ALEXiThymia: Chapter 67: The Parent Trap

Chapter 67

The Parent Trap

Thursday

Time Until Integration: 1 Month, 29 Days, 17 Hours, 52 Minutes…

Luke and Alexa were among the last two students to arrive. Fortunately for them Ms. Tutlidge was also late.

“Are you okay?” Kylie found herself asking Alexa as soon as she made her way towards her seat.

“Yes, I am satisfactory.” Alexa answered.

At that the rest of the pack started peppering Alexa with questions. Luke for his part just sat down in his typical spot next to Julie. Upon seeing Julie, Luke’s face lit up with a ten-thousand-megawatt smile.

“You look happy today.” Julie said, her face also lighting up I a smile, though hers was a little more subdued that Luke’s. She also seemed to be hiding most of it as she bit her lower lip at his approach.

“What can I say, today is a great day. The sun is up, my sister is safe and most importantly, I get to sit next to the prettiest girl in the class.” Luke said, sitting down in his bridge seat.

“Ahh, I didn’t know you had feelings for Allison. When are you going to make the big reveal?” Julie teased.

At that, Allison just turned to first look at Luke, then at Julie. She looked like she was about to say something, but before she could, BAM!

The classroom door slammed open.

“I am so sorry. Did you know that half the campus is cordoned off because of some event that happened last night?” Ms. Tutlidge began.

Laughter.

Most of the female students began laughing at this, even Luke found himself laughing. The only one who was not laughing was Alexa who sat in near perfect posture.

“Does anyone know what happened?” Ms. Tutlidge asked. Still confused.

“Yeah, Alexa got in a fight with a Dire Werewolf and kicked his ars..rear, before she went into the Dungeon and fought off an Army of Dragons, Orcs, and Elves.” Alecia caught herself while talking to a teacher.

“Oh har har, come on, does anyone know?” Ms. Tutlidge asked, clearly being on of the last to have heard the full details of what happened. “Alexa, do you know what happened?”

Alexa just paused for a second, before answering. “What Ms. Flowers said is mostly accurate, if a little heavy in my contributions to the Dire Wolf fight. There was an incident that occurred shortly before midnight where a dire werewolf led a team of no less than twenty werewolves on campus. Their true intent was unclear, likely to gain access to the dungeon.”

“It was.” Stacey interjected.

At that Alexa nodded her thanks and continued. “There was a fight, where I was grossly outmatched. Then I ended up getting thrown into the dungeon. From there we all know that what happens in a dungeon stays in a dungeon.”

Alexa said the last part like it was gospel, though given the way everything was unfolding around her, she realized there might be more to that statement than she originally thought. At first, she thought the statement was a handy way to keep others from knowing of the riches one gained while exploring a dungeon. But now that she knew about the secret movement of at least Elven operatives within the government, she figured the orcs and dragons likely had their own operatives running around as well.

The whole staying quiet about what happens in a dungeon, might be a way for people to keep from having to stab their friends in the back. Mr. Mackie had been more than ready to kill her before he ultimately assumed she was Elven royalty. She knew she was safe for now, but that would likely change once Mr. Mackie learned the truth. She had a list of seven personal tasks, the first few would be completed here in short order.

“Fine then, be that way. I will find out on my own.” Ms. Tutlidge said, as she began pulling out her implements for teaching class for that day.

More laughter.

At that Ms. Tutlidge looked visibly angry at the response from her classroom, but then just decided against speaking to their actions and decided to go along with her lesson for the day.

“Now then class, normally we wouldn’t cover this as part of a normal curriculum. But since we are all considered to be pre-awakened here, I have been tasked with providing you a basic understanding of the Class ranking system. Can anyone tell me what I mean when I say the Class Ranking System Theorem?” Ms. Tutlidge began speaking. In her hand she had a checklist of ten items that needed to be discussed in relationship to classes.

“The Class Ranking System Theorem is a process utilized by The System, to help distinguish those who proved themselves to the system before they matured. While no one knows for certain, it is believed that there are a number of checks and qualifications that each person who enters a dungeon can achieve before they reach the age of maturity. Then once they reach the age of maturity those who have proven themselves to the system will be rewarded with a class. That class will have a rarity rating assigned to it and begin at level one and go all the way up to Apex level.” Valeri, the girl from Alexa’s left answered.

“Very good.” Ms. Tutlidge said, then reading off the rest of her list continued on with her mandatory questions.

“Can anyone tell me what the difference is between classes?” Ms. Tutlidge asked, this time turning to Lilly to answer.

Lilly just paused for a second, before composing herself and answering. “Isn’t it something like three attributes per stage per level?”

Ms. Tutlidge nodded. “Mostly right. The number of Attributes gained per level increases, but you can generally expect on average that the Attributes of a Common Class wielder and those of an Uncommon class wielder are separated by a minimum of three Attributes per level. While one can easily overcome this with Augmentation crystals, few dare to take this path. For obvious reasons. Anyone who has ever experienced the eye burning pain of having their Perception Attribute increased can easily tell why this is not a preferred method.”

