"The point of this session is for those who I haven't seen summon a familiar yet to make an attempt to do so. I'd like you all to practice because this will be a part of your midterm and final exams," Mr. Huffling ordered.
We all nodded and moved to different areas of the field, Braxton, Kage and I went to the corner of the field near the fence. Kage had been on the quiet side for the majority of lunch, only adding occasional comments to our conversation, so unlike his usual inquisitive nature. Zane had been in the cafeteria, sitting on the other side with his two friends and a few others. They didn't seem very powerful, their magic aura weak in my opinion compared to Zane's but he looked excited to be around them.
It was like viewing the popular table and knowing who belonged and who didn't. It made me rather happy it was an all-boy school so we didn't need to deal with girls squealing and fighting to get to sit with those guys, each trying to claim one of them as their boyfriend.
We were three and a half hours into class and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I was really tired now, wishing I was able to get a good night’s sleep to help me feel more energized, especially on days like today when we had to use a lot more magic.
I mentally had to encourage myself that I'd be home within an hour after I took a shower and walked home. The only bonus was getting to see Braxton in a towel since he was gonna stay back with me to shower. Kage barely broke a sweat in this class and said he'd walk home ahead of us and take Alice with him.
I felt more relaxed that Alice was going with him, her aura strong enough to make people wary simply by her presence. Even with the other familiars, she was the strongest out of the bunch and made them feel intimidated, or so she explained. I guess familiars had it hard too.
"I guess I can't participate in this lesson," I pointed out, looking at Alice who was falling asleep on my shoulder.
"Hoot..."she replied. "I'm semi here."
"Uh huh." I pet her soothingly. Take a nap, I'll wake you up if anything happens.
She didn't reply, falling asleep within seconds. I looked back to Braxton and Kage who both had smiles on their faces.
"Guess Kage can go for it," Braxton said as he stretched his arms.
Kage raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"
"When was the last time you summoned your familiar?" Braxton asked.
"Wait, Kage has a familiar?" I asked.
"We both do. Only Zane doesn't have one," Kage revealed. I looked back at Braxton who was observing the other students’ failed attempts.
"You never said you had a familiar. Or you, Kage," I pointed out, turning to him.
"You never asked,” they both said in unison. I let out a huff, moving over to sit on one of the large rocks near the fence.
"Alright, Secret Brothers. One of you has to show me your familiar. My female side requests it," I stressed. I wasn't worried about anyone hearing me since we were the only ones on this side of the field, but I was seriously intrigued to know what familiar they both had.
"We weren’t keeping it a secret," Braxton defended. I gave him a glare and he gave a cute pout as he looked everywhere but at me. I turned back to Kage who sighed.
"Guess I can let Koa out. He's a show off though...hmmm."
"Koa?" I asked, like the name. Alice. ALICE!
"What...do...you...want...with...my...soul?" She fluttered her feathers, opening her eyes slightly to glare at me. Don't give me that look. Kage is gonna summon his familiar!
"So? He's probably like the rest of these ones. I'm not interested."
I had to fight not to roll my eyes. That's your lack of sleep talking. Stay awake for a bit.
"This better be good or I want ice cream," she mumbled.
You can have ice cream regardless, but sure. I turned my attention back to Kage who had his eyes closed in concentration. We waited two minutes and by that time Alice was already nodding off. Braxton walked over to me, picking Alice off my shoulder before she fell off. He sat down next to me as we continued to wait for Kage to summon his familiar.
"Does it always take this long?" I questioned. Braxton nodded while Alice hopped in his hand before she shifted. Light surrounded her and when it dimmed, it revealed a kitten.
"Hmm. Been a while since she's changed into a kitten." I mused, petting her small head.
"Meow,” she replied.
"I want you to have a picture of Braxton holding a kitten for imagination purposes," she stated proudly and I almost choked on my saliva. Alice!
"Not here," she replied, curling up in Braxton's hand and pretended to be asleep.
