Chapter 44 : Tempus fugit (An appointment/Back to school)

 

The Thompson’s house basement, The Thompson house, Forest Hills, Queens, New York, 27th of January, 13:57, in Rosie Thompson’s mind.

 

As she was fussing about her youngest daughter’s outfit one more time, Rosie couldn’t really stop some last time jitters from cramping her stomach.

 

The mother of the Thompson’s household had asked her new addition, Aria, if she was willing to come with them to their appointment with the still unknown Mr. Drumm that was supposed to handle her daughter’s introduction to the magical art.

 

Blessedly, she had readily agreed, and was offering a rather comforting presence to both the middle-aged woman and her daughter, standing next to Jessie with an encouraging hand rubbing her shoulder.

 

If she had to admit it, Rosie was still a little on the fence about the golden girl, whose outfit was, luckily, just a rather discreet black shoulderless one piece dress, with stockings and plain platform shoes today. Yes, she had brought back her son, and Rosie was grateful for it, but she also had brought all that recent craziness in passing.

 

Rosie also suspected that Aria had had a heavier impact on Harrison’s change of attitude that the girl would probably admit, but she’ll never be so crass as to complain about it.

 

No, what made the matron a bit uncomfortable was the knowledge that she had shared a roof with the family since November and Rosie hadn’t even realized it.

 

Granted, it had been the most reasonable choice for Aria in her situation, but Rosie was still bewildered that she just bought into the ‘I’m amnesic, sorry’ act without even twitching.

 

It would be more accurate to say that Rosie was a little peeved about herself, but the mind being irrational at times was also low-key blaming Aria for circumstances beyond herself.

 

Rosie shook her head, eyeing her youngest once more as they waited for the portal thingamajig that Aria had assured her truly existed in her basement to activate.

 

“You promised me to be on your best behavior.” Rosie chided her daughter for the nth time while straightening her already pristine Sunday's best, “So I’m going to hold you on it. You’ll be polite and you won't cut the adults when they speak.”

 

“Yes, mum.” Jessie mumbled as she squirmed under the attention, her own attitude a mix of fed up and anxious under her mother’s ministrations.

 

“It’ll be fine.” Aria interjected gently with her beautiful alto of a voice, “Jessie knows that it is important and that you won’t be the only one to be extremely disappointed if she misbehave,” She sing-songed while directing an elegantly arched eyebrow toward her daughter, “Isn’t that right, munchkin ?”

 

Rosie’s daughter held the expectant look of her now adoptive one for a few seconds, before surrendering, shoulder sagging.

 

“I know.” Jessie mumbled under her breath, “And am not a munchkin.”

 

Aria chuckled while hiding her mouth cutely while Rosie slowly shook her head.

 

The golden girl had been right about one thing when they talked yesterday. She had unwittingly captivated the attention of her youngest something fierce.

 

Only God knew if it’ll have a positive or negative impact down the line, but Rosie was oddly optimistic about it.

 

Jessie had opened up dramatically since Aria barged into their life, and the need to satisfy the golden girl's rather reasonable expectations was now so deeply ingrained in her that Rosie had her work cut out for her now.

 

“Alright, come here.” Aria said as she pulled her youngest toward her bosom, “Last minute comfort hug before the appointment.”

 

Rosie had to repress a smile as Jessie mock-squirmed under the attention, but she relented with barely dissimulated delight when a second pair of arms momentarily joined the first to smother her well-hidden anxiety.

 

A low hum interrupted the moment, Aria’s attention snapping toward something in Rosie’s back as a light red-orange glow started to dye the surrounding.

 

Rosie made an about turn just in time to assist at the birth of a levitating circle floating in mid-air above the metal plate covered in sigils that Aria had called an ‘anchor’.

 

She had to refrain her jaw from going slack as she belatedly realized that, yes, she had a portal thingamajig in her basement.

 

The portal appeared to be a little unstable, oscillating between two extremes in size, but never little enough to forbid an adult to go through. The circle itself was like some kind of a  welding cut through reality herself, and its glow immediately evoked the one of magma in Rosie’s mind.

