Work Text:
Sergeant Kerry Lewis found herself patrolling the hallways of St. Churnleys after lights out. She had wondered if the students would be too amped up after the cake and the wild start to the semester, but every dorm at every age seemed quiet with sleep. She didn’t even hear the sounds of frightened nightmares or curses on the loose. Everything seemed settled, which unnerved her.
Maybe it was just her that wasn’t settled.
As the steward of control at St. Churnley’s, she abhorred the way things had gotten out of control in such a short amount of time. It was settled now, she made sure of it, but she couldn’t let the school slip out of her control again.
She hadn’t realized her steps had led her to the nurse’s office until she got to the door. This area of the school was familiar. If she wasn’t escorting students injured in her Control class there, she was near-dragging herself after near-death experiences. Thankfully, it had been over a year since that last accident.
Kerry still remembered how soft Leonard Omalu had been. She’d been beating herself up pretty harshly, adding verbal lashings to the physical marks the cursed student had wreaked on her, but he was calm and cool and collected. She admired his control. She could control her emotions, but she was wise enough to know that rage bubbled beneath the surface, like a dormant volcano.
Nurse Lenny, as the kids called him, was a pure, calm lake. Nothing ruffled him. And he did it all while carrying a tremendous, painful burden to heal others.
She peered around the door and, through the broken bits, could see there was active candlelight inside. That meant he was awake.
It was probably good to check on him. He had to do a lot of healing these past four days.
She knocked on the door gently. “Leonard? It’s Sergeant Lewis,” she said, her voice stilted and formal. “Can I come in?”
His voice, still and placid, peeked through the door. “Yeah, ‘course.”
She opened the door, her spine military straight, and saw Lenny sitting on his own on the med table, mid-movement, wincing as he pulled down his shirt scrubs down over his back. For a flicker of a moment, she saw the contrast of beige bandages against his dark skin.
Lenny hopped off the table with practiced ease that she didn’t entirely buy this time. “What do I owe the honor, Sarge?”
She ignored the question, eyes locked into his torso. “Are you alright?”
“Me? Oh, I’m fine,” he said and sat down at his desk. “What are you doing up so late?”
That question was decently hypocritical. He still looked exhausted. The bags under his eyes were deep and dark, and his lips were cracked. In the dim candlelight, there was some coal dust and little red marks in the corners of his mouth, like the makings of Glasgow Smile.
“Just patrolling the grounds,” she answered. Then she calculated. She needed him to admit that he was more injured than he let on in the staff meeting. Maybe he would open up if she was vulnerable first.
Fuck. She hated being vulnerable.
“I can’t sleep after this week,” she admitted before fully realizing the words had left her mouth. His dark eyes locked on hers, and she saw the flash of surprise there. For some reason, that emboldened her to keep talking. “So many things were out of control, and I should have been more vigilant. I should have kept them handled.”
“Sarge- Kerry,” he said, and her first name sounded so weird on his lips. Ever since she came to St. Churnley’s, he (and everyone) called her Sarge. Some days, the moniker was more teasing than others. “No one could have predicted what happened. You did the best you could, and this was still an amazing outcome. No one died, thanks to you and those boys.”
“Allan’s crow died,” she said, and then she leveled him with a look. “And you got more injured than you told us.”
Lenny, at least, had the decency to look sheepish. “I’m not bad, honest. And Edgar will be okay, he’s a brave kid.”
“He’s a brave kid without his bird,” she said with a sigh. “I failed.”
“If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine,” he said. “It came from my coal.”
“It came from everyone’s curses, it’s no one’s fault that the creature came.”
He raised his eyebrow pointedly at her.
She huffed, her temper hissing at the edges of her control. It was hard to bicker with a brick wall. She knew from previous arguments with the nurse that she’d only get frustrated and nowhere close to changing his mind.
She wasn’t wrong, but she also knew that the mimic running loose was her fault. If only she’d believed those boys sooner, if only she caught it, if only she’d gone after the right creature, if only she had been the one to kill the mimic, not those four young boys.
If only she’d been better.
Voicing that aloud wouldn’t help at all, and she needed to address the situation at hand. “Well, it’s over now. Let me see your back, Leonard. Take off your shirt.”
It spoke to his lack of sleep or his pain level that his look morphed into a smirk. “Why, Sergeant Lewis-”
Why did she find that charming? It was just a look, it was just her name. But she felt herself be charmed.
“Don’t be a prat,” she ordered, allowing her military training to edge into the tone. His smirk softened, but he didn’t run away. “I’m no nurse, but I did help out in the field back in combat,” she said. “Let me see.”
With a world-weary sigh of his own, he nodded and gently pulled up his shirt. Again, he winced through the action before he spun around in his swivel chair to reveal bandages haphazardly placed on his scored back and side. The claw marks at his side were handled well, but he clearly couldn’t reach the ones that skirted his spine. It might have been the flickering of the candlelight, but they seemed to pulse.
“Christ,” she swore. “Why didn’t you tell any of us?” The staff and faculty had a full debriefing after cake. He didn’t say a fucking word, and even took on more coal to heal others.
“It’s not that bad,” he said, but his teeth were gritted.
Without preamble, she went to his desk to grab the civilian first aid kit. “Hopefully it’s not infected.”
“I was able to douse it with a potion I had on hand,” he said. “I’m not a total idiot.”
“Never said you were one at all,” she said, then gestured with the kit to the medical bed.
“Sarge,” he said with a deep exhale, like he couldn’t believe the rigamarole she was going to put him through.
“Nurse,” she said in the same tone before adopting her I’m-a-Sergeant-Don’t-Fuck-With-Me tone. “Get on the bed so I can clean this properly.”
