Chapter Twenty: Finally, the End
"Atlas… I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you…"
Everything around us was dark and cold. I felt empty and broken, like I'd failed. I knew Atlas was in trouble, but I couldn't reach him, no matter how hard I tried. Where is he? I thought this was over. Why is this happenin'?
"Atlas!" my eyes shot open and regretted it almost immediately. The sunlight flooding the room was unpleasant to my skin and retinas for the first time in my life. I was drenched in sweat, and my hands were shaking. I sat up, regretting that, too. My entire body ached like I'd been thrown against a wall several times… That all must have been real, then… I looked down at myself. I was covered in small bandages and my fingernails were caked with dirt, my cuticles outlined by blood that just didn't want to wash away. If that was real… "Atlas!" Forgetting about my pain, I threw the covers off of my legs and threw my head around my room, frantically trying to find him. "Where are you?" I panicked.
"Will you relax?" came a welcome groan down by my feet. "I'm right here."
I looked at the floor to find my brother curled up in his sleeping bag, pulling it further up over his head. "Thank Christ, you're alive," I muttered, letting out a heavy breath. "Are you alright?"
He rolled over, sticking his head out from his cocoon, one eye wide with worry, the other under a headwrap. It was only then that I realised how tightly my fist was clenched around my shirt. "I'm solid," he sat up. "Don't worry about me. I'm more worried about you. You look like hell." Groaning at his own bodily pain, he began to inspect me.
"Maybe, but you might want to take a gander at yourself first," I smirked weakly. "If I look like hell, you look like a new form of torture."
He chuckled carelessly, but tried to stifle it when his hand shot to his ribcage. "Don't make me laugh, you ass. It hurts," he winced.
Knowing he was fine, I closed my eyes to breathe for a moment, but that was short lived. The full memory of the night rushed back to me like a sandstorm, and so did the pain. My stomach knotted. "What about the others? Did they make it out of there?" I worried.
He frowned. "I passed out before you did. I don't know any more than you do. I don't even know how we got back here," he looked around our room like he might spot some kind of clue.
A loud bark rang through my ear as my arylu appeared by my feet, nearly landing on Atlas' bad leg. "Orien!" I wrapped my arms around his neck. "You're not hurt, are you?" I lifted his legs to inspect his paws. He'd been limping the last I saw him. He licked my face, leaving an icy sting on my grazed cheek, before jumping off the bed and running to the door, filled with energy. "You're right. We have to look for them."
Atlas and I helped each other up, but we were both limping so much that we had to use each other just to move. We were like a pathetic three-legged race team as we tried to break down a door.
"There they are!"
I looked up in shock at the murmuring people before us. Zeph, Shreya, Griffin, Beckett, and Aster were all in the common room sat around the table, their grins as wide as stretched taffies. My heart felt like it might explode.
"Perc, you're crying," Zeph stood up first.
"You… you're all alright," I mumbled, feeling the hot streaks on my face sting at what I assumed was a deep cut on my cheek. "Thank god. I was… I thought," I said breathlessly, staring at the lot of them.
"C'mon, Percy, you're getting me all wet," Atlas flicked my ear with the hand around my shoulder holding him up. "Stop being such a baby," he teased, but his tone was soft.
"You're okay, too!" Griffin started toward us. "And you're awake!"
"And you're mobile!" Aster cheered from the far side of the room. "It's so good to see you out of bed!"
"Should they be moving around?" Beckett fretted, starting towards us like we were two decrepit old ladies about to fall over. "Do you need any help?"
Shreya, who'd been standing like a statue with tears streaming down her face, pushed Beckett out of the way and threw her arms out. "C'mere, you," she said, throwing her arms around Atlas and pushing me a few steps away. He looked just as shocked as the rest of us, but his eyes got even wider when Shreya's hands cupped his face and her lips crashed into his.
"Um…," Atlas froze when she finally pulled back.
"I was so worried!" she cried, throwing her arm out to pull me into a three-way hug.
"Please release me," Atlas whispered, still horribly confused.
"No!" she shouted, beckoning for the rest of our friends to join in on the hug, smothering us in the middle.
"I'm glad you're all okay," I mumbled into her arm. "When Raife… I thought…"
"That we were just playing dead, because we knew you'd be disappointed if we beat Raife for you?" Zeph filled in of his own accord.
I chuckled through the emotion. "Yeah, somthin' like that." When we all pulled apart, I asked, "What happened after we conked out? How did we all get back here?"
Aster took a step back, holding her arm nervously. "Once I was feeling like myself again, I found Professor Kontos and told him what happened," she spoke softly, almost too soft to hear. "We went through the mirror and found you all," she frowned. "Professor Kontos rushed you all to the medical wing. We thought you and Atlas would be more comfortable in the dorm, so we brought you both back here after the Menders healed your wounds."
"Not all of them," Atlas favoured his rib again.
"We woke up this morning completely disoriented and with a headache to match, but not much worse for wear," Shreya added to Aster's story. I took a moment to look around at them. As she said, they looked pretty good, considering. A couple scratches and bruises here and there, but they were able to move and laugh, so that was good.
"It was actually pretty cool watching the Menders work," Griffin smiled. "They even managed to stabilise Professor Swan and bring her back to consciousness!" A wave of sadness suddenly hit him. "Although, her leg is still… well, you know…"
The image replayed in my mind: her leg getting ripped off, her limp body falling to the ground, the blood… It reeked of blood… I felt Atlas tap my shoulder and I shook the thought out of my head. "The point is, we're all safe and it's all thanks to Aster."
She blushed. "I was just doing my part. You all did yours in that dreadful laboratory."
"She's right," Atlas nodded. "This was a team effort, and we pulled it off."
The others kept talking, but my focus was on Aster. I knew she wasn't there for the brutal parts, but Raife still got to her. On top of all that, she saw the aftermath of the fight. I was worried about her. When her eyes met mine through our crowd of friends, it was like the world disappeared. I was so glad she was unharmed.
"Percy, could I talk to you, please? It'll be quick, I promise," she looked away, her eyes landing in the corner of the room.
"Yeah, of course," I nodded and limped over to her before she helped me to the corner so we could speak alone.
She looked so sad. The flowers in her hair hadn't recovered from Raife's invasion of her branching, so she looked even more upset. "Percy, I… I want to apologise."
"Apologise? Whatever for?" I furrowed my brows at her. There wasn't a thing she need apologise for. If anything, I needed to thank her for everything she'd done for me, for our friends.
"I can't help but think that, if only I were there, maybe I could have-"
I cut her off with a kiss, my hands caressing her jaw. "Apologise again and I'll kiss you before the first syllable. You did all you could, and I won't hear anythin' of it." If she'd been there… if she'd gotten hurt… I'd never have forgiven myself.
She looked like she was about to object, but her frustration turned into a sheepish smile. "I'm glad you're back, Percy," she held my wrists. "I'm glad it's all over."
"We have to plan that date, then, don't we?" I grinned, resting my forehead against hers. She bit her lip and nodded slowly.
We returned to the group when we heard Shreya causing an uproar. "This is for almost getting yourself killed!" A loud crack rang around the room as the palm of her hand collided with my brother's face. Immediately after, she planted another kiss on his lips.
He froze for a moment, his eye narrowed, probably from the sting on top of his already injured face, but then he smirked. "If that's what I get in return, I should try to get killed more often," he chuckled, looking uncharacteristically happy.
"Say that again, and I'll kill you myself," she smiled, her thumbs rubbing his cheeks as his hands met her waist. "You can't even begin to imagine how worried I was when I woke up this morning."
"When did you two get so chummy?" I asked, a wicked smirk on my face.
Atlas looked away and pulled his hands back, shoving them in his pockets, as Shreya turned to the rest of us with a brilliant smile. "Since before the gala," was all she said, but her expression gave me the impression that some things happened at the gala. She spun around to his side and laced her arm with his. "We should all sit and relax before I do something I'll regret."
