Part 1

 

 

Ten years ago...

 

"I had the best dream father, he was even more handsome than the last time I remember, his red gold hair was like fire and his eyes deep blue, ocean blue."  I sat back on the trailer of the porch in my favorite chair, looking to where Remy and his new girlfriend were kissing on the other.  My father pushed the woman off himself and stood over me, anger in his eyes.

"Again?  Where were you this time?" he asked me, a much more gentle smile of his face now.  I must have been mistaken in thinking he was mad before, he was never mad at me unless I got a spell wrong.  He was always telling me it was important to get them right, to be able to defend myself from the governance, from the ones that sought to take me away.

"We were on a beach, and we were playing in the sand.  Can we go to the beach?"  Father nodded, eyes crinkling in the corners as he looked at me.  We had been training all year, much more that we did last year, and father said there was something big coming, he could feel it.   When he felt it was safe, he promised to take me to see the ocean.

"Sure Bijou, but tell me, was there anything else in the dream?  Anyone else, or just the two of you?" I loved when he called me ‘little jewel’, he never called the other children here any nicknames.  He pushed some of my hair out of my eyes, it was tangled because I hated brushing it.  Candace used to brush it for me, but she wasn't here anymore.  Father said she wasn’t ready for us, for the commitment it took to live out in the free magic like we did.

"He had two parents, and they sat real close to us.  His mother is so pretty!"  I giggled finding it funny.  In the dream she had played with my hair, threading her slender fingers through it while we played.  My own mother died when I was born, I never got to feel her hands in my hair.

"I'm sure you thought so.  What was his name love, the boy?" he asked me.  I thought back, and remembered that we never even talked.

"Oh I don't know.  Do you think he will come soon?  Lilly said that the dreams meant I had a mate, isn’t that like a boyfriend?" I asked, curious about why father never talked about boys.  The other kids teased me about my dreams, they said cruel things about me when they thought I couldn’t hear.

"Mates are something else, Bijou, and none of it is good," he told me, his eyes darkening to black as he said it.  Whenever father talked about something that made him mad, the clouds darkened and his eyes switched to the color of night, as they did now.

"Is that why you try so many girlfriends?  You haven't found your mate?" I asked him.  He always had a girlfriend over.

"Your mother was my mate, and she left me."  It was an old story he told me over and over, but understand why you could only have one mate, it seemed unfair.

"Mama died, I know.  It's why I must stay with you, near you always."

"Yes Bijou, it's why I keep you close.  It's why you can never leave me, and I cannot ever let you go now.  You look so much like her, it eases me to have you safe here." I nodded my head at him, knowing that I was the only one that could cheer him up.  I was the only one that could bring him back when he got too angry.

"Lilly said I won't ever have a mate because I'm weird, so don't worry."  I padded his large arm, thick with his large muscles and light blonde hair.  It was the same color as my own, it stood out almost white in the moonlight that was out tonight.

"You are strong and special, and Lilly is jealous of that, just as others will be envious of everything you can accomplish.  You are a Moreau, and we were born from the king’s blood, you are descended from the strongest magical blood ever to grace this plane.  One day, you will be even stronger, even more powerful than me Bijou.   But you must practice, do what you are told, because one day they are going to come for you, they are going to come for me, and we must fight back.”  I nodded my understanding and was rewarded by a rare smile from my father.

“Sebastian told me during spell lessons the other day that his father wants to leave.  He thinks you are delusional and paranoid, he said you were starting to lose it, what does that mean?”  I think I had an idea, but we didn’t have any way for me to look the words up.

“People don’t grow out of their bad habits, adults sometimes tease people too, so pay no attention to what the others say.  They are only jealous, and those that aren’t, are simply afraid of you.  The weak fear the strong, it has been so since the beginning,”  He smoothed my hair back, looking in my eyes.

 “You remember that spell I taught you?"  I nodded again.

"The one that can confuse the eyes?" I asked.  We had so many lessons and I wanted to please him by remembering.

"Yes, you can insert your vision into their own for a few seconds, and it makes them silly.  Remember how many times you fell over?" he asked, and I laughed when thinking of it.

"Well, pick a good time and practice with the ones that tease you.  It should teach them a lesson about picking on a Moreau."  I smiled, knowing just when I was going to do it.  Father placed his hand on my head, and a tickling feeling overcame my brain. 

"Stop it father, that itches," I said, trying to scratch his hand away.  He bent down to look in my eyes again, he looked sad again.

"Did you have good dreams Bijou?" he asked me and I nodded.

"I played on the beach!" I said.

"With who?" father asked, but when I went to think back my head hurt.

“I think it was just me," I said feeling sad.  I rubbed my forehead and yawned, knowing I needed to go back to bed but not wanting to just yet.

"Bon," father said in French, and he pulled Penelope onto his lap once more.  "Go back to bed love, we are going hunting tomorrow morning," he told me.  Penelope smiled at me, her hand rubbing on my father’s chest like I did with the stray cats that hung around.

“Hunting what?” I asked, excitement in my eyes.  I had a new bow that my father bought for me last spring, and I didn’t get to use it much.  I could kill more game with my spells, but I liked using the weapons.

“Spies,” he said smiling.  I looked at him confused, but he starting kissing her again, and I made my way back towards my room, the woman's giggles echoing in my head all the way.

 

 

 

Governance

 

"Can you feel it child?" I heard him ask me in his gentle, soothing voice.  It was getting harder and harder to focus on his words, though I knew if I didn't things would only get worse for me.  I dug my hands, currently tied to the headboard, into the paneling on the wall.  I hardly had any nails left at all on the hand, but once I opened up a stub a shot of pain flew up my arm and cleared my mind.

I felt the side of my head go from a sharp tingle, to searing pain.  I screamed out, unable to contain it any longer.  I felt a gloved hand cover my mouth, stifling my cries before they could hit the open air.  My eyes were wide, nostrils flaring, as my body desperately tried to intake as much oxygen as possible.

"Fight it Brienne, you must fight it," he shouted to me, this time in French.  I was starting to get dizzy, knowing that soon I would be unconscious. 

Distantly I heard the door to the trailer open, and in the next moment two men and a woman, armed with crossbows, were pointing them towards Remy.  They looked from his form, to my own, and sputtered curses to each other.  They talked a bit more, not in English or French, so I couldn't understand them but their tone was clear.  The burning in my head was spreading to my face and I let out another garbled scream, the pain getting so intense that it came out more like a low moan.

"I can't keep it off," I managed to call out, getting scared.

"Remy, step away from her and you might be able to get out of this room alive," I heard the woman say in perfect French, she was staring at me and I at her.

"Father, please." I pleaded with him, smelling the flesh start to burn.  He was glancing wildly around the room like a cornered mouse.  He swung his gaze back to me, reaching out with his hand right over my heart, and I screamed out when I saw a bolt go through his chest.

I woke up sweating, legs so tangled in the sheets I could scarcely get myself untangled in time to rush to the bathroom.  I threw myself in front of the toilet and vomited up my late night snack.

"Brienne?" I heard JP call out from the doorjamb.

"I'm okay," I told him holding up a hand when he tried to approach.

"You should try those pills again," he suggested playing with his long brown hair that was sticking up in odd directions.  Even first thing in the morning it looked great.  Figures.

"I can never wake up when I take them, and I can't be tardy my first day," I said with a nervous laugh.  It was another reminder of the day I had to face.

"You want a ride to school?" he asked helping me up as I rose to stand.  My head swam and I had to brace myself on the sink ledge.  I turned on the faucet and washed my hands and face with ice cold water in an attempt to clear the haze.

"No, can you imagine what everyone would say about me if you dropped me off on the back of your bike?" I said teasingly, but fully knowing it was true.  I didn't know how I was going to explain JP as it was, and it wouldn’t make it any better riding in on the back of his motorcycle.

"I still think you should do the online thing, you were doing pretty well."  He seemed very nervous in the moment, he always fidgeting with his hair when he was feeling anxious about something.  I was surprised he brought it up, though the idea wasn’t without merit.  I had been doing well, more like off the charts well, considering my unconventional schooling as a child.  My caseworker even made me take some of the tests over, convinced I had cheated the first time.

"Yes, but if I want to get into a good college it will look better if go to St. Michael's.  I have no history in traditional classes, I have no school record at all."  I saw a muscle jump in JP's jaw.  He felt protective of me, and not being there to stop what happened to my face still haunted him. I wasn’t the only one who woke up with nightmares.

"So take the GED and go to college now, you can do the community college stuff for a while," he said, sounding a bit desperate.  I shook my head, wishing it could be that easy.

"This was your idea in the first place JP.  You were the one that called me in on this opportunity.  Plus, you want me to go from never having been to school, to enrolling in college?  Do you know how hard it is just to enroll in high school without so much as a birth certificate?  Without this step, I'm going to have hard time moving on to anything else."  I had begun to think it was impossible, without the help of the one social worker who gave a damn about me, I would have never been able to do this.

"I can't hustle my whole life J, I have to do better."  He gave me a slight nod, the worried expression still stuck in his eyes.

"I know, but that place is going to be tough for you."  He seemed like it was hard for him to say that to me, and I didn't take offense to it.  I knew it was going to be hard.

“I’ve had worse JP.”  After I said it I looked up and faced the mirror, taking the time I did every morning to inspect my new face.  Even after three years I still had a hard time recognizing myself, so much had changed.

  The left side, from just behind my ear, up around my temple, and across the half of my eye socket, was one giant burned scar.  My left eye, unlike my right, was a light blue rather than my natural brown.  I looked like one of those husky dogs with different colored eyes.  I ran my finger over my now uneven hairline, tracing the large square of affected area.  If I splayed out my hand, it would be just about the size of it.  I shook my curly blonde hair out of its bun and then dipped to replace it once again.  

"I think that last graft worked well, the scarring looks lighter," JP said as he came up behind me.  I nodded, knowing it really did look better than it had been before.  He looked for a second like he was going to reach out and touch me, but he stopped himself and his hand dropped to the side.

"I'll be okay, you have to be there too, and don’t the teachers usually have to be there before the students?" I reminded him.  He dropped his head and fluffed his hair out, letting it fall naturally around his face.  He was hiding his eyes from me, and it was unnerving to find him so secretive.

"JP!" I heard Veronica call out from the kitchen.  She interrupted the question I was about to throw at JP in an attempt to figure out what was going on with him.

 I could smell the coffee, and it was a reminder to myself that at least she was good for one thing.  I felt him stiffen as she called out his name, but he relented as he usually did, and left me alone in the bathroom.

Grabbing my makeup out and starting on my usual routine had me feeling more settled, it truly didn't consist of much more than some mascara and a little liner on my good eye.  I couldn't do much with the other so I never bothered with an excessive amount of makeup.  My skin was still recovering from the last surgery and I couldn't put anything on it while it healed.

Finding my sad looking duffel bag in the living room near the couch, which was where I had been calling home for the last two weeks, I searched for my clothes.  JP was the one that got me the application for St. Michael's, offering me a place here until I could figure out things and get settled at the school.  It made me worried that he was suddenly anxious about me going there now, his not so great pep talk this morning left me confused.

 Perhaps he was concerned about me living here.  I knew my shelf life squatting on the couch was coming to an end, Veronica and JP looked like they were serious about each other.  Serious enough not to want an eighteen year old kid sharing their apartment, and I knew from firsthand knowledge Veronica hadn’t been amiable to idea before I agreed to come.  Things didn’t get much better once I actually got here. I think at this point it was safe to say she disliked me very much, and she took it out on JP at every opportunity.  I didn't get why she was so mad about it, but he didn't ask me to leave yet so I was content to hold on.

I searched through my clothes and found my uniform, shaking it out to make sure it looked decent.  Glancing at the clock I realized I needed to hurry if I was going to make it on time.  I ran into the bathroom and changed, throwing a change of clothes into my bag for later.

"I got a game later tonight, won't be home until late.  Don't wait up," I called out to him as I grabbed the coffee mug off the island.

"You shouldn't be doing that kind of thing anymore Brienne, it's too dangerous," she said to me, a look of fake concern in her eyes.

"Leave it alone V, she's old enough to know what she's doing," he told her back, pouring me a refill into the coffee travel mug while pulling her into his side.

"She's only eighteen JP, you seem to forget that about her."  At this she roamed her eyes over my private school skirt, like JP needed the reminder I was a kid.  It was an old accusation that she never quite gave up on, JP told me once she was convinced we were sleeping together.  There was nothing between us, that he had made clear, but she couldn't let it go.

"I still have to pay off the hospital bill from the last graft, then I can move out.  I'll be fine, besides I'm good at it."  They didn't know how well I did either.  When I said I was planning on moving out, she smiled, suddenly undisturbed by my current career choice.

"You sure about tonight, I got a bad feeling," JP said to me.

"I've had to sit in on a hell of a lot of games to get invited tonight, the payout is worth the risk," I told him, shrugging off his concerns.

"Call me," he told me with a warning look.  I wouldn't need the help, but I gave him a reassuring nod anyway.

"See you there?  At…at school I mean," I asked, knowing that he was the one thing that was going to get me through today.

"Yeah," he said as he left Veronica's side to come over and hug me.  It was a long hug, longer than he normally did and it made me wary.

"I've only wanted what was best for you, ever since that day I first saw you," he said looking down on me with a thoughtful expression.

“I know, it’s why I’m taking you up on this offer.  So school better not blow.”  I laughed and turned to walk out, trying not to dwell on the fact that JP’s face drained of color as I said it.

 

***

 

I reached the principal’s office, glancing at the gilded plaque on the wall, I knew I was in the right place.  Though she was called a headmistress, and looked like she could be running a fortune 500 company, versus a private school.  I guess fancy schools have fancy leaders.  The good feelings I had been trying to conjure up on the walk here evaporated with each glance, with each step.  I approached the front desk, and to the secretary's credit she didn't so much as bat an eye at my face.

"I'm Brienne Moreau," I told her aiming for polite but knowing I came across a bit cold.  I didn't have too much practice at talking to strangers, and I found myself cringing at how I was going to get through today.

"Go on back dear, she's waiting for you," she told me, quickly answering another phone call as she pointed to the door.

Headmistress Marion Pernault was about as different from the mental image of a private school matron as I could imagine.  She was young, possibly early forties, with short dark hair and light golden eyes.  There was almost a familiarity to her, but it wasn't enough for me to put a finger on it.  She had a bright and genuine looking smile, training it on me the second I popped out from behind the door.

"Hello Brienne, it's a pleasure to meet with you in person.  JP has told me so much about you," she said and I was curious about what he had told her about me.  I flitted my eyes around, looking for just what I was supposed to do after that.  Thankfully Marion pointed in the direction of the chair in front of the desk in invitation.

"I'm sure you are anxious to get out to your classes, but I just wanted to welcome you here.  I also want to encourage you to come to me if you have any issues you may need help with."  She was looking to me, I took it as my cue for a response and I nodded like a mute idiot, feeling for the first time a bit intimidated.

"Thanks," I said clearing my throat.  I looked down at what was occupying her hands and found a manila folder that she was holding, its precarious spine stretched to its maximum.  Wonderful, she had my social services file.  She realized that I noticed it, and she held it up.

"I must say it's quite the file, took me a good amount of time to review it all," she said finally allowing her eyes to follow the path of my scar.  I didn't take offense to it, she did it plainly and not with regretful eyes like many did.  There was something working behind her eyes, but I didn’t know her well enough to decipher it.

"Its healing, the last graft really helped," I said, absently touching the skin above my eye.  It was the worst spot and the wrinkled healing skin still hurt to touch.

"It looks good, considering," she said with a tilt of the head.  I could feel my eyebrows pinch in confusion.

“Considering what?” I asked, gooseflesh appearing on my arms at her expression.