Her shirtless colleague accepted his fate and climbed onto the bed, his back facing her.
It was a strong back, now that she had the time and space to admire its curves and lines. His muscles rippled with any movement. She realized a bit belatedly that this was her first time seeing him shirtless. Normally, he was in his scrubs. She never saw him out of them. Staff and faculty at St. Churnley’s rarely left campus during the school year, and they were on the clock 24/7.
Maybe she could convince Hexmaster Singh to do a Teachers’ Day Out for a school-year break. Lenny needed a vacation.
But she should really focus on the matter at hand.
As gently as she could, she removed the bandages from his back wound since it wasn’t effective anyway. She dampened a cloth from his clean stash and cleaned the wound before adding more antiseptic.
Kerry watched as his back tensed, and then slowly relaxed with an exhale as she applied butterfly bandages and numbing cream.
“You could have told me that you were hurting,” she said as she worked. It was oddly soothing to do this. Probably because she wasn’t ingesting pain to turn into coal. “Or any of us.”
“I’m the healer here,” he said. “I can take care of myself.”
“You can,” she agreed. “But I- we can help.” She caught the slip just a second too late.
He craned his neck to look at her. She ignored his gaze and stepped out of view to keep working.
As soon as she was done, she stepped back and he turned around.
He pulled back on his shirt with any flickers of pain on his face. “Do you like accepting help, Sarge?”
A blush burned her cheeks. “That’s not the point of the conversation.”
His shrug was languid and it pissed her off. “I’m just saying, pot meet kettle.”
Whatever tether she had to her control snapped. Whether it was because of his piercing question, her exhaustion, her hours of verbal self-flagellation over this week, or his fucking back, she lost it just enough to snap at a colleague she did consider a friend. “Fine, never take help. Just keep suffering in the name of ‘helping’ people. Hope it works out for you, Nurse Leonard.”
With that, she left him there.
+
Sergeant Kerry Lewis organized her classroom for the fifteenth time that week. Parents’ weekend was coming up in just a few days, and her military training made it so she needed everything to be neat for inspection. While the parents’ inspections wouldn’t be as formal, they would be as thorough and scathing.
She had a whole procedure that she followed to the letter. Before even getting to her room, she checked the wards of the entire school to make sure they were updated and secure. She then refreshed her weapons supply, making sure she could subdue any curse or creature.
After all that was settled, she could polish her weapons. Some parents wanted to pretend they weren’t there, others needed the security and reassurance. She binned all the trash, as boys loved leaving a mess. She dusted and swept until the place sparkled. And, last, she mopped the mat where she did combat training with the more advanced students.
It helped calm her mind. She hated to admit it, but she was worried about this Parents’ Weekend. All she could picture was a parent telling her you failed my child because you weren’t good enough.
It was now November. Things had improved since the disastrous first week. She and Lenny eventually reached an awkward impasse where they just barely acknowledged each other after her outburst, and stopped eating lunch together in the mess hall. She now ate with Hexmaster Ranjit Singh, and usually shared a cigarette in the slow times. As for her sleep schedule, she was now able to get a couple hours sleep per night, but she still patrolled the halls (except the Nurse’s wing) when the moon was high.
Across the school, things were better. There were some mishaps, but no more attacks on grand scales. Students were exhibiting great control. And the first years Edgar Allan, Kevin Creeley, Montague Finch, and Roland Thudberry (she thought of them as the Quartet) were doing very well. Edgar got his crow back in some weird reincarnation/Phoenix situation, but Poe was still a crow with an attitude problem. Montague still struggled to control the entire wolf part of him, but he was getting better at utilizing fragments. Roland and Kevin struggled with control still, but they improved each day. All her first years were doing well.
Her second years had regressed a bit, but that was to be expected. But she hadn’t had an Incident since Avery Thompson last year.
The mop in her hand, she let the flashback wash over her instead of fighting it.
Thompson, a former Churnley’s student, was what they called a Problem Child. His curse had turned him into an aggressive troll with a massive, vicious mouth, and he had no interest in curbing his violent tendencies despite years at St. Churnley’s.
She’d joined two school years prior, during his second year. And the previous Steward of Control had given up entirely on trying to connect with this student. By the time she got to him, he seemed to view his curse as his god-given right to wreak havoc. He relished in childish pranks that grew to real inconveniences as his power grew exponentially.
His third year, she thought she was getting through to him by working with Steward Hinks to teach understanding and empathy. But when he came back for his fourth year, it was like he had completely given up on control despite all their efforts. All he wanted was to craft grills for his teeth to bite better.
After discussing with Hexmaster Singh, Kerry confronted Thompson in the quad, and told him that he was on his last strike. She hoped it would be a wakeup call. Instead, it seemed to be the final nail in the coffin.
He lunged forward and bit her shoulder then yanked like he wanted to separate her arm from its socket.
Kerry suppressed a shudder at the thought, and that knocked her back to the present. Sometimes, she still felt the bite like it was happening all over again.
But she was safe. She wasn’t in the quad. She was in her classroom, and Thompson was banished to the Plagueround.
She stopped her mopping to run her fingers over the scar tissue that was hidden under her uniform. If it weren’t for Nurse Lenny, she would have lost her arm. But he was thankfully right there and was able to help her immediately after she and Ranjit subdued the creature.
That moment is when she and Lenny went from colleagues to friends, because she needed to pay him back for helping her injury. So she offered him baked goods, as she started stress baking after the army and didn’t know how to thank someone for helping her keep a limb. He was proper grateful, and their friendship had been solid since.
Well, until September.
