by Marie Mistry
Chapter 3
I was almost back at the castle keep when I heard someone shouting my name.
“Lilith?” Bane called, his shaggy brown hair rising and falling in the wind as he jogged up behind me. I stopped walking and arched a questioning brow. “You forgot your book.” I looked down to find him holding out my notebook between us.
“Oh.” It took me a moment to process. “Thank you.” I opened up my satchel and put it inside. “That’s so odd, I really thought I had it.”
“That guy getting his crystal has us all a bit distracted,” Bane admitted, with a carefree grin. “You alright? You’re out here all alone.”
I smiled back. “Just people watching and having a bit of a break before lunch… I was trying to be more observant. It’s killing me that I didn’t notice that nearly everyone displays their crystal so openly.”
He gave a small smile. “If it helps, I knew where the crystals for the Lust caste were before then. My father is a Lust.”
My eyes widened. “Do you think you’ll take after him too?”
He shook his head. “I doubt it. I’m hoping to be a different caste to both of my parents. I know it’s unusual, but it does happen.”
I nodded slowly. “Do you have a preference?”
He shrugged. “Sloth’s not too bad.”
I thought of my dad and the deadened way he lived. “I would never want to be Sloth.” I shuddered.
“Pride then?” He unerringly guessed my mother’s caste.
“Nope. I’ll take anything else.”
He smiled.
“What do you have after lunch?” he asked.
“Demonic Etiquette.” I was hoping it was more interesting than it sounded.
Bane checked the back of his hand, which I now saw was covered in ink.
“You know, they gave us planners…” I mumbled as he tried to decipher the blurred ink.
“No need,” he replied, pointing at a barely legible squiggle. “See, I’m in that class too.” He gave me a charming smile. “Sit with me?”
I raised my eyebrows. “You’d better not distract me.”
He laughed, and it lit up his whole face, throwing me for a second. “I’m sitting next to you because you look like a smart cookie and I’m hoping it’ll rub off on me. Distracting you would defeat the point.” His eye caught something in the distance, and his smile vanished. "Anyway, see you in class."
I followed his line of sight but saw nothing as he strode back towards the castle. I shook my head slightly. Bane was … odd. Despite that, I was warming to him.
I continued to wander, following him back towards the castle, but instead of heading for lunch with the rest of the crowds, I decided to find the library. I knew roughly where it was from the stupid orientation booklet, but even then, it still took me the entire lunch break to find it and give in my form to the librarian's desk. By the time I'd done that, lunch was over, and I was nearly late for the damned etiquette class.
By some speck of luck, I arrived just as the line was entering the room. Joining onto the end with a sigh of relief, I tensed again as I slid into a seat beside Bane, only to find myself on the receiving end of several evil glares from other girls.
"What's their problem?" I muttered grumpily, to which Bane chortled.
"You seem kinda tense," he observed.
I rolled my eyes. "I got lost," I muttered by way of explanation. "Then I missed lunch. I don't do being hungry well."
The teacher, a tall, grumpy looking woman with grey hair piled atop her head, entered the room just as I felt something nudge my thigh under the table.
Curious, I peeked down to find him shoving a chocolate bar at me.
I gave a half smile and shook my head, but he poked me with the chocolate again, so I gave in. I began the arduous process of unfolding the wrapping from around the half-eaten bar in silence.
The room was quiet as a mouse as the professor examined us. I tried to keep my gaze politely lowered as I watched her move along the front row, inspecting us.
"You are doing well," she admitted, although she didn’t seem happy about it. "As this is an etiquette class, you will follow the rules of formal social engagement within this room. In formal settings, no demon still in the awaiting period is permitted to address any demon not directly related to them unless spoken to first. Once you have undergone your showings the rules will change slightly, but we will cover that in due course."
I managed to break a piece of the chocolate off inside the wrapper and began the long task of extracting it silently.
"My name is Professor Pruitt. I will be your instructor for these lessons in the hope that once we are done here, most of you will be suitable to be presented to your betters."
I raised a hand to my mouth, concealing a piece of chocolate that I snuck past my lips. I then used the same hand to itch the side of my face in order to disguise my rapid chewing and swallowing motions.
"Today, we will be working on greeting your elders. You will stand."
I gulped hurriedly, letting the chocolate fall into my satchel as the class rose in silence.
Unfortunately, Bane had noticed my seat in our morning class, and put us in the front row again for this lesson. Now, as Professor Pruitt strode towards me, I almost choked as I tried to force down the rest of the chocolate.
Before I could even think about what I was supposed to do, Bane had moved his chair over to the other side of my table, and kept it out, his hands resting on the back with his head bowed.
