The Gem of the Le Fae Family

by EmpressBubblegum

Summary:

Baobhan Sith recently got adopted by Morgan le Fae, and it's getting to her head. She always thought she was better than everyone, but now she had the social standing to prove it. But such a drastic change in lifestyle is still quite a shock to her systems. How quickly can she get used to her new family, especially with a new school year just starting?

Chapter 1: School: Start!

Baobhan Sith groaned as she clumsily reached for her alarm clock. When the obnoxious ringing finally stopped, she clutched her pillow tightly and tried to fall back to sleep. Her bed was so soft that she didn’t ever want to leave. Normally she stayed in for at least another hour or so; why did her alarm go off now? Unfortunately, the world seemed determined to separate her, as a series of loud knocks came from the door.

“Hey Big Sis! You awake yet?” a young voice called from outside. “Mom wanted me to make sure you weren’t still asleep.”

“Go away Gareth,” Baobhan shouted back. “I’m too tired to deal with you right now.”

“But school starts today! And mom will get mad if you aren’t ready on time.”

Baobhan jolted upright. She had completely forgotten about that. Now she understood why her alarm had gone off so early. Her mother told her that if she wanted to be a part of the family she would have to go to school like the rest of her siblings, and she had been so nice to Baobhan that she didn’t want to say no, even though she hated school. At least the way it was in her hometown, but she was told it was different in the city.

She cursed and then called out to Gareth, “Fine! I’ll start getting now.”

“Meet us downstairs when you’re done, Big Sis!” She heard Gareth run off.

“Stop calling me that!” Baobhan yelled, but Gareth couldn’t hear. She shook her head in an effort to make herself more awake. Then she lifted herself out of bed and began getting dressed.

Like most private schools, the school Baobhan and her adoptive siblings attended required its students to wear uniforms. This greatly upset Baobhan, as one of the things she loved most about her new life was shopping for and making dazzling new outfits. However, there was no limit on what kind of shoes (with obvious exceptions) the students could wear, so she took solace in that. She begrudgingly got out of her rosy pink pajamas and put on her new uniform, taking extra care to ensure it wasn’t wrinkled. She put on her usual high heels, and smiled. At least that part of her outfit looked nice.

When she arrived in the foyer, her mother was at the door already. She wore a black and blue business suit, with a tight skirt that went well below her knees. Her snow white hair was tied back into a ponytail and stopped just above the ground. She stared at Baobhan as she walked down the stairs, her icy gaze piercing almost piercing into her soul. Baobhan was sure her mother loved her (that’s what mothers did after all) but the stone cold expression constantly plastered on her face made it hard to tell.

“Good, you’re up,” she said. “It seems you lack your sibling’s affinity for lollygagging.”

Baobhan smiled at the compliment. She was a little worried her slight delay would’ve been noticed, but apparently her mother didn’t mind. She gave a small courtesy.

“Of course, Mother,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to upset you, after all.”

Her mother didn’t respond. She simply opened the door and began walking to her car. Baobhan walked over to the door and watched, waiting for her mother to say something. Finally, right before she entered the car, her mother looked back at Baobhan and said, “I’ve asked Gawain to drive you and Gareth, but knowing him he’ll probably be riding with his friends. Should that be the case have Mordred show you two where the bus stop is.”

Baobhan watched as her mother drove off. She had a license herself, it wasn’t like she needed Gawain to drive her. Maybe her mother was just so used to the boys being the eldest that she forgot. She shut the front door and headed toward the dining room, where she heard loud shouting and clambering of dishes.

“Where is your uniform?” a young man’s voice boomed. She figured it was one of her brother’s.

When she walked in, she saw Agravain, in a uniform similar to the one she wore, except with pants instead of a skirt, glaring at a girl in a red leather jacket and jeans, her hair up in a ponytail like her mom’s, except way shorter and less tame.

“In the wash, dumbass. I’m the last one to do laundry, remember?” Mordred sneered. Baobhan rolled her eyes. They all knew their delinquent sister didn’t intend to wear it even if it was clean. “I’ll wear it tomorrow.”

“Don’t speak like that in this household. Our family needs to retain a prestigious image,” Agravain barked. He and Baobhan hadn’t spoken much yet, but she could tell that he’d be pain in even in her prime and proper ass.

“Now, now, brother,” a brawny boy wearing a matching uniform to Agravain, although his jacket was thrown over his shoulder like a cape, said. His blonde hair fell naturally around his face. He walked in from the kitchen, a plate of eggs and sausage in his hands. “As long as it’s just at home, it’s not a problem. Not like mother ever complains, either.”

“But it’s not ‘just at home’, Gawain,” Agravain said. “She talks like this wherever she goes. She looks like she was raised by dogs.”

“Damn straight,” Mordred said, shoving a slice of toast in her mouth. “Dogs are cool.”

Agravain glared at her. Gawain put a hand on his shoulder, encouraging him to back down. Truthfully, Baobhan wanted to see them fight, but now was too early for that. At the back of the table Gareth loudly gulped her cereal, before she shouted loudly at her bickering siblings.

“We only have forty minutes before school starts, you morons! Quit fighting and start eating.”

Gawain chuckled at his sister’s reprimand. He sat down and began eating the protein-filled breakfast he had prepared. Agravain scoffed and walked into the kitchen to clean his plate. Mordred grinned. Since she wasn’t forced to change, she must’ve viewed this as a win, Baobhan thought. The pride in Mordred's smile faded when she saw Baobhan at the door.

“Oh, hey,” she said. “Little Miss Princess is finally here.”

Baobhan ignored her sister’s teasing. Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked over to her brother.

“Good morning, sister,” Gawain said between bits of egg. “How did you sleep?”

“Well, although I wish it would have lasted longer.”

“I hear that,” Mordred interjected. Baobhan ignored her and turned to their brother.

“Mother says you’re going to drive Gareth and I to school.” Gawain nodded. “I can drive myself, however, so would you just show me the address?”

Gawain thought about it as he chewed. He swallowed before saying, “Of course, but you should still ride with me today. Just so mother doesn’t get upset.”

Baobhan nodded. She didn’t want their mother thinking she had stolen one of the family’s cars to skip school. She could handle a ride with Gawain for one day. She walked into the kitchen and placed some waffles in the toaster. Back home - the town she lived in before - she really needed to stop calling it that, this was her home now - children in the same household all had to eat the same thing. However, Baobhan’s mother made enough money to support all six of them and then some, so each member of the house could afford to eat their own meals.

The waffles popped out of the toaster and onto her plate. Taking caution to not get any on her new uniform, she gently poured strawberry syrup onto her plate. She brought it back to the dining room and sat down across from Mordred. Gawain had finished his food, and passed by Baobhan to clean up after himself. Gareth and Agravain had already finished getting ready, and were sitting in the dining room with their bags, waiting for their siblings.

“Oooh, that looks good,” Gareth said, leaning over Baobhan’s shoulder. “Lemme have some.”

Baobhan waved her away. “You can make some of your own, these are mine.”

Gareth made a fake pouty face and sat back. Baobhan began to gingerly cut through the waffles. As she lifted a slice to her mouth with her fork, she noticed Mordred staring at her.

“What?” she asked, glaring at her sister. She really hoped she wasn’t also aiming to steal her crimson coated breakfast.

“Nothin’,” Mordred said. “Just didn’t expect you to eat something so messy.”

“It’s not messy if you eat it properly,” Baobhan responded, rolling her eyes.

Mordred shrugged and lifted herself out of her seat. Baobhan watched as she slouched off into the foyer, and rushed up the stairs. Gawain followed behind, although less noisy. Baobhan guessed they were grabbing their book bags. She smirked to herself. She had thought of grabbing her’s before eating. She just hoped it was big enough for this year’s textbooks.

When they had all finished, Baobhan Sith, Gareth, and Agravain had climbed into the passenger seats of Gawain’s convertible. Agravain had called shotgun since he was the eldest after Gawain, who was driving. This left Baobhan and Gareth sitting next to each other in the back. Baobhan didn’t mind her sister, but she was so energetic she couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Gawain was slow to follow his siblings.

Baobhan watched as he and Mordred bickered over how Mordred would get to school. Gawain was content on letting her ride with them. Mordred however, was very insistent on not being stuck inside “that ape’s car” for the next twenty minutes. Eventually, Gawain caved, deciding it was better to not waste time bickering with a sister as headstrong as him. Baobhan was pleased with this outcome; the car would be loud enough without Mordred and Agravain’s fighting.

“Alright, everyone buckled in?” Gawain checked as he shut the door. The other three nodded. “Cool, then let’s kick it.”

Baobhan was about to ask what he meant by “kick it”, but she soon found out as Gawain slammed his foot on the gas. Baobhan screamed in shock as the car sped out the driveway and onto the road, the wind causing her hair to wipe behind her. Gareth cheered at the sudden boost in speed. Agravain, apparently used to Gawain’s antics, simply groaned as he put a pair of earpods in. Baobhan gripped the seat of the car tightly.

She saw Gawain reach over to the stereo and flip a switch. Suddenly, hard rock started blaring through the speakers. Gawain started bobbing his head and singing along to the music. Gareth let out another cheer and joined him. Baobhan wished she had thought to bring her headphones like Agravain. He likely couldn’t hear all the racket.

After what felt like hours, they had made it to the school. The building towered above them like a castle. Baobhan thought the biggest building she’d ever be in was the family’s mansion, but the school was about two or three times its size. Were all buildings in this city this big? She didn’t think she’d ever get used to it.

“Massive, huh?” Gawain said. He must have caught her staring. Baobhan simply nodded. She was still catching her breath from the exhilarating ride, for lack of a better word. “Yeah, you’ll grow to love it. Well, maybe Gareth will. I was about your age when it stopped being so dazzling to me, so you might get to graduate while it’s still amazing.”

Gareth jumped over the side of the car and bolted towards the entranceway with the rest of the students. The others got out of the car normally, and walked as a group.

“She’s certainly excited,” Agravain said, taking his earbuds out.

“Yeah,” Gawain replied. “Remember when we had that much vigor?”

“You still do.”