She placed the mop back in her closet. Maybe she should apologize to Leonard. She had been kind of a bitch even though, in her opinion, she was a correct bitch. She missed talking to him during lunch. She missed the conversations while students were getting healed from her class or from Plagueround escapades. Apologies weren’t her strong suit, but she missed her friend.
Kerry turned around and, like she’d summoned him, Nurse Lenny stood in her doorway.
“Nurse,” she said, almost squeaking in surprise. She recovered quickly. “Everything awright?”
“All’s well,” he said. Arms crossed, he leaned against the doorframe and surveyed her space. She stood just a bit straighter.
To her relief, he looked a lot better than he had in their previous conversation a few weeks ago. He looked well rested, the bags under his eyes gone, and he didn’t wince against the wall from pressure on his back. His beard wasn’t as unkempt, like he was taking care of himself again. It was good to see him like this.
“The place looks good, Sarge,” he said.
“Thanks, Leonard.” A long beat as her brain caught up with her mouth. “Lenny, I mean,” she said.
His mouth with its small scars that appeared after the first week tilted upwards. “No worries, Sarge, I like when you call me Leonard.”
She didn’t know what to say to that so she said nothing.
Lenny crooked a finger at the exit. “If you’re done in here, Singh wants us to meet in the Lounge for a pre-Weekend check-in.”
“Okay,” she said. Then, extending an olive branch, she asked, “Do you want to walk over together?”
Maybe it wasn’t much of an olive branch, considering he was the one that walked all the way over to her first, but still.
Lenny nodded and pushed off the frame. They soon fell into step to walk the stone hallways to the teacher’s lounge.
She was resigned to walking it in awkward silence when Lenny said, “How are you feeling about Parents’ Weekend?”
She remembered she had to be vulnerable and bit back a hiss at the thought. Fighting through it, she admitted, “I’m a bit nervous after this semester so far. But things are going well for now.” Superstitiously, she tapped the wooden stake she kept in her utility belt.
If Lenny clocked the movement, he didn't acknowledge it. “I’m nervous, too. Hopefully no accidents happen, I don’t want to freak out parents with my curse.”
“They get freaked out?” She asked, frowning because she’d never clocked parents’ reactions to him before. “But it’s so helpful.”
Lenny shrugged again, but this time it was a bit more rigid. “It’s still weird as hell. And kinda gross.”
“Trust me, your curse isn’t gross,” she said. She nudged him with her elbow. “We have a student that farts music now.”
Lenny laughed, and she didn’t realize how much she’d miss that sound. “Come off it, Kevin’s a good kid.”
“He is,” she agreed. “The curse is still gross.”
“Can’t argue with you there.”
They fell back into companionable silence. Just as it started to edge towards awkward, she went to speak but Lenny spoke first.
“I’m sorry for biting your head off back in September,” he said. She stopped and turned to look at him. He stopped as well. He wasn’t much taller than her, especially with his more slouched posture and her more rigid one. She was able to look him in his eyes. “I don’t like that I can’t fix myself,” he admitted. “Fuckin’ pisses me off. I took it out on you. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” she said. “And I’m sorry too. I was in a shite mood with the whole... situation.” There was no need to rehash it. She walked through the whole thing every night on her own. “And I took it out on you, as well.”
“We make good scapegoats,” he said, and it startled a laugh out of her. “We’re even?” He held his hand out to her.
She shook it, and she knew they were okay.
They continued their walk to the lounge lighter on their feet. Lenny, thankfully, started the conversation back up. “Have you heard Hinks’ bets about Parents’ Weekend?”
Kerry perked up. “What are the odds this year?”
Steward Matthew Hinks loved gambling, and he ran a betting pool for each Parents’ Weekend at St. Churnley’s. It was a tradition beloved by all the adults at the school (except Moley and Sinister but they didn’t like anything). Even Hexmaster Singh got in on the fun.
“He seems to think there will be a fight,” Lenny said. “He has good odds for one during the Brunch.”
“Which eye sees that coming?”
It was a running joke amongst the staff and faculty that one of Hinks’ eyes was a psychic third eye. Which one, we’ll never know he often joked.
“Not sure, but the odds are 7/2,” he said.
Not bad at all. She might have to place a tenner on it. “If we really want to make bank,” she began. “We should ask him to include a bet to see how many annoying dads ask me out.”
Lenny’s turn to her was sharp, so different from his normal fluid movement. “Dads ask you out? Here? At the school? How many?”
“Oh, several,” she said. “When I was hired, I figured I might get a couple, being one of the only women at the school. Now I’m just floored by how many had rings on their fingers as they asked me out in front of their sons.”
“That’s not okay.”
“I agree, it sets a horrible example and shows a fundamental lack of control-”
“No- Well, yes, but I meant that they asked you out. You’re working, they shouldn’t bother you.”
Kerry gave him a slightly pitying look. “Aye, but that doesn’t stop them, Leonard.”
His frown deepened, but they had just hit the door of the lounge, so she put a pin in that and muttered the spell to open the door.
Once inside, all the adults of St. Churnley’s (except the elementals who’d been tapped to play lookout) all sat around the stone tables. She sat next to Lenny with Hinks and Hebden, and pitched them her idea of the bet as they waited for Hexmaster Singh to arrive.
“I’m not opposed to including it,” Hinks said, his hands folded around a cup of tea that smelled bright. His husband next to him was doodling in his sketchbook, one of Hinks’ eyes watching him work with his custom cube pen. “But I hate to root for something that makes you uncomfortable.”
“You can always bet against it,” she pointed out.
“And lose money betting on the propriety of straight men? I think not, Sarge.”
She snorted and turned to chuckle with Lenny, but he still looked frowny. “What’s wrong with you?”
“I agree with Hinks, it seems shitty to bet for you getting harassed,” he said.
