Chapter 15 : Last teenage summer, PART 1


Potions: Exceeds Expectations

Charms: Outstanding

Transfiguration: Outstanding

Herbology : Exceeds Expectations

Care of Magical Creatures: Acceptable

History of Magic: Poor

Defence Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding

Ancient Runes: Acceptable

Astronomy: Acceptable

Divination: Poor

Eight OWLs, with an 'O' in my two favourite classes. My hands were shaking while holding the letters. This meant that pretty much any interesting career I could think of was still a possibility, and that was good news. That was, if there were still any career to pursue anywhere.

It was the 13th of July. It was hot, as every summer for any British, but the sky was still clouded, that day. Heavy and threatening. And every owl I had received since we left King's Cross, from Miranda or Ashley (it would be a cold one in hell the day Kaidan would write anything), would bring the same kind of news: People missing, or dead. The Head of Magical Law Enforcement? Dead. As far as I know, one of her relative was in the D.A. The Wand Maker, Olivander? Missing. A couple of muggle families also appeared to have been slaughtered, even if our news on TV would only speak of "animal attacks" or "robbery gone wrong".

My father, John Shepard Senior, stood behind me.

- So, he asked, those exams?

- Good enough, I think. I validated eight out of ten classes, which is very good, and got the best possible grade for my three most important subjects. From the looks of it, all doors are still opened for a career in the wizarding world. Even Law Enforcements.

He frowned and left the room without a word. Not a single praise, not a single "good job, son". To be honest, I know he meant it, but he still could not really accept the idea that I would make a career as a wizard, not in the military. Or not even as anything in HIS world. I thought mentioning an Auror career might smooth things down, but in vain. To be fair, he had a really poor opinion of them, with good reasons.

Just a couple of hours after returning home from Hogwarts, I had talked with him and Mother about Voldemort. The infamous Dark Lord, brought back to life, ready to take power by force and with a well-known hate for Muggles. What do you think my father's first reaction was? Grabbing his wife's arm and running off to bloody Australia? Of course not. He wanted to go home, call his army buddies, some kind of general high up in the government and Gods know who else, and set up a taskforce to hunt the bastard down.

- You can't do that Father, I begged. You would risk exposing the whole wizarding world with it… They would rather come here and erase your memories in a flick of wand.

- So you say that they would chose secrecy over the safety of their people?

- In a way. Wizards also think that one Dark Lord is a lesser evil than the billions of Muggles turning onto them.

He had mumbled, rambled something about stupid and lazy ass politicians, and put his hand on Mother's thigh while focusing back on the road. First thing back home was to look into the security system and buy a new alarm, making sure his (registered) guns were all working and accessible, and probably setting up booby traps and goddamn landmines all over the house.

For a couple of days it felt good to be back. Mother, Mrs Jane Shepard, was as icy as ever, but the fact that she kept asking questions about school, magic, my friends, and of course, Miranda, proved that she cared, underneath that military coldness of hers.

I also spent a couple of afternoons with Grunt, my old friend from primary school. Not his real name, of course, but the nickname had always stuck with him. Ugly bastard he was, head strong like a brick and growing up to be a nasty streetfighter. Not the best of company, said my old ones, but I knew the guy had a big golden heart. At least if you were on his good side, I mean.

The night after I received my OWLs results, we got drunk with some beers he snatched from wherever he had wandered during the day. Hanging out in a yard behind his mother's house, while the clouds threatened to unload their annoying content, we emptied bottles after bottles, while talking about old memories, girls, and our dreams. Which is rather hard to do without mentioning magic, but he seemed very interested in meeting Miranda. And Liara. And Ashley. You see my point.

Of course, that would be the last time of the summer that I could hang out with him, as my father did not take well my very first hangover. Grounded. Would you believe it? I was about to turn sixteen, and I was grounded.

Worst, it was time to resume training, he said! He had met a guy called Anderson, a Navy Captain with seemingly a "great strategic mind and a lot of experience".

So started the 20th of July, I spent my summer days listening and studying under David Anderson until the end of the month, almost ten hours a day. Hand to hand combat was rather basic, but studying strategy with him, that was incredible. From the old battle and the campaign of Hannibal to some of his own anecdotes of his battles during the Gulf War, there was always some interesting things to say and learn. I've never read so much than I had in these ten days, but I was really disappointed when he had to leave.

