[ ] Write-In: You sat on your bed, and began discussing back and forth with Draschal what you should say to your family, and your friends. You got so caught up in things that the first you knew Dad was back was when he was standing in your bedroom doorway, asking "Lucy? What is... this?" whilst looking at Draschal. From there, explanations had to happen... And maybe more was given out that you had thought, maybe less. For Dad could see when the memories began to hurt, or were too personal to share just yet, and thus he would back off.
My view is that whilst the situation with Draschal is 'messy' as you said, Lucy probably got used to using him as a Sounding Board for her thoughts...
[X] Details. They're your family, so they deserve to know. You'll tell them about Draschal, about the people you met, and about how you rebuilt Dolinar. But the big things are private, personal. They don't need to know about the friends who died. Or about Gareth. Or Lishtha.
Will change to minimal if Nothing looks like it'll win though.
[X] Details. They're your family, so they deserve to know. You'll tell them about Draschal, about the people you met, and about how you rebuilt Dolinar. But the big things are private, personal. They don't need to know about the friends who died. Or about Gareth. Or Lishtha.
Well um, we're currently at a three way tie, at three votes each even. If the tie isn't broken by tomorrow guess I'll roll a d6 on it or something. Anyway, going to sleep now, goodnight!
If the Details option doesn't gain another vote and I haven't replied again by the time you close the vote, just change my vote to Minimal.
I mean, that's what I said I would do and I'm unsure if I'd get back to this before you closed it, so whilst Details can still win, I'll stick with it, but if it can't... Better Minimal than Nothing.
[x] Minimal. They deserve some explanation, so you'll tell them that magic is real and give an overview of what happened to you, but no details.
AN: Huh, glad I left it to a vote at that point, was sure that SB would unanimously want to bring them in on the secret. This way is more fun!
You know, you remember the internet being much more helpful than it seems to be right now. You didn't expect a 'how to tell your family that you're magic' guide or anything like that, but after four of hours google searches you expected better results. After several hours wasted looking at role-playing forums, blogs from people who were just good at writing (the inconsistencies in their stories were the give away), and news articles on people who might or might not be insane, you had stepped away from your computer with a whole lot of nothing. Best piece of advice you could find was that just waiting and not saying anything would make things work.
So, here you were, sitting in the living room across from your brother and father, the evening sunlight pouring in through the windows, knowing you had to say something, but with little idea how to do it.
It was frustrating, the lack of control and certainty. It reminded you of those first few years in Dolinar, when you were an inexperienced girl stumbling about as the nobles led you around by the nose. Everyone just saw you as a figurehead to be manipulated towards their goals. That changed after you got the servants on your side. The information they had let you play the courtiers against each other, getting everyone to dance to your tune instead of you to theirs. You were the one with the cards, the one who understood how the various players would react to what you told them. But now, you're lost again. You haven't seen Max or Dad in thirteen years, by your recogning. You don't even remember what your relationship with them was like, let alone know what it is now. Would they think you were crazy, or just pulling their leg? Four Hells, where do you even start?
Start from the beginning, Draschall said, his voice echoing in your head. Convince them that magic is real, and the rest shall follow from there.
You nodded, and folded your hands in your lap. You took a breath to prepare yourself, and squared your shoulders. "This is going to be strange, to both of you, but please let me say everything before you start asking questions. First off, magic is real."
They both blinked at that, and an incredulous smile spread across Max's face. "Seriously? What, are you gonna tell us can conjure a ball of fire or something?"
You reach forward and grab a napkin from the coffee table, whispering a quiet "Durrham," while cycling your mana. The spell flows through your fingers and into the paper, strengthening and solidifying it. You bang the now hardened piece of paper on the table, and it makes an audible thunk. Both of your family members are stunned, and you hand it over for their inspection. It doesn't bend no matter what Max does, but when Dad takes it he grips both sides and places his thumbs in the center. A quick jerk of his wrists and the napkin cleanly splits in half, and now he's holding two pieces of hardened paper. You release the spell all the same, and a moment later the mana dissipates into the air, the paper softening.
"Fireballs aren't really my thing," you say, giving a soft smile.
Dad puts the napkin pieces down and steeples his hands in front of his face. "Explain," he says after a moment, face unreadable.