Kerry was touched. It was sweet of him to care. But she shared her rationale, “I might as well monetize it.”
“So true,” Frank Hebden said. He’d crafted himself a special pen that worked with his curse, and used it to sketch more tools that were helpful for him and the St. Churnley’s community. He was the one that modified her favorite revolver to have silver bullets (not that she ever hoped to use them). “What use is pain if it doesn’t make you money?”
“I believe that’s the whole point of us being teachers here,” Hinks said. Lenny finally smiled, so Kerry let herself relax a little.
But that was when Hexmaster Singh walked in, so she straightened back up.
He went through his typical speech about the expected conduct of stewards and staff during Parents’ Weekend, as well as the safety measures and contingency plans. It was the same speech as every year, but this was only her third time hearing it. Probably would be just another year before she had the speech memorized.
When she peered to the side, Lenny and Hebden were playing dots and boxes with Frank’s pen. They’d been at the school longer than her, both graduates of different years, so she figured they actually did have it memorized so she didn’t admonish them.
“Well. That’ll be all. I am sure that we’ll have a successful Parents’ Weekend. Sergeant Lewis,” Singh called as they all started to push out of their chairs. She paused in her movements. “Might I have a word?”
“Oooh,” Hinks and Hebden mockingly crooned in unison, like they were students at the school still and not teachers. She rolled her eyes at them before turning to Lenny.
“See you later,” she said, as it seemed important to check in with him again after their rocky past month. Lenny nodded once then left. She waited to be the last one in the room with the Hexmaster, and assumed her At Attention stance by his table.
“Calm down, Sarge. Just checking in. I trust all things are set for Parents’ Weekend?” He asked, organizing papers in his accordion file that he summoned.
She assumed her At Ease stance. “They are. I checked through all the wards and security measures. Everything is updated and ready for guests.”
“Any students showing problematic signs I need to be aware of?”
“No, most students seem to be properly motivated to behave after dealing with the mimic.”
Singh closed his eyes as if seeking peace. “May it continue.”
“Agreed. Unfortunately, Mortimer is being a bit of a prick, but I suspect that’s just a phase. It’s certainly not dangerous, just annoying. When separated from Melvin, his control has shown improvement,” she reported.
“And the first years?”
“Benjamin is still struggling to show control, but his curse isn’t as potentially dangerous, so I’m not majorly concerned. Otherwise, they’re showing great progress.”
“Good to hear,” he said, then he turned to give her his full attention. “And I’m glad to see you patched things up with Nurse Lenny.”
She’d never been so floored by something he’d said, and he once told her Don’t worry, we were able to save your arm.
“I- what, Hexmaster?” She asked.
“I’m not an idiot, Sergeant Lewis,” he said, his look cool. “You’ve been hiding from him during lunch, sitting with me instead. You’re not that much of a kiss-arse to do that without having lost your other option.”
“Christ,” she muttered, then spoke up to say, “I’m leaving, Ranjit.”
He had the gall to chuckle after her as she started to storm out of the room, almost bumping into Nurse Lenny in the hallway. Looks like all the other teachers and staff had gone off to bed, which was fair considering it was near midnight.
“Leonard, you didn’t have to wait-”
“I was thinking,” he interrupted, hands in his pockets as he moved to lean against the stone wall. “Maybe I could help you out this weekend.”
“How so?” She asked, trying not to be on the defensive. She never required help, but they just got back on good footing. She didn’t want to lose it already.
“Just if you need backup or something when dealing with the dads being dicks,” he said. “I may just be a healer, but I can kick arse if need be.” He did some shadow boxing to prove it.
But she didn’t want him to get hurt again, especially not because of her. “Leonard, I can handle myself fine,” she reassured. “I handle myself with the curses every day. I can handle some pushy dads. I have before.” With that, she started the long, winding walk to the teachers’ wing, as it was nearing midnight and she needed to get some rest before Witching Hour patrol.
Lenny followed easily at her side. “I know you can, but help is good sometimes, Sarge.” He poked her shoulder. If they weren’t friends, she ought to break his finger. “I thought we discussed that.”
“Wasn’t much of a discussion,” she muttered, and he chuckled at her. Again, she was charmed. She should really fix that.
“Well, maybe if you just need a buffer, I can pretend to be your boyfriend or something. Sometimes men like that only listen to another man,” he said.
“I imagine that your girlfriend wouldn’t like that,” Kerry said.
He tilted his head at her. “What? Sarge, I don’t have a girlfriend.”
Her quick blinking was her only outward sign of surprise. She just assumed he did, because he was handsome and kind and guys like that usually had a girlfriend. But he had never mentioned one before.
“Oh, I just assumed. Sorry.” She really hoped she wasn’t blushing. “Whoever your partner is, then.”
“No one. I’m not seeing anyone. No girlfriend. Or boyfriend or anyone,” he clarified. “So, if you need a pretend one, I’m available.”
“Oh good. I mean, I- I’ll keep that in mind,” she said as they neared his room. She stood At Ease outside his door. “But I’ll be fine, I promise.”
“The offer’s on table. Have a good night, Sarge,” he said, and she waited until the door was shut and locked behind him before returning to her own quarters.
+
Parents’ Weekend followed a similar structure each year. Instead of morning classes on Friday, there was a welcome brunch where students got to show their parents and guardians around before sitting in on truncated versions of their classes in the afternoon. Saturdays were a day of play and relaxing for students not on probation. Sunday had the goodbyes at noon, so they usually let the students have a movie night to get through the “we actually miss our parents” blues that inevitably followed the parents’ departures.