- Sorry, son, he said while putting in cap on, but that was the last one for me. I'll need to thank your father again for this opportunity, it was a pleasure to teach you. Hopefully we could start again next year.

- New assignment, sir?

- Maybe, kid. I'll find out when I arrive.

- Alright. Thank you very much sir, I learned a lot. The pleasure was mine.

Of course Shepard Senior would not leave me hanging and enjoying my vacations.

- A new instructor will arrive next week, to teach you about the new automatic weapons in the army. Meanwhile you should start reading this book to get started.

Death by boredom. I was almost hopping for an attack from the Death Eaters, but I received the next best thing: a letter from Miranda.

"John,

I hope you are doing alright, despite Mr Anderson leaving. He seemed like a very interesting fellow, and a good teacher. I'm counting on you to pass those knowledges onto us!

And that could be very soon! Next Monday (so, in three days), Father will let us having the house at the beach, in Spain! I know, it's very short notice, he was supposed to spend the holidays with us but… well, something came up, as it always does. And since it's the first time that I do have friends to spend the holiday with, I managed to convince him.

I also think he hopes that I would be safer away from Britain right now.

I already have the International Portkey, and am sending this invitation to every Siblings!

We could even stay until the end of the month!

So, what do you say? Up for a trip to the sun and the sea? (and your dear Ashley in swimming suit?)

Let me know very soon!

Your friend,

Miranda"

- No, said Father before turning back to his newspaper. Grounded.

Bloody hell.

You know, convincing Father would be more difficult than actually fighting Voldemort with a hand tied behind the back. You would think that I could have taken it to Mother instead, but Jane Shepard was not a perfect match to my father for nothing. But on the other hand, there was no way in hell I would miss something like that. So it took me barely five minutes to decide myself.

"Miranda,

I'm in. I don't want to spend the four next weeks learning about the most recent guns and whatever gruesome way of slaughtering each other Muggles came up with.

Send me a broom so I can escape from this madhouse.

I beg you.

John."

On the next morning, a big black owl carrying a rather large package knocked on my window. Literally. With its monstrous beak. And it was loud enough to get my mother yelling from downstairs:

- Son, what is this sound? Is everything okay up there?

- Yes Mother! Just an owl, a message from a friend!

- Alright! Lunch will be served soon, please come down and set the table!

They would have to wait for quite a while. The package held a nice black broom, and a quick note saying it was enchanted to drag me directly to Miranda's place. I stuffed my bag pack with nothing more than my wand, a couple of clothes and my swimsuit, I quickly wrote a note that I left on my desk.

"Sorry Mother, Sorry Father,

You can ground me more next year. But I'm not missing that trip to Spain.

I'll keep writing.

Love you,

John"

I grabbed the broom, opened the window, and jumped. I was not really used to flying, but I had my classes, same as everyone else. By each mile separating myself from home, I felt the surge of fear and regret growing inside of me. Shepard Senior wasn't the kind of guy who would take this as a funny teenage prank. That was pure disobedience, and you know how soldiers love obedience… You know what? Now that I talk about it, I'm more and more blaming the Clan Song. I'm sure that without the magic working, I would not have jumped out of that window. At least not without more hesitations. But here I was, high in the clouds, freezing my arse off, hoping no Muggle would see me. Maybe the broom was enchanted for that as well? I don't know.

It took me over two hours at high speed to reach Lawson's Manor. When I landed, I was soaking wet, as I had crossed those stupid loaded clouds. Ironically, it started to rain just one minute later. Karma, I guess.

I had no idea where I was. Somewhere in the countryside, north-east of London, probably. I saw nothing around expect fields and couple of trees. Not a single road either. The mansion was just here, out in the open but still isolated. In a way, that creeped me out, despite the welcoming white stones of the walls.

You would have expected a huge castle, at the very least, for one of the wealthiest family in the country, but it was not like that. A big house, for sure, maybe a very big house, with its three floors, but nothing more. A couple of windows on the top floor had a balcony with some flowers on it. I was expecting a huge iron gate, some sculptures of fire breathing dragons or giant snakes, but no. It was just a regular sized wooden door, with no front yard whatsoever. Only the door knock stood out, carefully crafted in the shape of what looked like a giant reptile. Not really a dragon, not really a snake, it was something else, I could not really say what exactly. I knocked.