  "Well, the power level Remy used on you should have burned you alive in an instant.  It's amazing you had the strength to shield him.  Especially considering what happened the night before."  I leaned down in my seat, taking a few deep breaths, and hoping against hope I wouldn't pass out.  I couldn't believe it had come to this.  I had been dodging the governance ever since I got free, and now here I was.  JP said he had a bad feeling about today, was he trying to warn me in the bathroom this morning?

"You're her sister," I said finally recognizing her face.  I couldn't believe I didn't notice it sooner, Penny was one of the faces from then that would forever be seared into my memories.

"Was," she said coreected me tightly, letting her friendly mask slip a bit.

"I apologize," I said, not meaning to make such a mistake about it.  I'm sure she didn't like talking about it anymore than I did.

"It was, what almost three years ago now, and still I get angry," she said honestly to me as she hung her head.  I nodded, being the one person who could really understand.

"She was brave," I said to her, meeting her gaze and trying not to tear up when I thought about what Penny did for me.

"She was."  She trailed off, eyes locked on a picture in front of her that must contain her sister.

"How did you find me?" I asked in a resigned breath, knowing that I might as well talk to her, now that I was here. 

"You led us on quite a chase after that group home, and it wasn’t without its troubles.  When it became clear you would never willingly come to us, we convinced JP to reach out and take you in after the incident in New York.  I never thought you would go back to him, after everything.  Regardless here you are."  I could feel my hands shaking in anger, I had done everything in my power to stay away from them and yet here I was, enrolled in a governance school.  Life was a cruel bitch to me.

"He's the only person I had ever trusted, where the hell else was I going to go?" I asked caustically, referring to her comment about JP.

"We have always made it clear you are welcome in this school system when you came of age, you only needed to ask," Marion said, opening her arms up to indicate where I was.  They did offer me a place here, to their credit they had made it apparent when I turned eighteen I could attend any governance school I wanted, which is the one reason I didn't trust them.  No one in their right mind would take a chance on me. 

"Why?" I asked plainly, giving up on the pretenses and cutting down to what I wanted to know.

"You are not them," she said, like it answered everything.  I let that comment float around in my head, willing it to sink in enough to fix that part of me that knew it was a lie.

"If I'm not them, then who am I?" I asked, summing up my existence.  No matter what happened, no matter where I was, I always returned to that question.

"You are not your father Brienne, you are a very powerful, but a very good witch. I could sense it and so did JP."  She looked confident, but I knew from gossip that they were in the minority.  Most thought I was just as crazy as my father, and I probably was.

"I look just like him, I was raised by him.  I was raised by the lot of them.  Hell, half of the prisoners you hold I know or have known at some point.  Maybe that's the reason he left me behind,” I said, more to myself than to Marion. I almost shivered as the memories came flooding back to me, both the good and the bad.

"You do like him, very much so, but that doesn't mean you have to turn out like him.  You don’t have to be like those people.”  Marion was sitting calmly talking about it, but it had to be hard to look at me without feeling resentment, I was a spitting image of him.  He destroyed so many lives.  “We can help you be better,” she finished, eyes looking energized and alert at the prospect.

"Is that what this is about? Get me to go to school here so that you can keep an eye on me?  You can't teach me anything I don't already know, in fact I think I could teach you some things," I said bitterly.  I saw her eyes round with concern and I tried to remember threatening the governance, wasn't the way to go.

"We can help with your control, we can teach you things your father refused, we can give you a future," she said with a hopeful expression.

"You mean you can use me, you want to control me and then use what I know to your benefit."  I scoffed and rolled my eyes, of course that’s what they wanted to do.

"Is that Remy talking, or is that your own opinion?" she asked.  My mind reeled as I realized she was right, and wrong.  I had practically spoken verbatim what he always used to tell me about the governance, about why they wanted to take me.  I shook my head, feeling dirty just having those words come out of my mouth but I couldn't shake the feeling that in this case they were probably true.

"I'm sorry Brienne, I should never have said that," Marion said, looking somewhat ashamed.

"Turns out fifteen years of brainwashing doesn't go away overnight.  Outside of that though, I don't trust anyone besides myself.  I have no incentive to trade what he did to me, for what you might."  I didn't want it to offend her, and by the look on her face she didn’t take it as an insult

"That fair, but maybe we can make a deal," she said looking interested.  "You give this year a good try, I'll pay off your medical bills, and get you set up for college if you so choose."  I'm sure my jaw had hit the floor at the comment.  I couldn't believe what she was offering, what it could mean for me.

"Can I think about it?" I asked, needing more time to consider.  It was a great offer, with strings I wasn’t sure I wanted attached to me.

"Of course, how about you give it until the winter break, if you really hate what we are doing here you can leave.  If you decide to stay the offer stands,” she said calmly, jotting down a few notes in my file as I sat silent.  I eyed her, sensing I was by far getting the good end of this deal.

"Why?" I asked again, knowing something wasn't adding up.

"So that my baby sister didn't die without cause.  JP didn't risk his life without a damn good reason, and it's important that I follow through.  This community let you down before and I won't stand by and let it happen again.  On top of all that," she said with a heavy sigh, "your father is still alive, and he's going to come for you at some point.  It's inevitable, don't you think the best thing you can do for yourself is to grow your power?  If not to help us find him and kill him, but so that when he comes to take you, you can stop him."  I dropped my head and closed my eyes, knowing there was no way I could turn her down when she offered me that.

***

2: Chapter 2 & 3

St. Michael's

 

I walked out of the office, clutching my schedule, and walking in a bit of a daze.  No matter where my brain was taking me to, no matter what question I could come up with, the conclusion was the same.  Marion was right, every retort, every excuse, every reason I conjured as to why I shouldn't be here, were pointless when she put it like that.  I needed to pull my head out of my ass and at least give it a shot.  I could potentially sharpen and strengthen my magic, but also secure myself a separate future if I wanted.  It should be a no brainer, but I could still hear his voice, gentle and loving, telling me that I can never trust the governance.

"They will want to take you Bijou, for your power.  They will tempt you in and offer you the world, if you will only help them.  You cannot let them, never let them in or trust them.  It's just you and me, forever."

I shook off the feeling of his voice, and tried to quell the nausea that was rising in the back of my throat.  Days like this were confusing for me, the old and the new being brought into the same light, demanding my attention.   I felt like two halves of whole that weren't accurately merged. 

The halls were still a bit empty but the odd person here or there started to stream in, and with them, so did the stares.  I didn't care about them or what they were saying, I was searching out the halls for the one face I knew.  When I didn't see him, and a look around indicated everyone was getting ready for the day, I abandoned my search and went to find my locker.

I found it along the senior corridor, ignoring the looks everyone was giving me.  I was good at this part, the ignoring was second nature to me.  I found my locker and spent little time on the lock, flicking my fingers to open it when the third round of combination attempts didn't work. 

"You can't do that, outside of your spell classes that is," a booming male voice said from behind me.  I closed my eyes and rested my head against the locker, not really wanting to turn and look happy to see him.  I should be throwing him down the hallway after what he did to me, but instead I turned and faced him.

"Would have been nice to know about this ahead of time John," I snapped at him using his first name.

"I couldn't say anything to you, Marion wanted to be the one to let you know," he said looking for once sheepish.

"Was it all a lie?" I asked him.  I had been told my blunt honesty was off putting, my foster parents thought I was being confrontational.  I didn't know how to explain to them it was just part of me.

"Of course I wanted to help you, after everything you think I would be dishonest with you if I didn't think it was for a good reason?"  He even looked offended I even thought it.

"Well you didn't want me then, did Marion offer you something more tempting this time around?" I asked him, knowing I shouldn't be discussing this in public but unable to stop myself.  JP had enough sense to drag me into an open classroom behind us.  He checked the room and then closed the door, much to the dismay of several students who were hoping to eavesdrop.

"It was her idea, but I needed no bribe.  How you could you suggest that?" he asked, anger and fury marking his tone.

"If you wanted to help me, why didn't you take me with you?  When I was begging for you in the hospital, when no one would take me in, when they put me in that awful home, where were you?  Reaping the benefits of being the hero, while I was put away.  Now it makes sense why you called me out of the blue offering me a place to stay.  It was Marion, not you, offering to get me to come here.  Which you should have told me was a governance school!" I said, yelling at him.

"I didn't think you would come, and what Marion was offering to you couldn't be ignored because of your prejudice of this place.  This is the best chance you have at making something of yourself, and you know it."  He looked angry, but still hopeful I would understand.  I did, but my pride was wounded, and I felt like I was back to square one with JP again.

"It wouldn't have been right to take you with me then Bijou.  I was a kid myself, I wouldn't have known what to do with you."  We looked at each other, direct and almost uncomfortable eye contact.

“Don’t you dare call me that,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at the nickname.  Only my father and JP called me that, and neither memory was filled with love anymore.

“Brienne, it wouldn’t have been right.”

"You were twenty JP, hardly a child.  At least not a child enough for them to send you to us in the first place," I responded back.

"You really think they would give a twenty year old, the fifteen year old daughter of Remy Moreau to take care of?" he said sarcastically back, looking for all the world like he wanted to take back what he said as soon as it came out.  I narrowed my eyes further. 

"I was sixteen by then, but we can argue details all day.  The point is, I am his daughter, and that's the exact reason no one wanted to take me.  I got put into that group home, and let me tell you, if you want to read how that went you can read the eight hundred page manifesto that is currently on Marion's desk."

"I thought of you every day, don't assume I was off 'playing the hero' while you were suffering.  I regret it all the time, but at the end of the day I have always tried to do what's best for you," he told me.

"What's best for me?  Or what is comfortable for you?" I asked taking a step towards him.  It was the same thing I did with him the night he left me, the same thing I did when I first got to his apartment.  I keep hoping one of these days he will snap out of it and realize taking a risk on me would be worth it.

"Don't go there Brienne, not again," he said backing away from me, hands up and eyes wary.

"Why not, you know where I stand, do you really want to waste what we could have?" I asked, taking another step closer.

"You may not know this, but it's unethical for me as a teacher here to be having this conversation.  It's irresponsible for you to be living with me as well, but I don't know what else to do with you."

"Who cares, Marion knows I'm crashing with you, what's so wrong about it?" I asked, feeling confused. 

"I'm four years older than you for one, but as a teacher here our relationship is inappropriate."  He informed me, a bright red blush staining his cheeks.

"What would be inappropriate about having a relationship with me?" I asked him plainly.

"My job, Veronica, your age," he said listing it off on his fingers.  He took a big swallow, I followed his Adam’s apple with my eyes, unable to look away.

"I've seen more than anyone here, including the instructors.  Sometimes I feel like a thousand years old.  I've seen grown adults do things that a child would never consider doing, and I’ve witnessed children do things that would curl even your toes.  Do you know how old I was when I first killed someone?  I was eight JP, what does age mean then?  Your argument sounds like a social construct that makes you feel better about not addressing the two of us," I told him.  JP let out a few strains of French swear words as he pulled on his hair.

"You are impossible," he said, looking over my face with a gentle expression.

"No, I'm right, you just don't want to face it yet.  I was brought up to chase the things that scared me, to find them and tackle them to the ground, to make them submit to my will.”

"There will never be anything between the two of us Brienne."  He sighed and plopped down at one of the desks in the classroom.

"There could be."  I sat next to him at another desk.  I heard the bell ring and realized I should be moving along.  He gave a long and deep sigh, full of resignation and defeat.

"You need to tone it down with the kids here.  They aren't used to the way you talk so try and be...gentle."  I gave a laugh at his advice.

"Don't worry, I learned that lesson in my foster home."

"It's best not to mention you're staying with me."  He was inspecting a nasty word that was carved into the desktop, tracing the words with his fingertips.

"I may be socially awkward but I'm not stupid.  Plus I don't intend to talk to anyone here anymore than I have to." 

 

***

 

We left the classroom after that, he walked me back to my locker and then to my first classroom.

"Why can't I use my spells on the lock and stuff?" I asked as we walked down the hall.

"Habit.  In the human world it's not acceptable to use everyday magic, plus we are teaching control.  We can't have everyone flying spells all over the place like that, it would be a disaster.  Keep it to classes and at home."  I laughed and nodded, knowing it was going to take a monumental effort not to.

"What do you have first?" JP asked looking at my schedule.

"History, Governance, then spells class until lunch.  After that I have an evaluation, for the advanced sessions," I said with a sigh, wanting to do anything else than have to attend that nightmare.

"Not looking forward to that one?" He asked, knowing full well I hated the magical testing.  It reminded me too much of Remy, and what he used to subject me to.

"You going to be there?" I asked him.

"Yes, all the instructors will be present.  You should know most of the advanced students will be there as well,” he told me, a wince on both our faces at the news.  Great, this day was just getting better and better.

We reached the room, the door was closed but I could hear the deep voice of the teacher even through the heavy wood.  I reached for the door handle and then turned towards JP. 

"Pull me from the evaluation if I get out of control."  He nodded at me, and I held his eyes, trying to draw out some more strength as I pulled the door open.

"You must be Brienne," the large bushy haired man called out to me as I appeared in the front of the class. 

"Yes," I said holding out my schedule for him to check and sign. 

"I'm Mr. Rains.  Take a seat, there looks to be one open near the back, next to Weston."  I scanned the room and found the seat he was talking about.  As I approached, I could feel all the pairs of eyes on me as I made my descent towards the back of he class.

West, I was assuming by the teachers indication, was a tall boy with light strawberry blonde hair and velvety brown eyes that made no attempt to conceal his calculating stare.  It wasn't malicious, but it was assessing.  I looked to the seat next to him and found that it held his bag with a heavy history book perched on top.  Raising an eyebrow at him, inclining my head towards the seat, I tried to get him to move so I could sit.  He kept scanning my face, looking over my scar with an interesting expression.  I cleared my throat, but he made no move to find a new place for his things.

"Mind if I have a seat?" I asked dryly to him hoping he would get the hint and move his bag.

"Not at all," he said with a wide smirk tipping his lips.  I shouldn't have done it, I could hear JP in my head reminding me that I couldn't do spell work outside of class, but this kid was pissing me off.  I said a quick chant under my breath, pretending to mutter something, and placed his bag and book on the ground next to his own desk.  I only needed a second to touch his book to accomplish what I needed anyway.

"Now that everyone is settled, let's get down to it.  Your syllabus outlines what we will be working on this semester, and you all need to review the information on your own time.  As you can tell, we will have a very busy and tight time frame, so we are going to jump right in.  Let's go around the room and introduce ourselves," he waved his hand for picked the first girl in the first row to start.  I groaned on the inside, and just patiently waited for my turn.

"Does it hurt?" I heard West whisper to me, gesturing to my face, as the students were taking turns with introductions.  The teacher was busy doing attendance at the same time, paying no attention to what anyone was saying.  The two boys in front of him, I was guessing his friends, were looking over their shoulders to take part in the exchange.

"Just the one spot, and when it's sunny out my eye bothers me.  I don't have much pigment left in my iris." I told him as I perused through the first couple of pages in the textbook in front of me.  I could feel his body jerk in surprise that I answered him.  Did he think he was going to bully me around, or that the rumor I was mute and dumb was true?

"What about the arm?" the dark haired boy asked me pointing towards the dark suture line that marked my upper arm.

"Not anymore," I told him tracing the long scar with my finger and remembering how I got it.

"What happened?" West asked, the smirk long escaped from his face and replaced with marked interest.  I didn't know how to read that on him, but I went with my gut.

"My father broke my arm and he didn't set it right."  I saw his jaw tick just a bit and then I noticed the whole class was silent and staring at West and me.  I guess it was our turn for introductions.

"I'm West Mackinnon," he said to everyone in a voice that wavered just a fraction before he recovered.  Instead of offering a tidbit or anecdote like everyone else in class, he ended it there and turned his gaze on me again.  Alrightly then.

