Episode 1, Part 2: Esper Emerald, Exiled

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Esper Emerald – Prince of Ghosts, son of the Emerald Queen and upcoming Supervillain of Emerald City – was about to be robbed of the birthright he had spent the last decade (rounded up) of his life training for. By his own mother, no less.

She leaned nonchalantly against the kitchen counter in her mint-colored bathrobe, her waist-length hair still sparkling from the shower, and sipped a warm cup of tea as if she hadn't just sentenced her son to exile a few minutes ago. Exile is a strong word, she had said. You can still come back during breaks. I'm not banishing you, Esper.

No, she was not.

But she was sending him to high school.

"I am not going," Esper hissed. If his arms weren't already crossed over his chest, he would've crossed them again but, as they were, he simply gripped his arms harder until his fingers and bicep hurt. He had the same white hair as his mother, neatly combed back. It seemed to glow compared to the newly-ironed black collared shirt and black slacks he was wearing. He always dressed to impress, even if it was just for a handful of people in the Emerald Mansion every day. 

"Why can't Brandon keep homeschooling me like he's always done?"

Brandon, who stood beside Fantasia Emerald, looked quite relieved when she handed him her empty cup and quickly distanced himself from the conversation to wash the dishes. Esper noticed and scowled at his betrayal.

"As much as he is a fantastic tutor, there is only so much Brandon can teach you within these walls, Esper," Fantasia sighed. "You have to experience the other things in life yourself. Like making friends."

Esper's scowl deepened. "I have many friends."

"The staff don't count. Neither do the ghosts."

"Why do I need more than that?"

Fantasia rubbed the bridge of her nose as if there was something phenomenally wrong with what he had said. Esper didn't think so. Supervillains like him and his family didn't need more than themselves and acquaintances at best. "Friends" of the Hero or Civilian kind were useless baggage that nagged too much (minus Brandon the butler, he was cool), and other Villains could not be trusted.

His mother took a deep breath and started again. "This is precisely why I'm sending you to school." She swept her arm over the kitchen. "You've been in this house, this city, all of your life. But there's more out there, Esper. Don't you want to try something new? Broaden your perspective? Meet other kids your age?"

"No."

The thought of being around immature Civilians and listening to their nonsensical chatter made him gag. He'd seen them running about in the park like headless chickens, shouting make-believe words at each other.

"I'd rather throw myself into a pit of ghosts and fight haunts and beasts conjured from the dark bowels of imagination for eternity."

Fantasia's brow furrowed. "You've been going to the Void too much lately. That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about. Too much paranormality can be bad for you, and I'm saying this as someone who's dealt with ghosts her entire life. You should meet some real people, Esper."

"I have no interest in meeting children who fry their brains with Internet gossip or partake in stupid dances," he said stubbornly.

"I see you've researched what high school socials are like."

"Of course, and I hate it. The sheer insignificance of everything they do will drive me mad."

"Not everything," his mother mused. "A student at Emerald High School won the art competition that several of our neighbors were participating in. And I think our volleyball team crushed Midnight City's top team last year. It was one of the many things I got to rub in Nightingale's gloomy face."

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