Nothing. Holy crap, if it wasn't the right place, I was in so much trouble! Lost in the middle of nowhere, with no idea where I just landed and forbidden to use any magic. I started sweating bullets despite the rain, I knocked again, harder.

Finally I heard some footstep inside. The door opened with a sound and there she was, looking at me with her eyes wide opened in surprised.

- Shepard? What? Already? I.. I was not expecting you until tomorrow at least!

I had not think about it! She had said three days, I was two days early at least!

- Oh hum… I stuttered. I euhm… when I received the broom this morning, I just thought… like. Euhm. "Let's go". You know?

She laughed, and cleared the way for me.

- Oh dear, you always find a way to surprise your world, don't you! Please come on in! You're soaked.

The manor felt quite different in the inside, way more modern, geometrical, everything in tones of black on white. The floor looked made of white marble, so did the stairs. The chairs and table in the living room on my left were probably made of ebony, and the couch and armchair on my right of the finest leather.

- Well, I said, it does look far more luxurious on the inside than on the outside. No offense.

- None taken, she smiled. Father always said that we do live in here, not out there. Come with me.

She dragged me to the first floor's bathroom and handed me a towel to dry myself up. I gave her a look and she rolled her eyes before leaving the room and closing the door behind her to give me some privacy. It was such a pain not to be able to use my wand to dry myself up in a flash…

Dressed in my spare clothes, my wet stuff on the dryer of the bathroom, I joined her on the couch. In a way it felt a bit like in Slytherin's Common Room, which might explain why it almost felt like home.

- So what happened? she asked. Judging by the size of your bag, you just grabbed whatever was closest to you and came right away. Was it that bad at home?

I shrugged.

- Not really. I just knew that the longer I'd stay, the harder it would be for me to leave. Stupid punishment, just for a hangover. We did not even break anything. At least not that I can remember… So yeah, I just… jumped. Literally. Although, now that you mentioned it, two pants and three shirts might not be enough for a month… Not to mention the couple of Galleons in my pocket.

- And you will have to go back home before school to get your stuff anyway, she added. You're so dead.

- Don't talk about it! It crossed my mind an hour ago while I was on the broom. I'm wetting my pants just to think about it, and it's not the rain this time… But what is done is done, it would just make things worse to go back now. As Father always says: stick to your decision, until you're proven wrong.

She got up, no, jumped up, and declared.

- Well, I'm happy you're here! Come on, I'll show you around!

It was rather unsettling to see her like that. So… relaxed, comfortable, less serious. It felt almost like another Miranda, but at the same time it made her even more attractive. The Ice Queen might not be so cold, after all, you know.

The house was indeed way bigger than it looked like. More than enough rooms for a Father and his daughter, three bathrooms, two libraries and more. Also, if there was no front yard, the backyard made if for it tenfold. Looks like her father liked exotic tree. Most of them had some kind of magic bubble around, probably to simulate the ideal conditions to get them to grow. There were many flowers as well, perfectly cut grass, and oh surprise, some statues.

- I haven't seen any house elves around, I said where the tour was done. I'd thought a family like yours would have some.

- We do, she answered. Actually we have four of them. Wrex, Wreav, who are right now accompanying Father for work, and Wiks and Kirrahe. I sent them both to Spain, to prepare everything for our vacations. I might be a spoiled little girl, she added with a smile, but I know how to cook for myself for one dinner, you know! You'll see tonight! I was not expecting guests until tomorrow, but I'll prepare you something worthy of you, Commander Shepard!

- -Ah come on! Don't call me that, you know it sounds weird. But I do look forward to it then. I'll help you in any way I can. Speaking of guests: did you receive answers from the others?

- All of them are coming except Mordin. Seems like the kid is not smart without reasons, his parents are making him take summer classes as well, and unlike you, he's a good kid who does not jump out of the window!

- Shut up!

We talked and laughed for most of the afternoon. She quickly cooked some carbonara pastas for dinner, which were indeed quite a treat, and we kept talking about everything while drinking one of her father's bottle of French red wine.

- That will teach him to leave me alone at home! she laughed, slightly sloshed.

It felt good, although unusual, to be allowed to be just regular teens again, away from the darkness of the upcoming war, away from Umbridge and her Squad, away from Snape and House points. For a moment, I felt jealous of Grunt.