That Friday, Sergeant Kerry Lewis stood at her post at the most optimal vantage point in the mess hall, able to keep a roaming eye on everything. Other faculty and staff were mixed with the students and their families, but she was not going to slip up.
An older gentleman stepped up to her and shook her hand. From his glasses and the gray-feathered crow on his shoulder, she immediately clocked him as Elias Allan, geriatric horndog.
Singh had warned her about the librarian, as he was familiar from his time as a classmate of Elias’s son and Edgar’s father, Elliott. Apparently, Elias flirted with anything that had a pulse, and bedded anyone willing. He told tall tales (or as Ranjit said, “he’s a fuck-ass liar”), but she was willing to give him a chance. Just one though.
“Hello, Miss Lewis,” he greeted. “You must be the Steward of Control I’ve heard so much about.”
“Hello, Mr. Allan. Your grandson Edgar is an excellent student. And it’s Sergeant,” she corrected without relaxing her stance. His reaction to the news would be telling.
“My apologies,” he said. “You know, I invented the rank of ‘staff sergeant.’”
“Did you, now?” She asked, eyes flicking around the room to check on the status of things.
Not even intending to, she found Nurse Lenny easily. He was with Montague Finch and his relative. From her memory of the records, that was his grandmother Fifi. She’d gotten many panicked letters from the woman in the days leading up to the first day of school, but those had ceased. She should find a time to talk to her and check in, tell her about what growth her grandson had shown.
Roland Thudberry and his father and a brother were chatting with the Creeleys and Lockes. Edgar and his father were chatting with Emil Watz and his mothers as crows flitted about. Families seemed to be well behaved, and the other faculty and staff seemed to not be in any danger.
Apparently, Elias had kept talking as she surveyed the room. Probably more bullshit, but she should at least pretend to listen.
“You see, after I invented the sex swing-” Oh Christ.
“Grandfather,” Edgar said, hurrying over and skidding to a stop next to Elias. “I want to introduce you to my friend, Kevin. He’s quite far away, all over here.” As he directed the older man towards the flatulent boy, the bespectacled boy leaned over to her and whispered, “I’ll try to run interference when he blabbers. Apologies, Sarge.”
“No need, Mr. Allan,” she reassured. Then paused. “But thank you.”
He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, but the crow on his shoulder (and what a relief that sight was) immediately took them off and went flying after Elias. The tall boy sighed. “He’s really doing a lot better, honest. But he likes to show off when Thaddeus and Persimmon are here,” Edgar explained.
“I understand, Mr. Allan,” she assured him.
“C’mon, Edgar.” Roland appeared, taking Edgar’s arm in his. “I’ll guide you to your bird.”
“Thanks, Roland.”
Her lips quirked up in a slight smile after the two boys. With the fire-forged start, she hoped they stayed good friends. If only because they seemed to help each other.
As she was warmed by that thought, the feeling dissipated as a man in his 40s with the most leering sneer saddled up to her like this was a bar made explicitly to give him the chance to chat her up, not a school function where she was working with children.
“Well-well-well, look at you. So glad they finally got a female around here,” he said.
Kerry flicked him a cool look, all that she deigned to do, before she returned her eyes to the crowd in the mess hall. At any point, the mood of this room could turn and she would not let her control slip.
“Aww, don’t I at least get a hello? No need to be rude, darling.”
She took a deep breath to find her cool and managed to say, “I don’t believe I’m familiar with you.” She had to be professional, despite the circumstances. It was the most polite thing she could think to say.
“Randolph Kane, of the Surrey Kanes. My son is Mortimer.” He had the sheer audacity to get closer into her space.
“Ah.” That made sense. That little shit loved to cause trouble. Not in a way that reminded her of Thompson, but in a way that was just annoying as hell. Looking at his father, she saw exactly where he got that from.
But she kept her control. She knew that the Kanes were some of the richest donors to St. Churnley’s, despite Randolph not being a former student. Singh’s theory was that he wanted his cursed son to get the best possible education to re-enter “proper” society. Hinks’ theory was that he wanted to “inspire” the school to keep as hush as possible to hide the shame of a cursed boy.
From her thirty seconds shared with him so far, she guessed the latter.
“What’s a girl like you doing here anyway? You got a curse?” She didn’t acknowledge him, but that just seemed to goad him on. “What’s your curse, hon? Being too sexy?” He smacked his lips at her.
That was such an appalling thing to say that she was forced to turn to him. It was unfortunate he was much taller than her, because she wished she wanted her piercing gaze to strike him in the heart (if he had one). “Mr. Kane, that is wildly inappropriate. We are in a school surrounded by children,” she admonished.
“You’re so right, let’s get out of here,” he said, and his hand went to her right wrist and squeezed. His wedding band glinted in the abundant sunshine and candlelight, which meant she’d be getting 20 quid. At first, the pressure was light and testing, then when she didn’t immediately pull away since she was calculating the best response, he squeezed tighter, almost like a zip tie.
“Oi,” Lenny’s voice called, but Kerry paid it no mind as she immediately used her left hand to grab and trap Randolph Kane’s wrist in her grip and then she twisted it behind his back, applying just enough pressure to be uncomfortable. Depending on his next move, she would dislocate it, but ideally she wouldn’t jump to those measures.
Randolph yelped like a pathetic infant. “God, you fucking bitch, just trying to pay a compliment-”
For that, she shoved him against the nearest surface, a stone pillar near the side wall, and wasn’t gentle about it. Maybe it was petty, but she relished the way his head knocked into the stone and his pained hiss that emitted.
“Are you alright, Sarge?” Lenny asked, rushing up to her side. Hinks also hovered nearby, with two eyes even closer to monitor the situation.
She didn’t let go of the arsehole. “Aye, but I presume he might have a concussion.”
