The next few days passed by. I kept following Aiden around, gazing at him like some depraved stalker. But I couldn't help it. If I couldn't be with him, at least I wanted to see him be happy. I could ignore my feelings while he was far away, but I couldn't stand him being this close and not seeing him. I never wandered close, only watched from afar. And I only watched him in public. I stayed far enough to not get a whiff of his blood or I was afraid I would fall apart.

I found myself happier now he was here, yet that little shred of longing in me troubled me a lot. I went to classes with my thoughts full of him though I tried my hardest to pay attention. It was no use thinking about him. 

I was attending Fighting With The Witches, trying to concentrate when Wanda approached me. She took me aside with a worried expression on her face. 

"Verina, is everything okay? You seem preoccupied these days." 

"I am not having a relapse," I assured her, not answering her question. 

She raised her eyebrows. 

"That's nice to hear but you know I wasn't asking about that." 

I didn't want to look at her kind face which might make me cry. Instead, I just looked at the ground. 

She sighed. 

"I was a teenager once too, you know. And both my helpers, who are like my daughters, are teenagers too. I understand if you don't want to confide in me, but I am always here to talk if you wish to. I know you struggled with human medication and I don't wish for you to go down that path again. Sometimes talking it out or seeking help is the best we can do. And I am here for you if you want to." 

I was touched. I nodded at her and smiled shyly. 

"That's really nice of you Wanda." 

"I know you Carthans don't like thanking people. And I don't like to be thanked. Now, off with you, before I magic up some potion to cheer up that face." 

I laughed and skipped off to the dorm. It felt nice to know that some people cared for me. Even though they wouldn't understand what I was going through, they were willing to try and sometimes that was enough. 

On the way to the dorm, I saw a huge crowd of people milling around the notice board. Curious, I leaned over to see what had got everyone so worked up. I couldn't get past the crowd, so I stepped back and spotted Airell instead. 

"What's going on?" I asked. 

"Nothing much," he said. 

I raised my eyebrows. He sighed. 

"His royal highness, Arryn Dragomir, will be arriving at Monteverde Academy tomorrow."