Pride X Familiar ReVamp (Pride X ReVamp Book 1) (26 page)

I’d tossed and turned most of the night, trying to figure out Caelum.

Trying to figure out my feelings, and wondering if there was a chance to bridge the gap between us.

Wondering if I should even try.

I was feeling confused, depressed, despondent.

I arrived at my classroom more than half an hour before homeroom was scheduled to start.

I had an unexpected visitor.

Duncan Armand Avenir was a senior, and someone I grew to know over the past few months.

To say that we dated was a stretch, but we did spend time together whenever I joined Siobhan and Alistair in the company of Duncan and his friends, which was to say quite often.

I was comfortable around him, and in truth he made me feel special. He was kind, courteous, and he paid special attention to me on each occasion we were together.

At school we ate lunch together a few times, and while I heard rumors and gossip behind my back, I was thankfully untroubled by the usual bitchiness that seems to accompany the jealousy that girls my age can express.

Oh, I should mention that in any girl’s book, Duncan is quite the catch.

He’s tall, easy on the eyes, and lithely built, which suits him well as a member of the competing basketball team. He isn’t the star player, but he’s rarely benched, and last year he made a name for himself as a promising rising star.

So here I was ‘almost’ dating an eligible senior.

I guess I was lucky.

Caelum was right. He had made a mess of my love life, but I held myself back as well.

The end result was that I lacked experience when it came to dating the opposite sex.

I could have been tricked by an unscrupulous senior, but I lucked out.

Duncan was someone that I felt I could open up to.

He eased the emptiness in my heart, the void that resulted when Caelum and I parted ways.

By the time my second year of high school started, I had pretty much decided to open up to him, and was ready to say ‘yes’ if he ever asked me that all important question.

No, I’m not talking about getting engaged.

I’m talking about the other question – the boyfriend-girlfriend question.

But then Caelum stormed right back into my life, rear-ending my first week back in school.

Rear-ending all my carefully laid out plans!

Aggh, he could be such a pain in the ass!

So I arrived at my homeroom, and a short while later I saw Duncan peek in through the open door. Surprised to see him, I quickly met him in the hallway outside.

“Hi,” he said, looking a little embarrassed.

I smiled stupidly up at him. “Hi back.” Stupid heart calm down! “Why are you here?”

“To see you.”

“Ah…oh. Really?”

He gave me a bemused smile. “Well, yeah. This is your homeroom.”

I looked up at the sign beside the door. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

Stupid, stupid heart! I’m having trouble hearing him. Stop beating so loudly.

Wait, why was I getting so flustered? Last year and over the break I was totally at ease beside him. Then again, it was rare for the two of us to be alone. Siobhan and Alistair were usually beside me whenever Duncan was around.

I frowned inwardly.

Maybe this is was how I was supposed to feel.

Maybe this was a natural reaction for a girl when she’s…falling in love?

“Haruka?”

“Hah—yes?”

“This Saturday, are you busy?”

“Heh—Saturday? No, I don’t think so. I’d have to check with Siobhan and Alistair, but I don’t think anything was planned.”

My palms were beginning to sweat. I hid my hands behind my back. I worried my face would break out into a sweat.

And my damn heart was being a nuisance.

I can’t hear him if you keep drumming like that.

Duncan swallowed noticeably. “Great, then would you go out with me?”

I blinked and blanked out for a moment. “Huh?”

“You and me, just the two of us. This Saturday. A date.”

“Uh…just us? For real?”

“Yes, for real.”

Somewhere, over the din of my heart, I heard a familiar voice.

“Countess? Why are you calling me? Huh? No, I’m alone. I mean I’m headed to homeroom. What can I do for you?”

Duncan was looking down at me with a nervous, expectant look. “Haruka?”

I was listening to Duncan in my left ear, while listening to the ‘other’ voice in my right. I was processing Duncan’s request, and trying to shut the ‘other’ voice out.

I swallowed and gave Duncan a quick nod. “Ah, this Saturday. Yeah, I’m free. Sounds good.”

He broke into a relieved smile. “Then it’s a date.”

I started to smile back.

The other voice caught my attention. “You want to go where? After class? The hospital? Why are you dragging me to the hospital?”

Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it!

“Haruka?” Duncan asked.

“I’m fine,” I replied to him.

Damn that Caelum. Why did he have to show up now? And who is this Countess he’s talking to?

I tried not to listen but it was like my right ear was swiveled in his direction.