"Let me give you an overview first," you say, keeping your voice steady. "Last night, I was targeted by a summoning ritual from the kingdom of Dolinar on the world of Karas. The people who performed the ritual thought it would summon who was a descendent of their founder, but it wound up targeting his reincarnation instead. That was me. The reason they cast the ritual was that they needed someone to help stop the eventual fall of their kingdom and help reclaim lost lands. For me, that was thirteen years ago, and I did most of that. I was their queen, and a pretty good one by all accounts. Then, last night, I woke up back here, in my seventeen year old body."
Admittedly, that wasn't the best way you could have put it, but a brief rundown was better than nothing, right? The silence hangs in the air, and you have to struggle not to fidget. Maybe you should've walked them through things better, gone into more detail, instead of just dumping it all on them. No, things would have dragged on if you had done that, and things would have gotten even more complex.
It was Max who broke the silence first. "So, you're saying that you're the rightful ruler of an entire country? Like, Arthur Pendragon or Frederick I? Like, the whole 'true king come again' kind of thing? Or, queen in this case." You nod, unable to suppress your smile. Max had always had a thing for history and myth, so you weren't surprised he got that.
"Cool," he whispers, grinning.
"You said that you were there for thirteen years," Dad says, hands still steepled. "But I saw you last night just before you went to bed. You were complaining to me about studying for the math test."
"I know," you say. "I, Dolinar doesn't have a lot of research on that kind of magic, but I do have some idea of how it works at least. As far as I can tell, there are multiple 'realities,' like, different worlds layered on top of eachother. It's not multiverse theory or anything like that. It's more like what fantasy and sci-fi TV uses to explain stuff. Time doesn't pass linearly between them, so it can be weird at times. It's more of a ball of wibbly-wobbly stuff than anything else. Just because thirteen years passed on Karas doesn't mean that thirteen years passed here on Earth."
Dad closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is all a bit much. I, I don't have any real choice but to believe you on the magic thing. That was proof enough," he points at the paper napkin sitting on the table. "But...I'm not so sure about the getting summoned to another world. I mean, that's just..." he huffed out a laugh, unable to finish the sentence.
You bristled at his words. "I'm not lying to you. I was there, I-"
He held his hand, cutting you off. He breathed out through his nostrils, his body shifting into a more stern, authoritarian posture. It was the posture parents took when they wanted to be in control. "I believe you think you're telling the truth, but that doesn't meant it actually happened."
Your lips pinched together into a thin line, back straightening. "Considering how ten minutes ago you didn't even know magic was real, maybe you shouldn't be making assumptions about what is and isn't possible. Do I need to describe the Marble Palace to you? Or how about the Grass Seas? They make up the northern border between Dolinar and Ahklham, and are covered in Tallgrass as far as the eye can see. You can ride for days and see nothing but fields of yellowed stalks spreading out in every direction unless you're near a river. The seas are home to dozens of nomadic tribes, each with their own histories and customs, and if you're not careful-"
"Okay, okay!" Dad says, throwing up his hands. "You're my daughter, and I should be supporting you in this. I'm sorry," he sighed, and meets your gaze. His eyes aren't blue like yours and Max's, they're brown. It's the only the only physical trait you got from your mother. "I'm sorry. It's just...you're saying I've missed thirteen years of your life. I've only just started looking out for boys you're interested in, and now you're telling me that you've skipped right past that. I don't have to worry about grandchildren, right?" The grin on his face is joking, but you can see the seriousness in it.
"No, no grandchildren," you said, returning the smile. You don't mention how you'd been hoping for that to change. You weren't even sure if you were ever going to tell them about Gareth or not.
"So, what are you gonna do now?" Max said, interjecting back into the conversation. "I mean, you're still pretty lame, even with magic, but don't tell me your lame enough to just pretend you're normal for the rest of your life?"
You breath out a laugh, sitting back in your seat. "I've spent enough time in the center of public attention for two worlds. Not really sure I want to go public with my magic. But no, I don't think I'm going to pretend it isn't a thing. It's too integral to big a part of who I am." That was putting it mildly. Depending on how you looked at it, you were technically haunted for the rest of your life. Of course, since you and Draschal shared the same soul it was more like he was just a part of you that you didn't have complete control over, it didn't really work out like that. Best you could do was stay out of the public eye and not draw attention.
