I started walking toward Caprice who was standing on her own and watching the other girls.
She looked expressionless as she regarded the activity before her.
Then she turned and started walking toward the benches at the edge of the courts.
Karsen’s voice rang out loudly. “Steiner, where the Hell are you going?”
Our gym teacher had a bamboo sword in her hand – a shinai – that she was tapping against her shoulder as she stared in disbelief at Caprice.
The girl ignored her and continued walking.
“Steiner, stop right there. I said stop!”
Karsen stormed after her, catching Caprice’s arm and dragging her to a halt.
Caprice stared up at the taller woman with an unreadable look.
Karsen sounded beyond annoyed. “Where do you think you’re going? This is gym class. We have four teams, perfect numbers and no one is skipping out.”
“Why are you bothering with me?”
“What?”
“Last year’s gym teacher didn’t mind. She was fine with me doing my own thing.”
“Why would I allow you to do your own thing?”
“Because I’m not with those girls.”
Now Karsen was growing angry. “Steiner, I’m not going to tolerate this segregation crap. Is that clear? You are a part of this class, and you participate as a part of this class.”
“But I’m not. I’m a Familiar, and they are Aventis. As a result, we cannot compete together.”
“That’s enough.”
“My lack of ability would only hinder them.”
“I said that’s enough. Now you get back there, and show me what you can do. You show your classmates what you can do.”
Caprice opened her mouth, but Karsen stormed over her complaint.
“Steiner, don’t give me that nonsense about lack of ability. I’ve seen how you look under those clothes. There isn’t an ounce of fat in your body. You’re as toned as a championship level Track-and-Field athlete.”
Caprice’s eyes narrowed but she remained silent. However, her eyes were unblinking and locked on Karsen’s face.
Karsen calmed down a little. “I won’t tolerate your act of self-pity, either. Now get over there, and take part in my class. Is that clear?”
I saw Caprice’s lower lip tremble, the first sign her perfect expressionless persona was starting to waver. I made up my mind a heartbeat later, and walked over to the girl.
“Caprice, we’re short a girl. Won’t you join our team?”
I held out my right hand to her.
Caprice stared at me without looking at it, then gave Karsen a flat glare.
Karsen said, “She’s waiting for an answer.”
I held my hand a little higher. “Please join our team.”
I saw her jaw muscles tighten as she clenched and unclenched it. “Fine. I accept.”
I lowered my hand, seeing as she wasn’t going to shake it.
Karsen inhaled deeply then said firmly, “Get going. We’re wasting time.”
I started walking back to my team but when I glanced back Caprice was clearly hesitating. Then I saw her cast a look toward the boy’s end of the gym.
I looked as well, and saw to my surprise that Caelum was on the court, playing defense. He wasn’t as tall as the other guys, but he moved fast. Very, very fast.
What the Hell is going on? Wasn’t he going to ‘sit out’ the gym session?
It seemed that was all it took for Caprice to make up her mind.
She caught up to me as I rejoined my group.
Siobhan, Alistair and the other two were giving me critical looks.
I swept my gaze over them, meeting their stares pound for pound. “Anyone have a problem with this?”
Siobhan crossed her arms. “And what if I do?”
Alistair grimaced. “I don’t like being kicked.”
Siobhan nodded. “Yeah, neither do I.”
I cocked my head. “Well maybe you need another kick.”
Siobhan snapped, “Huh?”
“If you don’t like my decision, go find another team,” I replied and folded my arms.
She looked shocked, then surly.
I ignored her and looked at Caprice. “You know the rules? You know how to play?”
Caprice didn’t reply except to regard me with a flat stare. Yet despite its nature, I could tell the girl was confused. The wheels were turning in her head, and she was trying to figure me out.
However, after a moment she gave me a single nod.
Karsen called us up to the two courts and shortly after we started to play a game.
We won the toss and elected to serve. The others in my team decided to put Caprice on the spot and make her the server.
She studied the ball for a moment, bounced it on her palms a few times to gauge its weight, then announced she was ready.
The game started.
Caprice tossed the ball high, then leapt up almost seven feet, and slapped the ball over the net.
I think surprise was what gained us that first point.
Our opponents were simply too stunned to react in time.
When I glanced at Siobhan, Alistair and the other girls, I saw them eyeing Caprice with amazement, and more than a little suspicion.
Caprice ignored the looks, and went about serving.
We won the first match almost completely through her serving action. We conceded only a handful of points. The few times a rally occurred, Caprice covered her corner with ease. She seemed to anticipate the direction of the ball before it left the hands of the opposing players.
She knew exactly where it would land and was in position with heartbeats to spare.
I think she saved us a dozen times in that first match.
I don’t think I’d ever seen anyone play volleyball like her.
And I don’t think I’d ever seen her have so much fun during gym class. Her expressionless façade slipped off and on repeatedly during the match.
Eventually, though with some reluctance, I saw the girls in my team accept her – if only as a member of the team.
Things would go back to normal when class was over.
But I didn’t want things to be that way.