Looking down at her questions, Ms. Tutlidge jumped around on her sheet to find her next question. “Now can someone tell me about Class Ranking and its relationship to Power Dominance?”

This time Ms. Tutlidge pointed at Julie for the answer.

Julie for her part did not miss a beat and answered. “It is the idea that the higher ranking a person’s Class Ranking is, will show dominance over a power being utilized by two people. For instance, if two people were to use the same exact Telekinesis power, and be within ten levels of each other, the person with the higher Class Ranking would be considered dominant and be able to control the power being used by the lower class tiered user.”

“Very good, though the levels aren’t always a determination. It really has to do with the underlying Attribute levels, but we will get into that more as time goes on.” Ms. Tutlidge said, before trying to drive home the idea of class ranking disparity. “Now can someone give an example of when Class Ranking played a major role in a battle?”

“Yeah, when Commander fought and owned the Rebellion army. The Rebellion leader, Mentalista, had been using Telekinesis to such a devastating effect that no one could compete with her. Commander, leading the 1st Mage Battalion was forced to defeat the Rebel army, before they could take over California. That was when he unbeknownst to the Rebel army, Commander himself got hold of a crystal that offered Telekinesis. Still feeling the effects of the assimilation process, he went to battle and managed to exert dominance over Telekinesis, effectively stopping Mentalista right there. With the commander out of the picture, the rest of the elite soldiers of the rebellion quickly fell to the rest of the 1st Mage Battalion, ending Mentalista’s campaign of terror all at once.” Luke answered a little too enthusiastically.

“Wow, someone is clearly a history buff.” Ms. Tutlidge said staring at Luke with a look of apprehension, before she turned. “Moving on.”

Luke looked confused for a second, only to turn to Julie for confirmation. “What? She asked.”

Julie just shook her head, and mouthed the word “nerd,” clearly for Luke to read.

Luke looked like he wanted to protest, but then visibly deflated.

Ms. Tutlidge was about to begin asking her next set of questions when she was interrupted.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.” Ms. Tutlidge said, as she and everyone turned to the door.

With that, Mr. Mackie came into the classroom. Out in the hallway behind him were two clearly imposing people. Seeing them Luke and Alexa both instantly reacted to the sight. Luke for his part let out a long groan. While Alexa gave a much more subdued reaction, but one that spoke volumes for her as she let out a long sigh.

“Good morning, sorry to bother you. I just wanted you to know that we have two new volunteers who have asked to help with this class.” Mr. Mackie said, gesturing to the two people who were out in the hallway. With that the two people who were out in the hallway came into the classroom.

“Class I would like to introduce to you our two newest volunteers, Mr. and Ms. Thyme. They have recently retired from their jobs and have decided to donate some of their valuable time here as volunteers.” Mr. Mackie began.

At this, Luke visibly slouched in his chair. Not that his slouching did much, for he much like Alexa was well over six feet tall and this slouching only tended to put it so his knees were now well out in front of his desk, an obvious tripping hazard to anyone attempting to go near him.

“Now these two are setting up new volunteer programs for afterschool that you can all attend, instead of sports related classes. Ms. Thyme will teach a women’s self defense course. While Mr. Thyme will teach a basic survival course. I will give them both a moment to introduce themselves and their new clubs to you.” Mr. Mackie said.

Seeing the look Luke was giving his parents a bright smile filled Julie’s lips as she sat up straighter, anticipating her moment to strike.

Julie waited as the two both gave their speeches about the different classes and what to expect. Then the moment Julie had been waiting for arrived and she pounced on it like a starving tiger finding a fresh cut slab of venison.

“Does anyone have any questions?” Ms. Thyme asked.

Julie’s hand shot up like a missile.

“Oh yes Julie, what is it?”

“Ms. Thyme, has anyone told you that you have an amazing smile?” Julie asked Judy Thyme, but her eyes never left Luke, as she waited for the reaction that was sure to come.

At that, a look of shock and horror flooded Luke’s face as he all but wished he could evaporate.

Poof.

He disappeared.

“Now, now. No using powers in class Luke!” Ms. Tutlidge said.

With that a clearly embarrassed Luke reappeared, his face beet red, he desperately wanted to be anywhere else but here.

“Oh what’s wrong Lukums?” Judy asked, seeing her son and going over to him.

“Lukums!” Julie all but squealed, as she heard the pet name his mother had for him.

“Now, now. None of that Julie.” Judy said, in a tone that instantly made Julie feel guilty.

Ahem.

Jim Thyme cleared his throat, causing Judy to look back at him. Once their eyes met, he made a subtle head gesture towards Julie.

“Oh right.” Judy said, as she did something as instantly the guilt that Julie had been feeling left her, then as if to continue to change the subject, Judy continued. “Are you the lucky girl that my Lukey here has been talking about?”

“Oh, and just what has Lukey been saying?” Julie asked as she glanced at Luke from the corner of her eyes.

