Chapter 13: Chapter 52 – Ange & Tamara

Tamara raced downstairs, ready for her fifth day of school. This would mark the end of her first week, and although it had a rocky start, she was looking better and better. Whether it was the advice I gave, the school did something about it, or the bullying stopped on its own, everyone was glad for her.

"Good morning!" she exclaimed brightly, plopping down on the island counter and waiting eagerly for breakfast.

"Just a sec, I'm almost done." 

I plated a tower of pancakes and fetched the syrup from the fridge. Since her diet also required a lot of vegetables, I tossed a large helping of mixed salad and fruits to cleanse the palate.

The new student went right to chomping away at it all, filling her mouth until the cheeks bulged and needed a glass of milk to chase it down.

My cooking was good, I knew that as much. Watching her eat and squeal with delight reminded me of Cresta's first time at Rocket Burger. The way they devoured everything I gave them put a smile on my face. I was beginning to understand the joys of being a parent.

Cresta entered the kitchen staring into her phone. She wasn't in her work uniform, which I thought was odd because her days off were on the weekend.

"Guuf morhing, Hreshta!" Tamara greeted her dorm mate with a mouthful of greens.

"Rocket Burger took me off the schedule today. What gives?" She frowned.

"Ah, yes. Welcome to the hourly wage industry, where employers shaft you of working hours to keep you from getting benefits, and reschedule you to shittier timeslots." I slid a plate of pancakes and a bowl of fruits to her.

Cresta took a seat next to Tamara and went straight to detangling the bed of woolen hair with her claws.

"If I can't work, can I goto school with Tamara?" she asked.

"Can she?" Tamara turned to me with pleading eyes.

"Absolutely not! Cresta's not even a student," I reminded them.

That among other reasons. Someone like myself could pick up a visitor's card at the faculty office, but Cresta was a different story.

Ange came downstairs with a textbook in her hand. "You left this in your room, young lady."

"Ehehe… I keep forgetting to put my stuff away after doing homework," Tamara said, scratching her horn in embarrassment.

"Your toothbrush is dry. Are you forgetting to brush first thing in the morning?" she asked.

"Ah! I forgot!" 

After scarfing everything down, she raced to the communal bathroom to do her dental hygiene. The succubus continued to drill Tamara until it was time to leave.

When we got to school, Tamara was no longer hesitating to leave. She was her same excited self again just like the first day.

"By the way, I packed extra sandwiches inside." I handed Tamara her usual lunchbox, but it was heavier this time around. "Share some with people you want to make friends with. Quickest way to someone's heart is through their stomach after all."

"Is that a secret assassination trick I don't know about?" the former assassin asked.

"I thought I won your heart through your lower body?" the succubus interjected.

"Will the peanut gallery please refrain from chiming in!" I sighed.

Tamara unzipped the lunchbag to reveal a bunch of sandwiches stuffed into it. That's all there was.

"Hehe. Thanks," she said. "I'll do my best today, too! Bye-bye!"

Ange watched like a loving mother would her child skipping off to school.

"You always seem to know what to say to her. I wish I could be like that for her, too," she lamented.

Crsta and I looked at each other, slightly dumbfounded. It didn't seem like Ange had realized how much she meant to Tamara.

We came back much later after playing around in the city to pick up Tamara. 

It seemed by a group of people Tamara was hanging out with, she had in fact made some friends. While I'd like to credit my sandwiches, the girl herself did most of the legwork. Things were finally looking up, and Tamara would really have the school life she dreamed of.

"See. You just needed to trust that she had it in her," I said to Ange.

"She does look much happier. Maybe you're right. Telling her now would only bring her unnecessary hurt. As long as we can be a family like this, it is all I want." The succubus smiled warmly as Tamara trotted towards us.

Unfortunately, the universe seemed to have other plans.

As Tamara and her group of friends went their separate ways, a pair of girls who looked to be seniors were giving her a bad look. She couldn't have seen them. Cresta might have noticed if she wasn't distracted with watching Tamara.

One of the girls pretended to walk the opposite way, then tripped Tamara off the sidewalk. She staggered and fell face first into the field. The three of us in the car gasped that anyone could have done such a horrible thing.

I exited out my side of the door in time to hear something even worse.

"You're a sheep, right? How does the grass taste down there?" the other girl asked.

Both of them burst into laughter.

Tamara lifted her head. She was on the verge of tears, covered in a mixed slush of dirt and snow.

Instructor Elaine and two campus security officers who watched it unfold were racing to the incident. Then they froze in their tracks.

Everyone froze.

It took me a second to realize what was happening. Ange had also exited the car but levitated into the air, both hands brimming with magic. She lifted the two now-terrified girls off the ground to a height that would seriously injure them.

"Ange, stop! Put them down safely!" I shouted, but she wasn't listening.

My mind was racing. No way in hell Professor Markel didn't know what was going on right now. With all the magic she was using to stop all those people must be raising alarm bells.

