Not mine...
Chapter 2...
I appeared with a slight pop in the park near Privet Drive with my rifle pulled tight into my shoulder as I spun in a full circle checking for threats.
Seeing nothing, I flicked on the safety and let the Steyr dangle from is clip on my webbing. I hoped that no one sees me walking up the street. Being armed would make it a bit hard to explain if some random jogger happened upon me while I was making my approach to the house.
Thinking about that for a second, I shrugged off my pack and rifle and cached them under a nearby bush which I then covered with fallen leaves to further hide them from discovery.
Tonight I would rely on stealth, and if that was not possible and I was discovered by Them, one or both of my Glock's with a silencer attached – or a pillow held in front of the muzzle – would take care of any issues.
I had come straight from wherever the Fates had kept me while I was outside of reality. I only had what I came with.
The Fates had told me that once I had secured my Principal,
Money – an acute lack thereof on my part. Clothes – I only had combat gear in my pack. Shelter – Apparently the Potters were friggin loaded so they had at least a bedroom I could crash out in.
I would be living wherever Imogen was – if she accepted me, all would be taken care of.
As I ghosted along Privet Drive looking for number 4, I went over the plan that the Fates and I had hammered out.
Firstly. No killing of the Dursleys. – Bugger.
According to Atropos, it isn't time for their Threads to be cut. I have to be candid and admit that I did have a bit of a dummy spit when I found that out, especially when they alluded to the abuse that Imogen had suffered at the hands of that family.
But the Sisters were unmoved by my arguments.
They did agree to allowing Imogen the option of cutting Vernon's Thread herself if I agreed to let him live for now. – Like I could have actually done it if they didn't want me too. They let me think that I had won that argument…
Lachesis had explained to me that when Dumbledore had dumped Imogen with her relatives, they were borderline aggressive opinionated and bigoted assholes to begin with.
However, a curse or two here, a compulsion there and viola, one permanently changed family who had been totally rewired to absolutely loath and to be both mentally and physically abusive to anyone one or thing with the last name Potter.
He had also cursed Imogen to ensure that whatever was done to her in the house would not kill her – The Fates revelation that they were going to cut her thread, was them deciding to take independent action out of sympathy for what the not yet eleven year old had suffered - It would force her magic to keep her alive and to assist with any required healing.
It would also stop anyone from noticing that anything was wrong with her at school – when she actually was allowed to attend - and make her teachers believe that she was a liar and troublemaker and not believe her if she went to anyone and asked for help.
The Fates were not allowed to give me all of the information. I had to still figure shit out for myself, which didn't bother me. They also said that if I needed I could summon them and if they could they would answer my questions at the time.
Until then I was on my own.
Clotho then told me that once I had Imogen with me to call for a Potter House elf. When I asked why the Potter elves had not pulled her out of there in the first place, she told me that Dumbles had blocked her magical signature which stopped the elves – and anyone else – from tracking her.
Once a Potter elf laid their eyes on Imogen, the block would be broken. She also informed me that the wards around the property would not stop me or a Potter elf entering.
Atropos mumbled something about their being able to influence Dumbledore slightly when he cast the wards that would stop any magical person – or anyone from social services or police who had anything to do with the name Imogen Potter- from entering a half a k zone around the house to allow our entry.
I asked if the house elves would kill me.
Considering that I would be having the abused Potter Heir with me, would they try and protect her from me, and was informed that because I had summoned them to help their Mistress, their magic would see me as a friendly.
Thank God. I remembered the second movie when Dobby had whupped Lucius Malfoys ass and did not want to go through that.
My G-shock beeped and I glanced at the luminous dial and saw that it was bang on 0100. Perfect. As I was walking up the street I took note that there were no lights on in any of the windows. Not even the flickering of a TV set.
But allowing for the fact that Wednesday is a school night I did not expect that there would be anyone up at all.
I find number four looking exactly the same as number six, number two aaannnd having a quick Bo-Peep across the road, number five as well.
Fuck me, how boring is this place? I would hate to be pissed and be stumbling home from the pub trying to find my friggin house amongst this shit. You would be better spending the night in the lock up or on a fucking park bench.
