Chapter 13 - Part I

(Caelum)

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“Caelum, where are we going?” Caprice asked, her voice oddly betraying more inflection than usual, probably because it was the third time she’d asked the same question.

“You’ll see,” I replied as I had on the previous three occasions, and picked up my pace. “Hurry. Kaleb said he’d delay our training by thirty minutes.”

After homeroom, I had insisted Caprice come with me to the collection of clubroom buildings on the west side of the Academy grounds.

There was someone I wanted her to meet: Lidia Marie Geharis afil Raynar.

Caprice read the sign on the door. “The Sneakers Club? Is it a jogging club?”

“Nothing like that,” I told her. “More like the kind that sneak around.”

“Doing what?” she asked, and sounded clearly puzzled which in turn surprised me.

Has her mask slipped off without her noticing?

I answered quickly, “Sneaking around in restricted areas.”

Rapping on the door, I waited for it to be opened. The quiet girl from before, Petra, greeted us and waved us into the room. “The Club President is expecting you.”

“Out the back and up the stairs, right?” I asked her.

She nodded.

Caprice stepped into the room behind me. “Sorry for intruding,” she offered politely with a faint bow.

I led Caprice over to the back window, whereupon I climbed out onto the fire escape, and then climbed up the stairs to a room on the fourth level.

Caprice followed me through the open window into the room, and then stopped a foot beside me as she faced the room’s other occupant.

Lidia was sitting cross legged on a cushion, and she had laid out two other cushions for us.

“Please be seated,” she said, sounding less than welcoming.

“Sorry,” I said to her. “I didn’t think she’d believe me if I told her.”

With a suddenly sour expression, Lidia crossed her arms under her small breasts, and huffed as she closed her eyes. “I’m indebted to you so I don’t have a choice.”

“Well, I haven’t done much yet,” I admitted a little guiltily.

Caprice approached the sitting girl but chose to remain standing. “What do you mean indebted?”

Opening one eye, Lidia stared up at Caprice. “He’s helping me achieve my dream. Enough said.”

Caprice turned attention upon me. “Just how many girls are you dating?”

“Huh?” I gasped then gaped at her. “I’m only dating Simone. And yes, before you ask, it is true. She confessed and I accepted.” I crossed my arms and closed my eyes. “Enough said.”

“Very well,” Caprice declared softly. “Then you don’t mind if I date someone of my choosing?”

I opened my eyes, feeling a painful twinge in my heart. “That depends on who you choose.”

“I choose Crais Shepherd afil Raynar.”

I lowered my arms and planted them on my hips. “Then we have a problem.”

Caprice held my gaze and I held hers as I felt the sudden tension between us.

Lidia sighed heavily, and pointed at the cushions. “I presume you’re short on time, so please sit down. I have things to do as well. You can have your spat elsewhere.”

I held back a sigh of my own as I sat down on the cushion to Lidia’s ten o’clock.

After a moment, Caprice sat down on the cushion to Lidia’s two o’clock. “What’s this about?” she asked in monotone.

I took a quick breath. “It’s about your poor choice in men.”

Caprice stiffened then gave me a complicated look. “You may be right about that….”

Huh? Why did she make that sound as if I was referring to myself?

Lidia sighed again. “Okay. Introductions first. I know who you are, but you don’t know who I am.” She patted her breastbone. “My name is Lidia Marie Geharis afil Raynar.”

“A pleasure,” Caprice replied flatly, making it difficult to know if she said it sincerely or not.

Lidia nodded quickly. “The boy you are dating—”

“Wait,” Caprice said. “I must clarify. We are not dating. We have simply agreed to go on a date this weekend. It is the first date, and could very well be the last.”

A frown settled upon Lidia’s forehead. “Err…so you’re just testing out the waters?”

“Correct. I wish to ascertain how compatible we are.”

My eyes grew wide as I asked, “How compatible you are? So you mean you haven’t made a choice yet?”

“Correct. I have not decided whether to date him or not.”

Lidia’s expression grew decidedly troubled, and softly said, “You’re not being entirely open with us.”

Caprice looked surprised, though it was faint. After a second or so, she regained her composure, and spoke softly. “You are truly perceptive.”

