Chapter 31: Something New

Salem

I had set mine and Charlie's alarm several minutes early on Monday morning. We had to catch the bus because Paton had asked to borrow my car after everyone else went to bed. He told me he was selling his minivan and purchasing a camper van instead. He would need a vehicle for the two days he would be without one. I didn't bother asking him why he needed to purchase a camper van, but I figured it had to do with him traveling far to research whatever it was that held his interest.

I didn't worry about our change in routine messing Infinity up too much. She was usually awake before anyone else in the house. Charlie went upstairs to warn her anyway, leaving me an opening to get into the bathroom before he did. I hoped that a shower would make me feel better.

I definitely felt much more relaxed than I had yesterday. It wasn't in my plans to tell Infinity about my waning powers, and I most certainly didn't expect our night to end the way it did. I felt embarrassed having cried in front of her. I needed to be strong for her, but I felt so weak inside.

I tried to push my own pathetic problems out of my head as I rushed to get ready. I looked at my face in the mirror. I looked healthier, but I didn't really feel it. I ran my hand along my chin. I decided I didn't want to shave my face this time. I groomed myself instead. I prided myself on being the only Bloor able to grow a decent beard. Not that I was really a Bloor anymore.

When I went downstairs to eat the breakfast that Maisie made, Infinity was already there. She seemed to be feeling much better today as well. She had even taken the time to curl her hair and apply make up. I never thought she needed it, but she said it made her feel better. She looked up at me momentarily, taking a break from shoving hashbrowns in her mouth. A blush crept to her cheeks and eventually turned her whole face red. "Hi." She said finally.

"Morning." I sat down next to her and helped myself to my own breakfast. No one said much and Maisie didn't seem to care that we were all quiet that morning. She did wish us all a good week as we left the house to go wait for the bus.

When we boarded the bus, there weren't many seats left. Filbert Street was one of the last stops on the blue bus route because of how far it was from the academy. Charlie found a seat with Fidelio, I sat next to Gabriel and Infinity sat with Riley Burns. Riley and Infinity had been hanging out more in school. They were study partners, worked together as head boy and prefect, they did their rounds together and had the same serving schedule. It unnerved me occasionally, but he seemed to have a lot of respect for her. She deserved to have at least one normal friend.

"Have you guys heard about the Pets' Café?" Gabriel asked. "It's a disaster."

"Have they really closed it?" Charlie frowned. I was confused. I hadn't heard a thing about the Pets' Café closing. I was usually the first to hear most information.

Those kids loved the Pets' Café. They spent all of their weekends there, making plans and enjoying the company. Infinity and I had gone with them a few times but cats made her sneezy. She usually had to take allergy medicine when she left.

"Permanently." Fidelio answered sadly.

"I believe Councilor Loom would be the person to blame." Riley cut in with his thick Irish accent. "My mum was at the council meeting. She said something about noise complaints."

The news had bummed everyone out so much that they didn't really talk the rest of the ride. We arrived at the academy shortly and from there, I separated from everyone else. Riley and Infinity would probably go to the coat room, then the Prefect's room to do whatever it is the other prefects actually did in there. Charlie stopped to talk to Tancred and Lysander to tell them about Badlock and I didn't want to be around to listen again. I decided to stop in Mr. O'Connor's room before assembly started and play my guitar. I wasn't able to play if Grizelda was home.

As I walked through the hall, I noticed it was emptier than usual. There wasn't a single purple cape in sight. The Drama bus was running late, which was something that had never happened since I had been alive. We didn't find out what had happened to them until first break.

"Look, they're back." Infinity pointed out, indicating to the purple capes seen walking around and participating in various activities around the courtyard.

Accident….Ominous….Bike I was catching someone's thoughts. They sounded like Olivia Vertigo's. I compared my telepathy to a radio signal. Usually I had great signal all the time. Lately, I've been hearing a very faint signal or none at all. Today, thoughts were cutting in and out of my head more frequently than what had become my new normal.

"There was an accident." I murmured.

"What?" She was confused. Of course, I wasn't making any sense. I had just told her yesterday that I couldn't read minds anymore.

