Crimson Frost by Jennifer Estep

surging off the other students. Those images of my mom, the love she’d had for me, made me feel just a smidge better and gave me the strength to face the rest of the day.
    I sat on my bed holding her picture until it was time for my next class.
     
    I put my head down and just tried to get through the rest of the day without drawing any more attention to myself, but of course my afternoon classes passed even slower than the morning ones had. Even Professor Metis’s myth-history class, which was normally one of my favorites, was torturously long.
    At least in that one, I didn’t have to sit by myself. Carson kept his desk right where it was in front of mine, and the band geek glared back at all the kids staring at me, almost like he was shielding me from their accusing looks. I would have leaned forward and hugged him, if that wouldn’t have made the other kids angrier at him than they already were for sticking up for me.
    Finally, sixth period ended, and I schlepped back to my dorm. Normally, I would have snuck off campus to go see Grandma Frost, but the Protectorate had told me to stay put. I doubted Alexei would let me get within ten feet of the academy walls anyway, since he took his guard duty so seriously. Plus, the Protectorate had probably put some magic mumbo jumbo on the sphinxes at the gates just to make doubly sure I stayed on the grounds right where they wanted me.
    Besides, Grandma would take one look at me and demand to know what was wrong, and I didn’t feel like talking about it. All I wanted to do was forget that today had ever happened, even though I knew I never would.
    I stayed in my room for a while, reading comic books, but the bright, colorful pages failed to cheer me up like usual. I couldn’t really concentrate on the stories anyway, not today, so I got my things together and headed over to the Library of Antiquities.
    Once again, Alexei was waiting outside, and he snapped to attention as soon as I opened the door. He’d been quiet all day long, barely speaking to me. Daphne was right. He was like a shadow—a very dark, dangerous, brooding shadow. I wondered what he would do if I tried to make a break for it. Probably chase me down, catch me, and drag me off to the academy prison. I had no false hopes that I could outrun or outfight the Bogatyr warrior. I’d seen Alexei working out in the gym this morning, so I knew how tough and strong he was. He’d probably gone through a bunch of superspecial Protectorate training to make him even harder to beat than he naturally was.
    “I’m going to the library,” I told him. “I work there a couple of afternoons a week as sort of an after-school job.”
    Alexei shrugged, like it was of no interest to him what I did or didn’t do. I rolled my eyes, locked the door, and headed down the stairs.
    I walked over to the library, with Alexei trailing along behind me. It was after four now, and students were moving back and forth across campus, going from the main quad down to their dorms and back again, as they went to whatever club meetings, sports, or after-school activities they were involved in. I spotted Carson rushing toward the gym, pages and pages of sheet music clutched in his hands as he headed to band practice.
    Carson was a Celt, a warrior bard, which meant that he had an innate talent for music. He could play practically any instrument he picked up, and he was one of the leaders of the band. Ever since we’d come back from the holiday break, he’d been talking almost nonstop about all the preparations the group was making for its annual winter concert, something that was taking place Saturday in the Aoide Auditorium down in Asheville.
    Carson waved at me, and I waved back—and then realized that I shouldn’t have. The motion only drew more attention to me from the kids milling around on the quad.
    “Traitor.”
    “Murderer.”
    “Reaper bitch.”
    Those were some of the nicer things the other students muttered as I walked past them. If