126
Lucy
Duke's laughter echoed through the room. I felt the ears twitching in annoyance.
“It’s not funny.”
“But you’re adorable,” he said.
“You are,” Luke said with a grin. “For now, let’s clean up and try again. If they’ve disappeared by the end of the session, you’ll be free to go, but if not, we’ll have to make arrangements.”
I huffed and let Duke carry the cauldron to the sink to wash before helping get more ingredients. This time, Luke measured it out with an eyedropper. We bottled the potion into glass bubbles that he stacked in a box on a shelf.
Then, he grimaced. “No change. Looks like you’ll be staying at the Hecate containment barracks.”
“What does that mean?”
Luke grinned. “It means no one is going to start a riot at the sight of your ears.”
Luke quickly gathered the tools and ingredients. We cleaned up and head out. I waved Duke goodbye. Thomas quirked an eyebrow at me but he said nothing as he led Duke away to the car outside.
“Let’s get going,” Luke said, leading me deeper into the campus’ building.
As we walked through the hallways, I noticed curious gazes and hushed whispers from other students. It made me slightly self-conscious, until I heard what they were saying.
“They’re so cute.”
“They remind me of my familiar.”
I smiled a little bit as Luke nudged me. “The people on this campus aren’t like humans. Cat ears isn’t weird in the slightest. Most of them have probably gone through worse potion mishaps.”
I nodded. “Thanks.”
We walked a little longer before we came upon a different lobby. A couple of people were seated at the front desk. One of them, an older woman with a kind smile, looked at my cat ears and smiled.
“Spell or potion?”
“Potion,” Luke said. “The counteragent was administered, but they’re still there.”
She hummed and picked up something before waving it in my direction. I felt a cool sensation running over my scalp.
“Ah… I see. I give it a few days. A week at most. That apron did a lot of heavy lifting.”
“She’ll stay with me until they go away,” Luke said.
“Makes it easier.”
She handed me a band. “You’ll still be able to attend your magical classes, you just can’t leave campus.”
I put the band on with a sigh before following Luke past the reception desk and down the hall to a row of rooms. He pulled out a set of keys and opened the door.
“It’s not much, but it’s comfortable.”
I felt something wash over me as I entered the room. It felt familiar. There was something in the air, like the lightest scent of pine. There were no pictures anywhere, but there were books and a few other things I didn’t recognize. It didn’t really feel personal.
“I’m going to get started on dinner,” Luke said. “Anything you don’t like?”
“No, I’m not picky.”
He shook his head. “We’ll fix that. Food is one of the few things in this world that you should be picky about if you can afford to be. Why don’t you go wash up and… get the smoke out of your hair.”
Luke’s bathroom reminded me a bit of the bathroom at the warehouse job I used to have, except it had a shower. I got my first look at the cat ears and wanted to laugh. They were adorable and they seemed to move according to my emotions. After Luke slipped some clothes in a basket through the door, I got into the shower and started to wash my hair. No matter how careful I was, it seemed like the soap suds and water kept rushing into the cat ears. It felt like my head was ringing.
I tried to get most of it out, but it didn’t seem to be helping. I dressed slowly and stumbled down the hallway.
“Luke?” I called out, my voice seemed to be at once too loud and muffled. “Are you there?”
Luke came around the corner with a spatula in hand and wide eyes. “What's wrong, Lucy? Are you okay?"
“My ears are ringing,” I said, pointing at the cat ears. “I think there’s soap in them and I don’t know how to get it out.”
Luke's lips curved into a sympathetic smile. "Come on."
He took me by the arm and steered me towards the couch. “Lean over the edge and hang out for a bit. I’ll be back.”
I lay with my head over the edge of the couch, trying to remain calm. I could feel the water moving around as Luke came back. He set something on the table.
“A shower cap for next time,” he said before crouching beside my head and waving his hand around my head. The air turned warm and I felt the water moving around before drying out completed. “Better?”
I sat up and nodded. “Thanks.”
I couldn't help giggle a little. “I still can't believe I have cat ears."
"Well, you're not the first young woman I’ve helped with cat ear issues.” His voice turned soft and his eyes turned distant. “My sister once had a magical mishap that resulted in cat ears too. The funny thing was that hers turned out to be blonde despite her dark hair. At least your cat ears match your hair perfectly.”
I snickered. “How long did they last?”
“Two weeks,” he said and grinned. “I might have helped keep them in place for a few extra days.”
“You didn’t!”
“I had to,” he said. “You don’t start a prank war with someone with more magical training than you.”
He stood. “Come on, dinner’s almost done.”
I followed him to the table and sat down.
“My specialty: alfredo, don’t ask what’s in it because I’m taking the recipe to my grave.”
“Thanks,” I said picking up the fork and starting to eat. At the first taste, I felt myself grinning.
He chuckled. “Alfredo, hm? Your whole face lit up.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had it like this before,” I said.
It was warm and creamy with just enough salt and the pasta was still chewy. “I don’t think I’ve ever had pasta that was still chewy.”
He scoffed. “Al dente or throw it away.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “I can’t say I had much experience cooking. I mostly made ramen when I lived the people who adopted me.”
“Well, if you ever want to eat pasta, you’re welcome to come over,” he said. “I could use some company.”
“Thanks…” I smiled at him. “And thanks for helping me.”
He chuckled. “Us warriors against the Moon Goddess have to stick together. Tell me how your classes are going.”
I told him about the new professor and all the changes that have happened. I appreciated how he seemed to really be interested in what I was saying. It was just like what I imagined having a real dad would have been like.
We talked about what he did when he wasn’t teaching Duke and I. the support of friends like Luke would always be there to lift my spirits and remind me that even in the midst of magical mishaps, life could be filled with laughter and joy.
When we were done, I helped clean up. Then, a thought came to mind.
"Luke, you mentioned your sister earlier. Will I ever get the chance to meet her?"
He went still and a somber expression crossed Luke's face.
"I wish you could, Lucy, but unfortunately, she’s… dead."
My heart sank at his words, sympathy welling up inside me. "I'm so sorry to hear that. How did she...?"
He cleared his throat. “The way most of my family ended up dead.” His lips twitched. “When I said that a lot of people were still paying for what the Moon Goddess planned, I’m part of the luck number.”
“Do you… get to see the rest of your family at all?”
He shook his head. “We talk and keep in touch, but there aren’t a lot of us. We’re spread out across several witch cities, mostly Hecate.”
“I’m… I’m so sorry.”
“It’s alright.” He pat my shoulder. “Thinking of her isn’t always painful. Thinking of them all isn’t always that painful. There’s grief, but it’s not…”
He cleared his throat again and continued drying a dish. “Well, my family wouldn’t want me to dwell on it, so I don’t. I’m still alive and if I can make sure no one else has to deal with what happened to us ever again, I will.”
He smiled. “You and Duke are probably the biggest fuck you I could offer that witch, so I’m invested in training you up properly.”
I smiled up at him. “I appreciate it, and I know Duke does too.”
“Say that after you’ve been in my training class,” he said. “Don’t be fooled by this sweet uncle image I have going. My students usually think I’m a total bastard.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.
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