‘Oi, wake up, you look like you’re dreaming again.’

That voice dragged me back into reality. I had been about to fall into the pit of my own thoughts. He had saved me.

Harvey’s dark brown eyes stared straight into mine. The two of us were supposed to be watching Stranger Things together in his room, but my mind kept wandering off through the episodes, and I felt horrible as a result.

I had never even heard of Stranger Things, which Harvey seemed to take as a personal offence. He dubbed it ‘one of the greatest things I’ve ever watched’, and, as a result, was forcing me to watch it with him.

It had been a few days since the alliance with Russia had been signed, and I had seen the world’s reaction. Jason Vil had issued a statement, calling the treaty ‘a threat to peace not only within Europe but across the globe’, stating that ‘the joint forces of the United Kingdom and the Russian Federation will soon prove to be a cause for concern for European nations’. Ethan had just said that Vil was just ‘shitting his pants now that we have backup’.

The most surprising thing about reactions to the pact was the fact that countries such as Japan and South Korea had shown an interest in joining. Japan and South Korea were two of the safest countries for Mutants in the world, so it would make sense for them to be against Maltor, but I hadn’t really expected them to want to join the pact. It looked like the Anglo-Russian Alliance would soon have to change its name.

‘Sorry,’ I breathed. ‘I’m not bored, I promise. I just find it hard to focus sometimes.’

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Harvey said. ‘Obviously everything’s hard on you right now. If you’d rather do something else, we can.’

I sank further into the dark green cushioning of the sofa, smiling at him.

‘No really, you wanted to watch this so we will. I can’t think of anything better, and I am having fun.’

He smiled back at me. ‘You sure?’

‘One hundred per cent.’

The two of us watched two more hours of Stranger Things.

When we were finished, it looked like it was Harvey that was about to fall asleep. He was fighting to keep his eyes open whilst I sat next to him, wide awake.

I elbowed him gently in the ribs, kissing my teeth as I did so. He shot up, blinking rapidly.

‘Was I asleep?’

‘Nearly,’ I replied, smirking. ‘I take it we’re done with Stranger Things?’

Harvey smirked back at me. ‘Yeah, probably. Wanna do something else?'

On the inside, I was dying to spend as much time with him as possible. Even though the two of us had only met a little over a week ago, I already felt immensely close to him. The fact that he even existed was great to me, and I didn’t think I could ever convey that feeling to him or anybody else for that matter.

However, I could not show such a degree of excitement. I had to try to appear as nonchalant as possible.

‘We haven’t had a proper lunch yet, right?’ I tried. ‘We can go down to Madam Sweetheart’s café if you want.’

‘To where?’

‘Oh, yeah, you won’t know Madam Sweetheart. You know the café across the road from The Tower? An old lady runs it and everyone calls her Madam Sweetheart.’

A look of deep thought crossed his face for a moment.

‘Is there good food there?’

‘It’s the best café in the city.’

‘Then we should go.’

I grinned at him. ‘Then get up.’

It wasn’t long before the two of us found ourselves in the lift of The Tower as we headed down to the bottom floor.

‘Does that café do drinks and stuff as well?’ Harvey asked innocently.

I merely blinked.

‘Obviously. And, I swear to the Gods, you have never had a coffee better than the one that Madam Sweetheart makes.’

‘Does she run the place by herself?’

‘Pretty much. Her husband, Charles, helps a bit but Madam Sweetheart pretty much does it all.’

A huge smirk had appeared on Harvey’s face. ‘Does she have an actual name?’

‘Of course she does, smartass,’ I scoffed. ‘But she will forever be Madam Sweetheart to us.’

It wasn’t too long before we found ourselves outside the front of The Tower. And, I swear to Olympus, we were staring straight at the café. It was right in front of us.

‘So, where’s the café?’ Harvey asked, his voice coated in sarcasm.

‘I will send you back to Apercaput.’

‘Sorry.’

Grinning, the two of us crossed the road and entered Madam Sweetheart’s café. And, to my pleasant surprise, Ali and Isaac were also there, sitting at a table together and engaged in conversation.

