I woke up the next morning annoyed and tired. Couldn't sleep again, so I spent part of the night talking to the soldiers on duty. They were a nice, unlucky bunch—mostly unlucky with the ladies and their money. I asked the maids to make them some French toast as a thank you for the company.
Heading toward school, my fatigue hit me hard. I just wanted to go home and sleep.
Then I spotted someone ahead that instantly blew the sleepiness away: Amie, the twins' sister. She was standing next to a lamppost, waiting patiently. She was adorable, like a small doll. I remembered I still hadn't heard her speak a full sentence.
"Good morning, Amie."
She looked up, then quickly looked away, but murmured, "...morning."
So cute. Her voice was exactly as I'd imagined: high-pitched and melodious.
"I'm heading to school. Would you like to join me?" I asked, keeping my smile small.
"...hmm."
Right then and there, I decided: I'm going to get a full sentence out of her by week's end.
Walking by my side, I had an overwhelming urge to pat her head. Remy had warned me about this country's customs, blah blah blah, but still, I wanted to so badly. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, right?
"Stivanstin!! Heyy!"
It was Tetsuya and the twins waiting at the entrance.
"Oh, hey man. Th-thank you."
"...What for?"
"Nothing. I meant, nice to see you. Luna, Mya, good morning to you two."
"Morning." They were cute, but not head-pat material. I really needed to control myself.
Walking in, I was surprised how different the atmosphere felt compared to twenty-four hours ago. People were still staring, but I didn't mind now. I barely knew these people, yet I took a strange comfort in their presence.
"Look at these people. They all want to be us, huh? You must feel like this all the time." Tetsuya looked thoroughly pleased with the attention.
"Trust me, it loses its charm faster than you think," I said, glancing at the crowd.
Amie looked up at me, and I think I saw a slight arch of her small lips, but it was momentary. She was tiny; who could tell? I can't wait for her to do something cool so I can pat her head and say, 'Good job.' That's the only scenario where I won't come off like a creep.
We made our way to the classroom. People greeted us, and a few actually walked up to introduce themselves. I shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. I felt much more at ease now.
Our first class was Portal History. Ms. Inoue looked dainty walking up to the blackboard. The class covered the basics: how Portals differed in size and appearance, the first Rips, and where they occurred. It was all information I, and everyone else, had grown up with. The class was mostly filler, since the curriculum needed every minute to make up the five-hour school day.
The first Black Portals opened in 2041, unleashing the slow, lumbering, poisonous Subiton. The first Yellow Portal opened thirty-two years later, swarming the planet with the fast, agile, and terrifying Mimiks.
My mind kept wandering to tomorrow. Had my sisters landed yet?
The bell woke me up. I realized Aviv was missing—as memorable as a glasses smudge. I desperately needed a nap during the break, drowsy from the lesson and the damn sun hitting my face.
I laid my head down and drifted into that sweet, semi-conscious state. I felt my jacket tugged. I pulled myself out of my pleasant stupor.
It was Amie. She looked nervous.
"...Are you hungry?" she asked.
Was that a full sentence? I'll take it.
I smiled, thinking she wanted to have lunch with me. "I'm totally hungry. Do you mind if Tetsuya comes with us?"
She looked at the spiky-haired guy, then shook her head.
On the way out, we were joined by half the class, heading to the cafeteria. The line was huge. Tetsuya agreed to stand in line, and another guy, Shinzo, went to help him. I decided to pay for the food for everyone. It felt wrong not to. People thanked me like I'd paid for their education.
Amie took a seat next to me. "Tell me, Amie, about your ability. I didn't get to see it yesterday," I asked.
"It's fire..."
She wasn't giving me anything. I couldn't push it. She seemed shy but potentially vicious, like a little chihuahua. I needed to give her time. I smiled, thinking that at this rate, I'd never be able to pat her head.
Tetsuya and Shinzo returned with dozens of colorful snacks. I spotted the pastries Mikeyla had thrown yesterday: something called blueberry yumyums. Too bad I was severely allergic. My nose gets stuffed up, and if I eat enough, I swell up like a pufferfish. I chose a bread that looked and tasted like a sweet melon.
I let my eyes wander and spotted a group of older kids throwing crumbs of food at a girl sitting alone, reading. She was tall, with long, curly black hair, and seemed to be ignoring the harassment. The bullies took her inaction as a green light.
What clichés. If you like her, just go ask her out. I hated people like that—not just the bullies, but those who accepted the victim role and gave up. It reminded me of the poor souls I'd left behind at St. Lucia's. I used to never feel guilty—it was my destiny—but now, I just felt... something.
