Káel sped out of his room, hearing Truvius scrambling close behind. Whatever the device in his hair was it had been placed recently, else Puff would have nipped it out sooner in the many groomings he gave Káel's hair.

          And if it was a tracker, Ray would have known he had gone back to the room.

          He dodged a pair of students going to their dorm, nearly slipping down the thin flight of stairs and throwing his weight against the door at the bottom to catch his momentum. 

          "How do you even know that's Ray's?" Truvius called, showing his confusion as Káel cracked open the door and held it for him before rushing over to Talli and a group of her friends chatting in the lounge.

          Vera could think of something, conniving was practically her middle name.

          But Káel didn't see her as he skimmed the confused faces of Talli's friends, taking a moment to catch his breath before paying her a smile. "Have you seen Vera?"

          Talli looked between the two boys with growing confusion. "Sh-she got called to Lady Samanthra's office."

          "Thanks," Káel curtly replied, waving for Truvius to follow as he rushed out of the silver dorm.

          Káel followed Phantom's lead, the lines of portraits and carved trimmings to the walls clicking with his memory as the route to Samanthra's office. Truvius definitely knew the way as well, but the moon-dish gaze in his eyes as he jogged beside Káel didn't give the best impression about his current mindset.

          There was no hiding it now, but given that Truvius hadn't started screaming when he admitted to being tailed by Phantom, he would take it as a good sign. 

          "You know, I do know a memory wiping spell or two," Phantom said, turning to jog backwards. "They are a bit difficult to master, but we could test run one on Blondie."

          Káel glanced at Truvius, there was no point in hiding his one sided conversations anymore, but the gesture came naturally. "We just need to find Vera, she'll have a solution." 

          Truvius' nod didn't match up to the fear in his eyes. The gesture of trust seeming to rot in his stomach as he pressed his lips to keep any words from escaping.

          Káel frowned, the winding staircase to Samanthra's office in sight with it's overwatching iron doors firmly sealed. Interrupting a meeting he didn't know anything about would be rude beyond belief, he just needed to get to Vera before Ray got to him, and make a plan to keep Phantom safe for his last four days on Lumi.

          With a quick inspection of the empty room he nudged Truvius to an empty stone bench, patiently seating himself below the painting of a sand gold dragon that stretched above his height and a half. 

          Puff let out an exhausted warble at the sudden exercise, flopping on Truvius' feet as he took his seat beside Káel, silence still biting into his throat as he anticipated the end. 

          Káel gave Truvius a moment to think, rubbing his shoulder with a light smile to lift the tense atmosphere. "You're right, but he's my friend," Káel whispered, holding Truvius' gaze for a handful of seconds before dropping it to Puff. "Just like that savage ball of love and affection down there."

          Puff grunted, still heaving for air as he sprawled across the marble floor.

          "You don't have to talk if you don't want to," Káel continued, keeping his smile for Truvius strong. "But can I trust you not to tell anyone else about him?"

          His words hit Truvius for the worst, a wave of sinking guilt perfectly pulling down every inch of his body. He looked like he wanted to say something, the words hanging off the tip of his tongue only to be bit back by the last shred of fear Vera hadn't extinguished. 

          Káel's smile dipped to worry as Truvius averted his gaze, the connection physically painful to keep any longer. "I can trust you, right?"

          A crunch echoed throughout the room, the iron doors of Samanthra's office swinging open with one firehead to burst through first. Vera swiveling on her heel to face its open contents with a booming voice. "And what are you going to do about it? Call my father?"

          Káel rose to his feet, watching Lady Samanthra move through the doors to look down on Vera with folded arms. "I already have, he'll be checking up on you.

          A bit of the fire in Vera's posture died at the remark, her silence signalling the end of their argument as she turned her gaze to look away from the headmaster, only to have it fall on Truvius and Káel with a new sense of entertainment. 

          She pressed her palms against the railing, ignoring Káel's wave as her gaze burned right through Truvius. "Well if it isn't the snitching dragon skat. Went to Tia to solve your problems, huh?" 

          Káel paid Truvius his confusion, allowing his roommate to move behind him and away from Vera's line of fire. 

          "Tia witnessed the incident," Samanthra cut in, looking back into her office. "Can you two make sure miss Strylaz reaches her room without any further contact with Minefeld?"

          Káel's hopes died as quick as they came upon the sight of Ray, coming into view with Mariel on his side as they both came upon Vera, securing an arm each to pull her off the rail. She kept her ground with surprising strength however, landing her gaze on Káel with a seething hiss to her voice. "Did he tell you yet?"

