Page 40 of Cerulean Truth (Sapere #1)

NINETEEN

EMMA

In the days that followed, I felt really lost—both figuratively and literally.

I kept getting myself turned around a lot, which didn't positively influence my emotional state.

James was nowhere to be seen, and I wasn't about to reach out to him after how he refused to even talk to me on my first day.

I took my time exploring the Universitas, trying to figure out all the hallways and how to use the Touchstone.

I bumped into Enya a few times, and she was nice in her own way, reluctantly helping me out.

But there was too much to take in, and I missed my old world constantly.

I’d never been one to cry; I thought it was weak and pointless, and I didn’t really understand the purpose of tears.

Yet, when I was alone in bed at night, I wished I could simply shed a few and be done with it. Though no such luck.

On Tuesday evening, a week after my arrival, I decided to sneak out on my own. I took a long stroll through the streets of Cyclos and ended up at the edge of Oasis with a beautiful view of the city. I mean Collective —I was still getting used to the new terms.

Sitting there alone, I expected to feel sorry for myself, but the beauty and quiet of it all captivated me. It wasn't until I heard a motorcycle approaching, I decided it was time to return to my dorm. The journey back took longer than the journey out, as I got lost a few more times.

On Wednesday, I received a summons from the head of the Universitas, delivered through a simple note slipped under my door. The message requested my presence for a discussion about my future education, specifying a date and location.

Following the directive, on Thursday, I found myself standing before an exquisitely decorated entrance in a secluded part of the Universitas which had eluded my previous explorations.

The door stood tall and imposing. Made of rich mahogany, it exuded a polished sheen that caught the light in mesmerizing patterns.

As my fingers grazed its surface, I felt the intricate carvings beneath them.

Golden leaf patterns decorated the panels, shimmering with an ethereal elegance that hinted at the importance of what or who lay beyond.

At an even closer look, subtle etchings of symbols and glyphs caught my eye, hinting at hidden knowledge and ancient wisdom.

Great, now I felt dwarfed by a door. Not a good start.

Taking a deep breath, I put on my big girl pants, knocked and entered when instructed.

To my surprise, as I entered the room, I was greeted by not one, but three individuals: Sam, Sarah, and Simon. They welcomed me warmly, each claiming the title of head of the Universitas. Three heads—why not?

As they continued speaking, they revealed themselves to be second cyclers and siblings. There was little doubt about the latter, given their matching black curls, brown eyes, and similar height.

"Please be seated, Miss Thompson," one of them instructed. I took my place in front of them, feeling an intense scrutiny that made me yearn for my days as a lawyer, where even the most formidable egos couldn't rattle me.

Here, I was a nobody and I was becoming painfully aware of my newfound status as a failure.

"We're delighted to meet you, Miss Thompson. I hope you're navigating our beautiful Universitas smoothly?" one of them asked kindly.

I smiled in agreement, too embarrassed to confess how frequently I had found myself lost in their freaking Universitas.

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. We wanted to personally reach out to you to assure you of our sincere commitment to your education," Sarah said, smiling.

Returning the smile, I chose not to correct her and explain how my schedule was consistently wide open, and how this was probably the most social interaction I'd had since arriving in Cyclos. There would be plenty of time to reflect on my pathetic social life later.

"To that end, we have some books on the way to your dorm, and we have this..." she continued, offering me a small sleek black device.

"A Nexus?" I asked a little impatiently while unpacking it.

"Yes, James mentioned this might come in handy," Simon replied.

Little understatement.

"Do you know how to use it?" Sam inquired.

"Kind of," I admitted shyly. "It only works when I'm holding it in my hand, right?"

Simon smiled. "Something like that, yes.

It only reacts to your energy signature, making it useless in the hands of another.

But look!" He took out his own Nexus and held it in his palm, the intricate spiral at its core faintly glowing.

He motioned for me to do the same, and as I followed suit, the black circle transformed, its spiral design seeming to pulse and adapt to the shape of my fingers, fitting perfectly in my hand like it was made for me.

