Hadley flicked open his lighter, willing the little flame to grow until it was a decently sized fireball. He experimented with it, making it hotter until it glowed an intense blue. It grew upwards until it was a veritable column of flames, stopping inches from the ceiling.
“Will you knock that off?” his roommate Dane demanded. “You’re going to burn down the dorms.”
“Like that would be a huge loss,” Hadley replied, extinguishing the fire immediately in a wisp of smoke. He had only just settled the previous day, but he was getting the hang of his eilemaiden pretty quickly.
“Why’d you end up picking Earalas, anyways?” Dane asked. Before settling, Hadley had been extremely indecisive, waffling between nearly all eight different eilemaidens on an almost daily basis.
“Hm. I don’t really know,” Hadley replied vaguely. He had seen potential for fun in every eilemaiden, but when the time came to settle, somehow Earalas just seemed right. It sounded cliché as fuck, but it was as if it had chosen him instead of the other way around. “Just felt like it, I guess.”
“Now you can light clios’ blunts from all the way across the room at parties,” Dane said jokingly.
“Truly that would be the apex of my talents,” Hadley replied, opening the lighter and making another fireball. He threw it across the room, letting it fizzle out before coming in contact with anything.
Dane looked over at Nila, now permanently in the form of a raccoon. “You know, one time a raccoon got into our house,” he said. “It went through all our shit and caused like fifteen hundred in damages.” He paused. “Yeah. I’d say that suits you.”
Before Hadley could offer any kind of snarky response, there was a knock at the door. The roommates looked at each other before Dane got up and answered the door. Standing there was the headmaster of Redfern along with an older man dressed in an expensive suit that neither of them recognized.
The headmaster looked right past Dane and directly at Hadley. “We need to speak to you,” he said, sounding concerned.
Dane shot Hadley an ‘Oh shit, what did you do this time?’ face as the latter got up to follow the two men. Hadley just shrugged at him before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
“What’s going on?” he asked curiously. He couldn’t think of anything specific he had done recently to warrant a visit from the headmaster and whoever Suit Man was.
“I think it would be better if we spoke in my office,” the headmaster replied.
Ugh. That was like a fifteen minute walk from here. Hadley sighed audibly and followed the two men out the dorms, across the campus, all the way to the building where the headmaster’s office was located.
Once they finally got to the office, Suit Man turned around to face Hadley. “Mr. Sterling,” he said in a polite, respectful voice that Hadley was not used to hearing directed at him. “My name is Morgan Anthel. I’m the head adviser to the overloridian of Earalas.”
He shook a very confused Hadley’s hand. Hadley just looked at him inquisitively.
Suit Man AKA Morgan Whatever took a deep breath before continuing. “As you may be aware, the overloridian passed away peacefully last night after a long battle with illness.”
“Okay…” Hadley said. He had not been aware, nor did he care or have any idea what this had to do with anything. Morgan and the headmaster were looking at him expectantly, so he slowly added, “Sorry to hear that…?”
“Mr. Sterling,” Morgan said, before pausing the way one does before revealing something shocking. “Our records list you as the next overloridian of Earalas.”
Hadley stared at him, eyebrows raised. “Me?”
Morgan nodded. “Your parents reported your status to us sixteen years ago, and Earalas officials confirmed it. I’m…not sure why you were never told.”
Hadley didn’t reply. He just stood there, trying to take this all in. Overloridian. Him. He was going to rule a country. How was this even possible? He was almost half-expecting Morgan to exclaim “Just kidding!” any second now.
“I know this must come at a shock, and probably seems pretty daunting…” Blah blah blah. Hadley quit listening to what was obviously a pre-rehearsed speech. He looked at both men—Morgan, all stoic and important-looking; the headmaster, looking almost comically concerned at this new revelation--and realized that he had more authority right now than either one of them. In fact he was the highest authority in the school, hell, probably the entire island. Somehow, without even realizing it, he had become one of the eight most powerful clio in Amelia overnight.
“So, what now?” he asked, cutting off Morgan mid-sentence. “I’m moving to Earalas, right? Do I get the old overloridian’s house? Guess I’m quitting school.” No loss there. “Oh! Before we go I need to tell my sister.” He wondered what it would take to convince Sol he wasn’t lying about this.
Morgan was momentarily at a loss for words. He’d been expecting this sixteen year old boy to react with shock, and maybe even fear and denial. Not a casual ‘okay, when do I start?’ attitude.
Hadley raised his eyebrows as Morgan just stood there stupidly. “…Okay. Well, I’m gonna go do that,” he said finally, when it became clear that Morgan did not know how to respond to him. “In the meantime, arrange for someone to pack my stuff, okay?”
He turned and walked out of the office without being dismissed, since it wasn’t like either man had the authority to keep him there. As he left the building to start heading to his sister’s dorm, he couldn’t help but grin to himself, thinking of this whole world of practically infinite possibilities that had just opened up for him.