"I'm Brienne Moreau, pick a rumor about me and insert here," I said off hand and trained my eyes back on the teacher.

"Okay..." the teacher said drawing out his unease over my introduction, "Let's open up to the second chapter and begin to read.  We will discuss the questions at the end of the section in thirty minutes."

I turned to the correct page and a minute later I saw West hold up his hand.  I tried to stifle my grin by turning in my chair so he couldn't see my face.

"Yes, Mr. Mackinnon?" Mr. Rains asked.

"There’s something wrong with my book," I heard him say.  "It's all in...French?" he said in a questioning tone.

Mr. Rains made his way back to where West was sitting to examine the book.  "Well I'll be, it must be a mistake.  I didn't think it was available in anything but English, oh well, I'm afraid to say we only have an exact number of texts per student, so you must make due for now.  Surely your French is strong enough lad, we're too near the Canadian border for you not to know enough to get by."  I frowned not thinking about this area, we were in the northern part of Maine and most here spoke at least some French.

"I can speak it professor, but reading world history in it is another thing all together," West said with a frown.  I suppressed a giggle and had to turn my head away even further so he wouldn't catch me.

We continued through the class, and it became increasingly harder and harder to hide my facial expressions every time West groaned next to me.  As the bell rang, I felt his eyes on me as I gathered up my things. 

"Is there a problem?" I asked him when he continued to glare at me.  He didn't answer then, just raised one eyebrow and gave me a look that clearly stated he suspected I had something to do with his book.

"If you want help with your homework, I'm fluent in French, d'accord?"  I gave him a wink and then left for my next class.

***

 

Much to my utter lack of luck, West and his two counterparts, who I now knew to be named Logan and Mave, were sitting front row and center of my next class.  I didn't even try to hide my eye roll when I noticed that there was an empty seat in between West and Mave.  Scanning the room I couldn't find another seat, and with a resigned sigh I plopped down in defeat. 

"That was a nice little trick with the textbook," Mave said grinning.

"If I knew what you were talking about, I'm sure I would be flattered."  I yawned, knowing I needed more coffee if I was going to get through today in one piece.  In the back of my head I kept running through all of the possible outcomes from the assessment testing, and each one of them ended with trouble.  I almost tuned the guys out entirely in my musings, and when I felt a hand on my arm Mave looked like he had been attempting to talk to me.

"You're a little strange," Mave said, but just as he said it I saw West shoot him a sharp look.

"I've been called worse."  I shrugged, I took it more like a compliment anyhow.

I looked to West, who had resumed his appraisal of me.  "I have better shields than anyone here, you won't get in," I told him tapping at my head as I drew on my notebook, realizing that he was a mind mage.  He had been trying to get a read on me from the start, which must have been frustrating for him.  He opened his mouth and closed it again, obviously struggling for words.

"The eyes," I said answering the question I could tell was on his mind.  "You have the eyes of someone who likes to read people, figure them out.   They don't miss a thing do they?" I asked him, leaning forward so I could get into his space.

"No they don't."  His voice now held a note of hesitation, a bit like he was in over his head a bit with me, which he was.

"Do us!" Mave shouted, like an excited child at a fortune telling booth.  I couldn't help but return the smile.

"Mave works in illusion, if I had to guess it would be manipulating natural forms."  His jaw dropped and looked a bit pale, maybe I should have gone round the bush with it.

"Is there a way you could tell?" he asked, in a more serious tone.  I would be serious about if I were him, he would be more of an asset in the field if no one could tell what he specialized in.

"You smell like earth, and something hard to pin down, almost like mist or fog.  It's quite an alluring scent," I told him honestly.  It reminded me of the trailer in the early morning.  Logan was sitting quietly, but with his eyes still trained on me I knew he wanted me to read him next.

"And Logan can fly," I said, finding despite myself I was impressed with his skill.  Not many wizards could fly, and those that could often had other impressive abilities, but I couldn't know them yet, not without touching him.

"It's impossible for her to know all that just by sitting there, she's just playing you idiots," I heard a girl say just as she wrapped her long arms around West's neck.  She had long perfectly curled dark hair, with matching chocolate colored eyes.  Her stare was fixed on me, it was a clear challenge and one that I could not ignore.  If I let her get away with it now, it would only get worse.

"If you are having trouble paying enough attention to notice, then you should take another of those pills.  It might help, even if you got them off someone else," I said cruelly back.  I heard Mave and Logan choke on a laugh as I said it, and she managed to turn a nice shade of red.

"Did your father teach you to do that?"  She looked supremely happy to have thought of that comeback.  Like using Remy against me had never been attempted before.

"Oh he taught me many things, mostly things that involved pain, but let's just say that is one of my personal talents."  I yawned again, getting bored with her.  She was going to have to do a lot better than that if she wanted to get under my skin.

She opened her mouth to speak and it was West this time who stepped in, "Enough Raquel."  She kissed his cheek, all the while looking at me.

"Sure baby," she said in a sickly sweet voice. 

"How did you know I could fly?" Logan whispered as the next teacher came in the room.  I could hear West and Raquel talking in whispers as he turned in her direction.  I glanced back to Logan, he looked far more innocent than the rest of his counterparts, and he had a fresh and kind face.  It put me more at ease.

"I look in your eyes and I see the sky, it's anxious and swirling in your iris', like it's waiting for your return."  He looked at me a long moment then.

"That's exactly what it feels like," he said wistfully.

"What are you?" he asked me then, as everyone around us became supremely silent.  It was gentle nudging suggestion, and I knew he wouldn't press me if I declined.  Still, it was too early.

"I am something else entirely Logan," I said with a sigh.

 

 

 

 

Assessment

 

I made it to lunch, not that I had much of an appetite.  Between worrying about the assessment, fending off the questions and staring from the students, and thinking about JP, I was in a weird mood.  I grabbed what I thought I could eat and made my way outside. 

There was a small patio attached to the back of the cafeteria.  The weather was getting a bit colder now, so I had the majority of the area to myself.  I sat down, playing with the apple in my hands, when I heard someone behind me. 

"You have a very intriguing power signature," I called over my shoulder as West approached.  "You project a bit too much when you concentrate on something.  You should work on it, if you are going to work for them,” I explained, taking a bit of my apple and pointing towards the building. 

He dropped his tray in front of me.  "I wouldn't mess with Raquel anymore.  She's on one hell of a tear after what you said to her," he told me as he took a huge bite out of his sandwich.  Obviously ignoring my correction.

"Then why are you out here with me, instead of comforting her delicate tendencies?" I asked feeling for once a small smile on my lips.

"I'll tell you if you switch my text book back."  He was smiling back, even his teeth were mocking me in their perfection.

I didn't get a chance to answer as his own personal gaggle of geese walked onto the patio, staring in shock at where he was sitting.  Mave and Logan were the exceptions, they were giving me some genuine smiles, and I returned them gladly.

"We couldn't find you in the cafeteria, I was worried," Raquel said as she sat down on West's lap.  He didn't move her, and it made me wonder why people did things they so clearly would rather not, he looked uncomfortable.

"Worried I might interest him?" I asked her.  She did that red faced thing again, but held her chin up.  Everyone else took up seats near us.  I bet they didn’t know they were getting a show with their meal.

"That is one thing I don't have to worry about, now, you going crazy on him and possibly hurting him, yes."  I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt.

"Who me?  I'm harmless," I said with a laugh, biting into my apple with much more tenacity than it required.

"Harmless?  My cousin is friends with James Jin, you remember him don't you?  He's the one that you paralyzed in his sleep one night, you left him a whole two days before you told someone.  No one could move him, the governance couldn't remove the spell, he...he...went to the bathroom on himself."  I narrowed my gaze on her, and I was sad to say I was surprised she went there with me this fast.

"James was sneaking out of his bed at night to keep warm in mine.  Needless to say he was uninvited, as were his hands on my body, so I taught him a lesson.  Trust me the idea I had in mine first was much worse, and tell your friend they should be careful around him.  He likes them young," I told her flatly still remembering the feel of his hands on me that first night.

"See what I'm talking about West!  Your mother and father would have a brain aneurism if they found you were talking to..."

"To Remy's daughter?" I finished for her, her voice was starting to give me a migraine, and her lame attempts to hurt me were tiring.

"Wait, that's right MacKinnon!” I said to West.  “Your parents are on the governance board aren't they?  I remember them from my hearing once I was released from the hospital, granted I could only see them with my good eye but you look so much like your father, I should have recognized you."  He might have blushed for just a second but it was gone as soon as it came.

"Yes, and the fact that their son seems to be associating with you, well it would send them through the roof.  They are very protective of their sons."  She straightened up, looking like the chosen princess.

"Oh don't worry Raquel, they seemed perfectly nice to me then.  As it was I had half of my face almost melted off by my own father, who then killed one of the guards sent to bring him in, and consequently chased me for almost five miles before reaching me and trying to kill me again.  After that he had his beta sexually assault me, so you can see they seemed to be fairly sympathetic to me after all that."  It was crickets at the lunch table after that, no one making eye contact with me except for West, who seemed unable to break our stare.  His eyes turned sad and I snapped, I hated when people looked at me like that, and for some reason I didn't want him specifically to look at me like that.

'Pity is a luxury for those who still mourn, it has been long enough for me,’ I projected to his mind.  He threw Raquel off his lap and came at me.  I leapt from my seat and tried to backpedal to the wall, feeling taken off guard.  He pinned me into the wall, hands on each shoulder as he held me there

"How the hell did you do that?" he asked me on a hiss.

'You're a mind mage, and you've never experienced that before?  Anyone strong enough should be able to direct their thoughts to you.  You sure as hell are strong enough to take them, I bet if I concentrated I could reach you miles away.'

'I don't like it,' he said back to me, it was a bit crackly but it worked well enough for me to get a slice of his anger with it.

'Very good, first attempt?'  He nodded his head in response.  'You don't like it because it goes against your nature, you are made to go into other's minds, not be taken in your own.  If you were an animal, your head would be your territory, and your protective instincts are to feel threatened even when you know you aren't.  You are strong enough to endure it, then conquer it, and in that you can be even more powerful then you are now.'  West looked at me again, anger warring in his eyes with excitement.

"Get the hell off of her Mr. Mackinnon," I heard JP call out from the archway, looking every bit the Professor as I had imagined him to be.  West promptly dropped his hands and looked at them, like they would come alive and strangle him.

"What were you thinking?  We don't tolerate physical altercations of any kind here, surely you know that by now," JP said glaring at West.

"It's okay JP, I overstepped my bounds, as I'm sure you can imagine," I said a wry smile on my face to try and get him to relax a bit.

"I don't care if you were miles from the line, no one puts their hands on you, not anymore," he said to me, like he had in the past, a past it seemed we were doomed to keep reliving it together.

"And I'm telling you, I did something I ought not to have, let it go and you can walk with me to the assessment.  I need some pointers so I don't light my instructor on fire, or paralyze him so long he shits himself," I said loud enough for Raquel to hear.  I head a whoop of muffled laughter as Mave and Logan turned and walked away. 

"Do I want to know what you did, or what you were talking about?" JP asked me with a much lighter tone as we walked down the hall.

"Oh no, but if you were curious I told you to read my file," I said jabbing his side with my elbow.

"I'd rather not," he told me, easy smile giving way to a thin frown.

"So you got any last tips before I go and do this?" I asked as we stepped outside the women's locker room.  I had to change out of my uniform for the assessment.

"If I did I doubt it would help you, you run on pure instinct and I wouldn't want to mess that up," he said as he scanned my face.

"Did you tell them how I fight?" I asked him.

"I did, but to be honest I don't think they will know what hit them.  Engaging you is...challenging.  Just don't do any permanent harm and try not to get too cocky.  Other than that I'm going to enjoy the show, it's been quite a while since I've seen you spar."  I chuckled, it came out a bit nervous but it felt good to get some positive encouragement from him.  It made me a bit nervous though, he had never really seen me unleash my potential and I hoped he wouldn't be disgusted with me.

"You'll pull me though right, if I get triggered?" I asked him, a desperation in my voice was breaking free at the possibility, and I needed to know he would step in.

"Of course..Bij…I mean Brie," he said, the tenderness in his voice and face cut deep through my anxiety.

"Brie is cheese JP, or do you want me to call you John Paul the next time I see you in the hallway?" I asked out over my shoulder to him as I backed into the locker room.

"Break a leg!" he shouted back to me.  I saluted him back, here's to hoping that all that breaks.

I exited the room, entering the small office that was currently occupied by Marion.  She gave me a big smile and made the introductions.

"Brienne this is Ms. Belle, she is the defensive magic coordinator.  And this is her counterpart, Mr. King the offensive magic coordinator.  They, along with some of the senior combat specialists, will be taking you through a small obstacle course.  It is standard for everyone, and most find it quite enjoyable.  Those that wish to watch are encouraged, it can be very educational. 

"That said, we encourage you to keep it as real as you can so we can get a good gauge for where you are starting out at.  JP has informed us you might be further along than we first thought, but until we see what you can do out there we won't really know.  Feel free to use full power but be careful in what spells you use, the goal is not to hurt on another only to learn.  I won't tolerate excessive force, or injuries that aren't necessary."  I'm sure I looked surprised that they were going to give me that much freedom out there.

"Did you read my file?" I asked Marion disbelieving that she really did.

"I read it, but I trust you," she said nodding to Ms. Belle and then leaving the room.

"You will follow me in, blindfolded, and when you hear the buzzer you have two minutes to get through the maze.  There will be myself and Professor King as well as two selected seniors.  Do you have any questions?"  Did I?  But how many of them would I dare ask.

"Who are the students?" I asked her, she looked surprised but pleased I asked.

"Weston Mackinnon, and Mave St. James.  Good question," she said as she sheathed my eyes in darkness.

 

***

 

"What the hell was that?" I heard JP bellow at me down the hallway.  I flinched, for the first time around him feeling unsure about myself.

"They told me to treat it as real, did no one read my file?" I asked, to no one in particular.  I was sitting on the ground outside one of the classrooms, dropping the pretense and using some of the air around me to create a cool breeze.

"You can't use that kind of magic Brienne, it's unnatural."  He looked angry with me and I couldn't really understand it.

"What kind of magic, the kind that I do, or that kind that reminds them of Remy?"  He had the audacity to look at me like I was the one who didn't get it.

"They aren't ready for that, you just confused the hell out of what we have spent five years teaching them."

"Real magic is not bound by rules, it is created within.  I agree, we can and should follow basic principles to keep everyone safe, and protect each person’s rights, but that is not the reality of magic.  That is a construct this school created to keep them contained, to keep magic as it is unintended to be.  It is inherently fluid and beautiful, and each one of us has to find our own way within that.   Why on earth would that be detrimental to their education?  I followed their rules, down to the last letter.  I used no excessive force, no one was hurt."  His eyes were huge as he stared at me, and expression that looked close to horror on his face.

"That's because you healed them!"

"JP, pain is a tool as much as a weapon.  There is a reason humans use shock collars on their pets, it teaches something on a cellular level.  The body often obey’s when the mind does not," I told him plainly, appealing to his reason.

"I don't even know you," he said blinking his eyes like someone else was going to appear in front of him.

"No, you just want me to be someone I'm not.  I am his daughter JP, I was raised for fifteen years by his hand, and hand fed like baby bird everything both good and bad that he believed to be true.  This is who I am, not the thirteen year old little girl who you wanted to save.  I am not her, I'm not Livia.”  I could see his eyes, disbelieving and quite ready to leave.

"You don't get to bring her into this," he said on a whisper, pain filling his face.

"You couldn't save her, I get that JP.  But I don't need it anymore, I'm not weak like she was."

