First Step Struggles
The time difference is actually killing me. 12 hours. I have to live 12 hours ahead of what I'd normally do.
Niel showed me around and I am so impressed.
Niel hands me a cup of water before turning on the tv.
And there's my face.
"Global news....The Queen of the business world Saffron Baylor Nash has been reported missing early this morning. She was last seen getting off her plane as her crew made an emergency landing in Tunsia. If you have any information please contact local authorities."
"Wow I've been gone longer than you and I'm not missing?" Niel chuckles.
"Well I'll call Winston and see what's up."
He doesn't let me get a word out. "I told you to contact me the second you landed."
"Hi Winston." Niel greets him cheerfully.
"Nathaniel. Keep her out of trouble."
"That's my job. So tell us. How chaotic is it?"
"Well it is one in the morning. I've placed all letters. Now we wait."
I fidget a bit. "Okay Anyways. Winston Um..."
"Cedric is fine Miss Baylor-"
"You watched!" I exclaim.
"I did my job. Motion censor went off at the track. I watched what happened. Now I'll let you go. Remain quiet for the next two weeks will you?"
"Yeah." I hang up.
Niel stares at me intently. "You truly care about him."
"I never once thought he was a bad guy."
Niel doesn't push but I know he knows.
"Come on. I hate seeing you frown." He grabs my hands pulling me onto my feet.
We take a walk. "Niel are we making a mistake?"
"You wanted an escape No?"
"Yeah. I do. But did you?"
"Somewhat. Family has always been my priority but they will be fine without me."
"I don't think you believe that."
"Okay. I'm worried about Cedric. My mother. And my nieces and nephews. The rest I know can manage."
"Have you thought of a way of contacting without traces?"
He shakes his head.
"I should call Claire."
"I think this is a good time to test our new program?" He smirks guiding me to the head office.
I gasp when I see the digital walls. "It looks so real."
"Well the it's the best quality and now we know the surveillance is peachy. Catch."
He tosses me a glove with all the fingers cut off.
"What's this for?" I ask.
"Snap." He smirks.
I do just that and there's a holoscreen before me.
"No more finger scans." I whisper.
"It will follow you as you walk. So no more dragging and pushing. You can have up to five screens displayed before you and you can use a pen. It will feel like you are writing on a surface."
I grab the pen attachment and write my name. It's so smooth. I can feel the push back.
"We did this within a year." I can't believe it.
"It took many restless nights and secret meet ups but we got it together."
I call my girl.
And I can see her but I swore I simply called her not video called her.
"Jonas give me my phone." She tells him.
"Since when do you answer unknown calls!" He looks at her.
Niel covers my eyes.
"Dubois I can see you." I say with a slight accent.
"Headmaster?"
Did she just call me-
"I like the sound of that." I say more to myself than anyone else.
"Headmaster are you developing the personality of a DW-"
"NO!"
"So tell me how can you see me?"
"New technology that I won't be giving you because I will not give you access to seeing people without them knowing."
"Why that sounds like fun?" She whines. "I wanna see you!"
"Are you covered up?"
"Yes."
"Is Jonas still ass out naked?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll wait."
She speaks in french and the words make a blush reach my ears.
"I have no idea what you said but I love when you speak french." Jonas gives her back the phone.
"Headmaster?"
Niel drops his hand.
And positions me on the single black tile in the room of hardwood flooring. Then presses something on the screen.
"Oh my gosh what did you do!"
I grin.
"I love it! Professor! The platinum curls! The black with icy blue eyes." She gushes.
"Miss Dubois I don't like that look." Niel stairs her down.
"Don't worry professor. I know who you belong to..."
I cut in. "Why does everyone think that!"
"Because you guys scream sexual tension. Like have you kissed even?"
"No and it won't happen." We say simultaneously.
"Hug. I wanna see it."
I shrug and pull him in.
I feel his arms around my head and I relax. A few seconds go by and I let go.
"You guys are so confusing."
"How?"
"You hug so intimately in a comfort way. I can't tell if I'm getting married couple or sibling vibes-"
"Best friend. Why don't we leave it at that?" We counter.