We all sat in the common room and discussed the events of the previous night for nearly an hour. I was glad to be alive to talk about it, but my stomach was very distracting. It took most of the energy I had left to pay attention to the conversation.
"I expected Raife to be powerful, but he killed Dean Goeffe with a wave of his hand," Beckett slumped over his knees, sorrow and horror painted across his face, which he kept aimed at the rug. As her name slipped from his mouth, the room fell deadly silent. "Dean Goeffe is… was a great woman. She did a lot for this school. We were lucky to have her."
Atlas scoffed. "How can you even say that? She was a traitor. She endangered the whole school for her own selfish reasons!" he snapped, Shreya flinching away a bit at the harshness in his tone.
I frowned, knowing his words were true, but I'd also had that vision about Raife abducting that poor girl. "She was certainly a mystery…" I slipped my hand into my pocket and was a bit relieved to find the locket still there.
"Mystery?" he spat. "It's not that hard to puzzle out. That woman was selfish and cruel. I don't know what could possess you to want to help that witch."
When the confusion settled over the group, I pulled out the locket and explained the vision I'd had of Raife blackmailing the dean and the poor kidnapped girl.
"That's a lot to get into, especially after all she's already put you through," Griffin sighed, agreeing with my brother that it was a bad idea.
I squeezed my hand around the locket. "Last night, I finally saw who Dean Goeffe really was. Can we all honestly say we wouldn't do the same in her situation?"
"Goeffe should have known better," Atlas rebutted. "She knew about Raife, about what he was capable of. She got what she deserved."
I glared at my brother. "She didn't deserve to die, Atlas. She may have made some poor decisions, but she wasn't in control of the situation. And this girl isn't to blame for any of that!"
Beckett raised his hand to stop the argument. "There's plenty left to unpack from that night, but what matters most, at the moment, is that it's over." When he lifted his head, I noticed a shadow across the side of his face, but I didn't really think much of it since I'd had other things on my mind.
My brother and I sighed and nodded. "Harrington's right," Atlas agreed. "Raife is dead and gone, and at the end of the day, that's all I care about."
"And all I care about is the rumbling in my stomach telling me it's time for breakfast," Zeph interjected with a large grin as he patted his stomach.
My jaw quivered as my own stomach reminded me rather loudly that I, too, could've used some grub. I crossed my arms over my abdomen and leant forward into my knees. When I looked up, everyone's eyes were on me. "I agree with Zeph, if it wasn't obvious." Snickers broke out across the group as we all readied ourselves for our first meal as free folk.
Injured and hobbling, Atlas and I borrowed each other's remaining strength to follow our friends to the dining hall.
"So, you and Shreya," I whispered, raising an eyebrow. "I never would have guessed," I lied.
"Shove it," he growled, a pink tint rising on his cheekbones.
"You like her," I teased like a grade schooler. "Is that where you kept disappearin' to at the gala?" I wagged my brows.
"Weren't you hungry? I could give you a knuckle sandwich," he clenched his fist and held it up to my chin playfully. I laughed and pushed open the door.
"There he is!"
"First, he wins the championship game, then he saves the world. No biggie."
"Can I have an autograph?"
"Bloody hell," I muttered. Beside me, Orien recoiled from the abundance of cheers, people, and noise radiating from the dining hall at us. Applause broke out as soon as we entered the room. Shite! They saw Atlas! Then my arylu did what Atlas and I clearly wished we could do and vanished into the ether. "This is more than a little…"
"Overwhelming. Yeah. No kidding," Atlas finished for me.
Shreya threw her arms around both of us. "The whole school knows about what happened, by the way," she beamed.
"Obviously, but how?" I asked, still slack-jawed at all the attention. "All that only happened a few hours ago."
"Actually, it was about a week ago," Zeph's voice came from behind me. A week?! "When Swan woke up, she told the other professors what happened," he explained. "And I haven't exactly been keeping quiet, myself."
"You've become celebrities overnight!" Shreya cheered. "Not, like, my level of celebrity, but Kardashian tier at the very least."
My brother and I shared a look. "I don't want to be famous, nor do I want all this attention." Raife is gone now… Atlas can be seen, right? This is fine… My mind reeled, trying to grasp the concept of all our secrets being out to the entire school. After keeping quiet and sneaking around for so long, it was a bit bizarre. I curled into myself. "I can't imagine anythin' worse than havin' all these eyes on me…"
Atlas nodded briefly, feeling that way more than I was. "In the past month, I've talked to more people than I have in the past… ever, and to be honest, it's been awful. I'd rather be back in the mirror dimension than be the centre of attention," his lip curled in an anxious distaste. "I didn't walk through hell for the applause at the end."
Shreya looped her arm around Atlas' with a comforting smile. "Don't worry, you two. If things get overwhelming, Zeph and I will step in to help you. We were made for the limelight, after all." She led us over to a table in the centre of the dining hall. It was the only one available, which was frustrating. I'd gotten to the point where looking over my shoulder wasn't just a habit.
We all sat down and tried to start a conversation without people leaning in to congratulate or tell us how cool we were. Beckett sat across from me, looking as nervous as my brother in the crowd. With better light, I could see the cause of the shadow I'd seen before. He had a red scar, shaped like a bird's footprint, running from his left temple through his eyebrow and up to his hairline.
"Beck, what's…," I gestured to my own face to finish my query.
He shielded his forehead with his hand shyly, trying to brush his hair down, but it kept popping back up into the wave we all knew him by. "The Menders can only do so much."
Before I could tell him that it didn't look as bad as he thought, a goat-like vibrato rang through my ears from behind me. "Ah! Percy, Atlas! I'm glad to see the two of you up and about," he grinned, holding his hand out to my brother beside me. On the other side of me, Aster squeezed my hand tightly. Her idol had approached, and she was clearly nervous. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Atlas, and it's a relief that you're in one piece, like your brother."
"Um… yeah… Great to be, uh, whole," he replied, awkwardly taking the hand.
When Kontos had let my brother's hand retreat to his side, his gaze flittered between the two of us. "The new dean would like a word with you two. If you'd just follow me, please." Atlas and I nodded and waved a brief goodbye to our friends before following the professor through the crowd of whispering students. He looked over his shoulder, his brows furrowed with worry. What is there to be concerned about? Who is the new dean? When he spoke, his voice was low. "What the two of you went through this year was more than anyone should ever have to face… and at your age…"
I frowned. "You couldn't have known, Professor. I don't think any of us could have predicted that this was how things would turn out."
He let out a heavy breath. "Still, I must say… I'm quite impressed with how you handled yourself, young man. That goes for both of you."
Atlas snickered and elbowed me in the side. "Kontos is right. Even I have to admit, the way you handled yourself during this was impressive. I thought for sure you'd get yourself killed."
I glared over at him. "I'm gonna choose to take that as a compliment."
He rolled his eyes. "It is, begrudgingly. Despite being a complete moron, you weren't the total liability I thought you'd be."
"Oh, gee. Thanks," I threw my arm on his shoulder and pushed my weight on him playfully. "Figured if I didn't pull my weight, you'd kill me if Raife didn't."
With too straight of a face, he said, "You're not wrong." I scowled at him as he pushed my arm off of him. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… Even after such a short time, you're almost as skilled as me. Almost."
"Tosh," I retorted. "You were lyin' down for most the job. I easily have you beat," I teased. We both sniggered, and I actually got him to smile. I threw my arm around his neck. "Thanks, brov. That means a lot, especially comin' from you."
"Don't get used to it. This 'positive feedback' shtick ain't gonna be a regular thing," he smirked.
"Wouldn't expect anythin' else."
Kontos stopped for a moment just before we reached the professor's table and turned around, sadness still in his eyes. "When Aster found me and told me what happened, I was worried I was going to lose my favourite student…"
"Are professors allowed to have favourites?" I smirked.
With a gentler expression and a kind smile, he said, "Don't tell anyone, but we do tend to lean towards certain promising students." He straightened himself and brightened up. "I see now that there was no cause for alarm. I've had high hopes for you since we first met during your placement exam, and I'm proud to be proven right."
