Chapter Twelve:

Tears Made From Silver and Gold

Nicodemus

I didn’t realize it right away, but while I slept, I had entered the Shadow Realm. This wasn’t abnormal for me, but usually I was conscious of any decision to enter the Realm since I had to astral project my soul to do so. When I opened my eyes and sat up, I was tucked into a comfy queen sized bed, with a navy comforter pulled up under my arms. Alice was humming to herself in front of a vanity mirror as she braided her long curls to wrap in a bun, and when she heard me stir, she looked over her shoulder with a smile, [Good morning, honey; didn’t expect a visit from you today, but I'm glad you stopped by.]

“How long have I been here?” I groaned, stiffly sitting up to hold my forehead.

Claude entered the bedroom, a tool belt clanking around his waist, and wiped some oil off his face with a smirk, (Too long! I can’t take a nap with a monster taking up my bed!)

“Har, har,” I laughed, hugging his side as he ruffled my hair.

Alice smiled and came over to sit by my legs, where she ran a hand down my arm lovingly, [This usually happens when your stressed about something, so I suspect maybe that’s the cause? Is there anything you’d like to talk about?]

Claude was washing his face in the bathroom, but he did glance up slightly to eavesdrop. I bit my lip and brought my legs up to hug my knees against my chest, rolling my lips sadly, “I'm sure you guys already know, but I should still be honest…?”

[Does this pertain to your little crush?] She giggled sweetly to make me smile.

“Yeah, I suppose it does. Have you guys heard about this, Particeps Potestatis thing before? I mean, it makes total sense based on the circumstances, but I still don’t understand how it works much…?”

(Alice and I are Particeps Potestatis,) Claude began as he dried his face on a towel, (We didn’t have any ailments, but neither of us could conjure our Elemental weapons until we met, which is how we figured everything out. It is quite the phenomenal phenomena, but very powerful and real. The connection you have with your Particeps Potestatis is much different than that of any other Elemental for sure.)

“Do… Do they always end up together…?” I asked as I traced the pattern in their blanket.

[Well, Claude and I have been married for four thousand years…?] Alice giggled, winking to him as he flushed pink, [And your parents have been for two thousand? Your aunt and uncle, Deveraux and Zephyrine… I haven’t met many pairs that don’t stick together. The probability does favor the latter?] She paused, and took one of my hands delicately, [You know, Nick, there’s nothing wrong with you liking Odysseus, regardless of if you were Particeps Potestatis or not. He’s a very sweet boy, and you two have hit it off from the moment you met. There’s no shame in trying to see where things go…?]

(There’s also no shame in dating a boy,) Claude interjected, standing in the doorway with a slight scowl, (None of us think any differently of you; if anything, we’re extremely happy that you met someone. At your age, we had hoped that you’d soon stumble into some type of romantic relationship, and so far this one seems to be going well.)

“It’s not you guys I'm worried about…” I whispered morosely.

Alice tilted my chin up with a frown, [And what makes you think everyone else will think so badly of you?]

“I just got here, Alice, and coming out as gay would ruin everything. People already treat me weird because of how many Shadows I have, and I really don’t want to make things worse. At the same time, I don’t want to hurt or lose Odysseus…” I buried my face in my trembling hands, “I don’t know what to give up; my pride, or him…?”

(Pride is an easy thing to recover from, Nicodemus, and I would be quite ashamed of you if you ended things with Odysseus because of some irrational fear of social rejection. Sebastian and Soren receive little flack for being together, don’t they?) Claude coaxed.

“They also grew up here, and they’re one of the only gay couples. They get away with it because they’re cute and popular; I'm nobody…” My voice trailed off weakly.

[I think you’re much more than a nobody. Within a few weeks you’ve made several good friends, and even snatched up a little fling for yourself. That takes a lot of tenacity and charisma. People gravitate to you for a reason, Nick, and beating yourself up over this isn’t worth it.]

“My parents are going to hate me…” I sniffled before tears spilled down my cheeks.

Claude set his belt down and crouched beside the bed, rubbing my back in small circles as I tried to brush my eyes clear. (You know better than anyone how much your parents love you, and that they support you unconditionally. There is no way in Gehenna they would ever disown you for your sexual preferences. You’re not abnormal for being attracted to men. Odysseus, if he is your Particeps Potestatis, was made by the universe especially for you, so the universe wanted you to be gay. You’re not going to deny the universe’s wisdom, are you?)

