Friday Evening | Orlaith Valley Trail and Park
Besides solidifying her opinion of Jonas — dislike, distrust, and everything else in-between — Brynn felt that, for the first time in a while, the information she’d just received went way over her head.
Venari? Templars? she thought, silently and blankly echoing the words inside her head.
This… This is ridiculous.And yet, it somehow made sense, benefiting both parties at the same time. While Brynn and her classmates would get a chance to improve themselves under an experienced mentor, Jonas would be able to test whether his vision could be realized. And, if it could, he would be one of the strongest people on the planet — a goal that made sense at its very core.
However, what did all this mean for Brynn? Did she want to be a part of whatever test squad Jonas was assembling? If she joined, her current life and schedules would definitely be impacted, and such required an analysis and reordering of priorities. Here Brynn stood at a crossroad: Following Jonas would mean that everything else she had planned for her future — focusing on working towards an internship and applying to college — would take a step back in importance. After all, what was a PhD compared to her current abilities, or what they could become after some practice? However, not following the Social Conscience teacher-turned-magic-wielding runemaster meant giving up her first — and perhaps only — chance to unlock and hone her powers. Both were important, life-changing decisions, and both had numerous positive and negative implications.
I’m not dealing with this right now, Brynn immediately thought, making for the direction of the campsite. It was late in the evening, and too many revelations had been unearthed, too much information shared, for Brynn to process.
Tomorrow. I’ll work through it all tomorrow.
Social Conscience Camping Trip | Orlaith Valley Trail and Park
Saturday morning came all too soon, but Brynn pulled herself up and out of her sleeping bag, relishing the bitingly cold breezes that graced the mountains in the morning. The morning was a monotonous series of mechanical actions: wait patiently for everyone to wake up, complete whatever pre-breakfast task Lehrer assigned to her, eat breakfast, and await further instructions. Through it all, Brynn’s mind was focused not on the here and now but rather on herself. What was her first order of business, and why? Was it to suck up to Lehrer in an attempt to be the teacher’s pet and hopefully get an edge somehow? Or was it to get the hell away from the man and his strange stories under the mantra, “Ignorance is bliss?” Honestly, Brynn didn’t know, but she was as sure as hell that she’d figure it out.
Thus, Brynn was preoccupied for the remainder of the trip, unable to pay much heed to anything else but her own problems at hand. Talking only when spoken to and following whatever instructions Jonas gave mindlessly — with just the bare minimum of common sense to filter — it sufficed to say the girl wasn’t her most receptive or most social during the remaining days at Orlaith. She found that small talk with Evander — ice-boy, as she learned, having thought that the cold aura around him had been purely psychological rather than physical — was nice enough, proving to be a good distraction from the looming choice she’d have to make. While Brynn had been a little preoccupied during some of their brief conversations, she found that the boy was receptive enough to know when the conversation was ending — a skill she wished many of her regular acquaintances at school possessed.
Belle and Aiden she didn’t talk much with, the two being rather wrapped up in their own thoughts anyway. The sharp-eyed girl with the curious fashion sense seemed rather unperturbed by Jonas’ revelations, sometimes even smiling to herself. Brynn, growing more and more annoyed at how ridiculous all the courses of action were — and the fact that all courses, including requesting a transfer to a boarding school in New York, were plausible even for a moment — couldn’t think of a reason to smile other than to slap one on for show or to laugh cynically to herself, if she had the energy to waste. So, because Brynn had too much on her mind right now to try and decode the mysterious sometimes-smile, she noted the fact down and set it aside.
Aiden, on the other hand, seemed to be avoiding — or just warding off — Brynn rather than the other way around, looking broody and lone wolf-like throughout the rest of their trip. While she’d been angry at him initially — how could she not after the boy lit the entire forest on fire and almost killed her? — that anger dissipated as the rest of the information Lehrer had provided sank in. The whole class was one big pet project, a brilliant new idea Lehrer was trying out. Should she submit, she would be a sort of test subject. She’d have better conditions, yes, as well as a good amount of free will to boot, but the basis of the concept was the same. Banding together in an attempt to fight off Draoi had never been done before, and Lehrer could very well be dooming them like ducks after a mother as the snake slithered forwards, inhaling one duckling after another like in some grim political cartoon.
Winter and Sebastian — as Brynn finally puzzled out during the moments when her brain was too fried to continue arguing with itself — were dating. A week ago — heck, three days ago — Brynn would have sat Winter down and told the girl to prepare for a good, long lecture on how to avoid getting hurt. Now, Brynn wasn’t so opposed to the idea; Sebastian turned out slightly different from what she’d thought, and she couldn’t say that she wholeheartedly disapproved of their relationship. She would be lying if she said that the boy’s knight-in-shining-armor-of-flames moment with her didn’t play a role in molding her new judgement of him, but Brynn knew better than to let that stand as the be-all, end-all of proofs. Sebastian’s care for Rita — he was affected by her disappearance, although to what extent Brynn wasn’t sure of — and usually well-directed anger — while easily prone to wrath, the boy wasn’t always wrong about who was on the deserving end of it, in Brynn’s opinion — earned him newfound respect from Brynn, which prompted her to flash him a smile when their eyes met rather than looking away like she would have before.
