21
Bevin
It was funny that getting back to school was actually going to be less work for me than my break.
Wild, right?
But I was CEO of a major company and that meant a lot of everything was done in my “off” time. The sessions had been canceled for the week and with what had happened at the factory, that meant getting back on track.
So while I had de-stressed a lot, that had meant handling piles of things… Which was a lot of fucking work.
And magic.
And mental load.
Now I was going back to being a normal college kid at least during most of my days.
Mrs. Reid, Wyatt, and Tracey had halted sessions for another week while they reorganized how it went going forward. They wanted a full audit and now it would be at the Olvierias. We were really and finally doing this.
Awesome.
So that time was going to be working with Clare to get toy stock back up if she could double what I produced. The new store launch was in a week and we needed more of everything.
I also didn’t have long until finals began, only two weeks. I honestly didn’t understand why we had midterms not in the middle of the term?
People looked at me funny when I had asked that and made cracks about me acting like Hermione from Harry Potter again, so I shut up. Either way, I had a lot going on. I hinted that maybe sessions should be held off until after finals.
Everyone had lived without them, and a reminder of how that was wouldn’t be a bad thing. Also, it would give them a chance to really work for a bit while I did. Hint, hint.
I think they heard me, but everyone had too much on their plates as well. I was debating bringing it up at the next weekly meeting with the normal people on Sundays. It sounded smart… Right?
It was hard to think about much besides the situation with Jason Berns.
The way that had blown up was unreal. Some of it was genuinely good.
People were realizing that things were worse than they understood and not accepting the status quo anymore.
I heard more than one clip with someone saying that maybe the council should be at less events and get stronger to protect us.
Well said.
The outpouring of sympathy for Eunice’s family was honestly touching. Everyone who had ever met him, from teachers to those who had worked with him to coaches to students who had known him—everyone adored him. Hanson had been right about that and Jason had picked the one person they all adored.
I knew some people blamed me. They didn’t say it and no one even gave me so much as a look, but I could hear their familiars. I knew what they said when no one was around.
It made me retreat into my work and school. I brushed everyone off, even Winter when he confronted me. I snapped at him that I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to say when he didn’t seem to know what he wanted from me overall.
The confusion coming from him made it all weirder and I had walked away.
“You are a lot of things, but good at hiding when you’re upset isn’t one of them,” Taylor muttered as he fell in step with me while I was on my long run Thursday.
“I’m actually very good at wearing masks,” I argued. “We wear them well as Shaws.”
He was quiet several minutes. “Fair, but you fall into wearing them now when upset, and that’s the tell people recognize. Please at least tell me because Tracey’s worried and I can’t stand to see her worried when she’s got so much already on her.”
“Low blow.”
“Yeah, but it works,” he said without any remorse.
“Everyone’s going to make it a bigger deal again like the stupid bikini thing.”
“I promise you on Cheese’s tail that I will make them not be so stupid again and just please make my life easier,” he said firmly.
I snickered. Not just swearing on his familiar, but his adorable familiar’s tail is what made me break. I sighed. “Some people are blaming me for Eunice.”
“I’ve not heard one person say that, Bev.”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
He swore, immediately catching on when I put it like that. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too. That Eunice was such a good guy and died, not that people are lashing out in their grief. They’re not even saying it to me, just venting to their familiars. They don’t understand how much familiars gossip. I just need a bit of space.”
“Yeah, I would too.” He huffed and then shot me a look. “Now I want to ask if Cheese has told you things I don’t want you to know.”
I snorted. “You mean besides the mess about you and Tracey’s sex life? You want more than that?”
“That scarred me enough, but I think you’re deflecting.”
I was and he busted me. “They all tell me stuff, Taylor. It’s harder than any of you ever understand or could ever understand.”
He didn’t say anything for at least half a mile. “That sounds really lonely. I’m going to say we all have things like that not to diminish what you’re going through, but so you understand that it might be different, but you’re not the only one.”
“What’s yours?” I asked quietly.