“You think my Mom made me this way…?” I croaked.

They both giggled, shaking their heads at one another, [You’re so silly; she has said before that Elementals are the one life form she cannot manipulate or disrupt the path of. You come as you come, and even the Mother of Life cannot predict what you will be.]

(As if she would care; you seem to forget how long your parents tried to have children before you came along, Nick. Elementals are generally infertile, and birth rates are incredibly low. Alice and I tried for years and never had our chance. It would take a lot for them to hate the one thing they desired for centuries, don’t you think?)

“I guess. I just… I love them so much, and I don’t want to disappoint them…?”

Alice squished my cheeks together and kissed my nose, [You are the closest we will ever get to having a child, and we love you almost as much as your parents do. If we promise that they will be unfazed by this, then trust our judgement. They want you to be happy, as do we, and there’s no reason to deny your happiness when someone who was made specifically for you is sitting right next to you.]

“I suppose you’re right…” I hiccuped with a small smile.

Claude gasped to himself, (You know, you could always talk to May about this? She married a woman in the middle of the archaic ages, so imagine what she went through. I promise she’ll be able to help you cope, and help you strategize how to tell the people you love.)

I shrugged slightly, “Yeah, maybe that is a good idea, but I don’t think I'm ready for that right now. I’ll ask her when I'm ready to tell the world, or feel like I want to become ready, so that I don’t waste her time…”

Alice sighed softly, but kissed my hair before hugging me close to her chest, [Well, regardless, just know that all of us will always love you just the way you are. Take your time getting to know Odysseus and yourself, and when you feel the time is right we’ll handle it then, alright honey?] I nodded and thanked them both quietly, giggling when they smooshed me in a big hug. Alice glanced at the clock, [You should head back now; you’re going to be late for your first day of Elemental classes if you don’t start getting ready!]

╪

When my eyes opened again it was seven, and Odysseus was combing his dark hair while whistling to music. He had on his Valyce uniform, and his black sneakers were sitting on the couch beside his backpack. Upstairs, I could hear Sebastian and Soren laughing as Sebastian tried to help Soren do his hair, and Griffin and Praxis were bickering abut Griffin hogging the hot water. Bodhi was bouncing around happily, yapping at Odysseus as he got ready, who chuckled and kept reaching down to ruffle his fur. When he stood he saw I was sitting up behind him, and smiled before turning to lean down and kiss my temple. “Good morning sleepyhead; you sure were out for a while?”

I stretched hard and shook my head to clear some of the murkiness floating around in there, “I guess I was, huh? I'm sorry; I ended up going to see my Shadows…”

“I figured something like that was going on. It’s always fascinated me that Death Elementals can do stuff like that. I know you get to recharge really well when you’re in the Shadow Realm, so I didn’t bother to wake you.”

“Anything exciting happen while I was out?” I continued as I folded my blankets.

Odysseus had turned back to the mirror so he could finish combing his hair as he spoke, “Soren set Sebastian on fire by accident, but besides that, no.”

“HE WHAT!?” I roared, but Odysseus’s laughter broke me. I rolled my eyes and shook out my limbs, then proceeded to get ready myself for the day.

It wasn’t long before the group separated to go into the buildings of East campus, where symbols of their elements were overhead. Life and Death were in the same building, as expected, and surprisingly shared a few classes. Odysseus and I didn’t have many classes together, but we did have the same morning class, which I was very grateful for. I could tell he was too, especially with the way he clung to me as we made our way across to Morgan Hall.

Having him beside me, to myself especially, was quite exciting. I’d never experienced walking to class with a crush, especially one as handsome as he was. I wanted to show him off to everyone in the world, even though most knew him due to his shared element with many of the passing kids. He, too, seemed to be enjoying himself, and though we weren’t holding hands at the moment, he made sure our arms were constantly touching as we walked. Our first class was Gods of the Modern World, which would go over the basics on the role of the Gods. It was a mandatory class for kids in our grade, which I had come to find out was fourteenth year.