“You! In the scrubs!” Randolph said as he tried to squirm free, making frantic eye contact with Nurse Lenny. A furtive glance around the room told Kerry that they were the center of attention in the mess hall, all students and their families locked on the unintentional entertainment. While she wanted to let him go to move on, she didn’t trust him to not react volatilely until he stopped wiggling. “Aren’t you a healer? Fix me!”
“You are too dense to improve,” Lenny said, clipped. And for the first time in her three years of knowing him, she saw a lethalness under his calm. “But there are children here who have the chance to not grow up to be pieces of shit. I won’t do anything until you apologize to Sergeant Lewis.” His arms crossed and, if she were anyone else, she’d be proper intimidated.
Kerry figured that wasn’t going to happen, but she hoped it was just as important a message to see Nurse Lenny, an adult the kids all loved and respected, stand up for her and demand she get an apology after being disrespected.
“I can’t believe the treatment I’m getting,” Randolph said instead, his voice posh and indignant. He finally stopped squirming like a fish on a boat deck but the indignity in his voice made her reluctant to release him. “I give a lot of money to the school.”
“Do you think that’s a blank check to act with impunity?” Hexmaster Singh asked, his voice booming as he joined the kerfuffle. “I’d like to hear an apology for Sergeant Lewis as well.”
At the intimidating looks from both Lenny and Ranjit, Randolph exhaled sharply. “I’m sorry,” he said. It wasn't super sincere but at least he said it.
At that, Kerry let him go. The old, rich prick took the time to unruffle himself and straighten his blazer, and then he turned to look down his nose at her.
“I can’t believe these are the people we’re trusting to watch our children,” he said, then turned to the other parents staring at him and gestured wildly. “I mean, are we just going to allow this woman to do this to me?”
For a moment, there was silence. Before dread could take hold in the pit of her stomach, someone cleared their throat.
Fifi Finch stood up from her seat and walked over, her walker thudding against the stone tiles as she took each deliberate step. “Yes, I allow it. St. Churnley’s has been a great experience for my Mon, and he’s said that’s because of stewards like Sergeant Lewis here. I’d much rather have someone like Sarge involved in making sure Montague becomes a trusted member of society than someone as cruel and demeaning as you.”
Kerry blinked in surprise, trying to keep her composure at such a kind endorsement. She wasn’t expecting this an hour ago, and hadn’t properly steeled herself.
“Well said, Mrs. Finch,” Hexmaster Singh said. “If anyone has a problem, we are happy to discuss it, but the problem at hand is your abhorrent treatment of my faculty, Mr. Kane.”
Rudolph flushed bright red, and stormed out of the room. Mortimer Kane stood slowly, like he was debating going after his father, then he sat down next to Melvin.
The whole room seemed to exhale after that, and the conversations resumed as normal shortly after the door slammed shut.
Lenny reached over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Unlike the previous contact she endured, this was comforting and welcome. “Are you alright, Kerry?”
Christ, her first name again. She nodded and straightened her shoulders, but offered Lenny another firm nod before his hand dropped to his side.
“Do you need a moment, Sergeant?” Singh asked as well.
“I’m fine, Hexmaster, thank you,” she said.
Singh gave her one last analytical look and then nodded back. “Alright. I don’t think I need to authorize the Tottenham, but let me know if you think that changes.”
“I think we can save it for more dire circumstances,” she said.
“You getting assaulted is pretty fuckin’ dire,” Lenny muttered. She tried to give him a reassuring nod but he turned to go check on Mortimer and Melvin with Hinks.
With a sigh, she decided to go check in with the remaining Finch family before returning to her security detail. Hopefully the rest of Parents’ Weekend wouldn’t be as interesting as the first event.
+
The rest of Friday passed without incident, to Sergeant Kerry Lewis’s relief. Randolph Kane didn’t return, but Mortimer seemed in good spirits hanging with the Kermode family instead. She tried not to feel any guilt about the situation, as she hadn’t done anything wrong, but the feeling nagged at her. She knew that if she went to Lenny or Hinks or even Singh about it, they’d just tell her she was being ridiculous, which was why she didn’t go to them.
Thankfully, she was able to shift focus and show off her cleaned and proper Control classroom. Parents were always very interested but wary in her class, like they knew it was important but didn’t want to see the sausage be made, so to speak. But it was her job to demonstrate anyway, so she took pride in it.
After the first years went through, she was able to have a nice chat with Fifi Finch and some of the other guardians
Saturday was a day of student play and exploring in the school. At her request, she assigned various teachers and staff to certain “hot spots” in the area. Singh was assigned the Plagueround itself, as he controlled the portal and was the only other St. Churnley’s staff member who had the layout beside herself. She closed her control classroom, and decided that she would be posted up in the mess hall after the situation yesterday.
At first, a couple students and their families were in there, like the Thudberrys and the Gills, but soon it got pretty empty in the afternoon as they went to explore the school. The elemental food beings signaled they were okay to monitor on their own, so she decided to roam. She checked on the hallways, the storage rooms. All the classrooms were locked and hexed, and none of them seemed tampered with.
Eventually, she made her way to the library, as she wanted to make sure that Moley wasn’t terrorizing anyone, and saw the Allans again, all reading books at the same table.
The elder two crows were behaving well, but Poe was tugging at Edgar’s ear every so often before settling in his nest at the sight of her.
After doing a round to make sure no one else was there, she went to leave but someone cleared their throat beside her.
Kerry turned to see Elias Allan again, this time giving her a bit more space than he had the day before.
“Hello, Mr. Allan,” she greeted politely.
“Hello, Sergeant Lewis,” he said. “I think it’s very hot when women have a rank and title.”
