Page 26 of Validus Vale Academy 1
Why not?
Yanking on the neckline of my sweatshirt, I stretch it out until it falls over one shoulder, revealing a bright pink bra strap. At least my underwear isn’t school-issued. Can you imagine the beige granny-panties they’d make the remedials wear? It’s not like I ever want to have sex again, but some of the other Defectivum kids might.
Giving myself one last look, I decide I’ve almost got a hint of kick-assy about me, in a small, non-threatening way. It’s the best I can do. Times up—it’s showtime.
And I feel sick to my stomach.
10
Ishadow her as she walks across the grounds.
She shouldn’t be out alone after dark; it’s not safe here.
I’ll keep her safe.
My nymph.
The first sight of her caused me to question my sanity. I thought she was a hallucination. I’ve had that one storybook for as long as I can remember. How could it come to life? She looks just like the nymph within its pages; a tiny thing with long, wild hair. Pale, pale skin with the pinkest of lips. The beautiful nymph who was chased by the two-faced Devil. The nymph who formed an army.
So I looked some more, and realized she wasn’t an illustration; she was impossibly real, not a phantom of my brain. She’s sent a ripple through my existence that I’m finding it hard to cope with. For years, nothing has changed in my world, and that has been completely fine. Existing, not living, seemed the best I could hope for. But now?
Something is shifting, not just in me, but the very air of Validus Vale. I can feel it. And I can feel that I must keep my nymph safe. No Devil will take her under my watch.
It’s a gift from the Gods that she’s made her home down in the cellars. My domain. Usually, my skin crawls when someone enters the basements, but the nymph is welcome. She’ll be in less danger down with me. No one else knows how to navigate the maze of tunnels that run from building to building. Most people don’t even know they exist.
But it’s wrong to see her so uncomfortable. A girl like her shouldn’t sleep in a cold, hard place; she needs girl things. I was glad to hear her express her inner thoughts out loud. It was as if she were talking directly to me, telling me she needed a desk, a mirror, and something to hang her clothes on. I fulfilled those wishes, but it’s not enough. But my brain hurts as I try to imagine other necessities a beautiful nymph could want. Soft and sweet-smelling things? My mind draws a blank; those parameters are not within my own requirements for existence.
I track her as she takes the path that leads towards the Elite Tower. She’ll soon be out of sight, so I move through the darkness of the old Redwood grove to catch up. I won’t be seen. No one notices Ludo.
This is wrong. She’s stopping at the tower where all the devils live. Now she’s entering the tower. A lot of girls throw themselves at the Elites, but not my nymph. I’ve seen the fear in her eyes as she tries to meld into the background. The door closes behind her, shutting me out. I feel uneasy.
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt anything other than empty. I’ll wait to make sure she comes safely back out.
The feeling that’s building up in my chest; it’s heavy, squeezing, and foreign. Icarewhat happens to the nymph. I must keep her safe.
I'm reasonably certain I cared for someone when I was a young boy, butwhenexactly is unknown. I’ve had several stages of boyhood. The first era, one I can barely remember, involved awoman who would stroke my hair and tell me stories. Read me the book about nymphs and gods, beasts and battles. I’m sure there were many other stories I’ve long since lost to the darkness. I don’t like to think of the woman; it makes snakes writhe in my stomach.
Please, Mama, please. No, no, no, no.
Then there is a stage of my boyhood that is clearer in my mind, but still muddled. I lived with a circus, moving from town to town. I was the performing monkey turning tricks—I think.
But the applause got less as I got bigger. The ringmaster would starve me, hoping I’d not grow—but grow I did. There were complaints about my routines. That I remember.
Was I an acrobat? No, that doesn’t sound quite right.
I grew and grew until the ringmaster pushed me out. I tumbled from the back of the circus cart onto the groomed grounds of Validus Vale Academy. The elephants marched two by two off into the distance, and I stayed behind. Right here is where my final boyhood was staged. Mr. Morris found me and gave me a basement to sleep in and overalls to wear, and then I grew from boy to man, beneath this wicked castle.
An owl hoots overhead. How long has it been since my nymph went inside? I shift from foot to foot, deciding I’ve no stiffness in my legs, so not much time has passed. I’ll wait here in the shadows until my legs become stiff; at that point, I’ll know she’s been too long inside.
And I’ll go in to get her.
11
The elevator won’t work; well, at least not for me.
I guess that’s not surprising; this is the Elite elevator for Elites only. Duds like me have to take the servants' entrance, and by that I mean flights and flights of stairs.
Spiral ones, naturally, because Elites are like princes and need to live in fairytale towers. After four floors, my legs are protesting, but my feet keep on marching upwards, like I’m a clockwork toy.
