In the very back of the folder was a note in slanted text and a sticky note with a website address. Apparently this was a link to a doctor that worked strictly with patients suffering from prostate cancer. Alex wrote that the doctor lived in the UK and might be persuaded to give my father an in-depth examination.

Becca cleared her throat and I looked over to where she was sitting.

“Your class starts in five minutes.”

“What?” I looked at the clock on my desk and frowned. The time had flown by. I grabbed my stuff and put it in my bag before jerking my head toward the door. “Let’s go.”

The lecture hall was on the other side of the building, so we took the back stairs. I hesitated just inside the door when I saw all the people in the room. Almost every seat was taken, which was unusual for such an early class. Duvall looked at me with a blank face from near the stage and I wondered what was running through his mind because I sure as hell didn’t know what to think. My fingers tightened on the strap of my bag and I walked forward purposefully. Fake it ’til you make it would be my motto of the day. The room quieted except for a few whispers.

I set my bag down and turned toward the room. My eyes picked out familiar faces amongst a hundred or more that I had never seen before. “It makes my heart all types of bubbly to see so many people excited about the chapter on ornithology.” A faint ripple of amusement spread through the room. “For those of you that didn’t wake up this morning with a newfound love of birds, open your books to chapter twelve.”

I pulled my notes out and grabbed a dry erase marker. While the true students rifled through their bags, I quickly outlined some key points on the whiteboard. I turned back to the class and swallowed. I’d never spoken to this many people before and it was intimidating.

Hopping onto the small desk on the stage, I decided to focus on what I was supposed to be talking about and forget that most of these people had only come to stare at me. “Who can define a bird?”

A young undergrad’s hand shot into the air. I couldn’t remember her name, but I tended to refer to her as Hermione in my head. I nodded at her.

“An animal whose body is covered in feathers and forelimbs that modified into wings.” She smiled proudly.

“Yes, but that isn’t all that defines a bird. Anyone else?” I looked around the room. Someone I didn’t recognize raised their hand and I waited a beat before nodding for them to speak.

“Are you really a princess?”

“All little girls are princesses, didn’t you know that?” My heart sped up in my chest and I narrowed my eyes. Titters erupted around the classroom and I sat down on the top of the desk. “Now, who can tell me about birds?”

One of the male students raised his hand and I pointed in his direction. “They all have scaly legs, a beak with no teeth, and bear their young in a hard-shelled egg.”

“Good.” I jumped up and scribbled the definition on the board. “Does anyone have any idea how many types of birds there are in the world?”

There were more people with their hands raised when I turned back around. I tried to pick someone I recognized from the class, hoping they would stay on topic.

“Danni?” I looked at a small blonde.

“Five thousand?” I almost couldn’t hear her tiny voice.

“Nope. Who else?” I pointed at a boy with a skullcap on.

“Four thousand, five hundred and seventy two.” He smiled when people turned to look at him.

“Not even close.” I glared around the room. “C’mon, guys. You’re supposed to read the chapter ahead of time.”

Someone in the back raised their hand, but I couldn’t see their face. Reluctantly I pointed that direction.

“Over ten thousand, four hundred.” Alex’s voice easily filled the room and I felt my face flush. My heart sped up and just his voice made me shiver. He was here, watching me? Some of the students turned around to look at him, the sound of his accent drawing their attention. A loud rustle filled the hall as people realized the Prince of Lilaria was among them.

“Correct. I believe the last count was at ten thousand, four hundred and sixty-six.” I wrote the number on the board, plowing forward, trying to calm my nerves. The class settled down and I did my best to keep things on track.

“How many orders of birds are classified by the IOU?” I looked around the room. “Seriously, guys? You’re going to let him come in here and show you up?” Laughter filled the room and I was relieved when Hermione raised her hand and had the correct answer.

By the time class was over I couldn’t have been more ready. I had twenty minutes before the next lecture and I was considering putting a note on the door and hiding. As the students got up and left, a few of them came down to try to ask me questions. I did my best to shoo them away, but a few were much more dedicated to finding an answer. Becca had come to stand just to the side of me, her friendly smile replaced with a glower that made me rethink my original assessment of her personality.

“C’mon, Sam. It’s the school paper. Just an interview. I’ll let you decide which questions you want to answer.” The editor for the student paper was leaning against my desk and I was resolutely trying to ignore him.

“I told you, Toby, I have too much going on right now. I’m sorry.” Truth be told, I would always have too much going on when it came to having time for interviews. Especially with Toby. He was a pervert to the tenth degree. “If you don’t mind, I have to finish grading some papers.”