Gawain let out a hearty laugh. “Maybe some, but not as much as she does.”

Baobhan waved goodbye to her brothers when they got inside. She looked quizzically at the map displayed on the wall of the school’s main hall. They had sent her an email containing her schedule, but she didn’t know where any of the rooms were located, so it hardly mattered. She thought about asking someone, but didn’t want to seem stupid. She was a junior after all, and people would expect her to know the layout by now.

She decided to focus on where her first class was and figure it out from there. She was about to trot off after having memorized the location, but she felt a tug at her arm. She looked back to see a girl who looked to be the same age as her. The girl had long blonde hair that she had tied into pigtails, and a blue hat that looked a little too big rested on her head. For a second, Baobhan thought she kind of looked like Mordred, minus the unruly demeanor and lack of dress code.

“Excuse me,” the girl said, her voice loud but soft. “Which way is Room 3-E?”

Baobhan stared at her before saying in a mocking tone. “You know there’s a map right there, right?” She pointed to the map that she herself was just studying for the first time.

The girl’s eyes followed where Baobhan was pointing. “Oh, okay, thanks,” she said sheepishly, letting go of Baobhan’s sleeve.

Baobhan rolled her eyes and strode off. This school was supposed to be for the elite, so how did a dumbass like that girl end up here? Baobhan really hoped that was the last moron she had to deal with. If her whole class was like this she’d be better off studying at home. Not that her mother would permit that, of course.

As she walked, she could feel people looking at her. Maybe it was because she was new, or maybe she just happened to be where the people were looking. Regardless, Baobhan puffed her chest out. They should be staring at her, she thought. She was likely one of the most important people at this school, even if everyone else didn’t know it yet.

She gazed into her classroom with a smile. She saw a few sitting down, but otherwise most of her classmates were standing up and talking to each other. Her teacher wasn’t even there yet. Since most of the seats were open, Baobhan placed herself in the center of the front row. For some reason, she felt like she belonged there.

Yeah, she decided. She was going to rule this school year.

Chapter 2: Making A Friend

Baobhan watched as more students slowly filed in. Over time, the ones that were standing in groups took seats next to each other. No one came to sit next to her though. She assumed it was because they didn’t like being in the front. Cowards. Didn’t they know that the front was the easiest place to be the center of attention?

Eventually, the bell rang, and the remaining students had taken their seats. The seats on either side of Baobhan were filled, but when she looked over at the students in them, she saw they had only sat there because their friends were in the other adjacent chairs. A tinge of discomfort pierced Baobhan’s stomach. She wasn’t there to make friends, yet she gained a feeling of unrest when her classmates ignored her in place of the people they already knew. Well, there was always next hour.

The teacher was the last to arrive, which seemed backwards to Baobhan. The teacher was a young man with short, reddish orange hair that went all over the place. Unlike the students, instructors were allowed to wear whatever they could get away with looking respectable in. Baobhan had expected, given the subjective nature of the rule, that most teachers would just wear something business casual. Not this one, however, as he wore a black and white kimono. This was an odd choice in Baobhan’s mind.

The teacher stared at his students from the front of the class with a disappointed look. “I know there’s not enough people in my class to fill all these seats,” he said tiredly. “C’mon now, it’s only the first day of the year. Wait at least a week before you start skipping classes.” He clapped his hands and Baobhan watched as about half the room stood up and left to go where they belonged. This unfortunately included the few people who had sat next to her, leaving her alone once more.

“Now that everyone’s where they should be, allow me to introduce myself,” the young man grabbed a marker and began writing on the white board behind him. “I know most of you already know me, but I don’t know all of you, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Muramasa, and I will be your homeroom teacher for the year. I also teach welding and oversee a couple of the martial arts clubs, particularly kendo and fencing.”

Baobhan didn’t have homeroom at her last school, but she’d look dumb if she asked, so she stayed quiet. The teacher turned back to face the class again. The words “Mr. Muramasa” were displayed clearly on the board behind him. He gazed across the classroom, making sure his eyes landed on each student at least once. Since Baobhan was already staring at him, the two made eye contact when he got to her. When he finished his mental headcount, he smirked in indignation.

“I see that the board ignored my request to give me all of one class for my homeroom yet again. So for you freshmen in the back,” Baobhan turned and saw some of the younger students in the back row snap to attention. She grinned and turned back to the front. “Let me explain what ‘homeroom’ is for you. You will come to this room at the beginning and end of each day. During the school day you go to different rooms for each of your classes. Us teachers have to change rooms sometimes too, so you may be in here with a different teacher in later hours. They want us to give you stuff to do for this time besides being on your phones, but frankly I couldn’t give a damn. So for the next twenty minutes just don’t cause any problems.”

The classroom erupted back into the cacophony that it been prior to Mr. Muramasa’s entrance. Baobhan shifted uncomfortably as she watched their teacher sit down at his desk without speaking. She had expected to be given work to do in these classes, but that was apparently not the case for homeroom. She let out a small sigh. Things were so different that she wondered whether she could catch up.

“Excuse me?” she heard a soft voice say from behind her. She looked back to see a girl with hair as white as Baobhan’s mother’s, aside from two black streaks bordering her bangs. She was quite short too, already making eye contact with Baobhan without even sitting down. She must have been one of the freshmen the teacher had mentioned. The girl nodded towards one of the seats next to her. “Is it taken?”

Baobhan stared at the girl. Was she stupid, perhaps? No one was sitting there, obviously it wasn’t taken. She didn’t say that though. She had appearances to keep up, after all. Her mother didn’t need a second problem child.

“No, not at all,” she said politely. The girl nodded and sat down. She stared blankly at the front of the classroom. Baobhan waited for her to say something, but she figured she must’ve been too scared to talk to someone two years above her. Baobhan looked back at the whiteboard. The two of them sat quietly staring ahead for the next couple of minutes, neither moving much.

After a while the young girl spoke. “Where did you go before here?”

“Huh?” Baobhan asked, turning towards the girl, who was already staring back at her. Baobhan jumped slightly, but she didn’t think it was enough to be noticeable. The sudden break in silence was enough to startle her on its own. She didn’t need the girl reenacting horror movies for her.

“You’re new here, right?” the girl rephrased. Her tone was flat. Besides her height, a lot of things about this girl reminded Baobhan of her mother. It pleased her to have a semblance of familiarity at this new school, fictitious or not.

“Oh, yes, I am,” she responded. “I moved here over the summer.”

“I see.” The girl turned back to the front of the room. Baobhan was baffled at how spontaneous she was. What kind of person starts a conversation only to finish it within seconds? She decided that if she wanted to get to know the people at her school, she would have to take the initiative.

“What made you come sit up here?” she asked. The girl slowly turned her head to face her again.

“It was too loud back there,” she stated. “Freshmen suck.”

Baobhan raised her eyebrows. If the girl wasn’t a first year, then she had to have been a sophomore. Or maybe she was in the same class as Baobhan. She wondered why there wasn’t something on the uniforms to indicate what year a student was in. It’d be nice to know who her fellow juniors were.

“I agree,” she said with a smile. “I’m Baobhan Sith, by the way.” She reached out her hand for the girl to shake, who simply stared at it without moving.

“Baobhan… Sith…” the girl said slowly. “That sounds foreign. Where are you from?”

“Oh, it’s Scottish, but I was born a few towns south of here.”

“Ah,” the girl said. Finally she reached over to shake Baobhan’s hand. “I’m Mélusine. What year are you in?”

“I’m a junior,” Baobhan said. She thought Mélusine’s name sounded foreign too, but she didn’t question it.

“The same class as Barghest then,” Mélusine mumbled. Baobhan was about to ask who this “Barghest” was, but before she could ask, the bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom.

Mélusine stood up and started walking out the door. Baobhan quickly dashed to catch up with her. The shorter girl didn’t notice. Now that they were both standing, Baobhan could really tell how much of a difference between their height there was. Especially with her heels, Baobhan stood a good foot and a half above her.

“What class do you have next?” Baobhan asked.

“Ms. Taiga’s,” Mélusine said. Baobhan stared at her. Mélusine realized how little that meant to her. “Gym.”

“Ah, I was hoping we’d be in the same class. I think I have that for my third hour.”

“What do you have for first?”

“Let me check,” Baobhans said, pulling up her phone. “English in 3-E.” Mélusine made a small groaning noise. Baobhan looked at her with concern. “Is that bad?”

“3-E is Mr. Oberon’s class. He sucks.” She stopped and turned around. Something darted between the two. Baobhan blinked and suddenly Mélusine was typing furiously on her phone. Then she gave it back just as quickly as she had taken it. “Here, there’s my contact info.”

Baobhan slowly grabbed her phone. She saw that Mélusine had filled out a contact sheet for herself in her phone. The contact stood out amongst the others in Baobhan’s phone. The only other people who had her number were her new family. After all, she didn’t even have a phone before her mother took her in.

“Let me know if you need any help getting adjusted to the school,” Mélusine continued. “I know this place better than most, so I can assist with almost anything.”

“How sweet,” Baobhan said. “Thank you.”

Mélusine nodded and turned away. “Later,” she said as the flood of students drowned her from Baobhan’s sight.

When she got to the English classroom, she saw that unlike her homeroom teacher, Mr. Oberon was there before most of the students. Baobhan guessed that this was probably due to him having the same room for his homeroom and first hour. Muramasa had said he taught welding, and according to the school map that was outside. She pitied the man for having to come inside for thirty minutes only to have to walk all the way to some shed in the courtyard.

Mr. Oberon also chose to dress as he pleased, it seemed. He was adorned in blue robes and a cape which made him look like he came straight out of a fairy tale. He had white-gray hair that was trimmed to a nice bob. He was chatting with a student already in a desk. Baobhan recognized her as the girl who had asked for directions earlier. She was somewhat pleased that the girl had found her help useful, even if all she did was tell her where the map was.

Not knowing anyone else in the room, she chose to sit next to the girl in the blue hat. Mr. Oberon saw her and apparently caught on that class was starting. He closed the conversation he was having with the girl and began writing on the whiteboard. Baobhan noticed a pile of textbooks on his desk. She didn’t fancy the idea of carrying one of those for each class wherever she went.