I may have mentioned this before but shit I miss Brisbane.
Striding confidently up to the front door, I reach my right hand down flick the thumb break forward and rest my hand on the butt of one of my Glocks. I am ready to draw it at a moment's notice. I try to turn the handle and of course it is locked.
I'll have to do this another way.
A word of advice. If you are about to break into someone's house to boost something like their TV, car, fridge or their unwanted Niece. Be confident. Do not look around furtively. Walk straight up to the door, try the lock. Pretend to swear and pat your pockets down as if you are looking for the keys.
Trust me; you will have less chance of the Fuzz being called by some busybody neighbours.
I put my left hand back on the door handle and concentrate on what I want to happen. A click sounds and the door swings open.
Well fuck me. It was just like magic.
Ok, ok. I know, back the fuck up and explain what the hell just happened. Right?
Well She Who Must Be Obeyed – Clotho – decided that although I have a rifle, both my Glocks, and some friggin awesome body armour, an 11 year old with a wand could fuck my shit up by simply using a levitation charm to throw my ass off a veranda.
Because I have no way to defend myself from a magical attack, she and her Sisters, decided to gift me with magic. It is pretty basic and limited in its abilities, I can't do offensive magic, but bugger me. I'm friggin magical.
Boo-yeah.
For example, I can unlock doors, stun mother fuckers and even put up a pretty friggin hard-core Aegis shield that will stop everything short of the unforgivables.
They also gave me an ability to become un-noticeable – which I am currently using for the first time, and I can now do this cool trick where I can sense other people around me – use the force AJ.
Sorry. Couldn't help myself…
I can also use my own version of apparition. The best bit is, mine is pretty much silent and most types of wards cannot stop me. There are a few other bits and pieces I can do but we will get to them later on.
I also do not need to use a wand or any other type of focus. I just raise my hand and will it to happen.
Pretty much point and shoot magic.
I push the door open and walk into the entry foyer, leaving the door wide open behind me – I had a reason, trust me. I send out my magic in a gentle pulse through the house. Common sense tells me that there should only by four occupants in the house, however, you don't fuck with fate. Or The Fates in my case.
As expected, my mental scan only showed the presence of four people in the house. But one thing was not as expected. Instead of one return coming from the cupboard under the stairs and three from the upstairs bedrooms. One was coming from below the house in what I guessed was a basement.
Knowing that my principal is only meters away from me at this moment, and her most likely physical condition did not stop me from starting the ball rolling with regard to punishing the Dursleys.
Hey I was not allowed to kill them. I was not told I couldn't fuck with them.
I went upstairs as quietly as possible – quick tip. Timber floor boards can creak. If you have to stealth your way up or down a staircase, put your feet as close to the wall as possible - but judging by the sounds and volumes of the snoring coming from two of the bedrooms, I probably didn't have to worry about being heard.
I start on Dudley's room. I stun the human version of a baby Jabba the Hutt and use zippy ties – cable ties for all you people that don't speak Aussie – and bind his arms and legs to the four bed posts.
I then move to the master bedroom and repeat the procedure with Petunia and Vernon. I made sure to put Vernon's right tree stump of a leg over the twig of his wife's left leg when I zippy tied them to their bed. I also put enough power into stunning them that they shouldn't wake up till just after lunch.
With a bit of luck the lack of circulation in her pinned leg will give the bitch DVT.
Hey, it's the little things…
Another tip for new players. If you are going to use cable ties, get the black ones. They are UV treated and will last longer in the sun. The white ones will fade and go brittle over time.
Once I had finished securing the assholes, I raced back down to the kitchen and had a quick sticky beak in the cupboards and draws. I also found a set of keys in the second draw and a door to the basement that had a padlock on it whose brand name matched a key on the keyring.
Finding what I was looking for, I just punched a hole in the top of three tins of tomato soup with my combat knife took and went back to the front door, liberally splashing it around the path, step and entryway of the house.
I am not going to win any art prizes, but I was happy with my rendition of abstract Blood Splatter. If nothing else, it would attract attention when the sun came up.
