Chapter X

Mallicent’s grin was merciless as his dark brown eyes narrowed, making it quite clear just how much she disgusted him. Pitch black hair fell down to his shoulders, framing a narrow and gaunt face, whose chin jutted out in a manner that made him look even more condescending than he already did. He had broad-shoulders for a sixteen-year-old, and stood just a little taller than the princess he was staring down. To her surprise, he was wearing clothing that heavily resembled the attire of the magicless, those being brown cargo shorts and a blue T-shirt, along with shoes like the ones Ilirianna was about to purchase.

For a few seconds after the boy spoke, they stared at each other in a tense silence, with Ilirianna’s mind frantically trying to decide the appropriate course of action. She couldn’t sense any mana in his body, meaning that he still hadn't recovered from the previous night’s battle with Ryokumo. Even if he had magic, she would have beaten him with ease, but his lack of mana meant that he couldn’t hurt any of the many civilians within the store. It would be a simple matter to take him down right that second, but…

“Let’s not do anything rash, Ilirianna,” he said softly. “After all, is it really wise to beat me to hell with so many innocent magicless around us? Hmm? Not even the eraser could clean up this mess if that many magicless witnessed such a thing, right? So why don’t we be civil about this?”

A chill ran down her spine, those words heavily resembling something that had been said to her just last night.

“Remain where you are, My Princess, or you’ll get to see even more of these fools cut down before your eyes.”

That was what Rotana Vesh had threatened back in the ballroom, forcing her into a position where, despite being the stronger combatant, she was unable to use her powers to stop that tragedy, and there she was again, at the mercy of her own conscience and morality. Yes, she could take Mallicent down right then and there, and even kill him if necessary, but she would be doing so in front of dozens of magicless. On top of that, she was sure the Wilham authorities would be called, thus dragging more of the city into an Ijirian struggle. Mallicent had her trapped, and he knew that, so no matter what she wanted to do, she could not lift a finger against him. He must have seen in her eyes that she had come to this decision, because he laughed at her.

“Glad to see you’ve got a brain in that pretty head of yours,” he mocked. “Now, face forward and let's pretend like we’re old friends. Don’t want the fools in front of you to notice anything, after all.”

Furious that she was obeying the treacherous scum beside her, Ilirianna readjusted her grip on the red basket her clothes were in as she turned back to stand straight, Mallicent moving to place himself beside her.

“The hell do you want?” she muttered sharply. “I mean, this is a risky move, isn’t it? Who's to say I would actually back down?”

Mallicent smirked. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“Measures like preventing your mana from refilling?” Ilirianna retorted, but the boy merely shrugged.

“Yes, that would be an example.” His eyes then shifted off to their right, as if making sure that none of the other three were about to round the corner of the aisle and come into view, which told her that he knew where they were and pretty much confirmed he’d been watching them. “Although, I should correct one thing, though I’m sure you’ve noticed by now. I still have some mana, enough at least for a single casting of Infernus. It’s meager, but when I’m close enough to the three of you, hardly noticeable. Keep that in mind… I could still burn this building down if I wanted.”

Clenching her teeth and growing fed up with him, Ilirianna spat, “Yes, you’ve made your threats, so get to it. What do you want?”

“What do I want?” he mused. “Well, I’d like to return home in one piece. Unfortunately, that dagger was a last resort, and I hadn’t been prepared for not only Caeli, but you and the commoner to come through as well. I’m obviously outmatched, so I have to take precautions. Therefore, I’m here to inform you of what is going to happen to this quaint little town if you do anything to harm me.”

The princess swallowed nervously, having expected such a thing. “Is that so?”

“It is,” Mallicent replied quietly as they stepped forward in line. “Let me tell you something, Ilirianna. I’m currently staying on the fourth floor of an apartment building off on the western side of town. It’s a cozy place, full of innocent magicless, so it would be a damn shame if some of my fire were to get out and bring that building crashing down. So many would die… Quite tragic…” Since he was watching her out of the corner of his eye, seemingly seeking a reaction, Ilirianna kept her features still, which clearly displeased him. “It goes without saying that if I sense you anywhere near me, I will blast that building and its people into the deepest corners of hell. Is that understood?”