“Oh, hey,” the girl next to her said with a smile on her face. “You’re the girl from earlier. Hi!”

Baobhan cringed internally. This new girl had far too much energy. She imagined it could even rival Gareth’s, although Gareth’s seemed more productive. This girl had the demeanor of a puppy who was just happy to exist. Baobhan didn’t have the energy to deal with someone like that.

“Hm, have we met?” she said coldly. She thought that if she pretended to not remember their encounter, the girl would leave her alone. She thought wrong.

“O-oh, yeah, it makes sense that you wouldn’t remember,” the girl said, her face flushed a bright pink. “I asked you how to find my class before homeroom started.”

“Ah, right, how could I forget,” she said smugly. “You’re welcome for that, by the way.”

“R-right, thank you,” the girl stammered. “Sorry, I only moved here a week or two ago. I’m so lost. It feels like I don’t belong.”

Baobhan could sympathize with how the girl felt, but she wouldn’t admit it. For all intents and purposes, she was the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the city, and she certainly fit the image of one. The blonde girl likely didn’t belong in this school. She wondered what kind of parent would send a child so easily shaken to such a prestigious academy. The world of the elite was brutal to all who didn’t meet its standards.

“Well, aren’t you lucky that I’m here?”

“Yeah, I guess I am,” the girl nodded. “I’m Artoria by the way.” She stuck her hand out for Baobhan to shake. Baobhan ignored it.

“Baobhan Sith. Would you care for my number? That way you don’t have to tug at my sleeve whenever you need something.” She thought about what Mélusine had done for her. She didn’t want to blemish her contact list with the info of someone of Artoria’s class, but she had so few numbers in there that she felt she needed to give it a little boost. She could weed out the peasants once she had some more friends.

“Thanks, but, uh” Artoria averted her gaze. She muttered something under her breath.

“What was that? Speak up if you want people to hear you.”

“I said I don’t have a phone.” Artoria sounded embarrassed when she said it. “I’m gonna get one soon though. Father said he’d take me to pick one out this weekend.”

“Oh, pity,” Baobhan said, feigning sympathy. She didn’t know what she expected. The girl was clearly out of her depth, and cellular phones were a luxury. Although, she remembered her mother telling her that they were necessary for big city life, so maybe there were models even Artoria could afford.

“But I do gotta ask,” Artoria’s voice picked up when she said it. “What’s the deal with this whole homeroom thing? We didn’t have that where I come from.”

Perhaps the two of them were more similar than she thought, but Artoria was everything Baobhan was trying not to be. Seeing Artoria bumbling her way through her first day was almost gratifying. It told her she was doing things right. Maybe she could afford to teach Artoria a thing or two.

“Did Mr. Oberon not explain it?” Baobhan asked. Artoria shook her head. “Alright I guess I could explain it to you. The teachers need to keep track of everyone who enters and leaves the building, right?” She waited for Artoria to nod before she continued. “We go to homeroom at the start and end of each day so they can do that.”

Truthfully Baobhan didn’t know why they had homeroom, but she felt like her estimation was sufficient. Artoria certainly wouldn’t be able to tell otherwise. It made Baobhan feel sorry for the poor girl. She could tell her anything about how the school worked and she would likely believe it. Luckily for Artoria, Baobhan didn’t care enough to lie to her like that, at least not yet.

“And so then after homeroom we have to walk to our other classes?” Baobhan tilted her head downward in a slight nod. “Oh, okay. That’s a lot of walking. Thanks for explaining it to me.”

The bell rang, and the girls turned back to face Mr. Oberon at the front of the class. Baobhan could see notes covering the whiteboard from top to bottom. Mostly though, it looked like their teacher had spent his time bordering it with doodles of butterflies and flowers. She rolled her eyes at the sight. Hopefully he taught with less whimsy than his appearance suggested, but given Mélusine’s earlier remark, she wasn’t expecting much.

“Alright, class,” the teacher said. His voice was light and jolly. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

Chapter 3: An Embarrassment in English

First hour was quieter than homeroom, Baobhan noticed. Maybe it was because the English class she was in was exc;usively for people in her year. Whatever the reason, Baobhan took pleasure in having absolute silence as she tried to study. Well, almost absolute, at least. Naturally as the teacher, Oberon was still talking and something about his voice just annoyed Baobhan to no end. She couldn’t decide who got on her nerves more.

“Firstly, as some of you already know, I’d prefer if you just called me Oberon. ‘Mister’ just feels too formal, no?” the teacher spoke with a smile on his face.

It was Oberon, Oberon got on her nerves more. She could excuse her last teacher’s disinterest because homeroom was more of an obligation than a class, but Oberon seemed to just be like that. Baobhan couldn’t see how he could up that energy all year. If he could, she would likely need to switch into a different class. Her teacher’s joyfulness would certainly be an intrusion into her studies.

“As you could probably tell,” he gestured to the huge pile of textbooks on his desk, “the school wants us to start the course today. I think that’s a little harsh on your first day though.” Baobhan heard the class take a collective sigh of relief. “But I can’t just let you slack off, so we’re going to do a refresher.”

Baobhan thought about this. She for one was eager to get started. The less time she spent here, the better. However, she thought it was smart to assess where everyone was at before the year actually started. Not everyone was on the same level as her, after all. Oberon needed to know who he had to babysit while the others did their work.

“First question,” Oberon said. “Who here has heard of Shakespeare?” His smile widened when he saw every student raise their hand. “Oh good, I was gonna skip over that course anyway.”

Baobhan watched as her teacher stood there in thought, scratching his chin. Her hopes for Oberon’s capabilities as a teacher were quickly fading. Throwing out a whole course? How careless could you get. Did he even know what a teacher did?

“I got it. We’re going to do an oral pop quiz.” The class groaned. “Oh come on, it's not that bad. I’ll ask a question and the first person I see raise their hand will answer. You don’t have to if you don’t want, but I’ll give extra credit for each question you get right.”

After it seemed like he got the entire class’s approval, or at least begrudging acknowledgement, he continued, “First question, what type of punctuation is used to indicate when someone’s speaking.”

Baobhan’s hand shot up. It was such a simple question, she didn’t see how anyone couldn’t get it. It was clearly just a starter, but she felt confident that she would win. Not that it was a competition, of course, but Baobhan felt this was the perfect opportunity to show off how great she was. She had raised her hand so fast that half the students had dropped their’s. The teacher had to call on her.

“Artoria, what is it?”

Baobhan’s head snapped to the left to where Artoria was sitting. She heard a couple people whisper when Oberon called out her name. Baobhan didn’t let this bother her though. Just because the girl was faster didn’t mean she knew the answer. Once she got it wrong their teacher would move on to Baobhan, and she’d look even better than if she had answered first.

“Um, quotations?” Artoria stammered. It didn’t sound like she had expected to be called on either.

Oberon clapped his hand together. “Correct! Well done. Now, who can tell me the name of the author of the book, The Three Musketeers?”

Again Baobhan’s hand bolted upright, this time faster than before. Artoria may have gotten that first question right, but there was no way someone of her status could know something like this. She had this one. She couldn’t let some country bumpkin show her up on the first day of school. She had a reputation to uphold.

“Artoria! Looks like you know this one too. Give it to us.”

Baobhan fumed. She was right in front of him! How could Oberon not see that she raised her hand first? She took a deep breath in an effort to control her anger. Artoria hadn’t answered yet; Baobhan still had a chance.

“Is it Andrew Dumas?” The lack of confidence in her voice was plain for all to hear. Baobhan couldn’t help but smile slightly to herself. She was close, but Artoria didn’t give the right answer. Now Oberon would probably call on Baobhan to correct her.

“It’s Alexandre, but that’s probably as close as anyone’s gonna get. I’ll give it to you.”

Baobhan felt heat flood through her cheeks. It wasn’t as close as anyone would get. She knew the right answer. She would’ve gotten closer. She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed the blatant favoritism on display, but they either hadn’t caught on or didn’t care.

The rest of the quiz continued in this manner. Oberon would ask a question, Baobhan would raise her hand first, and he would overlook her for Artoria. It didn’t matter if she was right, close, or just plain wrong. Oberon would give her the point every time. Baobhan found this infuriating.

She had half a mind to stand up and threaten him. If she asked her mother, it was entirely possible to get the man fired. She was one of the biggest donors to the school. Baobhan would like to see the look on the staff’s faces as her mother threatened to pull funding. It would serve them right for hiring a teacher with so many flaws.

She kept to herself, though. She didn’t want to be causing problems for her mother on the first day of school. If this kept up throughout the year, then she’d say something. For now she had to maintain her image. Lashing out over a minor pop quiz was beneath her.

The bell rang. Baobhan started walking out the room without hesitation. She needed to get out of there. She heard Artoria call out for her, but she ignored it. It might not have been her fault, but the insult Baobhan had just been dealt was because of her. She wasn’t in the mood to play at being her friend.

She spent her next class calming down. The teacher did the same thing Oberon had, although it was via lecture rather than pop quiz. Nothing they said was new to Baobhan so she didn’t feel inclined to pay attention. Instead, she tried to focus her breathing and calm her nerves. It took the whole hour, but eventually she regained focus.

Her third hour was physical education. Much as she hated any unnecessary effort, Baobhan agreed that it was good that the school ensured students’ health and fitness.Unfortunately, the school required students to change into special gym uniforms to get attendance for the class. This meant that Baobhan had to stop by the locker room and change clothes with all her peers. She didn’t know how comfortable she was with that.

The locker room was as dreadful as she expected. There was barely any place for her to stand while she undressed, and the tiled floor and walls caused every conversation being had to echo. Being teenage girls, every one of her classmates was having a conversation. To add to the chaos, it wasn’t just her class who was getting dressed, either. Naturally the class before them had to come in and get back in their regular uniforms.

Worst part was, the P.E. class before them was apparently freshmen, who Baobhan had already learned were louder and more unruly than any of the other grades. She was grateful she had something in between this and English, otherwise she would have really lost it. She walked over to the locker that had been assigned to her and began taking off her uniform. As she put her jacket in the locker, a blonde blur tackled her from the right.

