Pride x Familiar

by Albert Ruckholdt

  I narrowed my eyes at the Countess. “Prissila broke the agreement? Was she punished for what she did?”

  The Countess grimaced. “Severely reprimanding the only daughter of the Ventiss Family would have affected the stability within our Pride. The Ventiss Family has a lot of support within the Raynar Pride, so there wasn’t much our Primatriarch could do to them or to her. And the Ventiss Family knows this. Primavera Ventiss was almost elected Primatriarch of the Raynar Pride here in Pharos.”

  I frowned. “Primavera Ventiss?”

  Simone nodded. “Prissila’s mother. To say she resents an Alucard being elected as Primatriarch is a gross understatement. But these days Primavera has the support of almost half the Pride, while Serenity Alucard is supported by the remaining majority.”

  I couldn’t help but sigh loudly. “I get the feeling that if Prissila had bonded me to her, her standing would have improved within the Raynar Pride. Not only that, the Ventiss Family might have gained from having me in their ranks of affiliated Familiars.”

  The Countess breathed in slowly. “Yes, that’s true. Over the last fifteen years or so, it’s become popular for prominent members within a Pride to bond Familiars to them. By bonding you to her, Arisa Imreh gains considerable standing within the Lanfear Pride even though she’s the niece of the Lanfear Primatriarch. She’s using her new found standing to progress her plans. Unfortunately, now that you’ve lost your Fragment, her standing has taken quite a hit.”

  “I…I see….”

  Again she pressed down upon her chest. “Caelum, you’re right—all of this is my fault. After what my mother told me, I didn’t know how to handle it. When I learnt Prissila had whisked you away to the amusement park, I panicked.” She looked down and grimaced. “It would have been better if she’d never told me the truth. I wouldn’t have over-reacted. Now everything has gone to Hell.”

  I watched her tremble slightly as silence descended between us.

  I chose not to let it linger.

  “Simone, you mentioned something about my bloodline. What did you mean?”

  She wet her lips slowly, and then swallowed. “Caelum, what do you know about your family’s ancestry?”

  I gave her question some serious thought. The truth was, I knew almost nothing about my family, or my grandparents. Neither my parents nor my sister ever spoke of our relatives. After my parents died, Celica and I learnt that it was confirmed we were both orphans. But our genealogy wasn’t made available to us. At the time I was too young to be interested in our family tree and I was grieving over the death of our parents.

  I shook my head at Simone. “Close to nothing.”

  She nodded but it was more for her benefit than mine. “That’s to be expected.”

  “Why?”

  “Because your ancestry has been classified by the Prides. In fact, in many instances it’s been rewritten to hide the truth—to keep others from knowing about you.”

  I blinked quickly in shock. “Why? Why go that far? What’s so special about my family?”

  “It’s your bloodline, Caelum. Your bloodline dates back to the Cataclysm. But there are no records of your ancestors from before then. It’s as though your family came into existence after the Cataclysm took place.”

  My shock jumped up a notch. “No records before the Cataclysm…?”

  For a heartbeat, Simone actually looked afraid. But she nodded ever so slowly and ever so faintly.

  My voice was barely above a whisper. “How…how can that be?”

  Simone shook her head. “We don’t know. My mother says that nobody knows where your family came from. And it’s not just your family, Caelum. There are eleven other families that have no origins.”

  I mulled her words over.

  Eleven other families.

  Twelve families in total.

  I asked cautiously, “Prissila mentioned something about the Original Twelve. Is this what she meant?”

  Simone stepped closer to me.

  Her sweet fragrance reminded me of our time together in the storage room.

  She spoke softly. “The Original Twelve refers to the twelve families of Familiars that fought for the Aventis during the War of Supremacy. The twelve families that originated after the Cataclysm. It is said they wielded Artifacts of immense power, and that they helped bring an end to the war between humanity and the Aventis.”

  “The Original Twelve were Familiars?”