With a heavy nod, Lidia raised a finger. “I haven’t been entirely open either, so please allow me to finish.”

A few moments went by before Caprice favored her with a subtle nod. “Very well.”

I was starting to feel like an outsider, so I crossed my arms and asked Lidia, “So, what have you been hiding?”

“Crais Shepherd afil Raynar is my cousin.”

My mouth fell open and I lost hold of my faculties. “Huh?”

Caprice arched an eyebrow yet remained silent.

Lidia released yet another sigh, and rocked back on the cushion. “Crais is my cousin. My mother’s family name is Shepherd but she married into the Geharis Family. Ergo, my name is Lidia Marie Geharis.” She held out her hands, palms up. “End of that story.” She lowered her hands. “And the start of a new one.”

“What new story?” I asked. “Wait, you can’t just drop that bombshell and then run away from it.”

Lidia faced Caprice. “Are you aware that he has an Artifact?”

I grumbled inwardly. Great, now she’s ignoring me.

Caprice looked mildly surprised at the question, somewhat of a severe response from her. “No…I did not. I didn’t sense anything from him.”

Nodding gently, Lidia folded her arms. “His Artifact is a Celestial class, type Lucifer.”

“As in the fallen angel?” Caprice questioned.

“Indeed, and just as troublesome. The Lucifer is able to hide itself from prying eyes and Awareness-fields. Although”—she gave me a thoughtful glance—“a Ruler class may be able to see through its camouflage.”

Ruler class? Does she mean the Kaiser’s Blessing? Thinking about it, Arisa did mention that Kaiser meant Emperor in one of the ancient languages.

I smirked to myself.

Does that mean I possess the Emperor’s Blessing?

Caprice’s question caught my attention. “How do you know he has an Artifact?”

“Because I’ve seen him use it,” Lidia replied in a solemn manner. “I was at the training center being tested and I came across a battle arena. He was there, competing against other Familiars of the Raynar Pride. That’s why I know he’s gifted with a Lucifer type Artifact. And I’ve seen him use it in battle.” She gave me a meaningful look, as though reminding me of her previous warning that I not challenge Shepherd.

Pushing a sudden uneasy sensation aside, I cleared my throat quietly and addressed Lidia. “You told me you didn’t know much about his Artifact. Were you holding back?”

“I know a little about what it can do, but not the full extent of its abilities.” She took a quick breath before continuing. “I do know that other than its ability to hide, the Lucifer can amplify a Familiar’s innate ability to use Influence upon the Aventis. As you know, we Familiars can influence the mind of an Aventis by exerting our will over the Symbiote within their bodies. This is why a Familiar would normally first ingest the blood of their intended target. Once the Symbiote has grown within the Familiar’s body, they are then able to exert control over the Symbiote within the Aventis. The net effect is that we can influence Aventis minds.”

I understood what she meant. When I drank Haruka’s blood before my fight with the high-school seniors, I was able to will her to run away by using Influence upon her. But I was really exerting my control over the Symbiote inside her body which includes her brain.

In other words, control the Symbiote, and you control the Aventis.

Lidia added, “This is why Familiars cannot affect the minds of Regulars. A Regular does not possess a Symbiote, so there is nothing there for us to influence.”

Caprice looked faintly thoughtful. “Why reveal this to me? Why bring me here?”

“Because we want to warn you about my cousin,” Lidia answered. “Quite simply, I don’t trust him.”

“Neither do I,” Caprice stated.

Lidia and I both gaped. “Huh?”

Caprice placed her hands on her thighs. “I do not trust him. My decision to invite him on a date was motivated by the need to learn his true intentions toward me.”

Lidia blinked slowly, and faced me. I returned her look with an open shrug of my shoulders, and the girl turned back to Caprice. “I’m confused.”

I swallowed and said, “I think you’re selling yourself short, Caprice.”

“Meaning what?” she asked without inflection.

There were times I couldn’t believe how obtuse she was.

Lidia picked up the data slate sitting on the floor to her right. “Allow me to explain.” She worked the device for a short while, then handed it to Caprice who took it with a slight nod. “That’s your profile on the Girls of Galatea. You are currently ranked seventeenth highest out of the three thousand girls attending this school.” Lidia planted her chin on an upturned palm. “Now do you understand what Desanto meant by saying you are selling yourself short?”