Pruitt looked stunned for a moment, and then broke out into a small smile. She tapped her hands together in a slow clap.
"Class, this is the correct manner in which to greet a female elder." Pruitt took out a small cylinder, which I mistook for a pen until she flicked it sideways, displaying a thin retractable rod with which she proceeded to point out parts of Bane's posture and bearing. "Gentlemen, if a female elder approaches your table, it is considered grossly impolite not to give up your seat for her. Take particular care to note the order of inferiority at the table where you are sat. If you are the least powerful or youngest member of the table, you are expected to silently offer your seat. Do not make eye contact. Do not speak." She gracefully lowered into the chair, and waited for Bane to push her in, giving a deep nod.
"Ladies, giving up seats for your elders is still required, but you are not expected to push the elder's chair in after they have sat."
Pruitt turned towards Bane. "Your name, young man?"
"Krossian, ma'am." He presented his surname only, and I wondered how on earth he knew all of this stuff.
Pruitt smiled as if that explained everything. "I have the immense pleasure of being intimately acquainted with your father, Krossian." Her suggestive words were less than subtle, and I pitied Bane for a moment. "You have his good looks, though you seem to take less care in your appearance."
Bane didn't speak, merely bowed his head.
"I am impressed with you, young man." She turned to me, "Now, let us see if your companion has anything to offer."
I kept my gaze politely lowered, thinking of how Bane had only spoken when spoken to.
"Chin up, shoulders back." Pruitt punctuated each point of my posture with a surprisingly sharp tap of her cane. Then, she gestured for me to sit down with her. "See how she sits, like a lady?"
Someone in the class must have done something wrong, because her head snapped around so fast it gave me whiplash. "Name?" She demanded of someone several seats back from me.
"Grinzo, ma'am."
"Why did you nod your head?"
"I was showing I understood,"
"Ma'am," Pruitt corrected. "You shall always address me by name or with ma'am. And never nod, it is rude."
"Sorry, ma'am," he amended, only to receive another tut.
"Were you asked a direct question?" Pruitt demanded.
"No, ma'am." He quickly realised another mistake. I didn't have to look to sense he was paling under the horrific stare she was
giving him.
"Grinzo, I shall remember you. Next week you will address and demonstrate your understanding of your errors before the rest of the class. Now if you have finished interrupting me, I shall continue."
The class was silent, and the nightmare woman turned back to me.
"Your name?” she asked
"Carazor, ma'am," I replied, still not looking at her.
"Your mother's name?"
Did she mean first name or maiden name? I settled for the latter. "Braxion, ma'am."
"Ah." Pruitt smirked knowingly. "Already you show far more refinement than either of your parents."
I wasn't sure I knew what to say to that, so I kept my mouth shut and did nothing.
"Your mother was the biggest narcissist I ever met, even before her showing," Pruitt began. "How did that affect you growing up?"
I didn't want to answer her. I didn't want to have this conversation in front of dozens of people I didn't know. "I am hoping to do my mother proud, ma'am," I replied, simply.
She scoffed. "And how is your father? Is he as uncaring as usual?"
"He is very well, ma'am."
Pruitt gave me a long look. "Very well, thank you for the conversation."
I bowed my head forwards a little more.
I stood as she stood; watching as Bane drew her chair out, looking as pale as I probably did.
Once she moved on to the next table and Bane and I had reclaimed our seats, we sat in silence as she circled the room, slowly and methodically torturing and humiliating us all in front of the class. She seemed to know every single one of our parents, and every single detail about them that could be used against us.
At the end, she stood up at the front. "Thank you for the stimulating conversation, class." She inclined her head. "You are dismissed."
We left, more subdued than ever before. Bane was absolutely rigid by my side.
After that, I wasn’t really hungry, so I turned to leave the castle. Bane gripped me by the elbow. "You haven't eaten since breakfast," he reminded me.
"I'm not hungry," I muttered, plucking his hand from my arm.
He seemed to study me for a while, but reluctantly shrugged.
"Your choice," he said, simply.
I expected him to leave me there and disappear into the dining hall. But, he followed me outside.
"You should eat," I told him, dodging the unshown who were manually lighting the tall victorian-style gas lamps along the path as I walked. "I'm honestly not hungry."
He snorted. "Weren't you listening to Professor Pruitt? As a gentleman, it's only right that I see you home first."
I smirked at his impression. "Where'd you learn all that stuff, anyway? You seemed to impress her, foul as she was."
Perhaps it was too soon to bring that lesson back up, but Bane didn't seem to mind. "My dad taught me. He insists on those manners inside his house when we have guests."