Galaxy had recently explained that Elemental children’s education was outlined much differently than Human kids. Elementals started school at age five, otherwise called first year, and went all the way to eighteenth year. This meant we were in class until the age of twenty-two give or take. The reason behind this odd system had to do, firstly, with the varying time frame of when kids would come into their powers. Some were born able to spark a flame, but most took many years to fully blossom into their elements.

Tenth year was when hardcore Elemental training would begin. Kids raised in the Elemental Realm didn’t actually start Elemental schooling until they were thirteen, as that was the cut off for their powers to arise. Most of their younger years were dedicated to remedial education, so that when it was time to transfer to their Elemental classes, they were prepared to dedicate themselves to the craft entirely. It seemed like torture to be in school so long, but he reminded me that Elementals were much different than Humans, and it was for the best that we took the time to learn properly. Considering we were dealing with properly caring for Humans and the Earth itself, I understood quickly why this was so important.

To my surprise, our teacher was none other than Magnus himself, who was in a dress shirt and tie with his hair combed neatly instead of the disheveled mess he usually sported. His rich hickory skin was illuminating under the morning sun; his beauty was always blinding no matter how many times I had interacted with him. He looked incredibly refreshed and cheerful, and when he heard someone enter the room he called a, “Good morning!” over his shoulder as he pulled up some notebooks from a big box. He was born and raised in Ireland before meeting my father around a thousand years ago, and his accent was still strong, though his voice was smooth as silk as he had perfected speaking slowly so he could be understood better.

On his desk I saw pictures that made my heart squeeze. There were of his wife, daughter, and brother, as well as a big photo of my family and I from when I was ten. It was right after he had helped me with crossing my first soul over, and when we truly became best friends. In the photo I had a giant smile on my face, and was smooshed between my parents, who clung to me with their own grins. Magnus’s wife and daughter were on each side of Mom and Dad, and Magnus was on his knees before everyone, his arms flailed wide with that idiotic smirk he always wore. I sadly turned from the photo to him, but he hadn’t seen the frown I was wearing while staring at it, “Hey, Magnus,” I quietly replied.

He turned on his heel with wide eyes at the sound of my voice, then rushed over to throw his arms around me. “Look how tall you’ve gotten, páiste! I go a few months without seeing you and you out grow me?” He laughed lightly, his eyes going back to Odysseus every once in a while since we had walked in together. “I’ve been waiting all morning to see you! Sit wherever you’d like; we have about twenty minutes before class starts. Who’s your friend?”

“This is Odysseus; he’s Blaine’s son, and a Life Elemental. Odysseus, Magnus; he presides over Caelum.” I proudly told Odysseus. Magnus shrugged at my compliment, though he and I both knew how important his job actually was.

“It must be amazing to spend your days in Caelum! I haven’t been before, but I can’t wait for Ashlynn to take us there.” Odysseus peeped excitedly.

Magnus proudly smacked his hands to his hips, “It’s a living! Pleasure to meet you; you’ll love working with Ashlynn for sure, and don’t be surprised to see more of me in your coming studies in the Life Realm. I’m one of the few Death Elementals that traverse both realms since Caelum is so important to both sides of the coin. I stick to Ashlynn like glue, but mainly because she and Atlas toss me back and forth like a cheap hooker regardless…” He snarled.

I giggled and rolled my eyes, “What are we doing today?” I asked, peeking over his shoulder as he went back to the box on his desk.

He elbowed me in the gut before shoveling notebooks into my arms, “You’re putting one of these one each desk.”

“I swear you only have me around to do work for you!”

“I say the same thing to your father,” he snorted.

“Have you known each other long?” Odysseus asked hesitantly, trying to break out of his comfort zone, as I smacked the dumb notebooks on each desk.

“Oh, of course we have; I taught that páiste a lot of what he knows about soul reaping…” Magnus smiled to us lovingly, his grey eyes full of life as I handed Odysseus his own notebook, “And how about you two? Fast friends I presume?”

“Oh, yes. We met about a month ago, and have been hanging out as much as we can since. I’ll be right back, I’m going to the bathroom.” Odysseus said, standing fluidly.

“Sure you can handle it? Remember last time you tried using a public restroom?” I joked, which made him roll his eyes as I giggled.

“We’ll be here!” Magnus cheerfully called as Odysseus walked from the room. As soon he was out of sight, Magnus cut me scandalous eyes and crept forward, “There’s something you’re not telling me about your new friend.”

