Chapter One hundred fifteen – Friends Furever

Breakfast was what Pandy would have called French toast, and the servers called Sugared Custard Toast, a name which seemed all too appropriate when she realized that someone had created a crust of cinnamon and sugar on each slice. Everyone except Geraldine devoured the treat, and Pandy saw both Thaniel and Eleanor casting their friend worried glances. Eleanor seemed as lost as Thaniel, which reminded Pandy that in spite of the princess’s kind heart, she hadn’t actually had real friends before, and probably didn’t really know what to do to make things better.

After breakfast, they had the usual discussion about what to do next, at which point Matilda puffed out her chest and proclaimed that she had completed all of her homework, and would now show the younger children the Best Place to Play. Suzanne shook her head at her friend’s pomposity, but said, “It really is lovely. Do come?”

Wherever they were going, the two older girls seemed determined to keep it a secret, so they led the group down the hall past the kitchen and out through the back door of the school. Pandy had managed to get a whole slice of Custard Toast, and was quite satisfied to go wherever Suzanne led, especially since she’d already gained the Corruption Points necessary to acquire Dark Restoration.

Unfortunately, as soon as they left the building and the two older girls turned to the right, Eleanor balked. “I don’t want to go that way,” she said, warily eyeing the gardens ahead.

Rather than the flower gardens that were further out, this area held fruit and vegetable plants, which were used in the kitchen. Other, more mysterious, plant-life lay in the space between the main building and the north wing, where the student rooms were. Pandy had to admit she was curious about where Suzanne and Matilda were trying to take them, but Eleanor clearly had no intention of going that way, and Pandy couldn’t blame her, if what she suspected was true.

Suzanne looked from the princess to the unknown garden and bit her lip. “It really is lovely,” she coaxed, starting to hold out her hand, then pulling it back when she saw that Eleanor wasn’t going to take it.

Eleanor took in the older girl’s distress at what she would see as a rejection, but for once, she didn’t yield. Backing up, she shook her head. The hazel eyes of ‘Ellie’ darted around, as if expecting to be attacked at any moment. “I won’t,” she said, then, in a burst of inspiration, added, “I’m terribly allergic to…to all kinds of plants.”

That was blatantly false, since she hadn’t hesitated to either go into the nature preserve or eat the Drowseberries. She also spent quite a lot of time in Brook’s pasture, which was overgrown with all kinds of grasses and flowers. Apparently she realized it, too, but she couldn’t take it back, and Suzanne stepped away, her head dropping and shoulders drooping as she shrugged.

“That’s all right. It’s just- We thought-”

“You’ll have to go eventually,” Matilda said sharply. The blonde girl’s lips were pinched, and she stepped in between Suzanne and Eleanor. She was clearly in full dudgeon, and nothing was going to get better if she kept talking. Everyone was reacting instinctively at this point, and if something wasn’t done, there would be a real argument.

Then Thaniel got in the middle of it. “Why don’cha want to go, Ellie? I bet it’s pretty. I like flowers and-”

“Then you can go!” Eleanor said, and now tears stood in her eyes. This had definitely gotten out of hand, and at any moment someone was going to storm off. Pandy cast a look at Isidor, but he was busy scanning the area around them as if ninjas might leap from the bushes at any moment.

So Pandy did what she had to do. Giving a fierce wiggle, she popped out of Thaniel’s arms, dropping to the ground. In a single hop, she reached Lord Winston, who was sitting by the princess’s feet, looking concerned in a particularly droopy kind of way. Reaching up, Pandy chomped on his ear.

Not hard. Not enough to do any actual damage. But the unsuspecting hound gave a yelp, and everyone turned to look at him. At which point Pandy kicked dirt at Princess Cupcakes, who was stalking something in a nearby berry bush. A clump of dirt struck the kitten in her upraised behind, and the cat whirled with an infuriated hiss.

Quite certain that she now had everyone’s attention, Pandy took off. The door to the school was closed, and obviously she couldn’t head deeper into the gardens, so instead she leaped into the air, giving a sort of spinning kick, and ran for the common area where they now held their Small Groups. Miss Cupcakes, of course, was hot on her heels, and the look in the kitten’s yellow eyes did not bode well for Pandy if she allowed herself to be caught. That was all right, though, because nobody was going to catch Pandy.

