The next morning was like any other for Ciaran. He got up, washed, and brushed his teeth, Ariadne told him his sister had knocked her out through his soul, he got a new thing to research, and most importantly of all, ate breakfast.
The Academy was very generous when it came to pretty much everything, but food stood sky-high above the rest. As a student, you were entitled to all the food you could eat, provided you were of the top students, and you didn't have to pay.
All the ingredients were of your Rank as well, and as a Rank Zero, Ciaran was entitled to a very rich breakfast. Naturally, it wasn't as nourishing as the Rank One monkey meat, but it was much more appetizing.
'Evolved meat or not, the difference between food cooked by someone who could cock and an amateur who never held a knife in their life was like night and day.' Ciaran said as he put cocking on the to-learn list. There were so many things on it, that the boy was getting overwhelmed.
'And now I have to waste time with those waists of space.'
Ariadne apologized for causing him grief. The spider knew that he sold his time, for her. She needed magical lessons, and Elizabeth was the best they had at the moment.
'Don't be ridiculous Ari! You and me, we are practically the same person, that's how our relationship is. A little time investment is nothing if we can secure a good teacher for you.'
He was busy having a mental conversation with his familiar when his teacher sat down next to him.
It was strange for the woman to be at the Academy so early, but not really surprising. Yesterday they gave her quite the shock.
"I gave a promise to Eleftherios that nothing between us will change kid, but let me tell you something. Our deal stands, and I am, and forever will be on your side. I will not coddle you, nor your… friend, but I am your ally. Don't ask, because I will not tell you. That is all." She said in a monotone voice and left.
The boy was just chewing on his pancakes, wondering what the hell his brother had told her. Then he just swallowed his food and went for seconds. No one wanted to tell him, but he will learn, this time he will not force the issue. Once his impatience had burned him, now the lesson was learned.
'Now how do I discipline a bunch of stuck-up nobodies? Violence would be the easiest way. Beat them until they submit. Pros: will not take more than a week, I get to hear them beg, and I get to test my new techniques on meat for once. Cons: I need Ray for that and he will not commit so much violence for me, doesn't have it in him. Liza will skin me alive, she wants us to 'get along' not just to behave like it.
'I can pump them with the 'juice'. Pros: No more dealing with brats, as they would mature very fast, at least mentally. Cons: No access to it, and Liza will probably resort to flames. Normal kids, even Academy ones, only take a few drops.' He chuckled as he remembered his favorite activity as a toddler- bath time. His head would be so much clearer after that.
'An honest talk maybe, some of them are bound to want to return to our fold. Pros: A peaceful resolution would earn me no trouble with anyone. Cons: If anyone even joins us I might have to talk to them, and I no longer have the patience to put on pretenses.
'So after all, it will come down to the good old reliable – bribery. Everyone can be bought, now I just need to learn their price.'
That faithful morning Ciaran decided on how he would repay his teacher for her future assistance. For the rest of the year, whenever he was at school or at the Library, he would talk to the cattle. Most, as he expected were easy. No one wanted to be on the bad side of his or his friends' bad side.
The ones who were a little more difficult were Millie and those like her. What she asked was a little harder. If the first group wanted to be in a good relationship with him, then she and the rest of the snakes wanted that AND the same but with the Clades. They were the kids born with a silver spoon in their mouths, and it seemed their parents finally advised them why they should make friends with the richest family on the continent.
The third group however was a true nightmare to tame. If the first were cattle, and the second were snakes, then they were dogs, loyal to a fault. This group consisted of people who genuinely followed and believed in both Ciaran and Clara. They weren't a big group, but they all genuinely felt betrayed and held a grudge. Worst of all they made Ciaran feel something he thought himself incapable of, guilt.
He tried everything he could think of. He apologized, made promises, and even begged, but it didn't work.
"I don't know what to do with those fools, they turned into the new outcasts of the class, and unlike us, they can't defend themselves." The boy had a headache from all of this.
The only good part was that they only hated him and Clara. Rayon and Sunny got along with them just fine.
He even asked his teacher if he could ditch them, as they were in the minority. Naturally, she told him to work hard and not cut corners.
Up until the very last day of school, he slaved away to make them happy, to earn their forgiveness. Hell, he even asked his siblings for help.
" A trust lost is very hard to earn back. You not giving a shit if they breathe is also an issue. You scared them, kid, it will take time for them to heal. And even then they might not forgive you." His Big Brother said.
"Wait until Summer Break and make them disappear. Not all of them, but they are a small group, tied together by their mutual hate for you. Surely an opportunity for an 'accident' will arrive." Is what his Big Sis said.
After considering their counsel he was busy planning for the event when his teacher passed by.
"This is, of course, unnecessary for me to say but don't 'convince' them to forgive you. That will violate the terms of our agreement."
It wasn't hard to tell Eleftherios had told on him, seeing his sister barely containing a laugh and him not showing his face. An unexpected low blow from him, but understandable. He shared a desire with Liza, to keep him away from committing murder. And it even seemed his teacher wasn't even capable to conceive the notion that he would go past beating them up.
'She sees only the best of me, or at least chooses not to look at the worst. How adorable, but this takes away such a convenient method.'
"Ok then, how about if they weren't part of our class. Don't get me wrong, no double meanings there. The third Year is a bitch and a half, so I would assume most wouldn't make it. If they were to drop out, will they count?" The boy asked.
Elizabeth was almost ready to unleash another of her ultimate weapons upon him, the teacher's guide for young hooligans, a full four-hour lecture she intended to extend just for him. Yet, she didn't as she knew he was right, even if he was a jerk about it.
Even tho it pained her, she accepted those terms, and the boy smiled.
"Great, becoming a Novice for one person is hard as it is. For the two of us? We are looking at at least four years. By then if there is even one of them left, they would be easier to negotiation with." He said, and Ariadne nodded vigorously.
The spider was more than happy her partner didn't have to talk with those pesky little bugs anymore. She could feel his annoyance with them grow day after day, and his patience was waning. The murder party might be canceled, but at least now their problem could fix itself eventually.
"Be that as it may, please at least attempt to make friends next year. I can appreciate that there is no longer any student that is ostracized from the collective but there is unrest, and frankly it is getting on my nerves."
The boy looked at her, his eyes glowing.
"You are staying as our teacher? Da- I was told you only teach the first two Years as a rule. Never taking any class beyond that." He asked, his voice full of enthusiasm.
"Well, there were rules, preventing me from that. But recently your family, the Clades, convinced the Emperor to allow me to move on up. Together with my consent, it was enough to keep me in your business a little longer." She said.
She felt very bittersweet at the moment. She loved all of her kids every year and hated not being able to see them grow up. But she also knew that the sweet angels she oversaw would turn into vicious predators starting from Year Three.
She also noticed that, despite the brat's complaints, he truly liked her as a teacher, not just for her magic. He also refrained from calling Liam his father. Understandable, given the… complications.
And so with the final touches of their deal completed, Ciaran's second Summer Break began.