Pride x Familiar (11 page)

“Yes. Even after I became a Familiar, I still
had hopes of competing.” She shook her head slowly. “Then I learnt
about Fragments and Artifacts and what we could do with them. Arisa
hijacked my school life.”

I glanced around. I didn’t feel comfortable
talking of Fragments and Artifacts with so many Aventis around.

I sipped the remainder of my drink through the
straw, then placed the empty cup on my tray.

I’d eaten very little of my food.

I just wasn’t hungry.

You could say I had too much food for
thought.

No, that analogy didn’t sound right.

I felt the urge to change the subject. “Caprice,
what do you think of Cee Cee having an interest in the
Academy?”

“Cee Cee? Oh, you mean them.” She put her
utensils down. “I agree with the Countess. It’s disappointing to
think Familiars are working with them.”

I frowned slightly. “Who’s the Countess?”

“Simone,” Caprice explained. She sipped her diet
soda.

I had no idea why she drank the stuff.
Considering the after school training we were subjected to, it was
unlikely she was going to gain weight from drinking a regular
soda.

I glanced away for a moment.

Come to think of it, I’d never seen a fat or
overweight Aventis.

I glanced around the cafeteria, looking for a
heavyset student and not finding one.

Caprice’s voice garnered my attention. “I don’t
relish the prospect of having to face Familiars in battle
again.”

I wondered if she was referring to the time she
fought that Familiar the Raynars had sent to apprehend me.

I shivered inwardly.

Seven months later and I still found it hard to
accept how closely my life had been monitored after Celica’s death.
Yet I’d lived my life as an orphan of the state completely
oblivious to it.

Before my thoughts could turn to Prissila
Ventiss, I forced myself to relax.

I planted my chin on a palm, and said, “I guess
knowing that Familiars are working for the enemy doesn’t help our
case very much. The Primatriarchs and the Prides are just going to
trust us even less.”

“True.”

I looked out the window. “I wonder what other
Fragment Cee Cee has in its possession?”

“I’d like to say it’s not for us to worry over,”
she said softly, sipping the last of her soda and then placing the
cup on her tray. “But I fear we’ll be the ones on the receiving end
of those Fragments.”

I harrumphed under my breath. “You’re probably
right.” I glanced at her. “Have you spoken to Arisa?”

“No.”

“I get the feeling she’s avoiding us….”

“Arisa has her own troubles to attend to.”

That may be, but I was starting to feel she’d
cut us high and dry. In fact, I felt like she’d deliberately
dropped us into the hands of the Student Council.

Into the hands of Simone Alucard Raynar.

My feelings of disillusionment resurfaced. “I
get the feeling Arisa’s not interested in me anymore.”

For a long moment Caprice stopped moving, maybe
even breathing. “What do you mean?”

“Well, look at how much work they put into your
training, and how little they put into mine.”

She was quiet for another long moment. “It’s not
what you think.”

“Really?”

“Yes. From what I understand your progress is
being carefully monitored.”

I narrowed my eyes at Caprice. “I’m classified
as a Special, right?”

She nodded. “Yes, you’re registered as a Special
affiliated to the Lanfears.”

I already knew all that.

I was just leading up to a point.

“How am I expected to operate as one with so
little training?”

I saw the unease flicker across her eyes.

I decided not to put her on the spot anymore,
and glanced away.

Looking about the interior of the cafeteria, I
caught a glimpse of Haruka leaving in the company of two
girlfriends.

I pushed past the empty feeling in my chest.

How could I have been so stupid to think that I
was over her?

Suddenly my palm-slate vibrated in my
pocket.

I pulled it out and looked at the message on the
screen.

REPORT TO THE STUDENT COUNCIL PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
– THE COUNTESS.

“We’ve been summoned,” Caprice stated
softly.

I glanced at her. “Why does she call herself the
Countess?”

Caprice stood up from her chair. “Count Dracula.
Countess Alucard. Something along those lines.”