          Káel clicked in to the one thing Truvius could have told him and slowly nodded.

          Vera barked out a laugh, ripping her hand out of Ray's grasp as she only allowed Mariel to touch her. "That so? Your face doesn't really scream stranded on Lumi indefinitely," Vera retorted, whipping her arm around to keep Ray from getting a good grip on it as she tilted her head to get a view of Truvius. "Give me one good reason not to light you up like a Star King Bonfire you liar!"

          "Strylaz, your current behaviour is not tolerated in this institution," Samanthra boomed. "If you have an unsettled dispute with Minefeld, then the two of you can talk it out in my office. With civility." 

          Vera relaxed at Samanthra's comment, allowing Mariel to keep her still as she released the railing and faced the headmaster with a calm yet carrying voice. "Oh, you mean you'd be more than happy to have me yell at Truvius in your room so I don't make a scene out of the fact that every single one of you are skatfaced liars who should feel nothing but shame for lieing to a student of this fine institution for absolutely no reason!" 

          Káel watched as Lady Samanthra nudged her head at Ray, prompting him to pull two small bracelets from his pocket. Before he could move towards Vera however, she snatched them from his hands, slapping them on her own wrists with a overblown smile.

          "There we go! I can't use lumience now, do you all feel better about yourselves?" Vera said, starting down the stairs before Mariel could grab her again. "Maybe you guys should give Káel some dalem bracelets too, so he doesn't exercise his right to shoot a fireball at your faces." 

          "I would like to see you tomorrow morning Strylaz, so we can outline the duties of your detention," Samanthra boomed, walking down the stairs as Ray and Mariel tailed Vera. As she reached the halfway point her attention fell to Káel, silently processing the spectacle as he focused his entire attention on Ray. "Minefeld, could you take Káel back to his room? I would like to have a meeting with him tomorrow evening, immediately after his last class."

          Káel felt Truvius nudge his arm, his roommate too petrified to force his feet to walk.

          But he wasn't going anywhere right now.

          "You're not going home Káel!" Vera called, rounding the final spiral as her sister quickly caught up to her and pulled her arms behind her back. "Ray, Samanthra, my sister, they've all been lieing to us since day one." She shifted her gaze to Truvius, a feral curl to her lips as she dipped her tone to a venomous spit. "And he's known for weeks."

          Time stood still as Káel slowly looked at Truvius, his roommate backing away in clear guilt to Vera's claims. In the moment Káel wanted to give him a chance, the anger vacant in his eyes to provide his roommate with one last opportunity.

          One final window to explain himself.

          But Truvius couldn't see Káel for his intentions, meeting his gaze with the fear of a victim washing over his eyes. "I only knew for a week, not weeks."

          Káel's face deadpanned, his voice flat with disappointment as Truvius took another step back. "A whole week."

          "Disregard everything coming out of her mouth," Ray said, paying Káel a nod as he gripped Vera's arm. "She's a teenage girl, they like to scream gibberish just for the attention.

          "And this teenage girl isn't above biting animals," Vera hissed, smiling as Ray released her wrist.

          Káel didn't respond, Ray's chuckle only sinking into his skin at how humorous he found everything. 

          This was all a joke to him.

          "Hey, wait," Káel said, his flat tone grabbing Ray to stop and face him.

          A smile came easy to him as he saw how ludicrously calm Ray was, the small device digging into his palm as he squeezed his fist until the skin stretching his hand went milky white. Káel paced himself as he approached Ray, hoping the fire of rage wasn't showing in his skin as he stopped before the towering elite, forcing his hand to keep still as he held out the small device for Ray to see.

          "Found your toy."

          He dropped the metal grain into Ray's open palm, his breaths quickening as his emotions flushed into his lungs. Everyone had stopped to watch their conversation, Káel could feel their eyes weighing down on him, his body one slip from snapping Ray's neck.

          Or at least trying.

          But Ray ignored the signs, taking in the sight of the small grain before smiling. With a small laugh he held it up by the strands of Káel's hair. "That's one way to pull it out."

          Káel couldn't think, Ray's laughter the only sound he could focus on as he felt his arm swing around, knuckles meeting Ray's jaw with a sharp crack. The pain zapped all the way to his shoulder, a bite of fire numbing out to a strange tingle as Káel quickly pulled his hand back.

          Ray had only stumbled back a few steps, holding his cheek with a strange sense of concern in his eyes. "You okay?"

           "Actually, Káel, please join me in my office immediately." Samanthra cut in, waving away Vera and Mariel. "Raymond Peterson, you as well."