She didn’t answer, her mind having already returned to weighing the pros and cons of taking him down right that moment. The temptation was powerful, but as she scanned the various people happily going about their days, oblivious to the danger they were currently in, she found herself unable to throw them away for a shot at Millicent. There were women and men, teenagers, a father and his child in a stroller, among various others that would be sacrificed if she started a fight there, and a part of her silently berated herself for caring about the lives of the magicless. It was the common Ijirian belief that magicless people were inferior beings—humans that failed to reach the next step of evolution, and since ninety-nine percent of all Ijirians went their entire lives without stepping foot in a magicless realm, there was never any reason to change that opinion. She was sure her mother, and even Nakoma, would be disappointed that she was taking their well-being into account.

Ilirianna, however, had never really seen the magicless in a poor image. They were simply different, and even if they lacked the power that the Ijirians had, she thought it was silly and arrogant to think that made them inferior beings. After all, her idol, Oralia Iiji, had declared the closing of the realms to protect the magicless from the uncontrollable greed that the magical invaders displayed in Kaira. Having now met Scott Reiner and seen a boy who was ready and willing to help them, she simply could not throw their lives away, for if she did, she would never forgive herself.

After what Vesh did last night, I refuse to let anybody else die, no matter who or what they are! I will clean this mess up without casualties.

“Anyway, that’s all I wanted to say,” Mallicent whispered. “Don’t do anything stupid and we can get along. The choice is yours.”

With those final words, the boy made to turn and walk away, but a sharp snap of her hand to his wrist stopped him in his tracks, her firm grip nearly knocking him over. The sudden action mildly startled the older man who had entered the line behind them, but Ilirianna ignored him, silently watching as Mallicent turned back and fixed her with a cocked eyebrow.

“Yes? Did you have something else to say?” he growled.

Collecting herself, Ilirianna smiled coldly at him, her blue eyes narrowed. “Why did you do it? Why did you help the Kosah-Rei kill all those people? Your father and your brother were among them, you know? Lord Malloway was burnt to an unrecognizable husk, and Captain Vesh severed Aeyir’s head himself, on his birthday and in front of everybody. And from what I’ve gathered, I suspect even your mother is no longer with us. Do you feel nothing? Do you even care that your family was murdered? ”

To her surprise, his expression was a mix of so many different emotions that she struggled to identify any of them. He looked surprised, angry, embarrassed, and perhaps even a little pained, but unfortunately, of all of those feelings, rage was the one that won out as a sneer came over his face, his words tinged with venom as he spat back at her in a voice so soft that she knew only she could hear it.

“Those bastards all got what they deserved. My wretched father was a disgrace to my name, and every single one of those vile nobles should have been hung from the gallows years ago! You ask why I did it, but if all went according to plan, then Captain Vesh should have made that clear to you! The government and nobility of Ijiria is rotten, and if it isn’t removed, then the rot will only spread. The people seek salvation and the Kosah-Rei will supply it to them, no matter the cost. Your days, and the days of every lord in the empire, are numbered.”

Another chill went down her spine, for his words were the same as what Vesh preached to the guests at Aquesen, but Ilirianna couldn’t help scoffing at one little detail.

“Says the son of a lord,” she uttered. “Or did you forget that you’re nobility, too?”

Mallicent shook his head. “I’ve abandoned the Malloway name. I’ve abandoned any rights to Aquesen and Hiriech that I may have had. I do not want it. I do not need it. I would gladly step down to the level of the common man if it means I can uphold the teachings of the Ko-Hahn—if it means I can bring peace and harmony to this broken realm.”

“Peace and harmony?” she repeated, moving forward another spot and hoping she could get her final piece in before it was her turn. “So you’re telling me the carnage you helped create was harmonious—that causing such painful and excruciating deaths is peaceful?”

“To remove a cancer, you must cut out the tumor, yes?” he retorted. “You can’t reason with a tumor. You can’t beg it to stop attacking the body. You can’t barter with it, for it is simply doing the only thing it knows to do. That same logic applies to you. The elite won’t listen to the woes of the common man for arrogance is their inherent nature. Therefore, the only thing we can do is forcefully remove them, by any means necessary.”

“Next!”

Glancing back at the call of the young woman at the register, Ilirianna hesitated, but Mallicent merely grinned coldly and waved goodbye as he turned and exited the line. For one last moment, the thought of pursuit crossed her mind, but for the same reasons as before, she could only let out a weak sigh and move to purchase her clothes.

