AN: Huge delay because the new AR book really threw me off, but I finally got my head around and wrote this chapter and a couple others. Look out for Chapter 6 coming soon!
It was 9AM, which is early for me. Well, it was early when you can't sleep because you have to go to a fucking school. I hope school starts as late here as it did back home, because I'm sure as hell not ready to go back.
I'm in this stupid waiting room in this school's office, and I suddenly get a flashback to when I was first taken /out/ of school. At least I'm not going to SAS training.
So here I am, with Mrs. Pleasure talking to one of the deans at Sabina's school. I have to say, Tamara really frightened Mrs. Pleasure with that unmarked package of my "school files". I mean, I did well at Brookland so it's not like they had to forge /that/ much.
So, Mrs., Pleasure called the whole family down and to my huge discomfort, starting memorizing my story for school. It didn't take long because she just fudged some grades, attendance records, and exams, but I had to humor the Pleasures. It was definitely painful, looking at more sources of discomfort of the family, but I just...I know that it's not my proudest moment, but I soaked in that concern. It reminded me of Jack doting on me.
"So do you want to line up his classes with your daughter's?"
"Yes, if you could please. I think Alex could handle it, especially with Sabina in them. Right Alex?"
I did not care and do not care about this. I've come back from missions before and I'll just have to do it again, like my Brookland days. But of course, a Tom-sized dagger comes right at me when I think of Brookland just as Mrs. Pleasure looks at me. She nudges me to actually respond.
"Oh yeah, sure, of course" I half mumble. I look at the dean's desk with a straight face and slight slouch. Uncle Ian would have definitely snapped at me for the that. I could see the mothering looks from the both of them out of the corner of my eye. It's a look that I would get from Jack; now I get it from Mrs. Pleasure.
I look up and see that the both of them are looking at my schedule. I feel a bit left out. A lack of control is what I complained about for years, right? Let's take a crack at this.
"Could I see it too?" I ask softly. Mrs. Pleasure puts an arm around me and squeezes my shoulder. It feels good, and I realize that I had forgotten what that felt like.
Its seems that I'm taking a bunch of the normal shite, but there were a few things I didn't recognize. We didn't get much of a choice back at Brookland, so I don't know what I'm looking at. Honestly though, I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that Uncle Ian had chosen my classes for the rest of my life.
"Alex, I never pictured you as a computer guy," Mr. Pleasure said, chuckling. I smiled in spite of my continuing discomfort at the "family" dinner table. "I know, I surprised myself too. I just thought about all the computers I've seen in the field, yeah? Can't punch people forever."
Sabina, grinning from across the table, added "Well, I was looking forward to your writing for the paper."
"In any case, I'm happy that our Alex got to enroll," Mrs. Pleasure said, walking up to a sitting Alex from behind, hugging him from behind, and setting down his water.
"Funny you say that Elizabeth, because there was a note on my desk today saying "enrolled"."
Alex frowned. "Never thought Tamara would be one to leave warnings..." He muttered. Sabina's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oi, what do you mean, and don't use spy words this time," Sabina retorted, poking Alex's foot with her big toe underneath the table. Mrs. Pleasure chuckled at the exchange.
"Well, it's a tad dramatic, no? It's something you'd do in a movie."
Mr. Pleasure saw the concerned looks Elizabeth and Sabina were giving to Alex (who was staring at a spot above Elizabeth, lost in thought) and himself. "Look, I'm sure it's okay. Alex, I wouldn't worry about it. You needn't grind yourself over this."
Everyone started eating, with Mr. Pleasure talking about work. Alex felt like he was living in a BBC family show.
"So Alex, what did you think of the school?" Mrs. Pleasure was smiling at him, with Alex looking back with a slight deer in the headlights look. He opened his mouth to answer, his feelings about Brookland immediately coming to mind. He paused when he felt this connection to Jack; the tone and cadence of the question somehow reminded Alex of Jack, of someone who cared about how he felt and actually listened to him.
And here was Mrs. Pleasure doing the same thing. He closed his mouth, felt tears pooling up, and replied with a stuttering "uh—um", his voice cracking ever so slightly. He felt so stupid. He held his own among the worst people to ever live, but he can't even make it through dinner?
Alex managed to school himself together while Sabina ran some much-needed interference.
"It's a nice school, better than Brookland at any rate," Alex said with a sardonic smile.
Sabina nodded in agreement. "No more bloody uniforms," she said, with her mum clucking at her language choice.
To say that it was frustrating that I lost my throat after Mrs. Pleasure asked me something so /simple/ is incomplete. He felt confused, weak, and a bit lost.
He could wax on about how he was affected, but that wasn't his style, Alex decided. Learn something new and adapt. Albeit this time it was about himself.