Pride x Familiar (24 page)

She walked me to a car, and once inside the
vehicle it whisked us away from the building, merging easily into
the evening traffic.

Arisa’s secretary, Danaan, informed me I was to
move into Galatea Academy’s dorms for male students. In fact my
belongings had already been moved into my new abode.

I asked her about Caprice, but all she told me
was that Caprice was recovering well. However, I was prohibited
from seeing her until her discharge from hospital which was
expected to be around Wednesday. Afterwards, Danaan politely
refused to answer any further questions regarding Caprice.

So I sat quietly in the car, and proceeded to
ignore the woman entirely.

The car took us to the entrance to the boy’s
dormitory building where the dorm manager, a middle aged man that
could easily double for a professional wrestler greeted Danaan and
I.

I was relieved to hear there was no roommate to
deal with. Compared to the cell I’d occupied for a full day, I
found my new dwellings to be quite spacious. Essentially it was
eight meters long, and five meters wide, with a bathroom and shower
taking one corner of the floor space. This gave the room a distinct
L shape. There was a smart desk, a writing desk, a holovid system,
and a small refrigerator. The bed was wide and comfortable.

My necessities had all been stored away in the
closet and drawers. Someone had even gone through the process of
setting up my books and slates in an orderly fashion on the
shelving.

I was curious about one thing, and so I
carefully examined the contents of the drawers containing my
clothes.

I found them at the back of the top drawer of
the wardrobe insert in the closet – Caprice’s racy black
panties.

Though I was relieved to find them, I had to
wonder at the reaction of whoever had packed up my belongings. I
was even more surprised to find the panties had been put back in
the equivalent location. I wasn’t sure what to make of that.

Since I was pretty much settled in, I checked
out the dormitory cafeteria which was open until seven on Sunday’s.
The place was almost empty. Only a handful of Academy students
occupied it.

I didn’t bother going over to say hello.

What was the point?

A Familiar saying hello to the Aventis?

Truth was, I was too tired to be friendly.

With only a few minutes to spare, I avoided
going hungry that night. Even then, all I was served by the kitchen
staff were some small cold sandwiches, but it was better than
nothing. Unfortunately, after eating just half a sandwich I found
myself full, and had to bin the rest of the food. My lack of
appetite was a result of having the Symbiote inside my body. It
would take a couple of days for my eating habits to return to
normal, as my body fed off the Symbiote degrading within me.

I chose not to linger in the cafeteria or
anywhere else.

Dorm curfew was ten p.m.

In my room I showered, changed into clean
pajamas and fell into bed.

As I lay down staring up at the ceiling, I
raised my right arm and examined my wrist.

No bracelet. No Fragment. It had been returned
to the Lanfears, and I had no word on whether I’d be using it
again.

I noticed how helpless I felt without it.

My world felt a lot smaller now.

Despite feeling exhausted, I had trouble
sleeping.

#

(Caelum)

Second week, Monday morning.

From the looks I received from my fellow dorm
residents, while I struggled to eat a light breakfast, I had a fair
idea of what to expect when I arrived in class for homeroom.

Sure enough, when I opened the door and stepped
inside, almost all conversation came to a stop. Almost all eyes
focused on me, and I had two choices: meet their gazes or ignore
them.

I chose a mixture of the two, glancing at a few
faces; ignoring the rest.

I walked to my smart desk, feeling my
classmates’ attention on me.

With this I was certain Saturday’s event had
circulated throughout Island Three, if not all of Pharos.

I laughed inwardly, and tasted bitterness in my
mouth.

When I swept my gaze over the classroom, I saw
varied looks on my classmates’ faces. I hazarded a guess most of
them were probably wondering if I had my Fragment with me.

Would I use it on them?

Was that the question I read in their eyes?

I was starting to get pissed and eventually I
slammed my school carry-bag on the desk and glared back at the
faces looking at me.

“If you having something to say, Aventis, then
say it!”

A few turned away.

A lot more returned my glare with disdain,
especially the guys.

I met each one with a challenge and the promise
of violence in my eyes.