 

On the other side of the portal was an antechamber, its door open on what appeared to be the main hall of a victorian era type building, complete with a massive staircase adorned with statues on each side. Rosie could almost smell the wealth from here, as odd as it sounded.

 

“Chop-chop, no time to waste.” Aria cheerfully said, pulling Rosie back from her thoughts, “Let’s not make Mr. Drumm waits longer than we should, it’s perfectly safe anyway!”

 

The golden girl had barely ended her sentence then Jessie scampered through the aperture through space and time with a ‘whoop’, startling and inciting Rosie to follow her without any second thoughts.

 

As she went through, scowling a little at her youngest whose head was on a swivel, gapping at the decor, she felt something suddenly weigh on her shoulder. Like the atmosphere was now hellbent on making its presence known to her.

 

Magic, she suspected.

 

God, this will take some time to get used to.

 

To the right side, watching intently her little bundle of prepubertal excitement, stood a tall bald man from african descent. The man was clad in a garb that compared favorably with a buddhist robe, if it had been crossed with a more mystical outfit, like, say, a sorcerer’s.

 

As she stepped behind her, Rosie heard Aria’s greeting.

 

“Greetings, Mr. Drumm.” She said with a little respectful bow of her head, “Let me introduce you to Rosie and Jessie Thompson.”

 

“Greetings, Aria.” The man answered, eyes dancing with mirth as Jessie finally took his presence in and dropped into a little curtsy, cheeks burning.

 

Rosie sighed lightly, absentmindedly wondering how her youngest had learned to greet strangers that way.

 

It apparently did make a good impression on their hosts, so no harm done.

 

Stepping aside of her daughter, Rosie introduced herself.

 

“Well met, Mr. Drumm.” Rosie said, bowing her head a little in turn as she decided that Aria probably had the ins and outs of this place better than her, “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”

 

For now.

 

“Greetings, Master Drumm.” Jessie said, her tone a little forceful due to her anxiety, “It’s an honor.”

 

The man snorted good-humoredly, looking back to Aria.

 

“I take it that she’s the one ?” He asked conversationally.

 

“You’re right.” The golden girl answered with a light chuckle, stepping to Jessie’s other side to squeeze her shoulder affectionately, “And I think you won’t find that assignment as droll as you imagined.”

 

“I’m starting to think that you’re going to be right on the money on that.” He mused aloud, “But let’s take that discussion to my office, if you will.”

 

The man turned around with a flourish, directing an inviting hand toward the correct direction.

 

Taking another glance at their host, Rosie thought to herself that if sorcerers were all that well behaved and wealthy, it may not be as bad an idea to let her youngest find her calling with them.

 

“Lovely dress, by the way.” Mr. Drumm commented as they started to walk, “Quite different than your usual fare, though.”

 

“Thank you, and yes, it is.” Aria answered, her smile a little strained, which startled Rosie a little.

 

I wonder what is the story ?

 

***

Midtown High’s parking, Midtown High, Queens, New York, 28th of January, 7:51

 

“Can you please stop ?” Flash whined for the nth time as Aria and him made their way toward the school’s ground proper.

 

“Nope!” The cheeky girl answered, clinging to his arm as she beamed at him, “Twinsies for life!”

 

Groaning out loud, Flash started to wonder if having gallantly proposed to his ‘twin’ to drive the both of them to school hadn’t been a huge mistake.

 

“I can’t believe this is going to be my life from now on.” Flash monotoned, his eyes scanning the assembling crowd.

 

“But you love me!” Aria said with mock-outrage, a hand shielding her heart as crocodile tears started to pearl at the corner of her eyes.

 

Flash snorted, lightly shaking his head at the girl’s antics.

 

“Some adult you are.” He teased back and she sputtered.

 

“You take that back, you oaf!” She pouted while yanking his arm.

 

Flash chuckled, raising his free hand in surrender.

 

“Fine, fine, I’ll let you have all the fun you want.” He conceded, “But stop clinging to me like a limpet, pretty please?”

 

“Nope!” She beamed at him anew, humming a happy tune subvocally.

 

Flash rolled his eyes, not really feeling like fighting an uphill battle this morning.

 

His ‘twin’ was wearing an all-black outfit for the third consecutive day this morning. To his shame, it had taken him the major part of the weekend to puzzle the only logical conclusion for the monochromic choice.