The café was standard, I suppose. It was only small, and only a little over a dozen wooden tables were situated around the room. A small counter littered with numerous display items sat in the far right corner, its dark brown colour serving a nice contrast to the beige walls.

‘There’s two empty seats next to them,’ Harvey said, pointing. ‘They’re your friends, right?’

‘Yeah,’ I replied. ‘Ali and Isaac. Didn’t expect to see them here.’

The two of us walked over, and Ali and Isaac turned to look at us as we did so.

‘Mind if we join you?’ I asked coolly.

‘Not at all,’ Ali said excitedly, pulling out the chair next to him in preparation.

I took the seat next to Ali, and Harvey sat opposite me, next to Isaac. The four of us hadn’t even begun speaking before Madam Sweetheart appeared next to our table. Ali and Isaac already had drinks, so she only addressed me and Harvey.

Madam Sweetheart was a typical elderly lady. She had short, curly grey hair and dazzling blue eyes. I found that rather intriguing about her. Despite her obvious old age, her eyes still looked as youthful as ever.

She wore the typical attire that one would find her in: a grey wool cardigan completed by a pink blouse and a grey skirt and leggings.

‘Would you like anything, my dears?’

I glanced at Harvey, smirking. ‘How do you like your coffee?’

‘With only a bit of milk and sugar,’ was the cautious response.

‘Two coffees, please,’ I said, looking back at Madam Sweetheart. ‘Both with only a bit of milk and sugar. And, if it’s not too much trouble, four doughnuts please.’

‘Plain?’

‘Surprise us, please, ma’am,’ I said, smiling.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

She smiled sweetly at me before hobbling back to the counter.

As I began to search my pockets for money to pay, Ali spoke.

‘You didn’t have to get us doughnuts, you know?’

‘It’s on me, don’t worry about it,’ I replied coolly, placing the money on the table. ‘It’s the least I can do.’

A strange, sad look crossed Ali’s face, and I worried that I had somehow done something wrong.

‘You okay?’

‘I’ve never felt welcome before.’

I stared blankly at him. I understood completely, and I had forgotten how sad it was to feel overlooked until Ali said it.

‘Well, get used to it,’ Isaac said cheerfully. ‘Albert does stuff like this a lot.’

‘You do?’ Harvey said, sitting up.

I rolled my eyes. ‘Yeah, you greedy pig.’

He grinned at me. ‘You’re the best cousin.’

I was not about to remind him that I was his only cousin. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. As much as Harvey was definitely, without a doubt, my only remaining cousin, I might not have been his. I didn’t know if his father had siblings, and if he did, if they had children. Harvey could very well have had many more cousins.

‘I do try.’

‘Yeah, save it,’ Isaac spat, in mock annoyance. ‘We all get it, you love each other very much.’

‘I will eat your doughnut.’

‘Anyway, changing the subject,’ Ali intervened, ‘Harvey, do you reckon you can pass that test? You know, so you’re allowed to fight.’

Harvey puffed out his chest and clenched his jaw.

‘Is the sky blue? Do leaves grow on trees? I will pass that test.’

The rest of us stared at him in complete pin-drop silence as Madam Sweetheart wandered over and placed down our drinks and food. I only moved to pick up the money from the table and hand it to her.

‘Keep the change, ma’am,’ I said quietly. ‘And thank you.’

She nodded. ‘You’re very welcome, my dear. And thank you.’

She hobbled off.

‘That’s some strong determination,’ Isaac said, sounding almost awestruck. ‘It’s gotta be a Santrrer thing.’

‘I think it’s kinda cool,’ Ali mumbled. ‘I wish I could be that determined at things.’

‘We’ve gotta be determined,’ Harvey said proudly after taking a sip of his coffee. ‘The world needs saving.’

‘You wanna know who you sound like?’ Isaac asked sarcastically. Without even waiting for an answer, he pointed at me.

‘We’re cousins,’ I retorted. ‘Obviously there’s gonna be some similarities.’

‘Can I help myself to my doughnut?’ Ali breathed, leaning closer to me.

‘Yeah, go ahead,’ I scoffed. ‘I did buy it for you, after all.’

He immediately grabbed the bag and yanked out a doughnut.

