Interference

I was early as I sat in the fishbowl waiting. It wasn’t the most ideal place, but I was lucky that they’d granted me permission at all. So I would take all I could get. While the great thing about the fishbowl was I could watch everyone who passed by. But they could watch me too.

Not that I cared, but me in my eyeliner and blue dyed tips always got a second glance back through the glass walls. It was either recognition, or curiosity that brought their eyes back to me. Curious about what I was doing there. Curious about who I was never really crossed their minds. The Venatori seemed like a large group with most of us living all with in one building, but we went very large a race. We were a couple hundred thousand strong and that was it. We were born, we hunted, we died. It was the cycle of our life, but we still didn’t know every Venatori, but here in New York City everyone kinda knew every one else. We mostly all lived here, and worked here. This was the main headquarters after all, we had the resources to house may more Venatori too.

Most of our eggheads, the Scrin were in this building. There was another facility like the Archives in London. But that was smaller housed fewer Venatori but it was the Eurasia headquarters. The rest of our facilities were just halfway houses for small stays and checks. They had minimal resources and most of that was just weapons.

Two boys were escorted to Dae’lin’s office across the hall. I saw them and recognized them immediately from my dream. I sat up straighter when I saw them, they blinked back at me in recognition. We all knew what had happened was real. I could see the pain they hid in their eyes.

The were sat down in the office and the man who’d escorted him I knew well. He was headmaster of the Academy, I’d been sent to his office on many occasions. Right before he’d send me back to Dorian for my disciplining.

Richard Weston was a good man. He walked in to the fishbowl and sat down across from me. He looked a little older than the last time I’d seen him. He had some grey in his hair and the glasses on his nose didn’t quite fit as well as they once used to, he’d lost some weight. I grinned at him. “For once I’m not in your office,” I declared.

He let lose a hearty laugh, like he’d been holding something back too long. It wasn’t funny, it wasn’t humor but he laughed. I watched as he doubled over and then started coughing. He sighed as he sat up to catch his breath. “I’m sorry. This whole mess is just that a mess.”

I nodded. “Did you get the recording?”

Richard nodded. “A full investigation has been launched and Sam and Emma are not with Mr. Spence any longer and shouldn’t have any issues keeping him away from them.” He leaned back in his chair. “These other boys haven’t been in Garrett’s care for a long time. I’m noticing a pattern.”

I closed my eyes and tried to keep my mind clear as I stood up and turned around. My fingers were shaking, my hands were freezing against my skin as I pulled my t-shirt and hoodie up to reveal my back. “Jesus Fucking Christ what the hell happened to you.”

“You saw the recording. While there is no proof Garrett hit me, he did it in my head. And my nightmares today still produce those results. He never hurt me, but somehow he’s hurting us in our sleep.”

Richard Weston sat forward in his chair and put his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers like I remembered him doing so many times over so many trips to his office. “It’s not possible. Garrett isn’t a dream-walker. After Emma and Sam claimed to say the same thing you have we had him tested. It’s not possible, Nox. He’s Magnus, he’s an empath. Nothing more.”

“Then how the fuck does he get in our heads and torture us?” I yelled at the headmaster. I could feel the fury building around me and I knew if I didn’t calm down I was going to be looking for an orange door to let loose all the built up energy.

I sat down and hung my head and too deep breaths. The chair rolled across the floor and foot steps echoed in the silence of the room as Richard came around and put his hand on my shoulders and I jerked at the touch. I didn’t want comfort from a near stranger. He squeezed ten let go and sat down beside me, turning my chair towards his. “Son, we will look into it. Don’t you worry.”

I sighed still looking down at the floor. “He’s still hurting us, so do what you can but…” I looked up and stared into those grey eyes. “I’m not going to stop until this stops.”

Richard nodded. “You were always like a dog with a bone.”

“Sir, I’d like to talk to the boys if I can.”

“Of course Nox.” He stood up, “Of course. Their parents have agreed in light of the recording you sent. They want to know if they can help. Even Emma and Sam’s parents have stopped trying to make it seem like it’s your fault for all of this.”

Richard Weston walked out of the fishbowl and left me in the glass walls alone and waiting while everyone who passed could see the agitation written all over my face. I could feel the heat and the power around me. I was surprised no one was trying to tell me to calm down.

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