Chapter Text
The studio was quiet this morning, the only sounds were the breathing of the two people sleeping in the bed and the awakening of the city.
The studio consisted of a bathroom, a little kitchen, a couch, a bed, a dressing, a table with two chairs, and two bedside tables. On one bedside table was a pocket watch and a small tube of elbow grease, and the other a pair of glasses and a pair of mechanical gloves.
These belonged to the same person who had broken the morning's tranquillity by falling out of bed with a loud noise and waking up the whole room.
- Ophelia? Did you hurt yourself?" asks Thorn in an exasperated and worried tone.
- I don't think so, but can you help me?" muttered the woman concerned, from the carpet.
Thorn sat up and stretched out his long arms to reach his wife on the floor. After a struggle with the sheets, which were tangled with her feet, she was back in bed beside him.
The first thing he did after that was to check if she had hurt herself and give her her glasses.
- I'm going to end up putting up a safety net so you don't fall off the bed, or maybe I should just tie you to it, says Thorn with exasperation
- Sorry about that, but I’m pretty sure my clumsiness will find a way to get me on the ground even with a safety, sigh Ophelia
Thorn sighs too.
- Well at least I slept, I didn’t imagine I had not recovered from the last travel in the airship, she shivered.
- Sure being airsick all along the trip isn’t what I call to rest. He checked this pocket watch. It’s half past seven, we're going to be late.
The scarf handed the mechanical gloves to him and he put them on the hands of his wife, he adjusted and oiled it. When he finished, he does the same thing with his own leg protease and gets dressed.
Since his return, he and Ophelia have decided to search for a new home to settle down in, which wasn’t the Pole, Anima, or Babel. Three weeks prior they arrived in Plombor and chose to stay here for a few months and then go visiting other ancient arks. For their well being they choose to stay occupied, Ophelia was hired as an history professor in a small school and Thorn as an accounting consultant for the city.
- When do you think you are gonna finish today? Asked Ophelia
- I will finish by six pm, why?
- The school welcomes new students today, and all the professors are asked to stay for the parent's questions, I don’t think I will be out before half past six pm maybe even more.
- Okay I will pick you up at half past six pm.
- Thank you. She smiles at him.
- Why are you smiling like that?
- It’s just, you know, I’m just happy you are with me now
Thorn stays quiet and leans down to kiss her. Then He stood up and walked by the door, and before leaving the small room, looked at her and smiled.
-Be careful when you go down the stairs, don’t hurt yourself, love.
-Be careful too. She said in return.
And then he leaves.
When she arrived at the school, her fellow teachers were preparing for the arrival of new students. In Plombor there are many foreigners, and school is compulsory even for them, so twice a year a wave of new students arrives. Most of them speak their dialect and they have to learn everything. This time, only three new students will enter the school.
Two nine-year-old boys and an eight-year-old girl.
Ophelia was talking with other teachers when the headmaster came to see her.
- Miss Ophelia! I'm sorry to ask you this at the last moment but I have a favor to ask you if you don't mind?
- No, of course, I don't mind, what is it?
- Thank You! I don't have a contact person for the new girl, could you take care of her?
- No problem, what do I need to know?
- The student is a little girl called Isha, she is eight years old. She speaks, the common language but she has an unconventional appearance, she has vitiligo. So make sure she is okay and that the other children don't bother her too much. Good luck and have a good day!
Ophelia didn't have time to say anything as he had already left.
After that, Ophelia joined the other teachers. The teaching staff of the school consists of four people: Ophelia, an alchemist headmaster, Mr. Oak (Plumborian), a couple of Babelians, Mr. Peter, a mathematics teacher, and Mrs. Adaline, the teacher. There are a total of 66 children aged between three and eleven years old, enrolled in the school, divided into 3 classes. Today, Ophelia will have to take care of welcoming the children and keeping them occupied before the director takes over. As for the new kids, they are assigned to a teacher whose job is to introduce them to the others. As the two boys are nine years old, they go directly to Mr. Peter who takes care of the pupils aged between nine and eleven. The little girl will stay in the same class as Ophelia for the day.
At eight-thirty, the students began to arrive. Ophelia stood at the entrance of the gate so that she could see all the students enter.
