Chapter Seven

Orina stretched in bed, then curled back into a ball. She had, somehow, woken up early and wasn't yet sure how she felt about the way her body had adjusted to this new schedule. And, after laying awake for a few minutes longer, she uncurled and pushed herself upright with a grumble. Another glare at the clock -- apparently, it really was just 4:43 -- brought her shuffling out the door and into the hallway. She considered turning on the light, but the single lamp on in the living room gave her pause. She stopped and listened, and almost turned back around when she realized that Elgin was still asleep.

Her stomach growled. Oh.

Sighing inwardly, Orina walked as quietly as she could down the short hallway and into the living room. She glanced towards the couch on her way to the kitchen; Elgin was asleep with a book resting open on his chest. Orina smiled and walked over to pick the book up and place it, open to the same page, on the table next to the lamp. He was still wearing his glasses, too, but she decided not to risk waking him by removing those. She turned and walked to the kitchen.

A quick look in the fridge revealed that there was nothing she could eat that wouldn't be somewhat noisy to prepare. So, with another inward sigh, she pulled out the loaf of bread and moved to the cupboard and drawer for the jar of peanut butter and a knife. She figured that she'd fix one for herself now, and two others for later. The silverware drawer rattled as it closed.

"...Mnh?"

Orina looked guiltily back to the couch. She saw that Elgin was now sitting up and rubbing at his eyes. He was wearing one of the pajama bottoms she'd picked out for him, paired with a long-sleeved shirt. It had a stylized bell on the front, with the words Guardian University below that. It looked soft and warm, and she made a mental note to look for something similar the next time they went to Truce. "Hey," she said. "Sorry."

"It's okay," he said, then yawned widely. Orina stared: she hadn't noticed the sharp, white teeth inside his beak before. He looked blearily back at her.

"You can go back to bed if you want," she told him. "You've got an hour."

"Nah." Elgin shook his head. He stood up and started to fold the sheets and blanket. "I'm awake. You want breakfast?"

Orina looked at the peanut butter sandwich she had halfway assembled. "Not yet. I'll be hungry again later, I think... so if you're okay right now?"

"Okay," he said. He placed his hand around his beak to stifle another yawn. "I'm gonna take a shower, then."

"Go ahead," Orina said as she returned to her sandwich-making. Her stomach gurgled loud encouragement and Elgin paused on his way to the laundry room. "...Seriously, go ahead."

Elgin chuckled, then continued into the little half-room. He left carrying a small stack of clothes and handed her one of the two shirts off of the top of the stack on his way out of the kitchen.

Orina rolled her eyes. It was a similar button-up to the one she'd worn yesterday, except that it had light blue pinstripes. "Is this a suggestion?"

"No, it's a shirt," Elgin replied. Orina heard the bathroom door close before she could counter.

"Jerk," she muttered anyway.

Orina sat at the desk, talking with Elgin when a knock at the door leading into the hall made them both freeze. The hallway lights were off, but a large shape was visible through the window. And she felt her heart start to beat in her throat when the door swung open to reveal a tall, graying Goon in an ill-fitting suit.

"Knock, knock," the Goon rumbled in his deep, gravelly voice. "I hoped you'd be here early -- are you free to talk?"

Elgin gulped. "Oh yes, certainly, sir," he said.

"And your teaching assistant is here, too, I see! I'm Clifton, Principal of this school." Clifton cleared the space from the door to the desk at an alarming speed, his vestigial wings jiggling in a way that Orina would have found funny had he not been so very massive.

"Orina," Orina said and held out her hand. She bit back a cry when Clifton clapped it in both his own and pumped her arm up and down twice before releasing it.

"Orina!" he repeated. "Lovely, old-fashioned name. I like it!"

"Nice to meet you," she replied weakly.

"Um... is there a problem, Mr. Clifton?" Elgin said. "You don't usually arrive until later..."

"Not so much a problem as a... let's call it a concern," Clifton said. "First off, I want to let you know that I went ahead and gave Jade a three-day suspension. You didn't include a note when you sent her down to my office, but I figured there was something more going on than just an egregious dress code violation. I couldn't get much out of her, either, but I'm guessing that it had something to do with your assistant here?"