“What do you mean?” I casually lied as I organized the remaining notebooks in my arms.

“My Magnus sense is tingling, so spill the beans!” He croaked as he shook me.

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“You’re just looking into things; learn to mind your business.” I snickered with a blush.

Instead of pressing further Magnus looked back to the door, then asked one of his Shadows to close it. He rounded the table and sat beside me, his entire demeanor changing as he moved closer. “What happened on Earth? How did Galaxy find out about you?” He asked automatically.

“A lot.” I simply replied.

“Nick, you know that answer is not going to satisfy me.”

“It’s the best way to sum it all up, Magnus. A lot happened, too much as a matter of fact.”

“I haven’t been able to see you since everything happened, so please try your best to fill me in. I’ve been worried sick about you, and I can tell something is seriously wrong, especially if Atlas allowed you to join Valyce…?”

I turned to him lifelessly, “Galaxy and Blaine caught me killing a Cerberus that was openly attacking a town in broad daylight, which is how they found out I exist, essentially. Dad had asked me to track it down on my own not knowing the two were already on its tail. One thing lead to another, and before I knew it, we were moving up here. It’s almost like Dad sent me out on purpose, Magnus. I mean, how could he not think Galaxy would be tailing the Cerberus with the uptick in demon encounters as of late?”

“That is, really odd. Why would he let you go after it alone, especially with he and Ashlynn not on Earth? The whole thing is a bit fishy.” He breathed in slight horror.

I peered over my shoulder to make sure Odysseus wasn’t back yet before continuing, “The Gods went to their Realms last night, but I think something else is going on besides that. Dad and Galaxy had a weird argument before they left, and Blaine desperately wanted us to pretend like we didn’t hear it. If that doesn’t sound weird, I don’t know what does. Dad said you and Geneva had done a full sweep of Gehenna, and not a single hair is out of place, but I think he knows exactly who is letting them out. He won’t breathe so much as a word to anyone about it, especially me.”

“That’s… I can’t believe that. I can’t believe it. Then again, you’re absolutely right; we couldn’t find a single opening in the barrier. Whoever is letting them out knows their way around that pit of despair, enough that they’re flying under our radar, and that scares me.”

I lowered my voice to barely a whisper, “I'm going to try and find out what exactly is going on, because I think it has to do with why Dad let me finally come to Valyce. Promise me you won’t say a word?”

“So long as you’re safe, I swear on my life.” He replied somewhat unsurely.

As I went to speak Odysseus opened the door, which made Magnus and I grumble. “Everything ok?” He asked worriedly, feeling the stale air in the room.

“Yeah, I was just asking him about the Cerberus fight,” Magnus lied with a smooth smile. He nodded to me, saying that we would continue later, as I stuffed my face in a book to try and come down from the adrenaline rush coursing through me. Odysseus sat down with a weary look of confusion, but was smart enough to not press the conversation.

More kids began to file in, and chatted loudly amongst themselves as the class collected. Some said hello to us, which we replied to, but we stayed mostly silent amongst our peers. As I went to get out my pencil for the beginning of class, someone bumped into me as they rushed to steal one of the remaining open seats, and yelled a little before chuckling, “Oops! I’m sorry!”

“No problem,” I replied, looking up to accept his apology respectfully with a smile.

The boy blinked wildly when our gazes met, and before he spoke, his eyes dropped as a sly grin enveloped his face. “Hey, I'm Lincoln. Are you, perhaps, Nicodemus Crawford? You’ve been quite the buzz around campus as of late.”

“Heh, yeah. I can’t seem to understand why, but that’s me.” I wearily answered.

“Pleasure to meet you; it’s an honor to be in the presence of such a powerful Elemental.”

“Likewise, but please, I'm just another student.”

We shook hands before he moved to sit on the other side of Odysseus, where he began to watch my every move. It was kind of awkward to keep my focus knowing he was staring full blown at me, but I did my best to concentrate on gathering my binder for class. He saw Odysseus holding my pinky finger with his own inside the cubby of my desk, and that automatically made Lincoln’s respectful demeanor shatter with jealousy. “Your name?” He asked him sarcastically.

“Odysseus….” Odysseus timidly replied.