As guilty as she felt, she couldn’t deny that there was a part of her that knew he wasn’t completely wrong. For most of her life, Ilirianna had detested the self-serving nature of the people around her. She always believed that the Masters and the Council of Elders should be prioritizing the Ijirian people and their needs, but all she ever saw from the majority of them were people there to further their own ambitions and benefit themselves. On top of that, not only did they not bother to help the common Ijirian, but they were even actively disgusted by them.

“This world is not equal. There are those born on the bottom and there are those born on the top. And as it stands, those positions are rigid and unchanging. You live with the hand you’re dealt and you accept that. But if you start appointing the masses to positions as grand and influential as Masters, you are sending the message that anybody can rise to power. Now what do you think that will do?”

Acostav Luz had said those words to her at the orientation matches when he’d been expressing his aversion to the idea of Grunly taking on Abi as his apprentice. It was a belief held strongly by most of those in the Citadel, so Ilirianna did believe there was some merit to what Vesh and Mallicent had said.

But even so… The image of Aeyir Malloway’s head falling from his shoulders flashed through her mind, causing her fists to clench as she watched the cashier shining some red light over the clothing. I cannot agree with their methods, no matter what!

Once she had finished paying, she collected her items and was making her way back to the others when she noticed Ryokumo leaning up against the wall beside the entrance, a hand raised to beckon her over.

“What is it, Caeli?” she inquired, upon which his features turned a little hesitant.

“What did Mallicent want?” Her eyes went wide, for she hadn’t realized he’d seen them speaking. Ryokumo chuckled, as if a bit amused, and added, “Since Scott won’t buy me anything, I was bored and thought I’d keep you company in line. But lo and behold, I find a rat had beaten me there. I hung back and waited, but he never did anything.”

Ilirianna sighed then smiled wryly. “So you saw Mallicent talking with me and actually held back? I would have thought you'd be eager to rush over and beat the hell out of him.”

He feigned offense, dramatically putting his hand over his heart. “What kind of impulsive idiot do you take me for, Princess? Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to kick his ass, but given that you didn’t do such a thing, I suspected you had a reason. Didn’t want to cause a scene in public, yes?”

“Er, yes, exactly.” As much as she knew Ryokumo wasn’t stupid, she did think he had an impulsivity problem, so she was pleasantly surprised that he made such a logical choice. “I’ll fill you in when we get back to others, but he pretty much said what you would expect. He was here to threaten us.”

Ryokumo snorted. “Bold bastard, he is. Well, at the very least, he didn’t walk away without some consequence.”

“What do you mean?”

Ilirianna glared at him, wondering if she prematurely gave him too much credit, but the young man merely smirked and reached into the pocket of his pants to produce a small brown square that she realized wasn’t much different from Scott’s wallet.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“It seems Mallicent had a bit of Omaruan cash on him,” Ryokumo chirped. “So while he was focused on you, I used a subtle casting of Correio to snatch it from his pocket. He never suspected a thing.”

“You…” Putting her hand over her face, she could only roll her eyes and snap, “You’re such an idiot, Caeli!”

And though she knew it was her job as the leader of the royal team to reprimand him for acting without permission, Ilirianna couldn’t stop herself from laughing at the thought of Mallicent frantically searching for his money once he realized it was gone.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Ryokumo began. “That leather jacket is still calling my name!”

***

Aside from Mallicent making contact with Ilirianna at Murphy’s, something the princess filled Scott and the others in on after they left, the weekend passed by uneventfully. It was mostly spent with the Ijirians attempting to concoct a plan of action that would enable them to steal the dagger and apprehend Mallicent without getting any of the locals involved. Scott felt bad that he couldn’t really offer anything to the discussion, but Abi assured him that the lodgings and clothing were more than enough, and as promised, she still taught him what he wanted to know about the other realm. Before he knew it, Sunday had come and gone, and then it was Monday, meaning it was time for him to return to school. A huge part of him heavily considered skipping out and staying home, but given that he hadn’t spoken to Laura and Carmen since the previous afternoon, and that he had some important tests coming up, he begrudgingly woke up early and got ready to head off. Ilirianna and Ryokumo were still asleep by the time he was ready to leave, but Abi was awake, and she cheerfully sent him off with a smile, something that brought him more joy than he cared to admit.

