Now I understand why the maid packed my things before coming here. Hah! They thought I wouldn't notice? I'm not blind. The only thing I don't understand is why they had to make a secret out of it.
Was my father really that afraid that I wouldn't want to come here? Anything is possible. I told him last time I wouldn't go to any stupid hospital again! That's why he got scared.
What a shame. This isn't a hospital, but a school of magic—an entirely different matter. They should have told me so, instead of keeping secrets. And at first glance, it's much more interesting here than at home.
It's just a shame we arrived late. It was dark outside, so I couldn't see anything. They didn't even let me go for a walk—it would have been interesting to explore. Well, I'll fix that in time.
But I can look around my room. The Director brought me here as soon as my father said goodbye and left. He didn't stay long, though—he just said he'd call often. He won't. I know when he's lying. He and my mother have been lying to me a lot lately.
And in general, when they want to call often, they don't run away like the wind.
My new room was quite small, much smaller than the one I lived in back home. How did they manage to fit it all in there? A bed, a desk, bookcases, a wardrobe, and even two nightstands. Oh! I have a huge wooden window here! Cool—just like in a castle, with two opening sashes!
"What a jerk!"Dorian More said lazily.
I guess I should say a few words about this guy.
He appeared in my life completely unexpectedly, like a bolt from the blue. It happened two years ago, right on my birthday.
I remember it like it was yesterday: I was opening another gift my grandfather had sent me when something hit me on the head. It hit me so hard that I lost consciousness and didn't wake up until a day later.
What a commotion it was, I tell you! They kept me in bed for three days, and everyone was asking how I was feeling. During that time, I saw a whole bunch of doctors. I've never seen so many of them before. It was just like being in a hospital! And this is despite the fact that I can't stand them! They always smell like some kind of stinky ointments and injections!
True, this time no one gave me any injections. And I didn't feel any pain. I just can't understand why they turned my room into a hospital.
I felt good. Maybe even better than before I was hit. Well, and besides, my new friend, Dorian More, had taken up residence inside me.
Although we didn't become friends right away. At first, he was constantly pestering me with his whining! He was always complaining that someone had betrayed him and now he had to drag out a miserable existence in my body.
But over time he calmed down. And a few weeks later he even started talking to me.
Oh, and we spent a long time studying each other. He has a nasty character! Worse than my grandfather on my mother's side, and he was a real whiner. Everything was always wrong with him: either someone said something wrong, or looked at him the wrong way, or there was a draft... So Dorian turned out to be no gift.
He kept telling me he was some kind of important nobleman in his home world—almost a prince, in our terms. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention, he was transported into me from another world. Something went wrong there.
Only he won't admit what exactly. He keeps talking about some bastards who must pay for their betrayal. But that's okay, that's his business.
And Dorian was also the leading dark mage in his world. Well, if he's not lying, of course. He sometimes tells me such things that I think he's often fibbing, the miserable liar. He takes advantage of the fact that I can't verify him, so he makes up all sorts of fairy tales.
Although, Dorian did teach me a few things, so let's assume he's a true dark mage, even if he's not the most important one. And he's an excellent swordsman, too; I know that now.
So, my life has changed a lot since we met. I can do so many interesting things now. Dorian taught me some amazing things. He's generally gloomy, but he loves to joke.
And overall, he turned out to be a very good friend. I've never had anyone like him before. He might have his own problems, but at least he's always there for me. We all have our quirks, what can you do?
Even my parents are weird. You can't please them. When I was messing around and doing poorly at school, they didn't like it. Now that I've met Dorian and started reading more books, they don't like it either. Quite the opposite, in fact. It's only gotten worse.
Sigh... Only my grandfather on my father's side understood me; he kept slipping me all sorts of books until my father forbade me from visiting him. Is that even normal?
I'm telling you, my parents are weird. And the further we go, the weirder they get. So it would be good for us to live apart from each other. I certainly would.
"They brought you to some hole, I said,"Dorian reminded me. "Are you deaf, Max?"
"This isn't a hole, it's the Kitezh Higher School of Magic," I answered mentally. "Didn't you see the sign?"
"Pfft… What a school of magic… I was once sent to study at a school just like that. I was still very young then. That was a real school, not this…"
"How do you know what it is? I haven't even unpacked my things yet."
"It's obvious. Just look at this room. What a kennel! They don't show any respect for their students, what else is there to talk about? When I went to school, they gave me a separate floor with about forty rooms, get it?"
"Yeah, so I believed you. Now you're telling me there are a hundred and forty rooms," I smiled, wondering which shelf in the closet to use for my jeans. "I like everything. There's even a big window and a bathroom, and I didn't have my own at home."
"How terrible… To be happy about such banal things… Am I really going to conquer the world with this man?"
"Your whining is making my teeth hurt," I thought, then closed the empty suitcase and shoved it under the bed.