The parents are gathered in the Great Hall, decorated with rich tapestries made of colorful silk and lush velvet fabrics. The hall, although majestic and impressive, is only used for the most formal occasions. And while the parents sit side-by-side at long oak tables, once used for communal dining, the kids have been asked to wait outside in the vestibule.
Headmaster Pierce, Master Liu, and Master Achebe are seated behind an imposing mahogany table situated high up on a dais at the head of the room.
Master Liu and Master Achebe's murmured conversation ceases when Headmaster Pierce rises, the hollow sound of his chair scraping across the old wooden floor.
Headmaster Pierce clears his throat in order to get everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming," he says, his voice surprisingly calm and clear. "We know that you are all greatly concerned about this latest situation. But I want you to know that while Jake, the student who was hurt, is still in the infirmary, he's actually recovering quite well."
"Is he, though?" Chief Victor Meska, Patrick's father, stands and challenges Headmaster Pierce. Victor Meska is a bald, compact man built like a professional wrestler, with angry eyes and a permanent scowl. And although relatively small in stature, especially compared to Patrick, he always finds a way to make his presence known.
"We're not just concerned," Victor growls. "We're downright angry! We entrusted our children to you and now look what's happened!"
"And I take full responsibility for that," Headmaster Pierce rests a humble hand on his chest. "Please know that your children's safety is our highest priority and our number-one concern." He steps out from behind the table to stand more prominently before the parents.
"To be honest, we never imagined there would be a demon attack this early on. All of our reports indicated the demons were largely in uninhabited areas like No Man's Land, much farther north and wouldn't be a significant threat for quite some time. All along our plan has been to equip the students with the best techniques and the latest technology. Our goal is to help your kids both fulfill their mission and give them the tools to protect themselves from any manner of attack."
Caitlín O'Brien, Aidan's mum, also stands. She's a petite, strawberry blonde with sharp hazel eyes and a smattering of freckles sprinkled across her pale nose. She crosses her arms defiantly before her. "Well, that's just grand, Headmaster," she says, "as long as your plan is on paper. But as far as execution...? Now, that seems to 'ave gone a bit sideways, wouldn't you say?"
"Exactly!" Victor points at Caitlín in solidarity. "That's exactly what's at issue here. Just admit it, Pierce! You miscalculated!"
Headmaster Pierce's jaw tightens in response to Chief Meska's refusal to use his title when addressing him, a sly but subtle insult. He leans back against the table and bows his head, assessing whether or not his original speech will go over at all.
And while he's considering this, the parents begin to shout out their questions and accusations, all at once.
"My son could have died!"
"Why are you using our children as bait?"
"You're putting our kids in too much danger!"
Headmaster Pierce looks up and realizes the parents are far angrier than he'd anticipated, and at this point, his speech won't be enough. Internally, he scoffs at himself as he recalls the pep talk he gave to the Masters earlier in preparation for this meeting--the one about rebuilding their confidence and reclaiming their faith. Oh, what a farce that was!
Visibly anxious, Headmaster Pierce tries to tamp down on his growing frustration, but Master Liu can tell that he's truly struggling. So, she rests a hand gently on his shoulder, gives it a reassuring squeeze, and steps around the table to take over, giving Headmaster Pierce some time to regain his composure.
"You're right," Master Liu says, calmly but firmly. "Each one of you is absolutely right. We made a mistake. Unfortunately, we miscalculated, and for that we truly apologize. However, we were diligent in our planning, gathered as much advice as we could from various experts, and were working off the most recent intelligence we had."
"Och! I'm sorry, Masters," Fiona's father, Colin Campbell, a brawny hulk of a man--and the spitting image of Gerard Butler--chimes in. "That just means the High Council needs to git ye far better intelligence because it seems like you're a wee bit out of touch!"
Headmaster Pierce, having taken the time to recover, takes a deep breath, stands, and with a nod to Master Liu resumes. "You're absolutely correct, Mr. Campbell" he assures him. "And we'll never have the full picture because these demons are an unknown quantity to us. We will have the ancient texts Master Achebe can translate for us as a reference, and we have a little bit of historical knowledge to work with as well. But for the most part, other than some ancient myths and legends, there's not much we can know at this time. In our defense, though, we made the situation perfectly clear to you when we initially reached out with our plans."
Sir Geoffrey doesn't stand up like the rest of them. Instead, he remains casually seated at a table off to the side all by himself. He looks down at his watch, as if these annoying proceedings have taken up far too much of his time, and says to Headmaster Pierce, "As much as we all admire you, Headmaster, and as much as I've supported this... experiment, if you will," he gestures dismissively, "I'm beginning to question the wisdom of this whole endeavor."
"As am I!" Victor echoes. "Right now, one of our very own is up there, badly hurt and suffering. And since Jake has no father, I'm here to speak on his behalf. In fact, I'm here to speak on behalf of our entire tribe. We're beginning to question whether sending children out to fight our battles is a wise move."
