Perennial

Chapter 20 -- Perennial

The next day, I'm a little too distracted to concentrate in any of my classes, but that's not really any different than ordinary. I'm a little surprised that none of the teachers here have noticed that I don't actually study for their classes. But then again, I've never studied for any class I've ever attended and I've always gotten, at the very least, a B.

Today, however, the distraction is something important: the escape plan Sueña and I are working on. I need to wrap my mind around all the possible variables and plan for them.

Of course, it's all fun and games until Telepathy, where Phix does the unexpected by actually noticing my absent mindedness. She makes a special effort to punish me by directing all the hardest questions and exercises at me (probably just to watch me squirm).

She apparently doesn't like it when her students aren't showing that they appreciate what she has to offer.

Although my endurance has increased significantly since when I first got here, by the end of class, the edges of a migraine are creeping in on me.

Sueña gives me the occasional sympathetic glance, but says and does nothing else.

Relief comes when Phix finally, finally dismisses us. Sighing in relief, I prepare to leave along with my roommate, hoping to develop our plan further before Aether meets us in the hall, but Phix stops me from departing.

"Perennial, I'd like you to stick around. We need to talk," she says.

I'm not sure if I should be scared or not.

I send Sueña a pleading look.

She responds with a "you're on your own" expression and leaves without a word.

Something tells me that she wouldn't want to be in my shoes if given the chance. (I don't blame her.)

Phix settles back at her desk. "Perennial, would you care to tell me why you were so distracted during class?"

"No, not really," I answer honestly. (If you're anything like me, answering honestly usually catches people off guard.)

"And why not?"

"Because no matter what I say I'm going to be in trouble, so... what's the point?" I try not to let the words come out as snarky, but I've never been good at keeping snark out of my voice.

Phix sighs and leans forward, resting her forearms on the flat of her desk. My eyes wander to the ceramic coffee mug Phix likes to keep on her desk. It has the image of the Greek sphinx painted on it. It stands proudly, with a grin on its face, as if it enjoys watching me squirm. I narrow my eyes at it.

"Let's do this another way, then," Phix says, her nails tracing the edge of the mug. They look immaculate. I wonder if that's the effect of the perception filter or if that really is what her nails look like. If it is, she must have gotten them done recently. "Were you the cause of the security breach last night?"

Everything the Overlord taught me screams for me to deflect. "What breach?"

Phix isn't having any of this. "You know I can tell when someone is lying, don't you, dear? It comes with the territory of being a telepath."

Deflect again. "I wasn't lying. I was asking a question."

"You're an obnoxious child, aren't you?"

Quick, make a joke. "That's what they tell me."

Phix shakes her head. "I like you, Perennial. I'm trying to help you. Why don't you just cooperate?"

Although I actually like Phix, (she's probably my favorite teacher here) there's a variety of reasons why I'm not cooperating. One of which is that Phix is a DSHA agent. Another is that I'm simply not good at cooperating.

"When you've spent your whole life fighting, it's hard to stop," I say instead.

"I understand, but this is important, Perennial. I can't help if you don't let me. Was the security breach last night you? Judging from how distracted you were today combined with the circumstances of your arrest, I'd think the answer is yes."

"Sounds like you've already made up your mind about me," I observe.

"I interviewed Psaqua last night after the incident. She told me you had been with her up until she got called in for questioning. I could tell she was lying," Phix explains. "I'm afraid your alibi isn't quite as air tight as you think it is."

I frown.

She presses on. "Tell me, what did you do in the database?"

"... I read a few things. Most of it was boring."

"And the parts that weren't boring?"

"I feel like saying it would be like kissing and telling."

Phix sighs, again. "I'm not going to turn you in, if that's what you're worried about."

My frown deepens. This, I did not see coming. What's her game? "Why not?"

"I'm mostly retired. It really isn't my job anymore."

I snort. "I'm pretty sure getting the 'bad guy' who breaks rules into prison where she belongs never stops being anyone's job."