"She wasn't weak!" he roared at me.  I flinched as he used his own magic to stop the breeze I created.

"That may be, but it doesn't change the facts.  You loved her, perhaps more than you will love another, but hiding from the truth will never allow the past to change.  You can love someone else, someone who is strong enough to never leave you."  We had entered territory we had circled around for a while, it was conversation perhaps better suited to another day, but it couldn't be helped now.  It was the current under which every other conversation flowed, and it needed to be addressed.

"Livia isn't like me, you have to know that.  Have you been picturing her the whole time you were with us, was it her face you saw when I came around, was it her you kissed that night?"  I had the sudden thought I shouldn't have gone that far, but I was sick of being the only one willing to mention what was going on.

"I kissed you because I wanted to, just as I did when I left you there," he said bitterly.  I hadn't felt pain in quite a while, my father saw to it my threshold was high, but a stab of something sharp hit me in the side.

"You left me there because you thought, just for a second, that I was more like them then you.  That hesitation was enough, and I paid for it.  I get it now JP, there can never be an us, not just because of her, but because of me.  You probably know me the best, of anyone sadly, so what does that say about me?"  It made sense to me, but there was dark look in his eyes that indicated I had done something wrong.

"I want you moved out by the end of the month, I'll give you that long and then you need to find somewhere else," he said, eyes shut tight as he turned his head the other way.

"Of course JP, I owe you that much," I said in a flat voice, but feeling like I just lost something important.

"Was it all a lie?" I asked him, again, this time for a different reason.

"You're not ready for the answer."  He took one more step and left me sitting alone, waiting for someone to come and tell me what the hell I did wrong.

3: Chapter 4 & 5

Night Garden

 

I was placed by Professor Belle in an empty classroom, not bothering to mention that I could see them out in the hall discussing me.  I reached into my bag, grabbing out a random text book and immersed myself in reading it.  I must have exhausted my resources for the day because I dozed off, only to be jerked awake as the door opened.

Marion, the two fighting instructors, and JP came into the room, looking somber.  I didn't take this as a good sign, but Marion her best to give me a cordial smile.  I appreciated it, even if it didn't quite touch her eyes.  They all took positions standing in front of the classroom, leaning on various things here and there, but no one made a move to sit with me. 

I could hear my father's voice in my head, 'Body language says what the mind doesn't want to.'

I stood up as well, I wasn't sure if I was obeying some unspoken command, but I wanted them to know we were equals.  Leaning carefully on the edge of the shelf next to the windows, I eyes them warily.

"We would like to discuss with you what happened out there," Marion said in a gentle tone.  I eyed JP who was carefully keeping his eyes from mine.

"Do you have questions?" I asked, getting sarcastic and defense off the bat.

"How about what you did to West and Mave?  I want you to know that was not an acceptable form of magic to use.  We never use pain like that as a deterrent."  Marion's voice held a hint of hesitation, almost fear as she spoke with me.

"I didn't use pain as a deterrent, I used it as motivation." I clarified.  She shook her head.

"It was unacceptable, it was..." she continued searching for the right word.

"You want to say unnatural but it wasn't.  You told me to treat it as real, not to use excessive force, and to make it educational.  I did all of that."  All four of them looked at me like I was crazy.

"You made them cut themselves!" JP shouted looking like he wanted to strangle me for not understanding.

"I gave their bodies a reminder of what would happen if they kept attacking me.  I healed those cuts before they were even made, you can ask them how much it hurt.  But even if their mind didn’t register it, their bodies did, and in the end they backed away from me, and it was long enough to subdue them."  It was one of my first lessons by Remy, and I could really scare them if I wanted to and tell them what I wanted to do in the assessment.

"Let's just agree to disagree on that one, but you should know in the future it will not be acceptable behavior.  You cannot attack another student like that or I will have no choice but to expel you."  Marion said it in a firm but kind voice.

"What I want to know is how she knew where they were," Professor King asked, almost ignoring Marion and her warning.

"I saw them," I said shrugging, debating the merits of being truthful at the moment.  I detested lying but I wasn't sure I wanted to tell them everything either. 

"They were completely hidden, and you were focused on me," Professor King stated.

"You mean I was restraining you effectively, so you're curious how I kept holding you immobile while going on the offensive with the boys," I summed up, and he gave me a very angry nod that I got it right.

"What did you do to me anyways, I couldn't get a lock on your spell," he said.

"Oh it wasn't a spell, I was using your own magic against you.  I made your mind think I was placing a spell on you but in reality I just shut down your nervous system.  One the other count, I could see Mave and West and once I knew where they were I could use my spells on them to keep them away."  I could see all of them looking at me, a combination of awe and horror on their faces.

"What about what you did to me?" Professor Belle asked me, an excitement obvious on her face.  Finally, someone seemed to want to learn something.

"I had a hard time getting a good lock on you, your defenses are strong, but in the end I got in.  You drop some of your shields when you send out your own spells.  I just had to time it right," I said shrugging.  To my surprise she looked at me without anger but with curiosity.

"I honestly don't quite know what to do with you, if you will allow me I want to ask you a personal question."  I nodded, agreeing for Marion to continue.

"I don't think it was possible for you in your...community but did anyone come out and determine what you differentiated in?" Marion asked, exchanging a quick but nervous glance to JP.  I don't know why if she spoke to him, she would still ask that question.  Did she want to see if I was honest, or to see if I knew?

"I don't like questions where I don't know what the right answer is.  Why don't you just tell me what you think and we can go from there.  I have always been honest with the governance about what I experienced, I have answered all their questions.  I see no reason why I shouldn't here as well," I said extending a hand, wondering if she was smart enough to ask the right questions.

"I don't think you differentiated, and I think your potential is uncertain."

"You mean limitless, perhaps dangerous, it’s okay you can say it to me.  I'm not like the rest of them out there, I can take it," I told her, meeting her eyes.

"Yes, I think without the proper training you could be very dangerous.  I also think you don't differentiate because Remy didn't allow you to."  I could hear the two professors behind her suck in a deep breath, I thought these people knew what kind of person he was.  They shouldn't be surprised anymore.

"He sure did try," I told them a smile of defiance on my face, he never did understand that it didn't work.

"Okay, how about this, what does your magic look like?" she asked cautiously.  It was a deeply personal question, and it took some balls to ask it, especially of me. 

"It feels like a night garden.  Those fragile and bright plants that grow in the shadows of the moon, that thrive in the dark like those that thrive in the sun.  It takes much more effort to get them to bloom, but once they do it's unparalleled with its daytime sisters.  It feels like that."  I saw Professor Belle and JP take a few steps back from me.

“You are drawn to the moon?” Marion asked, guessing wrong.

“No, I make them grow in the dark.”  I waited for it to sink in, my metaphor wasn’t direct but they were smart enough to catch on.

"She's a source," JP said, with a deep exhale of breath like he didn't quite believe it.

"Took you long enough," I told him giving him a sarcastic thumbs up, knowing it had to have been driving him crazy the whole time he knew me.

"There is no such thing," Professor King said, but his eyes stayed fixed on me anyhow.

"Some call it root, some source, the ones in my community called me a soul mage.  I'd like to think I'm more original than that, but essentially yes." 

Marion was the first one to break a long silence in the room, "What are you the strongest in controlling?"

"That should be obvious, but it's the mind," I said as I showed them.  Each one dropped to the floor, and I carefully cushioned their falls with a little air pocket.  I should have warned them, but then they wouldn't have let me, and I wanted to show them what I was capable of.  Each face was stone white, and Professor King had to put his head down, presumable so he wouldn't pass out.  I used the air pockets to place each of them in a seat near where I was standing, purposefully placing them lower than me.

"That's just a parlor trick too. You should be thankful I chose your fondest memory to replay, instead of placing you within a hell you cannot imagine.  I don't like being accused or punished for something you forced me into in the first place.  I told you all I didn't want to be tested, that I didn't wish to endure an assessment.  You chose to think I'm something that I am not, but I am every bit his daughter.  I just chose a different path for myself."  Each person was staring at me, and it was then I saw Professor King make a move to disable me.  I held up my hand to stop him.

"I mean you and this school no harm, Marion offered me a place here and I accepted.  I will give you an opportunity to discuss if you want to continue with me.  I just wanted you to know what I was capable of, what Remy ensured I was capable of.  If you want to back out and cut your losses then I understand, and I won't take offense.  I'm hard to handle, but I can also teach you as much as you can teach me.  I'll head to my last class, you know where to find me," I said as I slung my bag over my shoulder and left the room.

 

 

***

 

Checking my schedule I noted I had a spell writing class, it was clear across the campus and since the bell had rung during my talk with the professors I had a feeling I would miss most of it.  I hesitated in the grassy space that made up the quad, deciding to just park in under one of the trees and let the rest of the day play itself out without me.  I fished my iPod out of my bag, picking a playlist at random and sitting with my back against the trunk, enjoying the peace that came being outside and finally alone.

A while later, I felt a shadow cross my face, and I squinted up against the sun to discern who it was.  It was West, I noticed his hair looked redder out here and it complemented his skin tone nicely.

"Your hair looks nice in the sun," I told him when it became clear he wasn't speaking to me.

"You didn't tell me you were a mind mage as well."  His tone held a hint of anger but I was expecting it.

"I'm not," I told him honestly.

"What do you call what you did in there then?" he asked me the anger seeping further into his tone as he flung his arm out towards the school gym.

"I call that a lesson in mental shields.  You should practice, though if it makes you feel better, I had a harder time getting into yours than either of the professors."  I moved my bag for him to sit down, I was getting a headache trying to talk with him standing in the sun above me.

"I don't want to sit with you, I want to let you know that if you try that shit with me again, we are going to have problems.  I told you before I don't want you in my head."  I nodded my understanding.  It was a perfectly reasonable, if not a little dramatic, reaction to what happened.

"Don't overreact West, it was an exercise.  You were trying to get into mine as well, don't get sour because I was more successful."  I thought I saw the hint of a smile, but I couldn't quite catch his face.  The shadows were playing over his features and the sun was wrecking some havoc on my bad eye.

"They are going to kick you out you know, there is no way Marion is going to let you stay here,” West said as he began to lower himself down.  Contrary to what he vowed earlier, he placed his bag near mine and he sat down in the space I had created for him.

"Well that's up to them, but they would be idiots to let me slip out of their hands.  Right now I think they are arguing the benefits of not having to deal with me, against the possibility I am too dangerous to let loose.  If they would get over their notions of who I am they might learn something.  Isn't that what school is for?"  I asked it rhetorically, knowing the answer already.

"The students are here to learn, not the professors.  That's probably why their panties are in a twist."  I realized he was looking at me now, and I at him, locking in some kind of stare that made me both excited and wary.

"Learning is a process, not a means to an end, but a continual line that never fades.  If you get off that line you've lost the game already," I said parroting one of the few decent things my father ever said to me.

"You are strange," West said.

"Yes, I've heard that before."  I gave him a smile back.  "I like Mave and Logan, they are kind but honest and they seem to have an open mind for this community.  Have you all been friends for long?"  I pinched the spot where my eyebrow should be, the eye itself was having a hard time out here with all the sunshine, and it was starting to throb.  I saw West rustle around in his bag as he spoke.

"Since we were babies really.  Both of their parents work for the governance as well, not as high up as my own, but close enough for our families to be friends.  They are two of the best people I've ever met."  He handed me a pair of sunglasses that he had dug out of his bag, and I smiled, it felt almost odd on my face.  I couldn't remember the last time I really smiled at someone.  I sighed as I put them on, and I reached out to him, placing my hand on his own as it rested on his leg.  He jumped at my touch.

"What are you doing?" he asked looking confused.

"I was just trying to thank you, didn't you feel it?"

"We don't do that kind of thing Brienne, it feels strange."  He rubbed his hand with his other, like he was trying to scrub away what I had done.

"No one projects to each other?" I asked curiously.

"No, it's more of an intimate occurrence.  Mated couples can do it with each other but even then it's rare, not everyone can accomplish it successfully so we don't bother much in trying.  You can do it with anyone?" he asked, a mixture of awe and horror on his face.  I nodded feeling suddenly self-conscious.

"I grew up doing it when I wanted to convey how I was feeling.  Sometimes words aren't sufficient, and I have to admit I'm not so good with them.  I only wanted to share it with you."  West looked at me, hesitation in his eyes.  He reached out to touch my hand and I closed my eyes to send him what I had tried before.  I heard him suck in a breath as I sent out wave after wave of myself, perhaps I shared a bit too much because I felt him yank his hand away from mine, and jump up to standing.

"I'm sorry sometimes I send out too much," I said as I tilted my head up to look at him.  I found Mave, Logan, and Raquel, along with another girl I didn't recognize, standing and looking in between West and me.  Their expressions could only be categorized as aghast.

"Come on guys, let’s go back to the house," West said as he grabbed Raquel by the wrist and led her away without a word to me.  I furrowed my brows not understanding his sudden behavior.  Mave and Logan gave me a small smile and a wave then took off in the same direction.

"West!" I called out when I realized his sunglasses were still on my face.  He waved them on ahead and turned to wait for me to come up.

"Here," I said placing the glasses in his hand.  "What was that all about, did I do something wrong?"  He shook his head, keeping his face low as he clenched the glasses in his hand tightly. 

"It was very...intense, you are very intense," he said as he turned to look behind him, everyone else had in fact not kept moving on, but were staring at us from across the grass.

"Sometimes life demands of us intensity," I told him cupping his jaw, turning him to look at me.  He smiled cryptically, and then slid the sunglasses on his own face.  As he turned to walk away he then abruptly stopped.  I was about to ask if something was wrong when I heard it, like a faint whisper.

'I'm having some people over later, around six.  Will you come?'  He was getting better already with it, and I smiled thinking he had some real raw power in his magic.

'Where?' I asked.  He took a deep breath in and then showed me a picture of the house, then a shot of the street sign.  'Very good West. I'll be there.'  He continued on and I was left standing there, wondering what in the hell I had just agreed to.

 

 

 

 

 

Party

 

I had decided to go back to the apartment for a little while, not wanting to show up to West's house still in my school uniform.  The outfit I had packed for my game later was a little different and I thought it wouldn't really go over well at his party.  I was hoping someone would be able to take me there later, if not I would have to walk.

I hadn't counted on JP and Veronica being there, and when I saw his bike and her car in the parking lot I groaned.  Having one dead parent and one absentee parent should have exempted me from lectures, but still I felt one coming.  Sure enough, they were both waiting for me on the couch when I walked in.  I looked down and noticed my bags were packed and sitting on the ground in front of Veronica, who couldn't have looked more pleased about today's events.  Curiously, I felt a stab of something hot and sharp in my side when I looked at JP.  I expected this from her but not him, after everything I guess we were right back to the beginning. 

"Have a seat," Veronica said pointing towards the loveseat.  I didn't want to, but dragging out his whole business wouldn't be much fun either.  I saw her elbow JP right in the ribs and he shook himself off enough to start talking.  I had the absurd picture of them rehearsing this speech before I got here.

"Marion has decided to put you on suspension for two weeks, but she will allow you to return after, provided you follow the rules from here on forward.  It's a very generous offer Brienne, you should take advantage of what she is offering."  I nodded at him, not trusting myself to speak kindly in response to his patronizing tone.  In truth I did nothing wrong, but if they were willing to take a chance on me I could manage to swallow some of this back.

"JP tells me you assaulted the professors," Veronica said with a stern face.

"I demonstrated what they asked, perhaps I went a bit overboard but I didn't assault them."  I could speak nice to JP but his little girlfriend was another story.

"It was scary, and it came across as an attack."  JP looked like it hurt for him to say that to me, and I had to consider if he was right or not.  Veronica decided to jump on the bandwagon, stopping my thoughts.