I was determined that I would change things with my own two hands.
We won the second game, and then gym class came to an end.
We were dismissed and sent back to the change rooms.
I looked across the gym floor and saw Karsen talking to Caprice.
“There’s no regulation saying you can’t join a club,” Karsen said.
“I can’t compete against Aventis. I’m just like the Regulars.”
“No, you’re not. I saw you out there. You have natural talent. Given a half year’s training, you could take our volleyball team to the inter-colony championships.”
Caprice shook her head slowly. “Ms. Karsen, I appreciate what you’re saying. However, I am a Familiar affiliated with the Lanfear Pride. They hold my leash. I’m not free to make decisions regarding my future.”
“Steiner, I can talk to your Guardian. I don’t think they’d object to your participation—not with your talent.”
“Ms. Karsen, my Pride has already given me a responsibility. I cannot go against their directives.”
“What are you talking about?”
Caprice was quiet for a little while, and even glanced away for a moment. “Ms. Karsen, I am bonded to a Fragment.”
“A Fragment? You mean one of those pieces from long ago. But those pieces are said to be—”
“Yes, they are weapons. As a consequence I am designated a special operative of the Lanfear Pride. And as a consequence my activities are monitored and carefully regulated. I do not get to make the decisions that define my life. My future does not belong to me. I am nothing more than a servant of the Prides.”
I listened closely and watched Karsen’s eyes widen as understanding dawned on her.
Karsen said, “So because
you can use a Fragment, your Pride uses you for special duties. And these duties take precedence above all else. Is that what you’re telling me?”
Caprice nodded politely. “Yes, that is correct.” She shook her head faintly. “I am sorry, Ms. Karsen. I cannot join a club. I cannot represent this school, nor this colony. I am very sorry, and I appreciate your good intentions.”
Caprice bowed to Karsen, then turned smoothly on her heels and walked with a hurried gait to the change rooms.
Karsen lowered the bamboo sword and pressed the tip into the gym floor.
The look of sympathy and sadness on her face was engraved into my memory for a very long time.
I hurried to the change room, and once inside I quickly showered and changed into my uniform.
I left the change room, and saw Siobhan and Alistair waiting outside. At sight of me, Siobhan walked over to me.
“Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
I hardened my stare. “Because it was the right thing to do. Because I’m sick of the way we treat her. I’m sick of the way I’ve been treating her.”
Siobhan started to poke me but changed her mind. “Have you forgotten what she did to us?”
I crossed my arms. “Have you forgotten what the Student Council President told us?”
Alistair bit her lip and averted her gaze.
Siobhan grimaced tightly but recovered quickly. “That’s precisely my point. We should follow his advice.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “What?”
“We don’t mix with Familiars,” Siobhan stated as though it were an undeniable truth.
In the corner of my, I noticed Alistair grow uncomfortable.
But Siobhan was another matter. “Are you going to choose her or your friends?”
Deep down, I had expected this. “Why do I even have to make a choice?”
“I just told you why.”
I sighed as I stared at my friend, wondering what made us think we were so much better than Familiars. Caprice had shown us that she was capable of winning a volleyball game almost single handedly. No one in our class had dominated the games as much as she did. She was heads and shoulders better than any of us out on the courts.
This time, I hardened my resolve. “If that’s the way you want it, then I guess I’ll be eating alone from now on.”
“Jeezes, Haruka,” Siobhan cried out. “What has gotten into you?”
I shook my head. “No, this is who I am. This is who I really, really am. But after I became an Aventis I forgot who I was. I forgot the kind of person I used to be.” I shook my head again. “I don’t want that. I don’t want to be someone that I’m not. I want to be true to myself.”
I hefted the strap of my carry-bag higher onto my shoulder.
I looked them both steadily in turn. “If you can’t accept me for who I am, then what’s the point of calling ourselves friends.”
I turned around, and saw Caprice standing by the doorway. She was looking into the interior of the gym building, waiting for Caelum. But I also noticed the glance she spared me.
I took a deep breath, turned my back to my friends, and walked over to her.
“Caprice, want to eat lunch together?”
Her blank expression fell away. I saw genuine surprise on her face. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I said do you want to each lunch together?”
She glanced into the building then back at me. “I’m sorry, but I have another commitment.”
“With Caelum.”
She was quiet for a handful of heartbeats. “Why do you want to eat lunch together?”
I took another deep breath, and lined up my thoughts quickly. “Caprice, do you like Caelum?”
“Why are you asking?”
“Because he’s my friend.”
“No, he ended your friendship.”
“He did. I didn’t.” I said it with clear conviction. “He is and always will be my friend.”
She was deathly still but her eyes searched my face repeatedly. She gave me the faintest of nods. “Yes, I like him. I like him very much.”
“Even though he’s a lingerie pervert?”
“I’m used to it by now. I don’t mind.”
I had to smile at that. “He can be a handful, can’t he.”
Caprice smiled too, but it was very faint. “Yes. But…I’m used to him by now.”
