Not that I care. I don’t need him, and I’m not staying in Valora long, anyway. Just enough so that I can put those three mean girls in their place. Then I’m out of here, and my parents won’t be able to convince me to return. Ever. I’ve had more than my fill of Valora and the academy.

I race through the hallways, hoping to find my way to the Royal dorms before I run into anyone. With my luck, I’ll smack right into Mrs. Middlebrooks. Or worse, the three stooges.

After a few minutes, I round a corner.

Dorms!

But then I see a sign. The Magical Arts School.

Wrong school, wrong dorms. One down, three to go. I can do this. Maybe even in time to make it to my second class. If I hurry. Or I could just sleep and deal with the consequences of skipping later. They’ll just give me a warning, right? Didn’t Halen say they gave warnings before punishments?

Makes me wonder what Bash did to get himself banished, and how he got back in. Do his parents have pull? Or was the banishment—?

Why am I thinking about him? Or the extent of punishments, for that matter. None of it affects me. Not when I’m going to return to land and live the rest of my life there.