Divulgence (Song of Sophangence Book 2)

by E. I. McAllistair

  38

  Though he had himself gone through great lengths to make Anaar his mentee, Phavian never expected his actions would be the justification for why Anaar, despite being in his Freshman year as well, would be made a mentor. With the confusion of everyone on campus, it was easy to mistake Codi as also being an exception, but since they were now the most tenured on campus, such responsibilities would fall to them. Even then, it was a bit odd this new person was considered special enough that Codi alone would not be sufficient.

  There was the fact that Codi could be crude, insensitive, and sometimes downright abusive, but this was all part of her charm. It was so unexpected, you could not help but be impressed by the ferocity of the tiny woman once you got past the initial shock. If Anaar was seen to be her system of checks and balances, it may prove an effective combination.

  When Phavian met the small man, he seemed particularly interested in knowing how the two of them came to be together. When Phavian explained he started as Anaar’s mentor, and technically still was, it prompted a response that caused Phavian to pick the small man up and shake him, threatening him if he got any ideas. His saving grace was Anaar’s intervention by hitting him on the back of the head, something that was not uncommon in their relationship.

  Leaving the two so he could continue his day, Phavian’s first inclination was to seek out Codi so he could get her opinion on the situation. When he finally caught up with her, the response was about what he expected.

  “He’s a little shit. Literally.”

  “What could he have done that was so bad?”

  “He called me by my… government name.”

  “That’s it? I get that it is a reminder of your parents, but is that really enough to not like the guy?”

  “He called me ugly too!”

  Looking at her with an expression which indicated he believed the comment to be only perceived, “Did he actually say that?”

  “Of course he did!”

  “Those words. He said the words ‘You are ugly?’”

  “Well no… But he might as well! He said Anaar was good to look at, but I was too ‘unique’ for his tastes.”

  Eyebrow arching, “He said what?!”

  “Oh now you are upset?! Fucker. That little half a man is trying to steal your boyfriend and disregarding all of this in front of him.”

  “Codi you don’t want him anyway.”

  “So! Just because you don’t want the person, doesn’t mean you can’t want the attention. How would that work anyway? With Anaar I mean. Wouldn’t he like break him or something…”

  “Codi!”

  “What? I’m just wondering. That is a whole lot of man to be taking on. I sometimes wonder how you are doing it.”

  “We are practically the same size!”

  “So both of you should be walking funny then?”

  “Shut up Codi.”

  “There are questions that need answers!”

  “You are right. You still haven’t told me how you feel about being a mentor.”

  Taking a moment to think about it, “I don’t like it being dropped on me out of the blue. You know how much I hate being told what to do.”

  “Why didn’t you say no?”

  “Are you crazy? I may not have a hard-on for the Headmistress like everyone else, but even I know better than to just defy her for no reason.”

  “Being a mentor is a lot harder than it looks.”

  “How hard can it be? That slut Ana did it,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand.

  “Let me rephrase. Being a good mentor is much harder than it looks.”

  “Well if I use you as my reference point, I’m already far better since I’m not trying to bang my mentee.”

  “Hey!”

  “You literally became Anaar’s mentor just so you can get into his pants! Unfortunately for you though he made you work for it. Which still gets major points in my book.”

  “Whatever. They seem to be getting along well already though. He is a bit inquisitive for my liking, but I know Anaar will make a great mentor.”

  “He already saved him from a painful death earlier. The little shit decided to taunt me, so Anaar just picked him up and carted him off before I could retaliate. I must admit just the sight of seeing the little fucker struggling in futility against Anaar was enough to immediately settle me down. I actually think I snorted laughing so hard.”

  “See, like I said, already amazing. What else could you expect from him?”

  “Well as funny as it was, his little stunt left me awkwardly in the office with the Headmistress. I didn’t want to just run out too, so I was forced to talk to her for a while.”

  “You make it sound like that is a bad thing.”

  Poking and jabbing at him, “How do your one on one conversations with the Headmistress go?”

  “Are you kidding me? I’d rather pass kidney stones daily! I’m sure that would have been much easier than when I asked her to host Anaar’s birthday party.”

  “I’m still surprised you pulled that off. You have some balls on you that’s for sure.” Flashing him a devilish grin, “How are you two enjoying my birthday present?”

  “Don’t you fucking be proud of that! What if Anaar had opened his presents at the party with everyone there?! You probably would have killed us all if he opened up a box with a double headed dildo in it in front of everyone, especially his mother and the Headmistress. Or Master Shin! Oh my god, or the old creepy guy from Exploration! I am positive he would have had a meltdown and leveled the entire house.”

  “It’s good though right? Premium as fuck.”

  Sighing, “You are completely missing the point… Moving right along, what could have possessed the Headmistress to think you’d be a good mentor for anyone?”

  With the words having barely left his mouth, Codi rewarded him with a number of volts for his insolence. “I’d be a great mentor! For a non-shithead.”

  “So basically you would never be a good mentor…”

  “Hmm, you might have a point. Think I can just leave everything to Anaar?”

