Judgment of the Elders

by Gregg Schwartzkopf

  “Most of the homework and readings get posted on the school website. She’ll have no trouble keeping up until she gets back to class. It was very nice of you to offer though.”

  “She was helping me find a new backpack when the accident happened. I feel a little responsible.”

  “Accidents happen every day, Cassandra. We aren’t responsible for most of them. It’s not like you were careless. Your only responsibility is being a good friend, and you’re doing just fine with that. I think we both know Joan could use a friend.”

  Cass nodded agreement. Joan often protested preference for her loner status, but Cass felt an unexpected connection with the girl. Prior to his exile, he’d counted humans as amusing. Visiting the Realm of Mortals was like a typical human’s visit to a zoo. Recently, however, he was noticing human lives could be complex and rich, much like Alfaran lives. But humans were often blind to their own blessings and worked at making life difficult. They rarely paused and contemplated the best parts of their existence.

  Of course, since becoming human, Cass had worked at making his own life difficult so the Elders would take pity on him. His efforts to fulfill The List had run into problems, but genuine worry and doubt sprang from the relationships he was forming. He wondered if all humans had a streak of masochism and it was starting to impact his thinking.

  I admitted to myself that he was close to the mark. We actually create holidays reminding us to be happy. Then we worry that we aren’t happy enough about the holiday.

  ##

  OLAM didn’t have a large student population, but there were two homerooms for each grade level. Rodger and Cass had different homerooms and only shared three periods: chemistry, religion, and lunch.

  Rodger normally ate lunch with two other sophomore boys who shared his interest in science. David Schuler was one. Cass didn’t know the other boy. He caught Rodger before religion and asked to join his group at noon.

  “Um, sure, I guess. The conversation does get a little technical sometimes.”

  “You mean geeky.”

  “If by geeky you mean a singular fascination with the minutia of scientific endeavors.”

  “That’s a pretty good definition of geeky, but with Joan out of school I’ve got nobody to sit with.”

  Rodger cringed. “With which to sit.”

  Cass rolled his eyes. “So you can be nerdy also. Am I eating alone or not?”

  “I’m sure David and Carl will have no objection. They might even get tongue-tied, cutting down on the geeky conversation.”

  Cass considered that statement for a minute. “You know, you seem a lot less nervous around girls than when I met you last week.”

  “I’m less nervous around you, ‘cause you’re cool.”

  Cass couldn’t remember Rodger associating with many other people, though he hadn’t been paying close attention. The boy had his science pals and he’d added Cass to his list of contacts. Joan might count also, though they’d only talked the one time.

  Cass was also only making limited contacts. Working on getting the Outcast designation caused him to avoid close comradeship with other students. Peter Goodkin was a popular kid, but only useful for getting belittled. He found himself liking Rodger and Joan, but not enough to stick around for fifty moons. The List was starting to take a secondary place to his more pressing concerns, but Cass still though he should experience human heartbreak, if at all possible.

  Cass remembered the Schuler boy hitting on him in the coffee shop. Maybe that was an opportunity left unexploited. “What’s this Schuler guy into?”

  “David? He’s my next-door neighbor. He’s into biology, especially biomedical research. It’s a high technology area where you can make lots of money. That appeals to David.”

  Cass remembered David angling for a girlfriend, though rather inexpertly. That marked him as frustrated, needy and (big plus) less chivalrous than Rodger. Cass considered the potential.

  “Do you think David would date me if I asked him?”

  I felt Rodger’s throat close momentarily; a rather uncomfortable sensation. He was surprised that Cass even considered David interesting. She’d seemed put-off when they’d met. “Um, possibly.”, he managed to croak. “Are you attracted to David?”

  “No, not really, but I need to date someone I know nothing about. That way, they have a hope of deceiving me, cheating on me and breaking my heart.”

  A Cassandra-induced confusion settled over Rodger. “I can’t say any of that makes sense, but David is likely to heap gratitude on any girl who shows interest in him. He’ll follow you around like a puppy. If you aren’t serious, you’ll end up breaking his heart.”