I laughed. "I don't die that easily, Professor."
"And I am pleased to see that is true. I'm much too excited to see what you'll accomplish next year," he beamed and turned on his hoof to lead us up the step to the professor's table. "Dean Swan, the twins, as requested," he gave a curt bow and took his seat.
"Wait… Dean Swan?" I let my eyes drift from my professor to the smiling woman with frizzy hair sat in the middle of the long table.
"You're the new dean?" Atlas sounded just as shocked as I was.
She waved her hand like a foul stench had filled the room. "Oh, please, don't be so formal! It's not like I asked for this blasted position!" I gave her a once over, seeing that she looked healthy, but had to double take when I saw the blanket covering her lap.
"Professor…"
"No need to worry about that, Perseus," she reached across the table for my hand. "That's the magic of-," she quickly covered her mouth with her other hand and motioned for us to come around to the other side. When we did so, she leant in to whisper, "That's the greatest perk of blood magic. My leg will be good as new with time. Just don't tell anyone I said so." She giggled as we stood up straight. I let out a relieved sigh, but fought the urge to shudder. I'd felt guilty for her injury, but it was nice to know that it wasn't permanent. That said, it reminded me of Raife's arm and truly freaked me out a bit. "But enough about me," she beamed. "I was actually hoping to speak with the two of you privately. How about we step outside for a moment?"
"Please," Atlas shot a quick glance at the crowded room. "I'll push your chair."
Swan's wheelchair was more like a hover chair. It had been enchanted to glide smoothly over the ground, allowing her to ease down the step effortlessly. The real struggle was getting to the doors without more people trying to speak with us on our way out.
When we reached the corridor and closed the giant door behind us, she collected herself with a sigh and a nod. "Now that everything's out in the open, I think there are still a few missing pieces to the puzzle I should fill in for you."
"You're tellin' me," I crossed my arms and leant against the wall. "I've been wonderin' a few things for a while and I don't feel I've gotten any answers at all. We could start with why all this happened in the first place." I knew the general things. Raife wanted everlasting power, as all villains do, so he did some research and came to the conclusion that he needed twins for his goal to meet fruition, but during the experimental phase, he discovered he needed babies and further that he needed kids with some kind of mystical energy about them, which is where my understanding stopped.
She sighed and nodded again. "Shortly after you were born, your parents began to hear rumours that Raife was kidnapping and killing twins," she began with no nonsense or diversions, which was refreshing for once. "Your mother knew that you two were the twins he wanted, and she was determined to keep you from him. To throw him off your trail, your parents decided to split you up as babies, leaving you in the care of their trusted friends from university."
I held up my hand to stop her. "Rewind. Raife said that we were special, and you just told us that our mum knew. What makes us so different from all the other kids he slaughtered?"
"Because of the very specific conditions of your birth," she explained. "Perseus was born a minute before midnight, and Atlas a minute after it. That made you, Perseus, a child of the sun, born before the darkest time of night, and it made you, Atlas, a child of the moon, born after it," her soft eyes looked between the two of us.
"Ha!" I laughed. "I'm older! I knew it!"
Atlas rolled his eyes. "Somehow that seems just wrong," he shook his head. "But wait," Atlas put his hands together in front of his face before sliding down the wall to sit on his ankles, deep in thought. "Light and reflection, the two components of refraction," he thought aloud. "That's what Raife said in his lab." After a second, his expression became hard and he slammed a fist against the wall beside him. "I used to ask my caretakers why he was after us, but they said they'd tell me when I was older. Then the 'why' just stopped mattering to me. I had a brother I needed to protect, and that was all I cared about."
I put my hand on his shoulder. "So even your caretakers didn't tell you the whole story." I crossed my arms again and looked off down the corridor. I scoffed. "Hell, if I hadn't ended up at Penderghast, I would've been completely useless when they found me!" It was an odd feeling, being angry with my mum. I understood why she chose not to tell me and why she raised me without magic, but it was the wrong choice. "It doesn't make much sense that my mum didn't teach me about what was comin' or to defend myself with a literal twin murderer after me!"
"You're telling me," Atlas hissed next to me. "I don't know what the hell she thought she was doing, but it wasn't protecting you."
"Oi! That's still my mum your talkin' 'bout!" I snapped, spinning my head around to glare at him. "She may have messed up, but she was tryin' to let me have a life!"
"Not a very long one, obviously," Atlas retorted, glaring back up at me.
Before I could retaliate, Swan held up her hand. "Boys!" she scolded. Before she continued, she let out a saddened sigh. "Your birth parents went to face Raife, but when we lost contact with them, we assumed the worst. Each of your caretakers were supposed to train you for when Raife came for you, but he disappeared, and many thought he was gone for good."
I let out the breath I'd been holding, finally understanding. "I get it. Mum thought that I'd be safe after he went off the map, so she raised me Attuneless." She was just tryin' to protect my innocence. "But she still tried to keep me hidden. I was home-schooled until after she passed away. Raife only found me because I was stupid enough to apply for uni."
"She was married when she took you," Swan frowned. "Do you know what happened at all to her husband, Perseus?"
I shook my head. "I didn't even know she'd been married until Atlas first showed up in your office. She never mentioned anythin' about him and we don't keep a lot of family photos. He must've died when I was still quite young."
She frowned and looked down at her hands. "That is a shame. David was such a charming man, good natured. Poor Nancy," she shook her head solemnly.
"My caretakers told me that if anything ever went wrong, we could be sent to you here at Penderghast, where you'd keep us safe as a last resort," Atlas looked down at his hands, then Swan, then me. "When Raife killed them, I went to find you, Percy. I tried to send us both to Penderghast through the mirror in your apartment, but something went wrong. You came through, but I was trapped in the mirror dimension." I frowned, knowing the hard times he'd faced while trapped.
Swan lowered her head. "When you showed up on campus, Perseus, I enrolled you and made sure you had a place to stay. I assumed your caretakers were dead."
"You assumed correctly," I bit my cheek.
"I knew that something must have gone wrong for you to end up here," she continued. "I didn't want to shock you with the whole story at once, so I tried to train you while keeping you safe, but that clearly didn't help." Her lip trembled and her eyes began to gloss over.
I still had questions, things that weren't completely explained. Then there were added questions from new developments and information. "Somethin' I don't understand, how did Atlas and I get that wicked power up we used to beat Raife? We were completely helpless with all of our magic bein' sucked out, but durin' the eclipse, we were suddenly powerful." I looked down at my hands, still able to imagine the tingling sensation that ran up my arms from my fingertips.
"That is strange," Swan agreed, shocked at hearing this for the first time. "Perhaps it was due to the timing of the event. The eclipse reached its peak at midnight."
"The mischievous hour," Atlas added.
"Raife's spell was set to complete at midnight. It seems something triggered a reversal of the effect right at that perfect moment," Swan surmised.
"Our hands touched," I offered, wondering if that had something to do with it.
Swan beamed. "Your magical energies must have sought each other out, leaking some power that caused the machine to backfire."
"And that's the power of Twinship," I joked. Atlas scoffed, but Swan fought off a giggle.
She gave a warm smile. "When I awoke that morning in the medical ward, my first thought was of you, Perseus. I was worried you were unprepared for Raife's power," she paused, a flicker of worry vanishing from her eyes. "But it's clear I shouldn't have been so concerned. You've only ever proven yourself capable, time and time again."
I gave her a comforting grin. "I wouldn't have handled nearly as well without your guidance, Prof- I mean, Dean Swan."
She snorted. "Please. We're beyond honorifics at this point, and the title 'Dean Swan' makes me want to retch. Just call me Swan, or Evelyn, if you wish." After taking a moment to re-compose herself, she said, "What I'm trying to say is that you've more than earned my trust. I'm sorry for not being completely honest with you this year."
"Let's just agree that there should be no more secrets, yeah?" I proposed. "I think we've seen where that leads. They do say honesty is the best policy." We all nodded in agreement.