She whipped her head around to scowl at her attacker. For a second the girl looked like Artoria, but when she lifted her face Baobhan could see it was the youngest daughter of the Le Fae family, Gareth.

“Big Sis!” Baobhan’s young sister shouted. She patted Gareth on the head and smiled slightly. She didn’t want her poor sister to think she was angry at her after all.

“Hello there Gareth,” she said sweetly. “How’s your first day of high school going so far?”

Gareth leaped off of her sister and stared at her with wide eyes. “It’s so cool! But also scary. There’s so many people here to make friends with.” Her brow furrowed. “Or enemies. High schoolers aren’t that nice, I’ve learned.”

This comment made Baobhan mad. “Who’s being mean to you?” she demanded.

“No one,” Gareth said, waving her hands. “Well, not at first. I saw some upperclassmen ganging up on one of my classmates and jumped in. They gave me scary looks, but I told them off.”

Baobhan’s smile returned. Of course no one would mess with Gareth. Mordred didn’t even like to mess with Gareth. “Good girl, sticking up for people like that.” She tousled her sister’s hair. “But if anyone causes you any problems, be sure to let one of your big siblings know.”

Gareth nodded and the two went back to getting ready for their respective classes. As she expected, it didn’t feel too great taking her clothes off in a room full of highschoolers, especially since her sister was right next to her. However, she could tell that her peers were more conscious about their bodies than she was. This filled her with a slight sense of pride.

The freshmen gradually left the room. Baobhan noticed Gareth had tied her jacket around her waist when she was finished buttoning her shirt. Personally, Baobhan wished she could get rid of the jacket as a whole, but the teachers needed to at least see it on them in some way. Wearing it normally was the only way Baobhan could avoid wrinkles. Well, there was the way Gawain gallivanted with his acting like a cape, but that didn’t fit her style. She needed to look classy.

“Oh by the way,” Gareth said before walking out. “I think Mordred shares her third hour with you. Don’t be surprised if Ms. Taiga asks you to go grab her.”

“Ugh, I hope she doesn’t. I don’t want to lose credit because of her delinquency,” Baobhan groaned. “Thanks for the warning.”

Gareth nodded and went on her way. Baobhan was really hoping that Mordred would at least show up to gym class. She knew getting her to participate would be a pain, but if as long as she wasn’t tardy, it’d be on the teacher and not her. She set her bag in her locker, and began walking to the gym, tying her hair into a ponytail as she went. She didn’t know what the teacher was going to make them do, but it was probably better to have her face free of hair regardless.

The gym was far too big for its own good, at least in Baobhan’s opinion. Each side was lined with bleachers, yet there was still more than half of the area open for sports and class activities. In the middle of the gym, Baobhan’s classmates sat in a circle. In the center stood a woman - who Baobhan assumed to be the teacher - with short brown hair. The dress she wore was yellow with green stripes, which Baobhan thought made her look like a tiger.

“You,” the teacher said when Baobhan approached the group. Now that she was closer, she could see that the woman held a clipboard in one hand, and a pen in the other, which was pointed directly at Baobhan. “I don’t recognize you. What’s your name?”

“Baobhan Sith le Fae,” she responded with confidence. She was a little nervous that she had missed the bell and arrived late, but she was more nervous that her classmates could tell.

The teacher nodded as she checked something off the paper on her clipboard. Baobhan sighed as she realized she was just keeping attendance. She strode to a part of the circle free of students and sat down. Some of the other students watched as she did so. Baobhan hoped her sophomore sister hadn’t gained such a poor reputation that it affected her as well.

“Oh, are you Gawain and Gareth’s sister?” the teacher asked. Boabhan nodded. “I’m Miss Fujimura. I’ll be your P.E. teacher for the year. I’m also in charge of the archery club if you’re interested in joining.” Ms. Fujimura looked at her attendance sheet for a second before continuing, “Oh and would you look at that, your sister Mordred’s in this class too.”

Baobhan noted how her class had reacted to each of her siblings' names. There was a round of “ooh’s” and “ah’s” at the mention of Gawain, and they all groaned upon hearing Mordred would be joining them. A couple people’s faces even lit up when Gareth was said. It did Baobhan’s worrying heart good to hear that her other siblings had potentially offset Mordred’s stain on the family name. She hoped that soon people would be reacting to her with the same regard as her brother.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?” Ms. Fujimura asked.

“No ma’am, I haven’t seen her since breakfast,” Baobhan answered curtly.

Fujimura made a noise that sounded like a wild animal. “Oh that lady’s gonna get it when I see her.” She looked at Baobhan. “Would you be a dear ang go fetch her for me?”

“Do I really have to miss class because my sister’s being a miscreant?” Baobhan asked, annoyed.

The teacher shook her head. “Relax. If you’re anything like your siblings you’ll get full marks anyway. Here, I’ll even write you a pass in case this bleeds into your next hour.” She flipped some papers on her clipboard and began writing furiously.

Baobhan stood up as Ms. Fujimura tore off a piece of paper and handed it to her. Baobhan gave her a quizzical look. “You’re fine with this taking the whole class period?”

Ms. Fujimura smiled. “Girl, the school grounds are huge and its your first day. Besides, I don’t need Mordred to participate. I just need to beat some sense into that thick skull of her’s.” She mimed hitting something with a stick as she said it. “I don’t mind if it takes you all day, as long I can give your sister a good lecture. Don’t tell the other teachers I said that though.”

Baobhan smiled as she took the pass. “I’ll make sure she gets here before the end of the hour. That girl needs a good talking to.”

Ms. Fujimura nodded. “Glad we agree. We’ll prolly be in the courtyard if you make it before the bell rings.” She struck an exaggerated pose, pointing towards the door. “Now make haste, young grasshopper. We don’t have forever.”

Baobhan ignored her teacher’s strange choice of words and walked out of the gym. She had to admit she was a little upset that she was going to miss class, but if the teacher said it was fine she couldn't complain. She'd have to make sure Mother heard about the trouble Mordred was causing her. At least she was out of her heels. She could not imagine how annoying marching through the whole school for an hour in those.

Chapter 4: Fetching Mordred

As she walked, Baobhan thought of all the ways she would chastise Mordred for her behavior. Truth be told, Baobhan didn’t care how Modred acted, as long as it only affected her. The trouble was that, as a member of the Le Fae family, everything Mordred did impacted the others. Although, the reverse was true as well. Baobhan couldn’t entirely blame Mordred for acting the way she did when she’d been compared to Gawain of all people her whole life.

Still, it was no reason for her to skip class entirely like this. Gym should’ve been the easiest of Mordred’s classes. There was no thinking involved whatsoever. All the students had to do was burn a few calories and listen to their teachers directions. The hardest part of any of it was having to change clothes before and after it.

Of course, following directions was Mordred’s whole issue, Baobhan thought. She stopped in front of the locker room. Since classes had started a few minutes ago, there wasn’t anybody inside. It was quieter like that. Baobhan liked the quiet.

Walking inside, she noticed how much of an echo the locker room had. That was part of what made it so loud before, but now that her ears weren’t assaulted by a cacophony of freshmen, every step she took resounded off the tiled walls. It would have been even more obvious if she had been wearing her heels, but luckily she was forced to take them off along with the rest of her uniform. She reached into her locker and pulled out her phone. It would be foolish of her to scour the school for her sister when she could just ask the dolt herself.

She pulled up her contact list and pressed on Mordred’s name. A small call button was listed next to several other options below the photo Baobhan had taken. Normally, seeing the picture of her sister lying face down in the mud would have sent Baobhan spiraling into laughter. At the moment, however, she was a little too annoyed at the girl’s idiocracy to be amused by it. She hit the call button and tapped her foot waiting for Mordred to pick up.

“Sup, sis,” Mordred’s voice said eventually. Baobhan knew it wouldn’t take long. Her sister was currently skipping school on the first day back. There was no way she’d draw the line at taking a phone call. “Shouldn’t you be in class? Why’re you callin’ me?”

Baobhan let out a soft growl. The gaul of this girl! “Isn’t that what I should be asking you?” she spat. “Where in god’s name are you?”

A series of snickers could be heard from the other end. Mordred gulped. “Why do you want to know?”

“I don’t, but you’re supposed to be in P.E. right now and Ms. Fujimura is making me waste my time to come find you, you moron.”

But Baobhan’s insult fell on deaf ears. A small beeping sound came from her phone as Mordred hung up. She stared at her screen in disbelief before kicking her locker several times in anger. She took a deep breath to calm herself. If anyone saw, they’d think she was no better than her sister.

She walked out of the locker room with a tight grip on her phone, her gentle steps concealing her anger. She was going to find her sister, even if she had to drag her through the halls in front of everyone to do so.

⋯

Mordred’s friends roared with laughter. Jeanne, the white haired French transfer student with the same name as her twin sister, was rolling on the ground in hysteria. Caenis, who had a similar shade of hair to Jeanne, except his was tied into a long ponytail, had both his hands on his knees as he tried to control his howling. Kintoki, a big blond boy who was the type to wear shades even indoors, was the only one not laughing. Instead, he just stared at Mordred with a worried expression.

“Oh shit,” Mordred said quietly, then she turned to her two friends on the ground. “Get up you idiots! My sister’s coming!” The two of them stopped moving.

“Wait, like, Gareth, your sister?” Jeanne said. She slowly lifted herself back onto her feet.

“Worse, Baobhan Sith,” Mordred said, shaking her head.

“The new one?” Caenis asked. “Worse how? The rest of your family’s so, well you know.” Mordred glared at him.

“Yeah,” Jeanne said. “Gawain’s a pain, but at least he’s a looker. Agravain’s just your standard teacher’s pet.” Mordred rolled her eyes. “At least to us,” Jeanne added. “I’m not gonna pretend I haven’t seen how he yells at you.”

“And Gareth has too much energy for someone that size,” Kintoki spoke up. The unease in his face had faded upon hearing that the littlest Le Fae wasn’t the one coming. Mordred could tell he was still nervous though. “She chased all the way to homeroom when she caught me skipping earlier.” He shuddered. “Lord El-Meloi lectured me until halfway into first hour.”