I stood up slowly. “Oh, I get it now….”

We had to hurry. Afternoon classes would resume
in twenty minutes.

We arrived at the President’s office a few
minutes after leaving the cafeteria, and the doors opened for us
before Caprice could knock on either of them. I realized the
corridor was being watched from inside the room.

Just how extensive were the surveillance systems
inside the Academy? Did they spread to every nook and cranny in the
school grounds?

The Countess was waiting inside. She was lying
sideways on the president’s desk, her head propped up on one arm.
She smiled and gave the two of us a little wave.

I caught the scowl on Caprice’s face before she
grew expressionless once more.

The three other occupants were the Severin Kell,
Maya Khayman, and Rina Sayen.

The latter gave me a shy smile, whereas Maya
didn’t even glance my way; her expression was as frosty as an ice
comet.

As for Severin Kell, he simply nodded at our
arrival. Clearing his throat politely, he said, “I’d like to thank
all of you for coming. We’re short on time so we’ll begin right
away.”

He waved his pen remote like a sorcerer.

The lights in the room dimmed, and the holovid
projection system came into play.

I crossed my arms and studied the images that
appeared.

It looked like a collection of buildings of
various rectangular dimensions. Some were wide, others taller.
Walkways and bridges connected the buildings to each other. As the
image slowly rotated I noticed it was possible to get from one
building to every other building by using these bridges.

Maya sounded confused. “What is this? A new
commercial block being planned inside a habitat?”

Severin shook his head faintly. “No, this is one
way to represent our Academy’s information network.”

I laughed. “This is the school’s computer
network?”

“This is one way to look at it. These buildings
represent domains and sub-domains. The floors can be considered
levels of data storage. Databases, files, folders, all of it
represented as rooms, cabinets, shelves, lockers, and so on.”

I studied the collection of buildings and
noticed one of them lacked windows and floors. It resembled a
featureless black box. There was a single bridge connecting it to a
larger building.

I pointed at it. “That black one—the one that
looks like a box. What’s in there?”

“We don’t know.”

I looked at Severin, and spared the Countess a
glance. Now she was sitting on the edge of the desk, swinging her
legs slowly. “How can you not know what’s in there? It’s your
network, isn’t it?”

“It’s our Academy’s network. However, we’re not
responsible for it. We didn’t design it, and we don’t maintain it.
Nor are we in a position to make changes to it.”

“Huh?”

Severin enlarged the area around the featureless
building. He focused on the point where the lone bridge connected
to the black wall. Seven doors stood like dominos on the bridge, as
though to prevent access to the black building.

He said, “These doors represent the seven
security layers that prevent access to this part of the network. So
far, five of them have been breached. Based on past experience, we
expect that Crescent will have little trouble getting through the
last two doors.”

I shook my head, feeling frustrated by the
questions beginning to well up in my head. “I still don’t
understand how it’s possible that you don’t know what’s in
there?”

Severin sighed. “I said it before. We don’t run
the network. We have very little authority over it. That includes
the way it is protected, and what people choose to put inside.”

I pointed at the black building. “But can’t you
just ask someone what’s in there?”

“We did but they’re not telling us. In fact,
we’re not getting any support from the network administrators nor
any answers from the private consulting firm that implemented this
security model.”

Maya asked, “Why not?”

The Countess slipped off the desk and walked
over to Severin.

Student Council President and Vice-President
stood almost shoulder to shoulder. They regarded each other for a
short while before facing us. It was Severin who answered Maya’s
question.

“Everything the Student Council is doing here…is
not sanctioned by the members of the Prides responsible for
managing the academy.”

I heard the mixed reactions from my fellow
Familiars.

The Countess said, “The Powers-that-be are aware
of the problem, but they’ve chosen to leave us out in the cold.
They’ve chosen not to involve us in the matter. As a result, we’re
not able to get any support from them.”