Since he wasn’t touching her, she couldn’t react violently. Though she did consider it. “I don’t much see how that’s something I need to concern myself with.”
“Well, it could be,” he said. “What are you doing this evening?”
“Working,” she said, hoping it would end the conversation.
Unfortunately, he continued to speak. “When are you not working? We could get dinner. Drinks, perhaps some erotic times.”
Why did he have to say everything so weird? “I’m not interested,” she said. And before she could really even think about the ramifications, she said, “And my boyfriend wouldn’t be impressed if I took you up on that ‘offer’, either.”
“Ah, the nurse,” Elias said with a nod. “Makes sense, with the way he looked at you when that yuppie went after you. I should have seen that coming.” But he did take a step back.
Before she could exhale in relief, someone else in the room spoke. “You’re seeing Nurse Lenny, Sarge?” The youngest Allan piped up. Christ, she hadn’t realized he’d been listening. “Are all teachers at this school dating?” He almost seemed to be asking Poe as Kerry considered if she needed to flee the country.
“Proximity and sexual tension provide a lot of interesting romantic opportunities,” Elliott Allan said absently, flipping through the book Nine Nasty Words.
“Which I will not be discussing with a student,” she found her voice and used her Sergeant’s Tone to say it. “Mr. Allan, I believe I’ve made myself clear. Let’s move on.”
The old man leaned forward surreptitiously. “Just to add, I’m always opened to a third-”
“No,” she said this much more clipped.
“Ah, got it,” he said, stepping back, but keeping his voice library hushed. “Can’t blame a man for trying with a hot, young firecracker like you.”
Singh would probably forgive her if she killed him, but she didn’t want to do that to Edgar. “Go back to your family, Mr. Allan,” she ordered.
He returned to his family, so Kerry took that as her sign to leave the library.
After checking the wards for any issues, she found herself at the nurse’s office after lights out. Again. She had considered just not telling her coworker he was used as a fake boyfriend, but a student had overheard. She should tell him so he was aware.
She knocked on the door, and he opened it. He seemed brighter and more well-rested. “Sergeant Lewis, what do I owe the honor?” he asked. He was in his scrubs, as always, but they looked clean. No coal dust or ash. That meant no one had gotten hurt that day.
“I was patrolling, and wanted to thank you for being a buffer,” she said, jumping right into the topic. “It was very helpful earlier when dealing with a situation.”
The easy look slipped off his face. “Who was hitting on you?”
“It’s fine, Leonard,” she reassured. “It was just Elias Allan chatting me up.”
“He’s too old for that,” he said. “Fuckin’ weirdo.”
“He’s weird but harmless. He took the ‘no’ as soon as I mentioned you.”
“That’s not good either, he should have taken the ‘no’ anyway.” He exhaled. “But I’m glad it worked.”
She couldn’t help her wince. “There was also a slight issue.”
“What happened?” He asked. Now his eyes, so dark and warm, studied her. He gently grabbed her elbows and started looking her over, inspecting for wounds. “Are you hurt?”
“Not hurt,” she said, but she also didn’t make a move to break free from his grasp even when he stopped examining. “I’m fine, Leonard, seriously. It’s more of an awkward issue.”
“Awkward?” He repeated. “Come in then.”
Kerry followed Lenny into his office, explaining as she did, “It’s hopefully not a huge deal but I wanted to give you the memo.” She shut the door behind them as he sat down in his chair. This was too mortifying for eye contact so casually avoided it. “When I was trying to get Elias Allan to back off, I did mention having a boyfriend, but I didn’t mention who, and he immediately guessed it was you. And Edgar overheard and I wasn’t able to dissuade him of the notion.”
She finally looked up at him, waiting to see annoyance or, god forbid, disgust, but instead he looked just a chill as ever. Not remotely concerned. “Okay then.”
“‘Okay then’?” She repeated, a bit incredulous. “A student thinks we’re in a relationship, and he’s likely going to tell his little classmates. You don’t have a problem with that?”
He just shrugged again, arms folded over his torso like this wasn’t potentially disastrous.
Before she could demand further clarity, someone pounded on the door. “Nurse Lenny!” A very familiar voice called through the closed door. “There was a slight issue.”
She knew that voice. That was Roland Thudberry.
Christ, what had those boys done now?
Lenny got up from the chair, somehow both brisk yet easygoing, and opened the door to Roland Thudberry and Kevin Creeley, holding his arm to his chest. The two were in their pajamas. Roland in big t-shirt with a sun on it and black sweatpants and Kevin in his Peter Pan matching set. Upon looking closer, his right wrist was bent at an unnatural angle.
“What happened?” She demanded, ready to figure out which student needed to be punished.
“I fell out of bed,” Kevin said, forlorn.
“Because he farted so hard,” Roland added.
The taller boy elbowed him in the side with his bad arm and immediately winced. Lenny sighed. “I’ll take care of it. Come on in, boys.”
As they did, she had to check. “Mr. Creeley, where are your parents?” They really ought to be contacted if they weren’t informed already.
“They left already,” Kevin said. He sounded slightly bitter about it, poor child. “So Roland brought me.”
“Good job, Mr. Thudberry. Do you need any assistance Leonard- Nurse Lenny?” She corrected herself.
“Nah, I got it from here, Kere.” Lenny didn’t correct himself. “Thank you, though. C’mon boys, let’s get that wrist fixed.”
She turned to leave and heard a whispered “Edgar was right, they are dating” on her way out the door.
Kerry’s feet walked her away just a little bit quicker.
+
Matthew Hinks and Frank Hebden drew the short straw on chaperoning Movie Night, which apparently turned from just one movie into a marathon of the original Star Wars trilogy.
