Derek tapped on his desk, nervously fidgeting as he tried not to look at Emma in drama. It was the last hour of the day before they had to run the play again. Derek saw Pippa plenty of times throughout the week, but he’d never seen Emma’s eyes glow red like they had at the beginning of the week. The whole situation made him uneasy. They specifically planned for him to see her eyes. This was the slow set up Akshi always planned before bringing down psychological turmoil.

The drama classroom was behind the stage. The back door of the classroom opened, and Derek glanced behind him, freezing his emotions as Mr. Stower walked in with Akshi trailing behind. It affirmed to him again how odd this was. Pippa was free to walk through the school, yet Akshi seemed tethered to Mr. Stower. And also, what the hell was Mr. Stower doing here in drama?

“Hello, Mr. Jensen. A word, if I may?” Mr. Stower asked.

They had split into groups, going through different one-acts, trying to settle on one to perform. Derek wasn’t paying attention at all, and instead stared at Mr. Jensen, who looked as confused at this personal conversation. “Sure. In my office?”

“Certainly.”

The conversation was short, yet enough for sweat to form on Derek’s hairline. Hazel and Rafael had come to school late. They were fine, so that had to be a good thing, but he wasn’t sure what this was. He had a bad feeling about it all.

Mr. Stower and Akshi soon left Mr. Jensen’s small office. Derek shouldn’t have stared, but considering a few other students were, he found it odd if he didn’t. He then saw Mr. Jensen leaning against the wall, motioning him over.

Derek wasn’t ready for this. He walked past some kids, specifically Emma, who gave him strange looks as he met Mr. Jensen. Perhaps it should have surprised him that Emma didn’t know the plan, but maybe it eased the stress off him. Emma wasn’t in that deep with Akshi. That had to be a good thing. Right?

“Mr. Stower wants to see you after school. I don’t know why he wanted to give me a message, then to have me give it to you. He assures me it won’t be long, just a few minutes, then you can come back and we’ll start play practice. We’ll wait for you.”

Derek nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”

This was ominous, and his mind spiraled, thinking of the worst possible things this could mean. He took his sweet time returning to his desk, and thought of a million horrible things that could happen between now and the end of school. His mind remained on the ghoul attack. Did Pippa control the undead? Did being part succubus grant her that? Was she somehow the leader?

His mind lingered on Milo, still a couch potato, eating through his food, crying. Derek needed to figure out how to inspire Milo to start researching again, maybe using the kitchen for now.

Going back to a kitchen after experiencing a lab would not bring the successes they needed. The longer Milo wasn’t in a lab, the longer the grey marks stayed on their skin. Specifically, a few on his own body near his gut and heart. Let alone the obvious mark across Tyler’s throat. Milo needed his lab back. They needed Pippa out of the school.

Why was he thinking about this?

Right. Mr. Stower wanted to visit with him. The vice principal who was being charmed by the crime lord of Osvoroth.

Derek shoved his hands in his hair. The last ten minutes of class fell into that hellish occasion of going ridiculously fast, and molasses slow at the same time. When the bell finally rang, Derek was ready, even as his steps struggled to follow. The main office wasn’t far from the stage, but his heart pounded so hard he was terrified of a heart attack.

Derek walked into the office, the door to Mr. Stower’s room propped open.

“Mr. Stower wanted to see me,” Derek said to the secretary, impressed by how steady he kept his voice.

“Yes, of course. Go on in.”

Derek was slightly relieved to see Señora Florez sitting in one of the three seats across from Mr. Stower. Only slightly, because Akshi was there, too, right behind the semi empty chairs. Señora Florez and Mr. Stower were talking, almost laughing. It was an odd sight.

“Ah, yes. Derek. Come in, have a seat.” Mr. Stower’s pupils were a sickly green color.

Derek smiled, sitting next to Señora Florez. “Hello, Mr. Stower.”

Mr. Anderson walked in soon after, seeming to take in the line-up before resigning himself to the seat next to Derek, going back to ignoring Akshi.

“Mr. Anderson, pleasure as always,” Mr. Stower said.

He did nothing more than smile, though everyone could tell this wasn’t genuine. Akshi remained behind the three of them, hardly moving. Gathering information, forming a game.

“Now, I know Derek has certain obligations after school, so I won’t take much time. I’ll be honest. I’m intrigued about the Choice, Chance, and Consequence after-school club.”

It was odd hearing the name spoken in full, each syllable enunciated. Derek and Señora Florez exchanged glances.

“I’m… glad,” Señora Florez said.

Mr. Anderson folded his arms, placing his left ankle on his right knee as he stared at the door.

“In fact, I’m so intrigued that, since Mr. Anderson is clearly the second adult leader of the club, I’d like to become a member myself. To join the campaign you’re in,” Mr. Stower said.