  Crossing his arms and scowling Cass said, “That’s it then, I give up. I can’t go messing up lives again. That wouldn’t impress the Elders at all. I’m scratching Heartbreak off The List until I get a better handle on… why are you looking at me like that?”

  “What list, and who are the Elders?”

  “Um, I meant my elders. My parents and grandparents have a list. A list of stuff good girls shouldn’t do, so I try to be rebellious with those listed things. But not with heartbreak. Do you think I should try out for the choir?”

  “What does the choir have to do with anything?”

  “Well, I have a squeaky voice, so they’d probably reject me. I can get my rejection fix that way.”

  Rodger’s head was spinning. Having a conversation with Cass was like watching a sport where you didn’t know the rules. You knew it was exciting, but you didn’t know why. He tried shifting mental gears to the school choir.

  “The choir’s pretty small so they’re willing to take just about anybody.”

  Cass walked away from Rodger as the late bell rang. “Stupid inclusive school.”

  ##

  In the early Middle Ages there were numerous gates linking the Realm of Fae and Realm of Mortals. Once the purges started driving fairy out of the human world, retreating Alfarans and Djinn destroyed several gates, denying the humans any means to invade.

  Today, fewer than three hundred Fae Gates survive. Most are in the Americas, Indonesia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of attacks on the Fae occurred in Europe, the Middle East and China. Even with so few gates remaining, the Darkmoon Wardens were understaffed to monitor all of them. I was very happy to have a new recruit.

  Rhassa and Lynera stumbled back into my sanctuary, naked to the waist and dripping with perspiration. It takes tremendous effort before an Alfaran breaks a sweat, so I knew Rhassa had been pounding the crap out of her new recruit.

  “I thought” -*gasp*- “I was good”- *gasp*-”with long blade.”

  As Rhassa was still too out of breath to respond, which spoke well of Lynera’s skill, I answered for her. “Good is not good enough for a Darkmoon Warden. We fight very rarely, but must defend the Gates from all incursions, from this side or from the Mortal Realm. Do you feel ready to take on a Trawlspawn?”

  Lynera blinked several times while considering that possibility. “Do we need to? Those lazy hulks just sleep under bridges and steal livestock.”

  “Some have been trained for war. It’s a more dangerous world than you imagine Lynera.”

  Rhassa finally lent her support. “Dark forces gather, youngster. Interloper was the target of an assassin. We need to be always on guard.”

  Both women turned sympathetic eyes to my bandaged head. “I’ll be fine. A leader has to set an example for the troops. The Wardens are ever vigilant.”

  Lynera cocked her head sideways. “If the Wardens are so careful, how did Cass keep sneaking into the Mortal Realm?”

  It was a very astute question. She was going to be a valuable asset. “The Wardens are stretched very thin. I have the current complement rotating between active Gates. We are also trying to recruit more members like you as quickly as possible.”

  It was a plausible explanation, though not the precise reason Cass made it into the Realm of Mortals repeatedly. I didn’t know if I could trust L
ynera enough to give her a straight answer.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Cass was exchanging books from his locker at the end of the day when Peter Goodkin surprised him. “Hello there, Pixie. You have ink all over your backpack.”

  “Thank you for the update. And I really hate that name Peter.”

  “I’m sorry.” said the chameleon-like upper classman. “Look, the seniors have been a little hard on you… including me. You’re the new student so you’re easy to pick on. I’d like to make it up to you by showing you something few sophomores ever get to see.”

  “Is it part of your anatomy?” responded Cass without looking at him.

  Peter grinned. “Um, no it isn’t. The seniors have a lounge for study halls. It’s just an unused classroom, but it’s at least as cool as the teachers’ lounge and I can get you in.”

  Cass stepped forward and patted Peter on the hand. “I appreciate your efforts at pseudo-seduction, but I’ve already seen through you, so you no longer suit my purposes.”

  “Suit your purposes? Cass, I’m offering you the chance to be seen in the senior lounge with me. That’s a big step for a sophomore.”

