Soulless

3. Little Toy Soldier

*

The dark wooden doors of the study room opened with a loud groan. Alexander shifted his gaze from the large window and to the person who entered. Hill greeted him with a smile. "Hello, Alexander," Hill said.

Alexander frowned. He moved away from the window and towards the desk that sat beside it, its surface littered with parchments and quills. Some books levitated besides the desk, a few inches above each other. Alexander flicked a hand and the books returned themselves to the cart situated beside the door.

"Are you sure you should be doing magic?" Hill asked, amusement coloring his voice.

"I'm sure they won't mind," Alex replied. This time, he took great care himself in organizing the paperwork and returning them back to his leather bag.

Hill walked around the room lazily, taking in the furnishings. Unlike the library outside, the study room was almost bare, the walls a lousy white with brown trim. The floor, like most of the Institute's, was old as well. The only thing worthy of note was the large, floor-to-ceiling window that was attached at the front wall where Alexander previously stood. Sunlight streamed in, filling the nearby area with light; otherwise, the room was lit with wall lamps, despite the time of day. Hill sat on one of the sofas at the right-hand corner of the room, swinging a leg over the other. He noted the time from the grandfather clock that stood opposite him. 12:15 p.m.

"Well," Hill hummed to himself. "Being my apprentice does have its perks." A tea set appeared at the snap of his fingers. He poured himself green tea and set the teapot on the coffee table in front of him. "If I were you I'd get away with it constantly. Classes get stressful? Let it all out, why not? I'm sure you're dying to. Tea?" He held out his pink tea cup.

Alexander shook his head no, lips pursed in a grim line. Finished, he moved to sit at the edge of the desk, crossing his arms. "I thought you were off to make peace trades in Verusia," he said instead. "What are you doing here?"

Hill feigned a surprised look. "Why, I'm here for your birthday, of course." He took out a bag from behind him and held it out. "Happy fifteenth!"

When Hill didn't relent, Alexander let out a sigh and moved to receive the present. He walked across the study room, the floor creaking and groaning, and took the present from his outstretched hand. Alexander opened the bag only to find something covered in parchment. P1045, the label said.

"It's Predator liver," Hill explained at Alexander's look. "It's charmed not to smell so don't open it yet. You can't just find it anywhere, fresh and for free, so I thought, why not just give you one?" Then, he added, sounding grandiose and proud, "I even killed it myself."

Alexander frowned, setting the bag on the coffee table with a soft thud. His green eyes were downcast, as though in deep thought. Then he looked back at Hill. "Thank you," Alexander said. "But that wasn't the answer I wanted."

Hill moaned theatrically, exasperation coating his voice. "Can't I just visit my favorite apprentice without any ulterior motives?"

"Except that you always do that," Alexander groused. "And I'm your only apprentice."

A few moments of silence passed by, the seconds punctuated by the ticking of the clock. Then, abruptly, the lackadaisical look on Hill's face disappeared, as though a mask slipping off the wearer's face. And, in exchange, a grim expression took place. Suddenly, the air in the room changed, tension rising. Alexander steeled himself for whatever was to come. You should always be careful being with Hill – that was Alexander's rule, dating as far back as the first time Alexander met him. When Noah had found him. Noah Hill was a force to be reckoned; there was no knowing what could happen being with him. Breathe, Alexander thought, don't let him get to you. Don't let him find out.