A loud voice boomed out of the dining hall and echoed around the corridor. "Your attention, please. We're about to announce this year's award for top of the class!"
"Ah, we best be getting back. The acting dean shouldn't miss a moment like this," Swan grinned.
I helped Atlas to his feet and smirked. "We should go in, too. Someone has to tease Beckett about his overachiever award."
Atlas pushed Swan back up to the long table before joining me and the rest of the group at our table. We turned our chairs toward Professor Englund as he stood at the podium, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. "As is tradition, it is time to recognise the most promising students at Penderghast for their academic accomplishments. It is thus with great pleasure that I announce the top of this year's freshman class," he beamed and held up a small notecard. We all looked to Beckett, who was nervously fidgeting in his seat.
I nudged his harm. "I don't know why you're worried. You've got this in the-"
"Perseus Miller!" rang out across the room, echoing through the silence of the anticipating students. "Please come forward and accept your class medallion." I froze.
"Damn! Percy's got brains!" Zeph pushed me out of my chair by my shoulders. "Go, Perc!"
"Great job, Percy!" Griffin applauded.
"Wait, what?" I looked around, seeing all the eyes on me before cheering broke out around the room. Zeph, Shreya, Griffin, and Aster were all beaming with delight and clapping. "How…" I looked to Beckett apologetically, like I'd taken something from him.
"How thrilling!" Aster squeezed my arm before releasing me to claim the prize. "You must explain this award to me later, Percy."
"Hang on!" Shreya grabbed my wrist and pulled me back down, nearly landing on her lap, and pulled out her magi-phone to start snapping pictures. "Let me get a pic for my Instattuned! I so get bestie bragging rights."
I looked to my brother for help, but he was having too much fun watching me suffer. "Congrats for being a nerd."
I scoffed and pulled myself back to my feet. The only way this award would make sense would be if Beckett were distracted consistently and I managed to soar passed him because I was struggling to learn as much as possible to stay alive.
Beckett stood and straightened his blazer then offered his hand to me. "I know I should probably be furious that you won the award instead of me, but to tell you the truth, you deserve it." I took his hand slowly, sceptically looking him over. What alternate universe have I fallen into? I think he might get back at me later for it. "I know when I've been outdone, but you'd better watch yourself next year. I'm going to redouble my efforts."
I snorted. "Don't kill yourself. I can smell those smokestacks burning from here."
"Don't be ridiculous," he smirked. "My brain runs strictly on an organic, environmentally friendly power source."
"That doesn't help your case, you spod," I teased.
His smirk turned devilish for a second. "I'm sure you've lost the privilege to call me that, at this point. Now, go get your medal, keener." I felt pride. He'd made so much progress. It only took him an entire year to develop a sense of humour.
I shyly crept up to the podium, all eyes on me, and stood next to Professor Englund. "Congratulations, Percy. It is my honour to present you with this class medallion," he grinned as he pinned a small purple and gold ribbon on my chest. The medal was a golden Penderghast crest with a forked purple tail hanging beneath it. "Percy, you are, without a doubt, the most talented student Penderghast has seen in over a decade."
I scratched my head nervously. "I dunno about that, Professor. All I did was try."
"No need to be modest, Percy!" he patted my shoulder. "I can't think of anyone more deserving of this award." Ouch… I hope Beckett didn't hear that… I don't need more trouble.
"I can," I mumbled as I started back towards my seat with a roar of applause surrounding me.
A few more awards were given out for the other classes, but none of my friends got them, since the only person not a first year in our group was Griffin and he had been preoccupied all year, not to mention he wasn't the type to aim for the "greatest achiever" award. Once the dining hall settled down a bit, we all got to talking.
"So, I was wondering," Zeph started, "Percy, Atlas, do you guys have summer plans now that you're both, y'know, aware of each other's existence?"
"Hell yeah," I beamed. "We're goin' campin'!" I threw my arm on his shoulder. "Nothin' better for brotherly bondin' like livin' in the woods for two months." I'd actually thought a lot about the subject. Now that my uni flat wasn't mine anymore and neither of us had anywhere in particular to return to, I'd been wondering where we'd even go over the summer, that is if we lived to see it. Now that we could actually think about it, I'd have to put some real thought into it. Until then, camping seemed the best interim decision, since we'd both enjoy it anyway.
"That sounds great, actually," my brother agreed. "We could go hiking, pitch tents, bathe in the river at dawn, hunt for our food, fight off packs of scavengers looking to make off with our kill… It's good combat experience."
I stared blankly at him. "You had me until huntin' and fightin'… I was thinkin' more sammies and breathin' in that fresh woodland air…" He stared back at me, determined. "But sparin' sounds good, sure. Shreya!" I looked to her for a change in subject. "What are your plans for the break?"
Trying to stop herself from laughing, she said, "Well, in between binging Tuneless TV shows, I've got ideas for some spa products that I've been dying to put together, but I'd like to visit everyone a bit, if you're up for it." Her words spoke to all of us, but her eyes pinned Atlas alone. When he blushed and sank down a bit, she looked to her right at Beckett.
He beamed, ready to share his plan. "I was going to get a head start on the reading lists for my second-year classes, but my family is dragging me to Hawai'i."
"What a shame," I shook my head, rolling my eyes.
"I'll be studying, too, sort of," Griffin said. "I'm doing fieldwork in Tornado Alley for my major. I'll finally see some real stormdrivers in action!"
I leant across the table, eyes wide. "Listen, Griff, you didn't survive a fight with an old, scary murderer just to die in a bloody tornado this summer." He shrugged.
"Well, I'm staying safe this summer," Zeph interjected. "My aunts are taking Abuela, Zi, and I on a cruise, so I'm gonna eat, sunbathe, and scuba dive all summer."
"Oh, going on a cruise sounds fun!" Aster cheered, filling the air with her sweet, excited scent. "Though, I'll have to be content with just Penn Square, since I'll be running the store all summer."
"Well, we do have a date or several to plan," I smiled at her, feeling my cheeks getting a bit pink. She nuzzled into my arm and squealed happily.
"Wait!" Zeph stood up, leaning against the table. "I know a way for us to find out for sure what our summers will hold!" Without another word, he sprinted across the hall to the buffet line. When he came back, he had two trays filled with small bowls.
"Prophecy O's?" I chuckled as he placed a bowl in front of everyone.
"Oh! I've heard of these!" Aster sat up and stared down at her cereal. "I've always wanted to watch them show me my future!"
"Don't tell me you actually believe that a breakfast cereal can foretell your future," Beckett scoffed.
"Oh! Mine's moving!" Shreya jumped excitedly. "It says…," she watched the pieces rearrange themselves until they showed three dollar signs in a row. She rolled her eyes. "I already knew I was rich, so this feels like a complete waste."
"Mine's next!" Griffin announced. We all leant over the table to see his bowl as the letters formed out the words 'storm warning'. "That doesn't sound good…"
I stared intently at him. "Griff, I'm tellin' you, do not get yourself killed in a bloody tornado."
Aster tapped my arm, refocusing me onto her bowl. "Mine says 'branch out'. Perhaps I'll continue to improve my branching." I don't think that's what that means, but okay.
"Or explore new horizons, if you know what I mean," Zeph nudged her, winking obviously whilst looking between the two of us. She blushed, but didn't say anything on the subject.
"I suppose I'm next in this ridiculous farce," Beckett said coolly. "Let's see. 'Who are you?'" he furrowed his brow. "Did this bowl of cereal just tell me to do some soul-searching? Hogwash! Complete nonsense!"
We all snickered, but I made the next call. "Atlas' is spellin' out somethin'!" It was a longer message than I'd expected.
"Bewar-," Zeph began to read, but before any of us could see the rest of the message, Atlas shoved his spoon in the bowl and stirred it around.
"Come on, Atlas! I was tryin' to read that," I objected.