However, it was also clear that there was some sort of rift between Winter and Sebastian. While Brynn often saw the younger girl cast lingering looks at her boyfriend, she also noticed that Winter seemed to only glance at the boy when he wasn’t looking, choosing to avert her gaze when Sebastian turned his head.
A lovers quarrel? Brynn had wondered, a little bothered that the girl she’d so often seen as a younger sister was facing hardships. However, Brynn had better things to worry about at the moment, and she hadn’t been able to find a good time to talk to Winter anyway — the girl always seemed busy when Brynn’s brain ran out of steam — so the older girl shelved a note to herself on the topic.
Then there was the man of the hour, the dark knight that the city and school never wanted: Jonas Lehrer. Brynn knew that he was smart — brilliant, perhaps much more so than herself, seeing how he’d survived up to this point — and she knew that, if she wanted guidance, she had no better options at this point in time. However, she hesitated all too easily at the prospect of speaking to the man. She found him strange, alien in a town she’d called home for so many years, and she hated going against her gut feeling. Still, Brynn knew that in a race governed by Darwinist natural selection, time mattered, and she couldn’t afford to dally for long.
Giving up everything I’ve worked for as the Brynn Reyes I am today… I can’t do that, she realized.
But I also can’t just turn a blind eye to the things Lehrer said. So the middle ground…
3:44 PM, Sunday Evening | Crestwood Hollow Police Station
Detaining Brynn was no easy task considering that the girl’s first phone call called over the town’s main doctor. Seeing as Michael Reyes was “Dr. Reyes” to everyone at the station — save for the new secretary and the sheriff visiting from the next town over — none of the officers particularly wished to upset him or, by extension, his daughter. Her second call, however — this one sanctioned by the greying man who still had a stethoscope around his neck, looking lost amidst the uniformed blue men with gruff voices — was redirected past a secretary to a very cross female voice that immediately spoke of hiring lawyers and taking matters to court if anything went wrong.
“I’ll be going then,” Michael told his daughter, toes already pointed towards the door. Still, he had the decency to pause, leaning down to give Brynn a reassuring hug before he left. “Don’t worry, sweetie. You’re going to be fine — the lawyer will handle everything and get you out as soon as possible. All you have to do is follow his instructions, alright?”
“Alright, Dad,” Brynn said, squeezing back lightly as her mind wandered off in search of the last memory she had of hugging a member of her family.
Christmas, perhaps? Or as a formality the last time we attended one of Mother’s galas. She was silent as she watched her father transform from an awkward, greying old man into the reassuring and charming Dr. Reyes when he said his goodbyes to his patients scattered around the office. Her father had always been charming — confident even — but somehow he lost some of that confidence around his children. Brynn had always believed that it had been because he didn’t need it in the house; Brynn’s mother had more than enough manpower for the entire family, never mind just her father.
After a brief introduction back-and-forth between her legal advocate and her, Brynn found herself being questioned by a nice, trim lawyer who spoke respectfully enough when he wasn’t pressuring her for a particular answer to a particular question. Her mother’s chosen representative of the law sat by her side throughout the meetings, a perpetual frown on his face as either party — friendly or not — spoke.
“I attended all of my classes on Friday — morning to when school gets out after three — before heading home to grab my luggage for the trip. I left school at around three-twenty, got home, grabbed my stuff, and arrived back at school at around three-fifty or so,” Brynn recounted as clean-cut, bespectacled Mr. Leonard made notes on his clipboard.
“The rest of the time I spent with my classmates. The van ride to Orlaith Valley took around forty minutes or so, max, and hiking took another hour. We then set up camp and ate dinner before starting a game of capture the flag.” Brynn paused briefly before continuing, taking a measured breath in-between.
“The game was as you’d expect from a bunch of high schoolers in the woods — loud and obnoxious, but mature enough not to resort to violence. I was on the team that lost...”The explanation went smoothly from there in that there was nothing else of importance to recount. Had she seen Lehrer display any aggressive physical behavior? No. Had she or any of her classmates felt that they were in danger, in her knowledge? No. Had she seen Elroy Bain anytime during the trip?
“I haven’t seen Elroy since the school dance after which he’d gone missing,” Brynn said flatly.
“So, to summarize, you don’t think Jonas Lehrer is the culprit,” Mr. Leonard summarized, peering at the girl from over his frames.
“I—”“My client has nothing to say on that matter,” Brynn’s legal counsel said, clasping a firm hand on the girl’s shoulder and silencing her. “Miss Reyes does not intend to be part of the investigation more so than she has already, prosecutor, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be walking my client out. Any further questions can be redirected to my office.”
Exiting the door the gentleman in the slate-colored suit held open for her, Brynn found herself exhaling a controlled breath of relief.