“Will you knock that off?” his roommate Dane demanded. “You’re going to burn down the dorms.”
“Like that would be a huge loss,” Hadley replied, extinguishing the fire immediately in a wisp of smoke. He had only just settled the previous day, but he was getting the hang of his eilemaiden pretty quickly.
“Why’d you end up picking Earalas, anyways?” Dane asked. Before settling, Hadley had been extremely indecisive, waffling between nearly all eight different eilemaidens on an almost daily basis.
“Hm. I don’t really know,” Hadley replied vaguely. He had seen potential for fun in every eilemaiden, but when the time came to settle, somehow Earalas just seemed right. It sounded cliché as fuck, but it was as if it had chosen him instead of the other way around. “Just felt like it, I guess.”
“Now you can light clios’ blunts from all the way across the room at parties,” Dane said jokingly.
“Truly that would be the apex of my talents,” Hadley replied, opening the lighter and making another fireball. He threw it across the room, letting it fizzle out before coming in contact with anything.
Dane looked over at Nila, now permanently in the form of a raccoon. “You know, one time a raccoon got into our house,” he said. “It went through all our shit and caused like fifteen hundred in damages.” He paused. “Yeah. I’d say that suits you.”
Before Hadley could offer any kind of snarky response, there was a knock at the door. The roommates looked at each other before Dane got up and answered the door. Standing there was the headmaster of Redfern along with an older man dressed in an expensive suit that neither of them recognized.
The headmaster looked right past Dane and directly at Hadley. “We need to speak to you,” he said, sounding concerned.
Dane shot Hadley an ‘Oh shit, what did you do this time?’ face as the latter got up to follow the two men. Hadley just shrugged at him before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.
“What’s going on?” he asked curiously. He couldn’t think of anything specific he had done recently to warrant a visit from the headmaster and whoever Suit Man was.
“I think it would be better if we spoke in my office,” the headmaster replied.
Ugh. That was like a fifteen minute walk from here. Hadley sighed audibly and followed the two men out the dorms, across the campus, all the way to the building where the headmaster’s office was located.
Once they finally got to the office, Suit Man turned around to face Hadley. “Mr. Sterling,” he said in a polite, respectful voice that Hadley was not used to hearing directed at him. “My name is Morgan Anthel. I’m the head adviser to the overloridian of Earalas.”
He shook a very confused Hadley’s hand. Hadley just looked at him inquisitively.
Suit Man AKA Morgan Whatever took a deep breath before continuing. “As you may be aware, the overloridian passed away peacefully last night after a long battle with illness.”
“Okay…” Hadley said. He had not been aware, nor did he care or have any idea what this had to do with anything. Morgan and the headmaster were looking at him expectantly, so he slowly added, “Sorry to hear that…?”
“Mr. Sterling,” Morgan said, before pausing the way one does before revealing something shocking. “Our records list you as the next overloridian of Earalas.”
Hadley stared at him, eyebrows raised. “Me?”
Morgan nodded. “Your parents reported your status to us sixteen years ago, and Earalas officials confirmed it. I’m…not sure why you were never told.”
Hadley didn’t reply. He just stood there, trying to take this all in. Overloridian. Him. He was going to rule a country. How was this even possible? He was almost half-expecting Morgan to exclaim “Just kidding!” any second now.
“I know this must come at a shock, and probably seems pretty daunting…” Blah blah blah. Hadley quit listening to what was obviously a pre-rehearsed speech. He looked at both men—Morgan, all stoic and important-looking; the headmaster, looking almost comically concerned at this new revelation--and realized that he had more authority right now than either one of them. In fact he was the highest authority in the school, hell, probably the entire island. Somehow, without even realizing it, he had become one of the eight most powerful clio in Amelia overnight.
“So, what now?” he asked, cutting off Morgan mid-sentence. “I’m moving to Earalas, right? Do I get the old overloridian’s house? Guess I’m quitting school.” No loss there. “Oh! Before we go I need to tell my sister.” He wondered what it would take to convince Sol he wasn’t lying about this.
Morgan was momentarily at a loss for words. He’d been expecting this sixteen year old boy to react with shock, and maybe even fear and denial. Not a casual ‘okay, when do I start?’ attitude.
Hadley raised his eyebrows as Morgan just stood there stupidly. “…Okay. Well, I’m gonna go do that,” he said finally, when it became clear that Morgan did not know how to respond to him. “In the meantime, arrange for someone to pack my stuff, okay?”
He turned and walked out of the office without being dismissed, since it wasn’t like either man had the authority to keep him there. As he left the building to start heading to his sister’s dorm, he couldn’t help but grin to himself, thinking of this whole world of practically infinite possibilities that had just opened up for him.