Darting off down the curving pathway, Pandy glanced back to see Thaniel and Miss Cupcakes following her, Geraldine following Miss Cupcakes, Lord Winston apparently compelled to chase girl and cat, Eleanor running after her dog, Isidor jogging after Eleanor, and Abbington, Suzanne, and a very peevish-looking Matilda coming along, presumably because it seemed like the thing to do.

Pandy had essentially inexhaustible stamina, thanks to the fact that she didn’t need to do things like breathe, and what had started as a distraction technique quickly became…fun. She had always been the child who tripped and skinned her knee in PE, or got a bloody nose when they went swimming, or took a ball to the face. No one wanted her on their team, and she had no friends willing to play with her anyway, so she sat on the sidelines or lurked in the outfield, desperately trying not to be noticed.

Now she ran like the wind, zig-zagging between trees, leaping over benches, and, once, running between a girl’s feet when Thaniel and Abbington tried to catch her in a pincer move. Winston was barking wildly, ears flapping as he ran, the children were laughing, and as they went, more and more students joined in, all trying to catch the fleeing rabbit. But Pandy couldn’t be caught. She was invincible. With eighteen Strength, twenty-one Agility, and no need to rest, she-

Took a paw to the face, flipping end over end through the air to land flat on her back. Her legs kicked, and she squeaked as Miss Cupcakes pounced on her, grappling fiercely. Pandy tensed as she waited for the pain of all those claws digging into her. But no pain came. At least, not much, as the kitten chewed on Pandy’s long ear. The claws remained sheathed, and it quickly became clear that Miss Cupcakes was playing. With Pandy?

Small hands grasped Pandy’s middle, pulling her away, even as the kitten gave an annoyed yowl as she was subjected to similar treatment. Thaniel and Geraldine stared down at their pets with equally baffled expressions, their sides heaving and their cheeks wind-chapped and red. Their eyes met over the heads of the rabbit and kitten, Geraldine offered a tentative smile, and Thaniel grinned back. Then both children plopped down, right where they were, each struggling to catch their breath.

Miss Cupcakes, too, seemed almost relieved to have been caught, though she turned her back on her little mistress and began cleaning her dusty paws. Still, her back touched Geraldine’s leg, and for a cat, that was practically a snuggle.

Pandy, on the other hand, was fine, and settled her paws on Thaniel’s shoulder so she could get her head up high enough to look around. She wasn’t certain where they were, at least not until she saw the wide sweep of stairs some distance away and realized they’d run all the way around to the front of the school. This area was very definitely out of bounds for the students, and not surprisingly, no one else had followed them here.

For the moment, at least, no adults had noticed the two young trespassers, which was good, because neither Thaniel nor Geraldine was in any state to go anywhere quickly. Even once they got their breathing under control, Thaniel had to help Geraldine to her feet, and the girl winced as she set her foot down in the grass.

<Minor Heal Geraldine,> Pandy thought quickly, realizing that the girl’s adorable, ribbon-laced shoes most definitely hadn’t been made for running. There was a hole in her tights, and the skin of her heels was raw and red.

Minor Heal successful.

Geraldine healed for 4 HP.

What, what? Why hadn’t the System told her how many more uses she needed before the next level? Keros must be messing around with things again, and this time Pandy wasn’t certain she liked it. It was kind of nice to have constant feedback on how she was improving, though to be honest, when she had to use a skill several hundred times, it wasn’t much of a boost.

“Geri?” Thaniel asked. He was still holding Geraldine’s hand, even though the girl wasn’t limping any more.

“Hmm?” Geraldine responded absently. She was cradling Miss Cupcakes with her free arm, and for once, the kitten was allowing it. In fact, she looked a bit like a Salvador Dali cat, dripping from Geraldine’s grasp.

“Why’d you get mad at me last night?”

The girl’s step hitched, and, as if reminded that she might still be angry at Thaniel, she pulled her hand from his and clutched Miss Cupcakes a little tighter instead. The feline gave a grumpy chirp, but didn’t try to escape.

“I wasn’t mad,” Geraldine insisted, speeding up so Thaniel had to hurry after her. He was actually the shorter of the two, so he had to take three steps to her two.

“You called me-”

Geraldine stopped and whirled. “I know what I called you!” Her face was pale again, but this time she looked more sad than truly angry, and her hands shook as she stroked Miss Cupcakes’ fur. She buried her face in the cat’s dusty back, and mumbled something that no one could understand.