I groaned, crossing my arms as I glared at her. Braxton had an amused grin on his face. "You and Alice get along well for familiar and Mistress," Braxton commented.
"Huh? That's not normal?" I asked.
"Not really. Maybe it's a bond thing. Our familiars love for us depends on their mood. That's why it's taking Kage awhile," Braxton revealed. I glanced back to Kage who looked to be in deep concentration as he stood there.
"Depends on their mood? So one day they could adore you and the next they can wish you would fall off a cliff?" I summarized.
Braxton laughed, petting Alice gently."Pretty much. Maybe male familiars are more stubborn than females?"
"Is your familiar a guy?" I asked.
"Yup, but he likes to change to a she and piss people off." Braxton winked and I gave him a confused look.
"I don't see what you're implying with that wink, Mister," I mumbled and his playful grin widened.
"No hidden meaning. He just seriously loves to irritate people. Full of mischief. That's why I don't summon him unless I need to."
"Ah. I guess you wouldn't want to piss off anyone here," I mumbled more to myself than Braxton. Alice never really had behavioral issues and always listened to me when I needed her. Maybe it was because we grew up together or something.
"How long have you had your familiar for?"
"Ten years. So when I was fourteen. Kage got his when he was six I think." Braxton scrunched his face, as if trying to recall.
"You don't remember?" I asked.
"Kage hid his familiar from us thinking our Father would get rid of him," Braxton revealed.
"Oh."
Braxton placed Alice in his lap before he leaned back, using his hands to support himself as he looked up at the bright sky. "Our Father was strict and didn't allow us to have pets, so Kage assumed he'd get rid of Koa. When our parents found out, Father did want to get rid of him, but it didn't take long before we realized he was a familiar and not a normal animal. Well...it took him making a tornado in the kitchen for us to figure that out," Braxton explained, his voice low so only I'd hear the story and not to ruin Kage's concentration.
"Tornado? What kind of familiar is he?" I wondered. Maybe if it was fire, I'd think a phoenix or something. It was hard to know what a familiar's main animal was. Alice technically had three and we'd never been able to narrow it down to determine her favorite. I guess she'd choose to be human if anything but that sometimes backfires depending on the situation.
"He's a-" Braxton began but we both froze as goosebumps crawled up my skin. I quickly turned my head in time to see a large purple magic circle form above Kage who still had his eyes closed. He raised his arm up and with a flash of lightning, a bright gold form emerged, resting on his arm. Alice...
"Hmm? What's the commotion? What's with the high level of magic?" Alice questioned. I had to fight to turn my gaze from the show before me as I looked over at Alice who sat up; and little kitten’s eyes grew wide at the scene.
"Shit!" she swore and I turned back just as the light faded, revealing a huge bald eagle.
My jaw hung open at the large bird. I was mesmerized by his color alone, his feathers a mixture of white and various shades of purple. His beak was gold and his eyes were mismatched, the left gold and the right a plum purple. He stretched out his wings over Kage whose eyes were now gold.
I took a quick scan of the field and saw everyone was frozen in place. Even Mr. Huffling looked stunned where he stood, staring at Koa like he was a rare breed he'd never witnessed before.
Kage lowered his hand and sighed. "You're so damn dramatic. Always trying to make an entrance." His voice was deeper and bolder, compared to his usual quiet soft-spoken tone.
"Kiku,” Koa replied and Kade looked annoyed.
"It wastes a lot more mana when you're doing your 'let me take my sweet time to impress the girl' move," Kage pointed out.
I slowly looked at Alice who was still familiar-struck, her mouth hanging open while her paw was half up. Alice, did you break down? Alice?
I reached out and picked her up. "I think Koa's entrance broke Alice," I mumbled, shaking my familiar gently.
Braxton chuckled. "It's happened before."
"Yup. See, Koa? Dramatic entrances don't do anyone favors. Since you're here, say ‘hi’ to Jinn," Kage encouraged.
I looked up Koa who eyed me quietly. It took him thirty seconds, and then he bowed his head at me. "Wow. I'm impressed. Is he lecturing you?" Braxton asked Kage.