"Damn even speaking at the same time."
I roll my eyes. "Dubois. I will send Jonas on the first plane home!"
"No he's mine!"
"Question. When did this Jonas thing happen?" Niel asks genuinely confused.
I chortle. "She's had a thing for him since the end of our competition."
"Oh. You've waited that long?" He looks at the camera and I butt in. "If she wants something she won't give it up until she get it. And somehow this situation works."
"Because Jonas likes controlling women."
"Exactly. So leave my man alone because you reek of jealousy." I cannot believe we are close in age and that she nearly has the same net worth as me.
I let her go.
Niel and I stay low and watch the lives we knew burn up into flames.
...
3 days later.
"BREAKING NEWS. Nathaniel Steels had also been reported missing. Does his disappearance and Saffron's have anything in common? Stay tuned for the answer."
Niel and I have been arranging sleeping quarters for children.
"You think there's enough blankets?"
"Yeah. But do you think it's thick enough. I don't want them cold."
"Wouldn't it be funny is we can't recruit any of them?"
I shove him. "Don't you dare speak that into existence."
"Okay but how pissed do you think everyone is?"
I don't answer because the news host comes back on my holopad.
We listen in.
"News stations pile up in front of Steelor Corp as new evidence reveals that Saffron Nash and Nathaniel Steels disappearance is premeditated. The world turns to Nathaniel's brother and Saffron's ex and business partner for answers."
The screen cuts to the Cedric being bombarded. "I already said, most in my family and her mother got a letter. She said she wanted to leave. It doesn't say where or if she's coming back. And that my brother is with her and they don't want to be searched for."
"So the rumours are false you and Saffron got back together to merge your companies-"
He smirks. "She's smart. My brother is tactical. They've got to have planned this since before the trial. Maybe even before Ryder was arrested. I know they are watching. So I say. Well done." His comedic expression falls into a glare. "You destroyed 4 lives. I'll never forgive you for using me. Lying to me when we were together, trying to get on good terms. And finally Saffron... she came to you when she needed help the most. You abandoned her. And that is truly the one thing I'll really never forgive you for. Brother. You are no longer welcomed by me. We've ignored each other once. I can do it again. You chose her. Live with it."
I look at Niel. He looks at me.
"Expected worse." We each say.
"I do still feel awful about Elle." I sigh.
"Saffron you are not her mother. Her parents need to step up. And I am certain that you leaving will make her so much stronger. Cedric is mad because he told you he loves you and you thought you were platonic. He's a hypocrite. He chose you in the beginning." He laughs before continuing. "That's the thing about us he doesn't understand. We have a very difficult time deciphering other's feelings and our capabilities of love are slim to none because fool me once, fool me never again."
I nod. "I wanna go outside-"
"No."
I groan. "Why?"
"We go when this dies." He points at my pad.
"If Cedric continues to show raw emotion this will never die."
He knows I'm right. He fights with himself for a couple of seconds. "Fine. Let's go."
I grin joyously.
We head out and Niel and I walk down a leafy road. We see some kids playing soccer.
Niel runs into the middle of the game. These kids have got to be under the age of ten.
One of the kids slide tackle the ball away from Niel and he belly flops to the ground.
He starts screaming for a nurse and the kids run at me dragging me to him.
"Professor you are fine. Get up."
"Headmaster you said you'd take care of me." He pouts.
I fight the urge to roll my eyes.
I whisper in his ear and he stands.
"Oh wow I'm cured. Headmaster saved me!" He says and the kids cheer.
"Professor?" The kids question him.
He definitely didn't give them a name.
Niel nods and smiles. "Where's Ivan?" He asks.
All the kids look scared.
One of them, a little girl probably five pulls on his pant leg. He kneels down to her as she whispers something.
All expression fades from his face. He stands and walks to me, grabbing my hand and pulling me along with him.
"Stay here! If it rains go under the tree." He yells to the kids.
When we get on the main road I demand an explaination.
"Ivan is 12 going on 13. He is like their guardian-"
"Niel there were like a hundred kids back there.."