- He's life feels so simple, I explained. From where I stand at least. A couple of beatdowns here and there, friends and drinks, pain and happiness. He doesn't care about anything he doesn't want to care about. The freedom of simplicity, I guess.

- I think you speak without knowing, she said simply. Maybe he envies your life. The challenge, the responsibilities, the weight of your own future on your shoulders.

She lied down against me, her head on my shoulder.

- You guys changed everything. You, Ashley, Joker… The Siblings. It might have started as some kind of teen rebellion, but you changed everything for me.

I stopped breathing. She was so close, smelling of wine, her breath burning the skin of my arm under the summer heat that settled after the afternoon's storm. She knew I liked her. I mean, I even confessed some months ago! She could not have forget it, so it probably meant that she was giving me some hints! An opportunity to do something!

Bite me. She had fallen asleep. Turned out that the Snake Empress could not handle two glasses of wine…

She was not that drunk, as she woke up when I tried to lift her up to get her to her giant bedroom.

- No need, she whispered. But I'll go to sleep indeed, sorry. Those have been some very tiring days. Feel free to pick whatever guest room you want. I'll see you tomorrow John.

She disappeared in the stairs, the last bits of her delicious perfume still sticking to my clothes. Those vacations were going to be hard on me.

I picked the first bedroom and lied down looking at the ceiling. The thought of my parent's wrath crossed my mind and made me shiver. I felt like a complete idiot and fell asleep somewhere around that time.


On the next morning, I was greeted downstairs by the smell of eggs and bacon, a truly divine smell at any time of the day, if you ask me. The two house elves had returned and were serving the dish to a pale-looking Miranda.

- Hey, she said faintly. Sit down. Wiks will serve you a plate.

- Are you alright? I asked while taking a sit at the table. You look terrible!

- Hey! That's no way to talk to a lady! No, don't worry I'm alright. Just had a rough night, I should not drink that much.

- But, you had only…

The loud sound of the plate dropped in front of me and the disapproval in the elf's eyes stopped me before I could finish the sentence.

- Wiks, be polite with our guests. He's merely concerned for my health.

- Wiks is very sorry, Mistress, she said with her eyes toward the ground. Wiks will iron her hands as punishment.

I looked at Miranda eyes opened wide. What in the heavens was that?

- No need, Wiks, she said like it was nothing. There's no harm done.

- Yes, I added. Please don't do that. And forgive me if I have been disrespectful toward your mistress!

It was the first time that I've seen elves out of Hogwarts, and the experience was rather unsettling. But well, as Miranda explained to me, it is what it is, to the great displeasure of Miss Granger.

Miranda indeed looked much better after the meal and a shower, and we went on a quick walk in the fields nearby, burning under the sun that replaced the clouds of the previous days. During the afternoon, our friends started to arrive, by broom or by Floo. First Garrus and Tali, together, then Liara, Kaidan, Ashley, Jacob and Joker just before dinner time. The summer had just started for real, and oh boy was it going to be fun.

Short jump forward to the next morning. While I was packed with only my stupid little bags, all of them, especially the girls, had a least one big travel suitcase, if not two. Gathered in the backyard, all doors of the house locked and the elves already in Spain ready to welcome us with a Mediterranean breakfast, we were impatiently waiting for Miranda's permission.

- Ready, she said, her hands hovering over that old-looking frying pan. One, two, three!

Pouf. One very weird sensation that made me want to throw up all my past hundred previous meals and here I was, already being cooked by the morning sun of the South, my feet in the sands, ten meters away from the magnificent blue sea.

- Awesome! Screamed Liara in joy, already running fully dressed in the water. It's not even cold! It's 9am and the water is warm! This is so perfect! I love you Miranda!

The blue-eyed girl chuckled slightly and blushed.

- Waouh, guys, said Joker in awe. Look at that house!

If their mansion in Britain looked rather modest, for a mansion, this house by the beach was a two-floor, white palace. The kind you would see on advertisements for luxury vacations in Hawaii. The first floor was almost nothing but a giant glass, through which you could see the giant dining table and the living room from the beach.

- It was my mother's favorite place, declared Miranda. Welcome to Lawson Island!

As she explained to us, we were on the small private island au couple of nautical miles away from Ibiza. Perfectly isolated, protected by many wards and spells, we would be left alone as much as we wanted. The chimney in the living room was connected to a safe location in Ibiza, and also to another one in Barcelona and who allow us to go visit whenever we would like.