He shook his head. "Surprisingly not. Guess he respects you," Kage commented. Koa flew off his hand and landed on Braxton's lap.
"Ugh. Koa, you’re fucking heavy," Braxton complained but Koa looked more interested in Alice than anything.
"Alice? Maybe there's a restart spell for familiars?" I suggested, lifting Alice who was still in her frozen state.
"Kiku," Koa leaned his head forward, looking like he wanted me to bring Alice closer to him. I moved her up to him and he rubbed his head against her fuzzy cheek.
"Kiku?"
"MEOW!" Alice unfroze, wiggling in my grasp. "I THOUGHT I DIED."
"More like you were so shocked that Koa was a lot better than you expected you forgot to function," I countered out loud. Alice stilled for a moment before she scratched my hand.
"Fuck! ALICE! Don't go scratching me. Just accept the tru-OW!" I cursed when she bit me.
"DON'T GO EMBRASSING ME IN FRONT OF HIM!"
Braxton sighed. "Kage, get Koa off of me."
Kage smirked, holding out his arm. Koa flew back to his spot before a gentle breeze warped around him and he decreased into a miniature size eagle.
"He's less heavy in this form," Kage commented while I was still handling an embarrassed Alice who wouldn't stay still.
I took a deep breath before I snapped. "Alice Starfire! Bite me one more time and I'll make sure I burn every single book you own."
She froze with her right front paw up, those sharp white claws ready to make another scratch. Her purple eyes looked at me like I just told her it was the end of the world.
"Me...ow?" she whimpered. "But....but...they took me eight years to collect..."
I frowned, trying not to fall for her sad eyes but I couldn't ignore how unhappy she suddenly felt. I quickly pet her head and she curled up in my hand into a little ball with her paws hiding her face. "Fine, your collection is saved. No more scratching or biting, though. You can go talk with Koa now." I gestured at Koa who flapped his wings and flew over to us, coming to hover next to my hand where Alice sat quietly. She lifted her head up to stare at Koa who watched her intently.
"Kiku."
"Meow."
"Kiku? Ki Ku Ku."
"Meow!" Alice hopped out of my hand and began to run to another rock a few steps away. She hopped onto it and Koa landed next to her.
"What did they say?" Braxton asked.
"I have no idea. Alice usually translates for me.”
"I think Alice likes him." Kage pointed out.
"Awww love at first sight." I grinned.
Braxton laughed at my expression. "You look like a proud father giving their daughter away to be married."
I leaned up and elbowed him. "Fuck off," I grunted.
In all seriousness, I'd always been worried about Alice's future. Maybe she'd have a companion to visit once in a while. Wait, what am I thinking about? It's not even like Kage and I are dating. We haven't even had a chance to talk about any of that. My imagination needs to stop putting me together with men I'm interested in. Wait...I'm interested in Kage too? Well, he did look really hot just now. Ugh, stop thinking!
We heard someone clear their throat and turned to see Mr. Huffling who'd recovered from his state of shock.
"Kage Park, that was brilliant. I'm impressed you have such a strong familiar hidden like that." Mr. Huffling applauded.
Kage crossed his arms. "Thanks,” he replied, looking like he didn't want Mr. Huffling’s praise. Braxton and I exchanged glances before we both rose up. Mr. Huffling was only 5'5” in height, making our 6' plus height deemed intimidating as he turned to us.
"Since Kage demonstrated his awesomeness, can we go now?" I asked, raised an eyebrow at our teacher. Something was bugging me about his words of praise as if he was expecting something from Kage now. My instincts told me he would want to benefit from Kage in some hidden manner. It was the same distinct impression I got when he laid eyes on Alice like she was a trophy to be won.
Of course, that stopped after I glared the living shit out of him, the intense glimpse of my power enough to scare him off. But even with the warning from last week, he'd snuck peeks here and there during class. I shouldn't bring Alice unless I have to. Hmm.