  Cass giggled. “No, you are offering me the chance to come make moon eyes at you in front of your friends. Then you’ll turn and laugh in my face. As much as I crave humiliation, knowing what will happen drains the event of shame and degradation. Fear not, attractive boy. There are plenty of gullible fish in the sea. I’m sure you’ll find some poor freshman to debase. Have a nice night.”

  Peter, completely dumbfounded, watched Cass walk away as his two cronies joined him. Tim shook his head. “What a loon.”

  His brother agreed. “A Canadian loon. We’re better off letting her crash and burn on her own.”

  Peter roused himself from shock. No girl he’d ever wanted said no to him. Younger girls, ones he didn’t even want, swallowed his lies. Cassandra, a rube from the middle of nowhere, was his first rejection. He turned to stalk away, expecting his boys to follow, when he saw Amanda Lipton blocking his exit with a crooked smile on her lips.

  “It looks like she dumped pixie dust on you, Lover Boy.”

  “Well, some girls are just crazy, but I guess you’d know about that.”

  She sauntered up to him completely ignoring the Twins standing a few paces back. They had learned to maintain a safe distance when these two forces of nature came together. Peter never stopped flirting and Amanda never stopped chasing.

  “Peter, some day you’ll figure out that, no matter how many pretty faces wander the halls, I’m the only one who’ll put up with you for more than a week.”

  “That says something about both of us. There’s a party at Don’s place in a couple weeks. Would you like an escort?”

  She kissed his cheek. “I suppose I could clear my calendar. Try not to find any other girls in the meantime.”

  Peter didn’t anticipate targeting any new dating prospects for a little while. He’d be preoccupied plotting vengeance for a certain transfer student who needed to learn her place.

  ##

  Westminster chimes sounded when Cass pressed the button beside the Richards’ front door. A girl of roughly ten summers pulled it open. She had straight brown hair like Joan’s and was similarly afflicted with nearsightedness, but her eyes were smoky blue instead of hazel. The child looked up at Cass in silent wonder.

  “Hello, I’m Cassandra and I’m here to visit Joan. May I come in?”

  “Oooo, you’re the girl from Canada.”

  “Yes, that’s right. I’m from the Northwest… ”

  “A lot of famous people come from Canada. Do you know any famous people?”

  “I don’t think there are that many famous… ”

  “I read all the magazines. There are movie stars, television stars and musicians always coming from Canada. Sometimes they film in Vancouver and pretend like its New York.”

  The musician thing rang a bell for Cass. “I did go to an Avril Lavigne concert once.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “Hey, hey, you, you; I don’t like your girlfriend.”

  “Oh yeah, I remember her.” The child turned around and, in her best waking the dead voice, shouted, “YOUR FRIEND FROM SCHOOL IS HERE.”

  Cass climbed the stairs and scanned the doors for Joan’s room. A skull and crossbones flag was pinned to one, so Cass took that for the most likely option. He knocked. “Come in.” came the muffled response from beyond the portal.

  Joan, dressed in a black sweatshirt and knee length brown skirt, was lying on a stack of pillows. The cast protruded below her hem and was propped up on its own cushion.

  “I guess you met my sister Grace. Mom’s getting Paul from daycare. He’s my little brother.”

  “Does your Mom work?”

  “She does the administrative stuff for the store. We all chip in, except Paul, ‘cause he’d be no help. Technically, I’m watching Grace, so it’s a good thing she’s self-sufficient.”

  Cass sat in the desk chair and looked forlorn. “I’m really sorry I got you hurt, Joan. It was never my intention.”

  “What the heck are you talking about? You pulled junk off me and called for help. It was that hyperactive kid who almost ran into me. He knocked everything down, and he disappeared.”

  Cass knew he couldn’t explain the presence of a Grimel Kin or the real reason why he felt guilty about Joan’s broken leg. “If I hadn’t made you go shopping… ”

  Joan just laughed. “Next time I’ll let you buy a pack at the expensive stores. My Dad is doing the guilt trip thing too. I don’t hold him responsible, but he’s the one who inspects everything for safety so his kicking himself for not noticing a defective shelf. None of this is anybody’s fault. I just figure the universe hates me.”