‘Do your parents even feed you?’ Isaac gasped. ‘You’re acting like you haven’t eaten in days.’

‘Listen, man,’ I interjected, ‘when you’re hungry, you gotta do what you gotta do. Manners don’t mean shit.’

Ali nodded, his mouth full.

‘I hear you,’ Harvey added. ‘But, I’ve gotta say, if you think that’s bad then you should never step foot inside Apercaput at meal times. Those people are actual savages.’

‘How is Apercaput, anyway?’ Ali asked after swallowing his mouthful of food. ‘Did you enjoy it there?’

Harvey thought deeply about this question for a moment before responding, ‘Yeah, it was great. The lessons were fun and stuff. But this place looks better.’

Smirking, I took a sip of my coffee. In truth, this coffee was not my ideal order, but I could put up with it. I had just gone with what Harvey had ordered.

‘How was school?’ I asked. ‘Sorry, that’s the most boring question possible.’

He scoffed. ‘School here? Great. I’m a bit gutted that I’m the year below you, but I’ve got Alyssa and I’ve made a few other fast friends, too.’

‘The lessons any fun?’ Isaac added, smirking. ‘Because, personally, I think they’re boring.’

‘Oh, yeah, having to do English and Maths and stuff sucks ass, but all the magic lessons and stuff are really fun,’ Harvey replied, speaking quickly. ‘General Battle might be my favourite.’

I was about to comment on the fact that General Battle was my favourite lesson, but another point was stuck in my head. Evidently, it was also stuck in the heads of Isaac and Ali.

‘You don’t do English and Maths at Apercaput?’ Isaac spat, appalled.

Harvey blinked at him. He seemed unfazed.

‘No? We just do magic stuff.’

Ali’s jaw dropped as Isaac’s eyes widened.

‘You lucky bastard,’ Isaac mumbled. ‘I wish I didn’t have to put up with those subjects.’

‘How would you get a job without an English or Maths GCSE, though?’ Ali asked, louder than Isaac’s mumbling. ‘They’re, like, the really important ones.’

Harvey, again, thought deeply about this question for a moment before responding.

‘I dunno. A lot of the jobs they mention at Apercaput are ones that don’t need stuff like that.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Like, for example, there’s a job where you pretty much just fight bad guys,’ Harvey explained. ‘Kinda like a police officer but for the magical world. That doesn’t need much English and Maths. You just gotta know how to fight and not crack under pressure.’

A job like that sounded kinda cool. It was probably a lot cooler than being Prime Minister. I didn’t hate my ‘job’, but it definitely was not the most exciting. Where was the fun in delivering horrible news to over a million people? I didn’t enjoy letting them know that France was at war with us.

Isaac glanced at me. ‘Sounds like something you’d be good at.’

‘Ha ha,’ I replied, forcing my voice to be as monotone as possible.

‘He has a point,’ Harvey added, in a tone that suggested he was trying to lighten my mood, even though it wasn’t exactly bad. ‘When you fought that Righello bloke, you kicked his ass.’

‘No I did not,’ I scoffed. ‘I might have won, but it wasn’t exactly a landslide victory. He nearly killed me.’

Nobody said a word for a moment. Harvey glanced at Ali and Isaac awkwardly.

‘You won though,’ Harvey murmured.

I stared down at the table for a moment. When I responded, my voice was low.

‘Yeah, I did. But it was a damn difficult fight. He took off a huge part of my leg, remember?’

‘Shut up and eat your doughnut,’ Isaac muttered, his tone indicating mild anger. ‘You filthy little mood killer.’

I sniggered. ‘Whatever you say, boss.’

The four of us kept up light conversation as we finished our drinks and doughnuts. I felt happy. It was really weird. I knew that it wouldn’t last long, but that didn’t seem to matter. In fact, it was rather easy to not let the dark thoughts get to me that afternoon. My mind was too wrapped up in the moment with my friends.

‘So, we ready to go?’ I asked, ten minutes after everybody had finished.

‘Yeah, I guess,’ Ali murmured, almost sadly.

‘Bro, we will see each other literally tomorrow,’ Isaac replied, grinning at him. ‘It’s not the end of the world.’

