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 Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 9:58 pm
 Children at the Academy, if they were awakened from the cache, spent most of their time on-campus. They left occasionally for field trips, but those were few and far between. Until they were juniors and seniors and allowed out without supervision, the Academy was likely to be all they knew. Some children—some of the ones with parents—lived off-campus and commuted to school every day like their parents commuted to work. For them, the Academy was a place to go to to learn. Some even spent more time on-campus—Histeol’s sister’s friend Eidil lived half on-campus, half off-campus, with her bedroom varying by day of the week.
Teo was one of the ones who lived all at home. There were several reasons for this. One of them was that living on campus could be expensive for some families. Those whose parents had gone to the Academy got a steep discount, but Teo’s mother, Elienne, had never attended the Academy. She had to pay to send her children to the Academy. Housing them on campus would be an extra expense. Besides, Elienne was a hands-on mother. She wanted her children near her as much as possible. She had a large home outside of town with lots of space for a kid or two to run amok. Teo and Cal’s bedrooms were spacious, even more so because they didn’t have to share with each other. They had home-made meals every day unless their mother took them out for dinner. They could have lots and lots of pets (although there didn’t seem to be a limit to how many pets you could have at the Academy, so far as Teo could tell), and they could spend the evenings together as a family. Living off-campus was much preferable to living on-campus, so far as Teo was concerned.
However, Teo was the only one of his friends who did live off-campus. Parodia and Perigor were orphans. They had nowhere else to live. Prometheus’s family lived in Boreas, too far away to commute to. It gave Histeol the strangest sensation of being left out of something, even while some of his friends complained of the same thing.
Teo tilted his head so that he could hear Perigor better. The half-Demon wasn’t that far away; if Teo reached out, he could brush his friend’s shoulder. The road rushed underneath the car, but Teo swept all of that away. He wanted to know what Perigor thought.
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 9:58 pm
 Perigor thought, Wow, I’m finally getting to visit Teo’s house! Ever since meeting Histeol, he’d wanted to visit Histeol’s house. Histeol’s family—oh, Histeol had a family, bee-tee-dubs, a freaking nice one, too—yeah, his family lived out in the country. Or at least, it was country so far as Peri was concerned. He’d heard that it had trees and animals, and that Teo’s mom raised fennekits. Real, actual fennekits! Not as neat-o as pumpkas, but whatever. Peri was still super excited about all of this. He hadn’t had an opportunity to privately hang out with Teo yet. Every time they’d gotten together, it had always been a big group of them, all mashed together. Which meant, he suddenly realized, that this would be his first ever encounter with Histeol without Prometheus being there.
Prometheus had met them all and brought them all together. It seemed weird, or dishonest, or even back-handed to be sneaking around getting to know everyone else when he wasn’t there. They were practically going behind his back! But Histeol had assured him that Prometheus wouldn’t mind if they all got to know each other better. Perigor would just have to trust Histeol on that. It seemed like a safe bet—Teo was pretty smart, after all.
So that’s how Peri had come to be sitting in the backseat of Teo’s mom, Elienne’s, van, country music playing in the front seat and Elienne and Callessa arguing about the meaning of the song lyrics. Histeol had just walked up to Perigor out of the blue today and asked him if he wanted to come to Teo’s house after school and…hang out. Peri had agreed, of course, even with those niggling second thoughts.
“You’re sure Prometheus will be cool with this? I don’t want to see what he’s like when he’s mad.” Worse, he didn’t want Prometheus to be angry at him. To have a friend be angry at you would be, like, the worst thing ever.
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:00 pm
Teo had been waiting for that. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “If Prometheus didn’t want us all to be friends, he wouldn’t have introduced us to each other. And this is what friends do—they spend time with each other. They get to know each other.” Teo smiled. “I’d like to get to know you better, Perigor.” There was something strange about Perigor, something that Histeol couldn’t put his finger on—and he knew strange. Oh, yes, he knew strange. This was a new kind of strange, not the circus kind. Teo wanted to get to know Peri better so that he could figure out what this new kind of strange was.
Teo genuinely liked Perigor. He had taken a little getting used to—his tendency to blurt out that he was evil, and to talk loudly, were a little off-putting, but once you got past that, Perigor was actually…rather nice. It was a shame that Peri hadn’t noticed it yet. He was kind to animals, and he liked making beautiful things. He’d fold paper into fantastic shapes and tell you, “that’s a dog.” When you felt it, it was true. And he could always make time for a friend. He never left Histeol behind. What kind of person could be like that and still call themselves evil, Teo wanted to know. There was a story behind it, he just knew it. He just had to figure out what it was. “And don’t worry about getting home. Mom says she’ll drive you home before it’s dark and your caretakers start to worry. Until then, we can have fun!”