I groaned. "I take it back; my parents are the best,"
"It’s not so bad when it’s not Pruitt teaching you. Did you note what caste she was?"
"I didn't." I hadn't dared to really look at her.
"Me neither. She wears gloves and dresses like an old schoolmarm, so I doubt we'll ever know."
We reached the door and I shooed him back towards the castle. "Go eat," I told him.
He nodded. "Will I see you tomorrow?"
"If there is another etiquette lesson I may just decide to drown myself in the moat before then," I warned him.
“If you tried she’d just appear and scold you for breaking the rule about swimming in the moat.” Bane grinned, turning back toward the castle. “Goodnight,” he called over his shoulder.
I watched him go, then turned around, intending to buy something from the vending machine, but before I could get close to it I was stopped by Rina.
“Hey Lilith.” She looked nervously around as she greeted me. “Listen, some of the other girls asked me to talk to you.”
“About?” I asked, confused.
“They just wanted me to make sure you know who you’re hanging out with.” Rina gave a worried smile. “Krossian is bad news; you should keep away from him.”
I frowned. “Bad news?”
Rina gave me a small nod. “His father, Kellert Krossian, is a Lust who sleeps with everything that moves. According to some, he even rapes humans.”
The way she said humans, with a little sneer at the end, had my hackles rising, but I hid it. I didn’t want to make an enemy one day into term.
“I’m glad you told me,” I said. “But, honestly, Bane seems like a nice enough guy. Why should it matter who his father is?”
Rina gave a self-satisfied smile. “Because no one knows who his mother is. Everyone thinks – given his father’s proclivities – that she could be a human or worse.”
I shook my head. “They’d never have let him into Vice if he was a half-blood.”
Rina shrugged. “Either way, he’s not someone you want to fraternise with. Before he came here, he was expelled from three different schools.”
I frowned, what was she getting at? “Thank you for telling me this,” I said, noncommittally. “Who knows, perhaps he wants to turn over a new leaf.”
“You won’t stay away from him?” Rina looked incredulous.
“Until he gives me a reason to, I won’t,” I said. “Growing up with a Pride for a mother, I have learned to judge for myself. But, I shall remember what you’ve said.”
“Are you dating him?” Rina demanded.
I was completely thrown off balance by her change in direction. “What?” I asked, clueless. “I’ve had two conversations with him, and I definitely didn’t come to Vice looking for a boyfriend.”
Rina looked as awkward as I felt. “Sorry, I had to ask.” She threw another look behind her to the group of girls.
That was when I realised what this was. Rina was trying to use me to get into their ranks. Everything she’d said suddenly made sense, and I resolved to take it with a generous pinch of salt.
“It’s okay,” I muttered. “I’m not interested in boys and that stuff anyway. He did a nice thing and returned my notebook, that’s all.”
“Well, I’m glad you know now.” Rina grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Be careful.”
She skipped back over to her little gang, leaving me to make my way over to the vending machine at last.
I’d just grabbed a bag of crisps when a heap of cheering boys flew down the stairs, almost knocking me over.
One glance at their half-open shirts told me that they were all in Envy, and seeing Daron being hoisted into the air by them made me wonder if this was some kind of initiation. Then I saw the luggage floating behind him and realised that they must be moving him into their tower.
“Envy! Envy! Envy! Envy! Envy!” They chanted eagerly as they lifted him down the final stair and into the common room.
People began to clap along, smiling at Daron’s obvious discomfort.
“Envy! Envy! Envy!” The chanting took a long time to fade away, even when they’d left.
Would all of us be treated like that when we completed the showing? I wondered as I scaled the stairs, away from the buzzing common room and retreated to my room.
Chapter 4
It took surprisingly little time to settle into life at Vice. A small part of me, the piece that had wanted to go to university with humans, resented that being among other demons was so simple.
When I had had human friends, explaining that my dad was indifferent to everything and that my mum was a narcissist never worked. Now it was just accepted that each one of us was the progeny of two deeply flawed people.
My mother sent letters on a near daily basis, telling me about her life in great detail. On the third day I wrote back, explaining that I was fine but how badly Professor Pruitt’s lesson had gone. She had replied using fifteen pages to tell me exactly how she felt about the etiquette teacher. Although reading my mother’s hateful words about ‘the crotchety ol
d bat with a splintered barge pole wedged up her ass’ was hilarious, it didn’t help me much. All I had really gleaned was that eventually my mother had ended up banned from Pruitt’s class.
Although how to achieve such a feat was still a mystery.
In fear of the next lesson, I had studiously read my demonic etiquette book from cover to cover. The entire thing was drier than the desert, and I fell asleep reading it on more than one occasion.
