Two days later and the pain is barely noticeable. I have some decent muscle definition and the added height. I think I look about fourteen now and so much healthier.
Lenix has been practicing speaking when it's just us so he can get better at my language. I kind of miss the bits of feeling that would come through with his thoughts, but his voice is nice to hear. Especially his accent.
"You have to promise to only speak out loud to me. We can practice and I'll correct you. But don't speak to anyone else at all!" I was standing in the middle of the bed with my hands on my hips. Unai looked up at me for a moment then rested his head again with a huff.
"Why is that?" Lenix had just walked into the room with a tray of food. He set it down on the side table and looked at me with an eyebrow raised at my sudden declaration.
"I'm special and I want to be the only one to hear you," and see your cute embarrassed face.
He walks over slowly. I falter a little as he stands at the side of the bed not sure what he is planning to do. Is he mad? I was a bit presumptuous, to late to regret it now. I shudder as he reaches toward me. He just gives me that insufferable patient look he gets and ruffles my hair.
"Nooo." I swing my arms to slap away his hands. "I'm serious. Don't patronize me!"
He pulls me over to him, looks up at me and says quietly. "Alright, I'll only speak to you, Imogen, for now. But I'll have to speak normally to everyone when we go to the academy."
"You are going to attend the academy?" How did that never occur to me before?
"How else will I train and protect you while you search for clues of why you were murdered?" He steps back to the sidetable and hands me a plate with a sandwich and some fruits.
"You will be a student?" I sit down on the bed and stare at him, perplexed. Taking a few bites of food.
"That's right."
"A magician?"
"Mhm and a summoner."
"A summoner! You have a summon?"
"Nope, but I have plenty of beasts. I'll just lie, no one will know it isn't a contracted summon."
Lenix as a student? Seems so wrong since he is a teacher to me. "How old are you? Can you really pass as a student?"
"Nineteen, Unai said there isn't exactly an age limit though most students are 15 to 21."
Lenix is only nineteen? That's even younger than I thought. "You're only two years older than me?"
"Is that so? Are you seventeen? I thought you are sixteen."
"I'll turn seventeen soon."
"When is your birthday?"
"I don't actually know, I only know it's in the summer," I shrugged "probably. At least I count myself older every year mid-summer on a randomly chosen day when I wake up and think, this is the day."
"Be sure to let me know this year alright? I'll have gifts for you."
"Mhm, sure." I was too engrossed in imagining Lenix at the academy to think about my birthday right now as I mindlessly nibbled on some fruit.
I hadn't thought about him being there with me, enrolled as a student. I can't imagine it. The tests, the lectures, the dorms. The girls...after him...taking his attention from me, ugh that part I can picture all too vividly.
Maybe I don't really need to go. I could forget my past life. Live happily being spoiled, with Lenix all to myself. We could travel to all the worlds and eat all the foods. Just the three of us and however many beasts Lenix has.
Being spoiled and pampered is the best. I never even took such good care of my wife. Maybe if I had she wouldn't have betrayed me. I sure as hell wouldn't ever betray or hurt Lenix.
I was completely engrossed in my lovely daydream and I must have been making an irresistibly adorable face because Lenix pinched my cheek.
"Owwww!" I rubbed my cheek and frowned like it was the worst thing ever. "Are you reading my thoughts?" I'm still suspicious about that.
"So you were thinking something that deserved a pinch?" He raises his eyebrows.
"Yes, I was," I stated smugly, "and if you didn't read my mind then why did you pinch me?" Ha, got him now, proof at last.
"You had a dumb look and were drooling on yourself. Just what were you thinking about?" He actually pointed out a small wet mark on my robe.
Or maybe not proof, and how could my adorable face look dumb?
"I was thinking about all the delicious foods you will buy me when we run away together and leave my past behind!" I posed dramatically and pointed into the distance for effect.
He pinched my other cheek.
"Owwww! What the hell was that for?"
"You were right. Your thoughts did deserve a pinch, gold digger." He smirked at me.
Unai shuffled and rolled over facing us.
Lenix sighed and looked serious, "Imogen, how long will you keep Unai in this summoned state? You should know better than me how much strain the time travel placed on his body. He's getting weaker."
I moved closer to Unai, petting him gently.
"I know he needs to be within my soul to recover his strength. It's just...I'm scared that I won't be able to summon him again."
"Unai told me about being blocked by a powerful person, maybe the mastermind behind your murder?"
"Yeah, I never knew such a thing was possible before, now I'm terrified of it. Every time I decide to un-summon Unai I panic and end up keeping him summoned." I feel guilty about it but Unai is scared of it too.
"It's not a simple magic and it should be rare here. It's something I can do, so I'll teach you about it and how to overcome it." Lenix assured me.
"Yes! That's amazing, knowing how to do that would solve the problem completely. I wouldn't be scared anymore."
"It's complicated magic that will take time to learn. For now, I'll create a charm for you to keep that will prevent any interruptions to your summoning," he said.
That's a huge worry off my mind.
"If it's rare can we use it to somehow track the person who did it?" This might be a lead.
"Possibly, but we would have to catch them using it."
I finished my food and Lenix took the plate back, handing me a glass of juice.
"On to the next issue. When are you going to meet that friend of yours and the rest?" he asked me as I downed the juice and handed him the empty glass.
I wasn't ready to see Ander still. I didn't want to let go of my anger but I also knew taking it out on him would be terrible and make me feel worse in the long run. So I did the most reasonable thing, I hid and avoided him.
"Is never an option? 'Cause I like never," I asked nervously wringing my hands.
"No, it isn't. You skulking around avoiding them is pathetic. You face them or we get rid of them."