The girls sneered at me so I concentrated on
extending my canines as I had that afternoon in the garden. Pushing
past the pain, I gave the girls a hungry smile that made full use
of my long teeth. This brought about the reaction I wanted.

They blanched and turned away.

I laughed under my breath as I forced my canines
to retract.

It really was painful, but the satisfaction of
seeing the girls turn away in fear was worth every bit of the
pain.

Then Haruka stepped into the room.

At sight of her my heart skipped a beat.

I sat down at my desk, trying to act nonchalant
and probably failing. By some miracle our eyes had failed to meet,
but I was aware of her glancing my way.

Then something unexpected happened.

She walked over to my smart desk.

I had no choice but to look up at her.

She looked down at me with an unreadable look I
invariably saw on Caprice. She spoke softly but I heard her
clearly.

“Lunch time, at the garden.”

What? Why did she walk over to tell me that? She
could have just mailed the message to my account or did she believe
I wouldn’t read it.

She was probably right and probably wrong. I
would definitely read it, but it would take me a while to work up
the courage to do so.

I guess she wasn’t in the mood to wait for an
answer. Haruka turned away and then walked to her desk, perfectly
oblivious to the curious stares she was receiving from our
classmates.

#

(Haruka)

When classes broke for lunch, I told Siobhan and
Alistair I had a pressing engagement which earned me sour
looks.

They knew I was going to meet Caelum.

I told them I’d be fine, and ignored their
concerned looks.

While I did take their words to heart, I wasn’t
going to be dissuaded.

When I arrived at the garden it wasn’t empty,
but there was a secluded area yet to be occupied. That’s where I
waited for Caelum, under the shade of a tall, thick tree.

I thought he would keep me waiting, but he
didn’t.

Not long after he stepped into the garden, the
few students making use of it noticed him and began to cast wary,
fearful looks his way.

I had debated meeting him in the rooftop
courtyard, but at the last moment I chose the garden instead.

He walked up to me with a guarded look on his
face. “Aren’t you taking a risk, Haruka? Word of this will get
around.”

I nodded a little. “Yes, I know.”

“Then why?”

“Because I’m your friend, and right now you need
a friend.”

His face darkened. “What?”

I had expected this reaction from him. I closed
my eyes for a moment. “Caelum, the School Council President spoke
to me, and to Alistair and Siobhan on Friday. We know what you’re
doing for the academy.”

This time, Caelum actually grew a little
pale.

So he didn’t know that Severin Kell had spoken
to us. Seeing his reaction, I chose to tell him what happened after
I fled the garden on Friday afternoon.

He listened without interrupting me. Not once
did he glance away.

By the time I finished, Caelum had wary look on
his face. “Severin Kell told you about the Fragments?”

“I already knew what a Fragment was. After all,
it’s common knowledge they’re pieces left behind after the
Cataclysm. I also knew that only Familiars were able to use them,
activate them, or operate them.” I gave him a steady look. “The
President told me you and Caprice possess a Fragment. He said you
were designated as Specials.”

“Yeah, we do.”

I noticed him reach for his right wrist but then
abruptly stop. He dropped his arms to his sides.

Caelum asked, “What else did Severin Kell say to
you? Actually, why did he seek you out?”

“Alistair is his younger sister. She called him
after our encounter with Caprice. She wanted to know what was going
on. He agreed, probably because he was worried about her and what
she might say or do. She’s an Avenir like I am. So is Siobhan.”

“I see. Birds of a feather flock together.”

“You’re one to talk,” I snapped in a flash of
anger. “Little Miss Faint Smile is a Lanfear like you.”

He frowned for a heartbeat. “Faint Smile? You
mean Caprice?” His expression grew hard, and I could tell I’d
stepped on a nerve. “Caprice is affiliated with the Lanfears. So am
I. That doesn’t make us part of the Pride. To put it simply we’re
dogs on a leash. If we weren’t on a leash, people would be scared
of us.”