He shrugged. "What? I'm hungry. Besides, I'm with Harrington. Fortune-telling is for suckers. Whatever happens, I'll deal with it as it comes." He nodded over to my bowl where letters had begun to take shape.
I squinted down at it and cocked my head as I read the message. "Know no bounds…" What is that supposed to mean?
Atlas snorted. "Cryptic nonsense, if you ask me. And now your cereal is soggy."
"Well, I didn't ask you," I huffed, shoving my spoon into my mouth.
"I'll bet my fortune is especially detailed, considering how long it took to come together," Zeph cheered, gazing down at his bowl. After a long wait, he read, "Bucket." We all erupted into laughter. "Hey, I must have gotten Beckett's bowl on accident!" That comment made us lose what little collective we had left.
"Very funny," Beckett rolled his eyes.
We ate and joked and chatted for a while that morning, just enjoying each other's company without the threat of impending doom. It was rather relaxing, and much appreciated. After a while, the dining hall had almost completely cleared out.
"Griff, you're not finishin' your food? That's not like you. Is somethin' up?" I asked, observing his half-eaten Prophecy O's.
He grinned. "Oh, I'm not finished. I'm saving room. I heard about a Tuneless food cart that arrives in Penn Square at the end of every school year. I'm going to check it out after this."
I tapped my ear a few times to make sure it was working correctly. "I'm sorry, did you say Tuneless food?"
He nodded. "Exactly. No Yorba eggs, no dragon links, just Tuneless classics like… uh… well, I guess we'll find out!" he cheered.
I stood up swiftly. "We should go. Now." I was determined to eat some real food for the first time in many moons.
"I have always wanted to try 'marshed-mellows'," Beckett agreed.
"Beck…"
"I hope they have some Tuneless candies!" Zeph stood up, too. "I love 'jellied beans' and 'gobsmackers' especially."
"Ooh, I love those, too!" Shreya beamed.
"Guys…"
"'Jellied beans'? 'Gobsmakers'?" Aster's smile couldn't have gotten any wider. "I love Tuneless food, but I've never had those before!"
I sighed, giving up. "That's not what any of those things are actually called, but I'll save that for another time. Baby steps."s
"If they have pizza rolls, I'm so down," Atlas stood up and started toward the door, his hand shoved in his pockets.
"Alright! Let's go have breakfast number two!" Zeph cheered, following my brother.
I snickered at their excitement. "I'm excited to see how you all react to eating something that doesn't look like a giant eyeball or scream when you eat it."
"It's a good thing we'll have you for guidance, Percy," Griffin stood to walk with me. "Otherwise, none of us would know what to get."
I stopped for a moment. "Actually, mates, would you mind if we head back to the flat for a minute?" I asked.
"Yeah, sure. What's up?" Griffin turned around to watch me with a bit of concern on his face.
I chuckled a bit. "I just don't really want to go to town with all of these bandages on me."
Atlas looked down at himself. "If it's been a week, I agree," he said. "The healers should be done with us by now."
When we re-entered the dorm, Atlas and I stepped into the bathroom to look ourselves over and remove what bandages we could. For the most part, most of my deeper scratches had healed and only left a few small scars, but my shoulder, which'd had a good-sized hole in it, now had a good-sized scar sealing it up. It was shaped like a firework burst or a star, maybe, and took up my entire shoulder blade, overlapping just a bit with my birthmark.
"That's just terrible," I mumbled. "Now I'll never be able to go to the beach with this sort of thing," I joked.
"You're telling me," Atlas chortled, staring down at his thigh, which had a lightning shaped scar from the gash he'd received from being beaten down multiple times by Raife. "Does this make me look like I fought in a war?" he asked, begging for a reason to look cool.
I shrugged. "Ya kinda did," I said, looking him over. "Should we see what's under there?" I asked, pointing to his headwrap. "Maybe you'll have a badarse scar over your eye, like a comic book villain." He smirked as I began unwrapping his head. "Oh, Atlas…"
"I still have my eye, right?" he asked, now sounding a bit concerned.
"Yeah, but…" I trailed off, "it's not cool."
He sucked his teeth then pushed me out of the way to see himself in the mirror. He did have a scar on the right side of his face, but it didn't cover his eye. It was a sort of L-shape coming down his forehead and jutting off towards the bridge of his nose. The Menders had shaved off part of his eyebrow to work on him, so he looked ridiculous. "Oh, come on," he groaned, running his hand down his face. "My beautiful face is ruined."
"It's… it's not that bad," I tried, but I was snickering a bit.
"No," he glared at me, "this is horrible, but at least now your friends will be able to tell us apart."
I laughed louder, but stopped when his smile fell. "What is it?" I looked closer to him and realised he'd finally opened his eye.
"I can't see," he said, his brow furrowing as he tried to look around.
"That's to be expected," I said. "Your eye's been wrapped up for a week."
He pushed himself off the counter and huffed. "Whatever. It's fine." He reached for the long bandage I'd taken off his head and draped it over his face.
"What are you doin'?" I asked.
"If it doesn't work there's no point in showing it off," he grumbled.
I snickered. "You just don't want Shreya seein' that scar, do you?"
He went a bit pink and looked away. "Shut up," he huffed, tying the bandage in the back like a pirate's bandana turned into a make-shift eyepatch instead of wrapping it back up professionally.
"Now you look even more ridiculous," I rolled my eyes. "Do what you want," I chuckled while I cleaned up my mess. "Just don't go around tellin' people you lost it in the fight."
When we came back out to the common room, Zeph looked us over. "That's much better," he smiled. "Now you don't look like mummies anymore."
"We're a bit dinged up, but the Menders did a pretty good job, I'd say," I shrugged, looking myself over again. "Few new scars, but that's good for my reputation, I think," I joked.
Shreya ran a finger down the bandage Atlas had across his face while he puffed out his chest to look like a battle-hardened warrior. "Is something wrong with your eye?" she asked, very concerned.
Before my brother could answer, I said, "Nah, he's just bein' a little babber," causing him to deflate tremendously.
When we made it to Penn Square, a regular, non-magical, completely normal food truck was parked on the side of the road. I could feel the drool. I practically sprinted to 'Tina's Tuneless Treats'.
"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Aster cooed. "I can't restrain myself any longer!" she ran next to me and bounced in place in front of the window. It didn't take her long to order one of just about everything. She had sweets, chips, and a large corn dog. "Thish ish dewishish!" she cheered with her mouth full.
I laughed. "Did you plan ahead or just order whatever you saw?"
When she choked down the next few bites, she beamed. "Oh, I come here at the end of every year. It's a great opportunity for me to try rare Tuneless delicacies!" After taking her next bite, she pulled a small notebook out from a fold in her skirt and began to write in it, a vine holding both the pad and pen.
"Are… are you takin' notes?" I asked, watching her brilliant multitasking ability.
She nodded. "I take taste notes!"
"Alright, Percy, all this food Aster's holding is making me hungry," Griffin patted my shoulder before stepping up to the window.
"Yeah, you're the expert here," Zeph stepped up next to him. "What should we get?"
I shook my head, bewildered by their amazement of simple food items. It made me wonder if my excitement about dragon links was taken this way by them all year. "That's easy. Get the stew." Nodding like obedient children, the two of them ordered.
Shreya squinted at the menu and her eyes went wide. "Alright, so… I know what corn is, and I know what a dog is, but a corn dog… that can't be what I think it is, right?"
I laughed louder than I'd tried to. The image of an actual dog on a stick was just too funny. "The shorthand of it, it's a sausage wrapped in bread made with corn instead of flour. It'll make sense once you try it." She took the risk and ordered.
"Percy! Is this… Did they make this bowl out of-," Zeph marvelled at the stew.
"Bread? Yes. It's a bread bowl," I smirked.
"It's… it's genius! Genius!" he cheered. I grew up with it and I still feel that way.
"This 'stew'. It's so good!" Griffin looked like he'd tasted chocolate for the first time. He ripped off a chunk of the bowl and dipped it into the broth. "This is the best part."