"It, ah, did, sir," Elgin said.

"That's what I figured and that's why I decided you both needed the rest of the week apart in order to cool off," Clifton continued. "Jade'll test anyone's patience -- she's always been something else, and when she goes somewhere else I'll be happy to never be called 'Princi-pooh' again -- but you usually don't lose your temper. I won't ask you to repeat what she said, either, and understand that this particular incident may have just been the final straw in a bale."

"Thank you, sir."

"But I am concerned. Now... before I begin, I just want to say that I've always liked you. I've liked you from the moment I received your application. You're far too smart and far too talented to be slumming it here -- and don't start arguing with me, Elgin, we both know it's true -- and, really, you should be at that fancypants Academy or in some university somewhere instead. But, here you are and you're a tremendous asset to my little school."

"I do enjoy teaching here, sir."

"A tremendous asset! That's why I insisted to my daughter that my grandson start here -- Dessie's snatching him out for the Academy the moment he's too old for your classes. We want him to have the best start possible."

"Thank you, sir. Cliff is a --"

"A fantastic boy! I know!" Clifton boomed. "Which is why I'm keeping him far away from Lorca. Don't get me wrong: I hired her, too, and she does her job... but we both know she's not good enough to teach my grandson and I'd rather she keep her opinions away from him as well. It's a shame there's not more of you... can the little woman teach multiple subjects, too?"

"Hm? Oh. No, I'm afraid not, sir," Elgin said.

"What a shame. Now, as I was saying: you're a tremendous asset to this school and I'm grateful that your circumstances brought you here. But... you're an equally tremendous liability. I took a big risk by hiring you, you know."

Elgin sighed. "I know, sir."

"I've lost a lot of valuable funding, too, due to you. Which is why I can't afford to pay you what you're worth, and I appreciate that Orina is here on a volunteer basis. Though I wish you had run the idea by me first before you brought her in. A little advanced warning would have been nice."

"I'm sorry, sir. I should have."

"Which brings me to my concern. Now, I'm sure you're aware of all the complaints I get from parents at the start of each school year..." Clifton said and Elgin nodded. "And I'm sure you've noticed how some of our students leave for neighboring schools whenever there's a big flap-up about there being a Contaminated teacher on staff here. What you do in your own time is your own business, but a school lives and dies on its enrollment and this one is especially vulnerable."

Elgin nodded again.

"I appreciate you. I do. And I know I should be seeing more of your older students in my office for insubordination... really, I should be handing out detentions and suspensions left and right. Don't think I haven't heard what they say about you after Lorca's done with them. I admire your resolve in not just tipping the whole class into my office on a daily basis. That being said... you also can't be sending them my way whenever they take this new bait you're dangling in front of them. Now, I'm sure whatever Jade said was horrendous -- and, yes, there have been complaints from other students about her behavior as well -- but you have to be aware that you brought this on yourself. Just be patient with them. The troublemakers will get bored eventually and the others'll continue on like they did before you shook them up."

"I hope so, sir."

"We can't save 'em all, but I know you try despite them. Try to spite 'em, too, right?" Clifton laughed, then sighed when Elgin didn't respond. "Anyhow, like I was saying... what you do on your own time is your own business, but this school is my business. There's a fine balance at play here, and if those scales get tipped too far... I'll have no choice but to remove what's put them out of whack."

Elgin's shoulders slumped further. "...I understand, sir."

"I hope so, but I need to say this to put it on the record. And, remember, I like you. I'm not asking why you suddenly feel that you need a teaching assistant and I'm not going to question any benefits she may need later on... but I am going to say that you both need to keep my concern in mind and act accordingly. Now, I haven't heard any real complaints yet -- and, trust me, I listen -- but... please, just keep it discreet and off the school grounds. I'm sure you'd hate to lose this job just as much as I'd hate to fire you."

Elgin nodded. He staggered forward when Clifton clapped him on the back.

"Glad we had this talk! I'll leave you to your work, Elgin, and it was a pleasure to meet you, Orina." With that, Clifton swept out the room and shut the door.