After leaving a 'blood' trail that went to the door to the basement, I put the now empty cans of soup in the bin and then I unlocked the padlock and opened the door. I turn the light on, draw both my Glocks and slowly proceed down the steep steps.
As I was going down I could here almost a whisper of sobbing and the clink of metal on metal. I finally come to the bottom of the stairs and I get my first glimpse at my principal.
"Fuck me." I whisper to myself and I race towards the naked, emancipated – think WWII prison camp survivor - almost 11 year old girl that was hanging from the ceiling by chains and manacles attached to her wrists. Her tiny shrunken body is caked in dried and congealing blood and a sheen of other fluids that I really do not want to know what the fuck they are.
I glance around the room checking for potential threats and I notice a collection of whips, knives, clamps and even a fucking car battery with jumper leads attached to it sitting on a trolley against the wall.
These fuckers are gunna pay. I swear to myself.
Imogen must have heard me swearing to myself as I approached because her head moved slightly towards me and she seemed to flinch and try to shrink back away from me.
"Please Uncle, I'm sorry I won't cry anymore, please please please don't hurt me. I'm so thirsty, please can I have a glass of water uncle?" Her broken voice was almost impossible to hear. I can feel a red mist start to descend. Only the fact that I need to get her the fuck out of the hell hole stops me from going back upstairs and going all biblical on those fucking people.
I jam both automatics into their holsters and rip the thumb breaks back into position. "Oh little one" I whisper into her ears as I wrap my right arm around her waist and reach my left arm up and my magic lets me literally crush the manacles to powder as I take her full weight, I notice how light she is.
"I am not that bastard that hurt you. My name is AJ and I am here to get you away from these people." I gently start to lower her to the stained putrid floor, but as I try and lay her down she suddenly gasps. I feel a hot liquid run down my legs and she starts to shake. I realise in an instant what has happened and my rage once again threatens to overwhelm me. Suddenly I cannot move and time seems to stand still.
"Pease Alexander" There is a shimmering in-front of me and the three Fates appear. "We can feel your rage at what has been done to your charge." The voices of all three of them seem to combine in my head and I can feel the rage dissipating from the almost suicidal levels that it was at just from the choral quality of it.
I was not happy with how they were able to calm me down like that. While I will admit that operationally, I did need a clear head. The tiny body that I held in my arms demanded retribution.
I wanted to rage and destroy those that had hurt my Principal.
"You must look after Miss Potter" the Fates continued. "Rest assured AJ that when the time comes you will be a part of their punishment. You have our word." With that the three fates disappeared and I could move again.
I stand upright, pulling her broken body as close to my chest as I could and ignore the urine running down my legs from the terrified young girl in my arms. "Shhhh, it's alright little one. I promise I will never hurt you and I am going to get you out of here and take you to somewhere safe."
I continue to whisper into the child's ear and I slowly start to rock her swaying gently side to side as her body is wracked by massive sobs. Slowly both of her arms come up and wrap around my neck. And she buries her face against my neck.
"Do you promise?" fainter than a breeze, the question is more felt than heard. I pull her as close to me as I can and wrap my arms around her trying to give both comfort and warmth. I was wearing my webbing over my body armour so I could not provide her with much body heat.
Not caring about the blood and other fluids that are soaking into my clothing at this point.
I have crawled through worse in some of the places I've been to.
"I'll even pinkie promise" I whisper back to her. While I continue to rock her gently back and forwards. I quietly start to hum the verses to Hush Little Baby and slowly I feel her body relax against me.
I raise my voice to a loud whisper and repeat the words the Fates told me to use. "I require a Potter House Elf. The Heir of Potter needs your assistance."
There was a pop and a creature that I am guessing was a house elf appeared in-front of me. The elf was dressed in a black skirt and white shirt with a black tie. Both the tie and shirt had a crest that I am guessing is the Potters crest on the breast pocket and proudly displayed in the centre of the tie.
"Cody is head Potter Elf and is answering your call." She looks at me. "You is not a Potter. Who is you?" She looks at me suspiciously.