Shreya held her corndog in the air to inspect it. "No offence, Percy, but if this is what Tuneless food is like, I'm glad I was born magical."
I smi. s"Just try it, princess."
She tentatively took a bite out of the side, not the top, and her eyes widened immediately. "I'm still not sure I want to know where the 'dog' part of this comes from, but one thing I do know is that it's really good."
I chuckled and ordered some stew for myself. When Atlas came over, I said, "Sorry, no pizza rolls, but they have corndogs. If you like American food that much, it'll taste about the same if you add tomato sauce." When he shrugged, I added, "Shreya seems to like it. It'll give you somethin' to talk about." Without another word or glance, he purchased two corndogs. A line began to form behind us, so we all moved to sit on a low stone wall to finish our food. "So, what do you all think of Tuneless food?"
Beckett looked down at his empty paper plate in deep thought. "I'd previously thought Tuneless cuisine was simply a pale, bland counterpart to Attuned cuisine, but I see now that I was mistaken. Tuneless cuisine is… simple in comparison, but it has a charm all its own."
"Just wait 'till you try curry," I smirked, knowing what to bring as a gift at the beginning of the new term. "It's nice to eat somethin' that doesn't scream when you cut into it every now and then."
Shreya gasped. "There's really no Tuneless dish that screams when you eat it? Not a single one?"
I shrugged. "Well, to each his own, but where I'm from, I'm sure that's illegal." Atlas knew what I meant, but I had to clarify for the rest of them. "It'd be all over the news if a piece of pie started screamin' upon your first bite."
"Who knew Tuneless food could be so interesting?" Zeph mused. "What other Tuneless stuff do you like? What's your favourite Tuneless thing to do?"
I thought for a moment. "Well, there are lot of things I used to do. Battle of the Bands, goin' to the cinema, fishin', readin' superhero comic books."
"Super… hero?" Beckett inquired. "What is that? A better version of a… normal hero?"
I shrugged. "Sort of. Superheroes are people who have powers, like x-ray vision, super-strength, invisibility, or flight. Well, save Batman… He's just rich and has too much free time."
"I'm a Batman?" Shreya asked.
I shrugged again, finding this subject harder to explain than I'd thought. "Batman knows martial arts and has a ton of gadgets used to fight crime as well. It's not really that simple."
"Superheroes sound pretty lame, if you ask me," Atlas said. "Attuned can do all of those powers you described and more with spells."
I pursed my lips. "That's true, but superheroes always have some sort of conflict. Could be internal, could be a nemesis, could be an evil bad guy. It's all about the character development. Well, that and the ace fight scenes."
He smirked. "Alright, the fighting part I think I could get behind."
I rolled my eyes. "Of course." I thought for a moment. "Now that I think about it, we're all sort of super now, yeah? We survived a massive battle, developed our characters, and dealt with internal conflict. That's pretty amazin'."
"So, does that mean we could make money if we wrote this all down in a book?" Zeph pondered aloud.
I shrugged. "Maybe."
Griffin stood up and stretched, patting his stomach with satisfaction. "I dunno about the rest of you, but I want something sweet after all the food we've had this morning."
"I saw some afters at Tina's," I offered.
"That's a good idea, Percy. I'll be right back," he jogged back over to the stand and returned moments later with two snow cones. "These looked so good, I just couldn't resist. Tina said they're called snow-"
"Snow cones!" Zeph leapt off the wall, eyes wide with excitement. "Griffin, you're a genius!"
"Zeph, are you feelin' well?" I asked. "The heat's not gotten to you, has it?"
Ignoring my concern entirely, he balled his fists excitedly. "Alright, everyone! I just had a fantastic idea. I'm going to need your help, but the results will be glorious."
Atlas sighed. "Another fantastic idea from the brains of this operation… Just what I need after spending a long night fighting a madman to the death."
Shreya agreed. "Zeph, dear, no offence, but I've learned to distrust your 'fantastic ideas'."
"Oh, come on, mates. Let's hear him out," I countered. "His gala prank was fun for all of us, remember?" I turned to by best mate with an encouraging smile. "What do you need us to do, Zeph?"
He took a deep breath and stood close to us, like his big plan was a secret mission that the locals need not know about. "I'm going to conjure a pillar of water from this fountain. Can you guys use a fire spell to turn it into steam?"
Beckett snorted, nearly choking on his food. "As long as Percy swears not to aim his spell at me again."
"Not even for the good ol' memories?" I joked.
He shook his head. "Most certainly not."
"If you and Buzzkillington are about done," Zeph threw his wrists out like a magician about to show off a new trick, "I need some space." We all shifted to afford him room to work as he faced the fountain, his feet planted firmly on the cobbles. He took a deep breath before raising his hands into the air. With stiff, concentrated movements, he flung his wrists up and a pillar of water shot up into the air. The people around us noticed rather swiftly and began to gasp in awe and confusion. In a matter of seconds, the water towered well over our heads, spraying a mist down on us. "Alright, guys! Go for it!" As planned, Beckett, Shreya, and I began throwing a volley of small fireballs into the column, creating steam that filled the square with an intense fog. "Here goes," Zeph let out a quick and heavy breath as he closed his eyes to concentrate. With a complex hand sign, a chill filled the air, freezing the steam into snowflakes that fell gently down onto the stone roads. Within moments, Penn Square looked as if it'd been hit by a blizzard.
I was amazed. It was quite the sight. "Zeph, the gala prank was brilliant, but this is next level. De Vinci has boat shoes and you, mate… you have this. Bloody brilliant."
"Is it snowing?" a first year near the Thief supply shop exclaimed. "But it's not Winter Week!"
"Snow?" the guard on the step outside the club extended his hand as a few flakes fell into his armoured palm. "Hey, boss, does that mean I get to go home early?" A rather harsh denial of his request soon followed, making the guard growl in disappointment.
Orien popped out of the ether and threw himself into the snow, rolling around on his back like he'd been dying to play in it for years. Atlas squatted down next to him and rubbed his belly. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but… that was really impressive, Zephyr."
We all looked back at our new hero, who was hunched over on his knees panting. "I… can't believe that worked! You know what this means?" he looked between all of us. When none of us answered, he shoved both of his hands in the snow. When he stood, he bunged a hardy snowball right passed my ear.
"Oh, now you've done it," I smirked, picking up a snowball of my own and had a go at my brother… who caught it in mid-air without even looking and crushed it in his hand. I was slack-jawed.
"I hope you understand what you've just done," he said coldly.
"I was hopin' to start a fun little round of snowball fightin', but now I have a bad feelin'," I could feel my heart racing. I was about to die. Raife was one thing, but my brother was truly terrifying.
"This is serious. You've just declared war," he smirked, but not until after he spoke. With one swift motion, he punched the ground, making Orien jump up and out of the way, and sent several packed snowballs shooting up out of the ground and into everyone's shoulders.
"You rotten cheatin' bastard!" I yelled, grabbing a handful of snow, tackling him, and shoving it in his face. Orien pounced around us, not sure which one of us to protect from the other. He ended up licking both of us until we stopped wrestling each other.
The entire scene was a free-for-all. Griffin shoved snow down the back of Shreya's blouse, making her squeal. "Cold! So cold!"
"That's what you get for starting a fight with Griffin Langley!" he cheered, dodging as she nearly threw her elbow into his ribcage. Atlas, hearing her cries but still being pinned down by his superior brother, hammer-fisted the ground, sending a barrage of snowballs into Griffin's back.
"What a hero," I teased, earning myself a glare and a clump of snow to the face.
"Using magic is cheating!" sssssGusriffin surrendered, running away from Shreya.
I laughed. "You can't blame him. He doesn't have depth perception!" I wailed, but had to stop chuckling long enough to duck under the very well-aimed throw my brother had sent my way.
Beckett tried to stay out of it, lingering close to the wall, leaning from side to side to dodge stray shots aimed at our friends. When I had a free shot, I chucked one at him, landing square in his jaw. "You- why?!" he huffed, eyes narrowed at me.
