𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐄𝐓𝐇, Fitz Vacker

III

"Her eyes," Kenric said again, gesturing to Amber, who perched on a cream-coloured chaise. Kenric and Alden seemed to have been having this argument for hours ever since Kenric had tried to erase her memory-which was super creepy. She rolled her eyes. Every few moments, they always came back to her eyes, which was apparently a reason why she couldn't be an elf-which was still ridiculous.

"She speaks the Enlightened Language-and I saw her perform telekinesis. This isn't a fluke, Kenric. She's an elf," Alden argued. Kenric sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"First Sophie, now this..." he mumbled. Amber crossed her arms, resisting the urge to ask what was up with Sophie. Neither of the two men had explained at any moment what they meant by any of their strange terms, Alden simply explaining that he had read her mind and she had understood everything they were saying as well.

She decided that now was probably a decent time to ask for an explanation, but she was interrupted by Kenric-who, wow, was a loudmouth. He just couldn't stop harping. "Can she stay here for a while?"

Alden quirked a brow. "I thought you'd call a meeting immediately. At least give her a registry pendant." Kenric looked uncomfortable.

"I think it's best we keep this to ourselves first. I still have to figure out the situation with Sophie, she's getting introduced to Grady and Edaline today."

Enough was enough. Amber cleared her throat loudly. Both men swung their gazes towards her in surprise, clearly having forgotten her existence.

"So, would anybody like to give me-a person who was legally kidnapped and brought to an estate likely in a foreign country, a victim of attempted assault, and who had just endured hours of confusing talk about elves, languages, and paperwork-an explanation?" She questioned pointedly. Alden looked sheepish.

"Right. Amber, an elf is...well, how do I explain this? There's a lot to cover."

There was indeed a lot to cover. Amber's head hurt by the time he was finished. "So...you people speak a different language, have special abilities including the ability to read someone's mind which you used on me without my express permission, literally violating a law-I'm assuming there's a law to regulate this, because if not this place is seriously f-ed up-"

"Language!" Kenric said sharply.

"And I am in fact an elf because I can perform telekinesis and speak your language even though for the time being I don't actually have a special ability, so now I have to stay in your freaky world and I just have to...deal with it?"

Alden lifted a shoulder. "You've just about captured it."

"Right. So where exactly do I go now?"

"That's the problem," Kenric butted in. "Because we don't even have a registry file or record of you existing, your existence will have to be under wraps. Which means that right now, you're staying put right here at Everglen."

Amber scowled. "Fine."

"And what is your parent's address? We need to wipe all traces of you away. We've already covered that from the school, but your parents' memories need to be washed."

"I don't have parents," Amber said shortly. "They're dead. I live alone. My grandparents live in France."

The mention of death seemed to cloud the room. "I'm sorry for your loss," Kenric said quietly.

"Don't be. It was three years ago. I'm over it."

Still, she shifted uncomfortably at the condolences. People seemed to assume that she still harboured intense grief-and it wasn't like she was saying she didn't feel anything. She did-but she didn't feel awful about it. That was a dark realisation and she hoped that Alden hadn't read her mind to hear it.