“Yeah, yeah my siblings are so much more upstanding than me,” Mordred said sarcastically. “Which is why Baobhan Sith’s so much worse. She’s as much of a deviant as I am. She just doesn’t show it.”

“Ooh, don’t let her hear you say that,” Jeanne snickered. “You don’t want to end up covered in mud like that time you called Gawain a gorilla.”

“She calls him a gorilla all the time, though,” Kintoki pointed out.

“Yeah,” Caenis held back a chortle as he chimed in, “but that time she did it mid-duel.”

“Can we stop talking about that?” Mordred snapped, her face flush with embarrassment. Her siblings regularly dueled each other for fun and practice. Their mother said it was for etiquette, but Mordred just liked hitting things. Gawain had beaten her almost every time, but that loss had a unique sting to it. “Where did you guys even hear about that?”

“Oh, that’s on me,” Kintoki said. “Gawain took this picture of you and was showing it to the other guys on the football team.” He pulled out his phone to show Mordred the photo. “When I saw it I couldn’t help but tell Jeanne and Caenis. But they were the only ones, I swear!” he added after seeing Mordred’s scowl.

 

She swore. “Baobhan Sith took that pic!” She gestured dramatically to Kintoki’s phone. “See what I mean? She’s such a bitch!”

A deadly silence filled the air. Jeanne and Caenis stared at Mordred with a look of sheer horror. Kintoki stepped back a bit. Mordred looked at the three of them in confusion. She didn’t understand why they were all looking at her like that. She used that kind of language all the time in school, all of them did. But then she realized they weren’t looking at her, they were looking at-

“Sister.”

Mordred whipped around. Behind her stood her adopted sister, Baobhan Sith, clad in their school’s gym uniform. Her vermillion hair was tied up high in a ponytail. Her hands were placed firmly on her hips, and she stared at Mordred with a look that was worse than the ones their mother would give her. Even though she wasn’t biologically related, Baobhan looked exactly like their mother, which was apparently enough to even scare Caenis.

Mordred couldn’t speak. She tried to open her mouth but fear kept it clamped shut. All she could do was stare at her sister and wait to be dragged to Ms. Fujimura.

“I hope you’ve taken pleasure in the amount of class time you’ve cost me.” Baobhan Sith’s voice was flat, but Mordred could feel almost the anger bristle against her skin. “Be grateful that I’ve already decided to not tell Mother about this.”

Mordred gulped. Gawain and Gareth never even questioned to keep her tardiness hidden from their mother. Agravain would go on and on about how he’d tell her, but he would never end up saying anything. It was just part of an unspoken sibling code the four of them shared. None of them wanted to have to deal with one of her lectures, even if it wasn’t directed at them. The fact that Baobhan Sith had even considered it terrified Mordred.

“Now, come.” She demanded. “I’d like to not dally any longer.”

She turned around and began walking away. Mordred felt compelled to follow. She looked back at her friends for some sort of support, but they were all as frozen as she had been. They wouldn’t be able to do anything. At least now though they’d believe her when she said that out of all her siblings, Baobhan Sith was the worst one to be on the bad side of.

⋯

Baobhan smirked to herself as she watched her teacher lecture Mordred from afar. Ms. Fujimura said she had intended to just let them run around and work out since it was the first day, but she couldn’t instruct them even if she wanted to with the way she was laying into Baobhan’s delinquent sister. Baobhan had decided to run laps with some of her classmates, but she took a break every once in a while to observe the reprimand Mordred was getting. It humored her, to an extent. When the bell rung and Ms. Fujimura had trusted them all to go back to their classes without her so she could continue the lecture, Baobhan began to wonder if her teacher was perhaps a bit obsessive when it came to discipline.

Baobhan’s next class was an elective in business management. Her mother wanted Baobhan to be her replacement as head of the company when the time came, even though she was the third eldest, and not even a child of the Le Fae family by birth. Her other siblings all had their own goals, except Mordred, but their mother didn’t fully trust her as a replacement. Both Baobhan and Mordred were fine with this arrangement - Baobhan, because it was the best chance she had to support herself and her hobbies, and Mordred because she was content to work any position in her mother’s company, as long as it didn’t require much and kept her from being a freeloader.

After making another stop at the locker room to change clothes, Baobhan headed up the stairs to her class. When she got there, she realized that it was in the same room her homeroom was. She couldn’t imagine Mr. Muramasa teaching a class on business management, though. She opened the door and saw the teacher sitting on her desk. Having to come in from the courtyard had made Baobhan arrive later than her peers, so most of them were already sitting down.

“Welcome dear,” the teacher said in a sultry voice. Her long pink hair was piled onto one side, and she wore a tight button up white shirt that was open at both the top and the bottom to show off her cleavage and midriff. Around her waist was a short pencil skirt that matched the top, with slender legs in tight black stockings poking out. Baobhan also couldn’t help but notice the simple pink heels the teacher wore.

She wondered how the woman was permitted to wear any of it in a school and not get fired. Any single one of the items she wore (barring the shoes) would’ve gotten a student sent straight to detention. In any other circumstance Baobhan likely would have applauded the woman for her self-confidence in her body, but seeing her in the middle of a highschool made Baobhan slightly uncomfortable. She figured the woman must be one hell of a teacher if the school let her dress like a walking liability.

“You just got back from Phys Ed, correct?” the teacher spoke. “Pity, all the good seats have been taken already. Why don’t you sit back there with Ms. Fang?” She waved her hand towards the back of the classroom. Baobhan turned to see a bulky girl with long blond hair - why was everyone in this school blond? - sitting next to an empty desk.

Baobhan nodded and strode to the back where her teacher had suggested. She didn’t want to look at the bold woman for longer than she had to. What on earth could possess someone to dress like that in front of teenagers? Baobhan sat down right as the starting bell rang. She looked over to assess her desk neighbor.

The girl was big, to say the least. Baobhan could tell her uniform was custom tailored to her, but even then the girl’s monstrous muscles and chest threatened to tear it apart. It reminded Baobhan of her eldest brother a bit. She wondered what such a brawny student was doing in a class meant for future CEOs. The girl looked over to meet Baobhan Sith’s gaze.

“Hello,” she said in a firm voice. The girl had a hard look on her face, but it wasn’t mean. Baobhan could tell she was just focused. “I’m Barghest. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I’m Baobhan Sith,” Baobhan responded. She felt like she had heard the girl’s name before, but she couldn’t tell so she shrugged it off. She offered out her hand for her classmate to shake. “Nice to finally sit next to someone friendly.”

 

This wasn’t true, of course. Mélusine had been more than helpful, and Artoria had been more than friendly. However Baobhan was a little put off by Mélusine’s bizarre demeanor, and Artoria was too plain for Baobhan to ever want to hang out with. This Barghest girl seemed straightforward enough, and Baobhan could tell by the way she sat that she was of noble birth. She would do nicely as a friend.

Barghest accepted Baobhan’s handshake. Baobhan noted how firm the girl’s grip was. “Of course,” Barghest said. “It’s common courtesy for a lady to introduce herself to her peers. I’m just glad someone was okay with sitting by me.”

Baobhan peered over to look at the desk on the other side of Barghest. It was empty. In fact, the whole back row was empty save for the two of them. The row of desks in front also didn’t have anybody sitting in close proximity to Barghest. Baobhan looked back at the girl, who smiled gently at her friend. She seemed nice and proper, but Baobhan couldn’t help wondering if she had just made friends with someone who would sabotage her reputation.

Chapter 5: A Banshee and A Beast

The whole time Ms. Koyanskaya taught, Baobhan couldn’t shake that feeling of unease. Barghest met all the criteria Baobhan had expected of a student at as prestigious a school as the one they attended. She was open and had a warm presence to her, yet stayed diligently focused on the lesson once it began, which Baobhan preferred. She was all for making friends, as long as people deserved it, but she didn’t want that to detract from her studies. So why was she so nervous sitting by her?

She looked again at the legion of empty desks that surrounded them. That was no reason to be scared though, she thought. No one sat by her in homeroom, so it wasn’t like this was unusual. Maybe Barghest was just new too. Or maybe Barghest had such a grand reputation that people felt scared to sit by her. Baobhan knew she certainly wouldn’t want to be placed next to someone who could show her up - not that there was anyone like that, of course.

Baobhan decided she needed to focus on something else. Ms. Koyanskaya’s lecture was mostly a rundown on how the class would work. For how unbecoming her outfit was, Baobhan thought that Ms. Koyanskaya was the most professional teacher she’d had so far. She even handed the students a syllabus for her class, which Baobhan thought was a little extra for highschool but accepted it anyway. After she was finished, she let the students chat amongst themselves as a way to get to know each other.

So far, this was looking to be Baobhan’s favorite class. Apparently Ms. Koyanskaya was the head of a multinational distribution company - distribution of what, Baobhan didn’t know - and managed the thing so well that she could afford to be a teacher on the side. Why someone that put together would want to spend all her free time teaching a bunch of highschoolers was beyond Baobhan, but she thought it’d be rude to pry. Everyone had their own dreams. After all, what Baobhan wanted to do for her career had nothing to do with the company she was an heiress of, and she fully intended to work on her dream career whenever her schedule permitted.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” Barghest said after their teacher was back at her desk. “Did you just start this year?”

“Hm?” The sudden voice had caught Baobhan off guard. “Oh, yes. I moved here over the summer.”

“Your family must be quite wealthy if they’re able to move to Camelot City and enroll you here within a few months.” Barghest looked at her with slight amazement.

“Yes, very,” Baobhan said smugly. It was nice to have someone finally recognise the fact that even in a school for the elite, Baobhan Sith was the daughter of the family that sat at the top. “Oh, but they didn’t move, just me. They’ve been living here for a while. I think it’s been for all their lives, but I never bothered to ask.”

Barghest tilted her head in confusion. “So, you were living on your own before?”

“Not quite, but I might as well have been.”