“Countess, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I mean, she hates my guts. If I show up at her hospital room I won’t be aiding her recovery. The sight of me will reopen her wounds.”

Who the devil is this Countess?

I noticed Duncan was looking in Caelum’s direction with a thoughtful look.

Caelum continued to ‘bleat’ into his palm-slate. “Yes, Countess. I’ll be there. I have to bring a gift, right? What does she like? Are you sure her family won’t stop me? Oh, that’s why you’ll come along too. Okay, okay. No, I won’t forget. What—you’re coming to training again? No, no, I’m not complaining—holy crap!”

I stared at him, and Caelum stared right back. Actually he was staring at Duncan and I in quick succession.

He spoke hurriedly into the palm-slate.

“No, no—I wasn’t saying holy crap to you. Countess, I have to go. No, I really, really have to go. Bye. I said, bye. I’m hanging up now.”

He ended the call in a rush, then gave me a tight bow and a nod to Duncan before ducking through the open door and into the classroom.

I looked away, trying hard not to shake my head.

Duncan asked me in a low voice, “Is he the Familiar who’s made such a commotion in just one week?”

I looked up at him. “Yes. His name is Caelum Desanto afil Lanfear.”

“You know him? I mean, other than being classmates.”

For a heartbeat, I debated telling him the truth. “We grew up together. He’s my childhood friend.”

Duncan looked concerned, then confused. “And what about now?”

“He’s still my childhood friend, Duncan.”

“And your friend, too?”

“Ah…I don’t know. We had a falling out when I joined the Avenir Pride during the middle of last year. Our friendship kind of came to an end.”

“Was he a Familiar at the time?”

“No. He was a Regular. In fact, I had no idea he would be coming here. We hadn’t seen or spoken to each other for seven months. Then he suddenly transfers into my class at the beginning of the school year.”

Duncan gave the classroom a guarded look. I heard him whisper, “The Countess…I wonder if he was talking to her….”

Abruptly he shook his head as though clearing his thoughts, then he looked at me with a searching gaze.

I felt it wander all over my face.

I had a pretty good idea what he was looking for, so I did what I thought was best to dispel his worries. I gave him an answer that only partly resorted to words.

Standing on tip-toes, I reached up and took hold of his shoulders, and then I kissed his cheek.

Not a peck, but a proper kiss.

Then I whispered into his ear. “See you on Saturday. Give me a call later and tell me where and when.”

I dropped back down onto my heels, caught a glimpse of his reddening face, and then walked as unhurriedly as I could back into the classroom.

As I walked to my smart desk, I glanced at Caelum through the corner of my eye.

He was staring at the display surface of his smart desk, but he wasn’t moving.

I sat down at my own desk.

Later, when Siobhan and Alistair arrived at the classroom, I greeted them with a cheery smile and wave.

Chapter 12
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(Caelum)

For the first time in a while, I managed to get through a day of school without being blindsided by unexpected events.

Actually, that’s a complete lie.

My day went to pieces the moment I saw Haruka talking with that handsome senior.

I kept the study aid in my visor and headset dialed up to max. It was the only way to get through classes. I knew this was going to give me a headache later, but I had no choice.

It was either that, or struggle through the day.

When lunch break came round, I told Caprice I had somewhere to be.

The truth was, I just wanted to be alone.

Getting onto the rooftop courtyard was easy. I climbed the roofs of the permacrete huts on the building’s roof, and found myself a spot to lie down on.

And that’s how I spent my lunch break.

Lying on a flat roof, with arms folded behind my head for a pillow.

Just staring up at the artificial sky of the habitat – a sky that was no more than a thousand feet above me – while listening to the sounds of the students eating lunch on the rooftop courtyard a short distance away. I heard the sounds of their conversations, and I heard the sounds of the habitat surrounding the Academy.

And I really struggled to get through the pain in my heart.

I knew I was being foolish, and selfish. I knew I was acting like I did in the old days, before she became an Aventis and was sought after by the boys; before the days I became a Familiar, and fought off countless numbers of her suitors.

I knew all that.

And I understood that I couldn’t go back to those days.

Simone was right – I had to let her go.

I had to let Haruka go, and I had to do it properly.

Not a selfish goodbye full of bitterness and anguish like I did seven months ago,

A proper goodbye.

And maybe, just maybe, we could start again…as friends.

But never more than friends.

And that was what I found unbearably difficult to accept.

Something landed on the rooftop I was lying on. I moved quickly, rising to my knees in a combat stance, but there was no need.

