Jester had a feeling the Commander had just insulted him, but he let it go. Mostly because he was too guilty to feel offended at being called foolish, when overwhelming evidence that proved it true (in the form of an unconscious Alisa Vega) was right in front of him. Jester pulled out a chair and set it down beside the bed. He sat there contemplating the Commander’s words, and he realized the old lady was giving him hints.
Really, Jester thought to himself. I’ve been an idiot lately.
Resolving to end his streak of idiocy, Jester closed his eyes and called for an old friend he hadn’t summoned in a while.
Holly, Jester thought coaxingly. I need your help.
He felt the air stir beside him. He opened his eyes and his gaze fell on a creature stretching itself out on the carpet by his feet. It was roughly as big as his head, and had the appearance of a baby elephant—if baby elephants had lilac fur like
“I know I didn’t go about it the right way,” replied Jester. “But I have my reasons. A lot more than just conventional morality is at stake, Miss Vega.”Her glare remained in place. She was obviously not impressed. “That’s a scary statement, Jester. It’s like you’re saying that you’re willing to do anything, even break the law, just to accomplish whatever goal you have.”Jester sighed deeply, and leaned closer. “I am truly sorry that what I did hurt you. I didn’t intend to do that, and if I had known, I wouldn’t have done it. Seriously, I mean that.”“Like I said, I don’t want your lame apology.” Alisa repeated firmly. “If you want me to forgive you, then give me an explanation. The spell didn’t work on me, Jester. Which means I remember perfectly what you asked before you cast that spell on me.”Jester gave her a measured look. &l
Don’t judge me. But after hearing Jester’s explanation, I felt a little bit better.Why? Because things are finally starting to make sense!I had always assumed that Jester must have suffered through some sort of emotionally-scarring past relationship (though I could not find any evidence to support that theory) from which he still hasn’t recovered, and that was the reason why he seemed so averse to forming a new one with me. I thought he was being so focused on his work at the AG, because he needed a productive alternative that would allow him to vent his emotions by slaying monsters, and that would have been a very lucrative way to go about it. Thinking that maybe he had suffered from a poor love affair and that he still couldn’t get over that girl (or guy, I don’t know) quite frankly hurt my pride. He must have really loved her—or him—so much that even advances from someone such as myself got a lukewarm reception.I h
I silently counted to a hundred as I sat there, the dream-fly (if I close my eyes and pretend Holly doesn’t have a trunk, I’d think I were holding a fluffy cat) purring contentedly on my lap. Since my Gift doesn’t work on Jester, I can’t use it to check if he really believed me or not. I can’t even check if he really left or if he’s by the door and trying to eavesdrop in case I do turn out to be a spy and I contact my evil superiors the moment his back is turned. He may say he believes me now, but I’ve caught a glimpse of his paranoia, and now I think I’m catching it, too.I concede that maybe my past actions contributed to his increasing suspicion against me, but I’m just a girl trying to capture the attention of the guy she likes. Maybe I did go over the top a little bit (okay, a lot) but I had perfectly pure intentions. There is nothing sinister or evil about me, I swear.I sighed, trying to concentrate. My thoug
As I glanced at the people around the table, I was reminded of something Jester had said. The Fourth Special Unit was supposedly a gathering of individuals with a specific skill-set. I had assumed that meant they were all people who were physically skilled, had combat experience, and were powerful Mages—you know, like Jester. That’s why I thought to myself that I might look out of place.But it looks like I’m not the only civilian who got captured by the Commander.Agent Boris (I was told it was a custom to call Agents by their last name, but for some reason no one calls him Agent Bailer) sat with Agent Kaye and a slim girl that looked around my age, with red-hair in a pixie cut and sharp eyes. She looked kind of familiar, but I’m positive I’ve never met her before. I’d surely remember that face and the distinctive dislike in the feel of her gaze as she looked at me. She probably knows I’m an empath, so I know she knows that I
“Miss Vega has made it clear what she expects from us,” said the Commander, looking around the table. “Does anyone have anything to add?”I couldn’t help but glance at Freya. I assumed that how I talked back to Dr. Hansel wouldn’t improve whatever impression she had of me. But to my surprise, although she was still glaring at me, I could sense her hostility had diminished slightly and—was that a faint trace of approval, maybe? I can only suppose it’s because she disliked the doctor as well and enjoyed seeing him put in his place, or she decided to believe what I said about wanting to cooperate.If I can understand the root cause of her hostility, then maybe we could work something out. I have to try to get along, at least. If we’re expected to work closely in the future, then remaining at odds with my aide would doubtless be disastrous.No one responded to the Commander’s question, and she took their si
After the meeting, Jester and I went back to his office so I could get my stuff and prepare for the mission. This meant getting an AG uniform for myself and being taught how to make the best use of it. This was Freya’s job, though, so while we waited for her to get my uniform, Jester gave me a peace offering.“I’m going to have Holly stay with you,” Jester said. The purple ball of fluff scuttled up his arm and sat on his shoulder, her snout pecking at his temple. “I still think that you coming along to this mission is a bad idea. But I can’t keep you out of it unless you withdraw yourself, or you are otherwise incapacitated.”I gave him a look at that, and he shrugged. “Of course, both scenarios are impossible. Shouldn’t get my hopes up. So, I have to do the next best thing.”He raised his right hand and drew a figure in the air with his index finger. The figure glowed a pale purple, and looked to me li
I raised my hand. “Commander, I have a question.”“Yes, dear?”“Is Chief Hogar Gifted, by any chance?”It was Agent Boris who answered. He opened his holo-screen and consulted what I assumed would be a personnel database. “No, he is not,” Agent Boris replied, skimming through the Chief’s file. “Why do you ask?”“Because I lied earlier,” I admitted. “I tried to use my Gift on the Chief. Nothing big,” I continued hurriedly, seeing the look on Freya’s face—"just to calm him down, you know? I mean, he looked like he was going to have a stroke or something—anyway, he felt it. Like, sensed me using my Gift, I guess. And that’s supposed to be impossible.”“What do you mean by ‘impossible’?” Agent Boris asked, puzzled. “Wouldn’t people realize that you’re manipulating their emotions?”