Lincoln rolled his lips loudly, “Not much of a talker I see,” he snorted. His antagonization made my blood boil, but Odysseus squeezed my finger with a smile to make me simmer down. He was dead quiet through class, so quiet I almost forgot he was there. For me, this behavior from Odysseus was abnormal, but I had to remind myself that this was how everyone knew him around campus. It made me quite depressed to see just how reserved he truly was, and even more grateful that we had the connection we did. I didn’t realize how much I impacted his confidence until seeing firsthand how anxious he truly was, but I was more than happy to be the conduit in helping him open up to others more.

It wasn’t until we were asked to pick partners and skim through our syllabus that he tapped my arm softly. “Wanna read together?” He mumbled.

“Hey, you do have a voice!” Lincoln laughed obnoxiously. Odysseus shot him an evil glare in return, but that completely unfazed Lincoln, who kicked his legs up on his desk confidently. “You know, Nicodemus, I’d be more than happy to share quite the enthralling conversation with you, if you want to do something after class… It’d probably be more interesting than trying to get the mute to talk…?”

“Bite your tongue before I rip it out,” I demonically snapped, slamming my hands down on the desk, which made Lincoln jump at my abruptness.

“Sorry, sorry!” He tried, putting his hands up before backing away from us carefully. I protectively wrenching Odysseus’s chair closer, which admittedly made him flush with gratitude, and continued to glare so heavily at Lincoln that he moved seats to try and break the tension. I huffed in relief at that, and brought my attention to our syllabus to distract my rage.

Magnus called class a few moments after, which made us all sigh in relief. Most of the kids raced out as fast as possible, but I stayed back to promise Magnus we would pick up our conversation at a later time. He wished me luck under his breath, and eyed Odysseus and I carefully as we made our way into the packed hallway. “What class do you have next?” I asked as we zigzagged through the crowd.

“Basics of Creating Human Souls on the third floor; how about you?”

“Understanding Shadow Walkers; Wanna walk together?”

“Of course,” he replied loosely as we walked into the stairwell. We hiked the steps fluidly, then came to a small alcove behind some lockers where we could have a moment to ourselves. Odysseus clutched the strap of his backpack awkwardly and cleared his throat, “By the way, you don’t need to stick up for me, you know. I chose to be quiet, so I deal with the consequences. It’s not your problem to deal with…”

I rolled my eyes heavily in the direction of the stairwell, “Fuck that kid; he’s nothing but a brat. I’m not letting him degrade you because your shy. It’s my job to protect you as your Particeps Potestatis, and that starts with jealous assholes like him!” I confidently snapped.

He paused with wide eyes, then flushed pink before leaning in to kiss me softly. I smirked behind the gesture as he chuckled wearily, “Thank you, almighty Particeps Potestatis.” He whispered against my lips.

╪

After dropping off Odysseus, who trembled like a leaf as he robotically stole a seat beside the door, I moved to the opposite end of the hall. With a text I promised to meet him after our classes, and shook my head with a laugh at the crying emoji he sent back. My own classroom was filled to the brink when I walked inside, clutching my bag with a knot in my stomach. Dad’s other second in command, Geneva, was seated at the professor’s desk with a stack of papers in her hand. She had long pitch black hair and caramel skin, with flat grey eyes set into her sharp face. A perfectly placed beauty mark was above the corner of her mouth, and under it, a lip piercing. She popped her gum loudly, then drifted her gaze up to see who had entered the room. When her eyes fell on me, her lips paused on the bubble she had been blowing, and her papers flopped over since she was no longer putting in the effort to hold them straight.

The entire classroom turned in their chairs to stare directly at me; I swallowed loudly and scurried to an empty seat. The crowd took me in with blank stares, Geneva included, but she eventually cracked the chalkboard with her knuckle to gain back the attention of her students. “Morning, all, and welcome to 3398; Understanding Shadow Walkers. I am your instructor for the semester, Geneva Liseo. Do not call me Ms. Liseo, Professor Liseo, none of that crap. Geneva is how you will address me, understood?”

“Yes ma’am!” We all echoed. It was very awkward to hear a superior ask for such an informal request, but with her vibe we knew better than to question it.