"It was an assault, whether or not it was the mind or the body, it makes no difference.  You cannot use that kind of magic here.  The one condition I made when you came to live here was that you would never be violent or use what that...what that monster taught you against someone."

"Oh he didn't teach me that, it's all me on that one.  He did teach me how to breech mental shields which does help me get in, but the power is all mine."  I felt proud about it, but by the looks on their faces I shouldn't be.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" she shrieked.  I could mention some things that would make her want to run from me if she ever saw me again, but I kept my mouth shut.  I knew where this was heading and I just wanted to get it over with.

"It doesn't matter, I no longer feel safe here, and JP has agreed to ask you to find somewhere else to live.  Surely you have saved enough money hustling to get a place of your own, if not we can loan you some money to get you on your feet."  I felt the stabbing pain again, and the strength of it almost took my breath away. 

I just looked down to the bags and nodded my head, making a move to get up.  I felt a hand on my arm, I knew it was JP's but I didn't think I could bear to look at him.  Logically I knew it was only temporary here, but for him to allow her to be the one to cast me out told me something about where I stood with him.  Without Marion asking him to reach out and take me in, it became suddenly very clear that he would never have done it on his own.

I covered his hand with my own, and just as I had done earlier with West I sent out what I was feeling to him only this time it was pure pain.  I knew it was a low blow, perhaps even unnecessary considering I felt my tears splashing on my lap as I sat here.  I'm sure he could feel how hurt I was just by looking at my face but I wanted more.  He gasped as I sent all the hurt and betrayal I was feeling to seep into him. 

She moved to stop me and I immobilized Veronica with my mind, it was laughable how easy it was to slip in to her head and hold her still.  Her eyes rounded as the panic set in, and I nodded to her acknowledging I knew how it felt.  It was one of my father's favorite ways of getting my attention.

"I wanted you know how easy it is for me to have done you harm, yet not once have I ever been anything but courteous to you.  I told you once before I mean you no harm, and I always keep my word.  You have what you want, and you better be damn appreciative of it."  I released her, noticing how pale her face was.  Jp put his arm around her, but oddly didn't scold or glare at me for doing it.

"Thank you for allowing me this opportunity JP, for coming back for me that night.  I will always consider you a friend but it saddens me to know that you are not everything I once thought you were."  I rose and lifted my chin, snapping my fingers and placing my bags by the door.  I took a deep breath in and walked to the door, my feet felt like they weighed three times as they would normally. 

I had always considered JP to be someone that he clearly wasn't, the idealism that I felt for him when he was undercover with us had melted away over time, like a sad snowman left out in the sun.  It didn't make him a bad person, but it also didn't make him someone I could ever consider giving myself to.  I had my hand on the doorknob when I felt his hand on my shoulder again.  I turned and found him holding out a key to me, and I assumed he wanted my spare key. 

"No keep it, for emergencies" he said as I rummaged in my bag for my own.  "This is for you, I can't just let you go without giving you it.  I've been fixing it up for you anyways."  I saw the key, it was the key to his motorcycle and my jaw hit the floor.  I loved that bike, and he knew it.

"I can't take this," I said pushing his hand away, even if my eyes never left the gleaming metal. 

"You will, it was a condition I made with Veronica.  I had the title transferred the other day, I was going to give it to you for your birthday."  I stared at him not knowing what to say.  I just nodded at the ground, feeling the tears running hot tracks down my face.

"Thanks," I said as I reached up and gave him a hug and a brief kiss on his stubbly cheek.  I didn't turn around, I just walked right out the door.  I found the black bike at the back where I had seen it when I came in, brand new helmet hanging from one of the handlebars.  I opened the hull on the back to put my bags in and noticed a new leather jacket was placed in it along with a note.  I put the note in my bag, not wanting to read it at the moment. Throwing the jacket across my shoulders, I put the helmet on and rode off, feeling the thrill of the bike and the loss of JP like dueling banjo's trying to pluck my heart in two.

***

 

I rode around for a good hour, enjoying the feel of the bike.  It was the same one he had taught me to ride on so long ago, and it was like welcoming a piece of me that was lost being so far from what I knew as home.  I stopped to get some dinner earlier, eating alone at the diner counter and trying to convince myself that going to West's little party wouldn't be a bad idea.  My control was carefully constructed, and I always felt that I had a good lock on my emotions, but today’s events had me rattled.  I decided to chance it, there was something about West that intrigued me, and after what happened with JP I could use a good distraction.

I pulled up to address West had showed me, noticing the long private drive that followed from the mailbox.  The trees kept the location of the house out of view, so I kicked the bike into gear and headed down hoping it was the right place.  I had gone almost a quarter mile when I finally saw the house.  It was clear at this point that West lived in much more of a mansion than a mere house.  It had a main portion, and two wings on either side.  Complete with circular lawn, and flowing fountain, it was like something out of a dream.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me, openly staring as I approached the front.  Some were all congregating and talking on the front pathway, some were still getting out of their cars, but everyone was focused on me.  I noticed West and his crew were standing by the front door, talking and laughing about something.  I took a deep breath and then stopped the bike, cutting the engine and dismounting with what I hoped looked like some amount of grace.  Pulling off my helmet I heard the collective gasp that escaped everyone.  Trying to ignored them best I could, I put my helmet under my arm, and slung my bag over my shoulder as I walked up to where West and his group were standing.

"What are you doing here?" Raquel asked me, looking horrified. 

"I invited her," West said much to her dismay.  Mave and Logan were still staring slack jawed from me to the bike.

"Do you have somewhere I can change?" I asked West, wanting desperately to get out of this uniform after the long ride.  He shrugged off Raquel, whispering something in her ear, and then led me into the house.  I flicked my fingers and my other bag appeared over my left arm, wincing when I realized what I did.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry.  Can I do that here or do you have human staff?" I asked looking around.  To my relief he laughed.

"No it's fine, we have no humans on payroll here.  If people look strange at you it's because it's unusual for all of us to see.  We are always taught to conceal ourselves from such an early age we don't use our magic as much as you."  We started walking towards one of the wings and I was overcome with how grand everything was here.

"It's a beautiful house," I told him as we started up the stairs.

"It's been in my family for a very long time.  My mother takes great pride in it, it was where she was raised as well."  It did have a sort of old world charm to it, a good melding to the old and the new, the modern and the antique living in a good harmony.

"Are your parents here?" I asked realizing I couldn't imagine them being okay with him throwing a party on the first day of school.

"Oh no, they spend the whole school year living on the governance complex.  You should see that house, it makes this one look like a shanty."  He laughed, but I didn't quite get what was so funny.

"They just leave you here?" I asked confused.

"My older brother lives here as well.  My parents are one of those couples that are still in love with each other.  My mom stayed here with us when we were younger, but once we got older she started spending more time with dad when he worked at the complex. She hated being away from him, and he from her, so they worked it out like this.  They come home for the summers, and on holidays, so surprisingly I see them quite often."  I could tell he loved his parents, but I still thought it was sad they weren't here with him.  He seemed to be unaffected, and I was curious about his brother.

"That's sweet," I said trying not to let my own melancholy seep into my voice.

"This is my room," he said as he opened his door. 

"This isn't a room, it’s an apartment," I said raising an eyebrow as I took the whole room in.  I could see a door that led to what I presumed was a large bathroom, a huge living room area with a TV that looked fake it was so large, and another door that led to a bedroom.  I could see a very large and impeccably neat bed through the door way.

"It's not that big, you should see where Mave lives.  He has a whole wing to himself, it's like his own private house.  Logan moved in there last year. It’s a mess but they have the best parties."  I turned to him, finding his smile infectious.

"This room is bigger than the trailer I grew up in," I told him honestly.  I saw his jaw tick for a second but it was gone in an instant, his usual cocky swagger in its place.

"The bathroom is off to the left, I'll wait out here."  He walked over and turned on the TV, sports center playing loud in the surround sound.  "Oh and you might want to put on a swimsuit, I've got a big hot tub and no matter what kind of night it is, everyone ends up in it."  He laughed like he was remembering a funny story.

"I don't own one," I told him shrugging. 

"What do you mean?"

"The governance home didn't exactly have a private pool, once I aged out I've been...traveling."  I shrugged not wanting to tell him I've been basically homeless.

"You've been traveling, alone?"  I didn't want to get into all this just now but he didn't seem like he was prying, just curious.  I had the irrational urge to tell him everything, and I didn't like it.

"Basically.  Once I aged out I left for New York, upstate, a girl that aged out before me lives there now.  She got me into some games and got me on my feet."  And then she paid the price for it, I thought to myself with a shudder.

"Games?" he asked looking more interested now.

"Oh um poker," I said trying to steer the conversation otherwise.

"You any good?"  He lifted an eyebrow assessing my face.

"I have a game tonight, you could come."  I didn't have any clue why on earth I said it, I tried as hard as possible to keep that part of my life separate from everyone. But here I was inviting spectators.  "It's not that interesting really, but tonight could be big.  I've had to sit in on months of games just to get invited."

"Something tells me that nothing about you is uninteresting.  As for the game, it depends on what's happening here."  It wasn’t exactly the response I was hoping for but I let it go, I shouldn't get used to depending on people again.  It never ended well for me.  I turned to the bathroom to get changed.

I dug around in my bag for something casual to wear, I would change into my poker clothes for the game but for now I wanted something that would allow me to blend in as much as possible.  I chose a pair of cut off shorts, a small tank, and a light sweater over top.  I looked at my hair, with the odd shaped scar that ran through my natural hair line, I had a hard time wearing it down because it looked uneven.  I shook it out, flipping the part over to the good side and then did one long braid down the right side.  It was the only non-ponytail or bun style I could manage.

"Thanks for letting me use your room," I said as I left the bathroom to find West, Mave, and Logan all sprawled out on the couches in his living room area.  I gave them all nervous smiles and thankfully I didn't see Raquel anywhere in sight.

"You can leave the bags in here, Brienne," West said gesturing around like he didn't care where.

"I'd rather not," I told him warily.  He looked at me, a curious expression on his face.  "This is all I have, so if your girlfriend comes up here and destroys my things, tonight isn't going to go well for you."  To my surprise they all laughed but West waved off my concern.

"She's not allowed in my room, it's off limits to the girls up here."  I tilted my head, feeling like it was an insult.

"If you have a spare suit I can show you just how much of a girl I really am."  I defiantly held my chin up daring them to push me further.  It had been one hell of a day and I wasn't sure I could keep my cool much longer.   Logan blushed something fierce but the other two just kept laughing.

"I didn't mean it like that, it's a compliment I don't group you in with them.  When they get to be too much we come up here," he explained with a shrug.

"If she bothers you that much why are you wasting your time on her?" I asked as I sat down on the couch opposite him.

"We've been with each other for a long time."  I noticed his friends were staring between him and I, adjusting their heads as each of us talked.

"Oh well then that makes sense, and you all say I'm the strange one." 

"It's complicated," he said sounding a bit put off he was explaining himself to me.

"Complicated can be exciting and challenging, or predictable and tedious.  I would bet she is the latter, so is she that good in bed?"  At the same moment whatever Mave was drinking got sprayed out of his mouth all over the coffee table.  I heard him sputtering and coughing as Logan patted his back.  West was smiling at me cryptically, as hesitant question filling his eyes.

"I thought you grew up in seclusion?" he asked.  "Yet, you seem to know so much."  I didn't quite understand where he was going with things, and I wasn't sure I liked it.

"I grew up in a community that was different, secluded, secretive, and complicated.   But you can put a cat in a barn, in a field, or in a house, and it will hunt the mice all the same.  I lived in the same trailer with my father my entire life, you know the stories about how much he liked his women.  Let's just say I've seen it all and I can spot them a mile away."  I let the rest hang in the air, I knew it would kill the mood but I wasn't going to pretend I was some sheltered moron.  West kept staring at me, and then all of a sudden he waved off Mave and Logan.

"We will be right down," he told their stunned faces.  They eventually gathered themselves enough to cautiously leave, closing the door behind them.  I was guessing I was in for a lecture.

"I'm sorry sometimes I overstep.  I've been told I use my honesty inappropriately and it makes people uncomfortable."  He looked surprised I said it, but I didn't want him to think I was being confrontational.

"I know, I just...you can't talk like that about them or about her.  Don't you know who her father is?" he asked me, the sudden realization that I was missing something had my palms sweating a little.

"She's Nicolai's daughter," he said obviously trying to lead me there on my own.

"I've been a little out of the loop here West," I said.  He came over and sat down next to me.

"Nicolai is the elected ruler of the governance, Raquel is the daughter of the chairman."  

4: Chapter 5 & 6

Toasts

 

"I didn't realize you didn't know until now, you must be careful about what you say around her."  I jumped up, clasping my hand over my mouth and shaking my head from side to side.

"He wanted to lock me up," I whispered out to him.

"What are you talking about?" he asked looking concerned.  I'm sure I was as white as a sheet, and he grabbed my hand to pull me down next to him on the couch.

"Shortly after my...release from my father's camp some governance members came to question me."  I shivered remembering what they did.  I felt his arm tighten around me as I continued, "They were right to do it, no one had a real clue where my head was at or how much of my father's teachings were ingrained in me.  After the interrogation they put it to a vote, right in front of me, I wasn't even out of the hospital bed yet.  Everyone but Nicolai voted me released to a guardian, he made a formal petition to have me incarcerated for treason, but it was denied.  JP went to bat for me I think."  I put my head in my hands and took a deep breath to control myself.  I needed to get it together.  West was rubbing circles into back and then moved to play with my braid.

"JP?  You mean Professor White?" he asked in a soothing voice.

"Yes, I asked him to be my guardian, but he denied my request and they released me to the group home."  I felt his body stiffen for a moment next to me.  I heard the door to his room open and I snapped my head up to find what must be West's brother standing there.  He looked almost identical to one another, except his brother was a bit shorter than West, with more of the Scottish coloring.  His hair was a more vibrant red and his posture and muscle indicated the strength of a man versus a teenager.  He was openly staring at me, wrapped securely in his brother’s arms and probably looking like I was on the verge of a mental breakdown.  Great first impression.

"I bet the girls just eat him up," I joked with West to clear the silence.  I could feel his sarcastic looking smirk forming beside me, and to my delight it lit up the face of his brother as well.  West made a motion for him to enter and he made his way over to us.  I tried to shrug out of his embrace but he held me tight.

"Brienne this is my brother, Dante."  His brother reached his hand out to shake my own, and I took it firmly, trying to gather myself enough to look less like a quivering flower.

"Brienne Moreau," I told him back, waiting for the recognition in his eyes, but he just kept smiling back to me.

"Just to warn you West, the gaggle of geese are all pacing around downstairs waiting for you.  Raquel wanted me to specifically tell you that she is waiting for you before tapping the kegs."  West laughed a little and then nodded to his brother who smiled once more at me and then left the room.  He looked at me and made a move to stand, but I stayed where I was.

"I'm just going to head out, go take a nap somewhere before my game.  Thanks for letting me change."  I snapped my fingers and my motorcycle boots appeared in front of me.  I was pulled them on and then slung my bags over my shoulders.

"What do you mean somewhere?" he asked me.  I sighed, wishing I had been more careful with my words.

"I was crashing at JP's but it turns out I'm not now, so I'll just get a hotel room for the night.  Hopefully I can go apartment hunting after tonight."  I touched my bag and my keys flew up into my hand.  I thought I heard him cursing next to me, but I just gathered my stuff up and headed for the door.  He grabbed my arm after a few steps and turned me around to face him.

"You can stay here, we have more bedrooms than we need."  I didn't like being in this position but it would be wrong to turn down this opportunity because my pride was hurt.  He wasn't looking at me with pity and it changed how I felt about his offer of helping me.  I nodded my head and he led me out of his room and down the hall.  I didn't have to go far, only two doors down and he brought me into what looked to be a spare bedroom. 