  “Yes.” She leaned forward, our lips only inches apart. “Just like everyone in your family.”

  I inhaled loudly. “What do you mean everyone?”

  “Everyone in your family line has been a Familiar, all the way back to the Cataclysm. Your parents, your sister, your grandparents and great grandparents. Even when your family line branched from the main line, they too were Familiars. All the members of your bloodline have had a high compatibility with the Fragments.”

  I blinked in disbelief. “All…all of them?”

  She nodded. “And all of them have served the Raynar Pride. You are the only exception. The first to be bonded to another Pride.”

  I swallowed hard then abruptly burst into nervous laughter. “Simone…tell me you’re lying….”

  Simone’s face fell into faint despair, killing my forced mirth in a heartbeat.

  She shook her head gently. “No, Caelum. It’s no lie. Your family—your bloodline—have been Familiars since the earliest records we have of them.”

  Even if I doubted her, I saw that she believed her words. Simone was convinced that what she was telling me was the absolute truth.

  I lost my will to laugh in the face of her conviction.

  She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Caelum, but it’s the truth. You and Celica are descendants of an Original Twelve bloodline. This is what Prissila meant when she said you were special. This is why her family considered breaking the agreement. They wanted to keep your bloodline in the service of the Raynars, not the Lanfears.”

  She reached out and took my hands, holding them tenderly.

  I lacked the will to break free of her hold.

  Simone spoke in a reverent tone. “If you’re ancestors hadn’t fought for us, the Aventis would have lost the war, and you and I would have never met.”

  I looked into her eyes, feeling almost overwhelmed by her revelation. But if there was more to know, then I needed to know it now.

  I squeezed her fingers gently. “Simone, please…tell me everything you know. Don’t leave anything out.”

  Her smile made my heart skip a little. “I’ll tell you everything I know. At least, I’ll tell you everything my mother told me.”

  #

  (Haruka)

  School Week Two. Tuesday morning.

  I came to school feeling like a wet rag.

  I’d tossed and turned most of the night, trying to figure out Caelum.

  Trying to figure out my feelings, and wondering if there was a chance to bridge the gap between us.

  Wondering if I should even try.

  I was feeling confused, depressed, despondent, and useless to myself and anyone else.

  I arrived at my classroom more than half an hour before homeroom was scheduled to start.

  I had an unexpected guest.

  Duncan Armand Avenir was a senior, and someone I grew to know over the past few months.

  To say that we dated was not a stretch. In fact, we were almost dating. We spent time together whenever I joined Siobhan and Alistair in the company of Duncan and his friends, which was to say quite often. Very often. So in that respect, we were both standing at the proverbial dating line, just waiting to take the next step.

  I was comfortable around him, and in truth he made me feel special. He was kind, courteous, and he paid special attention to me on each occasion we were together.

  At school we ate lunch together a few times, and while I heard rumors and gossip behind my back, I was thankfully untroubled by the usual bitchiness that seems to accompany the jealousy that girl
s my age can express.

  Oh, I should mention that in any girl’s book, Duncan is quite the catch.

  He’s tall, easy on the eyes, and lithely built, which suits him well as a member of the competing basketball team. He isn’t the star player, but he’s rarely benched, and last year he made a name for himself as a promising rising star.

  So here I was ‘almost’ dating an eligible senior.

  I guess I was lucky.

  Caelum was right. He had made a mess of my love life, but I’d held myself back as well.

  The end result was that I lacked experience when it came to dating the opposite sex.

  I could have been tricked by an unscrupulous senior, but I lucked out.

  Duncan was someone that I felt I could open up to.

  He eased the emptiness in my heart, the void that resulted when Caelum and I parted ways.

  By the time my second year of high school started, I had pretty much decided to open up to him, and was ready to say ‘yes’ if he ever asked me that all important question.

  No, I’m not talking about getting engaged.

  I’m talking about the other question – the boyfriend-girlfriend question.

  But then Caelum stormed right back into my life, rear-ending my first week back in school.

