Page 79 of Validus Vale Academy 1
Nothing to see here. Just a professor who’s come to pick up a student for training. Totally normal. Pounding on the door that leads to her room, I hear nothing, so I try the handle. It’s unlocked.
Not good enough, pulu.
Wait a minute, is her room in the fucking basement? "Wilson?" I call out as I descend the creaking steps.
She peeks out from behind a sheetrock partition, dressed in orange leggings and a red tank, with some kind of chilli pepper design. The top clings to her delicate curves and brings a smile to my face. "Hey." She seems genuinely pleased to see me. Maybe I’m not some middle-aged stalker.
“Come in,” she says, pulling back the partition further. “I just need to put on my trainers.”
While she knots her laces, I look around the basement. It reeks of damp concrete and mold.Why the hell is she living down here?Defectivum House is gloomy and depressing in general, but that’s nothing compared to this. I look inside her cubicle-sized bedroom; it’s worse than I could imagine.
A twin bed, on a stained carpet, is pushed against the wall. The furniture is chipped and worn: a tiny dresser, a rickety desk, and a chair that looks as though it would collapse if you dared to sit on it. "What the fuck, Theo? This isn't a dorm room. I wouldn't house my worst enemy down here."
That’s entirely true; most of my interrogations would take place in much worse conditions.
Amazingly, Theo giggles. "I didn’t take you for a snob," she laughs. "It's perfectly fine. In fact, way bigger than the room I had at my aunt's." She points to a heap of clothing near a battered, three-pronged thing, slightly askew. "And look—I always wanted a hat stand." She looks at it fondly, to my bemusement.
Has she never known living conditions better than this? The thought makes my fists tighten. “I'll talk to Bilderblast. This is not good enough."
Theo grabs my arm. "Please don’t. I actually like it down here. The basement feels safe. Plus, Ludo put in a shower, and it’s heaven not having to share."
"Ludo?"
"The facilities man. He's my friend." Theo adjusts her knee socks. “You must know him. Really tall, long white hair?"
"Can't say I do, I'm a little busy trying to find my lost cousin while faking it as a teacher,” I mumble mindlessly.
Shit. Maybe she didn’t catch what I said.
But Theo doesn’t miss a beat. "Wait, what? Fake teacher?" she asks, her silver eyes widening with confusion.
“Guilty as charged,” I sigh. I don't want to keep hiding who I am, and I know I can trust Theo. It’s kind of odd to believe in someone after everything I’ve learned over the years, but I decide to lean into it. “I came here solely to find Max. And I fucking hate students.”
She sits down on the bed, her gaze still fixed on me. “Wow, intense. So what do you do if you’re not a teacher? Who are you really? Is Alexis even your name?"
Realizing I need to give her some answers, I go to sit next to her on the mattress. "Move up.” She scoots over, making room. The springs groan in protest as I add my weight. "Yes, Alexis is my real name. No, I'm not a professor. My last ten years have been spent in a branch of the Kormovian military. I was discharged last year after an injury.”
“Oh, your arm,” she gasps, placing a hand on my knotted scars. “What happened?”
“I was in the royal protection detail—there was a bomb attack.” I don’t want to go into any further details, and Theo seems to sense that.
“Tell me about Kormovia—what's it like?" she asks, taking hold of my hand.
My mind tumbles back to the place of my birth.
“It’s a tiny principality between Finland and Russia.” How do I explain the hopeless politics and struggles of the place? “It’s tucked away between two much more powerful forces, both vying for the land. Land hardly worth fighting for; craggy mountains and poor soil.”
Yes, the thin air is sharp and clean, but it carries the scent of poverty along with the smell of the pine forests.
“The current royal family keeps fighting, but the next generation wants reform. We want to allow Finland to annex us, bring us under their wing, so our people will have access to healthcare and fair-paying jobs. But the current prince is old in both years and attitude.”
Gods. Changehasto happen; people are desperate.
I look down at where our fingers are entwined, an unfamiliar warmth spreading through me. "It's a dump," I sigh, the words laced with a hopelessness I can't suppress. “And not worth fighting for.”
Theo frowns. “Is that what you really think? I can’t believe you’d fight for a country you thought so little of…”
"Kormovia is in my blood, and I feel a sense of duty to the place. But it’s not my true home. Not anymore.” And isn’t that the truth? I have no home. She looks at me with those big, silver eyes full of sympathy, and I change the subject abruptly.