“You must be quite capable. As to be expected of a student in this school.” Barghest seemed satisfied with the story Baobhan had told her, which Baobhan appreciated. She didn’t like talking about her past life, so whenever she did she made it as vague as possible.

“You’d be surprised,” she said. “Some of our classmates certainly don’t seem to meet expectations. Makes you wonder if they’re actually part of the elite, or just some peasant pretending to be.”

“I assure you, everyone in this school has either the money or talent to back it up,” Barghest said, her voice stern. “But don’t confuse royality for nobility. Most of the students enrolled here live their lives laxly knowing they have their parents or grandparents’ hard earnings.”

Baobhan stared at Barghest in silence. So far, she was the only one who held herself in a manner Baobhan thought befitting of her status. It was almost to a worrying degree. She shuddered at the idea of what Barghest would say if she found out about how Baobhan acted when she didn’t need to follow her mother’s orders. Baobhan could begin to see why their peers might be scared of her.

The bell rang, and Baobhan heard the other students in the class begin to shuffle out. Barghest stood up, and Baobhan realized she too had to leave for her next class. She knew her next class was history, but wasn’t lunch soon too? Barghest seemed put-together, so she decided to ask her. She looked over at her new friend and took a step back in shock.

Baobhan could already tell that Barghest was huge, but standing next to her was something else. Her new friend stood quite literally head and shoulders over Baobhan - and Baobhan considered herself to be tall. Baobhan blushed slightly. Barghest’s presence was just too overwhelming. Barghest looked down at her in confusion.

“Are you alright, Baobhan Sith?” she asked softly.

Baobhan gulped and nodded. She straightened herself as to not let Barghest in on her sudden shock. “No, not at all. I was simply wondering when lunch was, is all.”

“Ah, of course. That would be right now.”

“Oh, alright. Thank you.”

Barghest nodded and strode out of the classroom. Despite her heft, Baobhan had to admit the girl was quite graceful. She followed her tall classmate. The cafeteria was the one place Baobhan hadn’t memorized the location of that morning. Barghest didn’t seem to notice that she had joined her, though, so the two walked in silence.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Baobhan realized the cafeteria, despite being much more open, was monumentally louder than the girl’s locker room. The cafeteria was huge, and filled with circular tables that sat up to six people, but naturally some students had moved their chairs to cram in with their friends. As Barghest walked, Baobhan saw people back off to let her through. Even though she knew it was because of her friend, Baobhan couldn’t help soaking in all the attention.

Barghest stopped at a mostly empty table, and sat down across from a small girl with white hair. The girl looked up when the two arrived. Baobhan waved, but the girl was too busy eating. Baobhan sat down at one of the chairs between her two friends. When she was done chewing, the small girl finally spoke.

“I see you too have met.”

Barghest’s head whipped around to look at Baobhan. “When did you get here?”

“She was following you.”

“Oh, I see,” Barghest said. Her face had turned red at the embarrassment of not being able to notice her magenta-haired escort. “Apologies, I didn’t notice.”

“It’s alright,” Baobhan snickered. “You’re quite easy to get behind.”

The red in Barghest’s face flushed brighter. “I am not!” she protested.

“You are,” Mėlusine interjected. “I’ve never had a problem sneaking up on you.”

“Well, yeah, but you’ve got the same size and speed of a fly,” Baobhan pointed out. Mėlusine glared at her.

“Exactly,” Barghest said. “You’re small and Baobhan Sith’s stealthy. That’s all.” She shoved some of her lunch in her mouth. It was now that Baobhan first saw the small pile of tupperware Barghest had pulled out of her lunch sack. It looked like each one had a different meal in it. Baobhan didn’t understand how one girl could eat it all. “Besides, it makes no sense that someone of your stature is a senior.”

Baobhan spat out her drink. “Mėlusine’s a senior?” she coughed. Mėlusine nodded. Barghest reached out to pat Baobhan on the back. When Baobhan regained her composure she said, “I thought you were a year below us?”

“No, I’m a senior,” Mėlusine said, shaking her head. “Did I not tell you that, Bavy?”

Baobhan Sith blinked. She looked over at Barghest to see if she knew what Mėlusine was talking about, but she was just as confused as her. “Bavy?” Baobhan asked.

“Your name’s too long,” Mėlusine said. “Hence Bavy.” She chuckled a little. “Bavy and Baggie. My friends have weird names.”

“Says the French girl,” Barghest said between bites of food.

Baobhan finally decided to start eating her own lunch. Normally, one of the cooks would have fixed her noon and evening meals, but since food had to be prepared before her and her siblings went to school - i.e. before the cooks arrived to work - Baobhan had to make it herself. She didn’t mind, of course. It’s what she had done during her prior years of schooling. Try as she might though, her cooking could never be as good as the meals she had grown accustomed to over the past few months.

“So, Baggie,” Mėlusine said, zipping up her lunchbox. Apparently she had finished while they were speaking. “Haven’t sent anyone to the hospital yet, I hope.”

If Barghest was embarrassed before, she was humiliated now. Her face was almost as red as Baobhan’s hair. Baobhan looked at Mėlusine with confusion. She couldn’t tell if the girl was just messing with their well-built friend, or if she actually had reason to believe Barghest would do something like that to a fellow student. She seemed nothing but polite so far to Baobhan.

“What?” she asked.

“Oh when Barghest was in -” Mėlusine started.

“Don’t you dare,” Barghest cut her off. She was glaring at the ivory haired girl something fierce. Baobhan thought it looked like she was trying to get Mėlusine to catch fire with her mind.

“Come on,” Mėlusine sneered. “It’s funny!”

Barghest looked between the two. “Fine,” she said to Mėlusine before turning to Baobhan, her face still red, “but don’t you ever repeat what she’s about to say.”

“Yeah, not like the whole school knows or anything,” Mėlusine mocked.

Baobhan nodded. “I won’t tell a soul.”

“Okay, so the thing is,” Mėlusine said, holding back a snicker. “When she was in freshmen year, Barghest was basically the girl every guy in her class was after. So one time, she got with this one boy,” Mėlusine let out a small chortle. “And he didn’t show up to school for another three weeks.” More small laughter escaped from her mouth. “Apparently he was in the hospital due to several broken bones!”

Baobhan looked at Barghest for her to confirm what Mėlusine was saying. Barghest averted her gaze. All Baobhan could do was stare at the girl. She didn’t know whether to be amazed, amused, or terrified.

“That had nothing to do with me!” Barghest objected. Mėlusine howled. “I told you he got hit by a car on his way home.”

“Sure, Baggie,” Mėlusine said, struggling to hold in her laughter. “Doesn’t change the fact that everyone thinks it was because of you, though.”

Baobhan watched as her friends bickered. She never had people to hang out with like this before. It made her happy. She had expected that no one at her school would be able to measure up to her, but for once she was glad to be disappointed. She didn’t care what other people thought, Mėlusine and Barghest were a joy to be around.

Over her friends’ squabble, a loud hooting came from the other side of the cafeteria. The three girls stopped talking to look over at the source of the noise. Everyone else was doing the same. Both Barghest and Mėlusine groaned. Baobhan rolled her eyes when she saw why.

Standing on top of one of the cafeteria tables was Baobhan’s oaf of a brother, Gawain. Sitting at the table was Agravain and two boys Baobhan didn’t recognize. One had short purple hair, while the other had long wavy crimson locks. At home Gawain was the noblest of the five siblings, which was fitting, as he was also the eldest. Here though, it looked like he seemed to have taken to becoming the king of fools.

“And I promise you, fellow students of Camelot City Academy,” he shouted at the top of his lungs. “This year, not only will the Knights win the league, as we have all the year before, but we will win so hard that no one even remembers the other schools’ team names!”

There was more shouting. Baobhan even saw a few people stand up to clap. She turned back to her friends in an effort not to focus on her idiot brother. Mėlusine was staring at Gawain with a look of pure fury. Barghest was shoveling food into her mouth, also trying to appear too busy to give Gawain any attention.

“God, what a dumbass,” Baobhan mumbled.

“Tell me about it,” Mėlusine said. “I’ve been having to deal with Gawain and the moron brigade since middle school.”

“It’s bad enough that him and his friends are a bunch of buffoons,” Barghest chimed in. “but the rest of his family’s a bunch of psychos as well.”

“Honestly,” Mėlusine agreed. “His little sister tried to pick a fight with me in the locker room.”

“Who? Mordred?” Barghest asked. “She does that sometimes. One time I couldn’t help myself and let her bait me into one. Not that bad of a warrior, especially for a delinquent.”

“No, the other one,” Mėlusine said, shaking her head. “Gareth, I think. She has way too much energy for someone her size, and that’s coming from me.”

Baobhan didn’t speak. She thought being a part of the Le Fae family would make Baobhan school royalty. If this was how her classmates viewed her siblings, though, she’d need to replan things, especially her new friends. She hoped Barghest and Mėlusine wouldn’t hate her for being related to Gawain and the others. Not that she was, but they were still family.

“You okay girl?” Barghest asked. Baobhan snapped out of her train of worried thought.Apparently her concern had shown on her face. “You don’t look so good.”

“Was it your lunch?” Mėlusine piped in. “Sometimes I’d undercook mine when Coral wasn’t available. Did you do the same?”

Baobhan shook her head. “No, nothing like that. As if I’d fall prey to something like food poisoning. I’m fine, honestly.”

The other two girls exchanged worried glances. Neither of them believed Baobhan at all. It was nice to have people worry over her like this, Baobhan thought. If anything was actually wrong with her, she’d want people like Barghest and Mėlusine around. She just hoped they wanted to stay around her after she told them why she was acting in the way that she was.

“Okay, not exactly,” Baobhan admitted. “Since we’re friends I guess I should tell you.” Baobhan gulped. “The thing is… Gawain’s my brother.”

Chapter 6: The First Day Resumes

Notes:

Sorry for the huge delay in this chapter's release. School's finally starting to pick up so I'm not able to update this as often as I have been, but I still fully intend to work on it whenever I get the time. Hope you guys continue to enjoy Baobhan Sith's adventures, and thanks for understanding

The girls stared at Baobhan, unsure what to say. Baobhan struggled to make eye contact with them. Mėlusine’s mouth was agape, but otherwise her face did not betray her emotions. Barghest, on the other hand, was clearly shocked. Her eyes were wide and Baobhan could see a light blush creeping back into her cheeks.