"Are you going to try to find a way back to Dolinar?" Max asked, "Could we come with? I mean, it'd be pretty wicked to the brother of royalty. I'd get to order servants around and do whatever I want. Hel-heck," he glanced at Dad, who eyed him at the near curse. "I could serve in your army. How cool would that be?"
"I'm not sure," you said. "I have no idea how I wound up here again, let alone how to go back. The summoning ritual is finicky at the best of times, and I'm not sure if it would work again."
"Well, regardless," Dad said, rising to his feet. "Whatever you decide to do with your future, the present also needs tending to. Tomorrow's Saturday, so you've got the weekend at least, but you need to think about what to do in the short-term. How about I make some cheesy chicken and pasta as a welcome home dish, is that still a favorite of yours?"
"Actually, yeah," you say, smiling. "Pastas weren't really a big thing in Dolinar. I think I would like some."
"Well, there you go," Dad said, walking towards the kitchen as Max ran after him. You followed after them, trying not to think about how the smile on your dad's face had looked a little forced. It was only natural after all, to be uncertain about all these new developments.
What are Lucy's goals for the weekend? (Pick Two)
[] Spend time with your friends, Ammanda and Jen. They sent some worried texts to you when they heard you were sick, but you've only responded with perfunctory messages. You don't remember everything about them, but there's really only one way to fix that.
[] Spend time reconnecting with your family. They both took it well all things considered, but maybe spending some time with them would be good for both of you.
[] Brush up on your school work to make sure you know what's what. You have a math test you'll need to study for, and doubtless your knowledge for the other subjects has faded a bit.
[] Tap back into the news feeds. If there's one thing you learned in Dolinar, it's how valuable having information can be. Even if you don't expect anything to come out of it, it's worth keeping an ear to the ground.
What is Lucy's long term goal, the end result she wants to achieve, no matter how unlikely (Pick One).
[] Find a way back to Dolinar and back to the life you have there. You don't think you'll ever be able to go back, you're not even sure if it's possible or not. But if you had to choose between your life on Karas and your life here on Earth, you know which one you would choose.
[] Work on having as normal a life as possible. Your time in Dolinar is over. While you're not sure you would've wanted to make the break, it's been made, and it's time to move on. Best to just try and get back to who you were before.
[] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
[] write-in, subject to approval.
[X] Spend time with your friends, Amanda and Jen. They sent some worried texts to you when they heard you were sick, but you've only responded with perfunctory messages. You don't remember everything about them, but there's really only one way to fix that.
[X] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
[X] Spend time reconnecting with your family. They both took it well all things considered, but maybe spending some time with them would be good for both of you.
[X] Brush up on your school work to make sure you know what's what. You have a math test you'll need to study for, and doubtless your knowledge for the other subjects has faded a bit.
[X] Work on having as normal a life as possible. Your time in Dolinar is over. While you're not sure you would've wanted to make the break, it's been made, and it's time to move on. Best to just try and get back to who you were before.
[x] Brush up on your school work to make sure you know what's what. You have a math test you'll need to study for, and doubtless your knowledge for the other subjects has faded a bit.
[x] Tap back into the news feeds. If there's one thing you learned in Dolinar, it's how valuable having information can be. Even if you don't expect anything to come out of it, it's worth keeping an ear to the ground.
[x] Become a RULER. Get into a politics and lead your nation into the brightest future.
[X] Spend time reconnecting with your family. They both took it well all things considered, but maybe spending some time with them would be good for both of you.
[X] Brush up on your school work to make sure you know what's what. You have a math test you'll need to study for, and doubtless your knowledge for the other subjects has faded a bit.
[X] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
[X] Spend time with your friends, Ammanda and Jen. They sent some worried texts to you when they heard you were sick, but you've only responded with perfunctory messages. You don't remember everything about them, but there's really only one way to fix that.
[X] Spend time reconnecting with your family. They both took it well all things considered, but maybe spending some time with them would be good for both of you.
