Chapter 2 - Reconnecting

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Moments after sending Alex away with an assistant, Justin intrudes Professor Fiendl's classroom with quick and angry steps, not even giving him the chance to talk before he shoots "Did you invite my sister to teach Improvisation?"

"Yes, I did, Sir." Fiendl answers with a self-satisfied tone and a big smile, which dies as soon as he sees Justin's angry face. "Professor Crumbs suggested and vouched for her. Do you think it was a bad decision?"

"Do you know why she's got so good at improvisation? Because she was too lazy to learn the proper spells."

"But, Sir, Professor Stumbler is legally blind in a number of states and, still, he is amongst the best foreseers out there. Just because he was tired of living up to his name."

"That's not even close to her!" Justin complains.

"What I mean is that no one knows what will bring out our best. In her case…"

"Just shut up!" Justin cuts him off. Seriously, he doesn't need anyone lecturing him about Alex. "And how did she find out that the Council could indicate a teacher without going through me? Who told her about the Council Stamp?" Justin asks.

"Well…" Fiendl starts with hesitancy. "She asked me if there was a way to keep just between us that she was getting the job. I said that all teachers have to go through the director's approval. Unless…" He takes a pause.

"Unless what?" Justin replies gritting his teeth, his neck vein already pulsing.

"Unless she got a Council indication." He answers.

Justin's right eye twitches once with Fiendl's answer.

"But I told her it was impossible without the indication of a high member."

"Well, I guess she found someone! Like Professor Crumbs!" Justin concludes in an aggrieved tone.

"So … you mean I shouldn't have said anything?" Fiendl asks and Justin's eye twitches again. He voices a mad grunt, then turns around and leaves the office clenching his fists.

At Justin's request, the assistant takes Alex to the classroom where she is going to teach her class. Behind the large professor's desk, far back in the room, a door takes to the quarters she is going to occupy. And it's huge. A giant living room with a kitchen is the welcoming piece, then a door takes to the bedroom, not any smaller. Oh, she is going to be so fine in here, just a few more girly touches and it will be perfect, plus a big TV because nothing is changing for her.

At noon, Justin has his lunch. His plate proudly filled with his new and healthier menu. Still, he kept a few of the not so healthy items at the request of the teachers; there is even mini-pizza every now and then, or some fried, greasy items. And that is exactly what Alex's plate is mostly filled with when she sits beside him.

"Where did you get this food?" He asks at the sight of her less than healthy meal while she takes a big bite on her hotdog.

"I have a wand!" She mockingly answers with her mouth still full. Justin shakes his head, disapprovingly, while Alex struggles to swallow the chunk. "I liked the old menu!" She whines as soon as it's all down.

"The kids need healthy food. I changed it for them." Justin defends his beloved menu.

"I'm not one of the kids." Alex points out.

"You have the same self control as one." Justin gets pretty proud of this one.

"HEY!" She complains, offended. "I can pick my own food. Can't you see how slim I look?"

Justin stares at her. "Haven't you and Harper moved in together again? Like, isn't that why she forced you to take that designer job at her internship?"

She stares deadpan at him. "Your point is…?" It doesn't really look cute when she talks with her mouth that full.

"I bet she is the one doing all the cooking."

"I cook, too…" She whines. "… like… …when I boil some hot dogs… …or make popcorn…" Her voice trails off, a little. "…See!? I cook!"

Justin gives her a sarcastic stare and goes back to his healthy plate.

But that wouldn't get Alex down. She doesn't stop talking about every little thing happening at home. The changes Max made in the SubStation; how it was moving in with Harper again, especially how she made sure this time the place had no connections with the magical world, aside the adjustments she made herself.

During her second portion of pudding, a chocolate one this time, Professor Fiendl interrupts them.

"Sir!" He formally introduces himself.

"Professor Fiendl!" Justin answers.

"Hey, Percy!" Alex compliments him.

"Miss Russo! Sir, I believe I managed to find replacements for Professor Stumbler's missing crystal balls."

"Great!" Justin answers, a little impressed. "Where did you find them?"

"I sought for the factory you mentioned. When I told them about the balls you needed…"

Alex snorts holding back a laugh.

"I mean…" Fiendl rethinks his wording. "…when I told them our school needed crystal balls and that it was a favor for our grand Principal they agreed in providing a whole batch, even more than the couple balls you need."

Alex laughs again, harder, and Justin gives Fiendl a mad stare. "I mean, the crystal balls we need. That our school needs." He corrects himself again, looking ashamed.

And Alex cannot hold herself longer. "So you finally decided to make it official that you have no balls?" She mocks Justin.

He also gives her a scolding stare, "And…", then back to Fiendl. "…when are the crystal balls arriving?" Justin asks, trying to ignore his sister.

"According to them, since it's for you, Sir, they will have it delivered tomorrow."

"That's great!" Justin replies.