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:04 pm
Oh, sure, bow down to what the caretakers said. Boo. “Any chance it could be later than that? Only it’s November, and it nightfall’s really freaking early. It’s late in the summer,” he added belatedly, realizing what he’d just said. Of course Teo might not know that. He was blind. “It has to do with the tilt of the planet. See, during winter, Asphodel’s tilted away from the sun, so we don’t get a lot of sunlight, and it’s all concentrated in the hours around noon, but during the summer, we’re tilted towards the sun, so we get lots of sunlight. It’s really uneven around this time of year, between the equinox and Winter Solstice.” He leaned back in his chair. “I’m not sure if that makes any sense,” he said. “But it’s…sort of important, when it comes to telling time by the sun.” Then, a wicked idea came to Perigor’s mind. “Of course,” he whispered conspiratorially, “we could just pretend that you didn’t know that it was sundown already, and I can stay longer.” He gave a wink, even if his audience couldn’t appreciate it. “What your mom doesn’t know, we can keep a secret.” Okay, it was filthy and underhanded, but hey, he was Perigor, he wanted more time with Histeol, and he was evil, he was allowed to bend the rules a bit. It was one of the few perks that came with innate awfulness.
To mask his lean forward, he reached down to scratch the spectrefox, Haint’s, ears. She ignored him. Service fox, Perigor reminded himself. Besides, spectrefoxes only like one person ever. Oh well. He’d tried?
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:05 pm
Teo listened to Perigor’s explanation and thought about it. Of course, he intellectually knew that there was less sunlight in winter—people had told him that before. He’d heard people refer to Boreas as “the land of the midnight sun.” But hearing Perigor explain it was something different. Once again, Teo found a mystery he couldn’t name. Something Peri was doing was different from what other people did. It was…the sort of action to stick in your head and roll around and around until it found a place to stay. He seems awfully erudite. He knew all that, and I’ve never thought of him as the sma—as the scholarly type before. It was true—Peri acted like a maladjusted clown rather than a student of science. To hear him discuss astrophysics was jarring. And yet, it wasn’t what was so weird about what Peri said. There was something else weird about it, and he wasn’t sure what.
As for Peri’s suggestion? Teo grinned. He knew what was coming next. “I heard that!” Elienne said from the front seat. Everyone in the car giggled. Teo patted Perigor’s hand. “It’s okay, Peri. You tried.” The rest of the journey back to the farm was uneventful, as Elienne asked Perigor the usual round of questions—are you in the same classes as Teo, what do you want to be when you grow up, what are you learning, what did you do for haunted hallows—and Teo contented himself listening to her questions. He was patient. They’d be home soon and Teo could show his friend around.
When they stopped in the driveway, Histeol hopped out, led by Haint and leading Perigor. First he showed Peri the house, with its large living room, spacious kitchen, and, of course, Teo’s bedroom. “This isn’t the neatest part of our place, though,” Teo said. Honestly, he thought the living room was the most important and most interesting part of the house, but most visitors were far more interested in one of the outbuildings. Peri would probably be no different. There was no point in drawing it out further. “The neatest part is the barn. Follow me!”
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:06 pm
Histeol’s mom sure was nice. She asked Perigor a lot of questions, none of them of any substance. Peri didn’t think too much of the question asking him what he wanted to be when he grew up. That wasn’t important—no one ever became what they wanted to be when they were little kids. Peri didn’t even have an idea, but he was content to wait for inspiration to strike him. Not that he said as much to Elienne—instead he just said, “I haven’t decided yet.” That seemed to shut her up right quick. Not for long, though. She bounced back with another question, followed by another. Nothing special, just the usual sorts of questions. Peri breezed through them and moved on.
Teo’s house was very large, a beautiful edifice made of unpainted oak. It stood out like a golden beacon to the grey afternoon. There were trees all around the property, most of them deciduous. Their leaves had long since fallen to the ground, and they crunched underfoot with the early threats of frost. If it hadn’t been for the house, this would have looked like a desolate place. However, with the house, it looked cozy and intimate. It looked like a very nice place to live, with enormous trees for climbing and a broad porch to while away sultry summer evenings. It was like a place in a storybook, or a catalogue selling cabins to rent. Very large cabins. Bemused by the splendor, Peri followed Teo through the house. It was obviously the home of a family, with photographs hung all over the walls of a long line of Fallen, their frames decorated with feathers. There were cloth wall hangings with pleasing designs both geometric and pictorial. The kitchen was full of copper-bottomed pans that glinted in the light, and the table was already set for dinner. The living room was enormous, with soft chairs and a big couch. Oddly, they were all gathered around a radio instead of a television. Peri was slightly disappointed—maybe they could have watched TV, or played video games or something—but part of him was also relieved. This fit in much better with the rest of the house.