“Before we get started, let’s call out the elephant in the room,” she spun on her heel before jabbing a piece of chalk in my direction, “We are ALL aware that Mr. Crawford is a part of this class. That being said, you are to treat him as another student. Do not harass him; his education is as important as yours, and he has no time for you to constantly chase after him. I understand that he’s Atlas’s son, but during class time your attention is focused on my chalkboard and my chalkboard ONLY. Any disturbances will end with you in the main office, and suspension if not expulsion closely following you out the door.”

“Yes ma’am!” The kids squeaked.

“The same goes to you, Mr. Crawford; if I find out any of these kids are doing work for you, or you are abusing your status for anything otherwise, I will personally drag you to your father’s office and hold you down while he rips your limbs off. Am I clear?”

“Crystal!” I popped.

She flashed a toothy grin and clapped her hands once, “I'm glad we’re on the same page. Now, as I stated, this class will teach you the basics on Death Elemental’s relationships with their Shadow Walkers. I know you all are very close with your own Shadows presently, but the course is intended to really perfect your knowledge on the origin of Shadow Walkers, their purpose, and your purpose as their masters. We will all be respectful of one another’s Shadows, regardless of how many we have, or what powers they have. Every Shadow Walker that is contracted is a being that was once flesh and blood, and we are to treat them as such.”

(Isn’t she lovely?) Claude mumbled in my head. I bit my lip to not laugh, and luckily Geneva didn’t catch my outburst.

“Can anyone tell me the origin story of Shadow Walkers…?” She peered about the many faces in the room, “How about… Calvin?”

Calvin, a timid kid with straight blonde hair that covered one of his grey eyes, rolled his lips in annoyance for being called on. “According to myth, the first God of Death was really close to the first Humans that were created. When they died, instead of sending them to the underworld, he gave them Elemental powers and tied their souls to other Death Elementals. He liked the idea that Death Elementals could harness other elements besides their own, and kept the tradition going ever since. He is the only Death Elemental to never have Shadow Walkers, but it’s because he was so powerful he didn’t need them. He only allowed each person to have a max amount of two, and no one in the world has ever surpassed that number except for Atlas, who has three, which is why he's the Grim Reaper.” He numbly explained.

[Crock of shit; who told him that? What are we, chopped liver?] Alice sniffed in my head.

Geneva pondered what he said, then turned to me devilishly, “I take it you have another version of the story?” She darkly asked.

Calvin shot me an evil side glare as I cleared my throat, “Well, not necessarily?”

She walked into the middle of the square shaped desks until she reached mine, where she slammed her hands on the top and made me jump wildly. “In this classroom we speak the truth, not the crap Valyce made up to satisfy the small fries. All of the Elementals in this room are here because they are top of the food chain. There is no coddling, no hand holding; you and I know the truth, so I suggest you tell us?”

“I, I… I, um…” I nervously gulped, but her eyes cut through my soul. I finally pressed my lips together flatly, then gripped my pant leg to try and stay calm, “There is an Elemental who has more than three Shadow Walkers.”

“And who would that be?” She dangerously accused.

“Me…” I sighed morosely.

The room erupted in gasps; Geneva chuckled at the sound, “Can you share with us how many you have, Mr. Crawford?”

“Why are you picking on me?” I snapped abruptly, which made my classmates yelp. Her eyes widened in astonishment as I spoke, “It’s not important how many I have. Everyone here is equal; who’s to say half these kids don’t know more about Death Elementals than I do? This class isn’t about me, so I would appreciate it if you didn’t single me out to intimidate everyone else and make them feel small.” I spat acidly. One girl dropped her pencil; Calvin turned green in shame for my honor.

Geneva continued to stare me down, looking for a break in my expression, but when she couldn’t find it she flashed her wide smile again. “You’re father said the same thing to our teacher the first day we had this class.” She said, popping her gum in my face before standing and putting her arms behind her back as she walked away.

╪

After that awkward class ended, I was stuffing my things back into my bag with a scowl, eager to run from the room as fast as possible. Geneva barely paid attention to us after she had signaled our freedom, and was doing attendance at her desk. I felt a tap to my shoulder, and when I looked up, Calvin and four other kids were standing with blushes around me. “Um, you got a minute? We, uh… we wanted to thank you.” Calvin said sheepishly.

“For what?” I laughed lightly.