Master Achebe leans forward, propping his forearms on the table. He's ready to speak, Shifter to Shifter. "And what exactly is the alternative, Chief Meska? Because for years--no, make that decades--we've tried to unite the races in this impending fight. And yet, every attempt with adults has failed miserably, and only led to further bloodshed. Look, I've seen what these kids can do, and they show tremendous potential."
Edmund Baker, not wanting to be left on the sidelines, suddenly speaks up, "Well, your 'potential' is likely to get my son killed, Master Achebe. And I'm not okay with that."
"Agreed," Sir Geoffrey says, nodding assuredly. "I think it's time we consider taking a much more drastic action and ask that the High Council shut the school down."
"No! Wait!" a voice calls out from the back of the room.
Farid suddenly bursts through the doors, followed closely by the rest of the kids. They've been eavesdropping from outside the hall this whole time. He stands in the aisle between all of the parents and asks earnestly, "Don't we get a say in any of this?"
Now, Sir Geoffrey decides to stand up. "Farid! What do you think you're doing?" he booms. "This is a matter for the adults to decide!"
"No!" Patrick blurts out, indignantly. "It's not!"
"Andrei Daniel Patrick Meska!" Victor yells, pointing furiously at his son. "Don't you ever talk to your elders like that!"
Aidan, standing next to Patrick, gives him the side-eye, then leans over and whisper snorts, "Andrei? Really?"
Patrick whips around and pokes a threatening finger in Aidan's face. "You forget that you ever heard that! Got it?"
Hands held high, Aidan nods frantically. "Yeah, yeah... I got it."
Sebastian steps forward to join his brother and asks, "If we're the ones willing to take the risk, shouldn't we get to decide? Or at least get a vote?"
Ava, Cameron, Fiona and Inez file into the aisle as well. Now, all of the kids are standing there in the middle of the room, facing their parents, presenting a unified front.
"I believe we should have a say," Ava says.
Cameron appeals to them, "Look, it's true, we may not all like each other, but one thing was made exceptionally clear the other day. No matter what, we have each other's back. And from everything I've heard, that's something you guys haven't been able to achieve until now."
"Yeah!" Fiona exclaims. "Which means that you need us!"
Inez adds, "And since we've all decided this is something we're willing to do, please, won't you let us help?"
The parents all stare at their kids, and then at each other.
Master Achebe takes this opportunity to intervene. He stands and leans forward on the table. "Look, you've gone through the trouble to come all the way out here in order to have a full and frank discussion. We want that as well. So, can we perhaps take a bit more time to make sure we've heard all of your concerns, in full, so that we have the opportunity to respond to the best of our ability? Then, after we've answered all of your questions and addressed all possible objections, if you still feel the school should be shut down, we'll take that recommendation to the High Council.
One by one, the parents begin to nod and those who are standing take their seats. And although their postures are still hostile, the tension in the room has finally dissipated enough so that the Masters feel it's safe enough to continue.
*****
Exhausted, Headmaster Pierce plops down at his desk, while Master Achebe and Master Liu situate themselves in chairs facing him. "Well, that was one for the record books," he says, scrubbing his face vigorously with both hands.
"For a moment there, I really didn't think we'd pull it off," Master Achebe admits.
"We wouldn't have, were it not for the kids." Master Liu beams. "I'm so proud of them."
"As well you should be. We all should," Headmaster Pierce says. "They showed great courage today," he leans back in his seat thoughtfully. "And they'll need it, now more than ever. I'm sending out a team on their first mission."
"What?" Master Liu, straightening in her chair, blurts out, "So, soon?"
Headmaster Pierce shrugs. "We don't have a choice, Ronnie."
"Well, how much time do we have to prepare them?" Master Achebe asks.
"Not much," Headmaster Pierces says, "because I'm sending the first team out in a matter of days."
--- END OF EPISODE 2 ---
A/N - Well, that's it! The end of Episode 2! 🥳
Funny thing... I'd actually forgotten the final two scenes in this chapter, and how they ended on such a critical note. Needless to say, it took me far longer to edit it for posting, so I have to put off debuting the first chapter of Episode 3.
And as a reminder, Headmaster Pierce plans to send out teams of three on each mission, one from each race. Any guesses, or preferences for, which three characters will make up the first team?
😁
~ Paula ❤️
NOTE: Based on some reader feedback, it looks like we may need a refresher on the kids' talents (I know it's been a while since we've seen them.)
So... Inez is a Seer, Cameron's an Elemental Mage (fire & Ice), and Aidan has tattoos that become real creatures (a Spirit Guardian.)
Patrick's a Bear Shifter, Jake is a Wolf Shifter, and I'm not sure I've revealed Ava's animal self yet. 🤔
Sebastian is skilled with the sword, Farid with daggers, and Fiona kicks ass with her ninja stars. 😁