It was also obvious that every seat had a favored occupant. A winged armchair in soft blue had thick fur crammed into every crevice; a green armchair sat near the radio, with a small end table at its side. The end table was covered in seed catalogues. And there was a chair, there, a small one with a brightly-colored blanket on it. A thick book with a title in braille sat on the seat. Yes, a family. Each one with their own chair, their own place. Peri sighed and followed Teo upstairs.
Teo’s bedroom was large, but that wasn’t what Peri liked about it. Maybe it was the arrangement of the desk on the far side of room from the window, where it was completely shaded out by the wardrobe. That brought a smile to Peri’s face. Or maybe it was the way it was covered in wall hangings in a violent clash of colors. He reached out to touch one. Yes. The colors didn’t match, but each one was soft to the touch. It was definitely Teo’s room, and no one else’s.
“Oo, barn,” he said. “Lead on, good sir!” He let Teo go out first, lingering on his friend’s threshold. It was a very nice room.
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:07 pm
Elienne bred fennekits. Fennekits loved attention. Fennekits, in fact, tended to wilt without affection, which meant that one of the most important chores on the farm was Cuddling the Fennekits. Sure, it might have sounded like a cushy job, but it was a serious one. Fennekits needed affection, and living in a building that the rest of the family didn’t live in meant that they needed to make regular trips out to the barn to interact with them. Besides, it was rather hard to entertain yourself in some way when you were covered in a squirming pile of fluffy bodies. It wasn’t as if you could bring a book to read while you rubbed their ears.
The reason fennekits were not kept in the house was pretty obvious as soon as Teo opened the barn door. The foxes rushed the boys in a sonorous tidal wave of yips. Soon both of them were nearly knocked off their feet by the squirming, tail-wagging bodies. “This is everyone’s favorite part,” Teo said, straining to be heard over the noise. “My mom’s been breeding fennekits for years, I don’t think there’s anyone who knows them better than she does. Cal and I help take care of them, it’s one of our bigger chores.” He eased his way through the crowd with the help of his cane and his service fox. It left him with no hand with which to grab Peri, so he juggled his cane to the leash hand and held his hand out for his friend. “Come on, or you’ll be swept away in the tide!” He led the way to the second floor of the barn, where his mother’s office space was. There was also a supply closet there, full of the pounds and pounds of food necessary for feeding all of the kits. They were followed up the stairs by some of the frisky creatures. “So, what do you think of it all?”
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:08 pm
Peri followed Teo across the lawn. It was getting cold out, but he had a jacket on to keep him warm, and a hat as well. The barn was not far from the house—just a short walk. It would be longer in winter, when the snow was deep, or in summer when bugs tried to eat you alive. Still, pretty nearby. And guarded, too—he caught sight of a trio of pumpkas tied to stakes outside of the barn. One of them growled at him. He smiled and waved at it. My people. This one looked like one of his pumpkas. That irked him a bit, but there was nothing he could do about it. “Whose is that?” he asked Teo as the half-Fallen opened the door to the barn.
Peri was shocked by the number of fennekits. He’d been expecting more. Mind you, eight fennekits can act like a ravening hoard in the right mood, and they were in that sort of mood right now. Peri could see how this many foxes could be a “chore,” even one of the “bigger ones.” Each one wanted attention right now and refused to stop begging and barking until they got the attention they so clearly deserved, being such good kits. Peri’s hands were quickly occupied scratching them on the head and patting their sides or whatever it was you were supposed to do with fennekits. Peri loved animals. They were sweet, they didn’t judge you, and their demands were understandable. But fennekits weren’t really his kind of animal. He preferred a smaller one, maybe pocket-sized. Barring that, he preferred a pet that wasn’t as popular as a fennekit. Everyone wanted fennekits. It was ridiculous. It seemed like everyone had one (or had a nezubat or vespercat). That was one of the reasons Peri liked pumpkas—hardly anyone collected pumpkas. Except, apparently, someone on this farm.
