I paced outside the orange door in the lower Academy levels. My shirt ironically matched the color almost perfectly, but you could only see the v of it beneath the gray hoodie I had zipped almost all the way. My hair and nails matched my shirt today. I was trying not to be nervous, but my hands were sweating and my heart was racing. I wasn’t sure I could do this, I had almost left several times, but I had to do this. No matter what it cost me. I had to do this.

The door opened and I froze facing the door and the man standing staring at me with his dirty brown eyes and that slimy smile. His smile only slide a fraction when he saw me. I tried to breath. I clenched my fist, digging my fingernails into the palm of my hand and I was sure I would see blood if I were to look at them now. “Nox, my boy.” His voice was just as I remembered it. The only difference between when I was a boy and now was his hair had a touch of gray in it.

“I’m not your boy.” I spit out. I was surprised at my own venom in my voice and I took a step back excepting him to lash out at me.

He only laughed at me. The sound grated on my ears and I shivered. “You will always be my boy. What can I do for you, my boy?” Garrett chuckled as he emphasized the last part of his sentence.

I wasn’t sure how I managed to spit it out but I did. “I’m here to see Sam. Not you.”

Garrett frowned. “Are you poaching my students?” He took a step towards me and I took a step back.

I shook my head. “I just want to talk to him.”

Garrett snickered at my reaction. “Does his father know you are here?”

I shrugged. “I told him I would talk to him.”

“I heard you and he had a falling out.” Garret smiled a little too knowingly, like he knew what was going on, but then he didn’t really. How could he? Or maybe he did know? The thing had said I was getting too close. Too close to what I’d thought then, was this that thing?

Garrett’s smirk told me nothing. “He’s a very good student, much like you were I think. He’s collecting his things.” Garrett pushed the orange door open and a small boy who looked like Dylan did when he was that age. Or would have if I’d known him then. Garrett waved a farewell to Sam, “Nox here will make sure you make your next class.”

I muttered “Thank you,” to Garrett as he left us alone in the room that I disliked.

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