  “Of course you can. The kid already seems taken with him. Anaar puts a lot of stock into the Headmistress though, and he knows her much better than most people. According to him, if she included you, there must be a good reason for it.”

  “I guess there may be some truth to that. I also don’t plan on losing to that fucker at something else! I’ll go be the best damn mentor that midget has ever seen!”

  Just the declaration alone seemed to get Codi so fired up that she stormed off, leaving Phavian alone there to wonder what exactly she had planned. He had seen her in these types of moods, and from his experience, little good came from them. Erring on the side of caution, he decided to send Anaar a message of warning, telling him to look out for whatever Codi had in mind. When Anaar failed to respond in his typical timely manner, he followed up asking where he was, not worried, but recognizing how odd it was for Anaar to lag in communication.

  It was not until much later that Phavian received a response from Anaar informing him he was at The Rack. Though they were not averse to it, most of the people in his circle spent very little time at The Rack, which was quite atypical for the average Sophangence student. Perhaps it was due to all his friends being overachievers who kept very busy schedules, but spending hours of time at the student recreation center was never high on their priority list. If anything, it was only on special occasions that they made time to enjoy the amenities of The Rack.

  Anaar had possibly the busiest schedule of all, so he found it doubtful he would be engaging in a game of laser tag, or bowling. It was much more likely he was having a meeting with someone at the café. When Phavian arrived, he found Anaar sitting at one of the high tables with an absolutely beautiful woman. Deep chocolate skin that practically emanated melanin, a bushy afro that accentuated her high cheekbones and full, pouty lips, and the poise of the goddess that she was. Though Phavian had long since known he had
no interest in women, he had a particular weakness for the majesty of a beautiful Black woman. This may have been due to his growing up with his mother and sister, but he could not look past them without lavishing them with the praise due.

  It occurred to him he had never seen this woman before. Such a beautiful piece of walking art could have never escaped his notice. Since the campus was now full of new students, he was not surprised that there would be people he had never seen before. As to why Anaar was with such a woman made him wonder. Anaar was quite fond of women, as such their relationship was only his first foray into a same sex relationship. Phavian was never one to be the jealous type, but that was usually because there was never anyone who could compare to him to cause jealousy. Anaar was the first male to do this to him, and now he finds him sitting with a woman who could easily do the same. Doing his best to keep his wits about him, he decided to greet Anaar and this newcomer by asserting his place in Anaar’s life.

  Hugging him from behind and kissing him on the cheek near the mouth, he greets the two cheerfully. “You are taking quite the leisurely evening for someone who was just assigned a mentee. Anaar who is this beautiful friend of yours? New student I take it?”

  The woman simply looked at him with a sultry smirk, which then ended in a scoff. “Some things never change, do they?”

  Surprised Phavian would seek him out rather than just waiting to see him at dinner or that night, Anaar peers at him inquisitively. “I didn’t expect to see you here. Is something the matter?”

  “Oh no, I just wanted to see you. I just talked to Codi about the little guy. Peter was it? He’s an interesting dude. Is this another one of your mentees?”

  “At least it is refreshing to see you are the only one with the ability to see right through me every time Anaar. Though for what it is worth I think whatever you have, Phavian has the exact opposite of it.” With a little chuckle, the woman opens up a small mirror to check her makeup.

  Clearly confused by this stranger he has never met who clearly knew him, Phavian looks at the woman suspiciously. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

  With a flirtatious brush of his arm, “Of course you do beautiful, inside and out. I know all about you too. Those powerful arms, the primal grunts you make when you are thrusting deep-”

  “Merc… Stop. Antagonizing my boyfriend isn’t very nice. I thought we were working on that?”

  “It is so much harder when he is right here though! Though not as hard as he is when-”

  “Hey!”

  “Fine, fine. You are such a spoilsport. How does anyone ever have any fun around you?”

  “Easy, they don’t be complete assholes to-”

  “This is fucking Merc?!”

  The realization of what was going on was such a powerful blow, Phavian almost felt his knees buckle. This whole time he had been praising this woman for her beauty, but he now knew the truth, it was all a complete fraud. How Anaar had ever come to have a cordial meeting with one of the few people in the world he simply could not stand, was a mystery to him. There must be some plot here, something Merc wanted from Anaar, or both of them. This person was pure evil, and they were no doubt poisoning his boyfriend with every second he wasted. Grabbing Anaar’s arm roughly he attempted to yank him away, desperate to save him.

  Shoving Phavian off him, Anaar looks angrily at the frantic man who is only growing in agitation. “What in the hell are you doing?”

  “I’m trying to get you away from this sack of shit! Do you not understand what is going on here? Do you not understand who this is?!”

  “Uh, yeah… I understand perfectly who they are, hence me asking them here for a catch up session.”

  Eyes bulging, “Catch up session?! What the fuck does that mean?!”

  Merc, either not understanding the severity of the situation, or simply not caring, “You know, when you haven’t seen someone in a while? You check in to see how they are doing? I know you have a lot of positive attributes, but I guess the smarts still is something you are lacking in…”

  “Fuck you! Goddamn demon! You don’t know shit about me!”