          Káel breathed out a short laugh, his lip twitching with contempt as he stepped up to Ray. "Am I okay?"

          Ray smiled, its genuine flare only rubbing into Káel's wounds. "You're better off here than on Earth, trust me."

          Káel snatched his collar, ripping him down to his eye level. "No. I'm going to find a way back to Earth, but before that, I'm going out of my way to make your crappy, stalking prone, lieing, waste of air existence, miserable," he hissed, his voice trembling with raw spite as he speared through Ray's golden eyes. "I would rather die than trust you."

          The happiness quickly hollowed from his gaze at the words, a flicker of pain leaking through his voice as he watched a shine quickly coat Káel's eyes. "No you wouldn't."

          Samanthra stepped up beside Ray, her voice nearly mocking the softness of Ray's as she outstretched her palm. "Káel come to my office."

          "You knew as well," Káel said, his voice cracking as he rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve. 

          With the last shred of composure he had before breaking down, he looked at Truvius, swallowing the growing lump in his throat as cold drops tickled his cheeks. 

          "You were right, I can't tell a good friend from a crappy one." He sized Truvius up, settling on the anguish in his eyes. "You're living proof."

          No one stopped Káel as he turned away, quickly disappearing from the room and heading to the sanctuary of his room.

—————

Dear Staz,

You were right. He's an elite named Raymond Peterson, who looks to be over six feet with messy blonde hair, goggles sometimes, and a stupid grin plastered on his face. He also has a cat named Ragdoll, don't hurt her, she's nice.

Sincerely, your nephew, Káel.

          "Is this worth sending his information to your possibly violent uncle?" Phantom said, genuinely concerned with Káel's current behaviour.

          "Yup, I'd pay to see him get what's coming to him." Káel shoved the letter in Jeremiah's collar and opened the door for him, rubbing at the swollen bags under his eyes with a sniffle.

          With a quick look at his room, he went straight for the window, unlatching it and shoving the top half of his body through the narrow opening.

          "What are you doing?" Phantom sighed, watching Káel squirm through the tight space.

          He finally wriggled loose, landing on the rough shingles and helping Puff through. "Disappearing."

          After closing the window and relatching it with his Insanctious spell, Káel contemptuously climbed the roof until he was sitting at the peaking ridge of his dorm, looking out over the massive school and the ancient forest surrounding it. There was a perfect breeze at the height, the crisp air cooling his eyes as he watched Polearis fall into the horizon.

          Phantom sat down beside him, watching as the tears started to well up in Káel's eyes again. "I guess your stuck with me for a while."

          "Just like we're both stuck on a planet we don't belong on," Káel replied, resting his chin on his knees as he counted the blanket of stars in front of them. "The only difference is, I'm happy to be stuck with you."

          "However long it lasts."

—————

          Káel awoke to a loud crack of thunder and the howling gale of a massive storm. Unfortunately, he was still on the roof where he'd unintentionally fallen asleep talking to Phantom, stuck in the black of night where most of the glowing planet had been engulfed in towering black clouds.

          "Took you long enough! I've only been screaming at you for the past twenty minutes!" Phantom exclaimed over the roaring thunder and gusts of wind. "You sleep heavier than a bloody dragon!"

          Káel grabbed Puff who nestled into his arms in terror as he made his way back down the building, lighting his path with a sad little ball of light. The rain fell, not even sparing a second to become a torrential downpour and turning the roof into a slippery mess. After almost falling off the building twice, and receiving a sizeable amount of large scrapes on his arms and knees, Káel reached the window to his room, unlatching the sanctuary with Insanctious.

          He didn't know how late it was, only that it was late enough for Truvius to be so fast asleep he didn't even stir as Káel loudly squeezed through the window and fell flat on the hard floor. Puff jumped onto Káel's bed, the terror still plastered on his face as he hardened his fur into scales and shook all the little droplets off.

          Káel let out a heavy sigh, finishing with a loud spurt of coughing while he pulled his boots off and tossed them beside his bed. He was too exhausted to even crawl under his covers, the hand he used to punch Ray with pounding in pain at its overuse.

          Puff nudged Káel's head, licking his soaked hair with his barbed tongue as he leaned on his pillow. 

          "Don't sleep in wet clothes," Phantom cut in.

          "Shut up," Káel grumbled, rolling onto his side and falling fast asleep.

Don't forget to:

COMMENT/CRITIQUE/(VOTE IF YOU WANT)

Quality Quip #34:

'There's only one person more unreasonable than the man who trusts nobody, and that's the man who trusts everybody.'

~Anonymous