"And that only at the mention of your name." Fiendl says in wonderment. "So young and so well renowned, already!" He lets out in a satisfied sigh then leaves.

Alex stares at the man with a scrunched up face as he moves away. "That was creepy!" She says turning to Justin. He looks at her and just shrugs. "Oh! Come on, Justin. Don't tell me that doesn't creep you out?" She complains.

"That's just how he is!" He answer.

"Hmmm!… I don't like him." She tells.

"Why!?" He asks with some surprise.

"Because he's a kissup!?" She answers as if that summed everything up.

"So what? At least he's being nice."

"Yeah. Then you let your guard down. And that's when they turn on you and trip you."

"Alex, would you stop that! No one is gonna trip anybody. He is a professor here, a well-accomplished wizard with a good history. Professor Crumbs brought him in before me."

"Actually, Professor Crumbs doesn't have the best backtrack at figuring people out!" She tells him.

"Yeah, fine! … But he didn't get it always wrong. I mean, he put me in here." He realizes soon enough he screwed up when he sees Alex ready to retort. "Shut up!" He shouts before she has the chance.

Alex purses her lips and shrugs at him. "You know, I can't believe you replaced Professor Adlib with that guy as your Vice Headmaster!" She complains.

"It wasn't like that. I didn't just replace Adlib! He decided to retire… On a short notice… By email." Justin tells.

"And Fiendl was the best you could get or you just needed a massage on your ego?"

"Actually, Fiendl was really helpful wherever Adlib was lacking. He was always more than ready to help, so it felt right to give him the job at the time." That did sound more to himself than to her.

"Mmmm! Whatever!" Alex replies. "So… Someone stole some crystal balls?"

"We're not sure they were stolen. They disappeared from the Prophecies' classroom after last semester. Maybe some kids were playing with it, got them broken and they hid it so they wouldn't get into trouble." Justin theorizes.

"Or they were stolen." Alex insists.

"I told you, we don't know!" Justin concludes.

"Mmm-Hmm!" She gives him a suspicious stare. She knows that Justin must have something by now. "By the way, who are WE?"

"Professor Stumbler and I." Justin delivers without much explanation.

"And who's that?"

"It's our Prophecies teacher. That one with the glasses on the other table." He waves his head to the next table.

Alex turns around and searches for the man. As soon as she finds him, she stares back at Justin, deadpan. "Those are not glasses. Those are telescopes!"

"Stop it, Alex?"

"Come on! I think he doesn't even need crystal balls. Those glasses do it for him." She states, smiling.

"Would you cut that off?"

"No, wait! I got another one!" She says in a laugh, waving her hand at him. "While you two were looking for the crystal balls, was he looking up or down? Because if he was looking up, he was probably just counting craters on the moon." Alex laughs really hard. "I'm so on fire today!"

Smiling, Justin looks straight at Alex. "Stop it. That's just rude!"

"Come on. Admit it. You liked it."

"It's still rude."

"That's not a 'no'!"

And a few moments of silence endure between them - because Justin is trying to discourage this king of behavior - while he checks something on his phone and Alex takes the final portions of her pudding. Suddenly she straightens up on her chair with a loud gasp of a sudden revelation.

"Justin, I think I know what Stumbler did to the crystal balls!" She tells him.

Justin looks up at her, eyes tightly squinted and forehead scrunched up, averse to the idea that Stumbler had anything to do with the disappearance. He peeks at the professor while his brain works on the charade. And then he gets it. "Stumbler did not turn the crystal balls into lenses for his glasses!" He sternly puts.

"How do you know he didn't?" She retorts.

"You know what? I have more important things to do than listen to your nonsense." Justin stands up and, instead of heading straight to the exit, he walks to where Stumbler sits.

"Professor Stumbler." Justin calls him loud enough for Alex to listen from her table. "I'm glad to inform you that we found replacements for the missing crystal balls." Justin informs.

"Oh, and I'm glad to know. Thank you, Headmaster Russo." Stumbler offers Justin a handshake.

"You're welcome, Professor!" Justin takes his hand, smiling. Then, in a sudden move, he bends down closer, still holding Stumbler's hand to keep him from backing off. Justin attentively studies the man's glasses, each lens at a time, trying to be sure. Then he gets back up straight, dropping the man's hand and giving him one last smile.

Justin walks away, again instead of heading to the door he returns to Alex and lowers close to her. "He didn't do it!" He whispers to her.

"But I made you look!" She answers, smiling. Why the hell does she always end up having the final word?

Justin grunts and finally helms to the door.

The rest of the day goes on uneventfully, pretty much. Well, if that is what you call Justin being constantly poked and mocked for every time Alex can remember taking advantage on him or for simply coming out on top, for every little thing she took from him. Like… he still haven't found his lightsaber - after she properly hid it again, of course.

And yes, she makes sure to follow Justin everywhere. She tells him she is trying to get into the teaching mood. Yeah, right!