“What?” Thaniel asked. Geraldine looked up, gray fur stuck to her sweaty face, and it was a true testament to the power of friendship that Thaniel didn’t burst out laughing. Somehow, he only looked worried. “I didn’t mean t’ make you sad, Geri. I’m sorry.”

Geraldine looked down at her cat, then glanced around. They’d made it back around the side of the building now, and it seemed unlikely that anyone would notice them at this point, so she sighed, leaned back against the wall, and said, “I don’t want Miss Cupcakes to leave me.”

“What?” Thaniel yelped. “Why would she leave you? She won’t!”

The girl’s mouth pinched, and a single tear balanced on her lashes. “I told you…she was on fire. And not in a…not in a normal way.”

Thaniel blinked, then nodded. “So she really is a Fire elemental. I wondered, you know, ‘cause she never did anything. Like, Brook can turn into water, right? And Bunny can-” He paused, whispering. “She can turn into Miss Wellington.” Raising his voice again, he finished, “But Lord Winston and Miss Cupcakes just seemed like a dog and a cat, so I thought maybe-”

Geraldine sniffed. “So did I. I mean, I found her in the barn, but there were other kittens there, too, and nobody said they were elementals. And if she’s just a cat, then that means I can keep her forever and ever. But Izzy said… He said…”

Thaniel’s eyes widened in realization. “That elementals leave. And you think that if Miss Cupcakes is really an elemental, that means she’s not gonna stay with you.”

The girl’s head jerked up and down in agreement, and as it did, Miss Cupcakes reached up a soft gray paw and patted her on the cheek. Stretching, the kitten rubbed her cheek along Geraldine’s jaw, and the girl giggled damply.

“Izzy also said that some elementals stay for their mage’s whole life. An’ Tempest has been with him for years,” Thaniel pointed out as they began walking again.

Pandy wasn’t sure that was actually as reassuring as he thought it was. Even if Tempest had started out as one of the wild elementals who chose to stay with a human for a while, Pandy was almost certain that the tortoise was now bound to the boy. In theory, an elemental of tier three or higher – which Tempest almost certainly was – had to choose to accept a contract, but that still wasn’t the same as waking up every day and thinking, “Hey, I guess I’ll keep hanging out with this kid for a while longer.”

Geraldine nodded. She had Miss Cupcakes draped over one arm and was stroking the cat with her other hand. Miss Cupcakes was obviously satisfied with this arrangement, and a rumbling purr could be heard over the sound of the children’s feet scuffing across the grass.

“She’s been sneaking away a lot lately, though,” Geraldine admitted finally. “She used to stay with me all the time, but now she’s sometimes gone for hours. Last week she was missing for almost a whole day!”

And Pandy was almost certain the cat was exploring the school, developing a network of napping locations, or trying to figure out who had been trying to break into the school and how. Honestly, it was probably all three. But she didn’t know that, so even though she could have turned into Ms. Wellington and attempted to reassure the girl, she just didn’t feel confident enough to actually do it.

Thaniel shook his head firmly. “There’s just a lotta new stuff here. She always comes back, doesn’t she?”

The wings of the school were long, but they’d nearly reached the end by now, and the sound of children talking and yelling back and forth joined Miss Cupcakes’ purr. At last, Geraldine said, “Yes,” but it was almost reluctant.

Thaniel stopped. Reaching out, he grasped Geraldine’s jacket sleeve, and the girl halted as well. “Miss Cupcakes loves you,” he said firmly. Lifting the arm that wasn’t holding Pandy, he waved it around at the massive building, and toward the sound of playing children.

“Like Nettle Nell said, you have to try new things, and meet new people. That doesn’t mean you don’t still wanna go home to your family. But y’know,” he grasped Pandy around the middle and held her up, giving her a little wiggle. “If you’re worried, maybe you should just ask.”

Geraldine blinked, then looked down at the cat cradled in her arms, with a kind of shocked look on her face. Pandy could understand. She, too, had forgotten that in spite of Miss Cupcakes’ appearance, if the kitten really was an elemental, she probably understood everything they were saying, and she could speak for herself.

“Do you-” Geraldine’s voice broke, and she tried again. “Do you want to leave, Miss Cupcakes?” The cat just stared at her, until Geraldine whispered, “Or do you want to stay with me?”

Miss Cupcakes gave a very loud, very firm, “Meow.”