"Yeah. My point is without him things get worse."
"So where are we going?"
"He was caught stealing from the market. I know where to find him." He sighs.
Thirty minutes later We make it to a bread stand. Niel forces an accent. "Where's the boy?" He stares down the man.
"The thief will pay for his crimes!"
They go back and forth for like twenty minutes.
Niel eventually pulls out a wad of cash. "I'll take all the bread. And the boy. He won't be back ever."
"How sure are you?"
"Certain."
The man brings out Ivan who has bruises all over him. Niel whack him upside the head.
I gasp.
"You are better than this." Niel tells him. Handing the man the cash as he packs up the bread.
I carry the two bags of bread back to the field. Niel carries Ivan on his back.
The kids run to us in a mob.
I drop the bags and Niel puts down Ivan He looks at Niel and he nods.
"Eat." Ivan says to the rest and one by one they pass the bread back until everyone has some.
Ivan picks up the last piece and tries to hand it to me.
I immediately shake me head. "You eat it."
"I trouble. I don't-"
I hug the child. "You deserve the bread. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
"Headmaster." Niel says sternly.
I stand while Ivan looks to the ground.
I glare at Niel.
"Professor-"
"No."
"That's not your choice."
"Yes it is. Headmaster I'm not rewarding-"
"It's not rewarding when it's life!" I snap at him.
All the kids stare at us and I'm concerned about how Niel was treating them before I arrived.
He begins speaking Italian muttering stuff along the lines of: this is why I didn't want to bring you here.
I pull Ivan to the side. "Who's in charge when you aren't around?"
"Asher."
"I want to show you something, would that be alright?"
Ivan looks at Niel.
I shake my head. "Don't look at him, look at me."
"They need to be safe."
"I'll bring you back in the morning." I bargain. On night can't be that bad.
"Okay." He turns to the groups and calls Asher. Telling him to watch over everyone until he gets back.
The sun sets awfully quick.
We are now walking in the dark.
When we get back to our building Ivan is in awe.
"You live here?"
"You like it?" Niel's mood drastically changes.
"It nice. I take my shoes off?"
"No." We say to him.
"Who are you?"
"You may call me Professor. You may call her headmaster."
"Why you smiling so much?"
"It's nice to be back here and to know you aren't causing trouble. I told you not to go back there Ivan."
"I had to. They haven't eaten three days."
"And you haven't eaten for longer." Niel snaps back.
"Professor!" I glare at him.
"What?"
"Leave him alone. He already feels bad. Don't make him feel worse. Ivan come here you must be starving." I lead him to the industrial kitchen.
I ask him questions about himself.
So far I know he's been on the street for as long as he can remember. And he just kept meeting other kids like him. They trust him and so he took that responsibility over them. He's been doing everything he can to keep them safe and well.
I make him pasta with some asparagus. I can't imagine how long it's been since he's had a vegetable.
"N-Professor, give me the aid kit please!" I can't stand seeing the marks on Ivan swell.
"What did he do to you?" I ask softly.
Ivan pretends he didn't hear me. I can see him struggling to use the fork I gave him... he holds it in his fist, grabbing maybe three pieces of fettuccini at a time.
I guide him and he quickly learns.
Niel comes back and I repeat my question.
He looks at Niel once again.
Niel winces "He caned you, didn't he?"
Ivan nods slowly.
Niel gives me the kit and turns to him. "You can trust her. She's my best friend. And she loves helping people. Did you thank her for your meal?"
I mix together creams and powders into a paste.
Ivan blushes and shies away.
I speak up, "It's okay-"
Ivan shakes his head. "I disrespected you-"
Oh my gosh if all the kids are like him I'm going to cry.
"Ivan I just want to help you, is that alright?"
"You help the rest of them first?" He locks eyes with me.
"How about you help me help them?"
And I get a smile from him.
I lead Ivan to a recovery room.
"Are you okay with this? I can go get professor if you aren't comfortable with me."
Ivan tells me he trusts who professor trusts.
I hand him a pair of lose shorts and I ask him to change into them, he has so many marks, it's heartbreaking.
