Here he was, still at Falstrom academy weeks after he planned on leaving. Arthur was sitting in the expansive, bright, and surprisingly modern library reading through a yellowing book on teleportation magic. He had reached an odd crossroads with the hospitalization of Emily and Brennan’s extended series of absences. He wasn’t quite sure where his future lies or if he should still head up to Wisconsin. His call with James a week earlier was a tough one. James was always an emotional guy and Arthur’s postponement of the position sent him into a fit. It got so bad Arthur hung up the phone halfway through the screaming fit. He planned to call back once his plans became more final.

Arthur was currently more concerned with the odd situation in the library. Over the last hour or so he had been barely able to read about the intricacies of large-scale teleportation. A red-haired student in the corner had been glancing over at him every few minutes since he had walked in. She sat among a group of students Arthur had never seen before, although that’s not horribly surprising given his anxiety issues. He didn’t know a good portion of students at the school. Something about her gaze was familiar, he just couldn’t put his finger on it. It was only until she stood up did he remember. He was surprised he could forget. She was one of the tallest girls in the school standing roughly six inches taller than Arthur. She had been in a few of his advanced theoretical spell-casting classes. He was almost certain they had never spoken before though. He watched her wave bye to her study group and head his way. He knew it would happen eventually, but even so, his mind went blank the second she approached. Her towering figure, an impassible wall to Arthur, came up to his table and looked down at the book he was reading.

“Teleportation, huh? Do you plan on working for the city when you graduate?” She smiled slightly as she sat down in the chair opposite Arthur. Her casual clothing made it seem she was about to go lay on the couch at home rather than study in one of the most prestigious colleges in the world. It would normally be a look that would cause many to lower their guards. Arthur, however, was still just as rigid as before. He could feel his hands clamming up thinking of an intelligent response.

“More just my own curiosity.” He shut the book, finding it impossible to read as the words kept jumping across the page. Only realizing after that his response answered a question she didn’t ask. He fumbled to ask something, “Can I help you with anything?” It wasn’t a friendly question although that wasn’t his intention.

She paused at the sudden question, but responded in kind, “I just heard about Emily, I’m really sorry. She was always so nice to me and spoke a ton about you. I never would have guessed you could be talkative with you way acted in our classes.” Arthur just shrugged and said, “I’m not great at meeting new people. I don’t have a lot of time for much else besides my studies.” He was loosening up a bit now. It always took him a little while to get over the initial shock of a conversation with someone new.

The red-haired girl gave a sly grin, “You made time for Emily though.” Her response caught Arthur off guard. He just gave a thoughtful nod, “I guess I did…and still do.”

She gave him a few seconds to see if he would say anymore. Noticing he finished his thought she sighed, “It may not be my place to say but….she loves you, you know. I think you love her too although you don’t seem to be as willing to admit it.” It was not a conversation Arthur wished to have. Especially with a girl he barely knew. He didn’t appreciate others knowing his personal life. It wasn’t their place to get involved. “If you’ve talked with Emily that much then you must know we’ve tried dating before. Multiple times. It....was, not a good match. I didn’t like who I was then.”

She got a little angry at that and lightly slammed her palm against the table. The sharp sound echoed through the towering shelves causing a few heads to turn their way. “Bullshit!” She hissed, “You are many things, Arthur, but you have never been a bad guy. Just an asshole.” The last comment was whispered, but Arthur still heard it. He couldn’t disagree.

He looked up into her brown eyes, there was a story here. More than what was being said and possibly regarding him. He just couldn’t think of what it might be. He had never spoken to this girl before and Emily had never mentioned her. “Listen, it sounds like you knew Emily really well which is amazing. I can’t begin to describe how much I owe her. I would do anything for her, but we have to remain just friends. Like many other people, you don’t know the whole story.”

Tears filled her eyes and she quickly wiped them away with the sleeve of her grey sweater. She got up to leave but turned to say one last thing before going, “Asshole.” It was louder this time. “You don’t know the whole story either.” She went back to her study group in tears. Besides comforting her they threw Arthur a few dirty looks. He decided it was time to go.

The sound of excited students greeted him as he stepped outside the dark walls of the library. He couldn’t help squinting as the bright sunlight assaulted him. It was another hot, summer day on the campus. The smell of freshly cut grass always helped calm him down, but this time he couldn’t stop thinking about what the girl said. What did she mean that he didn’t know the whole story? A student exiting the library shoved him trying to move past waking him from his thoughts. It was then Arthur realized he didn’t have anywhere to go. Emily had recently left the hospital but was undergoing physical therapy back at her parents’ house. Brennan was gallivanting about who knows where.

Choosing to enjoy the weather, he sat down on a bench overlooking the entrance hall. This time of year the incoming students would be taking tours of the campus. He enjoyed watching their tour groups go by and the unbridled excitement of the students viewing the school for the first. It reminded him of his first days at the academy. Back when things were much simpler.

It didn’t take too long for the first group to walk by. Only ten students and their parents were being led around, a much smaller group than usual. The parents and prospective students had on some of the nicest clothing Arthur had seen anyone wear to a school viewing before. It wasn’t unusual for rich and influential families to choose this school, but something was different about this group. They had a greater sense of authority than others had. Well, that and assigned bodyguards. Bodyguards that seemed to recognize him.

“For our first stop, we have the common grounds of the school. Hundreds of years of history reside within these grounds. Teachers and students alike have been adding to the plant life here with the first being the grand oak in the center. The founder Belmont infused the oak with magic now unknown, but with each year the oak grows larger and stronger. It still stands as the exact center of campus and the point on campus with the highest concentration of magic.” Most of the incoming students were enraptured by the story, which was mostly true. Most tour guides took a few liberties with the stories they told. The bodyguards had been whispering back and forth with the other adults in the group. It seemed he wouldn’t be walking away without them approaching them.

One of the parents, a tall, burly man in a multi-layered black suit, stopped the tour guide where they were and walked up to Arthur. He was getting sick of being approached by strangers. His annoyance did not beat out his anxiety though and he once again found his mind going blank as the man approached.

“Are you a Montale?” It was an expected question and the man’s heavy British accent was even more of a surprise. Arthur answered the man truthfully.

“Yes. Who are you?” Arthur didn’t do pleasantries as often as he should. He had run into trouble a few times angering the wrong people.

The man unexpectedly grinned. “I’m Nigel Corbyn. Prime Minister of Britain. I’d like to ask for your help.”

Today kept getting stranger.