[X] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
Eh, homework can go blow. We got a ghost we can ask to peep at other people's answers
[X] Spend time reconnecting with your family. They both took it well all things considered, but maybe spending some time with them would be good for both of you.
[X] Brush up on your school work to make sure you know what's what. You have a math test you'll need to study for, and doubtless your knowledge for the other subjects has faded a bit.
[X] Work on having as normal a life as possible. Your time in Dolinar is over. While you're not sure you would've wanted to make the break, it's been made, and it's time to move on. Best to just try and get back to who you were before.
X] Spend time reconnecting with your family. They both took it well all things considered, but maybe spending some time with them would be good for both of you.
[X] Brush up on your school work to make sure you know what's what. You have a math test you'll need to study for, and doubtless your knowledge for the other subjects has faded a bit.
[X] Tap back into the news feeds. If there's one thing you learned in Dolinar, it's how valuable having information can be. Even if you don't expect anything to come out of it, it's worth keeping an ear to the ground.
[X] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
In the end we need to verify that we are actually on a world without magic or if there are others like us.
[X] Brush up on your school work to make sure you know what's what. You have a math test you'll need to study for, and doubtless your knowledge for the other subjects has faded a bit.
[X] Tap back into the news feeds. If there's one thing you learned in Dolinar, it's how valuable having information can be. Even if you don't expect anything to come out of it, it's worth keeping an ear to the ground.
[X] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
[x] Spend time reconnecting with your family. They both took it well all things considered, but maybe spending some time with them would be good for both of you.
[x] Tap back into the news feeds. If there's one thing you learned in Dolinar, it's how valuable having information can be. Even if you don't expect anything to come out of it, it's worth keeping an ear to the ground.
[x] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
Okay, currently Schoolwork and New life on Earth are in the lead, but your second action is a tie between family and news. I didn't do any writing for this today, so I'll give it another two hours for tiebreakers before deciding to just flip a coin.
[x] Brush up on your school work to make sure you know what's what. You have a math test you'll need to study for, and doubtless your knowledge for the other subjects has faded a bit.
[x] Tap back into the news feeds. If there's one thing you learned in Dolinar, it's how valuable having information can be. Even if you don't expect anything to come out of it, it's worth keeping an ear to the ground.
[x] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
[x] Spend time reconnecting with your family. They both took it well all things considered, but maybe spending some time with them would be good for both of you.
[x] Brush up on your school work to make sure you know what's what. You have a math test you'll need to study for, and doubtless your knowledge for the other subjects has faded a bit.
[x] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
[X] Spend time with your friends, Ammanda and Jen. They sent some worried texts to you when they heard you were sick, but you've only responded with perfunctory messages. You don't remember everything about them, but there's really only one way to fix that.
[X] Spend time reconnecting with your family. They both took it well all things considered, but maybe spending some time with them would be good for both of you.
[X] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
A/N: Sorry this took so long, family slowed me down a bit, and I needed to work on my outline for the quest's future (it's still so barebones though ;_; )
[X] Spend time reconnecting with your family. They both took it well all things considered, but maybe spending some time with them would be good for both of you.
[X] Brush up on your school work to make sure you know what's what. You have a math test you'll need to study for, and doubtless your knowledge for the other subjects has faded a bit.
[X] Make a new life here on Earth. You won't ever be able to return to who you were before you were summoned to Dolinar, but considering all the magics you know, going back to that world seems just as unlikely. You can't return to who you were, but you can at least forge a new identity for yourself. A magic user in a world without magic.
You let out a frustrated groan, leaning back in your chair and away from the evil papers laid out on the dining room table. You kneaded your brow to ease the tension, collecting your thoughts. The clock said it was just past one in the afternoon, which meant you'd been studying for five hours. Not the worst workload you've had, administering a growing empire could be a nightmare, but that didn't make it easier. Saturdays used to be your break day. Math had been tricky, but in the end trigonometry was pretty straight forward. All of the numbers were solid and concrete, with none of the uncertainties involved in logistics or tax collections. Same for physics. The real problem was with French. It was just so, different from what you were used to, full of gendered words and with a structure that, at times, didn't make sense. And so many letters had different pronunciations even though they used the same alphabet.
It gave you a new appreciation for the headaches you had never had to deal with on Dolinar.