Peri was glad to go upstairs and out of the rush, at least until the rush followed them. He sat down to give them all better access to his face. Soon he was covered in gooey fox slobber. “I dunno,” he said. “I never thought fennekits would be this licky.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:09 pm
Teo had heard the pumpka growl as they walked past, but noticed that it had not sprung out at them. “That’s Callessa’s. She loves pumpkas. She wants to study them when she grows up. She says they’ll answer a lot of our questions about the difference between plants and animals.” Teo sighed. “This coming from someone who talks a lot about what the cellular differences are.” Pumpkas were…okay, Teo had to admit this in the privacy of his own head, Teo didn’t like pumpkas at all. They were aggressive, they shrieked too much, and they didn’t seem to care about anyone else. His sister’s fascination with them was something he’d never understand.
“Yeah, sorry about the mob. They do this to everyone that comes in.” Teo was used to it by now. But something in Peri’s voice caught Teo’s attention, and it occurred to him that having lived with the fennekits for a year, he was used to them. “Um, I should have warned you, Perigor. I’m really sorry.” He sighed. “Everyone loves fennekits, though. They all want to see them. I thought you might like to see them, too. I’m really sorry about that. I’ll…you just wait here, I know how to get rid of them.” He got to his feet, dusted off his knees, and made his way down the stairs. Once at the bottom, he opened one of the big feed bins and poured a generous scoop of kibble into the feed bowls. As if he’d spoken a magic spell, the fennekits raced down the stairs and immediately got to work on their supper. Teo slipped past them and back up the stairs to resume his seat next to Perigor. “They’ll do practically anything for food. Or belly rubs. Food’s easier, though.” He fell silent now, listening to the sounds of the barn. Not just the familiar sounds, either—he ignored the creaking wood and the scrabbling, yipping fennekits. He listened instead to the sound of Perigor’s breathing in and out. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
“Peri, I’m so sorry about that,” he whispered. “I really didn’t mean to upset you. I’m so sorry!”
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:10 pm
Peri shook his head, even if Teo couldn’t see it. It wasn’t the fennekits, and neither was it the shock of hearing that someone else loved pumpkas, too. It wasn’t any of that. It was the whole thing—it was the home in the country side, it was the trees without their leaves, and the room full of squirmy pets. It was the wide and spacious house, and the kitchen were homecooked meals were made. Most importantly, it was the living room with the chairs, each one matched to its owner. Each one belonging. “It’s okay, Teo. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
He took a deep breath. “Teo, do you know how lucky you are? To have a family and to have a home of your own? Because you’re really lucky. Really, really freaking lucky. You have so much, and you should be grateful. For your family. For your smart sister and your nice mom.” Peri tucked his knees up underneath his chin and held them tight with his arms. “I don’t have a family. They abandoned me when I was a stone. Maybe it was a few years ago, maybe it was a few hundred years ago, but my parents got rid of me. My family didn’t want me, like, at all. So they got rid of me.” He stared down at the floor and took a long, deep, shuddering breath.
“And I know why, Teo. It’s the same reason I’ve never been adopted. It’s because I’m so horrible and evil that no one could ever love me. That’s why I care so much about Prometheus—he’s the first person ever to care about me. And I don’t want to lose that. I don’t want to be left with nothing again.” He was surprised to feel tears falling down his cheeks. He normally didn’t cry easily.
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Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:11 pm
Histeol was silent as he listened to his friend. He’d…he’d never thought of things that way before. He’d never thought about things from that point of view. He didn’t know what to say. He was too overwhelmed by the painful prickling feeling in his nose and the empty, hollow feeling he felt in his heart. He moved closer to Perigor and wrapped his arms around his friend. “Peri, that’s not true,” he said quietly. “You’re not evil, you’re not horrible. You’re sweet. You care about other people and what they think. You explained the seasons to me,” he added, and the reason why that had stuck in his mind suddenly occurred to him. “It’s because you wanted me to understand—you took the time to teach me something new because I’m important to you, and that means a lot to me. It means a lot to me because you mean a lot to me. You’re my friend. And you are not evil. You may think you are, but you have never done anything even remotely evil.”
“I’m evil inherently,” Peri said, muffled from his face being buried in his knees.
Teo pursed his lips. “No, I’m not buying that, Peri. You’re a nice guy. So stop being so harsh on yourself. You’re my friend, and I won’t let anyone demean my friends. Not even my own friends. If that makes any sense,” he added. Delusional, he thought. That’s what’s so weird with Perigor. He has delusions. No. He suffers from delusions. That’s all it is. And that seemed about right.
Peri mumbled something about it not making a single lick of sense, but he was leaning into Histeol’s arms, and that was good enough for him. For now.
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