He snorted. “My parents are both powerful magics. I tested below average. It was mortifying for them no matter what they say. The way their faces fell—it’s something I can never unsee. The fake smiles and the way they would make my other accomplishments seem so important.”
“They love you—truly love you,” I whispered.
“Yeah, that made it so much worse because nothing hurts more than disappointing the people you love. It’s why I left so I wasn’t the embarrassment right in their faces—right in everyone’s faces all of the time.”
I nodded that I heard him. “It’s getting better.”
“You’ve reconnected my magic and my bond with Cheese is better, but I’m a grown warlock and I struggle to have the magic to lay more than a few circles a day.
It’s embarrassing.” He stopped and grabbed my arm, so I did too, but then he let me go.
“How many times have you heard familiars gossip about that?” He nodded when I swallowed instead of responding.
“We all have that shit we carry. Take your time and I’ll handle them, okay? ”
“Thanks, Taylor.”
He searched my face for a minute. “No problem. Tell me and I’ll handle the stupid.
Don’t shut everyone out. We worry, and I’m not trying to be mean, but there’s too much going on for all of us to worry about each other on stuff like this.
We have to talk. I know, funny coming from a guy who doesn’t talk a lot, but I communicate well. ”
He did. That was incredibly true and vital in a role like his. I nodded that I heard him.
“Don’t make anyone feel bad. I know it’s their grief,” I whispered. “People just need to know familiars really gossip. A lot.”
“Seriously, what else has Cheese told you?” he sighed.
“I didn’t mean that pointed,” I drawled, but clearly he wasn’t buying it.
I chuckled and took off on him, laughing when he had no chance of keeping up with me even when I wasn’t using my magic to run faster.
I was fast and he was heavy. Tall and built, and that was good for a sprint, but we’d already been running and I was a distance runner.
I left him in my dust which improved my mood.
So of course it was destroyed when I arrived home.
“How bad?” I sighed when Emma was sitting outside, obviously waiting for me.
“Jason Berns just threw down his ace and blew up Link’s life,” she told me and handed over her phone with something loaded.
That he did.
Jason had basically shot back that of course his magic had gotten damaged when the nephew of a councilman was the guard who “misunderstood” the whole situation and had come after him.
And what was wrong with the council that their families had to protect them that way? Was it required of the branch families?
Forcing the non-children to guard the power-hungry council members to assume other names like Link had pretended to be Link Olive to go undercover at Morrigan. Was that why Taylor Reid had left our society and built a security company?
Maybe it was time that everyone stopped judging everything the top-tier families did and started asking who was the oversight of the council?
He wasn’t wrong on that but he was saying it for all the wrong reasons and anyone with a brain knew it.
Either way, he’d gotten what he’d wanted and Link’s career with the council was over.
There was no way he could blend in there now, and he’d be just as big of a target now as his uncle after Jason pointed the finger at him.
The whole Berns family would have a grudge against Link even if most would be happy to get Jason out. That was how it worked with the top-tier families.
“This is going to get bad,” I sighed.
“It always was, and it should never have gotten this bad to begin with,” she grumbled.
I couldn’t agree more.
Part of me wanted to check in with Link, but he had also lost his best friend and was an adult. He had people to worry about him and probably wanted space.
I realized I was wrong when Mrs. Oliveria was waiting for me Friday after classes. I wasn’t back to sessions yet, so I knew it wasn’t about that and the worry surrounding her was a lot.
She nodded when I looked at her, guessing I’d figured it out. “We haven’t heard from him all week. We can’t get to him because he’s more powerful now and blocks us from circling to him. Fine, he needs space after his suspension, but—”
“Suspension?” I gasped, my guards with me going tense as well.
“The council decided, and even Mark said it had to happen,” she whispered. “We love him and understand, but—he had to be punished. You know he did.”
I wouldn’t say any such thing and I ground my jaw, shocking her.
She simply blinked at me, so I gave a half shrug and crossed my arms over my chest. “Hypocrites. When are they ever fucking punished? I’ve been fined.
He’s been suspended. When do they get punished for anything?
Jason’s vile, but I actually agree with him that maybe the council needs oversight. ”