Alexandra kicked her leg, “You kind of stuck up for the rest of us earlier. We expected you to, well, ya know…?”

“To be a cocky asshole because I'm Atlas’s son?” I scoffed. That caught Geneva’s attention, and made her peek over her folder curiously.

“I mean, kind of. Atlas never really talked about you, especially until recently, so we didn’t know what to expect. Everyone knows you have a lot of Shadows, but you were modest enough not to boast about it. We really appreciate you calling us equals. It’s hard fighting for a chance to be a Reaper, especially when you have so much to live up to, so we wanted to say thanks for treating us with respect.” Sylvia explained.

I stood straight and stuck my hand out, which made all five flinch in surprise, “No need to thank me. If we’re all supposed to work together, then it’s best to start off on the right foot.”

They shook my hand eagerly, “Well, we’re glad you’re so easy to get along with. Your Dad is kind of scary sometimes.”

“Atlas, scary? Wanna know a secret?” I leaned in, teasingly glanced over my shoulder, then looked back to them with a big smile, “He still sleeps with a teddy bear named Franklin. If you see him, call that name; I bet he’ll turn right around!”

“No way!” The girls cried, laughing hysterically at my dorky smile.

I nudged Calvin to make him grin, “All of us are equals, no matter what anyone tells you. The only difference is that I have more voices nagging in my head. Let’s make sure we remind ourselves that all the time, ok?”

“Sounds good!” Marissa chirped before the group dissipated.

I slid my bag onto my shoulder and moved out from behind my desk to exit, but the door slammed shut before I had the chance. I ground my teeth in annoyance but refused to look at Geneva, who had propped her legs up onto the desktop. “You are not what I expected, kid.”

“And what were you expecting, exactly?” I shot back mistrustingly.

“That’s a good question. I suppose I thought you’d be like your mother. Timid, reserved; I should have known better. You look like him, so of course you’ll act like him,” she popped her gum loudly, “I like you, whether you want to believe it or not. Your father is the only person in the literal universe with the balls to tell me to shut my trap, until today that is. My mouth has cost me three husbands, but it’s never cost me my job. Atlas has always appreciated that I fire back at him, because he knows when something is wrong, I’ll be the first person to point it out. I am the exact opposite of his wife, which is what he needed to be able to run his Realm correctly. I tend to think we’re a pretty good team.”

“Maybe so, but no offense, I don’t exactly care for you yet. I respect your position as a professor and second in command, but you’re his second, not mine. These kids have enough to deal with, and using my powers to intimidate them is a low blow.”

She slapped her hand on the desk, which made me jump, “Ah, there she is!”

“There’s who?” I snapped in annoyance.

“I knew Ashlynn was hiding in there somewhere! Stubborn and commanding like Atlas, compassionate and thoughtful like Ashlynn. You are quite the character, Crawford.”

I scoffed in disbelief, “Are you complementing or belittling me here?”

“A bit of both,” she stood and walked over to turn me around, since I had still refused to acknowledge her, “You know, I need to form an opinion on you, too. I’ve worked with your father for two thousand years, and I'm not exactly willing to just hand you the keys to the shop. The only person he ever let meet you was Magnus, which was on accident, and a huge slap in the face for me by the way. He and Ashlynn kept you a secret from all of us, and now all of a sudden you’re the newest addition to Valyce? Why, exactly, did they keep you a secret? What makes you so special?” She accused.

I shrugged simply; she blinked in shock at my gesture. “All I was growing up was a blind kid. They kept me in their cabin in the woods my entire life. Maybe they knew something special about me, maybe they didn’t, but regardless I can’t give you the answer you need. I just know that I have people to take care of, and I'm taking all of this very seriously.”

“While I appreciate your maturity, I too am unaware of how much power you possess. Atlas won’t tell me anything about you, but in the meantime, it’s eating me alive. The people who do know about you say you’re some kind of amazing savior of the universe; all I see is an ex-shut-in.” She said, not to be rude, but blunt.

“And that’s how it should be.” I fired back.

She tightened her grip on my shoulder, her eyes growing hazy with irritation, “How many Shadow Walkers do you have, Nicodemus?” She breathed menacingly.

I calmly brushed her hand away, turning to grab the doorknob. “More than my father,” I flatly responded before going into the hall and slamming the door shut on her shocked face.