IncuBUST

Sýko

"Good afternoon, Octavia," Sýko said as Octavia slipped into his office and closed the door behind her. He smiled up at her and asked, "What was it that you wanted to speak with me about?" Octavia set her bookbag on the floor and took a seat in the chair across from him turning her phone nervously in her hands. Finally, she signed, "I need to get out of Watermill."

Sýko's brow creased in concern, and he inquired, "Why? Has something happened with your aunt and cousins?" She shook her head and looked down at her phone pulling up the picture of the Iron Lance pamphlet. She placed the phone on Sýko's desk and said, "I don't feel safe." Sýko glanced down at the phone and his deep, reddish-purple eyes widened slightly. He reached out and used his fingers to zoom in on the picture. After a moment he looked back at Octavia and asked, "Is someone handing these out in your neighborhood?"

She nodded and signed, "An older lady going door to door. And there are these boys...they recently got arrested for committing hate crimes. I'm so scared to go back there, I spent the whole weekend with a friend." Octavia shook her head and swallowed hard continuing, "I've heard awful things about the Iron Lance. Like they don't discriminate between Dark and Light or between Mythics and sympathizers. My best friend and his sister are Mythics. I just...I don't feel safe, but Charlotte won't let me leave."

Sýko gave Octavia's phone one last look before pushing it back towards her and saying, "Have you explained your feelings to your aunt?" Octavia shook her head and replied, "She wouldn't listen. She hates Mythics. She'd just tell me to stop interacting with them and I'd be fine." Sýko frowned and asked, "Does she understand that approximately thirty percent of the student body here is Mythic?" Octavia threw her hands up in irritation retorting, "She wants me to change schools. My cousins go to the human only school ten miles outside the city. She wants me to go there next year."

Octavia suddenly smacked her hands flat against the top of the desk and stood. She stared into Sýko's eyes and signed, "I want to get emancipated."

"That's quite a lengthy process, Octavia and oftentimes it requires guardian permission," Sýko said, and Octavia signed, "But not always. I've done my research. I can't stay in that neighborhood a minute longer. Either help me get emancipated or put me in foster care. Whichever is easier." Sýko's eyes widened, and he asked, "You would prefer foster care to living with your aunt?" Octavia sighed dramatically and said, "It's not my aunt that is the problem...or at least not the main problem. It's the neighborhood and the crazed bigots that inhabit it. My friend that I mentioned earlier is taking the course to become a foster parent. He lives in my old apartment building. He took care of me after my dad died. I want to live with him."

"Your friend is old enough to complete the foster parents' course?" Sýko asked sounding concerned. Octavia rolled her eyes and replied, "I told you, he's a Mythic. He's over two-hundred years old."

"What type of Mythic?" Sýko inquired and Octavia blinked several times before signing, "That's not really any of your business, is it?" Sýko smiled kindly and murmured, "You're absolutely right." He turned to his computer and after a few clicks and clacks said, "I've sent an email to your aunt asking if she can come in and talk sometime this week. If she won't agree to let you get emancipated, I'll call social services. They'll determine whether or not your home environment is safe. If they deem it unsafe, you'll be placed in foster care. Once the paperwork goes through, your friend should be legally able to foster you."

Octavia blinked in surprise and slowly sat back down in the chair. That was easier than she thought it would be. Sýko turned to her with a smile that seemed somehow gentle and mischievous at the same time and said, "Don't worry, there is always a Mythic representative with social services so your concerns about the Iron Lance will be taken seriously."

Octavia was silent for a moment before signing, "Okay...cool. So, if my friend picks me up from school today and takes me to his house, you'll back me up if Charlotte calls the cops?"

"Is she likely to?" Sýko asked and Octavia nodded saying, "Yes. I had to lie to her about where I was this weekend. She doesn't let me hang out with my friend because she thinks he's dangerous even though he literally saved my life and I stayed with him for like four days after my dad died and since he lives in my old apartment building, we've technically lived together for like my whole life." Sýko laughed quietly at Octavia's dramatic hand signs.

"Your aunt sounds like quite a handful," he said, and Octavia moodily signed, "Understatement," before crossing her arms over her chest. Then Sýko's face became more serious, and he said, "You can go home with your friend. If your aunt hasn't replied to my email by the end of the day, I'll call her and explain things. Right now, I care more about your safety than I do about the law." Octavia stared at him feeling tears suddenly welling up in her eyes.

Without a word, Sýko moved the box of tissues sitting on the desk closer and turned to look at his computer. Octavia sniffled quietly and took one. Several minutes of silence passed in which Sýko pretended not to notice that Octavia was crying. Then he asked, "Out of curiosity, what's your friend's name?"

Octavia blew her nose and threw the tissue in the bin before signing, "Chase McManus." Sýko abruptly ceased tapping on his keyboard and his face flushed deep red. He cleared his throat and glanced at her inquiring, "He wouldn't happen to be related to a Cecelia McManus, would he?"

"If you mean Sissy, then yeah. She's his sister," Octavia replied and Sýko's blush deepened until he quite resembled the fruit he had been named after. Octavia's eyes widened as she slowly caught on.

Sýko cleared his throat again and in a voice that had risen by at least a third of an octave, he said, "L-lovely people. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for your aunt's reply. If you leave now, you should be able to enjoy the last half of the lunch period." Octavia pressed her lips tightly together to keep from laughing and signed, "Thank you." She jammed her phone in her pocket and snatched her bookbag up off the floor before ducking out of Sýko's office.