I almost blurted out that people were already
scared of him and Caprice, and that included most of our classmates
who were acting tough and arrogant to hide their fear.

But given the chance, I didn’t doubt any of them
would stand up and chant, “Burn them, burn them. Death to
Familiars.”

Pathetic.

I shook my head in exasperation. “Whatever. I
didn’t ask you here to fight with you. But even so, you have no
right to criticize me or whom I choose as my friends.”

He was quiet for a little while. “Friends, huh.”
He looked down and laughed under his breath. “Yeah. You’re right.
They’re your friends. What do I care. But why do you want to be my
friend all of a sudden.”

“Caelum…I’ve never stopped being your friend.
You shut me out, I didn’t.”

He was quiet for a long while. Then he looked
away and shook his head slowly.

“I’m sorry Haruka. I can’t accept your
friendship. Not like this.”

I felt my chest grow a little tight.
“Caelum—”

“You’ll just get hurt,” he said gently and
looked back at me, “and I can’t bear to see that happen.”

I shook my head quickly. “Caelum, that won’t
happen. I’m not as naïve as I was half a year ago. I know where I
stand. I know where you stand.”

“No, Haruka you don’t. You don’t know anything
about us Familiars. You don’t know what’s expected of us, or what
we’re involved in.”

“I just told you, the Council President filled
us in. I know all about Crimson Crescent.” Hurriedly I lowered my
voice and furtively glanced at the other students in the garden.
Thankfully there were none close by.

Taking a deep breath, I said, “I know about
their attempts to break in.”

Caelum gave me a dumbfounded look. He blinked a
few times before asking, “He told you about that?”

I nodded.

He was quiet for another moment before bursting
out into pained laughter. “I don’t believe this. That son of a
bitch blabbed to you. What the Hell is his angle?”

I saw anger and disbelief cross his face as he
slowly shook his head.

Caelum muttered. “What the Hell is that bastard
after? Does he want you involved?” His eyes focused on me. “No, I
won’t allow that.”

“Allow what?”

“Haruka, you need to stay out of my world. You
have a nice, safe world now, a place where you belong. You have
your friends, and your family, and I’m sure before long you’ll have
a boyfriend. I promise I won’t get in the way like before.”

Hearing that my ears flushed hotly.

I realized he didn’t know.

That was going to surprise him in a negative
way.

Caelum continued after a beat. “But my world is
different from yours, and in my world the Aventis can get hurt. In
my world, Familiars die for their affiliated Pride.”

I gave him a dulled horrified look. “What?”

Caelum sighed loudly. “I didn’t understand it at
first. I’ve spent the last seven months taking things for granted,
living with my head in the sand, and ignoring the state of play.
But relations between the Prides aren’t all that smooth. There’s a
great deal of rivalry going on, and I think in part it’s centered
on their respective Familiars.”

I regained control of my expression, but didn’t
understand what he was saying. “What do you mean?”

He struggled to give me answer. I saw that
struggle play out across his face.

Eventually he exhaled loudly. “It’s something I
came to realize after what happened on Saturday. I think the Prides
are fostering their rivalry upon their Familiars. What happened
between Caprice and Constance is an example of that.”

I tilted my head slightly and swallowed heavily.
“Caelum, what
did
happen on Saturday? All the media will say
is that there was an incident and that the Prides were making no
comment on the matter. Everyone has their own opinions, and it
didn’t take long for people to learn who you all were.”

Caelum grimaced and glanced away.

I took a step closer to him. “Caelum, what’s
wrong? What’s going on?”

“I can’t tell you.” He saw my protest and
quickly added, “No, Haruka, please don’t ask me. Truthfully, I
don’t know much myself, and I’m not getting answers from the
Lanfears and their supposed to be my guardians.”

He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets,
and then glared at the ground between us.

I didn’t like the silence that fell over us.
“Caelum, is the school in danger? Are you in danger?”

He snorted and shook his head. “I don’t know.
Maybe, maybe not. Right now I can’t do anything about Crescent’s
plans for the school. I’m out of the game—that’s all I’ll say,
Haruka.”