A Different Way

After a few minutes had passed, the rug rolled itself off of the floor. Aayla scrambled to the top. She had to find Chris quickly. Something was very wrong. If Dormi was willing to bend the rules of student privacy to show her, then Vanessa was being serious about the wedding. She must have some trump card to force the marriage.

The floor slide shut behind her, plunging the stairs once more into darkness. When Aayla entered the office, only Theo was there.

"Theo, have you seen Chris?"

"No, I haven't. He should be dropping by soon. If you wait here, then –"

Aayla ran out of the room before he finished. She saw Chris approaching the gate as she ran down the entrance path.

"Grab Chris as soon as he enters the grounds Dormi!"

Chris and his companions looked confused as Aayla ran towards them. The willow trees swayed then shot their branches out the instant Chris stepped inside the gate. He was swept up and tightly bound in the branches. His companions didn't even have the time to react.

"What on Tellus, Dormi?! Aayla, call it off!"

"We need to talk. No questions asked. NOW."

Aayla turned towards Chris's companions. They were some of the Halcyons students that she met before, including Jacki.

"Hey Jacki. I just need to borrow him for a bit. By the way, have you all talked with Daren lately? Or maybe heard something about Vanessa getting married?"

"Eh? Not really. All that we've heard is some nonsense about them dating because Daren got stuck with her in most of his classes. He's been stuck with them all week and that jerk refuses to see us for some reason."

The Halcyon students appeared very anxious. Daren suddenly seemed to change after he changed classes.

"Did he refuse you directly?"

"No. Of course those conservative jerks kept getting in our way, but he never opens his door when we stop by. He never responds to our letters either, and the professors keep shooing us away whenever we try to stop by his classes. They said that we were annoying him."

"I see. Thanks! Oh, and he's not intentionally avoiding you. I kind of put him in charge of the gremlins so he's been hanging out in the basement for like a week. Chris and I will see you later. Let's go Chris."

Dragging a living, wiggling person was much easier with Dormi's help. She kicked Theo out of the back office and locked the door. The branches quickly died and disintegrated after the door was locked. Chris angrily got up off the floor.

"Aayla Glowery, you have ten seconds to explain –"

"I overheard Vanessa telling several young ladies that she was going to marry Daren."

"… You forcibly dragged me in here just for that? It's all nonsense."

"Dormi helped, no I mean I accidentally overheard when Dormi had this weird fit and blocked the basement stairs. In the case, it is possible that since Dormi may have bent the strict student privacy rules to allegedly help me overhear something then there's something more to what Vanessa said."

Chris sighed and just went towards the door. It rattled but refused to let him leave.

"Seriously Aayla, open the door. Vanessa Landrienne is a vapid, spoiled drama queen. There's no way she could force Daren to marry her. Once I get the schedules fixed this will all sort itself out."

"You haven't been able to talk with the headmaster? Wait, Daren mentioned that he couldn't talk with him either."

"Yes, I've been having some difficulties getting in touch with the headmasters. All sorts of fights between the student factions keep getting in the way as well. However, everything should finally be resolved soon."

Aayla stepped in between Chris and the door. Many little details have been bothering her for the past couple of weeks, and Dormi's latest behavior was the final straw. She was not going to let him leave so easily.

"Isn't it weird how Daren's schedule got totally changed when yours didn't? Aren't you suspicious that you can't talk with Headmaster Marin? I can't talk with Deputy Heston either!"

"Deputy Heston can't be found either?"

"Her secretary says that she's busy with 'official business'. I used to go see her all the time, but when I went to see her on the day that the exam results came out, she was gone. I haven't seen her since."

Chris thought for a moment. Two high ranking members of staff be uncontactable is strange, but not uncommon.

"Don't you find it odd that people keep fighting all the time? Those new professors have some weirdos too from what I've heard. When's the last time that you or another Halcyon student actually talked with Daren? You heard Jacki, right? If I didn't give Daren that job handling the gremlins, he would have been completely cutoff from outsiders by his new conservative 'friends'."

