Exchanges
Alex sat down in front of a man. The long hair and pale skin were interesting. He was in the library of Florence. Trying to look up what in the hell Scorpia even was. So far, he got as far as finding out it was a criminal organization that had a scorpion as a symbol. The problem was finding out that a lot of criminal organizations used similar imagery, though if they got too close to any of Scorpia's symbols there would be blood. "Is there something you need help with?"
Alex nearly jumped out of his skin. There was something off-putting about the man. "I'm looking up a criminal organization for school?"
Strictly speaking, he was on vacation. Tom had ditched him for something more entertaining than the library. "Isn't it a vacation for schoolchildren?"
Alex groaned and rolled his eyes. Adults seemed to think that 'no school' meant 'no homework.' He crossed his arms. "They give us work over the breaks now."
The man nodded. He was wearing sunglasses indoors. Weird. Then again, he could be hungover. Alex knew that there were supposed to be excellent wines in Florence. "Are you having any luck?"
Alex looked a little bit closer at the man. He didn't look like any librarian Alex had ever seen. Then again, it could just be that they had uniforms here or something. "Not really. I'm trying to look up a group called Scorpia. Are you a librarian?"
The man looked amused at the question. Alex would guess aristocracy from the 1600s if he had to go off the man's clothes. "No, I am a patron of the library, my friend. I funded the building of this place."
The man spread his arms and flashed his ring. It was the same as the crest of the library. Alex felt a bit stupid and out of place. "Er, sorry?"
The man chuckled. Alex wondered if he was about to get stabbed or something. "Not at all. My brother-in-law would call me a braggart. I simply love funding the arts and such."
Alex narrowly avoided rolling his eyes at the man. It was a close thing. Was he wearing three layers of fucking velvet stole? Alex hadn't even seen one used outside of a university graduation ceremony. "You must like it here, then."
The man nodded emphatically. He offered Alex his hand. Alex took it. The man seemed to freeze for a second before giving him a single firm shake.
Aro heard every thought the boy had ever had. It had been the usual drivel to get caught up with the human world until he got to the events shortly after the boy's fourteenth birthday. MI6? Blackmail? What was this world even coming to? Aro could understand recruiting young talent. He had Jane and Alec after all. He had even owned slaves back in the old days of Rome. This was just ridiculous. The poor boy had shot the prime minister and still hadn't been released from service. It would be hysterical if it wasn't a huge oversight. Aro cared little for humans but mass casualty events affected even vampires. If there were no British children to grow into British adults, all the vampires in Britain would be forced to move or be far more careful. Too few lives meant people vanishing were far more noticeable. Alex was looking at him. Aro released the hand. "Would you be interested in a study abroad program?"
Aro hoped the boy took him up on that. The boy looked skeptical. Rightfully so. This was not the old days where apprenticeships were socially acceptable for boys his age. Plus, the dratted stranger danger presentations made children quite suspicious. "What sort of program would that be?"
Aro paused and began typing at warp speed as he kept talking to the boy. They needed a website, even if it looked very old and outdated. That would sell it, right? "Well, you would go to school, all expenses paid, full access to the library. There would be lessons and in the afternoon there would be a kind of writing workshop."
Alex looked very, very suspicious. Aro wished that it was the sixteenth century again. Many would leap for a patron as wealthy as him. "It will be in a castle! And secured by the finest guards!"
Alex, to his surprise, nodded. "Sounds great, when do we start?"
Alex had known the second that the man said castle and guards it was another case of billionaire whack-a-mole. "It starts in a week but we can house you until then. Do you have a guardian with you?"
Alex froze. He'd forgotten that shit like this needed permission from a real adult. "Er, no?"
The man clasped his hands. "No matter! I'm sure we can have a secretary email them a form or something."
Alex took one look at the website and wondered what he'd gotten himself into. It was probably from the nineties. "Can I use one of my writing periods to improve your website? And, by the way, what's your name?"
To his surprise, the man did not look offended in the slightest. He rose from the chair. The man was eerily graceful. Alex was reminded of Yassen. "I am Aro Volturi. Come. Join me."
Alex got out of his chair and reluctantly followed him. If nobody else would protect the world from mad billionaires, then he would. Hopefully, this one didn't eat weird shit. Alex followed Aro onto a bus. There was a castle already in view. "Is that the castle?"
Aro beamed at him. The man looked far too excited for this to be legitimate. "Yes. It's my home. Well, and my brothers-in-law and the staff."
Alex mentally sighed. Great, another one with a castle. Why was it always a castle? Mansions were perfectly suitable to live in. "Is anyone else joining the summer program?"
Aro sighed. "I believe we will have at least two other students. I'm afraid that the website scares a lot of parents off."
Alex thought that it would have been nice to have a set of said parents right about now. They got off the bus and stepped towards the palace. Here they went again. Alex had decided to not bother with trying to warn anyone else about Aro Volturi. Nobody had believed him about Cray. He was done trying to warn people who didn't want to listen. He would figure this out himself. Alex was led to one of the most beautiful libraries that he had ever seen. This was a place well-cared for and centuries old. The stained glass could rival even the grandest of catholic churches. The shelves were made of dark heavy wood with a reddish tint. The computers almost looked out of place on the velvet-lined furniture. "It's beautiful."
Alex was being honest when he said that. He'd feel bad burning this down, even on accident. Aro seemed a lot more cheerful at that. Maybe this would be a nice relaxing- Alex heard a loud crash in the background. Aro froze. "Stay here. Some of our guests get a bit rowdy. I'm sure security has them well in hand."
Aro swept off and left Alex in the library. Well, not even an hour in. A new record speed for dodgy shit happening. Alex glanced around the library and took off after Aro.
Written for Prompt #75 by Zyzyax. This is the 27th work in the Winds of Change 2022 Alex Rider Prompt event, where a new prompt (plus a short 1-3K work) is posted every day. For more details, see the AO3 collection :) Want to discuss? Leave a comment beneath, or join the discord (Link on AO3 Fics or just PM me, lol).