Severin added, “Everything we’ve done has been
without express approval. This includes enlisting the help of
various trusted clubs within the academy, and bringing the four of
you together.”

I asked guardedly, “Then why do it?”

Severin answered, “Because it’s our academy, and
the Student Council has a responsibility to ensure that our academy
is safe, and that its students and teachers are not placed in
harm’s way.”

I muttered bluntly, “That’s rather benevolent of
you.”

Severin arched his eyebrows at me.

The Countess cut in smoothly. “However, while we
don’t have their express permission, the Powers-that-be haven’t
done anything to stop us except refusing to answer our questions,
and refusing to supply us with the resources we request.”

I frowned. “That’s a little odd. It’s like
they’ve put you in a box but are letting you run around freely
inside it.”

Severin and the Countess looked bemused at my
remark, then shared another long look.

The Countess shrugged. “I guess that’s one way
to look at it.”

Severin looked uncomfortable but appeared to
agree. “To all intents and purposes, the Powers-that-be have
decided that there’s little we can do about the situation. So for
now, all we can do is wait and see how they react to the four of
them being brought together.”

The Countess looked uneasy. “Perhaps they’re
waiting to see what solution we come up with.”

Maya asked, “You mean this is a test? The people
in authority over this school are using this situation to test us
and the Student Council?”

“Quite possibly,” Severin said, “or they’re
simply ignoring us because they’re too busy with matters on their
end. Put simply, we don’t know what they’re thinking or what
they’re doing to stop Crimson Crescent.” He shrugged heavily. “For
all we know, they could have given up.”

The Countess spoke quickly. “However, we of the
Student Council have decided we’re not going to let them have their
way. Neither the Powers-that-be nor Crimson Crescent. We will not
tolerate Crescent setting foot in our academy—period.”

I shared an uneasy look with Caprice.

Going it alone against Crimson Crescent?

She gave me the faintest of shrugs.

Severin’s next words caught me by surprise.
“That being said, while we have the consent of your Guardians to
enlist your help, we cannot order you to help us. We can only ask
for your help.”

I frowned. “Are you saying we can choose to walk
away from all this?”

He nodded. “Yes. Your Guardians have left the
final decision in your hands.”

Maya whispered, “My mother is letting me
decide?”

The Countess nodded sagely. “She is indeed. The
choice of whether to help us or not lies with you. We will not hold
it against you if you choose to walk away.”

I studied the slowly revolving image of the
Academy’s computer network. The black building or box kept drawing
my attention, as did the blinking domino doors at the end of the
bridge.

I took a deep breath and shoved my hands into my
trouser pockets. “I have no love for Crimson Crescent. I’d gladly
screw up their plans. Count me in.”

Caprice said quietly, “If he’s in, then so am
I.”

Rina Sayen shrugged as she wrapped her arms
protectively about her. “I don’t know what help I can be, but I’ll
do what I can…if you’ll have me.”

In the corner of my eye, I saw Maya Khayman
stare at the carpeted floor. She was shaking her head slowly. “I
don’t know what my mother’s thinking, but I think she’d want me to
help. So I’ll do what I can to protect this school. Besides, my
younger sister is here. Even if I’m a disappointment to my family
and to her”—she looked up and stared at the Countess—“I no longer
want to be a disappointment to myself.”

The President and Vice-President stared at the
four of us for a long while before bowing respectfully and thanking
us.

I almost took a step back, shocked to be treated
this way by two Aventis. Actually I was more than shocked. I felt a
little repulsed.

Why the Hell are Aventis acting so respectful to
us?

Maya looked uncomfortable at first, then
bitterly turned away.

Rina looked embarrassed and continued to hug
herself.

Caprice was staring at the President and the
Countess through narrow eyes.

She spoke in her customary flat voice. “What do
you want us to do the next time Crimson Crescent invades this
Academy?”

The Countess folded her arms. “We want you to
let them break in.”

I saw Caprice stare at the mysterious black
box.

She asked, “You want to learn what’s
inside?”