The palace was big enough for fifteen guests, with its five bedrooms upstairs, the giant couch and the two massive bathrooms. Inside was waiting for us the giant breakfast that was promised to us. Liara, her feet naked and covered in wet sand, apologize for already messing up the immaculate floor, but all filth disappeared in a snap from Kirrahe's fingers before she finished her sentence. On the table were French pastries, Spanish delicatessen, different kinds of bread, cooked fishes, smoked salmon, bacon, eggs, cakes, and a wide variety of juices.

- This is paradise, whispered Joker, already drooling.

We feasted like kings, until way past lunch time, and spent the whole afternoon dozing off on the beach, under the sun for some or in the shadows of the palm trees for others (Tali and me). We fought in the water, splashing each other, or contesting for strength. We laughed likes kids, shouted like kids, played like kids. To this day, it is still one of the best day of my life. Magic did not exist. Voldemort and the Death Eaters did not exist. School sure as hell did not exist. They only thing that was real was the sun, the water, and us. Happiness in its purest form. Should I also mention, girls in bikinis? Liara opted for something rather classic, blue as the sea and her hair. Ashley, on the other side, wore something white that was quite daring, to the joy of the boys, a joy she seemed to be happy to trigger. Tali, I don't know where she found something like that, but she had a grey one-piece swimsuit that ended as a large hood over her head, protecting her from the sun. Finally, Miranda, well… she was Miranda. Shining so bright in her green outfit, she could eclipse the goddamn sun.

We boys did not look half bad either, if I can say so. Garrus looked even taller with his shirt off, and not as thin as before. Jacob even fell in the "super jacked" category. His muscle under his black skin were rather impressive, and I'm pretty sure that he had chosen a white boxer very much on purpose, what a show off. On a less positive note, I think Joker felt a bit uncomfortable. As he was not able and allowed to train with us, his body looked thin and fragile, almost sick. He quickly decided to put a shirt back on, pretending to shield himself from the sun.


Came the evening, and another feast. It was probably too much, since we were already full from the morning's buffet, but this whole paella stuff looked way too good to pass on. Smartly, Miranda had given the instruction to have only two bottles of wine ready for us. After all, we were all in our sixteens, it would have been easy to just get trashed, but she knew better, despite the protestations of Joker and, surprisingly, Liara as well.

Later on, as the night had fallen, we were all lying on the beach, looking at the stars like they do in the muggle movies.

- Does it feel different from the night sky of Hogwarts? asked Ashley.

- Not really.

- Maybe a bit less clear I would even say.

- Except that there isn't a single cloud. That's almost scary.

- By the end of the month, you will miss the British clouds, promised Miranda with a laugh.

Joker then abruptly sit up.

- Okay guys. Time to get serious and talk business now!

We looked at him with our eyebrows raised.

- The sleeping arrangements! he declared with a big smile. I spotted four bedrooms for two and one for three. And the couch. How do we work this out?

- I don't know, said Miranda with a hint of worries. I thought it would be something like you, Jacob and Garrus in the three beds rooms, Liara with Tali, Ashley and I, and Kaidan with John.

- Sure, but where's the fun in that?

His grin was devilish. You don't need much to know what he was thinking about.

- Oh no, protested Liara.

- Oh yes! he said. Let's mix things up! Have some fun!

- Yeah, added Kaidan. We already spend way too much time together in the dorms at Hogwarts!

Miranda sighed heavily, but she could not hide that smile.

- Wiks! She called. Bring an empty bottle.

With a light*pop*, the elf appeared next to her, holding a perfectly clean glass bottle that hold the morning's orange juice, and disappeared the same way half a second later, leaving the bottle in her mistress hand.

- Let's go, then, she said, handing the bottle over to him.

With a wide grin, I tried to make it spin in the sand. Obviously, it did not work very well.

- What are you doing? asked Tali.

- I'm trying to determine who is going to sleep in the three-bed room! But I cannot make this damn thing spin!

Ashley sighed.

- Give it to me, dumbass!

She throw it in the air side-spinning, not high, but just enough so it could make a few turns. It landed softly on the sand, without a bounce, pointing at Garrus. He stayed silent, as often, but lowered is head to floor with an exaggerated look of despair. Joker jumped in, picking up the bottle and threw it as Ashley just did. It fell, bounced one, and then pointed at Kaidan

- Aha, said the Slytherin. If he's as quiet in his sleep as when he's awake, I will sleep like a baby for the whole month!