After a few minutes a man almost as tall as Thorn appeared before her, his skin was darker than Octavio's and his eyes were as green as emerald, his hair was cut very short and was of an almost supernatural snowy white. That Ophelia knew was due to heavy exposure to potassium permanganate, a solution found in alchemical component factories. Beside him stood Isha, the little girl wearing a scarf on her head that hid her hair, and had a lighter complexion than her father, except that she had several areas of discolored skin due to vitiligo. She had the typical al-Andalusian slanted eyes as green as her father's. She wore a camisole with a fir-tree collar, just like her scarf, and loose beige pants.
- Hello, you must be Isha, right? asked Ophelia, walking towards them.
- Yes, it's her, I don't have time to talk, I have to go to work, she's an empath, so don't let her cause any problems, he replied coldly and with a very strong Plomborian accent.
- We'll make sure everyone gets along, you can pick her up at about six pm, and the teachers will still be there if you have any questions.
He fixed Ophelia with a stern look, nodded, and went off in the opposite direction to where they had come from.
Ophelia looked at him dubiously, then after a few moments turned her attention back to the little girl.
- Hi Isha, I'm Ophelia, I'll be your teacher referent for today, are you coming with me ? she asked, holding out her hand.
The little girl looked at Ophelia and her mechanic hand with a hesitant look and finally slipped her hand into the young woman's.
Ophelia took her to class and introduced her to the rest of the students. The other children looked at her with curiosity, as one of them had never seen a person with vitiligo. Ophelia took the lead in explaining most thoroughly what it was. The children continued to stare at Isha for a long time before finally turning away from her, during which time the little girl did not say a word or move. To keep her students busy, Ophelia chose to take a little test of general knowledge invented by all the teachers, on the one hand, to be able to evaluate Isha's exact level and on the other hand to see what the other students had retained from their previous lessons.
The exam lasted about thirty minutes, Isha was one of the first to hand in her paper, and Ophelia collected the rest of the papers. Once this was done, Ophelia started correcting with the pupils, which allowed her to see if the children were capable of correcting themselves.
When it was time to correct Isha's paper, Ophelia was surprised to find that there were very few mistakes, and even better, that the mathematical exercises had been perfected. She was not an expert in this field, but the knowledge she had acquired from her husband allowed her to say that this child had a much higher level of achievement than she had been given credit for.
At noon, all the children went to the refectory, Ophelia accompanied the girl to the building and then joined the other teachers; she had taken the copy of Isha with her so that she could show it to her colleagues.
- Hey, so how did they do on that test? Peter asked.
- To be honest, the results were quite surprising, most of them were able to answer all the questions with some accuracy, however, the copy that surprised me the most was the one of the new girl, Isha, the one with the green headband and the vitiligo. Replied Ophelia, holding out the copy and pointing at the little girl with her chin.
Pete examined the copy for several minutes.
- She's ahead of the maths syllabus, , in fact, she seems to be ahead of almost everything. I'm not sure if I have enough knowledge to check, even though I'm a maths teacher this little girl seems to have a much higher level than me. He says with embarrassment.
-I know someone who could evaluate it with more precision, I can ask him if you want?
- Oh someone? Do you mean your suitor? Adaline intervenes in a teasing tone.
- My suitor? Replied Ophelia puzzled.
- You know the tall blond man who often picks you up in the evening? Replied Peter in the same teasing tone.
- You mean Thorn?
- Yes, that one!
Ophelia giggled before bursting out laughing. The two people in front of her looked at her without understanding.
- Oh gosh, Thorn is not my suitor, he is my husband! Ophelia replied between two bursts of laughter.
- Your husband?! They exclaimed at the same time
- Shhhh, if the children hear this I'll have tons of questions!
- How? When? Tell us! Exclaimed Adaline.
- We've been married for five years, our story is a bit complicated.
- Ohh, I didn't think you could be married, you don't wear a ring and you're pretty much a private person.
- I didn't see you sharing your life with anyone either. Says Peter
- I need to explain to you why I don't have a ring? she said, pointing to her mechanical gloves.
- And my husband isn't the most demonstrative type either. I'm not surprised you didn't notice.
- To get back to the topic at hand, how can your husband help me evaluate your genius?
- In fact, he has several PhDs in Mathematics and an advanced degree in accounting...
- Wow, that's impressive!" exclaimed Adaline.
- Okay, and you think he's going to want to evaluate a child?
- Yes, I think so, I'm going to show him the paper tonight, that should pique his interest.