There was silence. Silence that lasted so long Derek knew he needed to say something, but he couldn’t figure out what. It was so incredibly odd, having the vice principal of the school requesting to enter a CCNC campaign.

Mr. Anderson rubbed the bridge of his nose with two hands, closing his eyes, and looking about four seconds away from bolting to the door.

“That’s certainly… unusual,” Señora Florez said.

“I’m fascinated by the game. That’s all.” Mr. Stower opened a drawer and pulled out the player’s handbook. Derek stared at it, eyes widening. He’d never seen a player’s handbook look so full of sticky notes covered in tiny scrawl, and he’d seen Tyler’s handbook. Akshi had done his homework, and Derek felt a dread at the thought of anyone being charmed by the crime lord of Osvoroth playing a campaign.

Which is when he really thought about the implications. If Mr. Stower started playing, if Akshi tried playing, would he set up another portal dimension to bring more creatures to earth? To bring his empire here? It wouldn’t work, right? They themselves happened upon a chance situation. All campaigns weren’t like that.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

But if the one Akshi played just so happened to be the one that existed…

“I don’t think that’s… wise. I appreciate your—” Derek gestured toward the handbook, “—enthusiasm, but CCNC is one of those games that you’d benefit more from a beginners’ campaign. Since you’ve never done one of these in your life, it might be confusing to jump in as a level five… whatever character you choose. And… we don’t do beginner campaigns in our after-school club.”

“Mmm, I appreciate the consideration.” Mr. Stower steepled his fingers. “How’s this? What if I get a few more beginners to join me, and we’ll have two campaigns going?”

Emma. That was who Mr. Stower meant. Not only would Akshi be playing, but Pippa, too. Mr. Stower smiled at Mr. Anderson. “There are, after all, two adult members of the campaign. If Molly is the game master of the one, you could be game master of the beginners.”

Mr. Anderson lowered his hands, his face bracing for impact. “Um…”

Derek straightened in his seat. “How many other beginners are you thinking?”

“I’m assuming we shouldn’t have too big of a group,” Mr. Stower said.

“If… we even agree to this at all,” Mr. Anderson said. “I don’t think this is a good idea. You are, after all, the vice principal, and this is an after-school club for students.”

“Nonsense. I said so at the beginning of the year that I want to be more involved in our schools’ clubs, and there is no better way but to join this campaign. The club is, after all, quite small. We need more numbers.” The green in Mr. Stower’s eyes swirled, his voice taking on a far-off quality. “I’d hate to shut it down.”

Derek rubbed his forehead, stumbling into another situation he didn’t want to handle. On the one hand, shutting down CCNC club. But if the only other option was to have Akshi’s puppet play a campaign where he does whatever he wants in a campaign?

“Perhaps we can do another boost of our numbers.” Señora Florez turned toward Derek. “I know you have play practice all next week, what with your play opening next Friday. It might be easier to take a week off and build our numbers. I would love to run three different campaigns, a beginner, a mid-level, and advanced.”

“Who would lead all these campaigns?” Mr. Stower asked.

“There are some qualified game masters among the student body. They just need a little more push,” Señora Florez said. “And, of course, Rick could lead the beginner’s campaign.”

Mr. Anderson glanced at her, a flicker of betrayal in his eyes, then at Mr. Stower, not hiding the unease. “Yeah. Fine.”

Derek glanced again at Mr. Stower, who nodded. “Then we shall work hard on upping CCNC club’s attendance.” Mr. Stower smiled, the green deepening in his eyes. “This has been most informative. Let me know when the next session of your club is, and I will happily attend.”

This wasn’t what Derek wanted, but what could they do? If they went to anyone saying Mr. Stower was being charmed by a being from a different planet, they would undoubtably stare at Derek like he was crazy. Or not hear him at all, like how Señora Florez acted at the beginning.

Mr. Anderson stood up, leaving the office. Derek and Señora Florez took the hint and followed. Akshi thankfully remained behind.

“Rick,” Señora Florez said, noticing Mr. Anderson heading toward his classroom. “We’ve got to think of a plan.”

He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “To do what, exactly?”

She pointed toward the office. “Figure out what he’s planning.”

“It’s rather obvious. Pippa has charmed Emma, and Akshi has charmed Mr. Stower. If those two come together on a basic campaign, they’ll try to open another portal to bring more monsters into this realm. Or create some sort of havoc in the Shrouded Domain while they’re away. Like make a campaign to kill the king of Osvoroth or something. I don’t know. But we can’t let them do this,” Derek said.

Señora Florez sighed. “No, we can’t.” She glanced again at the main office, taking a few steps away.

Mr. Anderson folded his arms. “I’ll watch Mr. Stower like a hawk. If he role plays anything that makes a student uncomfortable, we are perfectly within our bounds to kick him out of the club. I doubt Akshi has that rule written down. I don’t like him near the students at all, but we could get him out of CCNC club the first session on a technicality.”