"Ya. I think we've met our requirements. I don't see the point of us wasting time here when the remaining students are still frozen like statues instead of working on the task you asked us to complete," Braxton added.
Mr. Huffling looked back to the students who were just standing there, still staring at Kage and stuttered. "You're right. Um...you may leave class early. I hope to see more of your advanced skills next class. Good day Mr. Starfire and to both of you Mr. Parks." He smiled innocently. His eyes lingered on Alice and Koa and I purposely took a step in front of him to block his view, stretching out my arms.
"Oh man, I stink. Let's go shower, Brax. Kage, come with us," I suggested, purposely looking at Mr. Huffling with a grin. He frowned, clearly understanding my hidden move but turned around anyway.
"Get back to work. We have thirty minutes left before class is supposedly over. I want to see another person summon a familiar or this session is going overtime,” he grumbled. Everyone else groaned, getting back to work while cursing.
Braxton patted my shoulder, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "We need to watch out for him. He gives me weird vibes."
"I agree," I replied. Kage walked over to Alice and Koa who were playing around, Alice’s little kitten form chasing after Koa who purposely flew quite low to the ground.
They noticed Kage approach and both paused. Alice looked sad and even Koa looked disappointed that playtime was over. Kage smiled, crouching down to pet both of them.
"I'm showering at home so you two wanna tag along? You can continue playing when we get home," Kage suggested.
"MEOW!" Alice cheered. "YEAH! Wait, I need Jewel's permission. MOMMM."
I broke out laughing, which made me look a little crazy but I couldn't help be happy for Alice who suddenly acted like a schoolgirl going on her first date. She was always the collected, quiet, calm type yet she did a complete 180 and was now a bubbly happy mess, which was adorable.
"Yes, Alice. You can play with Koa as long as you want. Go with Kage, we’ll see each other when I get back," I approved and she ran over to cling to my dress pants. I sighed, leaning over to pick her up and she rubbed her head against my cheek before licking my face.
Okay. I love you too. Have fun, don't get pregnant or I'll kill you.
"Meow?" Alice rubbed her nose against mine. "I would not get freaky with him. We just met. I'll be logical," she reassured me, but I wasn't convinced.
You went from my usual 'I hate every familiar in the world' to the ultimate teenage fangirl.
"Did not..." she mumbled, wiggling to get out of my hold.
Uh huh. Okay, have fun.
I set her back on the ground and she ran back to Kage who lowered his hand and picked her up. He held her while Koa rested on his shoulder. Kage turned to smile at us.
"I'll see you guys later tonight. Have a nice shower,” he called.
"Thanks, Kage." I smiled broadly.
"See ya, bro," Braxton replied. We watched him walk to the second fenced exit and head around the outer field before entering the back door of the Physical Studies building.
"Guess we should be on our way before classes finish up. We can avoid showering with the other guys if we do," Braxton suggested.
I blushed, realizing I hadn't showered with a group of guys before. Scratch that, I hadn't showered with A GUY before. OMG I haven't even showered in my male form. Wait, this shouldn't be too complicated. It's the same as when you're a female. I just have a cock instead of a pussy. Easy peasy. Just rub some and...wait, do guys get hard by doing that? Fuck, maybe I can bail.
"We could just go home?" I suggested.
"Nah. Let's shower here. Kage doesn't like company when he's in that mode," Braxton revealed.
"You mean the 'I'm brilliant and you can't deny my awesomeness' mood he just displayed when he summoned his familiar?" I questioned. I did love Kage's curious nature and kindness, but this side of him gave me those hot bad boy vibes that made girls squeal and fight to date them.
"Ya. That. Family trait," Braxton confessed.
"Does it happen to you?" I asked.
"Ya, but I just get more badass," he winked and I exhaled, putting my hands in my pockets.
"Let's go shower," I encouraged, starting to walk ahead. Braxton laughed but was right behind me, catching up so we could walk side by side.
Guess I'm gonna try this whole showering as a guy thing.