While they were talking, the children started to leave the refectory to play outside. Peter went outside to watch them while Adaline and Ophelia continued to chat and keep an eye on the remaining students at the table.
Once all the children had left the refectory, the two young women joined Peter in the playground and resumed their conversation about the results of the assessment.
Suddenly, a group of children began to gather around something in a corner of the playground. Intrigued, the teachers moved slowly forward but rushed when they heard a shout from the middle of the group. Ophelia was the first to reach the source of the screaming.
In the middle of the group were two boys who were beating up little Isha while holding up the green scarf they had torn off her.
Peter and Adaline immediately pushed the two boys away from the girl, while Ophelia rushed towards Isha. The little girl was rolled up in a ball on the ground in a defensive position, Ophelia crouched down next to her, then gently helped her up. Tears were streaming down the child's face, she was terrified. Her scarf had been removed, revealing her snow-white hair. Ophelia made sure that she had no serious injuries and carefully took her in her arms.
- Can we know what happened to you two? Adaline said.
- Sorry, Mrs., she wouldn't answer our questions and refused to take off her scarf so we thought shaking her might help.
- You idiots are going to apologize on the spot and take a walk in Mr. Oak's office. Now!
Both boys immediately comply.
As soon as the two boys had left, Peter began to move the other students away to allow Ophelia and Isha to move to a quieter place.
When Ophelia got up, she saw that the little girl had resumed her stoic expression, her tears had dried up and her eyes were again vague.
Once in the quiet of one of the classrooms, the young woman made the little girl sitting on a bench and got down to her level to talk to her.
- Are you all right, sweetheart?
Ophelia asked as she watched her more closely for any sign of pain. After several seconds, Isha nodded gently as if she had just understood what was being said. As she raised her head, a scratch that Ophelia had not seen appeared on her chin and the light finished revealing the bruises and cuts that the blows had given her.
Ophelia smiled tenderly at the girl and gently ran her hand through the girl's hair to finish untying it. Then she took both her hands and looked into her eyes;
- We'll take care of your scratches and comb your hair, okay?
Ophelia got up and went to grab the first aid kit, as well as a hairbrush reserved for the children. She returned to sit next to Isha, who still hadn't moved. Her mechanical gloves and her clumsiness did not allow her to plait her hair, but she managed without too much effort to tie it up in a bun and put it back under the scarf. After doing this, she disinfected and cleaned the wounds that needed it. In the end, Isha found herself with a chin and an elbow, but she still didn't complain of any pain despite the violence of the blows.
A few minutes later three little girls timidly poked their heads through the doorway, Ophelia questioned them with her eyes as she finished tidying up.
One of the girls shyly stepped forward and asked.
- We wanted to know if Isha wanted to come and play dice with us?
Ophelia looked at them in surprise, then looked Isha in the eye
- I think it's a good idea, what do you think, Isha?
Isha looked at Ophelia and the three girls in turn then nodded and stood up.
- Great! Come and see me if you feel dizzy or hurt anywhere ok? does that apply to you girls too?
The four girls acquiesced and ran out into the yard.
Ophelia joined Adaline and the headmaster who was talking in front of the classrooms.
- So, how is she? Asked Mr. Oak calmly.
- I think she'll be fine, but I have to admit that I'm worried about something...
- What is it?
- Firstly her general demeanor, she doesn't talk at all, as if she wasn't allowed to. Then the use of her empathic gift, she seems to be using it against herself to keep her feelings in check, which is probably why she hasn't cried as much. I've met an empath before and I'm pretty sure their gifts isn't supposed to be used that way. And finally, her hair, when I saw her white hair I immediately thought it had been bleached with potassium permanganate but when I brushed it I saw the demarcation due to her vitiligo, so it's natural. However, I don't want to make any false accusations but I don't feel that this little one is being treated well at home ... I don't know, maybe I'm completely wrong.
- Wow and you deduced all this in one morning?! That's impressive! Exclaimed Adaline
- You may be right, it's true that his behavior is very atypical, it's something to watch out for. By the way, Mr. Peter told me about your husband, it might be a good idea to get another opinion on his abilities and the situation in general. Let me know if you observe anything else suspicious. Said Mr. Oak as he left.
All the children returned to class, and the afternoon passed quietly, Ophelia taking advantage of the fact that her class was with Mr. Oak. And call Thorn to the stewardship, to ask him if he could come earlier to the school and if he would mind assessing Isha's level.