For Luke he looked like he was in hour ten of being waterboarded. Then his eyes glancing around the room, he saw his savior. Looking to his sister he asked, “so Alexa, which of these great courses will you be going to?”

Alexa for her part just gave an empty look of distaste for suddenly being thrown in front of the ravenously starved for attention animals, that were their parents.

“Neither.”

“Neither?” Luke asked in faux outrage.

Alexa just stared at her brother for a moment. This was the look a predator would give to a gazelle that was testing its patience. Finally after a second of deliberation, Alexa struck out with a menacing roar, much like an annoyed predator would. Instead of roaring however, Alexa used her words. “No, Lukums, I will still be at the healing hut.”

Giggle.

Luke opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it as he realized he did sort of deserve that one. Still his redirect had done its job, as their parents turned as one and smelled the blood in the water. Now that they saw her, it was like a light went off in their minds and they remembered the true reason they were here.

“Actually, I do want to check out this healing facility I have heard so much about.” Jim Thyme said.

“Only if you have a broken leg.” Alexa said coldly.

Haha.

Jim just laughed off the comment. “Fair enough.”

“Well, if that is all of the questions for now. I still have to show these two around to the other classes as well.” Mr. Mackie said, cutting in and breaking up the awkward tension that had permeated the room.

Once they were gone, Valeri turned to Alexa and spoke. “Your dad is like super hot.”

“Yeah, he reminds me of a older dad bod version of Warder.”

“No, he looks just like the person who played Commander in the made for TV mini-series.”

Alexa just watched all the conversations go on around her, not actually responding to any of them.

“Right, well it is time to continue on with our lesson.” Ms. Tutlidge said, as she took a moment to try to place the two people that she swore she had seen somewhere before. Maybe at a bake sale? Ms. Tutlidge mused to herself, before shaking her head and continuing on with her pre-planned lesson.

***

MEANWHILE, out in the hallway Jim and Judy Thyme followed Mr. Mackie down the hallway.

“Lukums?” Jim asked.

“I don’t know, I panicked. Julie clearly knew about me and to deflect I made it all about Luke.” Judy said, a bit defensively.

“For what it is worth, I think you two did a fine job of deflection. While having your secret revealed here might not be the worst thing that can happen. It is still something that you two clearly wish to have covered up.” Mr. Mackie offered the two as they began making their way out to the common area. To go to the other grades they would need to enter the other buildings that were now on the far side of campus.

“So you saw it too right? Our little girl, she is a Baroness?” Jim asked.

“Indeed she is.” Mr. Mackie said, nodding his head.

“Did you test to see which side?” Judy asked, her voice trailed off as she regretted to even ask such a question.

“You can relax. She is with us.”

Phew.

With that both Jim and Judy let out long sighs of relief. “Oh, thank the goddess.” Judy said clasping her heart in relief. Then she had a moment of panic as she realized where she was, looking around she looked to make sure no one heard her. Fortunately, this was still the middle of class time and no one else was around.

“Thank the goddess indeed.” Mr. Mackie said, his words assuring the pair that they were alone and safe from any prying eyes.

“So, what is next for her?” Jim asked.

“Next, she needs to finish her Trials of Ascension. I have a feeling that when she does, she will fully awaken her class.” Mr. Mackie said.

“Early?” Jim asked.

Nodding, Mr. Mackie confirmed, “early.”

“Doesn’t that mean that she would, you know?”

“Indeed it does.” Mr. Mackie said.

With that the three walked on in silence for a few minutes, before continuing their pace forward.

“What about her new class of magic, what is that?” Jim asked.

Mr. Mackie could only shrug his shoulders in defeat. “That unfortunately I do not know. She told me, but it was an alien tongue that she spoke.”

“What about her Rank, that is what I want to know. How did she make it all the way to a Baroness?” Judy asked.

At that Mr. Mackie just shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know for certain, but I assume that those have something to deal with the outcome.” Mr. Mackie said, pointing to the numerous dragon carcasses that littered the ground.

“Yeah, she has been busy, hasn’t she?” Jim offered.

At that the three just nodded.

“It is as the Goddess willed.” Judy said.

Then in chorus, the others joined suit in their follow-on chorus. “It is as the goddess willed.”

“What of Ms. Peacock? Is she aware?” Judy asked.

“She is aware at a higher level, if you mean is she aware of Alexa’s new rank? Then I doubt it. I have gone through lengths to hide that information.”

“Thank you again, for letting us come to help during this time.”

“No, it is I who should be thanking the two of you. With her new rank, people will likely make moves. We might even expect rival factions of elves to make an attempt on her.” Mr. Mackie noted.

“Rival factions?”

“Indeed, I think it is time that I fully bring you all into the folds of what is really happening. Just how much do you know about the great elven alliance?” Mr. Mackie said, guiding the pair away from the classrooms and towards his own personal living quarters.

“Not much, other than what everyone is told. There is the unified army, then there are the orcs.” Jim said.

Mr. Mackie just shook his head. “If only it were so. Come with me. This might take a bit.”

With that the three entered Mr. Mackie’s office to have a long talk about elven politics.