Withing a few seconds, it generated small, multicolored drops, all hovering over my hand.

"See? It doesn't even need translation to activate. It recognizes the user from their energy signature or 'DNA', if you will," Simon elaborated.

"Like the river," I muttered under my breath.

"Exactly!" Sarah nodded approvingly. "We've added red drops to your Nexus, only in case your transition into translation is a little, um...rocky."

“Red drops?”

"The red ones are the only ones activated by touch. The others work with will. Use the blue drops for communication, the yellow drops for information, and the green ones for transportation," Sam explained with a smile.

The what for the what now?

My mind was spinning, yet I hesitated to ask.

With James' injunction to keep my troubles with translation under wraps, I pondered how honest I could truly be about my lack of understanding regarding the Nexus.

What was the worst that could happen? After all, I wasn't disclosing anything about untraceable translation, so my promise would remain intact.

"So sorry, don't really know what you mean by drops," I said lightly, as if asking for a weather report.

The triplets glanced at each other, their brows furrowing in unison, exchanging silent but urgent messages of concern.

Crap .

"You don't know…how to work the drops?" Sam asked softly.

I shook my head. "No, sorry. No phones with drops in the Human World," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Simon cleared his throat. "Well... This actually makes it a little easier to discuss what we called you in for."

"You didn't call me in to give me my Nexus?"

Sarah shook her head. "We also wanted to meet you in person because we feel that your, uh, specific educational requirements are in need of some personal attention."

Well, that didn't sound so good.

I remained silent. They exchanged glances, obviously grappling with the delicate task of addressing the elephant in the room without causing offense. Simon cleared his throat again, summoning the courage to tackle the challenge.

"So, we understand you don't know much about anything," he attempted enthusiastically. Epic. Fail. Even his sisters winced at his words. It would have been laughable if it weren't so darn offensive. And true.

"Sounds about right." I managed a painful smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so blunt about it."

"Don't worry about it," I mumbled, staring down at my hands in my lap. How was I ever going to cope with this overwhelming sense of inadequacy?

Sarah took over from Simon's feeble attempt.

"We don't mean to insult you, Emma, but your situation presents us with a rather unique, um, dilemma.

At your age, most magi have already completed their entire basic curriculum at the Scola and find themselves in advanced programs at the Academy.

However, we feel we can't place you in the same classes as your peers, given your lack of basic training. "

I feared for what would come next.

"We, therefore, believe you'd benefit more from classes suited to your level."

I furrowed my brow, not fully grasping their meaning.

"We suggest you start at the primary level at the Scola. Yes, you'd be in class with seven-year-olds, but at least you won't miss out on the basics."

I laughed, assuming they were joking, but their serious expressions didn't join in.

"I'm sorry," I said nervously. "I thought I heard you say you want me to take classes with seven-year-olds?"

"It would only be temporary," Sam said hastily, attempting to reassure me.

"Just for the first few months, to familiarize you with some fundamental principles.

We'll arrange for a personal tutor to provide more tailored training afterward.

However, we believe that laying the groundwork in our Scola is essential for mastering the basics. "

My eyes widened, and I bit my tongue to prevent an inappropriate response. Kill me now.

"This approach would allow us to quickly identify your interests and aptitudes, enabling a more thorough evaluation than if we started you off with a personal trainer from day one," Sarah explained softly. "We've heard you might be interested in training as an Orator. Any thoughts on that?"

"Well, I've been auditing some classes, and I do find myself rather drawn to Offensive techniques," I replied cautiously.

They exchanged glances. "That's no small ambition, of course, but we'll consider it when recruiting your personal trainer," Sam assured.

"In the meantime, we recommend starting your new classes tomorrow.

I've taken the liberty of drawing you a map, but if you're familiar with how the Touchstone works, you can easily navigate your way through there. "

I swallowed hard. Could this be any more humiliating?

Desperately wanting this meeting to be over, I somehow mustered the presence of mind to mutter a forced thank you and prepared to make my exit.