"Cody my name is Alex, and I have Lady Potter here in my arms, but she has been hurt badly and I need your help to take us to a safe place so I can protect and look after her." I explain softly to the little elf opening my coat as much as I can to allow her to see the back of the battered child in my arms.
"You is saving Mistress from here?" she asked me narrowing her eyes. From what I remember of reading the books and seeing the movies, house elves are supposed to be passive creatures, however looking into the eyes of this creature that only just came up to waist, I was preparing myself to receive a massive friggin ass whupping if I was to say the wrong thing.
"Yes I did Cody. I saved her. I have been sent me to protect Lady Potter and to rescue her from the people who did this to her. Can you please help me to take her somewhere safe please?"
The little elf grabs onto my leg. "Cody takes youse to safe place." With a snap of her fingers we disappear into the blackness and there is a slight sensation of movement and then as quickly as it started, all movement stops and I find myself standing in what appears the entry hall of a large mansion.
"Welcome to Potter Manor Master Alex" she lets out a high pitched whistle and there is a series of quiet pops and before I could blink there were fifteen house elves of different ages and sexes all wearing the potter uniform standing in-front of me.
"Master Alex has rescued our Mistress and bought her home. You will answer his calls and treat him with respect. Our mistress has been badly hurt and he saved our Mistress." She delivered this in a voice that brooked no argument from anyone. The house elves facing me all bowed as one and intoned.
"Thank you Master Alex. Welcome to Potter Manor."As quickly as they came, they popped back to whatever they were doing, with the exception of three other elves who levitated the sleeping Imogen from my arms.
"Poor Mistress, who be doing this to you?" one of the elves sobbed quietly.
The elves quickly put a lid on their emotions and leaving her broken body hovering in the middle of the entry hall they started snapping their figures and poring the potions that appeared in their hands down her throat and before my eyes, the cuts, bruises and abrasions and some of the light scaring vanished.
When the elves had finished healing Imogen, Cody stepped forward and snapped her figures once again and Imogen was clean and dressed in pyjamas and for the first time, I noticed her hair was a bright fiery red and touched the floor from where she was hovering at waist height on the elves. It must have reached her waist it was so long.
"We will be taking Mistress to her room now" Cody informed me."Does Master Alex wish to accompany us?" I nod and she leads the procession up the winding staircase that I didn't even notice on my entry into the manor. We get to the second floor and I am led along a hall way that is decorated with dozens of portraits that all start whispering and talking amongst themselves.
The thick royal blue carpet deadens the sound of my combat boots as I walk along with my left hand only an inch away from my Glock. The plan had gone well so far, however training doesn't just switch off, until I was sure I was in a safe zone, I would continue to be on alert for any threats to my principal or myself.
As Cody led me to a set of large double doors at the very end of the passage way the opened at our approach and the elves levitated the still unconscious Potter Heir onto a massive king size bed. I looked around the room and was astounded at the view from the massive windows to the left of the doors.
The light of the full moon streaming through the windows showed a large veranda that looked across about a quarter mile of lush landscaped gardens to the sea. I couldn't wait till day light to go for a run to check out my new accommodation.
An unobtrusive cough alerts me to Cody standing next to me. "Master Alex, Mistress will sleep until lunchtime with the healing potions that we have given her. We also have given her an elvan sleeping draught as well, so that her sleep will not be interrupted by nightmares."
I nod great fully at the head elf. Nightmares were one thing that I was dreading Imogen suffering tonight – and for quite a long time to follow if I am honest. At least that is one thing that I do not have to worry about until tomorrow.
I look at my watch and realise that it is close to 0300. It will be dawn in a few hours.
I look back to the bed with my principal lying peacefully asleep for probably the first time in her life. "Do not worry Cody, I promise you that when the time comes, you will be there with me when their Threads are cut." I look back to her "You have my word."
The little elf bowed deeply from the waist. "Thank yous Master Alex. Cody would likes that alot." I noticed a gleam in her eyes as she stood back upright. "Master Alex where is your belongings?"
"I left my pack and rifle under the bush next to the slippery dip in the park on Privet Drive. I plan on going back shortly to get it."
