My Light, My Lux

Chapter One

Jinx shouldn't be bored.

This new life? It's exciting. It should be exciting, right? Being enrolled in the Academy, with all the prestige and buh buh buh. With the voices in head growing quieter as the din of the big city grows louder around her.

Being here, forgiven, taken into parental custody by Vi and her stupid girlfriend. (Who is sometimes not that stupid and actually nice to Jinx and barf and bleh.)

Treated a bit like a child at home.

Treated a bit like a prodigy at the Academy.

Treated a bit like a fucking criminal elsewhere.

It's all good fun, and much better than some dirty shack in Zaun. Her life should be fun and simple, and, and... And so fucking boring.

Jinx gets up every morning to the same energetic rock song. She has managed to connect the music player to her clock so that the same song would play at the same time every weekday and remain silent at the weekend.

Viktor called it a genius invention, and, as much as Jinx is happy about being recognised, the Jinxck (Jinx plus clock, try to pronounce that, Caitlyn) has become a dull, integral part of her morning routine.

Then, Jinx brushes her teeth (she's a rebel but smart enough to know what's good for her) and stumbles sleepily into the kitchen, knowing that Vi is still asleep, while Caitlyn is already at work.

Jinx brews herself the usual coffee and goes the usual way to the usual place — the Academy.

The Academy greets her with the same faces, every single day: students roaming about, freshmen starry-eyed and inspired, post-grads fixated on their tasks and the accompanying bureaucracy...

And of course Viktor and his assistants, same faces, every single day.

Jinx works on her inventions, has lunch, works some more. Of course it's all fun, otherwise she wouldn't be doing it. But... But it's become a routine.

Much like the routine of getting back home and having dinner with Vi and Caitlyn, talking about what's been going on with their days (not much for Jinx, very much for Vi and Cait), partaking in some pleasant banter, after which Jinx retreats to her bedroom and turns on some loud rock music, lest she accidentally overhear some of the more barf-inducing lovey-dovey stuff her sister does in the next room over.

Or like that time when she overheard them going at it. Jinx doesn't need to get even more traumatised.

So, all in all, Jinx finally has what she has been lacking all along: a perfectly normal, happy, wonderful life with her family and colleagues. But still, there is this nagging feeling in her chest, her head, in the back of her throat, like she... Like she wants... something else?

Yes, something else.

Anything at all.