Chapter 22: The bow of the maestro

The two women continued to bicker with one another for quite a while, even though in a couple of insults at the other before Camille arrived to pick up her son.

Naturally, she wasn't told anything, but when she saw how many parents were in the medical wing of the Academy she was stricken with anxiety.

She hurried towards the backyard, the place she was told to go for the retrieval of her son. The arrangement was made so the other parents wouldn't strangle the boy when on site. It's no secret that they were furious when they learned what he had done to their children.

When Camille arrived she was relieved to see her boy in one piece. The only damage she could see on him was red swollen ear. What surprised her was that next to him two teachers were in a heated argument.

What was even more surprising to her was that her son's homeroom teacher, Mrs. Elizabeth Parker was shouting at someone. As long as she had known the woman she had kept the appearance of a cool-headed professional.

'What have you done Rany?'Was all she could think before her body moved without her permission.

She ran to her son and hugged him. She made sure he was alright before paying any attention to the other two women who seemed eager to talk with her.

'No visible injuries. His breathing is a little haggard, perhaps because I hugged him too hard? Does not seem to be in shock, mental health seems to be in the norm as well.

"Whatever Liza says, please ignore her. Your boy is a damn genius and he did nothing wrong." Before Elizabeth could even open her mouth Fia fired.

"If anything we are in the wrong for keeping him caged and not feeding his curiosity." She continued.

This is a statement most mothers would love to hear, and Camille was no exception, however, she had a wider information network than most, and as such, she was able to recognize the young teacher.

Fia Silverwing had a nasty reputation to her name. She was in charge of most special classes. Special, as in elite combat classes. The students that were able to graduate under her guidance were usually highly sought after. The ones who didn't end in a grave.

She believed that those who pursue power must be capable, and as such her teaching methods reflected her ideology. Many hated her, and more wanted her fired, but her results spoke louder than all of her critics.

Some would be happy she took a personal interest in their child, delighted even, but not Camille. Her boy had been sick since birth, only recently was he even able to live a normal life. She didn't even want him near that Warrior stuff. The idea that a Mage, a proper one at that, liked her son scared her.

"What did you do Rany? Why does the mad woman like you?" She asked the boy who was still in her embrace.

Ciaran didn't even know how to answer. He didn't know what his mother had against Fia, but it didn't sound like the woman had a reputation for being kind and considerate of young children.

'I wonder how mom would react if I told her that not long ago that 'madwoman' was asking me to call her 'Big Sis'. Best not to find out I guess.'

He wanted to sound apologetic, he really did. But lying to his mom now would probably have bigger consequences later. If there was one thing he learned today, it was that sometimes it was better to come clean, at least with the women in your life, less you want to feel like shit later.

"I tried to get to the second floor again. This time I pulled it off." He said, and sadly he was freshly out of self-control as he gave out a proud grin.

"That he did. And he went straight to the economics section. Said it was unfair to keep it away from him. Truly filial sons to his father this one." Fia put one hand on his shoulder and said.

"Yes, and he only had to set fire to the First Floor and burn his classmates alive, to do it." Added Mrs. Elizabeth Parker.

Camille didn't even know what to say. She was in shock.

"I didn't. That is a gross overstimulation of what I did. Slander even." The boy defended himself.

He wrestled his way out of his mom's arms and took a bag out of one of his pockets. Then, as if wanting to prove a point he hit his own hand on fire and said.

"Come look for yourselves at how 'hot' the flames are."

The first one to look was Fia, the other two were still stumped on what to do.

"It feels cold to the touch, but it does burn a little after a second or two." She told them.

"Yeah, because of chili, you can buy it cheap from the farmers market. The old lady there told me it's good for the heart. It burns, but if you wash it off, it will not cause any damage whatsoever."

"I didn't hurt anyone. I didn't damage anything. And I am tired of being accused of otherwise. What those brats got was a full-body experience of eating spicy food and an example of the wonders of chemistry. If they lose sleep because of that, they don't deserve to learn here."

His rotten personality had come out. He usually kept it in check in front of his mom, but he had had too long of a day to care about that now.

Elizabeth frowned at his words but didn't correct him. The Academy was a place for elites, that much was true. However, the backstabbing and plotting usually started past the Seventh Year, long after she was done being their teacher.

Fia on the other hand liked what she heard. She was beginning to like the boy more and more now. She was even planning on using him as an example to her students when they bothered to show up for class.

Camille was the most shocked of all of them. She was not stupid, not by a long shot. She knew her son was a rascal, she even knew he had told Clara to act like she couldn't stand him for some reason. What shocked her was that he would act like that in front of her.

"We are going home Ciaran." She said sternly.

'Whatever happened today, it was too much for my boy.' She was only pretending to be angry. In actuality, she was just extremely worried for her son. Both she and her husband came from families with colorful morals, and it made them people with unique ethics. Combine that with the amount of time her son spent with her father-in-law, and his burning of a few children was not that unexpected. His breaking of character, however, his not rumbling on and on how the flames work, that, was actually worrying. And she needed to get the boy to safety before he shot himself in the foot.

"Mom I-"

"No Talking, not a word out of you young man. Not until we get home." She said.

The two women thought she was furious with her son, while the boy got stuck on 'till we get home'.

'She worries I saw too much and will get in more trouble. Better obey then.'

[I have a lot of stories about monsters kid, but up to the second floor there is nothing worse than your family.]

Ciaran was already getting used to the voice in his head. And it wasn't wrong either.

'Could have been worse.' The boy shrugged.

The mother and son duo walked in a roundabout way, so as not to bump into any of the parents and their children. Sadly for Camile however, once in the garden they were in full view of the medical wing.

It started with one or two stares, but gradually the number increased. Both of them could feel the rage and the hate directed at them from those bloodshot eyes.

While Camille wanted to drag her son away, Ciaran just couldn't let it go, not when the opportunity was so ripe for the taking.

He pulled away from his mom, faced them, and took a long breath. Legs crossed, head lowered, his left hand behind his back, his right outstretched to the side, he bowed. The stage master was enjoying the attention of his audience to the fullest.

Camille looked at her son.

'Takes after his dad.' She thought.

Then outside the view of her son, she took off one of her bracelets.

'Just in case one of these fools wants to try me.'

She had become a bookkeeper for her husband, but before that, she had a more… messy profession. And she didn't mind going back to old habits if someone dared to threaten her son.