"Having trouble remembering how to parlez-vu Francis, blondie?" Max asked, sitting down across from you with his own textbooks.
"'Parlez-vous Francais'," you say, pinching the bridge of your nose. "And yes, I am. On Karas, everyone spoke Dolinic, so there was no need to learn another language. For that, I'm grateful."
"Pfft, yeah right. I'm not dumb enough to buy that one language covered an entire globe."
You glared at the cheeky smile he's giving you, seriously tempted to reach over and bop him on the head. "You know what I meant. Dolinar had been the power in the area for near seven hundred years; if it wasn't a country's native language you can be sure it was their trade language. Everyone important spoke it, and in Dolinar it was all people spoke."
"Seriously?" he asked, unfolding his history book. Looked like it was on the World Wars. "The nobles didn't use foreign languages as a way to one up each other? They're normally all over that."
"Please," You scoff. "Dolinar's nobility were a bunch of pompous as- jerks, obsesed with the lost glory and prestige of the Empire. Speaking another language was seen as lacking integrity and pride. Actually worked to my advantage, one less thing I needed to do to gain respect." Although, Hrammic had been creeping into the western fringes as the families with strong trade connections to Hramaya grew in power. You had always meant to look into that, once all the fires had been put out. Now it looks like you never will.
Max looked at her for a few moments, before looking down at his book. The conversation over, you leaned forwards to dive back into the confusing world of French. For a few minutes, the two of you sat there in comfortable silence.
"What was it like?" Max asked, breaking the quiet. You quirked an eyebrow at him, and a flush crept onto his face. "Being Queen, I mean. Ruling an entire kingdom couldn't have been easy, especially for you."
You cradle your chin in the palm of your hand, thinking on it. You spent thirteen years wrangling Dolinar back into some semblance of order. How did you describe that? "You know how a lot of stories get to the hero reclaiming their throne and then end? As if getting there was the hard part was getting there? Well let me tell you, that's easy. The hard part is fixing all the problems without getting everyone pissed off at you."
Max tilted his head to the side, and you smiled. "Everyone knew there were problems with the Empire and wanted someone to fix it, but they all expected to not be hurt by the process. The barons and counts all wanted me to finance the army and protect their lands, but didn't want me to stop them from skimming off the taxes they owed. The dukes and marqueses wanted me to reclaim lost lands and then leave all leave the actual ruling to them. Everyone wanted me to marry into what was left of the Imperial Family, but then not use the authority it gave me. It was like herding a pack of cats who wanted to be dogs."
"Marry?" Max asked, sitting up straight. Oh dear, you hadn't meant to say that. "You mean they forced you into a political marriage? Was he hot?" Quick, damage control, damage control!
You smiled at you brother, the kind you used in negotiations to make someone think you were letting them in on a secret. "Oh, he was decent looking enough." Hah! "But it's hard to force a girl to marry someone when she's has enough proof of corruption to strip you of all your lands and titles if you push her too far." Of course, by that point you'd been more than willing to marry Gareth, even without the boost it gave to your legitimacy.
It took a moment for Max to understand the implication, but he let out a snort when he did. "God interacting with you is so weird now."
"Oh? How so?" Topic successfully diverted!
"That right there!" He said, throwing out his hands. "You're so confident now, so...able. You haven't risen to any of my ribbing and aren't defensive at all. You're even studying during your free time! It's like, like you're a completely different person or something, and I have no idea how to handle that."
You blink in confusion. Defensive? Had you really been that insecure about your own abilities? Your memories about what life on Earth used to be like weren't the clearest, but you do remember getting angry at Max for a lot of things. And the assignments shoved into your folders were all marked with Cs and Bs. Now that you think about it, that A you saw on the history assignment from a month ago was the only one you found. It's easy to imagine you weren't the most secure in your own abilities.
"People change," you say, shrugging. "I spent thirteen years making backroom deals with corrupt nobles, arranging military campaigns, and studying magic. I had to rise to the challenge if I wanted any hope of not getting swept away by it all."
"I guess," Max sighed, gnawing at his lower lip. "It's just...weird." He turned back to his textbook.
"Hey," you lean forwards, placing you hand over his. "I know it's a lot to take in, but I'm still your sister. That hasn't changed."