Even though it would be too early for me to make up my mind about Freya’s personality, I am grateful that she is professional enough to do her job properly despite her obvious dislike of me. The combat gear she taught me to wear and use saved my life today.We were outside when the explosions happened, about fifteen meters away from the nearest glass window. Still, if it weren’t for the suit’s built-in defensive capabilities, I’d be bleeding by now. I saw how the protective magic was activated the moment stray pieces of glass shot towards my face. Any projectile—magical or physical (you will not believe how many mages still get shot to death by actual bullets)—aimed towards my person that exceeds a certain velocity will be automatically repelled by an invisible shield that robs them of their kinetic energy, thus making them harmless. Or so says the bit of the manual I managed to read in the little time I had before we left for my first miss
Jester swiped his hand to the left. The wall before him tore itself up and crumbled to dust before being sucked into a void known as Jorus, exposing the figures inside.Only two people remained standing. One was a familiar figure, tall and broad, with a white mask covering his face. The other was leaner, smaller than the masked man, with a handsome face and cold, dead eyes. This man held in his arms a woman with golden hair in a fancy red dress. The features of her beautiful face were obscured by the blood seeping from her head, and around her slender neck was a fiery tattoo, like a necklace of thorns painted on her skin.A curse mark, in its most potent form.Alisa. His Alisa.Everything in Jester fell still, and whatever rationality he had left was burned away by fear and fury.*****An explosion of black—an oppressive, all-consuming darkness surrounded them in the blink of an eye. This darkness was unnatural. It wasn’t a darkness born from a lack of light, rather, it felt to him li
Jester had several misgivings about attending the Finale as Alisa’s date. He had to dress fancy. He had to listen to a rabid crowd scream his name and fight the urge to run away. He had to let the paparazzi take pictures without breaking their limbs. He even had to stop scowling.But the Finale was important to Alisa. She had asked him to come, and he knew if he did, it would mean the world to her, so how could he refuse her?At first, it wasn’t so bad. The suit was surprisingly comfortable, and though it was fancier than what he was used to wearing (it had a cape, for crying out loud) at least it was in black and grey, and not—gods forbid—egg-yolk yellow or neon green (like what he saw some of the other guests were wearing). Their red-carpet entrance was also quickly over with, and like what Aisha had said, all that was left to endure was the small-talk.It only took a few minutes after Alisa left, though, for Jester to realize he could only bear with this situation in her presence.