"You're no fun, Beck. Join in the festivities," I joked, throwing a handful of powder in the air like it was Marty Gras glitter.
Still glaring at me, he leant over and gathered some snow in his hand then he used his unfairly well-built arm to lob it across the square at me at a rather impressive speed. "Ballocks," I mumbled, bracing for impact as it hit me in the shoulder. "I thought you were dangerous back in class with that fireball, but this is a whole new low," I scoffed, pretending to fall backwards in pain. "I'll remember this forever!" I cried playfully as I faked my death.
"Your fears were well-founded," he smirked proudly before sitting back down on the wall casually.
"You're such a prat," I whispered, still lying in the snow, holding my shoulder in mock agony.
Just after high noon, we were walking around campus, enjoying our last day at school and reminiscing about past activities. We were in the square between the Metal-Att and the higher Earth Sciences buildings, surrounded by blue flamed braziers.
"I don't know if it's just me or the nice weather, but this is the most relaxin' day we've had in a long while," I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as a cool breeze blew my plaid shirt back, airing out my torso.
"Turns out, when you don't have a crazed madman pursuing you, you feel more relaxed," my brother chimed in, completely monotone. "Who knew?"
Aster, who'd been wrapped around my arm, beamed. "I always feel relaxed on nice days like this. When the trees and flowers and grass are this happy, it's hard to be worried about anything."
Orien ran around, weaving through our legs before landing sideways in the grass to roll around lazily. "It's not just us," I chuckled.
"Ah, Ms. D'Yew!" came a deep, warm voice we were all too familiar with. "Just who I wanted to see." Kontos had appeared from the main door of the Earth Sciences building and was making his way toward us, towering over the group when he came near.
"Professor Kontos!" Aster looked down at herself and patted down a fold in her white, lace dress. "You were looking for me? Do- do you need an item special-ordered from the shop?"
He bleated a small laugh. "Oh, no, dear. This is an academic matter. The letters have already been mailed out, but since you're here, I might as well tell you," he began, smiling down at her.
"Tell me what?" she asked, a bit of pink in her cheeks.
"You've been accepted to begin study at Penderghast as an exchange student next year!" he grinned, his long ears twitching a little with excitement. "If you have the time, we can fill out the necessary paperwork now, if you'd like." Aster's eyes went wide as she screamed internally, but her body was still while the news set in.
"That's brilliant!" I cheered, picking her up and spinning her around in my arms. "Finally!"
"I- I really- I can- Oh my!" she shook giddily.
"I'm so happy for you!" I kissed her forehead. "This is your dream comin' true!"
She wiped a stray tear from her eye as the flowers in her hair began to dance and turn a bright white. "Yes! It really is!"
"This year keeps getting better!" Zeph bounced. "It's gonna be great having you on campus next year!"
I wrapped her in a tight hug. "This is so excitin'."
"Exciting is an understatement," she wrapped her arms around my back. "I want to learn more about Attuned magic and go to the library and to Thief games and do all the things students do…" She let out a happy breath.
I pulled away to look her over. "I've never seen anyone literally breathless with joy before. It's rather infectious," I smiled.
"If you're ready, Ms. D'Yew," Kontos offered his arm to her.
"Oh! Yes!" she took a step back, but her hands traced my arms. "Just a moment, if that's alright, Professor?"
"Of course," he nodded politely, putting his arm down for the moment.
She turned back to me and rested her forehead against mine, caressing my neck in her hands. "Percy, I want to thank you. I don't think I would have been able to do this without your encouragement."
I scoffed playfully. "Of course you would've. Your hard work and dedication got you here, not me. You did this."
She grinned widely. "Maybe, but you're the first person to really believe in me. It made a difference."
I kissed her forehead again. "Regardless of anythin' I did or didn't do, this is all you. I'm just happy for you." She gave me a tight hug, her leaves tickling my arms as they waved excitedly. "Alright now, you need to go sort out your paperwork. It'd be a shame if you didn't get in because I was too distractin'," I joked.
She nodded with a giggle and took a step back, immediately being surrounded by our mates, all congratulating her and patting her shoulders. Kontos extended his elbow again, and Aster looped her arm with his, smiling and waving over her shoulder at us as he led her away.
"I've never seen her that happy," Griffin stated, "and she's happy most of the time."
Beckett nodded. "I'm simply excited to speak with her in an academic capacity next year. I've read much of wood nymph culture and philosophy, and it is fascinating."
"Well, while you're discussing that," Shreya started, "I'll be taking notes on Aster's fashion choices. Wood nymph couture is the future, I'm telling you."
"I'm just glad she'll be around more," I smiled.
"I bet you are," Shreya and Zeph wagged their brows at me.
I rolled my eyes with a smirk. "I guess that means you'll have to get your own room, won't you Atlas?" I looked around, but my brother was gone. "Atlas?" I caught sight of him sulking off towards the lake. "I'll be right back, mates," I mumbled as I jogged off after him. I followed him to the bridge, where he stopped to look over the edge at the main quad, his arms crossed and his eyes distant. "You alwight?"
His head spun towards me. "I'm fine," he said quickly.
"You look it," I said sarcastically. "Is all this school stuff getting' to ya? You know, you've done enough for this school and the magical world, I'm sure they'd let you enrol if you just asked." I leant against the railing, trying to read his expression, which wasn't difficult saying that he just oozed emotion when he didn't have his guard up.
"Maybe, but I'm not interested," he said simply. "This isn't my scene."
I was silent for a moment, then said, "You haven't really had a lot of experience with this 'scene', so how do you know?" I asked. "Besides, think of all the food you'd be missin' out on."
He smiled reluctantly and rocked back on his heels, looking down at his feet. "I will admit that passing up the Penderghast breakfast buffet isn't easy," he bit his cheek, "and the sunberry custard reminds me of the one my caretakers used to make…" He sighed. "I don't know. I just don't think I can stay."
"Tosh," I furrowed my brow. "You spent all this time trying to find me and now you just want to leave? What about this summer? Are you even gonna stay for that, or am I gonna lose you again in under a week?"
"Not everything is about you!" he spat, his eyes meeting mine, a deep irritation reflected in them.
Taken aback, I looked away and crossed my arms. "Alwight."
He sucked his teeth and turned his head swiftly back to the water. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap," he muttered. "I'm not leaving you or anything, I've just never been to school before. I've never been around this many people, and it's overwhelming. It makes me… itchy." I turned back to him, watching his posture wither as he leaned his arms against the railing. "Listen, Percy, I'm glad you found your place here, I really am, but I'm just not sure I can."
I moved to stand next to him. "I get it, Atlas. This is new for you. I just thought… after you found me, after I found you, found my missin' piece, we would stay together. I'm sorry if I'm pushin' too hard for that."
"I think what Perc is trying to say is that you're not alone anymore, right, Perc?" Zeph's voice caught our ears, causing both of us to jump. Everyone was behind him. They'd all followed us.
"Did… Did you hear all of that?" Atlas asked, a bit of red creeping up his neck. When they all nodded, he hid his face in his hand and turned around, groaning and mumbling under his breath.
I chuckled and put my hand on his shoulder. "Brov, you can always talk to me if you're feelin' stressed or overwhelmed, always. That's what I'm here for. All of us, really," I smiled.
He rolled his eyes, still not turning around. "If I knew having 'friends' was like hiring five therapists to follow you around, I would have stayed in the forest."
"Give it time," I patted his back, "give it time."
"Like it or not, you have friends now," Zeph beamed.
Beckett looked off the bridge, just as upset by all of this as my brother. "It was hard for me to come to terms with as well."
With a sigh, Atlas turned back around. "I'm sure I'm going to regret saying this, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy your company from time to time, so… Thanks."
Shreya let out a loud gasp. "Oh my, did Atlas just say 'thanks'?" she giggled, skipping over to him to wrap her arms around his torso.