"Oh, please, we both know you're not a bad guy. I think we both know that there are no 'good guys' and 'bad guys' in this world, just people with different reasons. I'm assuming yours aren't all that malevolent. You're not a very malicious person; even an empath could sense that. In fact, you are one of the least threatening people I've met."

Um, not threatening? What does she mean I'm not threatening? I'm plenty threatening!

She must have read my mind because the next thing she says is: "I mean that you're not aggressive."

"Excuse you, I am passive aggressive."

To my surprise, this simple statement breaks through Phix' professional exterior. She leans back and laughs.

I'm confused for a moment because when I said it, I didn't mean it as a joke; I just wanted to throw her off. Which I apparently succeeded at doing, a little too well.

"Are you okay? It wasn't that funny."

She shakes her head, coming back to herself. "I'm sorry. It's just that I was inside your head and I didn't even see that one coming. Goodness, your wit is as fast as..." She trails off, and then her eyes go wide.

"As fast as ...?" I'm almost afraid to ask.

"As fast as the Overlord's." Her voice is a lot quieter now. Is she speaking with fear or awe? I can't tell.

My heart stops.

"You're his protégé, aren't you?" She's mostly talking to herself, now. "That makes sense. It would certainly explain everything, wouldn't it? Your fake identity, the training you received before you came here, the security breach, even how you knew about Professor Graham."

I open my mouth to refute everything she's saying, but I find I can't. No words come out. (If anything is going out, it's any fight that I had left in me.)

If Phix can really get all of that out of one simple slip of the tongue, then she must be far more clever than I give her credit for. I'll have to give her that one.

"Of course... you were looking up Eclipse. You wanted to know what happened to Juggernaut, didn't you? The previous generation of Overlords hasn't told you what happened, have they?"

This snaps me from my panicked state. "You know what happened to Juggernaut?"

She gives me a puzzled expression, almost as if to say, 'Doesn't everyone?'

But in the end, she doesn't answer my question. "You're more than just his protégé, aren't you? He selected you for a reason. You're a Type 2 PM, with chlorokinesis and telepathy. Your body type, your mannerisms, they remind me of Imp and Wyvern. Which one is your mother?"

I study Phix for a moment. "The Wyvern."

Phix' eyes light up. She wasn't expecting me to answer. Then her lips purse into a tight line and her eyes narrow into slits. She isn't sure if I'm lying or not.

Huh. I thought she could tell when I lie. But then it comes to me. I subconsciously put up mental shields while she was making her discovery about my connection to the Overlord. A spark is rekindled in my gut.

This is my opportunity to take back control of the conversation.

"Are you going to tell the Department about what you theorize my lineage is?"

She considers this a moment. "No."

"No?"

"No." She repeats. "You are not your parents. You shouldn't be punished for being their child. You are not doomed to repeat their choices. As of yet, the worst thing you've done to anyone was vandalize an empty school building. Why sound alarm bells when there's nothing to be afraid of?"

"But what if I do decide to follow in my parents' footsteps?" I ask, out of curiosity if nothing else.

"That's your choice, but I can't guarantee that no one will stop you."

"I don't think anyone could." I'm not sure if I say this to provoke her or if I say it because I believe it's true.

"We'll see." A smile pulls at her lips. "I think you should get going before you're late to your next class."

For once, I willingly do as I am told.

"Oh, and Perennial?" She calls just as I cross the threshold.

I pause. "What?"

"If you're going to try to escape, please remember that there are guards out there, and they won't be very nice if they catch you."

My heart skips a beat and I realize she knows exactly why I was distracted during class. Of course she does. She was listening to my thoughts the whole time.

But she isn't going to stop me.

Instead, she's trying to warn me about the guards.

A short chuckle bubbles up in my chest.

Oh, teacher of mine, I am way ahead of you. How could I ever forget a detail like that?

"I will." I smirk, and stroll out the door.