Kerry Lewis debated attending, as she wanted to make sure the students behaved themselves (and she loved the original films), but then Lenny leaned over to her and whispered in her ear during lunch, “I managed to get some beer into my room, want to share a drink?”
She hesitated. “I should probably make sure nothing gets out of control, but-”
Singh, also at their table, shook his head as he ate some of Mr. Beans. “No, go get some R&R, Sarge. I’ll patrol and monitor.”
“If you’re sure-”
“I’m sure, don’t make me change my mind,” he said.
“Hexmaster’s orders,” Lenny said, causing their boss to smirk a little.
With that assignment, Kerry found herself in Lenny’s room at St. Churnley’s. It was simple and clean, the only real decorations were some charcoal sketches on the wall. She felt rude looking at them, but she couldn’t help herself.
“These are really nice,” she said, looking at a drawing of a moon over a lake. “I think this one’s my favorite.”
“I like that one too,” Lenny said, popping open the beer bottles. He handed one to her and she tapped hers to his with a quick “cheers” and a satisfying clink. “Sometimes, instead of putting the coal in the incinerator these days, I use them to draw stuff.” She didn’t like the reminder of the mimic, so she took a swig of the beer.
After a slight pause, Lenny asked. “Wanna play truth and drink?”
“Don’t you mean truth or drink?”
He shrugged. “My way’s more fun.” She snorted.
But it had been so long since she’d gotten drunk. It did her no good to be out of control. But Singh, Hinks, and Hebden were watching the students, and she and Lenny did deserve a break.
“Fuck it, sounds good,” she said. Then she faltered a little. “Just sips though, not full bottles or anything crazy.”
“Deal,” Lenny said.
He threw down his comforter to the floor and they sat against the edge of his bed on the carpet. It reminded her of visiting her friends at university, the little makeshift parties. She didn’t get the chance to party much in the military, but when they did, they went ham. This was nicer, softer. Just like Lenny.
The questions start off simple, like What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? and Craziest St. Churnley’s memory?
As she started on her second beer, the questions got a bit bolder, like weirdest song during a hookup and most neurotic dealbreaker.
It was fun to chat with him. She’d forgotten how much she’d missed it during the month they weren’t talking. She hoped that wouldn’t happen again soon.
While she had tried to steer away from dating questions, the beer loosened her tongue enough to ask, “How’s someone like you single anyway?”
“Someone like me?” He asked, wiping his mouth with the back of his scrubs’ sleeve. Her answer to his previous question made him spit out some beer. It was the most spit-take moment she’d ever seen in real life. “‘Hell does that mean?”
Kerry rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend.”
“I’m not. Genuinely have no idea what you’re talking about.”
She thought back to when she found out he didn’t have a significant other, like 48 hours ago and just vocalized those same opinions. “You know, kind and handsome and thoughtful.”
“You forget I’m cursed though,” he said, tilting his beer bottle on the floor side to side, staring at it instead of her. “Not many people want to be with a cursed boy.”
“That’s fuckin’ stupid,” she said. Her Scouse accent came out a bit harder when she’d been drinking, so it sounded like schtewpid. “Leonard, you’re a great guy. How in the hell are you single?”
“I learned the hard way not everyone wants to be healed,” he said, a bit self-deprecating. Now he looked at her. “Why are you single?”
She snorted. “C’mon, no dumb questions, please.”
“No, I’m serious. Don’t you pretend.” He pointed the neck of his beer bottle at her as if to punctuate a point.
“Not a lot of men want to be with a woman who can kick their ass,” she said. “I learned that the hard way.” She remembered the first boyfriend she had after she lost her brother to the Plagueround. She’d put so much time and effort into making herself strong and controlled, and she wanted to put herself out there. He had just wanted to control her instead, make her smaller. So she ditched him and left to help St. Churnley’s, so no one else had to suffer her brother’s fate.
“They’re missing out then,” he said with his languid shrug.
Kerry swallowed tightly. “I- what?”
In the dim light of the candelabra Lenny had lighted, she could see his cheeks turn just a bit rosy. Was he embarrassed?
“Just sayin’,” he mumbled.
She watched the column of his neck as he drank from the bottle. Why was it so hot the way he swallowed?
“Leonard,” she spoke his name so softly. If it was touch, it would be a feather.
He looked at her. “Kere.” It was said like Care. It tingled inside her, the same way it did when he said her first name instead of Sarge.
She felt this urge to say something, but words failed her. The only thing she could think of was action. “This might be stupid,” she whispered. “But I’m going to do it anyway.”
Kerry leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. He tasted like beer and charcoal, just a little bit smokey. It was more intoxicating than the alcohol.
Her inhibitions caught up with her a second after her sensations did, and she went to pull away. But then his hand reached up and cupped the back of her head underneath her bun, prolonging the kiss.
Their beer bottles knocked to the floor as they pressed themselves together. His hand was in her hair, gently tugging at her bun until it tumbled free. Her red tendrils got lightly tangled in his grip, and she didn’t mind the tug at all. She’d grabbed him by the collar of his scrubs, relishing in the texture of the tiny scars by his lips that moved against her. His chest was so solid beneath her grip. Her head spun in the most amazing way.
Eventually, slowly, they seemed to come back to Earth and pull apart.
“What the hell was that?” She asked, a bit breathless.
“I was thinking we might as well make the gossip official,” Lenny said with a lazy smile.
“Leonard,” she said, chiding just a little. “There’s a lot to consider. The school, that gossip, the liability considerations-”
“Lose control a little, Kerry,” he said, and kissed her so deep, her knees would have buckled if she was standing.
Well... that couldn’t be the worst idea in the world.