The Good Ones

Chapter 20: Wicked Game

Mavis surprised the hell out of everyone the morning after Alex broke up with her. They'd all expected the blizzard from the night before to continue into the next day. Instead, they woke up to clear skies and calm winds. Mavis showed up to breakfast that morning with her head held high, asking Alex what was on the schedule for the day. The light in her eyes was gone, but nothing else indicated that her world was turned upside down.

The past two weeks had gone by just like that. While working in the clinic, Alex and Mavis spoke to each other on a purely professional level- no laughing, no joking, no smiling. There wasn't even any fighting, something they used to be so good at, they could've made it an Olympic sport. During breakfasts and dinners at the cookhouse, they ate their meals at their usual seats. They talked and joked with everyone else at the table, just not each other. The Animali started training as a group again, and Mavis never lost control of her magic. If anything, it seemed stronger than it ever had before. Mavis's reaction to the situation told Alex that either he had hurt her on the deepest level possible, or her heart just wasn't as beat to shit as his.

Now, Alex watched her from the doorway of his office as she conversed with Mrs. Johnson, one of their elderly cat clients from town. Mavis assured Mrs. Johnson that Mr. Pickles, her crotchety, geriatric Siamese cat, had most likely started urinating outside of his litter box due to the presence of the new kitten in the house. Mr. Pickles sat in his carrier and yowled these exact sentiments, as well as his displeasure at being drug off his window sill at such an ungodly hour in the morning.

"And if she doesn't get rid of that devil's spawn by tomorrow," continued Mr. Pickles, "I'll urinate in her bed!"

"Now, Mr. Pickles, that's not very nice," Mavis told the cat in a light tone. She changed her look from pleasant to scolding after Mrs. Johnson turned toward the door, but kept her tone cheerful. "That kitten's going nowhere and you're just going to have to accept that."

Mr. Pickles gave Mavis a reproachful look from the confines of his carrier.

"Thank you so much for your help, Dr. Rogers," said Mrs. Johnson. "I told Arthur this morning, vets are amazing human beings. To do what you do, and with patients you can't even talk to!"

Alex couldn't help but smile at the irony of the statement. He and Mavis shared a look. She didn't return his smile, instead giving him an expression that asked, "What the hell do you want?"

Alex dropped his smile and retreated back to his desk, feeling stung. He used to watch her like that all the time, wondering what it would be like to fall asleep and wake up next to her. Now that he'd experienced it, and knew that he'd never get to do it again, he wished he could erase every memory of that one week of happiness they'd had together. Maybe then, it wouldn't hurt so damn bad not to have her.

Kevin and Lucinda walked into the office. Kevin was his usual chipper self, poking fun at everyone to the point where it chapped Alex's ass. Lucinda was more reserved than usual, and that chapped his ass, too. Megan had called him the night before to discuss her concerns about his mentee. Lucinda had been falling apart ever since she'd discovered the formula for Rhino Juice. She spent her time in the lab staring at the walls, just like she spent her time during training staring at the trees. They'd both caught Lucinda talking to herself, too. He knew he needed to sit down and have a serious chat with her about her Adderall addiction, but he'd been putting it off. Having that talk meant facing the demons from his own past that he wasn't proud of.

"Scott texted Lucinda and told her what the mandatory meeting's about today," said Kevin. "A task force apprehended three Dark Army elves from a base in Uganda, and the Retinentia read their memories. They've got a new lead about the missing rhinos."