For a short while, Caprice studiously read the details of her profile, then blandly remarked, “They have my dimensions wrong.”

“Eh?” Lidia blurted out.

“Yes. It says here bust seventy-five centimeters. However, my bust is seventy-seven. I should have this entry corrected. Whom do I contact?”

Lidia hung her head and shoulders. “Why do I bother…?”

I coughed gently. “Ah, allow me. I’ll have the site administrators correct that entry.”

Caprice made a soft ‘ah’ sound, then asked, “Could I make other suggestions regarding my profile?”

Lidia moaned softly as though suffering a tummy ache.

I gave Caprice a defeated nod. “Yes, by all means. I’ll be sure to pass them along….”

“Very good. I’ll write them out later.”

Lidia raised her head and growled. “Argggh! Would you stop missing the point?”

Caprice regarded her with an unreadable expression.

Lidia snatched the data slate from Caprice’s hands, and placed it on the floor beside her. “Listen carefully. There is a high likelihood that my cousin’s intentions toward you are purely romantic in nature.”

“I have considered that,” Caprice admitted. “However, I am keeping an open mind.”

“Why?” Lidia inquired. “If you don’t mind my asking.”

I stared at Caprice, unable to hide my interest in her reply.

Caprice laced her fingers together on her midriff. “Because I find my friends acting suspiciously around me, and I suspect his involvement.”

“Huh?” I uttered.

After taking a long, deep breath, Caprice said, “I’m troubled by Haruka’s decision to support my dating Crais Shepherd. She appears intent upon advocating him as the preferred romantic choice for me, and I find her reasons at odds with what I’ve experienced from her in the past.”

I felt she wasn’t telling me everything, but enough for me to suspect that my fears were realized.

Caprice continued after a contemplative moment of silence. “To be honest, I had at one point suspected that she was being Influenced by someone—possibly Shepherd—to promote him as the most suitable candidate for a boyfriend. However, I have no proof of this. It is simply a gut feeling. However, now that I know he uses a Lucifer type Artifact that gut feeling feels more like a certainty.”

Lidia was nodding softly, a distant light in her eyes. “You could be right. After all, he has met with her on a number of occasions during the school break.”

I turned quickly to Lidia. “So that encounter wasn’t the only one.”

She glanced at me. “He has crossed paths with her on two other occasions. And if he doesn’t need to drink her blood to use Influence on her, courtesy of his Lucifer Artifact, then it’s quite possible he’s been imprinting her as his ally.”

I frowned slightly. “That could mean two things. One, he really digs Caprice, which is entirely understandable.”

“Or two,” Lidia said, “he has an ulterior motive.”

“And that could be what?” Caprice inquired, and I thought she sounded faintly reluctant.

Lidia looked her squarely in the eyes. “To get close to you because of who you are, and what you are worth.”

I saw Caprice stiffen sharply at Lidia’s words, and then swallow quite visibly.

Lidia was watching her intently, so it was clear she noticed the sudden change in Caprice’s demeanor. “Caprice Steiner afil Lanfear. Daughter of Karina Valerian afil Lanfear and Stefan Steiner Raynar, the current head of the Steiner Family’s main branch. As such, you are the daughter-heir to the Steiner Dynasty, and first in-line to inherit control of the most powerful corporate conglomerate in the entire quadrant. The combined value of the girls of this Academy is but a drop in the ocean when compared to your net worth.”

I stared at Caprice in blatant disbelief.

Lidia smirked. “You give the term ‘rich girl’ a whole new meaning—”

I jerked back in shock when Caprice shot to her feet in the blink of an eye.

Her entire body trembling, she glared down at Lidia without restraint. “Don’t ever—ever—talk about me as if you know me.”

Lidia shied back with an arm raised as though fearing the standing girl would strike her. “Wh—what? Why?”

I stood up quickly, but refrained from approaching Caprice. Truthfully, I’d never seen this kind of response from her before today, and I didn’t know how to approach her. “Caprice, what’s wrong?”

