Veridis Quo

Chapter 34 - Lights Out

Opening the door, I hopped into the passenger seat.

"Heyyy!"

"Hey," my favorite birbie replied, both hands on the wheel.

Getting comfortable on the absurdly cushioned seat, I tapped my foot impatiently, waiting for her to start the engine.

"Well?"

"Yes?"

"What are we waiting for?"

Smiling, she tapped my right shoulder, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Racking my brain for the answer, I mentally slapped my forehead.

"The seatbelt."

"Mhmh," she nodded, switching the gear into drive while I secured myself, "safety is very important, Johnny-kun, never forget that."

Pushing the hook into its slot with a click, she then lowered the lever and beeped the horn once, signaling the start of the drive. If we were on our lonesome, like when we went up to her cottage, she wouldn't have used the loud tool. That wasn't the case, for I couldn't just go out on a whim.

They say time flies by when you're having fun – I slightly disagree. Time flies by when you don't pay it attention, like a kid sneaking his hand into the cookie jar while mommy is cooking. Before I knew it, almost two thirds of the hottest season had gone by, the months forever one with history.

Personally, I wouldn't say they were... fun. Ignoring the elephants in the gnome circus, I managed to bring my Seaspeak to an acceptable bar considering my lack of compatibility with the tongue. I had the teacher to thank for that, he was one of those who truly cared, and to thank Miya for bringing him to the academy during vacation. Whatever they paid him wasn't enough.

So, that end was tied and done for. Even if the teacher in the second year had been touched by the allusive 'tism, I wouldn't fail the class or scrape the bottom of the barrel. My academic situation was secured, so I didn't have to worry anymore.

Well, there was a mountain of other issues, but I was turning the other cheek for the time being.

Glancing at the side mirror, I spotted two identical jeeps flanking us, their slick designs made cooler by the shiny black paintjob. They weren't notable, the action was happening at the front.

Two more jeeps ahead would guide us to the destination. At the moment, two suited animals were unlocking the vehicular access gate. Since there wasn't a need for a guard in the booth and I was who I was, the tiger likely left the keys to the house to Miya. It was convenient as it showed the trust between the adults.

I was in their best interests, after all.

Once the lock came off, the pair pushed open the gates, allowing us a way out of the prison. Leaving the school always felt special, a holiday of its own. It was a shame I couldn't do so on my own, but beggars can't be choosers.

Easing her foot off the brake, the car automatically began creeping forward, tailing the second jeep. When we were officially outside the academy's jurisdiction, we stopped again.

Every vehicle contained a total of four animals, one assigned the role of the driver with a lesser firearm. The personnel escorting us totaled to a divisible sixteen excluding Miya, and that wasn't counting the unknown number on site.

It made me feel a little special every time – the MVP of the party.

Propping my head with my right hand, I sighed, thinking back to all the content I posted online over the summer.

Unsurprisingly, the channel that was doing the best was the official music channel. With over fifty million active listeners, the revenue I could make was through the roof. No matter what I posted, even if it was doo-doo sounds of pots banging against each other while I went apeshit, a minimum of five million would gobble that shit up.