  Rear-ending all my carefully laid out plans!

  Aggh, he could be such a pain in the ass!

  So I arrived at my homeroom, and a short while later I saw Duncan peek in through the open door. Surprised to see him, I quickly met him in the hallway outside.

  “Hi,” he said, looking a little embarrassed.

  I smiled stupidly up at him. “Hi back.” Stupid heart calm down! “Why are you here?”

  “To see you.”

  “Ah…oh. Really?”

  He gave me a bemused smile. “Well, yeah. This is your homeroom.”

  I looked up at the sign beside the door. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

  Stupid, stupid heart! I’m having trouble hearing him. Stop beating so loudly.

  Wait, why was I getting so flustered? Last year and over the break I was totally at ease beside him. Then again, it was rare for the two of us to be alone. Siobhan and Alistair were usually beside me whenever Duncan was around.

  I frowned inwardly.

  Maybe this is was how I was supposed to feel.

  Maybe this was a natural reaction for a girl when she’s…falling in love?

  “Haruka?”

  “Hah—yes?”

  “This Saturday, are you busy?”

  “Heh—Saturday? No, I don’t think so. I’d have to check with Siobhan and Alistair, but I don’t think anything was planned.”

  My palms were beginning to sweat. I hid my hands behind my back. I worried my face would break out into a sweat.

  And my damn heart was being a nuisance.

  I can’t hear him if you keep drumming like that.

  Duncan swallowed noticeably. “Great, then would you go out with me?”

  I blinked and blanked out for a moment. “Huh?”

  “You and me, just the two of us. This Saturday. A date.”

  “Uh…just us? For real?”

  “Yes, for real.”

  I didn’t know how to answer him.

  Part of me wanted to jump for joy.

  But another part of me was scared.

  I was scared of letting go of Caelum.

  I was scared it would harm my chances of mending our friendship.

  Duncan was looking down at me with a nervous, expectant look. “Haruka?”

  I swallowed and gave Duncan a quick nod. “Ah, this Saturday. Yeah, I’m free. Sounds good.”

  I realized I’d given him an answer without discussing it with Siobhan and Alistair.

  He broke into a relieved smile. “Then it’s a date.”

  I started to smile back.

  In the corner of my eye I saw a familiar face walking toward us.

  I turned and faced that familiar face.

  Caelum was looking in my direction, yet his eyes were focused on a point beyond me.

  It was only when he arrived at the door that his attention centered on me.

  I stared at him, and Caelum stared right back.

  I smiled nervously. “Ah—morning.”

  His gaze flickered to Duncan. I didn’t miss the hard, flat look Caelum gave him. Then he muttered, “Morning….”

  With a tight bow to me, and the merest of nods to Duncan, he stepped through the open door and into the classroom.

  I looked away, trying hard to steady my jumbled feelings. My heart was racing and making me tremble at the same time.

  Duncan’s voice was low and concerned. “Haruka? What’s wrong?”

  I shook my head, unable to meet his eyes and shrugged lightly. “Nothing—nothing’s wrong.”

  Duncan asked me in a low voice, “He’s the Familiar people are talking about—the one in the holovids uploaded to various sites on the cynet. Am I wrong?”

  I looked up at him. “Yes. His name is Caelum Desanto afil Lanfear.”

  Duncan was quiet for a long moment. “Haruka, how well do you know him?”

  For a heartbeat, I debated telling him the truth. “We grew up together. He’s my childhood friend.”

  Duncan looked confused, then grew deeply concerned. “And what about now?”

  “He’s still my childhood friend, Duncan.”

  “And your friend, too?”

  “Ah…I don’t know. We had a falling out when I joined the Avenir Pride during the middle of last year. Our friendship kind of came to an end.”

  “Was he a Familiar at the time?”

  “No. He was a Regular. In fact, I had no idea he would be coming here. We hadn’t seen or spoken to each other for seven months. Then he suddenly transfers into my class at the beginning of the school year.”