We all smirked. Isaac was good at things like that. So was Jay, to be fair. The two of them made a great comedic pair.

I threw a few coins onto the table as a tip for Madam Sweetheart as we got up and made sure to wave at her as we left. It was the little things.

And, Gods, to say it was blowy outside would be an understatement.

Winds blasted into our group the instant our feet hit the pavement, and I felt my hair fly away from my forehead. My clothes billowed, and it was so windy that I wondered for a moment if I’d fly away as a result.

‘Good luck getting home,’ I said to Isaac and Ali. ‘Do you need me to take you?’

‘Nah, we should manage,’ Isaac replied, his voice raised so that I could hear him over the winds.

‘See you tomorrow,’ Ali said, patting my shoulder before he and Isaac turned away and began to walk home together.

‘Thank the Gods we’re just across the road,’ I roared to Harvey. ‘You ready to-’

‘Wait, Albert.’

I was incredibly lucky to hear him over the roaring gales.

‘What? You okay?’

‘Does- You know our Grandad? Does he have a grave here? Or, like, is he at a memorial site?’

I can hardly blame the winds for my body going cold in that moment.

He cared. Harvey had never even met Grandad, and yet he cared. That man was the link between the two of us. He was the father to our mothers. Even so, the fact that Harvey cared was enough to almost bring an unwelcome tear to my eye.

I stared at him, my eyes wide. Neither of us said a word. I placed my hand gently on his shoulder and imagined the graveyard. More specifically, the huge tree in the graveyard, as I knew that it would have a shadow.

Closing my eyes tightly, I felt the air change. It was no less windy, but the air changed. We were in the graveyard.

It was situated in the Western Suburbs. Grandad had wanted to be buried with his people. He had wanted to be a normal person.

Re-opening my eyes, it took only a moment for me to get my bearings. I knew exactly where the grave was, and could’ve probably pointed it out to Harvey if I had kept my eyes closed.

I pointed forward.

‘There. That one. That’s his.’

The two of us trudged over to it. The grass beneath our feet made gentle crunches, barely noticeable above the roaring winds.

But we made it.

The two of us stared down at the clean headstone, which still appeared to shine, even though the sun was hidden behind a blanket of grey clouds.

Steven Anthony Frederick Santrrer

Born 14 May 1960 Died 4 April 2020

Beloved father, son, brother, uncle, and grandfather. A brave warrior with a kind heart, his memories will not be forgotten as time passes. The world was his stage.

Always waiting. Always.

Neither of us said a word for about two minutes. But I knew what he was thinking. It was exactly what I had thought when I had first been alone with him.

‘You know,’ I said quietly, putting my hand on his shoulder, ‘it’s not weird. You can talk to him.’

Harvey glanced back at me. I was astonished at the look on his face. How someone could look so utterly destroyed over somebody that they had never met was beyond me.

I thought for a moment about the possibility that they had met. Harvey had been three months old when Amy attacked our family. Surely Grandad had visited in that time. It was similar to me and my parents. I had no memory of them, but their deaths were a staple in my life.

He turned back to the grave, looking down at it just as I once had.

‘Hey, Grandad?’ he murmured. ‘You’re watching us, right?’

My chest constricted.

‘I don’t remember meeting you, but I do kinda miss you. Albert knew you. I wish I did.’

The one-sided conversation lasted for half an hour, and I watched silently. I knew exactly how he felt. How it felt to talk to somebody and desperately want to hear their voice respond, but knowing deep down that it never would and never even had a chance to. The process was crushing.

As Harvey spoke, the moment of Grandad’s death replayed in my mind like a video on loop. The flash of green. The following moment when everything seemed to slow; the flow of time disrupted.

Killing Amy had not been satisfying enough. I didn’t watch the life leave her ugly little eyes. His death was still not avenged. I could have done more.

I tried desperately to stop the memory of him screaming at me to use the Power from coming to the front of my mind. That one was a bit too painful.

Glancing up to the sky as Harvey began to wrap up the conversation, I silently prayed that he would be proud of what we were doing. I knew that he would want to fight alongside us if he were still alive. What a moment that would have been.

It was a real shame. The world was way too damn cruel. And grief was way too damn powerful.