He nodded, but didn't say anything. After a few moments, you pulled your own hand back and returned to your work as well.
-------------
Sunday morning finds you in much the same position as Saturday, only this time it's at the breakfast table. The crumbs of your breakfast litter the plate pushed off to the side, and you're nursing a cup of coffee as you review your notes for The Great Gatsby. There's not as much as you'd like, but they're enough to give you a reference point as you skim back through the tome.
"Morning, sunshine," someone says, and you glance up to see your dad standing in the doorway, hair still mussed with bedhead. "You're up early."
You glance at the clock hanging next to the stove, "It's already ten in the morning, not that early. Most work schedules start before now."
"True, but it is the weekend. Usually you like to sleep in." He walked over to the counter and swished the coffee brewer. "You made coffee?" There's a hint of disbelief in his tone as he glanced back at you.
"Mmhmm," you hum, sipping the last dregs from your mug. "Dolinar didn't have its own fields, too temperate, but we imported a plant from the southern continent which was a close analogue. It isn't the exact same, bit more spicy, but it's just as much a stimulant as coffee. You might want to reheat that though, it's been a few hours."
"Yeah, you're right," he said, pouring what was left into a mug of his own and placing it into the microwave. Convenient that. Steel mages were good for a lot of stuff, but automatic heating wasn't something that anyone had figured out. Too energy intensive and complex.
"So, going over your schoolwork?" Dad asking, pulling his coffee out and taking a sip at it. How could he stand to drink it straight like that? It was so bitter! "Any plans to hang out with Amanda or Jen later today?"
You shake your head, making a note in the margin. "I barely remember any of my coursework. I need to go over them if I have any hope of keeping up in school."
"Smart thing to do, especially since final exams are only a month away."
"Right," you grimace, turning back to your notes as you flip to another chapter. "I forgot about those." Just wonderful, more things you need to prepare for. You'll need to make study plans, research into what your school's tests were like, and come up with notes on any surprises a teacher might throw at you. It seemed like life on Earth was not as easy as you remembered it being.
The silence hung in the air between you and Dad for a few moments, before he broke it by sitting down in his chair and glancing at your notes. "Um, Sunshine? That's not English, as far as I can tell."
You paused, glancing down at the notes you'd been scribbling in the margins before sighing in frustration. Not only had you been writing in Dolinic script, which was all hard angles and straight lines, but you'd been using the shorthand you and your close advisors had developed so as to prevent casual spying. You could read it just fine, a bonus of being so intune with your past life, but if anyone looked at your book they'd immediately know something was up. Not exactly staying below notice.
"Going to need to rewrite the last two hours of work," you grumble to yourself, flipping back through the book's pages to find that, yes, all your notes were written in the shorthand. Wonderful. You are a master of stealth.
"Is it that big a deal?" Dad asked. "Not a lot of people are going to be looking at your book, are they?"
"English classes involve a lot of group work, especially when it comes to review," you say. "And we have to share books whenever someone forgets theirs. So unless I want to constantly explain away a script that doesn't exist on Earth, it is that big a deal. Don't want more people to know about Dolinar."
"Why?" Dad asks, his tone too casual. You glance up, and he's sitting back in his chair, hands folded across his chest. His body's relaxed, casual even. But unlike you he hasn't spent years navigating through the Imperial Court. Something's nagging at him, but you're not sure what. "Was Dolinar really that bad?"
"What? No, no," you shake your head, a smile crossing your face. "Dolinar was a wonderful place, I wouldn't trade it for the world. It's just, any convincing explanation wouldn't stay secret for long. Before I knew it the media would be on me and I'd make international news." You fiddle with your empty mug, looking at the bits of hardened sugar sitting on the bottom. "I've spent more than enough time in the spotlight. For now at least, I want to live without all the attention."
Your dad eyes you for a few minutes, before nodding. "Alright, if you're-" he's not looking as he reaches for his mug, and his fingers scrape against the side. That sends it tumbling over the edge and crashing to the floor. Dad bites off a curse as drops of coffee and shards of pottery scatter across the floor, instead letting out a frustrated growl. "Just great. Give me a moment while I go get the broom and dustpan."
