After the Duel

Rowen did not spare much time speaking with Nazeri and Ewen after the duels. She was not certain who was coming to pick her up but she knew they should be there soon, if they were not already waiting.

Twenty minutes after the duels ended Rowen made her way to the first floor. She was surprised to find the headmaster there. She had never seen him outside of his office.

"You were quite impressive during the duels."

"You were watching?"

Kelos laughed, "I have no life outside of this school so of course I was. I make a point of being present for all duels.

"Blake was there as well."

Rowen let out a sigh as the two of them started walking toward the door.

"Let me guess, he wasn't happy about it?"

"He was fine with it until you stepped in and dueled Mr. Sarkis. I think it was the second time you slammed him down that Blake stormed off."

"That sounds about right. I guess that means that Brooke is picking me up."

Kelos held the door for Rowen and Nasi.

"No, that's why I'm here."

Rowen was surprised, taking a student home seemed a little more than going above and beyond.

"Wouldn't it just be easier to let me stay in the dorms? You could even put me in a room with Nazeri."

"Hell, no. It hasn't even been a week and you've already made a deal, summoned a powerful demon and been involved in two duels.

"I don't want to even consider what would happen if you never left."

Rowen chuckled, "I guess I can see your point. If it's been that bad should I even still be going to school here?"

"Where would you go? And it's not like you're destroying things or killing students. You're disruptive, but in a chaotic good sort of way. I probably shouldn't admit this, but I enjoyed every moment of Edwards' discomfort.

"He is a great teacher when his bias doesn't get in the way."

The vehicle that Kelos led her to was a newer round edged car that was medium blue. When Rowen saw it she stopped and looked over at the headmaster.

"What is it with blue? It's the only thing I see when I'm around you."

Kelos grinned at her over the car, "It is a side effect of the orc bloodline. Blake is able to suppress it to an extent. I stopped trying years ago.

"You should see what a dragon bloodline house looks like; everything is shiny and horribly gaudy."

"Wow, that… I feel the need to apologize."

Kelos started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"I'm sure you have some, too."

"Well, yeah, but I just have an extra voice in my head and have to work extra on keeping my emotions under control."

"And your bloodlust."

Rowen laughed, "There is that. I think I've done well with controlling the bloodlust, I haven't killed anyone at school yet anyway."

"Again, not even a week in."

Rowen could not argue with him on that, too many things had happened in a short time. None of them could be considered bad, though. The car turned quiet until Kelos spoke again.

"Try not to be too hard on Blake when he gives you shit. His senior year at the academy he lost a close friend. She made a bad deal with a demon and it's affected how he deals with demons. Hell, it's the whole reason he has not summoned a demon since graduation."

"That explains a lot, actually."

"I don't expect you to change what you do just because he has issues. I'd rather see him grow past it. He used to be a great Summoner.

"Blake was the Zidon Sarkis of his day."

Kelos pulled into the drive and parked then turned to Rowen.

"Look up Sasha Sarkis. I shouldn't be saying anything but I think that the more you understand what's driving Blake than maybe, just maybe, you could be what puts some sense back in his head."

The name caught her attention and piqued her curiosity.

"I'll keep that in mind, though I make no promises. He was one of the ones who was there for me after everything happened. I wouldn't be at Gailuri if it wasn't for Austin, so I owe him."

Austin and Brooke were more like family now than the detective on her case or the cop who was the first to find her. Austin had been trying his best to help her stay human. Brooke had a habit of avoiding any mention of magic and demons, but she still managed to be there for Rowen when she needed someone.

Rowen watched as Kelos backed out and drove away then turned to Nasi. The demon had only been a part of her life for a few short days, but she already trusted it more than she did most humans. Her and Nasi would be spending a lot of time together, her lifespan would end up being longer than any human's.

"So, what's for dinner?"

Nasi smiled and opened the door for Rowen, "I was thinking something red, and maybe some chocolate pudding for dessert? Your guardian mentioned something about you liking chocolate pudding."

"Ooh, I do enjoy chocolate pudding. At some point we should go and check out a local coffee shop, maybe explore some of the shops at the old downtown. Gabriel loves sweets and that's the best place to find them."

No one could say that Rowen had a normal family, but for the first time she was starting to realize that she had created a new family, a growing family. It did not take away the pain from losing her parents, but maybe it would help soften the blow.

*******

Austin showed up at his normal time to take Rowen to school. She stayed quiet and left him to his thoughts. Her internet search had not revealed the full story, but enough to know that it was a tragedy.

Sasha Sarkis had been the eldest child and a promising Summoner. Not much had been written about how she died. What had been mentioned was the name of her younger brother, the one who became the family heir after she died.

There had been a small mention of Austin when the old newspaper had listed survivors. He had been listed as her fiancé.

When they arrived at the academy Rowen left without saying anything. The whole experience had been uncomfortable.

"It seems that he is still unhappy about the duel."

Nasi said as they walked up to the entrance.

"At least he was adult enough to pick me up. I'm assuming that he made sure someone was getting me yesterday before he left."

"I haven't interacted with him as much as Brooke, but I can tell that he cares about your well-being."

Rowen took a moment to adjust to the indoor lighting and looked around her. She found Nazeri and Zidon waiting for her near the door. He was frowning and did not look pleased to be there. Rowen was sure his reputation would take a hit.

"Good morning, Rowen."

There was an air of confidence surrounding Nazeri that had not been there before.

"Morning. I'm almost surprised that you're here, Zidon."

"I wasn't going until I realized you had turned the bet into a deal. I'm not sure how you did it."

Rowen chuckled and held her backpack out. "Your first job, you'll be carrying my backpack all day."

Zidon stared at it a long while before taking it. Rowen could just imagine the tumultuous thoughts warring in his head. She knew, from Gabriel and Kelos, that actively thinking about breaking a deal would cause discomfort.

Kelos had taught her that kids from bloodlines and Summoner families were taught to recognize the sensations associated with deals. Zidon had been too lost in his anger to notice that the bet was more than words.

Any deal, great or small, made with Rowen was the same as with a demon. Until it was more widely known what she was, those around her would treat her like a human. Once they knew the truth they would be on their guard and it would be harder to trick them into a deal.

"I guess today it's off to math."

Nazeri groaned and started to complain about how horrible math was, Zidon was unusually quiet. Rowen was neutral when it came to math. She had always done well with it and now had an advantage over her classmates with Gabriel.

The demon had enjoyed math in the past and had eagerly read through the math textbooks they had been given.

Nasi opened the door to classroom 701 and the group entered. All eyes turned to them. A large portion of the students and staff had been at the duel. Those who had not been, learned about it second hand.

The math teacher had left seating up to the students and Rowen found three empty seats at the front of class. She did not care if Zidon changed his seat later, today he sat on her left and Nazeri to her right.

It was a minute after classes were supposed to start that the door opened and a woman who looked to be in her early forties stepped in.

She had silver hair with pink highlights, magenta eyes and her skin had a silver sheen to it. Her aura exuded chaos as she made her way to the desk and placed the stack of papers she was carrying.

"Good morning, class. Sorry about being late, I got sidetracked on my way here and lost track of time."

She laughed and the sound of it was contagious. She did not have the kind of face that would draw your attention, but her personality more than made up for it.

"My name is Isabel Witt but you can call me Izzy. Are you ready to embark on the magical journey known as math?"

There were mixed responses to her question, though mostly groans and complaints, and she did not let the negative comments dampen her enthusiasm.

"I know that some of you have had a less than stellar experience with math. All that will soon change."

She continued with her spiel for another ten minutes before she ever started the class.