Seeing who it was, I glanced away and laughed wearily. Then I lay back down and resumed staring up at the afternoon sky.

She sat down beside me, bent her legs and looped her arms around her knees.

I tried hard not to sound annoyed. “I told you I wanted to be alone.”

She nodded. “I know.”

“Caprice, just leave me alone.”

“I can’t do that.”

I sat up. “Won’t you respect my privacy just a little.”

“I’m sorry. I should have told you she was dating.”

My breath caught in my chest. It took me a moment to recover. “What?”

“His name is Duncan Armand Avenir. He’s a senior, Class Three Aye.”

“I wasn’t asking about him.”

“They’ve been going out as friends for a while now. Almost always in the company of their respective friends.”

“I said I wasn’t asking.”

She met my gaze. “Does it bother you that much?”

“It bothers me when you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Caprice looked down at her arms over her knees. “I wanted to tell you. I just…didn’t know how.”

“Caprice—” I stopped sharply, and turned away.

For a while I didn’t know what to say. Everything that came to mind felt harsh and abrasive, so I chose to say nothing until I’d calmed down.

After a minute of silence, I shook my head slowly. “It’s fine. Really, it’s okay. She has her life and I have mine.”

In the corner of my eye, I saw Caprice face me.

I pressed on. “I just…I just wanted to tell her…I just thought I’d get the chance…but that’s not going to happen anymore.”

I rubbed the fingers of my right hand through my hair, messing it up badly.

I breathed in and out heavily. “I can’t do this anymore. I tried cutting her loose but it didn’t work. I threw myself into my studies, into the training, into learning how to use the Fragment. Into learning about what I can do as a Familiar. I wanted to push her out of my mind.”

“And out of your heart?”

I sighed. “Yeah. Out of my heart….”

I bit my lower lip until it matched the pain in my chest, but I ended up tasting blood.

“Caelum, I’m here. You can talk to me. I’ll listen.”

I hesitantly looked at her.

Caprice was watching me with her usual emotionless persona. “We’re partners…and we’re friends. Friends are there for each other.”

I returned her gaze for a while, then broke eye contact. “Thanks. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

Slowly, I lay back down and resumed using my arms as a pillow.

The aching void in my chest grew a little smaller as the minutes went by.

Only a little smaller….

Suddenly my view of the sky was blocked by an apple sitting on the palm of her hand.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

I stared at the apple for a moment. “Yeah, I guess I am. Thanks.” I took it from her hand, then took a bite out of it.

Beside me, I heard her take a bite out of another apple.

“Caprice…what’s he like? Is he a decent guy?”

“Yes. Very decent. He’s well respected by his peers and by the girls. He’s very mindful of the people around him, and an excellent athlete. He has good grades too.”

“Huh, is that so. Then I guess Haruka’s in good hands.”

“Yes, I believe she is.”

I took another bite out of the apple, then swallowed it down after thoroughly munching on the morsel of food.

I spoke my honest feelings.

“I hope he makes her happy. She deserves to be happy. She really does….”

#

(Caelum)

Because Simone chose to drag me to the hospital, training with Maya, Rina, Caprice and Kaleb was cut short for me.

I was only able to participate for an hour and a half.

The others continued after I took a shower, dressed, and departed with Simone to the hospital.

I had mixed feelings about our training. While it felt like I was finally being exposed to how I should use the Gauntlet’s shield-blade against other Fragments, I also felt I was well behind the three girls when it came to combat training.

For the time being, Kaleb had us work on our ability to directly control the effect-field generated by the Gauntlet. In the past, when Caprice and I sparred our Fragments would regulate the structure and intensity of the effect-field. As a result, all impacts between the weapons was limited to clashes between her effect-field and mine.

What Kaleb wanted now was for us to regulate the effect-field willfully. This required us to maintain a mental image of what the field looked like, and how we wanted it to behave. When combined with our overclocking ability, it would allow us to choose what we felt was the best shape, size and strength of the effect-field that protected not only us but the Fragment.

I accepted what he wanted of us, but in truth I trusted my Gauntlet to know better what effect-field configuration was required at any given time. However, I didn’t argue with Kaleb, so I worked diligently to improve my control over my Fragment.

Concentrating for so long felt like using muscles I normally didn’t use. I wondered if this would really allow us to utilize our Fragments better.