The latter did not seem to mind the task if it allowed him to see his wife a little earlier.
At about five-thirty in the evening, Thorn appeared in front of the school, the parents of the pupils already there staring at him in an unpolished manner. This did not disturb him in the least, as he was used to it.
As soon as Ophelia saw him, she took him into the courtyard and led him to the teacher's room.
- Sorry for the wait, the little monsters don't leave us a minute; did you have a good day? Said, Ophelia.
- Better than yours. You said you wanted me to evaluate a student's math level? Isn't there a math teacher?
- Yes, but he doesn't think he has a good enough level, considering what she answered in the test this morning. She said, handing him Isha's paper.
Thorn looked at it for several seconds, frowning.
- You said she was eight years old, right?
- Yes, eight ...
- If she wrote that, then she doesn't belong in primary school. Her maths is at high school entrance level, and as for the rest, I'm not an expert, but I can safely say that her knowledge is well above average. I'd like to do a test anyway, just to check. Is there a chess game here?
- Oh okay, yeah I think we might have one, I'll go get it. I'll be right back with Isha and the headmaster, stay here. Thanks for coming.
- No problem.
Ophelia left the room and went straight to the classroom, where she got the chess set and the little girl at the same time. Not finding the headmaster, Ophelia went straight back to the teacher's room. Once back, she found Thorn and the headmaster talking.
Isha recoiled at the sight of Thorn, but instantly relaxed as she entered the room as if relieved that it was only Thorn.
- How will a simple chess game help you to assess it? Asked Mr. Oak.
- Chess games are very useful for deducing the level of thinking and intellect. Do you know how to play? Replied Thorn, addressing Isha.
The little girl nodded and sat down on one of the chairs around the table.
- Well, I'll leave you to it, I'll be back later. Said Mr. Oak
- I'll have to go and help Peter and Adaline, do you need me to stay with you?
- No, it would be better if we weren't disturbed.
- Okay, come and get me when you're done. She said as she left the room.
- Sure. Let's get started, shall we?
- Yes, but I think it's your turn to start... Isha answered.
Thorn smirked.
The game started and lasted about thirty minutes. Thorn's high level of skill made it easy to beat her, however, the game was interesting and confirmed all the estimations Thorn had made about the girl's level.
Ophelia and Mr.Oak returned a few minutes after the end of the game. The girl's father was right behind them and Thorn took the opportunity to present his analysis and recommended a different approach.
- There was no way I was going to teach her at home! I'm not sending her here to have her around. And then this brat doesn't even know how to read or express herself without stuttering, isn't that your job? Isha's father exclaimed, cutting Thorn off.
- It's not my job to teach you that your daughter can speak and read perfectly well, contrary to what you seem to think. Thorn replied sharply.
- Isha!! Come here, you little idiot! Shouted the father
- Explain to your teachers that it was you who wanted to go to school to learn to read and write. He said in a rather threatening tone.
The teachers turned to the little girl and looked at her worriedly. She seemed to be frightened by the simple look of her father and only nodded in response.
- You see, she doesn't need tutoring or anything! She just needs you to do your job! Come on, kid, let's go home.
He grabbed Isha's hand and dragged her towards the school exit without a backward glance.
At the same time, Adaline and Peter joined the other teachers, with worried and puzzled expressions on their faces.
- Was that Isha's father? Asked Adaline.
- Yes, and what you deduced this morning seems to be quite true, Ophelia. Said Mr.Oak.
- What can we do to help her? Peter asked
- Now? Nothing, I'm going to try to find her a tutor but I don't think I'll find one right away, we'll have to be kept her busy in the meantime. Mr. Oak replied quietly.
- I can tutor her, if you like, my hours are flexible enough that I can see her several times a day. Intervenes Thorn.
- Really?! You would do that? Asks Ophelia
- Yes, it would be a shame to let so much potential be lost, just for the sake of some idiot.
- So it's decided, when can you start and what are your availabilities? Asked Mr. Oak, enthusiastically.
- I can start tomorrow and do an hour and a half in the morning and evening if that suits the other teachers of course.
- I don't think anyone will object to this kind of initiative. Said Mr. Oak.
Everyone agreed.
On the way back home, Thorn took his wife's hand and squeezed it gently.
- You want to help her because you were like her when you were a child and you want to do what no one else has done for you, right?
- You're right, she is like me, a little more than that even...