Everyone's Out to Get Me

Another Asshole Dad Unlocked!

I never said Alden was an asshole. I only thought Alden was a bit of an asshole for personal reasons and that's okay! He doesn't need to know I'm onto him. I'm used to dealing with them—I'd call myself an Asshole Expert. It was expected at this point in my life.

What I didn't expect to do today was to walk headfirst into the most fucking infuriating interaction of my life. Literally. 

I'd just leaped to Foxfire and was running around like a gremlin, putting all my highly personalized gifts in my friends' lockers. The decorations were insane—silver streamers wrapped every tree, every shrub, every tower like the school had been toilet-papered with tinsel. Confetti and flowers covered the floor, and giant bubbles filled with prizes floated through the halls. Prodigies ignored their parents as they dashed around popping as many as they could.

No even to mention the looks I was getting. Especially when I dropped Keefe's gift in his cap that was all but overflowing. Girls were staring me down like a pack of wolves. I winked in their direction just to confused them.

Honestly, I'm just excited to see the looks on my friend's faces when they get their gifts. If I'm anything it's a good Gift Giver and I take much pride in that quality of mine. I just never had much people to give gifts.

I hopped my way through the Level Four wing and ran, smack, into a meat wall.

"Fuck- Oh! Hey, Tiergan. Don't give me extra exercises for that, please." 'Cause this dude acts like I can't hear him mentally whisper 'What the fuck?' in capital letters every time we unlock some insane story in my past. And honestly? That's fair. But if he gets to swear why can't I? I gotta get out my inner frustrations somehow!

"What doesn't happen in my classroom doesn't matter to me," he shrugged. "What are you doing here?" I can feel that scepticism, Tiergan. Where's the love for your favorite mentee, huh?

I shot him a grin. "Just dropping of some super awesome gifts, don't worry." Tiergan had a slightly pained expression on and that worried me a little. "What's wrong?" I genuinely asked.

"Nothing's wrong, per se. Just-"

"Well, well. Who do we have here?"  And, wow, in hindsight that voice really gets me mad. Like the guy not only doesn't like me, he's a major jackass.

That, came Tiergan's voice in my head.

A tall, slender man in a sapphire-encrusted navy-blue cape stood next to Keefe, staring me down. The family resemblance was obvious, though Keefe’s disheveled hairstyle and untucked shirt sharply contrasted his dad’s slicked blond hair and pristine tunic.

"This must be the girl who was raised by humans," he announced to the whole fucking world. It was definitely nothing like Keefe's lighthearted teasing, for sure. "How curious to find her in the Level Four Wing, talking to Foxfire's most infamous Mentor." Was this guy okay in the head? Why was he narrating?

"Wait, infamous?" I directed the question at Keefe, hoping he would start some epicly exaggerated story but he just stared at the ground. It made me want to, kindly, pound his dad into the floor!

What did Lady Galvin call the flesh melting subtance again? I absently thought. Alkahest?

Keefe’s father grinned, an oily sort of smile that dripped with insincerity. "Few Mentors have resigned, then returned years later—out of the blue—to train a mystery prodigy." He winked with the last two words, like he knew exactly who the prodigy was. He's going to give me anger issues.

"Interesting theory, Cassius-"

"Lord Cassius," he corrected like it mattered at all.

I could tell Tiergan was losing it. I just looked on, not wanting to fuck up the situation like I know I would. "Lord Cassius," he obviously hated saying. "But do you really think I could be tempted back by a little girl? Especially one performing so unremarkably in her sessions?"