  “That’s not true. A lot of people wished you well at school today.”

  Joan cocked her head to one side. “How many is a lot?”

  “Three teachers and Rodger.”

  “Okay, that I’ll believe. Nuns are programmed to offer prayers for students and Rodger’s trying to impress you.”

  “You think Rodger has a crush on me?”

  “Duh.”

  Cass had quietly suspected this for a while, but was ignoring the situation hoping it would go away. “That’s a problem because, I really like Rodger and like hanging out with him, but not in a girlfriend capacity.”

  Joan was quiet for a few seconds; then asked “He seems like a good guy Cass. Are you still thinking you might prefer girls?”

  “That’s complicated, and I’m more looking to avoid romantic entanglements anyway, in case I go back to Canada. I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep.”

  “Well, prepare for some reverse heartbreak then, ‘cause the boy is into you. I hope that satisfies your desire for drama.”

  “Human life is all about drama, isn’t it?”

  Joan considered that for a moment. “Maybe your life. I bet you have a very interesting history, Cassandra Forest. You just don’t talk about it.”

  “I’m new here. Give me time. I don’t know your history either.”

  Joan snorted. “Nothin’ to see here. I’m the second child of four, plain as a post, bad eyes, crooked teeth and a crappy attitude. What you see is what you get.”

  “I see my best friend. Can I sign your cast?”

  “It’ll look funny having only one signature.”

  Cass pulled out a new pen from his pack. “No it won’t. I’m sure Rodger will sign it.”

  “Before or after you tell him you won’t date him?”

  ##

  Because of Peter’s fascination with her, I decided to briefly look in on Amanda Lipton hoping to get a better understanding of her potential effect on Cass. Amanda was the arbiter of coolness for girls at OLAM. It made sense she and Cass might clash. I observed my target in the hour after school let out when she was working on assignments for the next day.

  Amanda, like Peter, was an only child, or so her surfac
e thoughts led me to believe. I would later discover she was an only surviving child. Her parents’ grief and subsequent singular focus on Amanda partially shaped her personality. She was in her room doing homework. Intent on the task at hand, she was not ruminating on Peter, Cass or any of her current posse of female followers. She was determined to master the solution to a trigonometry problem. Stray images revealed that she anticipated early acceptance at the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Despite her family’s predilection for medical studies, Amanda was committed to becoming a television news caster. The prospect of moving out of suburban Long Island had her thrilled, and terrified. She knew she was a big fish in a little pond, but she was about to be tossed in the ocean, or Lake Mendota, as the case may be. For the first time in her adolescent life, she was considering the possibility that she might not be perfect.

  She successfully solved the math problem and closed the textbook. She reached out across the desk for notes on some other subject, but suddenly froze. Her back straightened and shoulders tensed. Amanda began slowly scanning the room, ready to scream or run if she found anything amiss. That’s when I realized she was sensing me watching her. Naturally, I broke contact immediately.

  Some humans are inconveniently sensitive to magical energies.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Tuesday Cass had chemistry lab with Rodger in the afternoon. He decided not to share a lunch table with Rodger’s geek boy contingent again. The previous day resulted in stilted conversation with Rodger while the other two guys mostly kept quiet. That meant he’d sit alone in Joan’s corner today or join a new group. Finding another group meant reversing his strategy. He was rethinking the role of Outsider, because he was a social animal by nature; quite literally, given his affinity for rabbits. Besides, he hated being alone with his thoughts. Philosophical musing was not something he was good at and he’d been doing quite a bit of it since Joan’s accident.

  He spotted the girl who’d escorted him to the computer lab at Peter’s request. Cass dredged up possible names. Tina? Rena? Finally he hit on Trina. She was sitting with two other girls. Cass walked over and asked to join them. They politely agreed, but the conversation started awkwardly.