“I can tell you a lot about him. It could come in handy.”
“Are you bribing me to ensure my co-operation for some nefarious plot?”
“No, I’m not. Just think of me as a source of friendly advice.” I offered her my right hand again. “My name is Haruka Amiella.”
I watched her take a deep, yet quiet breath. Then she reached out and shook my hand.
“Caprice Steiner.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Caprice.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s the way I feel.”
I smiled across at her, and her faint smile grew a little stronger.
“Haruka?” Caelum’s voice surprised me. Hurriedly Caprice broke our handshake.
I saw his hair was wet and he wasn’t wearing his jacket, draping it instead over an arm. “Are you done?” I asked.
He gave me a quiet, studious look. “Why are you here? I mean, you’re friends are leaving you behind. See, they’re walking away. You’d better hurry after them.”
I didn’t look behind me. I just shook my head slightly. “What friends?”
Caelum’s mouth fell open, but he closed after a few seconds went by. “Well, it’s your decision.”
I faced him properly and held up my palm-slate for him to see. “This…is my number.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
“Enter it into your slate.”
He straightened slowly, then shook his head. “No. I’m fine without it.”
“I’m not walking away until you enter my number into your slate.”
We stared at each other for a long while, and I felt like we were sharing a conversation without uttering a single word.
He glanced away. “Are you saying you’re fine associating with a Familiar?”
“I’m saying that I want my friend back.”
I watched him press his lips together and struggle to swallow. Again, a long while went by and neither of us said anything.
He broke the silence. “Just friends, Haruka.”
I nodded shallowly. “Just friends, Caelum.”
A struggle played out on his face, then he fished into a trouser pocket and handed me his slate. “Then you’ll need my number too.”
I operated his palm-slate and mine, updating both devices with our respective numbers. Then I turned to Caprice. “Now it’s your turn.”
Caprice glanced at Caelum, and I glimpsed the barest of nods he gave her. Only then did she hand me her palm-slate. Again, I worked two devices, saving our numbers into each other’s palm-slates.
I handed her slate back to her.
“Now,” I announced with a firm resolution in my heart. “Let’s go eat.”
Caelum and Caprice shared a look.
He shrugged and muttered. “Why not. My appetite is finally back.”
Walking with him, it felt like old times and yet I knew that things would never be the same between us.
Yet in my heart I knew we’d taken an important step toward building a new and more trusting friendship than we’d ever shared before.
Reflections – 11.
There are two kinds of Aventis.
The first kind of Aventis is a Regular that developed a degree of compatibility with one of the eight strains of the Symbiote. This normally happens during or after puberty, thereby confined to the teenage years. If their compatibility exceeds seventy percent, they are granted admission into the specific Pride they are most compatible with. The Symbiote then takes residence within the Regular’s body, and they join the Ave
ntis ranks.
The second kind of Aventis is one that is born with the Symbiote inside them. Elements of the Symbiote flow into the fetus during the second trimester when the baby is more fully developed. It then continues to grow along with the fetus. Such an Aventis is commonly referred to as a Pureblood.
The difference between the two kinds of Aventis is somewhat telling.
A non-Pureblood’s compatibility with their Symbiote rarely exceeds ninety percent. That means that the Symbiote is only able to perform its ‘tasks’ of strengthening the host, healing injuries and keeping them healthy to ninety percent of its ability. Most non-Purebloods rate a compatibility with their Symbiote of between seventy and eighty percent. Haruka Amiella was rated at eighty five percent which put her in good standing against other non-Purebloods.
In contrast, a Pureblood is a hundred percent compatible with their Symbiote. They benefit the most from what the Symbiote can do for them.
Simone Alucard and Prissila Ventiss were fortunate enough to be born Purebloods. Their mothers were also Purebloods, and it was likely that Simone and Prissila would give birth to Pureblood offspring.
But it wasn’t assured to be the case.
A case in point is Maya Khayman afil Sora.
Maya’s mother, Cassandra Khayman Sora, is a Pureblood.
The Khaymans have multiple business interests in the entertainment and residential industries, so it’s safe to say that Maya was born into a very, very wealthy family. However, she was born without the Symbiote, relegating her to the ranks of a Regular. While this was disappointing to the rather proud Khayman family, and the Sora Pride, all hope was not lost because it was ‘almost’ assured that Maya would develop a compatibility with the Sora strain of the Symbiote when she entered her teenage years.
She did not and instead awakened to an existence as a Familiar shortly before she turned sweet sixteen.
Needless to say, this was something of a shock to the Khaymans.
Needless to say, this sent the girl into suicidal despair.
The Khaymans had never birthed a Familiar in all the generations since becoming Aventis, and her family didn’t know how to deal with this outcome. The general response was one of disappointment. Some expressed shame toward Cassandra, as though she had dishonored the Pride by giving birth to a Familiar. Some even questioned if Conrad Khayman Sora – the Primogen of the Sora Pride – was in fact her father. The shame and accusations nearly tore the family apart. It certainly threatened Conrad’s position as Primogen.
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