by Melody Rose
“As for the rest of you,” Kayne addressed my fellow students, “you have all been able to carry through the spell in some fashion, so I will record your progress. I congratulate you for your first successful wand technique! In time, you’ll find that you’re capable of so much more.”
With that, she whisked her wand over her desk to clear the stunning rainbow of crystals and summon a large, leather-bound book, as well as a fluffy, white feather and a small glass pot filled with ink. I guessed she thought that grading required focus instead of a quick, casual spell.
“Fuuuuuuuck…” I cussed under my breath to let off some steam. Only Rebecca was able to hear me, and anyway, I didn’t think they used that word here in Lemuria. She smirked weakly and patted my shoulder in solidarity. “I’m royally screwed.”
“Sorry about that, sister. I’m just figuring it out as I go along myself. It can take a lot out of a mage and requires a ton of concentration.” She twisted one of her pigtails around her finger and looked to the side in thought.
After she had an epiphany, she unraveled the hair and poked up at the air. “I’ve got it! You know, Theo is really good at this. I know you’re scared of him and all, but the way I see it, he owes you after scaring the crap out of you for no good reason.”
I knew she meant well and wasn’t scraping the bottom of the barrel for advice. It was actually a pretty good idea. Even though Theo was usually designing spells to drive me insane, I had to admit that he could go to impressive lengths. I mean, he was able to wrap me up in a matter of minutes after I tossed a bunch of salt in his eye. If he could figure that out while he was in pain, who knows what he could whip up with his wand?
Anyway, he had apologized to me, and even though it wasn’t enough to make up for my thinking I’d get digested by an ogre, it was a start. I resolved that I would ask him how sorry he really was and how he planned to make up for it. Besides, I’d make sure it’d be a fair trade by throwing in some cooking lessons. Maybe we could begrudgingly get along this way, and if not, at least I’d pass my Beginning Wand Techniques class, and that seemed way more important.
26
Joan
Every mage pocketed their loaner wands after Professor Kayne dismissed us, and Rebecca and I waited behind to leave on our own. We had developed a rhythm of walking with our own pace and going everywhere together as much as possible. That seemed to be the best way to keep safe in an academy where everybody seemed out to get us. Rebecca hooked her arm with mine as we stepped through the doorway. Leaning her head on my shoulder very briefly, I felt the warmth of her concern soak through my skin. She looked up at me with puppy dog eyes, clearly bothered by how poorly the class had gone for me.
“Everything okay, girl?” she asked in a soft but expressive tone. It seemed like she was dying for me to open up and spill my problems.
“I just feel so torn, Becks.” I saw a smile twitch on her lips, flattered that I had invented a nickname for her in less than a day. “I thought that a picnic was a good idea, but I didn’t know that the garden was actually forbidden. I thought it was just a lame suggestion that no one took seriously, but now I kind of see why he’s all twisted up about discipline and rules.”
I continued as guilt started to eat away at me. “After today’s class, though? Now, I wonder if he was onto something there. I mean, I thought it would have been child’s play to pick up a stick, wave it around, and pull off some simple spell after all the food I’ve been able to summon so far, but it’s not as easy as all that. I felt like I had a migraine by the end of Professor Kayne’s challenge, and I wasn’t even able to make anything close to rocks!”
Rebecca stroked her chin thoughtfully and waited for me to finish my points. She nodded every so often in agreement, but she was careful not to interrupt me so I wouldn’t lose track of what I wanted to say.
“Now I’m starting to realize all that it takes to excel as a mage in Bouclier, and I guess Theo is just trying to do all he can to make sure everyone stays on top of their studies.” I felt some of my anger melt away as I considered his motivations. “Maybe I really was pulling everyone out of their studies and making the first day of school too fun.”
After I paused for a moment, an odd sympathy for Theo finally taking over, Rebecca chipped in.