“Yeah, that sounds like something that might happen quickly. Though I hate the idea of him making students uncomfortable, even once.” Señora Florez sighed. “It still wouldn’t hurt to lift our numbers. If we can get enough people to attend CCNC club, then we really can make sure Mr. Stower and Emma aren’t in the same campaign.” She turned toward Derek. “You go to play practice. This is another one of our responsibilities you shouldn’t worry about.”

Derek groaned as he headed backwards toward the theater room. “Too late. I’m already worried.”

***

The bumps and bruises on Rafael’s body didn’t hurt too bad, but he’d certainly feel them tomorrow morning. True, they lost the game, but it was a close call. Perhaps he should have felt disappointed they’d lost, but it was always the adrenaline rush he looked for, and he got it tonight.

Tomorrow would be busy. He planned on spending the entire day with Hazel. They were planning on doing their homework together before going to José’s for a dinner meeting with everyone. Tyler sent out the text in the group chat. Not just the usual group, but Mr. Anderson and Señora Florez would be there, too. Tyler requested Hazel come as well, and Rafael was fine, as he really didn’t want her out of his sight. She was one of the few people right now who could see the mythical creatures, and with no character to protect her, she had every right to know what was going on. Sometimes he wished she couldn’t see them.

Rafael knew he had to put aside everything that had happened between him and Evelyn. The secret was out, but he could not look at Evelyn without feeling a deep sense of shame. He hated being with Hazel while Evelyn was in the same room.

Rafael dressed quickly in shorts and a football tank top. If he was in bed before midnight, he wouldn’t be too exhausted tomorrow morning. Getting a chunk of homework done now would feel nice.

He sat at the table, doing his homework in the still house, checking his phone for any call from Hazel. She was probably asleep, but the attack was too fresh on his mind. After a good ten minutes into math, he heard a sniff. He glanced up, confused, but saw no one, and returned to his homework. Once he finished a math problem, he heard it again. There was no doubt about it. Someone was crying. It sounded like Ezekiel, but he couldn’t see the cleric anywhere. Rafael got up, following the sound until he stumbled on his character, huddled in the blanket on the floor. His head was covered, and he rocked back and forth with his feet, an open book on the ground. Rafael squinted, seeing the title.

“Re-reading Lord of the Rings?” Rafael asked.

Ezekiel wiped an eye. “It’s beautiful.”

Rafael lowered himself to the ground. “Hey, um… what’s going on?”

The cleric shook his head. “I feel it. Warring inside me.” Under the blanket, Ezekiel reached up and took a hold of his medallion. “It’s as Calawit says. There’s two parts of me at war. And night times are…” He trailed off, glancing out the window. “Night times are when the rat feels the strongest.” The cleric glanced at Rafael. “I don’t want you to worry. I’m holding it back well enough. Reading helps me.”

“Where’s Princess Clarissa?” Rafael asked.

“She needs her sleep. When she wakes up in another few hours, she’ll come visit. We both agreed that would be safest. I need to be around Hraktar in case something happens. But I need her to sleep. I get nightmares without her next to me.”

Rafael stared at him. “How long has this been going on?”

“A few days.” Ezekiel glanced back at the book. “Full moon is in two more weeks. I can hold on.”

Rafael let out a defeated sigh. Ever since Ezekiel came to earth, he never wanted to be around him. He distracted Ezekiel with books and pop culture. Alejandra begged him to level Ezekiel up, but Rafael was ashamed to admit it would be easier if his cleric died. Die, rather than let Rafael’s secret out.

But the secret was out. They were working through things. He wasn’t sure if they’d kick him out of the group, and he still wouldn’t blame them if they did. But things didn’t feel so sharp. They still hurt, but Derek had gone back to talking to him like he’d always done. Hazel stayed by his side. Alejandra hung out with him more. Tyler had set strong boundaries, and Rafael followed them. Tyler was still more than willing to help clean his cuts. He avoided Evelyn and went out of his way to make sure she felt comfortable when she was around him. And most surprising of all, Nick had stopped glaring at him.

All that happened while Ezekiel died inside. His character morphed and changed to a degree. The bags under his eyes, the anxiety threatening to take the last remaining hope from him. This was a slow, torturous death. They needed to cure him.

“Do you think you’ll be ready to steal something from Akshi next week?” Rafael asked.

Ezekiel nodded, not even hesitating. “I will. I must. These are my friends, and they will help me. I’m going to succeed. I’ll stay who I am for my friends.”

Rafael saw the way Ezekiel was rocking back and forth. The heaviness weighing on his shoulders. The nervous tapping, and how his hair looked far more matted than the soft curls it once had.

Rafael nodded. “I… want you to go back to who you were, too. On Monday, after football practice, I’ll portal you to my side, and we’ll spy on Akshi to figure out what we need to steal at the session.”

“I’ll be ready.”