“Damn,” Mėlusine said after a few seconds. “Never would have guessed.”

“I’m sorry,” Barghest blurted. “If I had known we were talking about your family I would have held my tongue.”

“It’s fine,” Baobhan said, shaking her head. “You were simply speaking your mind. Besides, it’s not like you didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.” She smiled to show that she held nothing against the two.

“Your house must be loud,” Mėlusine commented. “How do you get any sleep?”

Baobhan thought back to that morning. For how big the house was, it concealed sound remarkably well. Unless she was in the same or an adjacent room, her sibling’s noise rarely bothered her, especially not at night. One of the only things the siblings had in common was that they all enjoyed a good rest, for one reason or another. If one of them was disrupting it the other four would be very quick to stop it.

“I’ve never really found it to be too much of a problem,” Baobhan said simply. “Although it can get rowdy in the mornings before school.”

“Oh, I bet,” Mėlusine said. “My brother’s on the team with Gawain and the others, so sometimes I have to be home studying while they’re celebrating a win.”

“For all the hassle,” Barghest started. “Having siblings seems fun. I’m always lonely at home.” She looked at her lunch sadly.

“I get that,” Baobhan said. Before her mother found her, she had spent most of her time at home alone. She liked the peace and quiet that came with it, but sometimes the loneliness got to her. “I am grateful for them, to be honest. They’ve made life more entertaining.” She shot a sudden glare at her friends. “Don’t you dare tell them I said that though.”

Mėlusine chuckled. “Yeah, like I’m going to willingly talk to any of them.” She smiled softly. “Although, I feel the same way about my brother.”

“Oh wait, Barghest if you’re lonely, why don’t we come over sometime?” Baobhan realized. “Mother doesn’t mind us going out as long as it doesn’t affect our studies, and I wouldn’t mind driving over whenever, depending on how far away your house is.”

Barghest lit up. “Really?” she asked. Baobhan noticed her voice was lighter than it usually was. Barghest seemed to notice too, as she coughed and continued speaking normally. “I mean, I would appreciate that, yes.” Barghest reached out her palm. “Here, give me your phone so I can add you in case I need to take you up on that offer.”

Baobhan pulled out her phone and gave it to Barghest, opening up her contact info for ease of use. She watched as her friend diligently tapped each of their numbers into the other’s respective phone. Baobhan hoped she didn’t see how light her contact list was. Barghest seemed too excited about the prospect of having a friend over to notice, though. Baobhan was able to breathe easy.

Mėlusine sighed. “That sounds fun, I’d love to join you. Too bad I have track and my internship.”

“Internship?” Baobhan asked. She forgot that internships were the kind of thing highschoolers were supposed to do. She didn’t really need that, of course. Her career was practically being handed to her on a silver platter.

“Yeah, well, I guess it’s more of a part-time job,” Mėlusine corrected. “Anyway, I work at this massive company. I used to just fetch coffees and deliver memos for the higher ups and such, but recently Ms. Le Fae said that I can start doing more intense jobs. I won’t get a pay raise till I graduate though.”

Both Barghest and Baobhan Sith froze. One time when Baobhan was first getting to know her mother, she was taken to visit her work. Baobhan knew she had met a couple of the interns, but she didn’t remember Mėlusine there. She did remember one girl that she thought she had seen around the school, but she hadn’t had time to check.

“You work for Baobhan Sith’s mom?” Barghest asked. Apparently she had made the connection that Mėlusine hadn’t.

Mėlusine blinked. “Oh yeah, guess I do,” she said. Then she turned to Baobhan with a look of horror in her eyes. “Your mom’s my boss?” she shouted.

“Well, yeah,” Baobhan stated. “I just told you that, didn’t I?”

“No, you said Gawain was your brother.”

“Gawain’s mom is Ms. Le Fae,” Barghest pointed out.

“She is?” Mėlusine sounded shocked when she said it. The other two stared at her.

“You’ve known my brothers since middle school,” Baobhan said with a hint of befuddlement. “And you’re just now finding out who their mother is?”

Mėlusine blushed. “Well, it’s not like I go around asking about those things,” she stammered. “It’s not like you know who my mom is.”

“No, but she’s known you for less than a day,” Barghest pointed out.

The three girls continued conversing like this until the end of lunch. When the sound of the bell was finally heard over the clamor of themselves and the other students, Baobhan realized she had learned a lot about her new friends. The three of them even had plans for this evening after school. Mėlusine’s track meets didn’t start till later in the week, and since she worked for Baobhan’s mom, there was a possibility she could get out of work too, and luckily for the three of them, she was the only one who had other commitments

The friends said bye to one another, and walked to their respective classes. As they walked though, Baobhan realized she and Mėlusine were headed to the same class.

“So what’s this teacher like?” Baobhan asked as they headed up the stairs.

Mėlusine shrugged. “Don’t know. I think he’s new. His name sounds fancy though, so he might end up the most professional teacher we have.” She snickered. “Or the only professional teacher we have.”

“I don’t know about that, Ms. Koyanskaya seemed pretty professional.” Baobhan put a finger to her lips, recalling her fourth hour. “Well, minus the way she dresses.”

Mėlusine stared at her friend with a look of evident abhorrence. “Maybe it’s just me, but that lady is far from professional. Something about her is just wrong.”

Baobhan tilted her head. She was going to ask what Mėlusine meant by that, but they had arrived at their classroom. Strangely, the door was shut, and it didn’t look like any of their classmates had arrived yet either. The two looked at each other, silently deciding what to do. Eventually, Mėlusine lifted up her dainty hand, gently turned the knob, and swung the door open with all her might.

Inside, sitting at the teacher’s desk, was a man with long brown hair, who the two could only assume was the teacher. He was holding a bowl of noodles and was in the process of putting some into his mouth when the girls barged in. The sudden shock from the door hitting the wall had caused him to jump, and he was currently choking on the food he was trying to eat. He coughed for a bit, before setting his bowl on his desk and swearing. He stood up and dusted himself off, making sure he didn’t spill any of his lunch on the black suit he was wearing.

“Hasn’t anyone taught you girls to knock?” he asked the pair.

Baobhan was about to clap back, but Mėlusine spoke first.

“Class has started,” she said plainly.

“Yes, I can see that,” the teacher snapped. “But my door was shut for a reason. I was eating here.”

“Should’ve been faster,” Baobhan said. “It’s time for class.”

The teacher groaned and mumbled something about rich brats and laziness. He gestured for them to take a seat. The two sat down in the front row, like always. The teacher sat back at his desk and continued eating until more students walked in. Baobhan noticed that it took longer this class than the others, for some reason.

Once everyone had come in, the man stood up and began writing on the whiteboard at the front of the room. His handwriting was rushed and scratchy, but Baobhan could still make out what was being written. “Lord El-Melloi II”, which Baobhan assumed was his name. Mėlusine was right, his name did sound fancy. Baobhan wondered what on earth he did to gain lordship in this day and age.

“Welcome to history,” Lord El-Melloi said, turning to face the class. “I am, as you can see on the board, Lord El-Melloi II. You will refer to me as Professor El-Melloi.”

Baobhan wondered what the school looked for when hiring teachers. So far her instructors had been a lazy smith, a biased pansy, a coach with the wrath of god, a CEO masquerading as a harlot (or vice versa), and now a lord/professor. The quality control was all over the place. Baobhan worried she might not learn anything due to her teacher’s incompetence. How on earth was this place the top school in the city?

“As I’m sure you’re all aware, today is only the first day of the year,” Professor El-Melloi continued. “I think I speak for all the teachers when I say that none of us want to be here any more than you do right now. So for today, I’m just going to give a simple lecture that may or may not be related to the rest of the course, so take notes just in case. I’ll also be calling on some of you for answers to ensure that you’re listening.”

Half the class groaned, and the professor glared at them. “Would you rather I gave you a pop quiz?” The students all shook their heads. “Good, then let’s begin.” He erased his name from the board. “Now, can any of you tell me what’s the name of the city we’re in?”

A male student with a streak of red in his blond hair answered, “Camelot City, sir.”

“Yes, and does anyone know what country the original city of Camelot was in?” Professor El-Meloi asked.

“Britain,” said a girl with pink hair sitting behind Baobhan Sith.

“Correct. Except it wasn’t called Britain back then, was it?”

 

“No Professor, it’s original name was Albion.”

Next to Baobhan, Mėlusine perked up.

“Correct again, Ms. Kyrielight,” the professor said. “And the reason for that is because that’s what the Greeks called it. However, many believe that is actually because of a mythological beast that lays at the center of Great Britain. Can any of you-”

Before he could finish, Mėlusine’s hand shot up. Baobhan could see her fidgeting in her seat a little. She didn’t know what could possibly get the small girl so worked up. Baobhan couldn’t help but find it a little cute. Friends were allowed to find friends cute, right?

“Yes? What is it?” Professor El-Melloi said with a tired look.

“Dragon. Albion was the name of the dragon under Britain,” Mėlusine blurted.

“Very good, that’s right,” he said with a pleased expression. “Albion was said to be the name of the last of the dragons, who’s corpse lays below the surface of Great Britain. I see you’ve done your research.”

As he continued with his lecture, Baobhan turned to Mėlusine. “How on earth did you know that?” she asked.

Mėlusine shrugged. “I like dragons. Now, quiet, I want to hear this.”

The two went back to listening to their teacher. Baobhan couldn’t disagree with Mėlusine, of course. She was here to learn as much as her friend was, and she certainly didn’t want to be intruding on others’ studies. But Mėlusine’s excitement was so unexpected, that Baobhan couldn’t help but interrupt the lecture to question it. She’d have to talk to her more about it later.

“The founders of this city,” Professor El-Melloi continued. “Liked the legends of King Arthur and his Knights immensely. Even though we’re far from where the original Camelot was likely located, they decided to name this place after one of the most memorable cities in human history. And as you probably could tell, many of the people who live in it are as infatuated as their forefathers.” The professor chuckled. “We even have our own Pendragon.”