"Infinity! Salem!" I heard our names being called from a group in the corner. Charlie was standing with Fidelio, Gabriel, Emma, Olivia and Billy over by the ruined castle. They all seemed even more upset than they had when discussing the Pets' Café closing. Emma actually looked ready to cry.

"What's wrong, Charlie?" I asked.

"There was an accident. A motorcycle hit Mr. and Mrs. Ominous on their bike. It seemed intentional. Mrs. Ominous is okay, but we have no idea if Mr. Ominous is going to be okay. That's why the purple bus was late this morning." He explained.

"What?" Infinity's eyes widened. "Poor Mr. Ominous! If I could get to him-"

"There's no way anyone is going to let you leave now that you're here." Gabriel informed her. "You'll have to wait until the weekend."

"If he even lasts the weekend! Who would do such a thing to that sweet man?" She let out a defeated sigh. She had this complex that made her want to help everyone she met. It was why I didn't want her to become a doctor. She couldn't heal everyone. It would take too much out of her. So, Infinity did what she always did when something proved to be too much for her. She walked off on her own, lost in her own thoughts.

I found that it was best to leave her alone when she got like that. She was constantly stressed out lately and I never knew what to say or do to comfort her. It was straining our relationship a little, but I refused to leave her side over it. Everyone had their own issues to work through but I wished she would let me help her with hers.

I didn't really talk to her for the rest of the day. She spent her free periods alone in the prefects room trying to study for midterms. We didn't sit together at dinner, either. It was her job to serve, so I sat with Charlie and his friends at the center of the table while she and Riley served and passed plates down to each end of the table.

Charlie was in a daze most of dinner. He didn't respond to anyone who spoke to him and Billy seemed to be dying to tell him something that he wouldn't listen to. I wanted the little guy to ease up a little bit, so I tried to extend my ear to him to have a private conversation.

What's wrong, Billy? I strained myself to communicate with him. His expression perked up a bit and he looked at me. He could hear me.

…Tilpin…in…academy…caught…spying.

I tried to piece it together. Mrs. Tilpin is in the academy? She caught you spying?

Billy seemed confused, thought for a moment, then nodded. My thoughts must not have been projecting well back to him either. Something is going on between her and Manfred. I caught that part clearly and I shuddered at the thought. Dark magic made people ugly. It was happening to Manfred and it happened to Ezekiel. I didn't even want to think about what the once beautiful Miss Chrystal looked like now that she was the nefarious Mrs. Tilpin. Will you tell Charlie?

Of course. I turned my attention to Charlie and relayed the message. He seemed to have heard me. I was quite impressed with myself and couldn't wait to tell Infinity that I had improved today.

"…Manfred wants to see me alone after supper." Charlie groaned, finally speaking out loud. "Please don't tell Infinity. She'll freak out and he'll probably punish me worse when she's not around."

Infinity meant well, but she made things harder for Charlie sometimes. He was independent and wanted to try and do things for himself, where Infinity was assertive and just a little bit bossy. He would only be alone with Charlie for a few moments. Manfred wouldn't be able to get information out of him, not with the plan that Grandpa Bart had told me. I wasn't worried. I made the judgement call that he would be okay on his own, but I would try to stay close behind him in case something did happen.

In the commotion of being released from dinner, Charlie was able to slip by and head to the King's Room before anyone could follow him, including me. When I did make it to the door, I found that I had been beaten there. Infinity was standing in the doorway, silently watching. She wasn't even trying to hide herself, not that she needed to. Manfred and Charlie both appeared to be in a trance. They were just staring at each other, neither of them moving. I didn't even think they were breathing.

"They've been like this for too long." Infinity said when she noticed me. She slipped through the door and went to Charlie's side, placing her hand on his shoulder. He immediately snapped out of his stupor and looked up at her. "Are you okay?"

"I actually feel great." Charlie replied with a smile. He didn't look like someone who had been hypnotized. Manfred didn't look too good though. When Charlie had snapped out of his trance, Manfred slumped forward onto the table.

She turned her attention to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Manfred?"

He lazily turned his head to look at her and tried to stand up from the table as the other students flooded in. He could barely hold himself up. "Get started on your homework." He said, his speech thick and slurred. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was drunk. He was having a hard time limping out the door. Dorcas, Joshua and the Twins looked on in horror.