Cody's high pitched voice interrupted me. "Master Alex not worry. I is will get it now." With that she snapped her fingers and disappeared from the bedroom. Leaving me standing there staring at the still form of my principal, and wondering where I was going to be sleeping.
An almost silent pop alerts me to an elf appearing in the room. I look around and Cody is dwarfed by my field pack that is slightly bigger than she is.
"Thank you Cody" I say to the small elf as I reached down to grab the pack and rifle that was clipped to the front of the pack before they toppled the elf. "Could you please show me to where I will be sleeping?" I ask her. She vigorously nods her head, causing her large ears to flap in excitement.
"It is going to be so good with peoples staying in the manor again Master Alex." She bounced excitedly as she led me out of the room. "We is not having anyone staying here or visiting since that horrible night when Lord James and Lady Lilly went with the Whiskered one." She paused and looked hesitatingly up at me.
"What's wrong Cody?" I ask her gently. "I can't help you to fix something if I do not know what is broken."
The little elf nods in relief, then stops walking in front of another set of double doors. These rooms used to belong to Mistress when she was a baby. We is made them into your room now as it has a door directly to Mistresses. I is thinking to put you here so you cans be close to Mistress when she is needing yous help, as you is her protector."
She opened the doors and led me into a room that was about half the size of the master suite. Even still, this room is the size of a friggin double garage. A fire burned in the hearth taking the chill out of the air and making the room pleasantly warm.
A king size bed is situated to one side and two comfy looking lounge chairs faced the fire with a coffee table in between them. I look back at Cody and ask her is she cold please wait to continue the story as I really need to have a shower to clean myself up. She nods at me, then asks me to call for her when I am ready. Before she goes, I ask her to tell the elves to not touch my rifle and other weapons as they are dangerous and I do not want them getting hurt.
"Yes Master Alex, call for Cody when you are ready." With that she pops out of the room and I close my eyes and take a few massive deep breaths. Just allowing myself a few minutes to centre myself before getting back into what need to be done. Opening my eyes, I place my pack on the bed and pick up my rifle.
Checking the safety was on; I eject the magazine then hold the rifle over the bed left side down and pull the cocking handle back and allowing the round that was in the spout to be ejected from the chamber.
I then pull the barrel and check for any obstructions and then have a look down the chamber checking to make sure it there are no rounds where they shouldn't be. All is good, so I shove the barrel back in, let the action go forward, off safety, squeeze the trigger, on safety and done. One unloaded F88.
I grab the ejected round from the bed and push it back into the magazine and then put the mag back into the rifle and put it under the bed, pulling the skirt down to make sure it is out of sight. I will look for a better storage space as soon as I am clean. I can really start to smell myself and it aint friggin good.
I take off my jacket and throw it onto the floor followed by my body armour which gets dumped onto the bed. I pull my holsters off and put them beside me on the bed after unloading one of the pistols, the other pistol along with the K-bar knife from my boot goes with the holsters under the bed with the Steyr.
Now I can finally get undressed. Oops not yet I can. Friggin knee guards, and gloves, they get yanked off and dumped on top of the body armour. Now I can get undressed. I kick my boots off and dump the rest of my uniform with my jacket on the floor and then I grab my shaving kit from my pack and stumble in the direction of the bathroom.
As I open the door, magical lighting automatically switches itself on and the room is exposed to me in all its glory. Fuck me its huge. I decide to explore later, I need a shave and shower. I turn towards the large double sink with mirror that must have been 8 ft wide sitting above it. I look in to the mirror and the person that looks back at me is not what looking at me the last time I saw my reflection.
"What the fuck has happened to me now?" I say out loud. There was a shimmering off to my left in the mirror and when it cleared I was looking at the smiling face of Lachesis.
"Do you like it?" her voice echo's in my head. "We decided that 35 was too old, so we de-aged you so that you are 25 again."
"Twenty five?" I stupidly repeat. "But that would mean..." I trail off and look back at my reflection. I have to admit. I do like what I am seeing. When I was last this age, I was the fittest and healthiest that I had ever been. It was the age I was when I had graduated from UNICRATT training.
