A stroke of luck

The morning sun filters through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the pavement as I stride towards the familiar halls of the university. Questions from Sarah and Anya buzz in my ears like persistent flies going for crap. They'd seen me with Liam, riding on the back of his bike as he dropped me off in front of the dorm building last night.

I simply tell them the truth, that Liam and I are working on a research project, but they won't buy it.

“Research? Are you kidding me?” Sarah’s voice screeches in my ear. “You come home close to midnight with Liam Blackthorn because of some stupid paper? Better hone your lying skills, girl…”

My nose crinkles. “I wasn’t lying, ya’ll. Liam and I are just friends… and not that close, even… we’re just—”

“Oh, if Roni gets a whiff of this, she’ll go berserk,” Sarah laughs. “Liam had always been her ultimate fantasy boyfriend.”

“Who’s Roni?” I ask.

“Veronica Jenkins, duh? You don’t know her?” Anya chimes.

I jerk my shoulders. No clue who that is.

“She’s popular in campus because she’s a vlogger. Of course, you won’t know that, Liv… you don’t even check your Facebook account… or do you actually have one?” Anya says, shaking her head and giving me a sympathetic look. “Well… Roni posts weekly videos of herself trying on some new makeup and other beauty products. She earns well from her videos, and gets a lot of freebies from cosmetic companies.”

That only means this Roni is pretty and hot.

“Oh, Liv... I’m sure Roni will freak out and go after you for stealing her imaginary boyfriend,” Sarah chuckles.

I let out a harsh breath. “For the umpth time, I’m telling you— Liam is not my boyfriend.”

“Come on, Liv… that’s so lame,” Anya presses. “Just spill it. Stop playing the innocent wallflower. You’re far from it. Everyone knows Liam… he’s every girl’s fantasy on campus, Roni’s just one of them. Yet none of them had been lucky enough to hop on that bike with him. How did you do it?”

I huff and shoot them dirty looks. “I don’t know what to say anymore, guys. I told you the truth, and that’s it. Take it or leave it. Bye!”

They exchange knowing glances and nudge each other, convinced there's more to the story than I'm letting on.

“Hey, why don’t you invite Liam to my birthday tomorrow? At the Dungeon Club,” Sarah says, giving me a narrowed gaze. “You’re not thinking of ghosting me, are you? You said you won’t miss it for the world, Liv…”

Oh, crap! That totally slipped my mind.

“Of course, I’ll be there,” I chuckle. “And sure, I’ll ask Liam if he’d like to come.”

With Liam's startling revelation about mythical creatures and that annoying cliffhanger he left me with, I'm torn between two conflicting feelings. On one hand, I want to keep him as a friend, intrigued by the mysteries he seems to hold. On the other hand, there's a nagging voice in my head warning me that Liam might be nothing more than a nut job, and I should run for the hills before things get even freakier.

As I arrive at school, the weight of last night's conversation with Liam still lingers on my mind, I head to Professor O'Leary's office to submit my paper. To my surprise, he takes one look at my essay and marks it with an A+, a grade I never expected.

He leans back in his chair and asks me about my essay, why I believe there might be a hint of truth to the existence of mythical creatures. I briefly explain that Hannah's book, "Magical Beasts of the Endless," gives me that vibe, that feeling of hidden truths waiting to be uncovered.

“The way Hannah wrote it was so compelling, Professor,” I say with conviction. “It’s like she was actually there and witnessed the entire story first hand. Or she’s really got an overactive imagination… which I doubt.”

O’Leary chuckled. “Very well… it’s good to know there’s at least one student who actually listened to my lectures.”

“Knowledge is power, right, Prof? And it’s what I’m here for…”

But before I can make my exit, Professor O'Leary drops an intriguing piece of information that sends a shiver of excitement down my spine. "I didn't know you're a fan of Hannah's Magical Beasts,” he says with a knowing smile. "If you want to know more about the book, you should meet the book's translator—her son, Aleksander. He's a good friend of mine."

My heart leaps with joy at this unexpected plot twist. Is this serendipity or what? I muster the courage to ask the professor if he could arrange for me to meet Aleksander, and to my delight, he agrees without hesitation.

“In fact, I’ve already invited Aleksander to be my guest speaker for my next lecture this afternoon,” he says, waggling his brows. “You’re welcome to sit in.”

A sense of anticipation fills me as I leave Professor O'Leary's office. Meeting Aleksander could be the key to unraveling the mysteries behind Hannah's book, and perhaps even understanding the enigma that is Liam. The synchronicity of it all leaves me breathless with anticipation.

I settle into my seat for Greek class, ready to immerse myself in the world of ancient languages. The surroundings are typical of any college classroom—rows of desks, students shuffling in, and a chalkboard at the front. It's a place of routine, or so I thought.

Out of nowhere, something lands on my head, startling me. A paper plane entangles itself in my hair. My gaze darts around, and I spot Liam, seated just two rows behind me, waving with a mischievous grin. He motions for me to read the note inside.

Carefully, I unfold the origami of notebook paper and read his message: “I wasn’t kidding. I’m really turning into a dragon. Help.”

I turn to look at Liam, but before I can process his presence, he appears beside me, flopping into the seat. My immediate reaction is to give him a solid punch on the arm, which instantly makes me recoil in pain, clutching my injured hand.

"Ow! That hurts. What the heck are you wearing under that jacket?" I inquire, my voice laced with frustration.

He chuckles but shushes me to lower my voice. "Keep it down… I'm only wearing a shirt. But since you tried to hurt me, my dragon scales came out in defense."

"Stop it, already. You're being crazy and creeping me out."

"Didn't you just read my note? It wasn't a joke. So—what do you think? Are you gonna help me?" he whispers playfully. "I thought you believed what Hannah had written in her book… and now you think I'm crazy?"

The mention of Hannah's book triggers a memory of my encounter with Prof. O'Leary and the opportunity to meet Aleksander Kapel. I hesitate for a moment before sharing this with Liam, and as I do, his eyes widen.

“Whoa! That's amazing. How lucky can we get, Liv? I couldn't sleep last night thinking about—about—" He pauses and looks at me, then shyly looks away. "I mean— I tried searching for Aleksander on the internet, but there's no mention of where he works or where he lives. I think we hit the jackpot. We shouldn't let this chance slip. What time is Professor O'Leary's class?"

As I'm about to answer, a sudden realization hits me like a ton of bricks. "Oh, crap! I have an appointment with my therapist this afternoon… about the same time as Professor O'Leary's class."

Liam's expression falls, disappointment etched across his face. "Then call your therapist to cancel."

I ponder on his suggestion for two seconds, weighing my options, and eventually nod. "Okay… I can see my therapist any other time, but this is our only chance to talk to Aleksander Kapel."

"Right… so we're settled then…" Liam leans back in his seat and smiles. "Cool."

I can't help but feel a rush of gratitude for Liam's enthusiasm and determination to uncover the truth. But there's one thing that nags at me.

"Wait—why are you here? You're not even enrolled in this class…" I raise an eyebrow.

His grin widens, and he leans in close. "I am now… I changed my classes so I'd be in the same class as yours. So, here I am."

Hmm… should I be thrilled?

“Oh, by the way, Sarah wanted you to come to her birthday tomorrow at the Dungeon Club. You up for it?” I say.

“Are you going?”

“Yup, I promised her I would.”

“Sure, I’ll be there.”