“Okay… I can buy that, but what about all that business about dangling you over Vrag’s pit like a dog treat? I mean, I totally support you milking that for all it’s worth since anyone going Ted Bundy on you has Hell to pay, but…” She scrunched up her face in disgust and threw anything nice to say right out the window. “You weren’t actually going to forgive him for that, were you?”
“Well!” I threw my arms up in frustration to buy myself some time. I didn’t really know how to answer her question, but I felt like I was put on the spot and had too many emotions to sift through. “How am I supposed to know what’s normal here? You’ve got a detention cellar, talking doorknobs, and friendly trolls! For all I know, threatening to throw back-talking students to an ogre could be your world’s version of a slap on the wrist!”
“Besides, he’s never actually, you know…” I tried to lead Rebecca to my suggestion without having to come right out and say it, but she didn’t catch my drift. I sighed loudly and then dropped my voice to a whisper. “... killed anyone, has he?”
“Oh!” Rebecca exclaimed as my question sank in. She then looked from side to side as though she were in the witness protection agency and didn’t want anyone to find her out. “Well… um… I’m under a strict contract not to tell you everything I’ve heard of. You know, Theo reveals all his dirty secrets and murder fetishes to me, and…”
I slapped her shoulder hard, horrified by her implication but pretty sure she was goofing off. She had such a weird sense of humor, but I liked her anyway. “You’re fucking with me! Come on, don’t play games. What do you think he’s up to? Clearly, he was just pushing the envelope too far, but he’s not that evil, is he?”
“If by evil, you mean that he would run around and put a hit on everyone he dislikes, I guess it’s pretty unlikely. To be honest, he just screams his head off at people when he’s pissed.” Rebecca shrugged. “Except when it comes to Lydia. Then he gets this weird tone of voice and says he’ll take care of it whenever teachers try to throw her in the slammer. I mean, you haven’t gone into all the details about what he did to you, but it sounds like he went out of his way to…”
She stopped dead in her tracks and then yanked me into a corner, her eyes huge like she’d seen a ghost. I laughed in her face. How did she get anyone to take her seriously with those ridiculous pigtails?
“What’s gotten into you, Becks?” I asked through giggles. “Spit it out.”
Rebecca’s sincere expression didn’t change at all. She grabbed my upper arms and then leaned into me to reveal what was eating her up.
“What if… he likes you?” she asked in a hissing whisper. After posing that question, she waggled her eyebrows and made obnoxious little kissing sounds in the air. I was glad that we waited for everyone to head out before us because we must have looked crazy with Rebecca muttering and making faces at me. It’s not that I would have minded anyone thinking she made a pass at me, I was more embarrassed about her acting like an immature five-year-old.
“Cut it out! Why would you say that?” I blushed, backed into a corner and thrown off by her innuendo. Even though I did my best to sound offended, I had to admit that I was curious about how she’d come to that conclusion. Why would the Headmaster’s son want to chase after me when he could have his pick of women?
She smirked, then jumped right into her impromptu investigation. “Put it this way. Even though he was super mad at you breaking literally every one of his rules… changing meal plans, feeding him fatty foods, breaking into the forbidden garden, and bringing your human traditions into Bouclier… did he actually seriously hurt you?”
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. After she had plainly laid out all of my choi
ces, I could actually see why they would be seen as rude to someone who wanted to keep the academy on the straight and narrow.
“What do you mean?” I asked helplessly. “Why don’t you be more specific?”
“Did he… bruise or scrape you up? Hold you dangerously over the pit? Almost drop you? I mean, he even made sure you were back in time for class, so he didn’t even try to damage your Spell Point Average!”
Her last point was especially insightful. I mean, if Theo really wanted to run me out of Lemuria, wouldn’t he have wanted me to flounder in my classes so that his father would lose faith in me?
“Yeah, you’re right. He was totally chivalrous,” I deadpanned. She went from up in arms to fangirl in a matter of minutes once she convinced herself that Theo harbored some secret crush on me. “To answer your questions, though, none of that happened. He did, uh, tie me up and smack me on the butt. Does that count as assault?”
