Life After Death

Mikaela: trouble in pairs

{Mikaela}
"Lady Seren, please, come in."

The schools Otherworld were not like the schools in Martel. Of course, there were fewer students involved. Not many faeries had children at any given time. I didn't visit the school often, especially now that my boys were grown. But when I did, inevitably Lancelot and Arthur had done some mischief.

The headmaster looked a bit flustered as I sat down in front of his full and rather crowded desk. I guessed there was quite a bit of paperwork to be done, even if the school was small.

"Now we haven't done a full investigation, but I contacted you so that you would be apprised of the situation," the faery told me.

He twirled a pencil, and then set it down abruptly.

"This is about the twins, correct?" I inquired.

He nodded reluctantly.

"What did they do?"

"We, erm, believe they were cheating on an exam," he explained. "Like I said, no investigation has been completed, and since this is their third infraction I assure that we will not make any formal allegations until..."

"If you say that Arthur and Lancelot were cheating; they probably were," I interrupted. "Please don't feel like you have to treat them special because I work with the Queen. I know those two are quite the lying, cheating duo, and I will approve of any steps to rectify that."

He gave a sigh without meaning to and then stiffened, realizing what he had done.

"I'm sorry, it's just that your other sons were never any trouble, so we weren't concerned with discipline and..."

"You're the Headmaster," I said firmly. "I would prefer if you didn't expel them from your school, but other than that, they did cheat. Have I ever mentioned why I put my noble children into any school at all?"

He shook his head. "I had wondered," he ventured.

"I've met other nobles," I said. "And I didn't want my sons growing up believing that they were some elite class with no obligation to anyone but themselves. You remember Lionel? He's looking for a job, a real paying job. He wants be normal."

"As normal as a boy with wings can be," the headmaster laughed.

"Agreed," I replied. "I like to think I have perspective on what I do at Vercyne. Our laws and treaties affect everyone, and many of the people I work with forget that. And I'd also like to believe my sons know there are consequences for their actions, and I'm not ashamed to admit that sometimes I don't have the energy to reprimand them like I should."

"I can't imagine that you have much trouble with the rest of your family," the headmaster said. He seemed a bit more comfortable now. Every time I came here, it took him several minutes to warm up to me. "All of our teachers have nothing but glowing praise for your children."

"Save the twins," I amended. "I understand. If it's any consolation, I can't tell them apart either."

"Even being a shapeshifter?" he inquired.

I shrugged. "Personally, I think they have used magic to look as similar as they are. But they're twelve. Hopefully they'll grow out of this phase."

"I hope so too," the headmaster agreed. "We'll confirm with the teachers that they were cheating again and then formulate a just punishment. I'll keep you informed."

I stood up from the chair and shook the man's hand.

"I'm sorry they are so troublesome," I told him.

Lancelot and Arthur were sitting on a bench outside the headmaster's office, not looking very contrite at all.

"You two aren't very good at cheating," I observed.

One of them wrinkled his nose. "It's hard to sit through history class twice. And I didn't want to miss lunch."

"You said we could just shape the test," the other pointed out. "You were wrong."

"They've spelled the tests against that now," the first sighed. "So inconvenient."

I told both of their hands and used a transport spell to get home. They raced up the stairs before I could lecture them further, not that it would do any good. I was fully aware of twins and their cheating habits, but there was little I could do. It had been my spells keeping the twins from shaping tests and who knew what that poor headmaster would have to do to get them to graduate.

"I'd watch them," Nick volunteered, shimmering out of the wall. "If I could, I mean. Donlin's a bit far from the Torninc."

"Thanks for the offer," I laughed. "I'm crossing my fingers, hoping they grow out of this nonsense. Or that one of them will get the flu or something."

"The flu?"

"Human illness. It would keep them away from school for a while. They just need to be separated for just a couple days."

"Well, good luck," Nick said dubiously. "Lionel's moved out of his room already. I thought you would want to know."

"Is Quinn home?"

Nick shook his head, and then smoothed his black hair out of his eyes.

"He's at up at Vercyne. He should be home for dinner. What's wrong? You look worried."

"I'm not. Not really. I just wonder if the twins will grow out of their antics at all."

"They will," he assured me. "Either that, or we'll wake up and there's only one of them."

"One of them?" I questioned.

"We'll discoved there's only been one all along," he explained. "It's my running theory anyway."

"Mom? Have you seen Lionel?"

Hazel stepped off the stairs, her pink wings fluttereing behind her. Nick slunk away, not that Hazel could see him.

"I haven't," I said. "I've been at your school dealing with Arthur and Lancelot."

She sighed heavily. "I know he's not in his room anymore, but I was going to help after school, but now, I can't find the rooftop."

"Just keep going up?" I suggested. "Dinner will be soon. He'll be down for that. I'm sure he's starving after moving furniture all day."

Hazel laughed and glanced back at her wings.

"I'm glad that my wings don't make me as hungry as he is," she noted. "Though I wish mine were white. I don't like pink."

"I could always shape them a different color," I offered.

She scowled. "That's what the twins said. I don't know. It's not the same."

"I could shape pink wings on the twins," I told her.

Hazel shook her head making her blonde curls bounce though while laughing at the idea. I tried to imagine my troublesome sons with delicate wings and couldn't quite manage it.

"Don't give them wings," she replied. "They're bad enough without the ability to fly."
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