It was the opposite of West's masculine room, with light blue colored walls and pretty white accents.  The bed was almost comically big, and I had the sudden urge to jump up and down on it like a child.  "There is a bathroom around the corner, we passed it on the way.  Why don't you come down with me for a while, if it isn't your thing then just come back up here."  He brought be out of my perusal of the room and I nodded again, afraid that if I spoke I might betray the emotions I was trying to keep so close to my chest.

He walked out of the room, with me following closely behind him.  We got into the hallway and I tried to remember the way we were coming, in case I needed to attempt a hasty retreat.  I was getting uncharacteristically nervous descending the stairs, West and I had been upstairs for a while now and I wondered how everyone was going to react.  I looked down and noticed I still had on my bike boots.

"I didn't know you owned a bike, thought the look on Mave's face was enough for me to excuse your keeping it to yourself,” West said, gesturing to my boots and giving me a quick wink.

"I just got it today, it's an early birthday present."  I had a flash of the look JP gave me when I was leaving his apartment, and snapped my mental shutters down to push it back.

"When is it?" he asked me.

"What?" I countered, having lost the trail of conversation in my musings.  "Oh right, well it should be coming up next month I celebrate it on the sixteenth."  I felt the familiar pang of loss and grief hit my stomach when I talked about it.

"You celebrate it on the sixteenth?" he asked.

"They don't know what day, my father wasn't fond of calendars."  There was more to it, but I left it at that.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked, turning me slightly with his hand on my elbow.  I had just opened my mouth to respond when I heard Logan and Mave shout out our names, even mine I noticed, waving their hands for us to come their way.  Thankful to dodge the bullet I stayed firmly behind West, following just at his bank and noticing how much taller than me he really was.  I barely came to the middle of his back, and when I got jostled from behind I had to brace my hands on his hips to steady myself.  West reached down and covered my small hand with his own, whether to comfort me or to steady me I was unsure.  I didn't dare move an inch but I did move a step closer to him, so close that my face was touching his shirt.  I let go when we got closer to them, he gave my hand a final squeeze and then I slipped out from behind him to stand at his side. 

"Hey," I said as we all stood around, waiting for someone to start talking.  "You guys tap that keg yet?  The day I've had, I could use something."  I didn't care much what I drank, I needed something to numb down my insides and keep my hands busy.

"Yeah, Raquel threw a good fit but I ignored her."  Mave rolled his eyes as he said it.

"Where is it?" I asked looking and noticing neither of them had a cup in their hands.

"It's right on the back patio next to the bar, behind the grill."  Logan said, and in the next second I had a cup in everyone's hands.  Logan was so surprised he almost dropped the cup.

"Okay..." West said looking around as we had drawn a crowd.

"I think a simple thank you would suffice, or did your mama not teach you manners?"  I raised one eyebrow and it cut the tension enough everyone gave a reluctant chuckle. 

"Do you do the toasts?" I asked West.  He laughed and shook his head at me.  "Don't give me that look Weston Mackinnon, your Scottish descendants are turning in the earth, not to toast at a party is very bad luck." 

"Be my guest," he said gesturing and bowing like a gentleman.  I held up my glass, freezing the fifty or so students that were going about their lives in the living room area.  Toasts were meant among friends and I didn't feel anyone outside of them were.  I was too composed in my thoughts of getting the words right I didn't notice the breaths they sucked in at the scene around them.  I held JP's picture in my mind, the young vagabond, the angry zealot, the undercover boy, and tried to remember a time when I held him in my arms and felt his strength seep into my bones.

"I have known many,

and liked not a few,

but loved only one,

and this toast is to you."

I threw my cup back and finished it in one go.  I looked up at everyone, they were eyeing me with an expression I couldn't quite recognize.  "I know, it was Irish not Scottish, but it's been a while.  My father usually did the most spectacular toasts, but that came from one of his wives.  She sure did know how to do it."  I mentally replaced my cup and then exclaimed, "Oh I forgot!"  I closed my eyes, giving most everyone a sufficient enough memory of the last minute and then unfroze them.  They continued on without nary a twitch or confused expression, and I realized all of my counterparts were stark white and dead silent.

"Did that happen to everyone?" West asked as he leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"Of course."

"Even the staff, and whoever might be roaming around outside?"  Mave and Logan looked like they had shaken themselves of their earlier stupor to stare in interest at my answer.

"Yes, otherwise what's the point?  Your brother isn't here anymore, I couldn't feel his power signature but I think I would have let him be.  He's too strong for me to control along with the rest of the sheep."  I meant it as a compliment but West looked a little pissed.

"I wouldn't tell Dante that if I were you," Logan said laughing.  "He has a big enough head as it is.  Pretty little thing like you saying that to him, it would send him over the edge," he told me smiling.  I was about to thank him for the tip when West pulled me against his side and bent down to talk to me again.

"Tone it down a bit Brienne, not a good idea with this crowd."  He stood up straighter changing the subject to avoid anyone overhearing what we were talking about.  He was right though, I shouldn't have done it.  I tugged on his sleeve to talk back to him, somehow eager for him not to think bad of me.

"It's instinct, as long as you've been taught not to use magic I was reprimanded for not.  I apologize."  He pulled back from me and tucked a wayward curl from the braid to tuck it behind my ear. 

'It's okay, as long as you keep those drinks coming no one will notice.'  At this I burst out laughing, along with West and it had most within hearing distance turning to look at us.  I clapped my approval at how good he was getting at speaking in my mind.

"What the hell was that?" Mave asked us, obviously noticing we were sharing something that must have looked very confusing.  I closed my eyes for a second and his drink refilled itself, watching his eyes round and almost pop out of his face was worth it.  He took a long drag of his new drink and it seemed forgot what was happening just seconds before.  I looked to West and we burst out laughing again, up until Raquel came up and bumped me from behind. 

"West honey, there you are.  The girls and I are going to get in the pool."  She said it like it was an invitation but her tone said otherwise.

"I'm okay here Raquel, you go on ahead it's too cold out for me."  She pursed her lips and gave him a pout, playing with the strap of her bikini top.

"We can get in the hot tub," she said running a hand up his shirt. 

"Later, I'm going to sit in the lawn chairs with these guys for a while," he said as he leaned over and kissed the top of her head.  He gave no other word to her, just grabbed my elbow and escorted me towards the back glass doors.  I could hear the other two following close behind me, and we made our way silently around the pool and patio attractions, continuing on our path towards a group of lawn couches and chairs that were circling a fire pit.  I looked behind me to find it really was just us out here, the sounds of the party were mere faint echoes of noise.  I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, and settled into a big chaise lounge, kicking off my boots and resting my feet on the soft fabric.

"We should do this more often, everyone can be so annoying until they get drunk enough to be entertaining," Logan said as he settled himself into a chair.

"If you are doing this to make me feel better..." I said acting angry.  "It's working."  I gave them a broad smile, enjoying them earnestly.  "Your magic’s are complimentary, has anyone told you that?" I asked, curious if they could feel it too.

"No, but we gravitated towards each other when we were younger for a reason and I imagine that was part of it.  What do you see with us?" West asked an intrigued gleam in his eye.  

"Strong but kind, good internal compass, insightful with one another, intuitive and more instinctive with your magic than most.  I think that's the mark of successful mage, in my opinion, the ability to weight what would naturally come, with what is right.  I would have a hard time taking all of you on together, you guard the weak sides well."  They all smiled at me proudly, liking what I saw.

"I've never thought about it in those terms but I have to agree," Logan said, a slight blush entering his cheeks.

"My father would call you a unit, and units were to be avoided at all costs.  Taking on one would require too much control, too many elements in the mix to neutralize.  I would use that if I were you, but I doubt the governance board would allow that." 

"Why not, you just made a strong case for keeping us together."  Mave looked slightly affronted and I shrugged, at once unsure how to answer.  I took a deep breath to try and get them to understand.

"That kind of bond is just as much of a weakness as it is an asset to them.  It could compromise a mission as readily as it would galvanize your actions.  They don't like taking chances like that so if I were you I would downplay how much you all care for each other.  Love is a weakness, afforded only to the ones that hold complete control.  Anyone else seeking that control is a threat to their own, and they don't tolerate that well."  I realized I may have killed the good vibe we had out here, but I was in the business of honesty.  Especially with those I felt worthy of it.

"Who taught you that?" West asked, turning from his chair to look at me.

"I learned it the hard way, from my father," I said somewhat cryptically knowing the true answer would have them running for the hills.  I stared at the fire pit, noticing that night was coming on fast, and lit the pit with my magic.

"God that's depressing, but your magic is useful," Mave said shaking his shoulders like he could shake off the feeling.

"That could be the tag line for my life," I told him, mentally refilling his cup once again.  He took a deep drink and then looked to West.

"You don't make a move soon brother, and I'll marry her tomorrow."  He tipped his head back to finish his beer and we all erupted in laughter.

 

 

 

 

Brothers

 

I was searching for West, for some reason I wanted him to know I was heading out.  We left the cozy confines of our lawn chairs when enough people came our way and ruined the moment.  Raquel had finally managed to snare West, pulling him up off his seat to follow her down the path.  I tried not watch them leave, but my eyes had another idea.  Now I could see Mave and Logan were helping themselves to what looked like a pair of sisters, they had one on each lap and were talking excitedly, sharing some kind of outrageous story that involved, to my horror, farm animals.  I took this as my cue to head out, I gave a nod of goodbye to both guys trying to ignore the uneasy glance they gave each other as I gathered myself up and headed out.

I had pushed my through the patio, kitchen, and living room, not finding either West or the shrill voice of his girlfriend anywhere in sight.  I had more fun here than I thought was possible, so with a little more than thirty minutes before I had to leave for my game I headed upstairs to relax for a while.  I had just rounded the corner when I heard voices, they were both male and hard for me to hear, but I had learned long ago that snooping around other people's conversation only led to hurt feelings, so I cleared my throat and continued on.  When I had passed the doorway I noticed it was Dante and West in the room, they were both flushed and looked like whatever conversation they had just partaken in wasn't pleasant.  I stopped in the doorway to talk to West, and Dante made no move to leave.

"I'm just going to relax up here for a while, I'm leaving here in a half hour for my game."  I let the former invitation hang in the air, and West turned a deep shade of red but continued his silence.  I was assuming he was out for tagging along, and it was most likely better that way.  He was much more of a distraction than I wanted. 

"Game?" Dante said in a likeness that reminded me so much of his brother, I couldn't hide my smile.

"Poker," I informed him, as his eyes locked on mine.

"You have school in the morning, what business do you have out late gambling?" he asked, a clear authoritative tone in his voice.  I was of the firm belief, partly because of how I was raised, that I had issues with authority.  I just blurted it out, some part of my brain must have been hoping I could scare him away.

"JP kicked me out, I need money for an apartment.  On top of that I am suspended for two weeks because I showed off, so no I don't have school tomorrow.  Also, I'm a grown woman so you can speak to your brother like that all you want but you keep that tone away from me.  Clear?"  I didn't realize how thrown I was that he asked about my welfare, it had been so long since anyone looked out for me that I felt threatened.  He opened his mouth to speak and I cut him off, suddenly feeling bad I spoke to a virtual stranger that way.

"And I'm good at it, but that doesn't excuse me talking to you like that so I apologize.  I've been on my own essentially since I was little."  I looked around, searching for something to do or to look at so that I wasn't just standing there feeling exposed.  The brothers kept looking at me, still not speaking.

"JP kicked you out, I'm assuming you mean Professor White?" Dante asked finally and I nodded.

"Why were you living with him, and why aren't you now?" he asked grabbing my elbow and bringing me inside.  I plopped down on the chair near the couch, feeling as tired as I looked.

"Long story or short?" I asked him.  He smiled and shrugged like it made no difference to him.  I sighed, gathering some air.

"I'll settle for long because the short version sounds bad.  I got into some trouble in New York, Marion heard about it and got him to lure me here to attend school.  I had nowhere else to go so I crashed with him, until his girlfriend used what I did at school as a reason to get me out.   Now I need a win tonight to secure an apartment for the year, and use the rest to pay for my skin grafts, which since I have no insurance are ridiculously expensive."  Dante had his mouth hanging a bit open but he caught it quickly.

"That sounds better than the short?" he asked horrified.

"The short version is that I loved him once, trusted him once, but he's scared of me because he thinks I might be more like my father than he bargained for.  Everything else boils down to that, but I've found leading with my father often leads to people running away from me, and right now I don't think I could stand here and watch your brother do that to me."  I put my head in my hands, feeling like it weighed more than a head ought to.  I felt someone come and sit next to me, pulling me into their side and holding on tight.

"I said something wrong, didn't I?" I asked who I now realized was Dante, and West was no longer in the room.

"No, you're just intense and sometimes my brother needs a minute to process.  We grew up in a community that didn't value honesty, and from what he told me, you brandish it like a weapon.  Your story is hard to take, especially when put so bluntly but it is not your fault."  I closed my eyes and took a good five minutes, just sitting here in another MacKinnon’s arms, and gathering myself.  Dante didn't make a move to get up, didn't speak a word, didn't pry for my feelings, he just held me.  I had the absurdly sad notion that this was what a brother would have done for me, had I one.  I felt the traitorous tears slip down my face, wetting the reddish hair that grew on his forearms.

            'Thank you, if you could apologize to West for me.' I told him in his mind as I got up to leave.  I didn't look back, I just continued down the hall, leaving him to deal with things as he needed to.

***

 

I heard the car slam to a halt in front of the fountain, and after one hard kick to my ass I slunk out of the car, falling face first onto the gravel circle driveway.  Every part of my body hurt, and I could feel the blood caking on the side of my cheek.

I heard the window roll down, and Frank barked out in a clear voice, "You are not welcome at my tables, I told you the rules.  Since I like you, I won't report it to the boss, but if I see your face again that pretty scar is going to be the least of your concerns."  I lifted my hand and gave him the finger, to which he laughed out loud.

"It's too bad what your father did to you, Remy really lost it when you were born, and all his self-control just flew out the window.  You could have been really pretty, you could have been mine."  I didn't respond, mainly because I couldn't, and I heard the window roll up at the same time a bag landed next to me.  The car moved deftly around me, finding purchase not too far from where I was laying unmoving, and then sped off into the night.  I rolled over onto my side, trying to protect the fragile ribs and settled in to wait for someone to find me. 

I woke up later to voices above me, I was being carried in by someone and it only took me a moment to understand it was Dante.  "What the hell happened to her?' I heard him ask someone, and I opened my mouth to talk, having to speak over someone else by the time I got my voice to work.

"I broke the rules, and then I got taught a lesson."  My voice came out on a wheeze and it was followed up by a round of coughing.  "But I won," I said sarcastically.  There was no ensuing laughter, and I took it as a sign of how bad I must have looked.

"That doesn't make much sense Brienne," he said looking down at me, concern and confusion filling his face.

"I won," I told him with a proud smile, feeling my lip start bleeding again.  I saw Dante exchange a look with someone else, my head was spinning now and I was trying to hold it together long enough not to puke all over him.

"I told West he should have gone with her," Mave said and I could hear a grunt like someone hit him.  I couldn't feel West so I was assuming it was Logan.

"Pull her dress down, if he sees you carrying her in their like that he's going to rip your head off," Logan said, and a second later he adjusted my position in his arms so I was covered more.  The jarring had my ribs screaming but I didn't dare open my mouth. 

"Raquel has him wrapped up in one of the guest rooms clear on the other side of the house, they're too lost in each other to hear us."  Dante said, with a tone of disgust in his voice.  "Still someone go wake him, if we don't, he's going to be a bear to live with tomorrow.  You leave Raquel there, I don't want to hear her voice."  I attempted a laugh and it hurt too much, so I settled for a small smile and a look of thanks directed at Dante.