Like usual, he arrived in the courtyard of West Wilham High just as the five-minute bell rang, so he had to rush into the building and towards the calculus class he had on the second floor, and only once he entered did he recall that he shared it with Dylan Anderson. However, much to his intense relief, when he walked into the room, there was no sign of the big boy, leaving Scott praying that Abi and Ilirianna had terrified him so badly that he wouldn't ever bother him again.

That’s probably wishful thinking, though.

Unfortunately, coming to school might have been made pointless by the simple fact that he couldn’t really focus on anything. After all, trying to study calculus almost felt boring after having his understanding of the world destroyed by the Ijirians. Throughout most of the class, he found himself zoning out as he pondered the biology behind mana, the reasoning for there only being five controllable affinities, or even what the composition of the multiverse itself was. On top of that, he wondered why some realms were magicless and others weren’t, and unfortunately, Abi didn’t know enough about the multiverse to answer those questions.

That was how the first four periods went, and he could not recall a single thing he was taught that day. Some of those classes were shared with Carmen or Laura, but aside from brief hellos, they didn’t get much time to chat until fourth period chemistry ended, and the three of them met up to make their way to the second floor where Mr. Lopez’s classroom, the one they used for their club activities, was located. Neither of the girls mentioned Ilirianna, instead just bantering like they usually did as if nothing was wrong, and Scott was grateful for that. It reminded him that as much as they bickered, they were still his best friends who would look out for him when he needed it, and he didn’t know where he’d be without them.

Brian was already in the classroom when they arrived, sitting at a group of desks in the back corner. Nobody else ate in this particular room, so the only other person present was Mr. Lopez, who nodded a silent greeting to them from behind his desk before returning to whatever he was writing.

“Yo!” Brian greeted with a laid-back smile as he ate his ham and cheese sandwich. They all echoed his greeting, taking their seats at the three empty desks around him before simultaneously pulling their lunchboxes out of their backpacks. “So you all have a nice weekend? Do anything fun?”

Scott glanced up at his friend and shrugged. “Nope. Completely uneventful.”

He could feel the girls’ eyes on him when he said that, and he wondered if his lie was that obvious, but Brian didn’t seem to notice before awaiting Carmen and Laura’s answers. They omitted the incident at Scott’s house, instead going on about how they went to the mall and did four hours of shopping that somehow didn’t include them buying anything. As for Brian, he told them that he spent the weekend either at the gym or doing homework before going on to complain about the ungodly amounts of work they were being given in their history class. From there, they got into their usual banter, and Scott found it strange how normal everything felt, as if the stunning events of his weekend simply hadn’t happened. As he listened to Brian and Laura heatedly arguing about which of their history teachers was the bigger asshole, Scott couldn’t help but smile to himself.

“If this Mallicent guy is gonna hurt people, then it’s in my best interests to get rid of him. Even if it’s just providing you a place to stay and lay low, I want to help you!”

Back when he spoke those words to the Ijirians, he could tell that Ilirianna, at least, hadn't fully believed he could actually back up his claims—that he had simply declared that in the heat of the moment due to all the excitement he had experienced in those few hours. Yet, sitting among his friends, he knew without a doubt that his resolve hadn’t changed. Mallicent Malloway was a threat to his hometown, and had already threatened to slaughter a bunch of people if they tried subduing him.

Sure, I want to know as much about the multiverse as I can, but at the end of the day, protecting my home is the most important thing. Maybe I should be scared that I’m gonna get myself killed, but for some reason, I’m not.

“Why are you grinning like an idiot, huh, Reiner?” Laura snapped upon noticing his smile. “You think we’re funny? You treating us like we’re a couple of clowns giving you a show?”

Scott chuckled and eyed her slyly. “Well, you said it, not me! I just think it’s funny how you can find the stupidest shit imaginable to argue about. I mean, who gives a damn which one of you has it worse in history? It’s a shitty subject anyway! And on top of that, you two have it easy! Carmen and I are stuck with the old hag Mrs. Kinroy, so if anybody should be whining, it’s us!”

“Damn right,” Carmen agreed.

But naturally, the other two didn’t take too kindly to that, and in a rare occurrence, Laura and Brian actually backed each other up.

“Not so fast, Scotty!” Brian said, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. “Don’t get me wrong, I had The Hag for World History last year, and I won’t deny she’s one of the meanest bitches in this school! But at least her test’s are easy, you know? Survive the ungodly amounts of homework and you’re set! Mr. Bill, though… Now I’m convinced he asked the devil himself to write those test questions! ‘Select all that apply’ questions are a crime against humanity and should be illegal, I tell you! I’m gonna sue!”