I guide him to a freestanding tub.
"Tell me if it's too hot." I turn on the hose attachment letting the water run over him.
He prefers the water pretty cold.
All the dirt and dust on him fades down the drain. And I finally get a solid image of his face.
"Close your eyes." I say as I move the water over his head. I untie the rope keeping it up. His hair is so long. It might be longer than mine. I chuckle softly.
When the water runs clear, I fill a pail of water and alcohol. I warn him in advance that it'll sting. He holds in all the pain as I clean him up with a sponge. His arms got the worst of it.
How can someone hurt a child? Speaking of... Niel and I have a lot to talk about.
When I'm done cleaning the cuts I have Ivan sit in a chair over the sink and I wash his hair.
"Would you like professor to cut your hair?"
Ivan nods.
I call Niel to do his thing. He arrives in different clothes and a bonnet. He definitely just got out of the shower.
It's interesting seeing the two interact.
"Ivan promise me. No more going to the market unless you have money. You are setting a bad example for the young ones."
"That's not fair you have everything-"
"I don't have have everything-"
"Yes you do you idiot!"
"Oh you want to name call? I'll make you look like an idiot." Niel turns on the razor but runs a comb through the centre of his hair.
Ivan jumps out of the chair screaming.
He turns to the mirror then glares at Niel.
"Sit. I'm not mean. I won't shave your head bald. Now promise you idiot."
"I promise, you promise that you and headmaster will help them."
Simultaneously we promise and he gives us one too.
When Niel finishes up I put the paste on Ivan and bandage him up. I give him a flanelette matching set.
"Ivan it's really late so I want you to sleep in here tonight." I say as we walk to the sleeping quarters.
He starts crying and I think I did something wrong. But he hugs Niels and me.
"Thank you." He heavily sobs.
Niel helps him into a bed. And tells him a little something I don't quite hear before saying goodnight.
I head off to take a shower of my own.
When I get back to the my quarters Niel is on the couch with a holopad.
"I never want to see or hear that you laid your hand on a child ever again." I say.
He jumps slightly, just noticing my presence.
His eyes are red.
He is hiding a bandage roll. I grab a glove. All classrooms and all of our quarters have tech walls. I raise my hand and his pad is displayed on my wall.
How to wrap a hand with a bandage roll?
"Niel?"
I look at him and he avoids my gaze.
"Show me your hand."
He shakes his head like when Ivan didn't take the bread.
I walk up to him and grab his hand.
He cut it. It was no incident.
"This isn't the first time you've hit Ivan." I whisper, feeling overwhelmed by his guilt.
"He would've been-"
I nod. "The baker would've been suspicious. But Niel please don't mark yourself for your wrongs. This habit hurts so much deeper than you know."
He nods and I take the roll, wrapping it up for him.
I illuminate riveras cliff on the the ceiling. I know this place is his safe place. Home may be on the other side of the map. But this is the only way to we keep it close right now.
I sit beside him cross legged and drape an arm around him.
He lays his head on my shoulder and takes a deep breath.
"Niel you got to talk to me. This can't work unless we take care of each other too. I said we'd be happy. This is a poor start."
"I'm sorry-"
"No I am. I unrealistically told you you have to be 100% when anyone would struggle."
His watch beeps. "It's her birthday." His voice drops.
"You wanna try out note system?" I ask.
"Later in the morning." He sighs.
"Your mom will be okay Niel. She'll always love you."
"I was there from the start. I was there when everyone else ran away. But now when I run... they are better than ever."
"I am certain that they all miss you. Including your brother."
"I'm worried about him."
I sigh, "so am I."
We sit in this small silence looking up at the illuminated stars.
I soon hear his slow breaths.
"No. Niel wake up." I chuckle. I stand and he just falls to his side.
"I guess you are here for the night." I grab a pillow off my bed and place it under his head. I bring his legs up and put my extra blanket on him. It gets cold in the nights.
I get into bed and turn off the screens. The only light now is the soft glow lights in the corners of the room. I look to
He's really out of it. I hope this isn't affecting him too much.
HELLO IVAN 👋