I look back to Lachesis. Something else on by body draws my attention for a second, but I decide to backburner that question until I get an explanation to a few more pressing questions. "What year are we in?" I ask her.
She looks down. "1991" she replies. "Remember the Muses."
I nod my head. "So let me get this straight. You three have sent me back in time twenty- two years, but I have only de-aged ten." Something else earth shattering jolts into my mind. "So no internet, no iTunes, no iPads, no plasma TV's? Uggg kill me now." I say to the image in the mirror.
Lachesis nods to me with a smirk but then her face get serious. "Imogen Potter goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the 1st of September 1991. Her eleventh birthday is July 31st. The date today is 27 June, she mu..."
"Hang on a friggin second Lachesis." I interrupt the green eyed Fate. "You have given me less than 10 weeks to basically rebuild this poor child from the ground up. Then you expect me to throw her on a train to Scotland and be placed under the not so subtle manipulations of the old goat rooter Albus Friggin Dumbledore."
I turn away from the mirror and start to pace – thank god the bathroom is so big – and my mind races to develop strategies, procedures and schedules that will hopefully allow this child to begin to overcome ten years of the most hellish abuse. "Fuck Me!" I exclaim, turning back to the mirror.
"There is one thing that you three have forgotten. I am a male, what do you think the chances are that she will even want to anywhere near me considering that what her male relatives have done to her?"
Lachesis eyes seem to harden and the green seems to glow brighter. "DO NOT presume to tell me that I am wrong. YOU are nothing more than a puny mortal who's Thread I could cut in an instant."
Oh bring it on bitch I think to myself.
"Get the fuck over yourself. Fate" I snap back at her. "You came to me remember and begged for my help, and then when you give me an almost im-fucking-possible task and I call you on it, you get yourself bent out of shape. Fuck you, cut my fucking Thread I was going to die anyway, let this world burn"
I should point out for those of you that have not realised it by now. I suck at Diplomacy…
I get so close to the mirror that my breath is fogging the glass. "Do not threaten me Lachesis, I have seen the tattoo that is on both of my wrists. I know what it means." My voice is as cold as an arctic winter, the voice I use on idiot senior officers who try and meddle in how I ran my team.
"Lachesis." A familiar voice cracks like a stock whip from behind me. I do not even move from my position as I continue to give the green eyed Fate my version of the Death stare. My grey eyes bore into hers and after what seems like an eternity, but is probably only thirty seconds, she nods and lowers her eyes.
"I am sorry Alex." She looks past me to Clotho and nods her head at them. I feel her sister Fates moving to my left. She turns her head back to me. "It has been millennia since someone other than my Sisters have called my decisions into question, and I have forgotten that while we as the Fates are usually right, it does not mean that we are always right. I ask your forgiveness Our Hairetzio."
I turn my head towards the other two Fates in my bathroom and Atopos answer my unspoken question. "It means Our Chosen One in our language."
Before you ask, yes I did notice the capitalisation she put on the name.
Bugger.
"As you have figured out from the tattoos that are on both of your wrists, which match our belts and the symbols that you found and activated in the cave back in your Dimension." Continued Clotho, taking both my wrists into her hands and gently tracing the outline of the diamond tattoo with the lightning bolt in the middle with her middle finger.
"The meaning of the tattoo is to signify that basically you are our servant in this Dimension. You can use it to summon one or all of us if you need assistance of advice. It also provides us with a link to you."
"Through this link we can tell your heath and if you are injured and require our intervention. You will also notice that when we are hear in the Mortal Dimension we can speak both out loud and through telepathy"
I nod my understanding to the Leader of the Fates. I turn back to Lachesis who is still in the mirror and bow to her. "I also apologise My Lady." I say as formally as I can. "My only excuse is the last two days have greatly unnerved me."
Lachesis smiles at me and her image in my mirror dissolves with a slow whirlpool like effect and with a shimmer she appears in front of me with her Sisters. She steps up to me and infolds me in a gentle hug. "Of course I forgive you Alex" she says to me. Releasing me from the hug she steps back to her sisters and tells them. "Sisters we should be leaving. Our Hairetzio needs to wash up and he still needs to talk to the Head Elf."
