The sun hovered lazily above the Brakebills grounds as Kai stood in front of the Physical Kids' Cottage, hands in pockets, dark curls slightly ruffled from the morning breeze. His eyes were narrowed and then smiled like a total idiot. Well not at the building of course, but at the memory flooding his mind like a tidal wave of sensation.
Flashes of scenes about last night, his vampire mind made it much more vivid.
Soft lips against Warm skin, Julia's breath hitching beneath his as he worked his way in her. The way her eyes locked with his before everything blurred into writhing heat and tension snapped loose, her pleading underneath him not to stop, her…
He slapped both palms against his cheeks.
Smack. Smack.
"Shit, wake the fuck up" he muttered. "That's not what you should be thinking about, Kai. What you should be is worried about missing the entire fucking trials." He blinked, looked up at the building, then smirked faintly. "Although… it was so fucking worth it either way."
With that, he stepped inside.
The cottage was… kinda empty. His brows twitched, no music or drunken humming.
'Where the fuck is Elliot and Margo?'
He scanned the room. His enhanced hearing, ever sharp, picked up voices coming from the backyard.
He headed toward the sound, opened the back door and there they were.
Eliot, standing with Quentin and Alice both dressed in clean white Brakebills South overalls.
Kai blinked. "Brakebills South is already over? Fuck. There goes my chance of meeting Mayakovsky." He groaned dramatically.
But before he could process that, his eyes landed on someone else.
A man standing just beside Eliot. Broad-shouldered, angular features, and a smile a little too well-rehearsed.
Mike.
'Well hello, meat suit Mike,' Kai thought dryly.
Suddenly, Eliot turned to Quentin, peering at his face. "Why is your face making that face?"
Quentin blinked. "Huh?"
"Oh my God," Eliot gasped theatrically, "they totally had sex."
Mike shrugged. "Yeah."
Kai raised a brow, then grinned. "Well, I do recommend a good diagnosis of intercourse now and then. Especially for a pair with that much pent-up tension."
Everyone turned to him.
"Kai? Where the hell have you been?" Quentin asked.
"Yeah," Alice echoed. "You missed the rest of the trials."
Kai winced, shrugged the. Smiled weirdly. "Ehhh… well if you must ask."
Eliot narrowed his eyes. "Oh, you little you got laid, didn't you?"
Kai froze, half-laughing. "Okay, what the hell? Did you just… sniff that out? You got a newly-got-laid radar now?"
"Fine-tuned," Eliot replied proudly.
Kai rolled his eyes, then turned to Mike. "And you are?"
Eliot beamed. "Kai, this is Mike. Mike, Kai."
Kai extended a hand, eyes narrowed just slightly. "Pleasure's mine."
Mike took it. "Firm grip. Nice."
Kai smirked. "Handshakes reveal a lot you know. Trust, Power and even deception." His tone carried more weight than the others seemed to notice except for Mike, who tilted his head subtly.
Kai's gaze flicked to the left as if looking at something. "Oh. Didn't know it was moth season."
Everyone blinked.
Eliot blinked. "What?"
Kai didn't answer as he looked back watching Mike. 'No reaction, Wow. You really are good, aren't you?'
He stood quietly as Eliot and Mike talked with Alice and Quentin. Kai observed Mike's gait, posture, magic signature with a form of measure, it was precise, not quite at the Niffin-level, but potent and very well controlled.
'Oh, this'll be fun.'
Alice and Quentin turned to leave, with Mike offering a smooth, "Nice meeting you."
Quentin gave a non-committal "Mm-hmm."
Kai stepped beside Quentin, lowered his voice. "Hey. Don't be weird about whatever's happening with Alice. For the love of God, shake off the excuses and just go for it."
Quentin blinked. "Uhhh… okay?"
Kai grinned, took both drinks from Quentin's hands, and walked back toward Mike and Eliot.
"Well, time to see if I'm still technically a student or…" He downed the drink in one go. "Wow. Tastes like magic Elliot bravo." He tossed the cup, downed the second. "Ciao."
As he passed Mike, he added with a sly smile, "Nice to meet you. Really looking forward to what's to come."
Eliot turned as Kai walked off. "What the hell is he on about?"
Behind his back, Mike's eyes narrowed.
---
Dean Fogg's Office
Kai sat before the desk, arms folded.
"Alright. What's the verdict? Lay it on me," he said.
Dean Fogg steepled his fingers. "You missed the trials, Kai. Every first-year is required to undergo them for a reason."
"I know, I know…"
"They are designed to evaluate magical focus, endurance, adaptability. The essence of why we send students to Brakebills South—"
"Something important came up," Kai cut in. "I couldn't abandon it."
Dean Fogg raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry," Kai added more sincerely. "I had to see it through."
Dean narrowed his eyes. "Does this have to do with the Aetherphage?"
Kai paused. "...Yes."
Another beat of silence.
"Is it also related to you being a vampire?"
Silence.
Dead. Graveyard silent.
Kai's jaw twitched. 'Well fuck. So they did know.'
He sighed. "Since when?"
Dean didn't flinch. "Since the moment you came out of that closet."
Kai muttered under his breath. "Fuck."
A pause. "So… what now? You gonna expel me?"
Dean suddenly burst out laughing.
Kai blinked.
"Oh, calm down," Dean said, waving a hand. "I don't have a problem with what you are. This school is filled with all kinds. Some are just like you."
He leaned back. "If we wanted to do something, we'd have done it already."
"So… I'm not expelled?"
Dean smiled and asked. "Well… was the Aetherphage helpful with whatever you needed?"
Kai smiled. "Flawlessly."
"Then no. You're not expelled."
Kai exhaled in relief. "Oh thank God."
"Now get going," Dean said, flicking his hand toward the door. "You've got class with the rest."
Kai turned, heading out. "Well, good to know being undead still gets me grades."
He left the office with a skip in his step and headed toward his dorm. Along the path, his thoughts drifted again uninvited to a certain someone.
'I wonder what her sister had to tell her about' he thought.
Read an advance of 10+ chapters on my Patreon🌚🌚🌚🌚
Patreon.com/Fredozy