"Don't get used to it," he huffed, but smiled as his hands found their way to her back. After a moment, he pushed her away. "You've all given me a lot to think about, so I'm going to go do that… Alone. Meaning, 'don't follow me'," he smirked. Without another word, he turned, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked away.
"Oi, Atlas!" I called after him. "Take off that bleedin' eyepatch! You look bloody ridiculous! No-one can take you seriously!" His response was to flip me the bird without even turning around. I snorted. "I reckon we wait to see what he decides," I turned back to my friends. "If there's one thing I know, it's that he'll decide what's best for him."
"I have a feeling we'll be seeing him around next year," Zeph said. "In the meantime, I'm going to do what's best for me and take a nap. I was exhausted before breakfast, and now I'm exhausted and on my way to a food coma."
"Aye, it's been a rough week," I agreed. "Sweet dreams, Zeph."
He sighed. "I don't have high hopes for sweet dreams, but honestly, I think I'm too tired to care. See you guys later, okay?" he gave each of us a quick hug then slouched off toward the dorm.
"I left something of mine in Professor Englund's classroom, so I'm going to pop over there and pick it up before I leave for the summer," Shreya announced.
"Oh, while you're there, could you keep an eye out for my copy of the Penderghast Compendium?" Beckett asked urgently. "It has my name written on the inside cover."
I snorted, "Of course it does."
He held up his hand to silence me. "Please, no teasing. Things are hard enough as it is. I've never lost a book before, and I must find it before I go home."
I was going to tease him anyway, but decided against it when a thought hit me in the face. "You should try the lost and found, that room we were in when we were chasin' Professor Swan a while back, remember?"
He nodded. "I suppose that's a suitable plan for the time being."
"Well, while you guys are of finding stuff, I've got no reason to go back inside for the rest of the term, so I'm going for a swim," Griffin stated.
"Swim? There ain't a lido here," I thought aloud.
"Who said anything about that? I'm jumping in the lake!" he said, already dressing down. "Anybody who's game is invited to join."
Shreya rolled her eyes, but bit her lip when she saw the muscles on Griffin's back ripple as he took off his shoes. She shook her head. "What about you, Percy? How would you like to spend your last hours on campus?"
I shrugged. "Hadn't thought about it. Maybe I'll just wonder around, see what I see."
"Suit yourself," she shrugged back before skipping away to get whatever she'd left in the classroom.
"Very well, I'm going now as well," Beckett gave me a brief, polite nod.
"Don't be so formal," I pushed his shoulder affectionately.
"Er, 'I'm out, bye'," he poorly mimicked Zeph, making my body twitch as I tried not to laugh, but that only lasted so long before the air came rushing out of my nose.
"You're ridiculous. Go find your book, you spod," I snorted, walking off the bridge behind him.
When we all split up, I had the opportunity to meander around campus without needing to be anywhere. It was rather relaxing. I thought about the year, what I'd learnt, the distance I'd come from not knowing my purpose back in Bristol. I'd found a home here at this school, friends, a family. I couldn't have been luckier, or happier.
After my trip around the world, everyone met back up near the greenhouse. Even Atlas had pulled himself out of his own head enough to join us. We had all that we needed packed and were just hanging around until it was time to say goodbye and leave for the summer. I supposed this would have been the perfect time to say an iconic line like, "I'm not going home, not really," or something, but I still had plans for the summer, so many things to figure out.
"I can't believe I'm about to leave. I feel like I've been here forever," I sighed, looking around at the landmarks I'd familiarised myself with over the past 10 months.
"Time sure flies when you're having fun!" Aster beamed.
"Or when you're being pursued by an evil old man who wants to murder you," Atlas added. "That's a fun way to lose track of time."
"Enough of that," I waved him off. "Evil old men aside, I had fun this year, and I have all of you to thank for that."
Shreya struck a cute pose, one hand on her hip and the other brushing her hair behind her ear. "Glad to see we're finally getting some credit for making this year the highlight of your entire lifetime." I smirked.
"I'm going to miss you guys," Griffin began getting sentimental. "Who am I going to talk about Thief with?"
Not even a second later, Zeph shouted, "Oh! Me! Pick me! I want to talk about Thief. I'm your guy, day or night!" He bounced giddily.
"I demand to be included in any and all discussions about Thief," I piped in.
"I don't know much about Thief," Beckett began, "but having someone to talk to about my research this summer would be mutually productive."
"You can tell me all about your research, Beckett," Shreya beamed, "but only if I get to make you read something fun for once."
"There's always a catch," I joked.
"Those are acceptable conditions," he nodded formally. "I am willing to expand my literary horizons. Summer is an excellent opportunity to develop one's artistic tastes, after all."
"I'm going to spend my summer on the lookout for magical items that remind me of each of you," Aster bounced.
Zeph joined her. "Ooh, can I get a magical wooden owl like the ones you have? Wait! Scratch that. Can I get a magical wooden lizard?"
Beckett rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous."
"I haven't seen a wooden lizard in a long time," Aster replied, "but I'll keep an eye out."
As we all began to walk back to the dorms to pick up our things, I bumped my shoulder into Aster's, taking her hand in mine as we strolled side by side. "Can I stop by to visit the shop this summer?" I asked.
"Of course, Percy! I'd love it if you would stop in," she beamed. "I couldn't imagine going an entire summer without hearing from you."
I shrugged and gave her a sideways glance. "It's not that you wouldn't know what I was up to, though, is it?"
She giggled. "I will probably check in on you, yes." I kissed the top of her head and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, making her snuggle into me as we walked.
"Oh, crap! If we don't get to the Hall of Mirrors soon, I'm gonna be late, and if I'm late, Abuela's gonna kill me!" Zeph shouted, jogging in place as he waved his goodbye before running off.
"You go on ahead. I want to sit for a moment and look at the lake," I smiled, pushing Aster forward with the rest of the group as they followed Zeph.
"Last one to the mirror room's a rotten Yorba egg!" he shouted back to us.
"If you're determined to embarrass yourself, then you're on," Atlas grinned before taking off at full speed.
"Friendly competition, is it?" Beckett chortled and followed after them.
Griffin chuckled. "Take your time, Percy. These clowns will be eating my dust for hours after I win," he said then took off as quickly as my brother had.
All of their laughter filled the air for a moment as they ran across the quad. I let out a pleased sigh and sat on the stone bench. I'm gonna miss this place.
The second I'd let myself fully relax, my head snapped backwards, a bright flash clouding my vision. Suddenly, the campus' green, luscious colours were greyed and misty. The ground began to shake, knocking the security statue off her pedestal. "You have no idea what you've started…" The campus flashed away, and I saw green hills for miles around, shaking as the earth began to crack in a long, jagged line through the valley. I saw a middle-aged man, a farmer most likely, clinging to the trunk of a tree, barely able to hold himself up. Heavy clouds rolled in, lightning sparking in the distance, just as the ground was forced open, the crack deeper than any fissure I'd seen. Purple light shot out from the ground, turning the sky dark. From the centre of the fissure, two arms emerged, where a man pulled himself out onto the grass. When he stood, he dusted himself off and casually pulled a top hat from the hole, fixing it on his head stylishly. The farmer approached him, asking if he was alright, but the man magically cleaned the dirt from his tailcoat and fiddled with his curly moustache. When the farmer reached out to him, the man summoned a twister in his hand, letting it grow larger and larger until it touched the sky. The cyclone tore through the trees, lifting the farmer and throwing him about with the rest of the debris. As he struggled, the twister worked its way through the countryside, becoming smaller as it disappeared into the distance. The man grinned and looked right at me, something I'd never seen before in any of my visions.
As my reality began to come back, the dizziness of my prescience took hold. I blinked a few times and reached for my head, but before my hand could get halfway up, I'd fallen sideways off the bench and hit the ground, blacking out completely.
Author's note: Thank you for reading this far. I had a blast writing this and I hope you had a blast reading it. I will be working on book 2, but I
want to work on two other variations of this story first, one of which is already started and available from my page.
Thanks again for sticking around and loving these characters as much as I do.
LZM