Clotho and Atopos both nod and vanish. Lachesis smiles at me and speaks before I can so much as open my mouth. "Peace AJ, wash up, talk to Cody and then rest. Tonight after you have retired for the evening, if you have further questions summon us through your tattoos and we will come." She pauses. "In answer to your main concern about being male, we could change your gender." She smirks at me
"Don't you friggin..." was all I got out before the green eyed Fates laughter echoed around inside my head.
"You should see your face." She paused to draw a breath. "I am so going replay this conversation to my Sisters." She stopped talking as she got her laughter under control. "Do not worry about the Potter Heir's response to you Alex. You rescued her."
"Even though she was almost comatose with pain and anxiety, she still will remember that you got her out of that house and you pinkie promised her. To a little girl, that is everything." Her eyes crinkled in what for the Fates was a smile. "Be well Alex." With that she disappeared to go to where ever the Fates go to when not fucking with my calm.
I turn back to the sink, fill it with water and proceed to shave the last few days of stubble from my chin. Finishing that task I was about to lather up my head to shave it as well when there was a quiet pop behind me.
"Master Alex, would you like me to take care of that for you?" Cody asks in her high pitched elfin voice. I look at her with a question in my eyes. And she snaps her fingers and a chair appears beside her and my razor appears in her hand with a bowl of hot water floating beside her.
I nod my head and sit down in the offered seat and let the little elf lather and then shave my head for me. It feels heavenly to have someone do it for you. I have been doing this myself since I was fourteen. Once she was finished shaving my dome, she took some lotion and massaged it into my scalp while I just sat there and let her hands kneed me into a pile off goo.
Goo?
What the fuck?
I am a highly trained soldier. I can kill you in hundreds of different and inventive ways. I can make explosives out of shit that would give MacGyver a hard on. I can even fly a helicopter if I need to. I do not get head massages and relax...
"Oh fuck it. Just it enjoy it AJ" I cut my inner monologue off and just relaxed for the first time since jumping out of the C-17 on my last mission.
Once Cody had finished massaging my scalp, I turn to the little elf. "Thank you Cody that was brilliant." The elf smiled at me
"Remember to call me when you have had your bath Master Alex. I will bring you supper."
My stomach growled at the mention of food. I smiled and nodded at her. She gave me a slight bow and disappeared with a snap of her fingers. I turned to the shower and stripped of my boxer shorts and stepped into the cubical and turned the water on as hot as I could stand it. As the water cascaded over my head and ran down my body, I started to think once again about the best way forward with regards to helping my Principal.
After running several different scenarios through my head I came to the decision to just wait and see what tomorrow would bring. There was no point planning anything yet until I found out just what mental state the ten year old was in. For all I know I may just have to spend the next 10 weeks just getting her to start talking to me.
I finished washing myself, rinsed the soap off my body and switched off the shower, towelling myself dry as I walked back into my room to find a set of boxer shorts and a pair of tracksuit pants and a plain white tee shirt lying on my bed.
I shrug my shoulders, drop my towel onto the bed and get dressed. I pick up the towel and return it to the bathroom and then I sink into one of the couches by the fireplace. "Cody" I call out quietly knowing the elf is listening for my call. With a pop the Head Elf appears with a silver tray covered with a matching cloche that is hiding what smells like tomato soup and fresh bread. She places the tray onto the table beside my seat and lifts the lid.
My nose was right. I grab the spoon and take a mouthful of the best tomato soup I have ever eaten. I then pull the bread roll apart and dip it into the soup and jam it into my mouth. "Cody this is incredible" I tell her when I swallowed my mouthful. She beams at me.
"Elly, the elf that cooked this for you will be pleased that you is liking your supper Master Alex" she said bouncing on her toes in happiness.
"Take a seat Cody and tell me what was bothering you before" I gently tell the little elf. She nods at me, snaps her fingers and an elf size chair appears in front of me. She hops up on to the chair and plays with the hem of her skirt for a minute or so and I use the time to take another few mouthfuls of the incredible soup. When she has gathered her thoughts, she takes a deep breath and raises her face to meet my eyes.
Thanks for reading.