But then the bottle pointed at Tali, who jumped out of joy, her hood falling down and revealing her beautiful black hair.

- Damn, regretted Alenko. I went from quiet nights to sleepless vacations… Damit, Destiny, why are you so cruel to me? He yelled in exaggeration, pointing his fists as the sky as we all laughed and mocked him. Don't worry guys, I'll give you some alone time! But I get to pick the next ones!

He grabbed the bottle from Joker's hands, and tossed it. First was picked Ashely, then Jacob.

- Oh, I'm in luck, it seems, she crooned while setting her arms around his neck and quickly biting his earlobe.

Jacob choked and starting coughing, much to everyone's hilarity, before blushing with his eyes wide in incomprehension. I laughed wholeheartedly, despite not really recognizing this pin-up, seducing Ashley. It was not like her, but to be honest, I never knew her out of school. So there was only Miranda, Liara, Joker and I left, and while I was still deep in my thoughts about Ashley, my name was picked up, and my heart jumped inside my chest. One chance out of three… Joker looked me deep in the eyes, knowing full well what I was wishing for. Kaidan got the bottle ready, commenting the suspense like a Lee Jordan commenting a Quidditch game.

Liara.

Damit.

I did my very best to hide my disappointment, which was not really hard, as every eyes were on Jokers who was gloating like peacock, his hands raised to the sky.

- Yes! he screamed. The Joker is the new king! Bow to me, Shepard, bow to me!

He approached Miranda, giving his hand and taking an aristocrat tone.

- My dear Lady, I hereby pledge to take the greatest care of you, if you would be so kind to have me.

- Oh my Lord, I do consent, she laughed back, taking his hand, imitating his tone. Should we retire into our royal suite, leaving those filthy peasants to tend with their… peasant business?

- I thought you would never ask! If you please…

They started walking toward the house, arm in arm, not without a very teasing wink from Miranda to my attention.

- Don't worry, whispered Liara, sitting on my lap, her arms reaching out over my neck. I'll take good care of you.

Her blue hair in my face and her scent reaching my nose made my world spin. Had she always been this.. Hypnotizing?

As a few teases started to rain down on us, Garrus, usually so quiet and introverted, grabbed the bottle in a flash, sprinted to the see, filled it, and came back in a rush to spill in over the "royal couple" before they entered the house, triggering screams, laughs and curses.

Well past midnight, we finally went to bed. Our bags ( in my case, my only bag) had already been brought to our rooms according to the arrangements decided by the bottle.

- Turn around, or I'll scream, said Liara with a smile.

I sighed, turned toward the door, and then hit my head in a hard facepalm. I had forgotten my PJs ! Leaving the bedroom for the living room, I called our for the elves.

- Yes, master Shepard? asked Kirraeh. How can I serve you?

I explained my troubles, and he just popped out of nowhere. I waited for a couple of minutes, unsure of what to do, but just when I decided to go back to my room, I popped back, holding a pile of silky blue clothes.

- Mistress Lawson said you were allowed to use the master's night clothes, he declared. They might be a little big for Master Shepard, but this is all that is available in this house. If Master Shepard wishes so, we could get other clothes from the mansion, but that will require a bit more time.

- No, that's perfect. Thank you very much, Kirraeh!

I went to change in the bathroom, to give Liara as much privacy as possible. Damned be Joker and his idea. I mean, I would have kissed him on the mouth if I ended up sharing bed with Miranda, and I didn't have to complain much, but still…

When I came back in the room, feeling a bit weird in this, indeed too big, super expensive, silk pajamas. Liara was already in bed, looking at me straight into my eyes, as lustful gaze on her face.

- Shepaaaard. Come and join me!

I must have looked like a complete fool with my jaws opened to the floor, because she burst out laughing.

- Oh man! You should have seen your face! That was so worth it! Alright, come here. Don't worry, I'm not going to bite.

- You sure?

- Yeah, don't worry. The bed is big enough for three people at least. But you better not snore!

I lied down, turning my back to hers, and waited for my brain to black out.

A/N : Hello everyone! I was planning to write a light-hearted chapter, mix between teenage drama and the Citadel DLC, before going into the darker 2nd part of the story. Turned out way bigger than expected, so i split the chapter in two.
Enjoy!