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"To think humans can be just as cruel as demons. Perhaps I shall teach you fiends a lesson in cruelty by a true demon?" Ange snarled and sent the girls flying.

"Cresta!"

"On it!"

She leapt from the car and caught the two before they became ketchup stains on the asphalt. In the same breath, she yanked the succubus back to the ground. All this in a matter of seconds.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Cresta yelled at Ange, keeping her pinned to the ground until Tamara ran up to them.

"It's okay! I'm okay, look! Just a little dirty, but I'm okay," Tamara said, holding Ange by her hand.

The act snapped the succubus from her wrathful trance. She stared at her two hands, then at me as the outburst dawned on her.

Whatever spell kept people frozen in place had ceased. Many of them understandably started running away in fear. I quickly checked my phone to see if the professor had sent me a text or call. Nothing. The fact that he was silent scared me more than anything.

Out of nowhere, an alarm sounded across the immediate area. I recognized the sound from training. A big brother monitoring system that signalled anytime a netherfolk demonstrated serious threats of harm and destruction.

Instructor Elaine alone raced up to our van in panic. She knew what it was, too.

"I'm terribly sorry I wasn't able to stop this from happening," the instructor apologized repeatedly and profusely.

No amount of apologizing would do anything now. Ines had warned me about Ange, but I brushed it off. Was this my fault? Should I have left Ange at home to begin with? Or done more to ensure that Tamara wouldn't have been bullied.

"Everyone, get in the car. We're going home," I said.

The instructor stood at the edge of the curb as my tenants entered the car. I hoped that nothing was going to come of it. That it would be overlooked like every other time.

I was wrong.

As we neared home, a roadblock was erected by a large number of special forces operatives. Armored vehicles blocked the way, guns infused with magic crystals were trained on us, and our only possible savior Professor Markel was nowhere to be seen.

"Please, step out of the vehicle with your hands in the air!" someone shouted in the intercom.

"W-What's happening?" Tamara asked.

"They have come for me," Ange answered solemnly, then stepped out of the car with her hands raised.

Remmy and Ines were on the other side of the blockade, scared of their wits.

"They raided the dorm a few minutes ago! What the hell's going on?" Ines yelled.

The rest of us emerged from the car as Ange walked forward to her fate. I watched helplessly as the person I loved surrendered herself.

"There's got to be another way," Cresta said, tugging on my shirt. "She was only trying to protect Tamara, right?"

Wordlessly, I shook my head.

Ange sighed and smiled at me. "I'm sorry. You were one of the best things to happen to me. At the very least, I may be able to visit you two when you arrive in Weyera."

While Cresta and I were stunned, Tamara found the courage to resist. She tackled Ange from behind and nearly knocked her off her feet.

"But I don't want you to leave. It's not fair!" the girl wept.

"No, it is only fair." Ange's voice was quivering. There was somehow just as much pain as there was relief. "I have been keeping a secret from you for far too long— I'm the reason your parents are gone. If I hadn't a horde to that village, they—"

"I knew!" Tamara screamed, arms still wrapped around Ange's waist as if afraid to let her go.

The succubus sucked in a sharp breath.

"King Tarcosa told me a long time ago," she continued as tears welled in the corner of her eyes. "I didn't know you were hurting from it, so I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"Apologize… for what?" Ange glanced over her shoulder and put a hand over her mouth as she, too, began to tear up.

"Because I've forgiven you a long time ago already! And I'm not going to let you, who's warm and kind like my mama, go!" Tamara squeezed tighter, enough that it was clear on Ange's face that she was losing her will to leave. The two of them dropped to the ground and embraced, crying into the other's shoulders. Some of the operatives lowered their weapons, but others had their fingers stiff at the trigger.

I knew they had a job to do.

So did I, and did the only thing a caretaker with his tenant's best interest in mind could. I put myself between the two of them and the heavily armed operatives. The guns that could vaporize me with powerful magic didn't even faze me anymore.

"Professor Markel, I know you can hear me! If anyone should be punished, it's me and not Ange! I'm the one who failed to keep her in check. Let her stay, fire me if you have to!" I shouted.

The professor exited from one of the armored vehicles with a small kit tucked under his arm. He walked up to me and unzipped it in front of us, revealing a syringe with a bright yellow liquid.

"You have a choice to return to Weyera or lose your magic for good. This is the best I can offer you," he said.

I was about to protest, but Ange didn't hesitate. She took the syringe and stabbed it into her arm.

Professor Markel nodded, then twirled his finger twice in the air. All at once, the special forces packed up and began to leave. Like nothing had happened here at all.

"Akira, you're lucky the next assignment is too important to let you go for." Leaving me with that final comment, he entered the last vehicle and drove off.

The entire dorm was left in the middle of the road. Remmy and Ines came running to us.

"I don't believe it… my magic truly is gone," Ange whispered, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"I'm so glad you're not leaving me…" Tamara wrapped her arms around Ange's neck.

"It was no choice at all. I wanted to stay," she replied, returning the gesture by stroking the girl's back.

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