richellemead-vampireacademy01-vampireacademy-110824015328-phpapp02

His lips twitched, and for a moment, I thought I was going to get one of those smiles. My heart
leapt. Then, with visible effort, he pushed the smile back and once more became my tough-love
mentor. He shifted off me, leaned back on his heels, and rose. "Come on. We should go.”
I scrambled to my own feet and followed him out of the gym. He didn't look back as he walked,
and I mentally kicked myself on the way back to my room.
I was crushing on my mentor. Crushing on my older mentor. I had to be out of my mind. He
was seven years older than me. Old enough to be my…well, okay, nothing. But still older than
me. Seven years was a lot. He'd been learning to write when I was born. When I'd been learning
to write and throw books at my teachers, he'd probably been kissing girls. Probably lots of girls,
considering how he looked.
I so did not need this complication in my life right now.
I found a passable sweater back in my room and after a quick shower, I headed off across
campus to the reception.
Despite the looming stone walls, fancy statues, and turrets on the outsides of the buildings, the
Academy's insides were quite modern. We had Wi-Fi, fluorescent lights, and just about
anything else technological you could imagine. The commons in particular looked pretty much
like the cafeterias I'd eaten in while in Portland and Chicago, with simple rectangular tables,
soothing taupe walls, and a little room off to the side where our dubiously prepared meals were
served. Someone had at least hung framed black-and-white photos along the walls in an effort
to decorate it, but I didn't really consider pictures of vases and leafless trees "art.”
Tonight, however, someone had managed to transform the normally boring commons into a
bona fide dining room. Vases spilling over with crimson roses and delicate white lilies.
Glowing candles. Tablecloths made of—wait for it—bloodred linen. The effect was gorgeous.
It was hard to believe this was the same place I usually ate chicken patty sandwiches in. It
looked fit for, well, a queen.