The annoyed young man rubbed his temples. He really didn't have time for this.

"Look, Daren can take care of himself and the conservatives wouldn't dare go too far. The Forolan family's influence is at the top among nobles. The conservatives wouldn't risk pushing them completely towards the progressives."

Aayla gritted her teeth and pushed herself closer until their noses were only millimeters apart.

"Daren is not alright. The gremlins have totally stopped hounding him for sweets and let him cuddle with them. Do you have any idea how messed up one needs to be for a gremlin to both pity them and try to cheer them up? He's practically the personification of a 'flower raised in a greenhouse'.

"He really misses you, and he believes that you and the others have been avoiding him. Vanessa has essentially been s**ually harassing him for days after you got busy and the many of the high-ranking faculty basically went on a retreat."

She slightly softened her voice as she offered him a slight compromise.

"At least make sure that you see him today. Can't the Student Council help calm down the factional disputes anyways? Where are the other faction leaders? Calming these disputes is not solely your responsibility. If those students want to keep the Student Council out of the factions' matters, then they should behave."

Chris sighed.

"Fine. If I help you investigate, then will you stop bothering me? Just me though, and only for one day. I need to keep working on Daren's schedule to get him away from those conservative fanatics."

Aayla beamed and nodded.

"That's fine. I have an idea in mind for some helpers that can bring us information."

**********

Daren played with the mana in his hands. He kept thinking about what happened earlier in the day. Between classes, he had run into some of his peers from his old schedule. They politely said hello but kept their distance. A few that happened to be commoners just ran away directly.

His current classes have changed as well. The remaining commoners and foreigners in the class had disappeared. They stopped trying to talk with him days ago. Now, more annoying nobles had taken their places. Today, one of the professors apologized to Daren and said that they would make sure that no other 'filth' got near him.

There wasn't even a moment of peace before one of these new 'friends' tried to introduce themselves to or suck up to Daren. He absolutely despised their false smiles. They always had ulterior motives. Friendship was a farce. Power and status were their true goals.

Memories bubbled to the surface of his mind. Memories that he thought were forgotten a long time ago. Daren realized that he was back in his childhood, when his life was not his own and he couldn't do a thing to stop it.

Why? Why now? What could he do? He didn't want to live that kind of life again!

As Daren began to shiver, a tiny little paw tugged on his pant leg. Daren wiped away the faint tears from his eyes. An entire horde of gremlins stared at him. They were led by a bright pink gremlin flanked by a hyperactive yellow gremlin and a chubby purple gremlin.

"Sorry guys, I'm not really in the mood for a magic show right now. Can I do it later?"

(￣A￣) =3 (Bright Pink) -- Stupid glowy hooman. If you don't like, then tell to scram! If don't scram, then beat! If beating fails, then beat again! --

Daren stared blankly at the bright pink gremlin. Aayla called him Mayhem, right?

< (￣^￣) > (Mayhem) -- Stupid glowy hooman. So soft, but make pretty lights. Must speak, must act to save self. Glowy hooman way failed. We teach you better way. Gremlin way. --

o (*>w<*) o (Bright Yellow) -- Better way! Glowy hooman hate! We hate! Dormi hate! Win now! Yay! --

"You're going to teach me something, and Dormi's in on it too?"

\ (*o*) / (Mayhem) – Soft to strong. Much to learn. Will learn. Will conquer! Yes! --

Mayhem's eyes seemed to sparkle with glee while the other gremlins chittered with delight. The other ardent stares gave Daren goosebumps. They were staring at him like he was made of pure sugar and they hadn't eaten in days.

Aayla wasn't the only plan that Dormi bet on. An intervention with Daren was necessary to really solve the root of the problem. So began Daren's special lesson taught by the gremlins, with assistance from Dormi.