  Duncan gave the classroom a heavily guarded look, then focused on me again. “Haruka, I’m worried what people will think of you, or do to you if word gets out your childhood friends.”

  I frowned hard at Duncan. “What are you saying?”

  “I’m just worried some of the student body may give you a hard time.”

  “You mean bully me?” I understood his reasoning, and the thought had crossed my mind. “Why are you mentioning this? Did you hear something?”

  I watched a range of conflicted emotions run across his face. Eventually he said, “I heard some of the girls talking. Apparently they saw the two of you talking in the garden, and now there are rumors floating around.”

  I folded my arms under my breasts. “What kind of rumors?”

  He looked distinctly uncomfortable. Even his shrug which was supposed to dismiss my question was heavy and conflicted. “Rumors that the two of you are dating in secret. That you’re hiding a secret, illicit love for each other. That kind of thing.”

  “A secret illicit love?” I pursed my lips into a thin, bloodless line. “Unbelievable,” I muttered.

  Duncan was eyeing me nervously. “They’re not true, right?”

  “Let me ask you something, is this why you came down to see me before homeroom?”

  “No, not at all. I came down because—because I’ve been wanting to ask you out for a long time. That’s the truth.”

  I sighed heavily, closed my eyes and shook my head slowly.

  I didn’t open my eyes again until a short while later.

  “Duncan, the rumors are not true. Caelum and I danced around each other for too long. We missed our chance and now he’s a Familiar and I’m an Aventis of the Avenir Pride.”

  He looked troubled. “Then there’s nothing between the two of you?”

  I replied as easily as I could but I was growing irritated. “Other than a broken friendship, no.”

  He studied me anxiously for a quick moment before noticeably relaxing. “I’m sorry Haruka. I didn’t mean to pry or hurt your feelings.”

  “You just wanted to be sure.”

  He nodded before he could stop himsel
f.

  I couldn’t help but sigh again. “Duncan…if you’re not sure about me, then don’t ask me out. It really hurts when people doubt my feelings for them.”

  He looked shocked, and his gaze wandered all over my face. “Haruka—”

  “Class is about to start. I need to go.”

  I turned without another word or a backward glance at him.

  I steeled my shoulders and back as I walked through the door and into my classroom.

  I don’t know for how long he stood near the door before leaving.

  Truthfully, I didn’t want to know.

  My heart was beating painfully hard and my chest ached. It was a struggle to keep the hurt from showing on my face.

  As I walked to my smart desk, I glanced at Caelum through the corner of my eye.

  He was staring at the display surface of his smart desk, but he wasn’t moving.

  I sat down at my own desk.

  Later, when Siobhan and Alistair arrived at the classroom, I greeted them with a cheery smile and wave. I prayed they wouldn’t see through my façade.

  #

  (Caelum)

  For the first time in a while, I managed to get through a day of school without being blindsided by unexpected events.

  Actually, that’s a complete lie.

  My day went to pieces the moment I saw Haruka talking with that handsome senior.

  I kept the study aid in my visor and headset dialed up to max. It was the only way to get through classes. I knew this was going to give me a headache later, but I had no choice.

  It was either that or struggle through the day.

  When lunch break came round, I skipped lunch. I wasn’t all that hungry, though I expected my appetite to return later today. I was looking forward to dinner even if it was cafeteria food from the dormitory kitchen.

  The truth was I just wanted to be alone.

  Getting onto the rooftop courtyard was easy. I climbed the roofs of the permacrete huts on the building’s roof, and found myself a spot to lie down on.

  And that’s how I spent my lunch break.

  Lying on a flat roof, with arms folded behind my head for a pillow.

  Just staring up at the artificial sky of the habitat – a sky some fifteen hundred feet above me – while listening to the sounds of the students eating lunch on the rooftop courtyard a short distance away. I heard the sounds of their conversations, and I heard the sounds of the habitat surrounding the Academy.