 

Aria was grieving, even if she was doing so with style.

 

He had raisen a few eyebrows all by himself when she had barged in the kitchen this morning with a tank top with a crop cut, the tightest jeans he had ever seen and stilettos. The whole outfit screamed ‘I’m going to be hyper and dynamic today and everybody is going to suffer from it’.

 

His guess had been right, because everyone’s eyes were on them now and he was feeling slightly awkward about the attention.

 

Or maybe they were locked on the cute puffy blazer jacket with, of all things, an anime-style drawing of a bumblebee in a fighting stance on Aria’s back.

 

He was still wondering about that particular choice but hadn’t been vocal about it.

 

As long as those eyes kept on the bumblebee and not on Aria’s… backside asset, things should be fine.

 

“Hey, girls!” His ‘sis’ exclaimed aloud, waving excitedly in the direction of the odd group Jessica, Cindy, Gwen and Liz’ were forming aside from the entrance, drawing once more the attention of at least half the school in the process.

 

Flash really wanted to facepalm then and there, but maintained his composure with nerves of steel.

 

Quite literally.

 

Still scanning everything in sight with his HUD as they neared the gaggle of girls, Flash absentmindedly took notice of several things with his enhanced perception.

 

Firstly, Gwendolyn Stacy just tried to repress a little swallowing motion when her eyes landed on Aria, which made Flash internally chuckle.

 

The girl was obviously so smitten it wasn’t even funny that Cindy Moon still hasn’t caught on.

 

To Gwen’s defense, his ‘twin’ definitely looked fine in those jeans.

 

Secondly, Liz’ had directed a little awkward smile in his direction, cheeks slightly flushed.

 

Flash honestly didn’t really know what to make of it if he had to be honest with himself. His involuntary sojourn in the Astral Plane had driven a wedge between Liz’ and himself.

 

She had changed too, though. She was definitely less vapid than he remembered and had apparently been under too much Aria-ness to no longer care about her grade.

 

Nonetheless, Flash had resolved himself to give her the initiative fully if she ever wanted to reignite their now old relationship. The experience had chipped his confidence a bit, especially after all the rants ‘other Aria’ had subjected him about his own treatment of womankind.

 

He still cringed about it when he looked at himself in the mirror.

 

After a polite but non committal ‘Hey girls’ from his part, Flash chose to let himself fade in the background, thoughts churning.

 

He… Couldn’t really believe he was back at school, if he had to be honest.

 

As he gazed at the familiar building that he hadn’t seen in a lifetime, he started to reminisce once again about his choices in life.

 

Flash had, at least from his perspective, a lot to atone for.

 

But doing what is right doesn’t necessarily equate with what is easy.

 

Suppressing an uncontrollable shudder running through his biomechanical body as a flashback from his time in the Astral reared its uggly head, Flash involuntarily pulled the attention of the group back to him.

 

“Are you alright Flashy?” The still clinging Aria asked, tone concerned.

 

“Am fine.” He croaked out, voice breaking a little.

 

As the other girls’ expression grew a bit complicated, Gwendolyn even starting to take a step forward, Liz’ stepped to his limpet free side to pause a comforting hand on his biceps.

 

“It’s alright, Flash.” She said soothingly, squeezing his arm a little, “We’re here for you if you need to talk, or even if you need a companionable silence.”

 

Seeing the three others nod without hesitation at the statement, even Jessica Jones, Flash smiled awkwardly.

 

“Thanks for the support, I really appreciate it.” He said genially.

 

“That’s the least we can do.” Gwen answered gently.

 

“The fact that I’m honor bound to do so notwithstanding.” Aria quipped back, nodding to herself.

 

As a slew of interrogative looks were directed her way, the still clinging girl took a mock-solemn pose, hand on her heart as if she was swearing before a trial.

 

“After all, as the older twin, I owe Flashy my boundless support.” She declared grandly.

 

“Won’t you ever stop?” Flash deadpanned as four different chuckles were heard.

 

“Nope!” She answered back, beaming once more, “Twinsies for life!”

 

Flash groaned once more as the first bell period started to ring.

 

This woman is going to be the death of me.

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