I was actually glad to leave the training session a good hour earlier than planned. After the shower, I took a couple of pain-killers for the headache brewing in my frontal lobes. Before leaving the training floor, I noticed Caprice was rubbing her temples incessantly. Thankfully Kaleb noticed too, and shortly thereafter allowed the three girls to relinquish control of the effect-field management back to the Fragments.

Again I wondered, what’s the point?

Wouldn’t automatic control be better than manual control?

I’m missing something, I just know I am.

Simone had a car waiting for us in the nightclub’s underground parking.

A bodyguard sat up front beside the driver.

I sat with her in the back, and looked out at the habitat streets, shops, and apartment complexes as the car drove to the hospital. The hospital was in Habitat Three, so in order to get there the car travelled down the four lane tunnel connecting Habitat Two to Habitat Three.

The trip lasted a good half hour.

Simone led the way into the hospital, and to the private room where the patient was staying.

I hesitated at the door. The flowers Simone handed me was a bouquet with a wide variety or roses, but none of them were red. She had been very careful about making sure there weren’t red ones in the collection.

Family bodyguards intercepted us before we arrived at the room. They checked us over with portable scanners that resembled wands. They checked our names against a list of people they were authorized to allow entry into the room. At first I thought they would turn me away, but that didn’t happen, and a short while later, Simone and I stood before the door to the patient’s room.

It was a private room with a single bed, and a wide window with an excellent view of the habitat skyline. Because it had a shower and bathroom, the room had a distinct L shape to it.

Simone strode in first and walked round the corner. She disappeared from view as she approached the bed.

I hung back, choosing to lurk near the entrance, well out of sight.

I couldn’t see the Countess, nor the patient, but I could certainly hear them.

“Ara ara, Prissila. What did you just hide under the covers?”

“What—absolutely nothing at all. Hey, you didn’t knock. How ill-mannered can you be.”

“Come on, don’t be shy. Show me what you’ve got—ooh, what’s this? Hearts in Midsummer. Isn’t this rather raunchy? When did you download this?”

“It is absolutely not ‘raunchy’. It is ‘passionate’. Yes, that’s the word. Passionate. Now give it back.”

“Ara ara. Let’s see here. He ran his fingers down her back…uggh, how boring…what’s this…his gentle fingers brushed the petals of her—”

“Stop! Don’t you dare read that.”

“But you were reading it.”

“I wasn’t reading it aloud. Have you no decency?”

“She quivered under his touch. His fingers deftly stroked—”

“Stop—I said stop. Don’t make me climb out of bed.”

“Ara ara, don’t do that. Didn’t you break your leg?”

“The bone has already healed. I’m being released in the morning. They could have done so this afternoon. This is all my mother’s fault.”

“Does your mother know you’re reading this?”

“Geh—don’t you dare tell her.”

“Actually, this isn’t half bad. Listen to this. Between parted lips she inched the tip of her tongue toward his—”

A sharp cry and the sounds of a tussle reached my ears. I worried the noise would bring the guards running into the room. Thankfully, none did. Had something like this happened before?

“Princess, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

“You are so cruel. I’m older than you. You should show your senior some respect.”

“Can I borrow this once you’re done reading it?”

“Huh? Wh—what? I thought you didn’t like these kinds of stories. You told me the one I recommended was dull and predictable.”

“Well, it was dull and rather contrived. I mean, the characters were just so unrealistic. And there was no plot. It was just sex, sex, and more sex.”

Need I point out my ears were burning bright red from eavesdropping on their conversation?

I considered a tactical retreat out of the room.

“Simone, that’s not true at all. There was plenty of romance and intrigue.”

“Pah—did you say romance? All she did was jump from one occupied bed into the other. That woman had the stamina of a herd of gazelle.”

“She happened to be in shape. What’s wrong with that? And she was just looking for her perfect match.”

“Perfect match or perfect fit?”

A sharp gasp rounded the corner. “Simone, that’s horrid.”

“Well she had an odd way of going about it. She tried out different men the way you and I try on different shoes.”

“Gah—what an awful thing to say.”

“By the way, what’s this one about? Let’s see…an erotic variation of Shakespeare’s much beloved, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. You have got to be kidding me. What else did you download into this slate?”

“Simone, give it back. Please. You’re bordering on being obnoxious.”

“Hmm…A Gallant Heart…a wartime drama set during the Secession Wars. A young pilot crash lands on a terra-formed moon and encounters—three young sisters? And one of them is married but her husband is away fighting on the front lines. Oh, I see. So there’s a lonely wife character. Gods how predictable.”