“I kept the name Steiner so that they wouldn’t forget me,” Caprice whispered harshly, her emotionless mask shattered in a heartbeat. “I kept it so they would remember that I survived, and that my mother didn’t. However, I have no love for that name, or that family.”

Lidia looked frightened. “Hey, I just recounted what the file says on you.”

“What file?” Caprice asked in menacing tone.

Lidia shied back. “The—the file I found in an Academy server when I broke into the network a few weeks ago.”

“Is that so?” Caprice questioned, her tone growing darker.

“Look, I was doing research on a personal project,” Lidia explained in a hurry.

Rather than appease her, it seemed to incite Caprice even further. “A personal project? Care to explain?”

“I was looking for someone to help me,” the girl replied. “I have a dream, but I’m being unfairly denied. So I’ve been looking to see if there’s anyone here at Galatea who can help me.”

With a quick breath, I took a courageous half-step toward Caprice. “Calm down. Lidia’s telling the truth. She read the file on me too—probably—and approached me earlier this week.”

“Why?” Caprice asked in a low heated voice.

“She wants to change her affiliation. She wants to become a Lanfear, and not a Raynar.”

Caprice looked down at the frightened girl. “Is that true?”

“Yes,” Lidia answered. “It’s true. I want to become a Lanfear Familiar and gain a Fragment of my own. The Raynars have said I’m incompatible with all the Fragments they possess, but I don’t believe that for a heartbeat. It’s a lie. So I want the Lanfears to test me, and I want to get myself a Fragment and then unlock it.”

“Why?” Caprice asked with furrowed brow.

Lidia sucked in a lungful of air, and rose to her feet. Standing a couple of inches shorter than Caprice, the girl had to stare up at Steiner.

“Because it’s what I want. I want to be complete, and I can’t do that without a Fragment. I want to be more than just a Familiar. I want to be a Familiar with my own Fragment! Okay? Is that clear enough?”

It was Lidia’s turn to tremble in anger, while Caprice had calmed down and now regarded the girl emotionlessly.

Caprice folded her arms. “Having a Fragment means that much to you?”

“Didn’t I just say so,” Lidia snapped.

“Calm down, both of you,” I urged them. “We’re wasting time like this.”

With a nod, Caprice concurred. “Yes, we are. We should return to the training center.”

Lidia exhaled loudly and walked away from us, wrapping her arms tightly about her torso. “Get out. Both of you. Just get out.”

My shoulders dropped a little. “Lidia, I’m sorry.”

I thought she might have been drying a tear when she said, “Just leave me alone….”

“Let’s go, Caelum.” Caprice turned and walked to the open window.

I shook my head. “Wait.” Facing Lidia’s back, I said to her, “I’m meeting with Arisa Imreh Lanfear this weekend. I want you to come with me.”

Lidia turned around slowly, but I saw surprise on her face. “Why?”

“Because I want you to tell her what you told me. I think you should be the one to convince her to help you. If you do, I believe Arisa has enough clout to get you across the line.” I took a deep breath. “There may be something you can offer Arisa, something that will sweeten the deal. I will vouch for you as much as I can.”

“You would do that for me?”

“Yes. I think I can trust you. You’re still holding back on me, but I don’t believe you’ve lied to me yet.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “I haven’t lied to you.”

Taking another deep breath, I slipped my hands into my trouser pockets, and tried to appear more at ease. “Lidia, I agree that your cousin could have an ulterior motive for approaching Caprice. And that worries me.”

From behind me, I heard Caprice ask, “Caelum, what are you saying?”

I half turned around, but didn’t look at her. “I’m saying, that if his feelings toward you are sincere, and his heart is in the right place, then I…I have no qualms about him dating you…so long as he…makes you happy.” After a quiet breath, I added, “So long as he cherishes you for the right reasons.”

“Do you…do you mean that…?”

I held back the ache in my heart, and met her eyes. “Yes. If he has nothing but your best interests at heart, then I mean it.”

Caprice swallowed, and I thought she looked faintly pained. “And if he doesn’t…?”

I exhaled harshly. “Then I will make him regret being born.”

Thinking of what he may have done to Haruka…and possibly to Simone…I found myself punching a fist into an open palm.

“I’ll make him beg forgiveness to me on his knees.”