TEN MINUTES BEFORE EVERYTHING WENT TO HELL, VIP SECTIONAn intense tremor shook the Stadium, accompanied by alarmed yelling and swearing and the sound of shattering glasses as surprised guests dropped to the floor or crawled under the tables. Before the shaking even stopped, an alarm ripped through the air. Colin felt a foreboding sense of deja vu when he recognized what it meant.CODE BLACK: ANOMALY BREACH DETECTEDLOCKDOWN PROTOCOL IN EFFECT. THIS EVENT IS HEREBY CANCELLED. ALL GUESTS AND RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN WITHIN THE BORDER. PLEASE REMAIN CALM AND FOLLOW EVACUATION PROTOCOL.The last time M’lonia had a Breach was nearly fifty years ago. Not only were there fewer active Faults in Ellenis as a whole (when you compare it to Earth or Oren), but the Elven capital of M’lonia was literally in the middle of nowhere, and under miles of sand and bedrock to boot. Some studies have claimed that the possibility of a new Breach forming in an area without a history of a Fault decreas
I suddenly stopped feeling bad for my PA when I realized why she was so on edge.They were hiding things from me again. They knew—Bea, Dad, Jester, they all knew—how much I hated that.“Give me my earpiece,” I said to Freya, pointing at the tiny purse on the couch beside her.“You have to focus on the Finale.” Bea said, snatching it away before Freya could even reach for it. “Forget what I said about New York. Right now, focus on the show, and when everything’s done, you can go and cuddle up to Jester as much as you like and have that talk.”“And if I say, ‘No, I don’t want to go to New York?’”Bea wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Come on. Be reasonable. It’s just a health break…”I narrowed my eyes at her, focusing on Bea’s emotions.How suspicious. There was concern for my health, certainly. But strangely, Bea seems to be more focused on my safety rather than the possibility of me relapsing into anorexia. Then, there’s the thing about Sir Merrion following me around on the orders of the King
It was Jester who first stepped out of the car.Broad-shouldered, long and lean, he wore the dark grey suit Alisa had picked out for him, and it fit him like a dream. Unbeknownst to the stylists, the white shirt he was wearing underneath was actually his AG suit, which he had adjusted to copy its appearance. He told Alisa it just felt wrong for him to wear normal clothes when out in public, and convinced her to let him use the suit. Draped over his shoulders was the luxurious cape trimmed with black fur and embroidered in gold that Holly had waved under his nose, and in the flashing lights, the gold thread shimmered.From LeBlanc’s position on the balcony, and with the help of his favorite camera, he could see very clearly why Alisa Vega had fallen for the AG rookie. Had he been into men, LeBlanc himself would have fallen head-over-heels and off of a cliff for him. The build, the figure—there was no angle from which you could take a photograph that wouldn’t flatter him. And that face-
LeBlanc thought that West Park Stadium had never looked more like a treasure chest than it did tonight. It was bright, and shiny, and loud—and the people inside it were equally so.For most of the normal people in the three worlds, the Fashion Week Finale was a show you watch on your holo-screens. But now, LeBlanc was a part of it. He was there in the flesh.He had been fortunate enough to be invited to the Finale as a guest by his editor, and though he was not strictly required to work during the event, the photographer in him could not resist slinging his favorite camera over his shoulder. Fashion Week was like an all-you-can-eat buffet for him—there was no way he was passing up an opportunity to photograph the elite of the elite of the fashion world, in all their splendor. Of course, he would not be allowed to publicize any of his photographs unless he gains consent from his subjects. But he didn’t mind. He didn’t pursue photography for the money or the potential connections he cou
It didn’t take very long for someone to knock on the door and remind them that Alisa had things to do, and places to be.In reality, it had only been about three hours since they left the others in the drawing room. Emotionally though, to Jester it felt like an entire day had gone by. In a mere three hours, Alisa had gone from ‘angry-girlfriend’ to ‘sweet seductress’ to ‘vulnerable, guilt-ridden, accidental murderess’ and finally, now she was ‘the-show-must-go-on, high-fashion supermodel with a probable eating disorder’, and he sat in bed watching her reapplying her makeup and slipping on those icepick heels.As if she hadn’t been crying her eyes out and dripping snot over his shirt a few minutes ago.Alisa is more than just a pretty face, strutting around in glamorous outfits and smiling for the cameras. She was more than just the Vega name and the influence that goes with it. She’s also more than just a girl with a powerful Gift.Alisa—his Alisa—is lovely, complicated, and unique. S
Things went back to normal almost immediately after that. That mugging incident never happened again, and it was easy to forget about something horrible if it’s not happening directly to you. Marcus was his usual possessive self, and I should have had no expectations otherwise. He changed my memories, so of course I don’t have a proper recollection of what happened. There shouldn’t be any reason for me to feel uneasy with him.But I did. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew what was really going on. I think Marcus could tell, too. He became even more obsessed with keeping me by his side. There was even a rumor at school going around that he and I were dating secretly, because he’s always holding my hand.I’m sure that Aisha told you Marcus needed physical contact to reinforce his Gift, right? I think at that time Marcus was still testing the limits of his Gift. He was afraid of being apart from me because he wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t remember things I shouldn’t.
We found ourselves in bed again…though not in the same way as we were a few hours ago.For one thing, we were dressed. Jester now had on a pair of pants and a new shirt, though it was mostly unbuttoned—I hadn’t realized that when he pulled off the first one, it had ripped a little from our eagerness. He said normal clothes were just built too fragile, and he was used to it.“Wow,” I said drily, “How many girls got you ripping your shirt off for them to say you’re used to that?”Jester kissed my forehead. “Just one.”“Really.”“I have the physical strength equal to a hundred humans, Ali. That’s what I meant.”“I know. I was just teasing,” I said.“Huh. Stop trying to distract me.”Resigning myself to the inevitable, I cuddled up to him as I thought about how to begin.Half my hesitation comes from the fact that I still couldn’t wrap my head around what just happened a few hours ago. I’ve always wanted to know how it would feel to kiss someone and touch someone and be so intimate—withou