Thank god that’s over, she thought, listening and nodding to the directions her lawyer left her with before dialing up a taxi. Her father was probably chest-deep in clients at this time — you’d think people would be smart enough to avoid booking appointments around rush hour, but no — and Brynn was way too tired to attempt the jog home.
6:12 AM, Monday, September 26th | Crestwood Port
Coming to a stop a few hundred meters before the port dock, Brynn took a deep breath of the cold, brine-tinged air she’d come to associate with the Crestwood port just as a black-white painted barge pulled up to one of the more prominent docks ahead of her. The cargo ships had already started their parade of arrival, prompting the girl to check her watch.
6:13 AM. Still have time.The previous night had been a tumble of sleeplessness as Brynn had contemplated, re-contemplated, and re-contemplated the already contemplated possible plans of action until she’d finally heard her father entering the house in the late AM’s. Thus, Brynn was a bit sleep-deprived this morning, but the adrenaline rush she’d maintained as she ran kept her afloat as she ordered her morning coffee and bagel.
“It’s nice to see that the youth still enjoy Monday mornings,” the lady at the counter said, ringing Brynn up. “It might be cold now, but it’s going to be a beautiful day. I can tell.”
“The air does seem very fresh,” Brynn concurred, collecting her bagel and latte.
“Thank you.”“Anytime,” the lady said, flashing the girl a bright smile before calling for the next person in line. Brynn made for the door, fur brushed up.
Enjoy Monday mornings? Brynn hated it, dreaded it, loathed the very thought of having to go back to school since doing so would inevitably land her in her seventh period class.
But, she thought, taking a bite of her bagel as she waited for the taxi to arrive,
I am just a little intrigued at the prospect of learning more about my powers. She paused as the fact sank in, forcing herself to take another bite of her toasty breakfast.
Well, at least I’ll enjoy my demise.
1:50 PM, Monday, September 26th | Mather Memorial High School
Waving goodbye to her normal classmates — normal, because now there was a clear difference between being normal and being her — Brynn walked briskly towards the isolated Social Conscience classroom, figuring that getting there early would be better than getting there late. After all, with attending class — and actually wanting to learn — came the requirement of making sure the teacher didn’t hate you. And Brynn was pretty sure Lehrer already figured out that she disliked him.
Well, other than the distrust, I’ll try and revise my opinion, she thought as she rounded the corner to the stairs. Spotting her seventh period classmates, Brynn smiled in greeting.
Funny — smiling at Adrielle in the morning was harder than this, she thought, disliking the implications of that revelation.
The silence that greeted Brynn as she entered the room surprised her — where was Lehrer?
Wait — is he detained? she thought, eyes wide as she glanced around at her classmates.
But how? He didn’t touch Elroy — did he? And why was I not—She paused, realizing that she’d made the dumb assumption that her lawyer would call or text to update her on any new developments in the investigation.
Of course he wouldn’t tell me — I’m barely even involved. Just an innocent, a not-even witness, she thought, groaning over her blunder internally.
Brynn Renee Reyes, snap out of your daze already. You’ve decided to attend and learn, so that’s what you’ll do.The wait went on for another few minutes, and Brynn sensed that Lehrer was probably not going to be coming.
Now we wait until the school figures out that Lehrer isn’t here, she thought, frowning.
But they should already know — he teaches periods before this. I know that much. Another few minutes later and Brynn pulled out her economics notes to study since, clearly, Social Conscience was going to be taking a back seat all of a sudden.
He could have at least gotten someone to deliver a message or something, she thought as she opened up her notebook and proceeded to study for her quiz the next day.
Her attention, however, was interrupted by the turning of the door handle and subsequent entrance of an unknown man dressed in furs. Her mind drew a blank on names as her eyes flicked over his outfit, not comprehending why an adult dressed in furs was entering the room. She did, however, immediately decide that she disliked and distrusted the man — perhaps even more so than Lehrer.
He looks like a liar — a conman who’s mastered his craft, she thought, putting away her notes as the substitute spoke. Her wariness, however, quickly transformed into dread when Renard’s words seem to hit spot-on with a few of her classmates.
A mind reader? Brynn thought, horrified at the prospect. She sat, silent, as Belle asked her question, mind whirling. How much
did the man know? There were things Brynn never told anyone — fears of her own that she’d be damned to speak out about, and she didn’t need some unknown cuckoo in furs to be the first to flourish a look. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by Sebastian as the boy promptly overturned his desk, eyes burning with anger as he shot his accusations at the alleged substitute.
A Draoi? Brynn thought, a pool of fear filling in her stomach. Tentative trust in Lehrer had convinced her to come to class today, and although the thought of a trap had crossed Brynn’s mind — perhaps Lehrer had stayed alive precisely
because he was in cahoots with the Draoi — the girl had thought it unlikely. Now, however, that possibility wasn’t as unlikely as it seemed. So there she sat, silent and frozen in her seat, muscles tensed and ready to bolt in the case it came down to the worst. Perhaps she wouldn’t be the first one out of the room, but she definitely wouldn’t be the last.