I was in front of the bullies before I even registered moving.
The anger was immediate, and their smug faces, showing zero threat assessment, only fueled it. I was back in that hell, defending myself, ready to die after a short, cruel life. Something snapped.
The entire area except for the four bullies in front of me evaporated with a loud bang. The four landed hard on the dusty, bare floor. I was on top of the leader, putting my foot on his head. I activated my eyes on the floor underneath him. His head sank and hit the new bottom with a sickening thud, and I pushed harder.
"M-My Lord, please... I..."
"May I recommend you not give me any further reason to pop off that head of yours? As I see it, you can leave and never bother her again, or you can defy me, and your friends' lives will be reduced to an unending sequence of agonizing torture."
The entire cafeteria—teachers, students—was frozen. I was grateful for their instinctual terror.
"Now choose."
"I'm sorry! I'll... we'll never mess with her again. I give you my word," he choked, swallowing dust.
I lifted my foot and walked back to my table. The four ran away. The crowd slowly dissipated.
"Dude, that was harsh. What happened?" Tetsuya asked, shaken.
"Just some violent impulses. I can't stand trash like that. And that girl... who was she anyway?" She had left during the commotion.
"Don't know. Never seen her," Tetsuya shrugged.
"Her name is Mayumi Takumi, and she's in Class 3-B with me."
I turned. Mikeyla Mugino was standing there. She had witnessed the whole violent display. I felt a slight embarrassment, but her eyes never left mine.
"Hey there. You know her?" I asked.
"Not really. We've never really talked. She's not very sociable or approachable."
"Do you like girls like Mayumi?" she asked suddenly.
"What? No. I was just tryin—" I locked eyes with Mikeyla. She was drilling into me, looking for falsehoods. Oh, shit, she might be interested.
"I just have bad memories with bullies, that's all. She's not my type," I said, offering my most honest, non-threatening smile.
We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. My God, she is incredibly sexy.
"Good. I brought you this as thanks for yesterday, for helping my little brother."
She handed me the exact same blueberry yumyum she'd sniped Tetsuya with.
"Oh, this... this is great! Th-thank you. I... I... there's no need, though. Your brother is a decent guy."
She looked so happy. I didn't want to tell her. But she kept looking at me—she wanted me to eat it. I took a quick look around. Everyone was watching.
I spotted a sweet-looking girl at the end of the table, a healer I recalled. Ranni, maybe? She had that calm, empathetic aura like my mother or Sicily.
I could eat this and ask her to heal me later. I gave Mikeyla one more smile and ate the pastry in two bites. It tasted like blueberries and slow-killing poison.
"It's delicious. Whoa, incredible. Yumyum," I said, mouth half-full.
She watched me chew until I swallowed it all. I felt my body immediately ejecting the poison, but I gave her a grateful smile.
"Hmm-hmm." She looked ecstatic. I had maybe twenty minutes before I turned into a monster.
I felt a light nudge on my elbow. I looked at Amie. She had a piece of the melon bread in her hand and offered it to me, blushing furiously. I couldn't wait any longer. I was a man on a mission.
"Thank you, Amie." I gently patted her hair. It was silky smooth and felt like coming home after a long battle. I felt great.
Immediately after letting go, I wanted to do it again. It was like fighting an itch.
I whispered to Tetsuya, "What's the name of the girl at the end?"
"What? You need more bread for other girls?" Jealous fool.
"Ranni Castill."
Thanks to little Amie's information, I now had the name.
"Thank you, Amie... um, good job."
And yes, I patted her head again.
I walked over to Ranni's group, ignoring Mikeyla's annoyed stare. She was jealous of Amie, and I definitely saw Amie's lips arch into a smile this time.
"Umm, Ranni? Do you have a second?" I asked.
"I... yes, I have one."
I nodded for her to walk away from the table. We had to go far because of the stares.
"Listen. I need you to cast your healing ability on me. I know it's against the rules, but I would really appreciate it."
"Oh. Is it the blueberries? You're allergic or something?" she asked, leaning closer. She was surprisingly perceptive.
"Checkmate, my lady. Nicely played."
She chuckled and rested her hand on my chest. I felt a warmth permeate my body, instantly neutralizing the poison. Blushing girls were always cute, and she was more calculating than she looked—I knew from my mother that you could heal without touching.
"Done. Now, don't eat things you're not supposed to, even if a cute girl offers it." She poked my chest to emphasize her point, then smiled charmingly and walked back to her seat.
Damn it. I kind of liked her style.