“Yeah, and Miss Podesta doesn’t shut the fuck up about the book she’s supposedly writing,” Laura added. “Then she expects us to know all this shit she didn’t even lecture about! Like, how the fuck am I supposed to know anything when all she yammers on about is herself! It’s bullshit! At least The Hag teaches!”

But Scott stuck his pointer finger out and wagged it in front of them. “I would take either of them if it meant I had more time to myself at home. You two only have to put up with the bullshit at school, but The Hag’s ten-page summaries follow me around even after the bell rings!”

“Not to mention, those ten-page summaries are half the time on a text that isn’t even ten pages to begin with!” Carmen added. “The bitch needs to go back to school herself and learn what a summary is!”

“Okay, but…” Brian went to retort, but he fell silent mid-sentence as his eyes wandered to something behind Scott and Carmen, before he let out an annoyed sigh. “Ah, here we go. Trouble’s brewin’.”

Scott raised an eyebrow, but before he could even turn around to see what was up, an obnoxious voice rang out through the room.

“I was hoping I’d find you up here, Reiner! You and I need to have a little fucking chat!”

Ah, balls. Here we go again.

Naturally, because that was how his luck went, Mr. Lopez had left the room a few minutes ago, so he knew he wasn’t gonna get bailed out by a teacher, leaving him to face Dylan Anderson alone. Scott got to his feet, as did Laura and Brian, but Scott motioned for them to stay back so that he could handle it himself, then turned to regard the big boy standing just in the doorway with his lackeys behind him. His face had a few new bruises on it that was almost certainly caused by Abi and Ilirianna, leaving Scott unable to suppress a smile.

“Nice face, Anderson,” he mocked, to which Dylan sneered furiously at him. “Where’d you get it?”

“Get your ass outside, now!”

Scott titled his head, feigning confusion, and while his typical instinct was to make fun of the other boy, he had to remind himself that his mouth got a knife pulled on him a few days ago, so it might be best to reign it in this time.

Honestly, I probably should have called the police, but I guess it kinda slipped my mind with everything going on. Oh well, let’s just get this over with before he says anything that’ll make Laura and Carmen more suspicious of me than they already are.

“Nah, I’m good, thanks,” he grunted. “I’m eating lunch, you see, so I don’t really have time for your shenanigans. I’ll take a rain check, ‘kay?”

“Listen here, you little—!”

“Dylan, fuck off!” Brian snapped, quickly jumping to Scott’s aid. “We don’t have the patience for your bullshit, so get outta here before I make you!”

While most of the Science Club members could hardly be considered popular, Brian was the exception. Being one of the star football players, he enjoyed quite a deal of respect and love from the student body. On top of that, he had a big build, so it was clear that Dylan was a little afraid of him. Normally, Brian was enough to get the boy to back down, but for some reason, in that particular moment, he held his ground despite his obvious fear.

“N-no! I need answers, Reiner!” he snarled, turning back to Scott. “What the hell did—!”

“Is something the matter?”

At the pleasantly cute voice, Dylan froze up, his eyes going wide as a hand was gently placed on his shoulder, and when he slowly turned his head to gaze at the newcomer, his skin went even paler at the sight of Abi smiling warmly up at him.

“Y-you…?” he stammered. “The fuck are you d-doing here?”

She shrugged innocently. “Just came to talk with Scott, but if we’re having problems, I’m sure we could work things out again.”

The sight of the large and intimidating Dylan Anderson looking utterly terrified by the petite and pretty Abigail left Scott unable to suppress a laugh, and though Dylan was clearly furious and embarrassed, he had seen what she could do, so without another word, he aggressively shook her hand off his shoulder and accidentally tripped over his feet as he fled into the hallway with his buddies at his back. Abi watched them go with a sigh before turning back and turning her beautiful smile to Scott.

“Sorry about that,” she said. “I suppose I didn’t really help you much in the long run, did I?”

Feeling the inquisitive gazes of his friends on the back of his head, Scott tried to ignore them as he responded, “Eh, I wouldn’t worry about him. In fact, I think he’s so scared of you at this point that he’ll probably just avoid me. But anyway, what brings you to West Wilham High? I’d ask if something happened, but you don’t seem particularly worried, so…”

Abi shook her head reassuringly. “No, nothing’s wrong. I just got a little nervous after what happened and thought I’d stop by to check in on you. You said you’d be having lunch around now, but is this a bad time? I can head back if you want…?”