Rebecca’s former shadow of concern crossed over her face again. She looked dead into my eyes with raised eyebrows, and it even seemed like she would have sicced herself on Theo as enthusiastically as Aurelius would if I were in real trouble. I guessed that hauling me over to the castle dungeon to get some time alone with me was okay, but laying hands on me without my permission was where Becks drew the line.
“Well…” she began. “That’s up to you. How do you feel about it?”
I had to stop myself from licking my lips when I reflected upon the sensation of being at Theo’s mercy. If I were to subtract the whole I-think-I’m-going-to-die variable, it actually wasn’t so bad. Enjoyable, even. Sometimes a girl just wants to let go.
“Okay, okay, don’t be weird about this.” From the look on her face, I knew she was going to be weird about it.
“Hey, girl!” she interjected and poked me playfully. “I’ve been around the block a couple of times. And by that, I mean I’ve been to some pretty shady areas of the Internet and have quite the manga collection, so you don’t have anything to hide. I’ve probably seen way kinkier shit than you can even dream up of!”
I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow suspiciously. That was big talk for a girl that needed to rush out of the room to avoid seeing me get cozy with Theo. Maybe she liked to listen to all the risque details, but she wasn’t much of a voyeur. I groaned in pretend aggravation. I was actually glad to get it all off my chest.
“Agh! Alright, you’ve got me. While I could have done without the growling ogre, it was pretty hot, all things considered. I would probably even try it again under different circumstances.”
“There it is!” Becks let out a huge victory cry. Somehow, she had also managed to summon a handheld air horn and blew into it like I single-handedly won the Superbowl. It immediately disappeared, so it must haven’t been a real difficult spell for her. I was mortified, especially because she kept laughing maniacally even when she was done.
“Jesus Christ, Becks! Shut the Hell up! I don’t need to get mobbed by everyone else that wants him!” I rubbed my neck furiously and had to shake the sweat off my hand. “So, what do I do about it? I mean, maybe it’s just some passing fantasy, and he’ll get under my skin all over again.”
“I say you explore it and see what comes out of it! Nothing ventured, nothing gained, babe. Since you’re asking me, though…” She smirked at the power I’d given her, namely, trusting her with my hypothetical love life. “You should work the cooking angle. It’s the class Theo’s the worst at because he can’t bring himself to bother with ‘peasant crafts,’ and it might really fuck up his SPA!”
Becks continued in a sly tone, “If you have the upper hand, maybe it’ll really get him hot and bothered! Plus, you could really use some help figuring out a wand, and I’m sure he’d be happy to lend you a hand!” She started cackling at her phallic humor.
“I can’t take you anywhere! Alright. I guess it’s settled. I’ll see what he’s up to and even throw in an apology for good measure to sweeten the deal.” I looked up at the ceiling as if I were hoping some higher force would talk me out of this. I sighed and then focused on Becks again with a pleading expression. “Wish me luck, ‘kay?”
“If you say so, but you don’t need it! You’re hot stuff, and you’ve just got to remember that!” she remarked so genuinely that I actually felt an immediate boost of confidence. “When are you gonna report back with the juicy details?”
I pulled my class schedule out and glanced at it, realizing I was actually done for the day. Maybe I could capitalize on all that extra time to hash it out with Theo and really come to some kind of understanding. It could all end swimmingly and who knew where that could lead. I was pretty intrigued.
“I was only slated for two classes today, so why don’t we meet up at dinner?” I asked, my stomach fluttering as it dawned upon me how close I was to maybe making a move on Theo. “We can help Chef Douglas, but we should probably leave out anything explicit until after we’re done. He could give us some intel about what makes the guy tick, though.”
“Good idea! See you then!” Becks ruffled my hair and then cast a curling spell on it. I also felt the sensation of makeup cover my face and was thankful that someone was looking out for me at least.