"Bath, and a sports drink.  I need to raise my blood pressure before I pass out," I blurted out to him as the motion of him carrying me on the stairs was making the spinning worse.  I heard Mave say he would grab it as we reached the hallway I recalled from earlier.  We entered West's room, and he placed me gently on the shower floor, looking around uncomfortably for a second. 

"You got scissors?" I asked him.  He gave me a sideways glance like he wasn't sure what I was asking for.  "I can't get this dress off without screaming, you need to just cut it off me."  I was full on shivering now, I needed to get warm and get some fluids or the shock was going to kill me.  He kept looking around, like someone was going to come in and help him out.  "I don't have anything you haven't seen, and this dress is killing my side.  Go get the damn scissors," I demanded.  He snapped out of his trance and left the room. 

Less than a minute later he was bending over me on the ground and cutting the tight black cocktail dress off my broken body, and because the universe had it out for me, all three of the boys decided to make an appearance at that exact moment.  I held out my hand to Mave, flicked my fingers for him to bring the drink over.  He opened it and then handed it to me, I drank it down in less time than I thought I was capable of.  "M-more," I rasped out to him and he reached behind him to grab another one that Logan was carrying.

"T-turn the shower on, p-please," I stuttered out in between shakes.  Dante had finished with my dress and he flung it behind him as he stood up to turn it on.  I saw West moved in and his brother blocked his path.  The warm water was hitting me, and I had managed to drag myself under the spray.  All I could think about was how glad I was that I had my good clean bra and underwear on.

"Mave said you were supposed to go with her, did she ask you to?" Dante said through clenched teeth. 

"She asked if I wanted to go, not if I would come and protect her.  I had no clue!" he yelled back indignantly.

"Well, I’m sure Raquel had a big part in you deciding to stay here.  Did she threaten you again?"  Dante and West were practically nose to nose and I had a feeling that whatever this was, it had little to do with me.

"She is none of your concern, but no, I didn't mention it to her.  Beyond that why would I go and watch her play poker?  I don't even know her," he spat out.  I was trying not to take it personally but I felt it still.

"I've watched you all night with her brother, I know you two are more than strangers."  It was an accusation that I didn't want to hear his response to, but my magic was so low I couldn't even block out my own ears.

"She is a Moreau, Dante.  How much can we really know her?"  It wasn't an outright denial, but it also wasn't any kind of acknowledgement of the connection we shared.  Even if I chose to believe what he said, and I wasn't sure I did, he was right.  He seemed to be the only one that really saw me, to outright challenge his brother over who I was.  It was a smart thing to do, my family had a reputation in this community for a reason, how were they supposed to know any different?  Would I be no better than them to judge them the same?  I saw goodness in them, and I could tough it out until the rest of their brains caught up.

  I let my head sag, the warm water beating on the top of my head and trickle through my hair to my legs.  It wasn't making the headache any better so I turned, placing my back to them and allowing the flow of water to hit my shoulders.  I was so dazed I forgot about what my back looked like now, the remnants of a brutal summer that was now carved into my skin.  I heard Mave make a half coughing, half gasping sound, and the room fell silent.  I had to talk loud enough for them to hear me over the shower spray, but the acoustics were nice enough that I could be heard.

"This is part of what being a Moreau brings you, West is right to be skeptical.  Can I get another drink?"  Mave leaned around the Mackinnon brothers and handed me the bottle, trying to give me a reassuring smile.

"Where's that handy drink trick when you need it huh?" he asked referring to my earlier method of refilling our cups.

"They drained me, it's the only way to take the magic away enough to get a jump on me."  I shrugged, wondering why he would even ask, it had to be obvious.

"Drained?  You don't mean..."  I felt someone enter the shower and sweep my hair aside.  I heard Dante hiss and then jump back, like the vampire that bit me would reappear and go for him too.

"You run with vamps?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I play with them from time to time, Frank was a close friend of my father's."  The silence in the room was telling, I could hear little noises everywhere, like the inanimate objects around us were listening.  I closed my eyes letting them digest the information.  Frank Scarnello was the second to the local Vampire head, his brother Daniel Scarnello, and while he wasn't threatening to the governance, they treated one another with mild distrust.  Mostly they stayed out of each other's way and turned the other cheek, but at least in this community it was considered scandalous to be associated with them.

"They are no longer allies?"  I didn't take long for Dante to sort through what I said and get over it.  The other three looked a bit green around the gills, but no one was kicking me out yet.

"Daniel wanted me to marry Frank, my father agreed but when it came down to it Remy wouldn't give me up.  That was when he really started to lose it.  The next three years were tough, for me."  I didn't finish what I had been remembering in my head, both because I didn't want to go there, and I was too tired to get it out.

"Three years, how old were you?" West said pushing his way to the front so he was standing in front of the shower door his face was almost as red as his hair.

"Thirteen," I said and felt a dirty and disgusting shiver run down my spine.

"No, that's...it's..." West said something else I couldn't make out before he punched the wall behind him, sending his fist right though the plaster wall.  I could hear Dante saying something to him, hushed and angry whispers that sent gooseflesh to erupt on my arms.

"They were going to give me a few years to adjust there, and when I turned eighteen the ceremony would take place.  Frank wanted me to make a life at their compound, learn the ropes, and make connections."  I slumped my head again, looking down at my hands that were resting in my lap.  Hands that were capable of so much, both the terrible and the extraordinary, and the same weapons that made me valuable to the wrong people.  I felt my eyelids start to droop, I was seconds away from falling asleep.  The shivering had subsided now to only a slight shake and I reached out an arm to turn off the water knob but a hand reached it before I did. 

"It's just us," West said as he held out a towel for me.  I made a move to stand and the world spun in a fantastical fashion before me.  I braced my hands on the side of the shower wall, and noticed my bra was sitting on the floor.  A nice cut line was visible on the side, and I realized Dante must have got it when he cut the dress off.  To his credit, West threw the towel over my shoulders quickly and scooped me up, holding me tight against his chest.  "I shouldn't have said that to you, I was upset with myself and other things, it wasn't about you."  We were still standing in the bathroom, he was quickly getting soaked and we were both creating a puddle on the floor.  I nodded, closed my eyes, and was swept away into the nothing.

 

5: Chapter 7 & 8

Promised

 

I woke up some time later, it was still early but I could see the faintest hints of the dawn creeping through the window blinds.  It took me a moment to realize I wasn't in the guest room that I had escorted to before, but sprawled across the bed in West's room, clad in a large t-shirt.  It smelled just like him.  I took stock of my surroundings, looking for West, and found him asleep on a high backed chair that sat next to the bed.  His long frame looked uncomfortably slumped down, forcing his legs to fall awkwardly on the floor in front of him.  I took a deep breath in, studying the lines of his face, and thought even in sleep he looked strong and handsome. 

I felt around myself, sending out pulses of my own magic to determine how I fared from last night.  I was sore in some spots and my side still ached but my magic had returned to almost its full capacity, by dinner tonight I would be right as rain.  I looked around the room, the clock said six and I knew it was still too early for everyone to be waking up.  Snapping my fingers I placed West back in his bed, standing over him and tucking the covers fully over his shoulders.  I stretched, and blushed something fierce when I realized I was wearing clean underwear, suddenly grateful I had passed out before that part.  Looking around and finding I didn't want to go back to bed, or get into bed with him, I ventured down to the kitchen for some much needed coffee and sweets.

"Feeling better?" I heard someone ask as I was filling up the filter with coffee.  I turned and found Dante leaning against the doorway, speculative eyes scanning my frame.  I was thinking I should have really searched for my bag to put on some pants, even if the shirt fell to my knees, it was still his brother’s shirt.

"Yes, I should be back to normal tonight."  I hit the little brew button and waiting anxiously for it to produce the coffee.  "Thank you for helping me last night, I didn't mean to bring that to your doorstep."  He bowed his head and then glared at me, it started my sleepy tired brain until I realized he was looking over my shoulder, not at me at all.

"Didn't take you long did it?" Raquel said, and I whipped around to see her standing in another doorway, gesturing crudely to my appearance.  I looked down and realized how it must look, standing in the kitchen in her boyfriend’s shirt.  Well fantastic.  "Are you now trying to hit up Dante too?  Let me save you the trouble, he won't date the young ones."  She said it with such malice, I could see some spittle fly out of her mouth.  I looked from her to Dante, they were locked in a stare down that could have set the house on fire.

"Somehow I think in your case age wasn't the problem," I told her flatly.  It didn't take a mind mage to figure out what had happened between them, and the cause for Dante's dislike of her.  She moved her arm up, and I threw protective spell over where I and Dante were standing, not sure which one of us she was aiming at.  I turned my back on her and faced him.

"Think fast," I told his as I snapped my fingers and filled his hand with a hot cup of coffee.  His eyes widened then grinned at me, taking a sip and sighing.  "My father used to say that denying someone attention was as effective as physically putting them in their place, only it requires less effort.  I'm a bit tired so if she goes on longer than an hour I might need some back up."  He looked back to Raquel and then to me and burst out laughing.

"How come I can't hear her?" he asked, still gasping from all the laughing. I looked back and found Raquel staring into our area, like if she concentrated hard enough she could read lips and figure out what was going on.

"That's my thank you, for last night.  She can't hear us either which makes it better, we can talk about stocks for an hour and she'll assume the worst."

"Handy," he said taking another large drink from his mug.  I looked back around and found Raquel had left, probably stomping off to find West.  I dropped the shield the, feeling how tired I was just from holding it there a couple of minutes.  Those damn vampires took too much from me last night.

"Did she go straight for you first, or did she hit on your while she was with West?"  I felt him stiffen a little and I hoped I hadn't taken it too far, sometimes my brain didn't catch up with my mouth.  He met my eyes, they were full of what I thought looked like a painful memory.

"No, it was her sister she's talking about, she's a twin," he informed me sourly.  Mercy, two of them?

"Raquel must be really good in bed" I mumbled under my breath, not understanding why on earth he was still with her.

"They have been promised to each other.  I told West I wouldn't mention it to you, but I think you deserve to know."  I sucked in a breath and shook my head, hardly believing what I heard.

"I thought that wasn't done here anymore?" I asked feeling the blood drain from my face.

"It's more of an informal thing, our parents and hers got together long ago, when they were first starting to notice each other.  They tossed around the idea and agreed to it, provided their attraction lasted.  Now with her father being who he is, mom and dad are over the moon about it.  West doesn't want to disappoint them I suppose, plus it's all they have ever known with each other, it's all...complicated."  I nodded, drinking down the rest of my coffee, feeling the bitter taste on my tongue matching my mood.

"Well, I think that settles things."  I said more to myself than anyone else.  It came out sounding more resigned than I had intended.

"Settles what?" West said, appearing next to his brother and looking amused.  I didn't see his girlfriend with him, and it puzzled me.  Perhaps Raquel didn't go right to him like I thought.

"Oh I'm leaving for the next two weeks.  I don't have school so I'm just going to travel a bit." I said smiling to myself.  I earned some vacation time after last night.

"Please, you can stay here or at our place.  We will all keep you company, you are much too exciting to let go now," Mave said playfully coming up behind me and ruffling my hair.

"You can stay here," West said giving Mave a direct look that told he didn’t so much like the idea. 

"Sorry boys, I'm out of here.  There is an island that's calling my name."  I reached behind me and stretched, feeling still a small ache in my side.  "Have fun at school though!" I said cheerily snapping my fingers and filling Mave's hand with a mug of coffee.  He looked down to his cup and threw back his head, laughing till the tears came flowing out of his eyes.

"You don't own a bathing suit but you own an island?" West said cutting off Mave's cackles.

"I don't own it per say, I won free use of it last night.  I get it for the next five years."  I looked off in the distance in fond memory of Miguel's face when I won it.  It was almost worth the beating, almost.

"You won an island in a poker game?  With vampires?" West asked, looking stunned.

"No Miguel is some kind of water sprite I think, I can never get a good lock on him for long enough to figure it out.  Could have merman genetics too, possibly Norse or Celtic heritage.  Regardless he smells like a mixture of mold and seaweed, so that's my guess. Bad teeth too, scurvy."  They were all gaping at me, but I smiled and turned for the stairs.  West was still blocking my path, and not looking like he was going to move either.

"You tucked me in bed?" he asked me in a soft tone, it was more of a statement, like he was reminding me, as much as he was asking me, if it happened.

"You looked ridiculous in the chair, your long legs sprawling out in front of you like a spider.  It was the least I could do."  He looked me, an unknown expression crossing his face.  Just then I saw an arm slip around West's waist, followed by another one as Raquel attached herself like parasite around his tall frame.

"You sure you won't stay?" Mave asked and I took a step back so that I wasn't so close to her anymore, I didn't trust my restraint. 

"Pass up the island, I think not.  Plus I need to lay low for a while, Candace is likely to retaliate for last night," I said, letting my mind wander back to the look on her face.

"Candace?" Dante asked, his whole body stilled and I knew he likely recognized the name.  Oddly, he waited for my reply and it made me curious what he knew of her.

"She's another witch, a very powerful and vicious one at that, but in the end I caught her cheating.  She underestimated my game play and when she was going down she tried to trick me as well as the table.  I caught her, but at the same time opened myself up too much and they knew I was...using skills Frank had barred me from displaying at his tables."  I could feel my face construed in a grimace as I rubbed a spot over my eye that was started to smart.

"What skills would that be?" Raquel said snidely, emphasizing the word skill with a nasty inflection.

"Oh, you don't get info like that easily, I'm sure I'll catch you 'cheating' at some point and you'll know.  Until then it would be best to keep your mouth shut, I've had a hell of day yesterday and your passive aggressive taunts are going to get you into trouble."  I leveled my stare at her and she shrunk back behind West.  It reminded me of what Dante told me and it sent a surprising wave of pain through me.  I needed to get out of here, and fast.

"Oh shit my bike!" I yelled out when I realized it was still at the warehouse.  I hoped I parked it far enough away that no one messed with it.  Just as I popped up I heard a ding, it took me a minute to realize someone was at the door, even their doorbell was fancy.  Dante and West shared a look and then the older brother slunk off towards the front of the house.  I heard a voice that sounded almost familiar, and as if unconsciously some part of my body responded to the voice before my brain could catch up.

"Where is she?  I know she's here Dante, Candace said it's the address she gave Frank when they dragged her out so don't bullshit me," JP said his bulky muscular frame filled up the doorway.  The hard look on his face reminded me of an avenging angel.

"I'm here, its okay Dante you can let him in."  Dante looked from JP to me and made a small move to clear the entryway for him to enter.  I saw Veronica right behind him, shadowing him and throwing some confusing glances at Dante.  Interesting.

"I got a call last night, what happened?  Why the hell would you do something that stupid?" JP yelled, shrugging off where he was standing with Veronica to pull me towards him.  I shook out of his hand and looked back to him.

"She was cheating JP, what they hell else was I supposed to do ignore it?  She was about to take me all out before that hand and I was winning, she knew it and tried to play dirty.  I won't tolerate that shit.  If you play the game, then you run the risk of losing.  I wasn't about to let someone weaker than me best me by cheating.  There was 20K on the line, I could pay for the last graft alone with that."

"And risking your life is worth your precious pride?  You should have taken the loss before you put yourself in that position.  Frank could have killed you, you know that right?"  I knew he was worried for me, but after everything it was too much, this back and forth concern for me was getting to my head.

"I know it well, I've known Frank my whole life.  He was supposed to be my husband, surely you remember that little story. He's still fond of me, and he looks out for me, he wouldn't have hurt me too bad."

"Hurt you too bad?  He damn near killed you," Dante said with an expression that mirrored JP's. 