"Let me help you." Infinity insisted.

"Infinity." I said sharply. For some reason, her eagerness to help him pissed me off. She was like that with everyone, but seeing it for someone has callus and heartless as my brother really bothered me. "No."

"He can barely walk, Salem." She glared back at me. "Look after the room while I'm gone."

"No. You're not going." I didn't like them alone together and I could feel my temper rising. Something about the way they interacted with each other bothered me. I knew Manfred's thoughts. He had many conflicting thoughts on his feelings for Infinity and for whatever reason, she thought it was possible for him to change.

"Another word and you'll have detention for insubordination." She suddenly snapped. The room got even quieter. "You're not to speak to me that way."

I made my fatal mistake when I laughed in her face. I had tried to stop myself, but I couldn't. I didn't want to believe she would do anything. "Lysander, you're in charge." She wouldn't look at me now. "Salem, you won't be going home Friday. I'm giving you detention. You can go see the headmaster now. Maybe he can give you a lesson on respect."

I watched them leave the room slowly. Manfred wasn't the kind of person to accept help, but he let Infinity loop her arm around his skinny waist and help him out of the room. I heard him say something to her, but his speech was too slurred for me to understand it.

Whenever they were gone, I looked back at Charlie. "Can you believe that?" I laughed. "He tried to hypnotize you and she wants to help him."

"Yes, I can believe that." Charlie frowned. "I'm fine and he isn't. She helps people, no matter who they are. You know that." He looked down at his homework and began to work.

"You should listen to her and go to the headmaster's office." Lysander added solemnly. "You gave up the authority you had here. Infinity is someone who should be respected, and not only because she is an authoritative person. You should respect your partner."

Lysander was right but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction in telling him so. I just rolled my eyes and left my seat. The walk to the headmaster's office was something I was used to, but this was the first time I had been the one in trouble.

Infinity would be taking Manfred back to the West Wing, so I was fated to pass them. When I did see them, they were both walking just a little below normal pace. Manfred didn't need Infinity to hold him up any longer, but he was still having a little bit of trouble.

I walked passed them and didn't say a word. I knew I should apologize to her, but I wasn't ready yet. I was still angry.

"You're not in charge anymore. You don't have any authority in this building. If I ever hear you talk to my head prefect like that again, I'll make sure you're suspended." Manfred growled at me. I stopped walking and turned to look at him. As much as it hurt my pride, he was someone I couldn't just walk away from and ignore. Not anymore.

It had been a long time since I had a good look at my brother and I almost couldn't believe that we had once been identical. His black hair was streaked with gray, his eyes had bags under them. His complexion was sickly and he walked with a limp. He was even thinner than I remembered.

"It won't happen again," I choked on my next word. "Sir."

He smiled, showing of a row of yellowed teeth. "That's right. It won't."

I turned my back and kept walking. I didn't want to be around him any longer. I went to the headmaster's study and knocked on the door. "Who is it?" My father's booming voice made a lump rise in my throat.

"Salem." I said quietly. I heard his heavy footsteps approaching the door. He pulled it open and invited me inside. He generally never answered his study door. He made students walk in on their own.

"What is it, son?" As the word "son" left his lips, he winced. I wasn't his son. Not anymore.

"Infinity sent me here and she gave me detention." I explained, expecting him to yell.

Instead, he chuckled. "I have an incredibly hard time disliking that girl." He said. "She's clever, meticulous and incredibly reliable. She's the best prefect we have had in a long time. It's a shame that she's Lyell's daughter. She would have made a fantastic Bloor."

"No, she wouldn't have." I said coldly. "She has a conscience." I could never picture Infinity injuring people for her own personal gain. "She doesn't care about money or status."

He laughed even harder. "If you think for a moment that she doesn't care about status, you're too stupid and naïve for someone with telepathy. As I told you before, she is going to be someone great and you're going to waste your life away. She's ambitious and motivated while you're lazy and uninspired. Whatever she becomes, she's going to make her own money and a lot of it. Do you think she's going to want a failed, dried up musician to feed off of her once she has an established career? You could have at least picked up something practical like your mother, but you want to be a rock star. Your probability for success is low." He stood up and began to pace around his desk. "Say you do succeed. Say you get a record deal and you become famous and beloved all over the world. Infinity isn't social and she'll be rooted to a career in one place. Musicians tour and don't see their families for months. She pretends to be confident but deep down, she's insecure. How is she going to handle the women you'll be around?"