"It's okay," you say, getting out of your chair and kneeling to the ground and beginning to pick up the larger pieces, "I've got something that can help." In a few moments, you've got almost the entire mug, minus a few small slivers, piled on the table. You press your finger against the pile, and whisper the spell under your breath. "Durbahl Maleneik." The pieces shift and slide against each other, pulling and restructuring until, in a few moments, the mug is sitting before you, whole and unbroken. You pick it up and hold it out to your dad, smiling. "I can't do anything about the coffee, and you might not want to put this in the microwave, but it should be good as new."
Dad reaches forward cautiously and takes the mug from you, cradling it in one big, meaty hand. "Huh, how about that," he glances at you, offering a quiet smile. "You know, if you're ever less shy about your magic, you could make a killing in repair work."
You accept the compliment for what it is, and scoff. "Please, if I did that manufacturers the world over would unionize to stop me from ruining their planned obsolescence."
As if that would stop you, Draschal whispered. Even the King of Taumun with all his armies and warbeasts couldn't intimidate you, what could a bunch of CEOs bring to bare against you? Your smile becomes more genuine at the joke, and you return to your work as Dad moves to the living room to do some reading.
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"Okay you two, we're here" Dad said as the van pulled up to the curb. "You know what you're doing?" he asks you, face creased with worry.
"Of course," you say, pulling your bookbag from between your knees. You'd reviewed your schedule and the school's floor plan, so there's no risk of getting lost. "Classes from eight to eleven, then an hour of lunch, then classes again from twelve to three. You're at the station, so I'll take the bus back. It's just a day of school, I can handle that easily."
"'Easily' she says," Max mutters, hopping out of the backseat onto the sidewalk. "I'm going on ahead, don't want to get caught associating with my sister." With that, he moved joining up with the hundreds of other students streaming past into the central building.
"Okay," Dad says. "Check up on your friends, bet they have some things to say to you."
You suppress a wince and nod, hopping out of the car. You had given perfunctory text messages to your friends over the weekend, playing at being sick, but the tones of their responses made it clear that they had something they wanted to talk to you about. You still hadn't decided if you would let them in on the secret, but until you hope you could at least deflect their attention.
You make your way through the halls of the school to your locker. No one pays attention to you as you walk past, just another part of the crowd of students. To them, you're not the Lioness, noble and majestic and legendary. Hells, you don't think most of them know your name. It's an odd feeling, not being the center of attention. Just an unobtrusive drop in the bucket.
It doesn't stay that way however. You're about ten feet away from the locker when a girl steps out in front of you, deliberately blocking your path. Suddenly everyone has an excuse to be looking somewhere else, even though you can feel their attention on you. You don't recognize her face, but you easily recognize her type. She's tall, with long platinum blonde hair and a developed body that would have boys drooling over her. The makeup has been carefully applied to her face, and you wouldn't be surprised if those earrings were actual silver. She's the type of person who likes to dominate social interactions, to be at the top of the pile not for any particular reason, but just because that way she can say she was at the top. In the early years, those like her had been your strongest opponents.
"Well, look who finally decided to come back to school," the girl said, affecting an air of disinterest. "You know, because you didn't show up to school last Friday, our project report didn't get turned in. I had to talk to Mr. Cleaton and convince him to allow you to turn it in today. You'd best stop by his office before final period."
You frowned at the girl, remembering the project in question. It had been a laboratory report for Physics. If you remembered correctly, the teacher for that class chose the groups and didn't leave it for the students. The report file had been sitting in your email, completed, and you had sent it to your partner late last Thursday. The text had angrily said your partner could be the one to hand it in, since you'd done all the work yourself. Which meant this was girl was Cecile. You don't remember her, not even her face, but that wasn't surprising. After thirteen years you'd barely remembered the names and faces of your friends and family. But have a good idea what happened. Cecile probably told you to finish hand the report in yourself, or something similar. You were probably really frustrated by the end, and had decided to spite her. Now, she was putting you in your place for being so uppity.
How do you respond?
[] Apologize and promise to turn in the report some time later today.
[] Point out that you sent it to her late last Thursday night.
[] Ignore her and walk past to your locker. You'll turn the report in later, since she's obviously not going to.
[] Write-in