“No, no, that’s perfectly fine!”

Even though now he would have even more explaining to do with his friends, the thought that Abigail was worried about him made him feel quite pleased, so he decided he could overlook it, especially given how cute she looked in her Wilham attire. After a rather long search for something Abi liked, she wound up picking a modest green blouse and a black skirt that went down to her calves, though her hair was still the same, braided down to her back with a crown of flowers wrapped around her head.

Yeah, she made a very good choice! It fits her perfectly!

However, before he could enjoy the sight any longer or say anything else, he felt a large arm get tossed over his shoulders, only for Brian to turn him around so that his back was to Abi and he was facing his friends. Laura and Carmen seemed suspicious, but Brian was grinning like a proud father.

“Scotty, my boy! Have you been holding out on me?!” he whispered. “Since when did you get a cute-ass girlfriend?!”

Scott rolled his eyes. “She’s not my girlfriend, Brian.”

“Then who the hell is she cause I would have remembered seeing her before and she clearly doesn’t go here!” he demanded. “Not to mention, she says she’s here to check up on you—that she’s worried about you?” Brian cocked an eyebrow and lowered his voice. “Though if you’re telling the truth and if she’s free, you think she’d be down to go out with me? I mean, damn dude! She’s adorable!”

Doubtful, he added internally. Unfortunately, buddy, I think you’re a little too magicless for her. Better luck next time.

Sighing, Scott glanced over his shoulder to where Abi was awkwardly standing in the doorway, silently asking once more if she should just leave. As grateful as he was that she was checking in on him, a part of him wished it had been Ryokumo, whose appearance would have caused much less of a stir. That being said, Ryokumo Caeli was obnoxious and would have probably taken this opportunity to embarrass him in front of his friends, so perhaps Abigail was the better choice.

Unfortunately, Scott took too long to reply, and the punishment for his slothfulness was Laura taking the initiative as she stalked around the desks and smiled curiously as she approached Abi. “Well, if Reiner isn’t going to introduce us, then I’ll do it myself! Nice to meet you, I’m Laura Harrison.”

Laura stuck her hand out for the other girl to shake, and though Abi hesitated for a moment, she nevertheless returned her smile and accepted the offered hand. “Nice to meet you too, Miss Harrison. I’m Abi, Scott’s…er…? Um…?”

“Cousin!” Scott called over, knowing that answering the question was going to look ridiculously suspicious, though since Carmen and Laura already knew he didn’t have any female cousins Abi’s age, the lie was more for Brian than anybody else.

But of course, Brian wasn’t an idiot either, and seconds after Scott spoke, his friend muttered, “Huh? But Scotty, I thought you said your cousins were all dudes? Oh, well, except the newborn, of course.”

Fuck me! Did I parade this information around at one point?! I don’t have a clue how many cousins they have, so why the fuck do all three of them know about mine?!

Scott cleared his throat as casually as he could before glancing back at Brian. “Well, technically we’re not cousins, but we’ve known each other since we were children and so it’s as if we were cousins, you know?”

“Oh, yeah, I guess,” Brian murmured, leaving Scott grateful that at least he was little easy to lie to. “Well anyway, welcome to West Wilham High, Abi! I’m Brian Carter.”

“And I’m Carmen,” the girl added. “Welcome.”

Though Abi was clearly feeling a bit guilty about the way things were unfolding, she still smiled and returned their greetings, though they were a bit confused when she bowed her head to them.

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, Abi didn’t remain long, for the bell signaling the end of lunch rang after only five more minutes, but Scott was still pleased that she had been there at all. Though the girls were obviously still suspicious of them, that didn’t mean they weren’t going to treat Abi nicely, especially since she was clearly important to Scott. Abi seemed to enjoy her brief talk with them, though being of a different realm, she was also a little awkward in the way she spoke.

Once she had bid them goodbye, telling Scott she’d be back later to walk home with him, the members of the Science Club headed on their way to fifth period and Scott didn’t fail to notice the inquisitive stares of his friends.

“Well she was certainly sweet,” Laura mused with a laugh. “You gonna ask her out, Reiner?”

Scott snorted. I wish.

But instead, he merely answered, “Not a chance in hell. She's way out of my league.”