Nocticadia

by Keri Lake

“Hardly. I don’t have a defined type, particularly when it comes to my students.” “She’ll be thoroughly disappointed, I’m sure.” At that point, I didn’t even know if I was talking about the girl anymore. “Under different circumstances, she might’ve been the perfect match.” “Under different circumstances …” The pause in his words carried a laborious heartbeat that smothered my own, as I watched the slightest smile play on his lips. A beat of hesitation. “I might’ve pursued you.” A nervous rush of breath escaped me. I gripped the strap of my bookbag in some faulty attempt to hold my composure, and swallowed past the dryness in my throat. “And I might’ve let you.” The bus rolled to a stop, absolutely killing the moment. If it counted as a moment. “Goodnight, Professor.” “Good night, Miss Vespertine.”

“Because you’re better than them. Stronger. And unfortunately, you’ll have to fight harder for what you want. But you have an understanding of things beyond their comprehension. You’re exceptional, Lilia. And by God, if you waste that intellect on the ignorant words of an envious shrew like Loretta Gilchrist, it will be the most egregious offense you’ve ever committed.”

my man my man my mannn