"That was terrifying," Orina said. Her heart still beat in her throat and she swore she could feel the baby squirm in what felt like annoyance.

Elgin nodded. "Yes yes... that was quite awful. At least he wasn't too angry with either of us."

"You're... kidding, right? He threatened to fire you!" Orina said. She got out of her chair and walked over to Elgin, who stood with his shoulders hunched. "Not only that, he blamed you for the way Jade and the others acted and said it was your fault they treat you like that!"

"Technically yes... but --" Elgin began. He sighed when Orina put her hand on his back, then sighed again when she started to rub between his shoulderblades. "Thank you, Orina. But, it could have been worse: I still have a job and Jade won't be here for the rest of the week. Not only that, Mr. Clifton is allowing you to continue volunteering as my teaching assistant. Really, I shouldn't be scared or wanting to cry at all right now. It went just fine, all things considered," he finished with a nervous laugh.

Orina frowned as she thought about all the things that Clifton had said. His words were so matter-of-fact, but they echoed the mocking comments of Shade and the older students. "Why does everyone assume we're... together?" she wondered out loud.

"Because I'm Contaminated," Elgin said. "You're, ah, suffering the consequences of my reputation."

"But..." Orina paused, then heaved an angry sigh. "I just don't get it! I mean, I'd understand it if you were involved in some sort of scandal at the school but --" She removed her hand from his back as another thought chilled her. "...Did you and Isabel have an affair?"

"What?!" Elgin turned to face her, his eyes wide. "No! No no no no, absolutely not! I would never --" He stopped, then coughed. "No, her picture just decorated my desk long enough that everyone started to wonder. Don't ask me how long, please: it's embarrassing."

"Oh, okay," Orina said, blushing. "Sorry."

"No, I understand! And, er, I can see why you would wonder, and... ah, nevermind." Elgin put his suitcoat on, then took his glasses off and started to clean the lenses on its edge. "I'm sorry. I should have corrected Mr. Clifton when he called you 'the little woman.'"

But you didn't... Orina sighed inwardly. "Maybe he meant it literally."

"...He didn't." Elgin sighed. He put his glasses back on. "I'm sorry, Orina. There's still time before class starts: I'll go tell Mr. Clifton the truth about us and how I'm sleeping on the couch, not, ah... with you. I think he, uh, noticed that you're pregnant, too... I'll also tell him that, um, the baby's not mine."

Orina's blush deepened as she imagined that playing out, from Elgin's stammered confession to Clifton's booming laughter. "No," she said before he reached the door. "I appreciate the offer, but..." That would be humiliating... and how different is this from that letter? "Let them believe what they want. We know the truth and that's all that matters."

Elgin nodded. "You're very kind," he said quietly. "Still --"

"Besides, this'll save me from having to explain to nosy people why my baby has sharp teeth and pointed ears," Orina added slyly. "I'm further sullying your reputation for my own gain... if anyone asks."

"I... oh, Orina...! Yes, if anyone asks. Certainly!" Elgin looked at his watch. "Oh! It's later than I thought!"

I'm sorry, Decamerone, Orina thought as she watched Elgin hurry to the window. She shouldn't have stopped him from going to the office, she knew, and the truth did matter... but the idea of embarrassing Elgin like that, especially after the talking-to Clifton had given him, hurt in ways that bothered her more to consider. He's such a swee-- He's so nice... you wouldn't want to hurt him, either. Orina touched the place where her locket should've been. You understand... right?

"Here comes Genesis. She's the one that drew that picture of you," Elgin said. He waved, then rushed to open the door to let her in.

"Hey," Orina said when Genesis -- who was a sort of Mystic she couldn't immediately identify; she had green skin and a single eye in the center of her forehead -- entered.

Genesis looked at her, then grabbed Elgin's hand and hid her face against it.

Orina walked over to them and knelt down. "I really like that drawing you made of me," she said. "Thank you."

"Welcome," Genesis mumbled, voice muffled.