"You aren't the boss of me! I won't do it!" I try to run off. I don't have anywhere to run to though and he easily grabs me before I get to the door.
"I absolutely am the boss of you! Do I need to carry you to them?"
"I'm not ready. Let me go! Why are you so strong? Didn't I get stronger? Your care is defective!" I struggled and wiggled in his arms.
"A stronger kitten is still a kitten." He smugly holds me like my resistance is nothing. "We can go see them now or take a nap and see them later." He actually gives in to me despite what he said.
"Nap! Definitely nap."
We lay down and he lets me snuggle up against him. I curl up with my head to his chest. I feel his breath rustle my hair.
"See this is better. I don't need to meet them. We can just nap and eat and sauna. Why do I have to know them?" I asked.
"You're right they aren't needed at all. It can just be you, Unai and me. I'll kick them out. I have no reason to take care of them." He said it so casually, I'm sure he really would kick them out without caring at all.
That got me feeling guilty. They would have it tough without Lenix's protection. "N..no that's not needed. They can help with stuff around here or something can't they?"
"They can stay or not, I don't care. But tell me why is it so difficult for you to face Ander?"
I sucked in a sharp breath of air and hid my face against Lenix's broad chest.
"I'm so mad at him. We spent so much time together and I thought we were good friends. He just looked down at me waiting for me to die. He didn't care at all." I sniffled and felt the heat of tears in my eyes. I was avoiding him because I was avoiding the pain I felt.
"Do you want to hate him or do you want your friend back?"
"I want all my friends back!" I wailed, "I want to know why it happened. But I can't find out because it hasn't happened yet." I felt the tears on my face. "It's so incredibly frustrating."
"We can only prevent it. You can save your friends like Ander, Fran and Alex have been saved."
"You and Unai saved them. I haven't done anything but sleep." I choke out the words while I sob against Lenix.
"They could still have issues that lead to the betrayal. What you do from now on still matters. That's why you need to face him and decide what to do now."
He doesn't say anything more, letting me think it over myself. I know I want to keep them around. I'll meet them soon but for now, I'm still avoiding them entirely.
Eventually, Lenix left to create the charm he told me about.
The rest of the day Unai helped me avoid the others by being a lookout and telling me when it was clear. Or he would growl and push them away if I really needed to go out and they wouldn't leave.
I had been so successful at avoiding the others, I was caught by surprise when I turned a corner and almost ran into the girly one that was acting as a servant. For some reason, he immediately began scolding me.
"You mustn't be so clingy to the lord. It's not right. Making him carry you around and wait on you. Don't you know you should be serving him? You can't act spoilt like this," he said with a bitter looking frown on his face.
"I can! He's my master and he's raising me." What the hell jerk, what's it even to you? I love being spoiled.
"tch, Even if you have that sort of relationship, you shouldn't show it off in public. The lord's reputation could be affected," he said, giving me a hard glare.
I blush and sputter as I realize the misunderstanding. "Not like that! He's the training me kind of master. The food and carrying are because he says I'm a fragile patient he is caring for." I rush to explain.
"Hmpff!" The other boy leaves in a huff.
Uhh, what a prissy brat. Something about him feels familiar though. Did I know a person like that before?
I see Lenix returning from the back courtyard and rush over to him.
"Lenix," I overexaggerated his name in the most wronged tone I could manage, "who is that prissy little jerk? Why does he think he can scold me?" I huffed and stamped my foot for extra drama.
"The girly one?"
"Yeah, that one. He's so bossy."
"He's under the impression I'm nobility and offered to serve me. Who would refuse such a convenient servant? What did he do?"
"He said I'm too clingy. He's right isn't he, I am clingy. I hadn't given it any thought, but it's weird, isn't it? Do you hate it?"
"It seems normal to me. Most beasts I raise are clingy. I was a little surprised a person would act the same, but I don't hate it or think it's weird. It's soothing for the beast, builds trust and dependence. It works especially well with the small cuddly ones."
He was looking rather pointedly at me. I won't be small for long, and I'm not that cuddly.
"I'm not a beast though!" I felt my face automatically form a pout and carefully forced a neutral look onto my face.
"Ok, I can keep a distance if you want." He moved away, and I lost control of my face as it fell into a frown.
He pulled me over and it was all better. "You can read my mind, can't you?"
"Nope, your expression and body language tell me everything. Like how you looked like a lost puppy just now when I moved away. You don't have to pretend you don't need physical contact. Are you hungry again yet?"
"Yes, can we have dinner? What will it be?"
"Do you want to eat with everyone?"
"No!"
Lenix rolls his eyes at me but he leads me back to our room. He leaves then returns soon with dinner for the two of us. He gives me the charm and I un-summon Unai finally. It's still kind of scary and I cling to Lenix extra tight when we go to sleep. This is my first night after I died without Unai next to me.
What Lenix did when he left to get dinner. ~~~
Lenix didn't like the attitude of this self-proclaimed "servant". He cornered the kid and let his aura overwhelm the boy.
[Do not presume what I want. And never rile up my kitten. I'm only here for Imogen. Understand?]
The kid was too frightened to speak, he couldn't even remain standing with Lenix's powerful aura forcing him down like gravity. He weakly nodded.
After making sure the kid was suitably frightened, Lenix released the pressure and left.
A/N Imogen has decided against running away with Lenix (eloping) and spending his life touring other worlds for culinary delights (honeymoon) ah well maybe later on.
Sorry, this release was a bit late. I had a hellish headache that my migraine meds did nothing for. I even had to leave work early. Fun times laying in bed crying and heaving from pain. It's gone away now mostly so hurray! Style and grammar might have suffered due to my rushing and being dumb from pain.