After Sera had pacified the chaos in the class, the classroom was returning to its usual pattern, but in a way still out of place. The troublesome boys had been made calm maybe too calm. It was a bit odd. But the tension between them was still there. The other two boys could barely look Merlin in the eyes but Tony was just built different. He kept giving Merlin a look of this isn't over yet.
At this moment the same man who had directed Merlin to the class appeared. He stepped in at an awkward moment and noticed the atmosphere of the class.
"What's going on?" he asked.
The class dropped to silence. No one would speak. But Merlin wasn't your average student.
"Nothing important is happening, just the welcome committee getting real friendly. Trust me when I say, we got real close," Merlin said as he leaned back on his chair, folding his arms, with his head facing up and his trademark smirk refusing to leave his face.
A few scattered chuckles slipped out from different corners of the room. Not loud, not full — just uneasy laughter that carried more tension than joy.
"Then I would also like to welcome you, Merlin," the man said as his loud but calm voice echoed around the class, silencing any other noise.
Wait a minute… didn't he hear the sarcasm in my voice or is he pretending not to? There's no way he doesn't know something is up, Merlin thought to himself. And yet he didn't bother to act… hmmm, I'm liking this place already.
Meanwhile Sera was sitting in the middle row of the class with the other back benchers. Her face was plain and unreadable. Does he take acting classes or what? He's just so good at it, she thought to herself. He walked in like he had no clue what was happening, even after staging the whole thing. He must have done this too many times.
She suddenly became serious, a straighter face and a sudden shift in her posture making it more upright. But… am I sure I support this method? she asked herself in a worried manner.
Her mind suddenly shifted back to a conversation she had with the man before entering the class.
---
He had stopped her at the door.
Come with me to my office, he said.
The room was dimmly lit but had a light decor
"What do you see when you look at Merlin?" the man had asked while sitting on a chair turned to face the window opposite his desk, while Sera was standing.
"A boy who doesn't belong here, but has a place and a role to play," Sera answered.
"I agree he doesn't belong but yet has a role. One that's like walking a tight rope," the man said as he sipped his glass of wine. "The truth is this society won't fully accept him. He's like an ore in the midst of precious stones and metals… or the only flaw in a flawless system."
The man turned around with his lips curving upward, devious intent lingering. He dropped the glass and adjusted his glasses, then clasped his hands while keeping them in straight alignment before saying:
"In other words, this could prove dangerous for both sides."
Sera didn't like the way this sounded.
"So what does that mean for him?" she asked with a bit of worry.
"It means since he's here there are two things that could be exploited if this was to remain his habitat. Firstly, he could be put under strict supervision and training to serve for us… or he could just go full out slave," the man said as his face straightened.
The word slave hit Sera harder than a casual slap to the face.
"So that's why you need me?" Sera asked softly, more serious now due to the tension.
"You're catching on," the man said. "And if by any chance this operation were to go sideways, it could mean the end — either for his freedom, or for him."
The words weren't sitting right in Sera's head. She became tense but not in a way that would make her look vulnerable, but in a way that made her look a thousand times more dangerous.
"Anything else?" she asked, ready to leave.
"Nothing," he said, tilting his head a bit, amused. "Just that I'm assured now that I'm leaving him in the hands of the one person I would never make the mistake of underestimating."
Sera's hand was already on the door knob. She glanced back, and a faint smirk curved her lips at his words before she left.
She came back to reality. Still in class like no time had passed. She looked to Merlin, who had made himself way too comfortable on his chair.
Why doesn't he get a choice? she asked herself.
"It's getting really late, so that's
all for today," the man said, interrupting Sera's thoughts.