Page 57 of Bizarre Bonds
“Of course you can still talk with me,” I reassure him. “I mean, that’s one of the most human-like things you can do—getting advice from a friend. You were assigned a phone, weren’t you? I can give you my number, and if there’s anything you want to chat about where you’d rather get the perspective of someone who isn’t on staff, feel free to reach out.”
Larch’s face brightens. “All right!”
He fishes his phone out of his pocket, and we exchange numbers. Then he pulls up a few pictures he found on the internet of high-collared coats he’s hoping look “rad”—his slang isn’t entirely up to date.
I grin. “Nice style! I think this one would work best. Although if you paired a scarf with that one, it could look pretty cool.”
“Cool,” the shadowkind man repeats. He flashes me a grin in return and starts chattering about a fashion website he discovered that he thinks will help him fit in even better. When he asks me whether I’ve ever had to worry about what I wear all that much, I find myself admitting to studying fellow teenagers at the mall a decade ago, when I realized my shadowkind guardians weren’t exactly up to date on the norms of human teens either.
Larch heads off with a jauntier stride and a wave good-bye. I return it, caught up in a clashing jumble of emotions.
The jumble breaks with a flicker of panic when Rollick emerges from the shadows just a few steps away.
The demon chuckles and tips his head toward the shadowkind man who just vanished around the corner. “I see you’re still contributing where you can.”
“I—I didn’t realize you’d made it back to the school. I told him right away that I’m not teaching anymore,” I say hastily. “I didn’t even mean to come to my office… Old habits.”
Rollick claps me on the shoulder. “It’s fine. I liked seeing you get friendlier with the beings we’re trying to help. Do you really think you need an official title for them to respect you? I’ve never had one except the titles I’ve given myself.”
I’d point out that he’s also an incredibly powerful demon that all other shadowkind can sense could pulverize them in an instant, which tends to generate a lot of respect all on its own, but I know that’s not the point he’s getting at. And even if not every student I’ve taught would care about my opinions now, I’d already come to the same conclusion about Larch.
I can’t help balking at his assessment anyway. “I won’t be able to guide him the same way as before.”
“Is the current way necessarily worse? It sounded as if he still shared and listened plenty.” Rollick gives my shoulder a quick squeeze and steps away. “I have a few things to go over withShanty and Pearl—I just happened to be passing through the hallway. You’ve really become immersed in this place, haven’t you? I wouldn’t take it away from you, you know. No matter what capacity you’re coming here in, you’ll always be welcome.”
“Oh.” I fumble for my words, my chest constricting. “Well, thank you.”
The demon vanishes into the shadows again, leaving me standing there with a new mix of confusing but gentler emotions churning inside me.
He didn’t sound like he intended to knock me down a peg. He wasgladthat I’m still talking to the students.
And he’s right that Larch didn’t seem to appreciate our conversation any less. Actually, once the shadowkind student relaxed knowing that we’re on more equal footing, he opened up more than he ever has before.
I might have helped him more in that ten-minute conversation than I did in any of our hour-long office discussions in the past.
My gaze travels along the direction I think Rollick went, a tingle of unexpected exhilaration passing through my veins.
Is it possible that Rollick didn’t relieve me of duty to punish me for my conflicted desires… but to give mebiggeropportunities to make a difference?
That’s what the whole mission started as, didn’t it? Putting myself out there against a problem much more urgent than any we’ve been tackling at the academy.
And if I can tackle that problem better when my team sees me as someone working alongside them rather than someone calling the shots, that’s better for all of us.
All I’ve ever wanted is to help shadowkind live alongside humans. Maybe it’s time I paid a little more attention to howIcan best coexist with them.
21
Periwinkle
Islip out of the car through the shadows and materialize by our current base near the city rift, only to find Riva and a couple of the shadowbloods waiting for me.
Riva’s voice comes out wry. “The famous Periwinkle is finally back.”
Famous? Finally?
I’ve only been gone for a day and a half, and I don’t see how I could be anything like famous.
A chilling thought occurs to me. My gaze veers to the city skyline, the streaks of clouds turning ruddy in the late afternoon sunlight around the Diamond Victory Tower and its shorter companions. “Did I end up getting video-recorded while we were trying to stop Viscera—did someone put me on the news or?—”