"Why do you suddenly care so much about Infinity and her future anyway? Even if we didn't work out, I wouldn't come crawling back here. Soon enough, I won't have anything to crawl back to. This will all be Billy's." I smirked. I expected his malicious grin to falter, but it never did. He had a plan, a fucked up and sadistic plan. And I was willing to bet that it had something to do with Billy and Badlock. That's why Runner Bean was trapped. To lure Billy into the painting where the Enchanter lived. I lowered my voice. "Even if you trap Billy in Badlock, they won't let you keep the academy. It doesn't belong to you. You'll be kicked out as soon as the will is found."

"You're confident that it will be found. It won't be found, because Lyell won't be coming home. And your poor Infinity will be an orphan along with her little brother." His smile grew larger. "And I'll have plenty of room for that girl under my roof. I'll pay for her college, which she won't refuse. And Grizelda will figure out what to do with that other brat."

"You act like she can be bought, that she would want to live here after you called the shots that killed her parents. You act like Maisie would just give her up to you with no fight."

We were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Come in." My father called.

The door opened and Infinity walked in. "Manfred was feeling sick, sir. I escorted him to his room. He will be fine after some rest." She informed him. Then she looked at me. She had an apologetic look in her eye, but she didn't say a word to me.

"Thank you, you both may leave." My father kicked us both out, and we were both happy to oblige.

We walked back to the King's room together and didn't speak at first. I knew that if I wanted on her good side again, I would have to swallow my pride and apologize for not taking her seriously. "Look," I said, finally. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. I guess it just bothers me that even after all the shit he has pulled, you were willing to help Manny like that."

"I thought you of all people would understand." She smoothed out a wrinkle in her cape as we continued onward. "I think that Manfred can be saved. You and I both know that he's not completely evil. He just needs to get away from this place, he needs to quit dabbling in dark magic before it actually does break his mind. Do you want your brother to end up like Ezekiel?"

"It's too late. Just look at him, he's already falling apart. He's messing with magic that he doesn't know a thing about and it's already taking a toll on his mind. We're too late. His thoughts when you were helping him were not pleasant."

"…His thoughts?" She stopped walking. "You told me just last night that you can't read minds anymore. Did you lie to me?"

I felt my cheeks burning and I stopped walking too. "No, oh god no. I would never lie to you, Infinity. I think what we did… it brought my powers back. I've been able to hear people all day today."

Her face turned even redder than mine. "Well, that's fantastic. I'm happy for you." She stumbled over her words.

"Are you still embarrassed?" I asked her. She refused to meet my gaze, which gave me my answer. "You didn't do anything wrong. I thought it was fine. If anything, you shouldn't feel shy around me after that." I leaned in close to her. "It can only get better. We can try again, if you want." I flirted.

The horrified look on her face was worth it. I couldn't help but to laugh. She was a strong person, but I had never met someone who got flustered and uncomfortable so easily. She hid her face in her hands. "Please stop." She begged. I pulled her hands away from her face and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"I'm only teasing. You make it too easy. Come on, we should get back just in case Lysander can't keep the peace."

"Lysander is the most powerful endowed in this building. I highly doubt anyone would refuse to listen to him." She pointed out. She wasn't wrong. Lysander's spiritual ancestors were a bunch that I didn't want to tangle with.

When we got back to the King's room, Infinity's assumption about Lysander was correct. Not a single child made a sound and they all sat with their heads bent over their books. They didn't even look up whenever we took our seats. Did you apologize? Lysander's thoughts projected into my mind and took me by surprise. It would take me awhile to get used to being fully powered, or at least close to it, again.

Yes, mom. I apologized. Everything's good. I mocked him. When I looked up at him, he just shook his head disappointedly. I hoped that they didn't think I didn't respect Infinity, that my worries had been justified and I didn't want Manfred to try and pull something on her again. Infinity knows my intentions. That's all I care about. I added. I knew I would have to make this up to her somehow, but at least she wasn't angry anymore.