  “You are quite mistaken about that. I can pick that little, well big soldier out in a line up…”

  Phavian moves to strike Merc, with Anaar jumping up to block his path. “What the fuck is wrong with you two?! I would say you should kiss and make up, but that has already happened! Well at least half of it. This is like dealing with someone who has baggage from a bad breakup! You were never together! You fucked! A lot it seems, but that is it. Grow up! Phavian, stop being so unreasonable! Merc, stop being an ass in general! We have made so much progress, don’t let Phavian being an idiot take that away.”

  Hearing Anaar’s staunch defense of Merc pierced Phavian in places he had never felt before. Though he did put some of the blame on Merc, it sounded like Anaar was blaming him for the situation. It did not make sense to Phavian. Anaar was supposed to be on his side and support him, instead it felt like he would rather defend someone who caused nothing but strife and pain for others and was not worth defending. Anaar’s willingness to see the good in people was always something he admired and loved about him, but the fact of the matter was some people simply had nothing good about them. Squaring his shoulders, he prepared himself for what he was about to say.

  “It is either me or them. If you choose them, don’t bother coming home tonight.”

  “You sleep in my room…”

  Clearly not thinking over his threat very well before he posed it, Phavian scrambles to find a retort. “Well… don’t come to my room tonight!”

  Shrugging, Anaar’s response was simple but clear. “Okay.”

  Not expecting Anaar to so easily disregard his ultimatum, Phavian storms out of The Rack hurt and in disbelief. How was it so easy for him to be completely ignorant to his feelings? What was so special about Merc, or anyone for that matter that he was willing to be stubborn enough to throw their relationship away? He understood relationships had challenges, but it seemed perhaps they were not meant to be since Anaar did not feel as strongly for him as he felt for Anaar. It made sense, in a way he all but cornered Anaar into their relationship, what was he expecting? Was it even possible for Anaar to love someone deeply? He would only be setting himself up for inevitable heartache, no matter how perfect the relationship, since he would always out live them. Downtrodden, Phavian could do nothing but retire to his room, the cold of his empty bed the first cold he had felt in years.

  Sleep did not come easy. How could it? For months now he had become accustomed to the soothing warmth of Anaar by his side. Even when he was whacked over the head for snoring, it still seemed like the happiest moments of his life. As he lay awake tossing and turning, he could only see how everything he had done were only inconveniences to the free spirit that was Anaar.

  Though he had never been in a relationship either, it was for completely different reasons. He sometimes bore a look as if he held the weight of the world on his shoulders, the consequence of being born with too much power. All he had done was become an additional weight to add to his already heavy burdens.

  All night long he waited for a message, a call, maybe even for Anaar to crawl into his bed as if nothing had happened at all. It never came. Was he being stubborn? Should he be the one to reach out? How could he? Anaar had made his choice. He chose the freedom he had always known. The freedom that he would know long after he, or Codi, or any of their friends had passed from this world. The more Phavian contemplated it, the more he wondered if this ‘freedom’ was really a prison. There is something to be said when you know your life has a definite end. If the earth was polluted, scorched and ravaged by the ever present threat of war, at least he knew that he only had so long he would need to endure it. Anaar did not have such a luxury. He was destined to see the world in brilliance and in turmoil, whether he liked it or not.

  Perhaps that was why Anaar seemed wise beyond his years. While most people live in the moment because they never kn
ow when it will be their last, he must always look toward the future because that is the one constant he had. Immortals eventually stopped aging altogether, so what if Anaar was really centuries old and he had seen multiple lifetimes play out already and he was simply acting out this life the best he could? All night long Phavian struggled with the meaning of life for the man he loved, but could not begin to say he understood.

  The next day was a welcome relief. With it brought distractions. He had responsibilities he needed to address. With the new class, there were a number of people who were potential new members of the Seeds. He would need to work on recruitment efforts, something that he still struggled with. There was class, much of it just a blur, passing in what seemed like a moment compared to the night he had. He was not used to being so genuinely down, which was apparently evident to everyone he came in contact with. Still none of it mattered to him since he still had no messages from Anaar.

  Trudging across campus he came upon a sight that was the sun after a cloudy, overcast day. There was Anaar not 100 feet away from him. The sun soon turned to storm clouds for him though. With the introduction of the new class onto campus, it seemed as if every time he saw Anaar, it was with a new person he had not met before. This situation was not much different, but what was different was the manner in which he was interacting with the two women he was with.

  He was no stranger to such a scene himself, but to see Anaar doing it burned his heart like acid. The nuzzling, the heavy petting and grabbing as the women giggled playfully, all of it pointed to the three of them with only one thing on their mind. Anaar had never been one for public displays of affection with him, he always said people were trying too hard. Was that all just a lie? There was no question what he intended with these two rather average women in Phavian’s opinion.

  It was not just the actions that seemed out of place however, there were far more factors that were tainted. He had closed the gap quite considerably, enough to begin making out some of the things the trio were saying, and the man he was looking at on the surface was surely Anaar. That was when all of the differences hit Phavian like a ton of bricks.