"I especially like all the hearts you put on it," Orina added. "I think you're very nice, too." She gasped when Genesis suddenly let go of Elgin and grabbed onto her in a hug; the little Mystic was stronger than she looked. She was also slightly sticky. Orina looked up at Elgin, who knelt down and patted Genesis on the shoulder.

"I told you Orina'd like it!" he said. "And see? She's perfectly safe to hug."

Genesis nodded. She let go of Orina and scurried off to take her seat on the floor.

"You've got another fan," Elgin said with a soft chuckle. He stood, then helped Orina back up.

The Lucases arrived next, followed by Asher -- whose finger was, once again, up his nose -- and Iris, Callie, and the twins. Orina made sure to smile and wave to all of them, and received an encouraging number of smiles and waves in return. Lucas Two started to smile at her, but changed his mind when Lucas One stuck his tongue out.

"I met your Grandpa Clifton today," Orina said to Cliff when he arrived.

"Big Poppa," Cliff corrected her. He giggled at Orina's expression.

"Yeah, I won't be calling him that," she muttered.

Orina returned to her seat at the desk once the rest of the class had arrived. And, while she still enjoyed watching Elgin interact with the students -- and she smiled at him whenever he looked her way -- she also knew she wouldn't be able to recall a single word of what was said during the lesson. Which was a shame, she decided, since it was apparently funny that day.

She felt like a traitor and a hypocrite, and she couldn't silence the voice that needled at her. It wasn't Decamerone's voice -- he'd never say the sorts of things she was thinking to herself, even in anger -- but she still directed her answering thoughts to him all the same.

Decamerone, Elgin's my friend. He cares about me and he cares about our baby... She thought back to the photograph of her and Elgin on the couch; she remembered the strange beat of his heart. And she sighed as she recalled the beat of Decamerone's, which had once seemed equally strange to her. I wish you could meet him; I'm sure you two would get along...

"I want to go home," Orina said to Elgin, once class ended. Tears edged at her eyes and she knew she sounded every bit as miserable as she felt. Those tears threatened to spill when Elgin touched her arm.

"Okay," he said. "Do you want me to stay with you? I can cancel the afternoon class."

"No, I'll be okay. Besides, you don't want to get into any more trouble with Mr. Clifton," Orina said. She took one of the wrapped sandwiches out of the bag on the desk before she stood up.

"Is that why --?"

"Somewhat. Mostly, it's..." Guilt. Orina sighed, frustrated with herself. "Look, I don't want to talk about it right now! I just want to go home!"

Elgin nodded, then offered her his arm. Orina walked past him and pulled the door open. She glared at his wide-eyed expression.

"Well?" she demanded, voice brittle.

"I -- oh, yes. Sorry!" Elgin hurried out the door and locked it behind them, then jogged to catch up with Orina. She walked with her arms hugged around her middle. He took off his suitcoat and draped it over her shoulders.

"Thanks," Orina said. Part of her wanted to shrug it off and quiet the voice, but she kept walking. Elgin fussed after her, adjusting the suitcoat whenever it started to slip off and making failed attempts at conversation.

When they reached the house, Orina took off the suitcoat, then held it out for Elgin to take. She stiffened when he hugged her instead and he pulled away with a cough.

"Sorry," Elgin said, shoulders hunched.

"No, it's okay," Orina sighed. She leaned against him and he put his arms around her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" he whispered, and the tenderness in his concerned tone only made the nagging voice in her head louder.

"I'm sure." She stepped forward so that she was no longer leaning, then stepped back so that they were no longer so close. And she told herself that her rapid heartbeat was just from the brisk walk. After all, his had felt just as fast.

"I'll, uh, let you go, then." Elgin let his arms drop, then fumbled his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door.

"Yeah. I hope class goes well."

"Yes, yes -- same here. I hope you feel better soon."

Orina nodded. I won't, but thanks anyway.

"I'll be thinking about you," Elgin added quietly. He looked down at the suitcoat Orina still held. His hands shook when he took it from her and he nearly dropped his keys again. "Um, right. Thank you, I do need this... Well! I'd better leave -- don't want to be late!" With that, he turned around and started walking back to the school.