Freshened and pumped up by my friend’s glamour tricks and pep talks, I headed up to Theo’s room to pitch my idea of tutoring each other. I wasn’t expecting him to get down on one knee or see fireworks, but I felt like we could work out something either mutually fun or at least educational.
27
Joan
Since I wanted to start off on the right foot and show Theo that I was capable of treating him with respect, I decided it would be best to knock when I finally made it to his door. When he didn’t respond, I didn’t think I’d win any brownie points by pounding on it to get his attention. I hedged my bets and reasoned that based on how explosive Theo could get, he’d appreciate a more gentle approach.
With that in mind, when I didn’t get any response from Theo, I resolved that I would just let myself in. If he was against being bothered by any visitors, I figured he would have his door locked, and that would be the end of the story. I’d just have to pitch my idea of exchanging tutoring services on another day. To avoid getting into any nasty fight, I made sure to take a lot of deep breaths to settle my nerves and wear a gentle smile. That would signal that I hadn’t come here to get any comeuppance and instead wanted to make nice.
I turned the polished door handle and didn’t meet any resistance. I didn’t hear an angry shout at my intrusion, and I was also happy to learn that Theo didn’t have any lethal booby traps laid out. I didn’t put it past him to take some nasty measures to protect his privacy, but since I saw nothing seriously concerning after peeking through the crack, I pushed open the door fully and waltzed in casually. I figured that if I remained calm and collected, maybe it would rub off on him and we could have a mellow chat, finally put our differences beside us and find some common ground.
What I found odd was that there was absolutely zero response to my sneaking in without an invitation. I was expecting the inquisition or at least curiosity about who was bold enough to barge in on the all-powerful Theo. I heard some strange muttering from the far end of his room, and I wondered if he was preparing a spell to either warn or punish whoever had the bright idea to bother him. I wanted to intervene and talk him down before he got all worked up. If he got angry, I’d have no shot at steering him to a possible friendship. The last time I got on his last nerve, I thought I was going to be ogre kibble, and I really wanted to set a better tone going forward.
“Hey, hey, hey!” I sputtered in an innocent and pleading tone so that he’d just have to spare me. If he heard my voice, I was sure he would understand I wasn’t a threat and cut his curse short. To catch him before his plan got too out of hand, I quickly shuffled toward the noise and waved my hands frantically to show I was the nervous one and that he had the upper hand.
What I saw next blew my mind and drove me up the wall. I stood there d
umbly, my jaw hanging and my mouth wide open in disbelief.
Long, sleek black hair and a smooth naked back greeted me, and I knew immediately who had beat me to sweet-talking Theo.
“You know I couldn’t wait even a day longer, monsieur. I’ve been riled up through all my classes thinking about you, and you really must put me out of my misery,” Lydia whined in a seductive sing-song, wriggling on Theo’s lap to make herself clear. “It’s only fair!”
I felt my stomach tie into a thousand knots as I witnessed how comfortably she was playing coy with him while she took exactly what she wanted. I couldn’t wrap my head around toying with Theo like that and actually getting away with it. The one time I tried that, I was putty in his hands, and I felt like a wet tissue tossed in the wastebin afterward.
Besides being awestruck at Lydia’s take-charge boldness and obvious beauty that made my self-esteem wilt as quickly as a rancid bouquet, everything else was a blur. My ears burned as all the blood rushed to my face, and I drowned in my self-imposed punishment. I should have never come, and yet I walked my stupid ass up to Theo’s plush suite and actually acted as though this could all work out. What did I really think was going to happen? That I could just toss out all our fights and tie everything up with a nice, pretty bow?
I didn’t even bother to keep track of where his hands were, what sweet-nothings he spilled out as payment for this little lap dance, or how he reacted once it dawned upon him that I had caught an eyeful of the biggest snobs of Bouclier caught up in their obnoxious mating call. They fucking deserved each other, and I was not about to stand around to soak in this Skinemax special. I wanted to get myself out of this horrific scenario and wipe my mind clear of Theo.