"He weakened me, but he would have had to do a whole lot more to kill me.  I deserved it, I didn't obey his rules and I accepted my punishment like a woman.  I didn't even need to be restrained."  I tilted my chin up, feeling I had nothing to be sorry for.

"That's not how it's supposed to work," West said, reminding me that we had an audience.  His tone was soft, like one used with children who didn't understand something.  "When someone breaks the rules, even in this community, it doesn't give someone the right to do that to you.  What happened to you last night was unacceptable." 

"Especially just to win some money," JP said, Veronica nodded in agreement next to him, tucked up protectively against his side.

"Then someone tell me how else am I supposed to pay for an apartment on top of everything else.  You have a jobs, I can't even stay in school long enough without getting suspended.  I needed that money, and I got it, so I can pay for my face and a place to live.  I'm not gambling because it's fun or because I like it, even though I do and I'm damn good at it.  I do it so I can survive, because you and your girlfriend dumped me out without anywhere to go, because I won't last in that school and we all know it.  Who the hell is going to hire me?  You think the governance is going to take one year in school and place me on their payroll?  They won't, and you want to know why?" I asked, drawing every eye to me. 

I was being dramatic but the train was leaving the station, I couldn't stop it.  "Because they are scared of me, as much of what I could be as what I am.  They don't know what I bring to them, who I could draw to them.  It's the same reason JP hides inside the school, instead of going back into the field.  His years with me made him a target, both to those loyal to my father and the governance themselves."  I saw Veronica roll her eyes and I snapped.  I sent her straight to the high ceiling, holding her with an air spell so she faced down to us, her long hair was hanging down in sheets around her face, panic evident in her eyes.  I locked JP up at the same time as I walked over to him and got close.

"I bet when you got back they didn't offer you the position did they?  They recommended you to the school, gave you a good salary and a speech about the difference you could make, how the unique situation you endured would be beneficial to teaching the next generation.  We both know your skill set, and it's wasted in that hell hole.  You should be hunting him down, hunting my rotting family down, not teaching bratty children restraint.  You convinced one of the most powerful mages in the world that you were someone you are not.  That is not a skill that should be shut up in a school."  I released the lock on his vocal cords allowing him to talk.

"What I did to Remy isn't the issue here," he said through a clenched jaw.  Interesting he didn't ask about his girlfriend first.

"I was talking about what you did to me.  Tricking my father wasn't difficult, he was out of his mind long before you came to us.  What you did to me involved much more magical skill."  I dropped Veronica at a higher speed than was necessary right into his arms.  She made a satisfying squeal and burst into hysterical tears that made me roll my own eyes.

"You are not welcome around me, if your boyfriend chooses to come see me again he will not bring you along.  I want it noted I could have hurt you but I chose not to, again.  I don't understand or care about what I have done to draw such contempt from you but I assure you it's misplaced."  I turned towards JP.  "Thank you for wanting to make sure I was alright, I am clearly fine so I will see you in two weeks."  I held my arm out towards the door signaling my desire to have him gone.  He gave on long look towards me, still holding his sobbing girlfriend against his chest as he crossed the threshold and left me standing there.

"I'm always looking at the backs of other people, you think one day someone will walk towards me instead?" I said to no one in particular, but my traitorous body had turned in West's direction.  He locked his eyes with mine, and it said something about his character that he didn't break it to offer me cheap words of comfort.  This was a kind of sadness that couldn't be wished away.

"I'll give you a ride to grab the bike," Dante said abruptly steering my shoulders towards the stairs.  "Go up and get dressed."  

 

 

 

 

 

Flying

 

"Thanks for the ride," I said as I hopped up into Dante's giant truck.  I almost had to jump just to get in the passenger seat.  He nodded his head, not verbalizing anything, but the look on his face told me he held something back.  He was carrying my bags, my entire life's possession thrown around his shoulder, mocking me with the sound it made as it hit his truck bed.

"It's at the old Tire store on West Elm, just down by the river.  I hid the bike behind some used tires in the back lot."  Dante gave me another rough nod and then continued down the street.  I didn't press him for what was on his mind, I wasn't narcissistic enough to assume it was me, even if I did suspect it.  We drove in silence, he didn't even once reach for the radio. 

"Turn here," I motioned when we were close enough for me to see the slight shine of the metal.

"I don't see it," he said, and I had nearly forgotten that I protected it.  I placed a pretty powerful charm on it so that no one would notice it, should they stumble in that part of the lot.  I blinked once and removed the spell for him, he nodded when he finally was able to discern where I was pointing. 

I released a long breath, feeling much better once I could see she was safe and sound.  He pulled the truck parallel to the bike, and I jumped out to inspect the one thing I owned in this world, truly the only thing I had ever owned.  I ran my hands over her, inspecting and prodding here and there, thankfully finding she seemed to be in fine order.

 I heard Dante behind me, and I stood up from my crouch to address him.  "Can I ask you a favor?" I asked.  I couldn't read his face, and from the chilly silence from the ride I really wasn't sure where I stood with him anymore. 

He inclined his head, and I continued.  "I need to find an apartment, something close to campus.  While I'm gone can you give me a few names, maybe people that would be inclined to ignore who I am and rent a place to me?  I can pay upfront when I get back, if you can just leave them with West I can get them from him at school."  The thought of returning to West gave me a bit more of jolt than I was anticipating, there was something that I was drawn to in him.  It was the promise of something, the idea of indulging myself with West sent a spark of electricity through me.

"I can do that," he said carefully. 

"I appreciate it Dante, and if I can impose on you once more," I asked, entering the more serious topic of conversation.  He nodded again, eyes narrowing.

"I don't think it's likely but if my father comes, or you all get a whiff of trouble, let me know.  If they threaten you, give them these coordinates," I told him handing him a small slip of paper.  "These are for the island, do not hesitate to give me up, or if you can, get it to Logan and he can fly to a message to me.  Preferably some warning before I face Remy would be good, if you can manage."  I could feel a little deranged smile bubble up at the thought. 

"You want me to give you up?" he asked looking at me like I was mad.

"Of course, it's really a long shot though.  I don't think my father would ever trace me back to a governance facility, but if it gets to him I know you, he might use you to get to me.  If that happens give him the coordinates, I'll handle Remy."  He was shaking his head at me, like he was throwing water out of his ear.

"I've known you for a day, West has known you about twelve hours longer.  Raquel wants to boil you alive, and the school just suspended you, but you want me to send all the trouble your way?  You would spare us?" 

"Of course, It's all my trouble Dante not your own, you have no dog in this fight.  The school is wrong but I can't tell them that, they will have to decide that on their own.  Plus I may have taken it far with them, sometimes I put too much stock in the theatrics of it all.  As for the girlfriend, Raquel feels threatened, and until she issues me a direct challenge I have to protect her as well.  West, Mave, yourself and Logan are good people.  I've been around enough evil to be able to recognize the little decency that is left in the world.  Cherish it while you can Dante, and if it comes to it, send them to the island.  I've been itching for a true fight," I informed him.  I could feel it too, my magic was itching in my bones, the parts I didn't normally let out.  The parts that I kept down were thrashing against their chains for release.  He kept my stare, and then nodded in agreement looking resigned.

"Is it a good idea to be going by yourself?" Dante asked when I started stowing my things in the back compartment. 

"I'll be fine, Miguel has a pretty strong sense of paranoia so it's heavily warded."  I grabbed my helmet and put it on, fixing my hair underneath it and adjusting my backpack. 

"Well I'll see you in a bit?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets and glancing around the parking lot nervously. 

"That's the plan," I told him smiling and throwing down my shield as I started the bike up.  She roared to life under me, and it was the same exhilaration I had the first time my bony little body climbed up on her so very long ago.  I gave Dante a mock salute and then let the wind carry me away.

***

 

I was waiting for the charter plane, another of the bonuses that came along with the island, in a small dingy airport off the tip of Florida.  It took me a four days to ride down the coast, a trip to which I took slow, and enjoyed.   I eventually made it to the small airstrip with a bag full of swimsuits, I had the urge to stock once I got down into the Carolina’s.  I smiled at the thought of what West would say about my new purchases, I intended on spending the next two weeks in nothing but them. 

I took a deep breath in, and was assaulted by the pungent smells of the airplane hangar, the mix of Mexican food and jet fuel wasn’t exactly unpleasant.  The operator of said premises only spoke Spanish and shared an immense disdain for women, especially human women.  This afforded me no pleasantries when I informed him to call his patron, and confirm he needed to take me to Camilla, the island in question in which he named after his most favorite maid.  He thought I spoke none of his native language, and I almost bit off one of my nails in a fervent attempt not to rip his balls out when he called me a few particularly nasty names.

  I heard voices behind me, the small and not air-conditioned office I was sitting in made it almost impossible to discern the voices, but it oddly almost sounded like yelling.  I shrugged it off and kept my current position, sitting with my sandal clad feet up on the secretary's desk.  I had an iced coffee in my hand, attempting to suffer through the heat in my now thirty minute wait for the pilot to show up.  I heard another word, in voice which I instantly recognized, and shot upright from my chair, immediately throwing open the door to the office and taking in the sight of all of them together.  West was in a heated exchange with Alec, the operator, with Mave and Logan lagging behind, oblivious to the numerous Spanish swear words that were being thrown around.  I stifled a laugh and hid my length against the side of the office, wanting to watch what was playing out.

"This is the only one she could be at, the only one that is equipped with the flight plans for the island.  You want to tell me again you haven't seen or transported a young lady by that description?  I just want information, my friends and I only want to know where she is, we mean neither you nor her any harm.  Are you going to continue to lie to us still?" West asked, a small tick in his jaw was the only indication he was getting angry.  I wondered how long had they been looking for me.  The operator had made a face, the snarl that just proceeds a good yelling, but I interrupted him.

"Oh I can assure you Alec, they can't hurt me," I said stepping into the light of the hanger and smiling despite myself.  All three of their heads snapped in my direction, and I made my way over to them.  I would have thought the heat had finally gotten to me, seeing them there was like a mirage in the desert.  I reached a spot right in front of him, I reached out and tucked a wayward strand of hair behind West's ear, lingering for a moment longer than was probably acceptable, but unable to stop myself from touching him.  I head two voices cough roughly behind me, and found Mave and Logan grinning foolishly behind us.

"I needed to make sure you were real," I said not taking my eyes off West.  The very tips of his ears turned pink, a small flush had taken over his neck under my gaze.

"We all thought maybe you needed some company."  Mave and Logan were grinning behind him, somehow I doubted they needed much convincing to come along.

"And school?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips and raising an eyebrow.  My best impersonation of Marion.

"We won't be missed, to be honest we skip a lot anyways," Mave said, and I didn't doubt it for a minute, so I let it go.

"Won't you be missed by other people?" I asked, directly meaning Raquel but not wanting to invoke her name.  If she was stashed somewhere in a suitcase for the trip, I wanted to be warned before she jumped me and started stabbing.

"They know we are here," West said, the flush in his neck blossoming towards his face.  I gave him a speculative look, not sure what exactly that meant.

"All of them coming too?  You pay extra!  Miguel only authorized you, not them!" Alec snapped out to me, reminding me we still had an audience as it crushed my original train of thought.

"Of course we're coming!" Mave said, throwing an arm around me and smiling at the disgruntled operator.  Alec looked to all of us and then stormed off, saying something about changing the flight manifesto, again.

 

***

 

We were just taking off when I thought of something.  "Your brother is going to beat your ass when he finds out you got the co-ordinates from him you know.  It was only for emergencies," I said, attempting a more serious attitude.  I was trying to make a better impression on him and it wouldn't do if they did this without his knowledge.

"He gave them to me," West said, matching my surprised look with one of his own.  "My brother is notorious for liking no one, so just to let you know, he gave me his approval for hanging with you just before we left.  What did you talk to him about when you picked up your bike by the way?  He came home in an awful mood, stomping around the house and making calls to people.  He spent about an hour on the phone with Professor White alone," he looked off after saying this, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.  Of everything, I would rather talk about my father than JP at the moment.  Mave and Logan were seated in the rows behind us, loudly snoring away like a couple of old men.

"I didn't know he knew JP?" I asked, thinking for a moment that perhaps they were the same age.

"They knew each other when they were younger, and Dante was in the governance agency in the same department that Professor White was part of," West said with a grimace.  Ah, now it made sense, it was a wonder how Dante ever gave me a chance at all.  He must have seen the reports, both while it was happening, and after.

"I didn't know your brother worked in the enforcement division."  I tried to sound interested but I knew it came out a little bitter and angry.

"Yeah, he was done with his assignment around the same time that Remy took you out in the woods those two days...when you...when he made you..." he was floundering and I just sat there staring at him, I was too busy putting the pieces together to help him out.  I threw out a hand to cover his own, I didn't want him to feel bad but my mind needed to do some catching up.

"I got it," I told him reassuringly, not wanting to go there now.  He nodded, looking thankful for the reprieve.  I felt my sandals starting to bite into my feet, and I reached down to take them off, resting my feet out in front of me next to the chair that West was sitting in.  He leaned back in his own chair, resting his head against the headrest and looking like a weary traveler.

'Rest,' I told him in his head.  'I'll wake you in plenty of time for landing.'  I kept staring at him, even long past when I knew he was asleep, putting away in my memory the lines of his face, and the slopes of his high cheekbones.  I shut my eyes and just as I was about to drift off, I remembered why it wasn't a good idea.  I got up and reached over, sweeping his hair out of his eyes, and leaving to find the mini bar.  Why the hell couldn't I get my gods damn hands off of him?  It was getting embarrassing.

"Not tired?" Mave said as I passed where he and Logan were sprawled.  His partner in crime was just waking up, stretching like a cat in his seat.  I shook my head at him, smiling at their easy going natures.  What would it had been like growing up with friends like them?

"I usually wake up screaming, which would be startling for the pilot, or my new guests," I said with a wink as I made my way towards the bar at the back of the plane.  It was fully stocked, which I had been counting on. Miguel liked his alcohol in both quantity and quality, and I was intent on cashing in.  I was surprised to find both of them opposite me, standing at attention like customers at the high, smooth top of the bar.

"Having dirty dreams about me would hardly scare us away, I've been known to make a few ladies scream my name," Mave said wickedly.  Logan laughed and simultaneously punched him in the stomach to get him to stop, glancing over his shoulder to where West was soundly sleeping.  I shook my head a poured a short stubby glass full of whiskey.  I downed the whole thing, and reached to refill when I noticed that the boys were silently staring. 

"Oh yeah," I said forgetting their favorite trick.  I tapped my finger on the table top and two beers appeared in their hands.  They grinned wolfishly at me, and then waiting, as if expecting something.

"What?" I asked them, wondering if I had a piece of food in my teeth.

"I expected another grand toast, something a bit more upbeat this time to eh?" Logan said, holding up his drink in patient wait.  I took a deep breath and downed another drink, to give myself time to think.  I saw Mave give Logan a sidelong glance.  "Don't worry I can hold my own," I reassured them.  I tapped my fingers and three shot of tequila formed a triangle in front of us.  The guys drank their beers down and grabbed the shots, while I cleared my throat.

 

"May you have warm winds on a cold evening,

a full moon on a dark night,

and the road downhill all the way to your door." 

 

I threw back my shot, and looked to them.

"Better," Mave told me with a look that said he was hoping for something dirty.  I tapped my finger and made for another round.  Logan and Mave looked to each other, another sidelong hive five slapped the air.

"Fifty bucks says you won't make it off the plane," Mave said, slapping the bill on the bar top.

"Double says you don't," I told him back, arching my brow in a clear challenge.

"Oh easy money, it's almost a crime to take the bet, but I will oblige the lady," he said shaking my hand.  I gave him a ferocious grin.

"Never bet against a Moreau," I told him, throwing back another shot.