Page 9 of Caelum

EIGHT

EVE

“You don’t look overwhelmed.”

I frowned at Nicholas. Or, as some called him, the principal. In the end, he hadn’t asked me to come to his office the day after my arrival, he’d given me some time to settle in, which only made me even more relieved that the boys had taken me under their wing or I’d have gone crazy waiting on him for more information.

“Why would I be?” The list in my hand was kind of long, about as long as my forearm and the text was quite small, but I wasn’t about to complain. “I need to know all this, I assume.”

His lips curved. “Yes. It would come in quite handy.”

I shrugged. “Well then, what’s to be overwhelmed over?”

“It’s a very long list,” he said gently. “But there’s no rush. You have a year to power through this.”

I didn’t say anything, but inwardly, I snorted. I loved reading and after a lifetime of reading only the Bible, the dictionary, and Father Bryan’s endless ream of nonsense that he spewed out on the pulpit and that one of the Sisters wrote into the books that filled the compound’s library? I was ready for more. Ready to devour anything that was thrown at me.

Plus, I hated feeling like I was in the dark on a warm, sunny day.

Everyone was looking at me like I was an idiot here, and maybe I was, but the second I knew what was what? They couldn’t look at me that way, could they?

“You’ll be having classes with Damon and Merry mostly,” he tacked on. “ But you’ll have to start using the gym more, and you can work that out with Justin—he’s the coach. Speak with him when we’ve finished. It would be best to get started as soon as possible.”

Nestor, Eren, and Stefan had shown me the gym, and it looked like some kind of torture chamber.

Now, that overwhelmed me.

But this list of books?

No.

They excited me.

Those books contained information that would enlighten me about what I was, about who I was. Why wouldn’t I be excited?

“Yes, I’ll speak with him.” Eren was waiting outside so I felt sure he’d guide me to this coach person.

Nicholas smiled. “I wish all new students were as calm as you, Eve.”

I shrugged. “I finally have an answer. If the books and the lessons guide me, why would I complain?”

“Most do.” His lips twitched again. “You can find all the books in the library. If you have any issues, Merry and Damon will help. I won’t be a part of your education until you’re more comfortable with the basic workings of our race. I don’t want to overwhelm you further with information you’re not ready to handle. Does that make sense?”

“Yes. Perfect sense.” And it did. I was beginning to see that speaking with the older people was easier than to the younger ones. They didn’t drop words in like ‘freak’ and ‘shook’ in the most random parts of a conversation.

“Good.” He drummed his fingers against the desk. “If you have any issues though, you can come and speak with me, but Lori is useful too.

“Life here is relatively free and easy going, Eve. I don’t believe in too many rules, as our souls don’t appreciate being controlled that much. However, please do as your teachers say and don’t try to leave through the front gates.”

“Why?” I wasn’t arguing, just curious.

“The portal is important to us. It’s…” He winced. “This is a conversation best left for another day, Eve, when you’re more aware of our world. Consider Caelum a safe zone. It’s that way for a reason.

“There’s something special about this island,” he continued. “Something to do with things you don’t know about yet. Those books will help you. You need a basic knowledge on most things that children learn in school, so Merry and Damon will judge how much you need to learn.

“But the thing that makes Caelum special helps us control the souls before they manifest. ”

I tilted my head to the side at that. “What would have happened if Merry hadn’t found me?”

“The soul would have manifested but…” His smile tightened, and in contrast to his relaxed one of moments before, it sent a wave of chills down my spine—what happened if you weren’t in Caelum when the dominant soul emerged? Did I even want to know the answer? “Truly, Eve,” he rasped, “this is a conversation best left for when you understand us more.”

Though his answer irritated me, I couldn’t complain. Not overly. I was asking him to explain how to run when I’d barely learned to walk in this society.

So, despite wanting answers, rather than arguing, I decided to be proactive. I was armed with a list of books that would educate me. Not just on the world itself, but on this terrifying society that I was now a part of…

Rather than moan, I would leapfrog off this moment and dive into this reading list.

Therein lay all the answers I’d ever need.