– Hi!" she said cheerfully, holding out her hand to me. – I'm Julia Novak, your new ward! But you don't have to introduce yourself – I know you! You're Cedric Morgan!
I pretended not to notice her outstretched hand.
New ward? What's the joke?
– As I recall, I'm studying with Viper Vladinovich," I said briefly. Not understanding what was going on made me angry.
– Yes, I know, you were studying with her, but everything has changed, and now your ward is me, – still smiling, confidently said the girl.
– Interesting. Who decided? – I asked coldly, giving Julia an icy stare.
– We switched," she explained. Her smile was fading. – She was already studying with her new 'friend' and I think they got along well. I'm sure we'll get along, too, though.
– Switched? – I asked quietly.
Switched? You can change things, but not people… In my case, me. Switched. I was furious. How could that Viper girl dare to do that? Change me like I was a boring object, a thing! Who does she think she is, that stupid girl?
– Viper asked me to switch with her because… She said you didn't get along, and that you didn't care…" Julia began to babble, flapping her eyelashes.
– Call everything by its proper name: she just doesn't want to study with me! – I mockingly interrupted her.
So that's the reason! Viper got cold feet and just switched me behind my back. Like a thing. Disappointment and anger at this mortal immediately flooded my soul.
– Tell your friend that if she really wants to continue studying and get a stipend, she shouldn't change me for someone else, just like she shouldn't refuse to study with me," I said in a quiet, angry voice.
Julia remained silent, but her formerly friendly eyes were replaced with a light of irritation and resentment.
I silently got up from the table, slung my backpack on my shoulder and headed for the exit, hearing Julia whisper under her breath: "What a nutcase!". I felt such a burning anger that if I'd ever seen Viper again, I would have loved to smash her, break her. Killed her. As I walked past the students, I kept my head down so that my furious eyes would not be visible. Contempt for Viper filled my entire being. Wow, and I still wanted to apologise! To whom? That coward? The one who'd sneakily changed me like a thing? Never now. I won't let some stupid little mortal girl neglect me and treat me like a thing! She'll learn her lesson.