Baobhan tilted her head. This was the first she had heard of it. She knew her mother and her mother’s parents had a habit of naming their children after characters from the legends of Camelot (her family name was Le Fae, after all), so it made sense that there would be someone named after the famed King of Knights. Baobhan was just surprised no one had mentioned it till now. She bet that whoever it was probably had some serious self-entitlement issues.

“It’s good for you all to understand the history of where you’re currently residing, but it isn’t necessary,” Professor El-Melloi said towards the end of his lecture. “What’s important is to know what parts of the past shape the present. As such, don’t expect the rest of this class to be this specific.”

Once the bell sounded at the end of the class, Baobhan and Mėlusine said goodbye and went to their respective classes. Most of Baobhan’s mandatory classes were in the beginning of the day, so the remaining ones were all electives. She smiled at this idea. While she was invested in her regular classes, naturally Baobhan preferred to have her studies entertain her.

She walked into her next class, a wave of dread washed over her. The subject matter was art, and while Baobhan only used art as a means to lay out her plans for her other hobbies, she had still hoped to enjoy this class. To her dismay however, because it wasn’t a linear subject, her classmates consisted of students from grades other than her own. Absolutely none of her friends shared the hour with her. Most of the people in her class were…

“Oh shit waddup sis?” Gawain said when he saw Baobhan enter the room.

“Gawain! Watch your mouth,” their brother Agravain chastised.

“Oh good, I’m not the only one who has to deal with Dumb and Dumber over here,” Mordred cheered sarcastically.

Baobhan was stunned. She knew it was possible for her to be placed in the same class as her siblings, but having four out of five of the Le Fae siblings in the same room was absurd. It was also a recipe for disaster. Baobhan knew from moments like that morning that when her siblings and she were out of their mother’s eye, chaos ensued.

“Well, well, well, another one joins the group,” a man with whitish-purple hair said. Baobhan assumed he was the teacher for this hour. “This ought to be a fun time.”

Chapter 7: Interlude: How Gareth's Been

Notes:

Hi again. Welcome to the first interlude chapter. I'm going to do this occasionally when I want a break from Baobhan Sith, or need to plan the next chapter a little more, but still want to work on the fic. These'll usually focus on other characters around Baobhan - kinda like the bit with Mordred in chapter 3 - taking place around the same time as whatever Baobhan's doing. I'll shut up now. Hope you enjoy.

Gareth, unfortunately, did not share her sixth hour with the rest of her siblings. If she had, it would’ve likely been less of a hassle for everyone. Until she got home, Gareth wouldn’t find out about all her siblings sharing a class without her. Not that it mattered, Gareth was having plenty of fun on her own. One could probably argue she was having the best freshman year of all the Le Fae children.

“Woah, so you’re really Gawain’s sister?” an amazed boy in Gareth’s gym class asked. His amber eyes shone brightly as he gazed at her. Yellow-green hair hovered above his shoulders.

Gareth’s homeroom had been awkward. The teacher had tried to get the students to associate with each other which the kids would’ve gladly done on their own, but their teacher’s forcefulness made things weird. In the passing period she got into a fight, which while she wasn’t ashamed of, Gareth knew it wouldn’t win her any favors. Her first hour was a similar sort of discomfort, although this was because the class she had been placed in was primarily sophomores. Luckily Mordred had shown up to keep her company.

Gym was when she was able to finally make some friends. For the first half of the class, the kids played kickball in the courtyard. Gareth’s team lost, but only barely. None of them minded losing either. It was a game after all, and games were supposed to be fun. After it was over, Ms. Fujimura permitted the students to run around as they pleased.

“Yup!” Gareth said. “I’m Mordred’s sister too.”

“You’re proud of that?” a boy with wild blue hair said.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Gareth asked naively. “Mordred’s the coolest.” Gareth paused for a second to think. “Well, when you’re not trying to get her to do something, she is. Either way, I think you’d like her, Sétanta.”

“Still, Mordred has quite the reputation,” said another girl. Even though her light blue hair was tied back in a ponytail, it still reached the lower mid-section of her back.

“Oh? And you don’t?” Sétanta teased.

“Shut it, dog,” the girl snapped.

“Why don’t you make me, snake.” Sétanta stepped forward.

“Guys, please don’t do this again," the green-haired boy groaned.

Gareth chuckled. She had only known the three since the beginning of the hour, but she already felt comfortable in the group dynamic. Kiyohime was a sweet girl, but she had a lot of relationship issues in middle school that people weren’t too soon to forget. Sétanta had a mean tongue, but he was a good friend when it mattered. Paris was just there to have fun, which the other two’s bickering got in the way of.

Gareth had already tried to rein in Sétanta and Kiyohime, but she very quickly learned that the way she got her stubborn-headed siblings to behave wouldn’t work on others. The two wouldn’t listen to anyone else once they were at it. In fact, when Gareth had tried to get them to focus during their kickball game, Sétanta and Kiyohime briefly stopped yelling at each other to yell at Gareth together. Paris had advised her to just let them simmer down on their own, but it appeared he couldn’t stop himself from attempting to get them under control either. Once Gareth had realized there was nothing she could, she began to find her friends’ little squabbles amusing.

“Oh, yeah, Gareth,” Sétanta said after spitting a few last words towards Kiyohime. “What’s your schedule looking like?”

Gareth shrugged, “I don’t know. I’ve only been focusing on class at a time. This school’s so big it’s too hard to memorize them all at once.” Sétanta and Kiyohime both nodded in understanding.

“Didn’t you go to Camelot Middle though?” Paris asked. “That place was like twice the size of the school we went to last year.”

This was true. The siblings of the Le Fae family who grew up in Camelot City all attended Camelot City Elementary School, Camelot City Middle School, and now they all were attending Camelot City Academy. Being the most prestigious schools in the city, not everyone could afford to send their children to all three. Gareth’s new friends were amongst this group. They had all gone to the same standard-level county middle school. Gareth hadn’t asked if they had known each other before that.

Luckily all three were able to get in one way or another. Sétanta got a full ride on a sports scholarship. Paris was admitted since his brother was one of the star alumni who graduated from Camelot City Academy last year. Kiyohime, however, was an only child and an average student. Luckily, despite not having enough money to send her to CCMS and CCES, Kiyohime’s family was wealthy enough to send her to the only one that would matter on her record, as graduates of Camelot City Academy typically were guaranteed to get into Camelot City University.

“Yeah, I did,” Gareth said. “But this place is twice the size of that. I don’t know how they expect us to get it all right day one.”

“Well, if you can’t get the hang of it, then there’s no hope for the rest of us,” Sétanta mocked.

“Speak for yourself,” Kiyohime bragged. “I’ve already memorized my entire schedule.”

“Oh yeah? Where’s your next class then?” Sétanta said doubtfully.

“3-A, with Mr. El-Melloi,” Kiyohime said smugly.

“Yeah, right,” Sétanta mocked. “No way you’re in a class on the third floor.”

“Am too.”

“Actually Mr. El-Melloi’s the only history teacher, so we all have him on that floor,” Paris pointed out.

“How does this place only have one history teacher?” Gareth questioned, tilting her head. “There’s no way that’s true.”

Paris shrugged. “That’s just what I’ve heard,” he said.

“From who?” Kiyohime asked, a teasing grin across her face.

“Uh, my brother,” he responded like it was obvious. To be fair, it was. One thing Gareth knew about Paris was that he never shut up about his bro. He kind of made Gawain and Agravain look like chumps, but it didn’t bother her. Everyone had their flaws, and Gareth was glad she got to see the more realistic sides of her siblings. It felt more genuine that way.

After class had ended, the four split up to go into their respective locker rooms. Gareth was worried she’d have to shout over their classmates to continue her and Kiyohime’s conversation. Luckily, Kiyohime and Gareth’s lockers were on the same wall, so chatting didn’t take much effort. Unluckily, their classmates were some of the loudest kids Gareth had ever met, and the two were unable to hear each other without them raising their voices to be much higher than they were comfortable with. So instead the two changed in silence.

Gareth walked into her third hour with a smile on her face. Getting to talk to her sister was such a relief. Even though she had only known Baobhan Sith, she really liked her. She lacked a certain meatheaded-ness that the rest of her family had. Not that Gareth was anything close to “a proper lady”, but she still tried to be nice. Gareth didn’t feel like she had to babysit Baobhan like she did her other siblings.

Third hour was an interesting class. Even though Gareth had no plans to be a part of her mother’s company, she still decided it would be good to take some business classes so she could help out whoever did take over if they asked. Unfortunately, Camelot City Academy’s business classes weren’t available for freshmen. So instead, Gareth was stuck taking a mandatory Intro to Economics class, taught by a pink haired woman who Gareth thought definitely wasn’t in appropriate attire for a teacher. She did seem to know a lot about what she was teaching though, so Gareth tried not to focus on it.

Instead, Gareth spent her time getting to know some of her other classmates. This is where she got to know Medea, who was a sweet girl in a similar position to Gareth. Her father ran a very profitable business, but Medea had no interest in inheriting it and let her siblings decide who was going to take over after their father. Unlike Gareth, Medea wanted to run her own business, so these classes were still a requirement for her.

“What kind of business would you run?” Gareth asked her.

“Oh, I haven’t decided yet,” the girl said. Her voice was light and soft, like a blanket for one’s ears. “I’m thinking of either a cafe, or a doll store.”

“Dolls? That’s an interesting choice,” Gareth said, tilting her head in curiosity. “Do you like playing with dolls or something?”

“Yes!” Medea’s voice was excited when she spoke. “Well, kind of. I take great pleasure in making them, and after that I like to recreate scenes from movies I’ve watched or books I’ve read, but I wouldn’t call that ‘playing’.”

“I would,” Gareth said simply. “If it’s fun, that is.”

“If that’s what you think,” Medea said, sounding unsure. “But like I said, making the dolls is much more enjoyable for me than posing and whatnot.”

“Man, that’s impressive,” Gareth said in astonishment. “I don’t know how you’d even begin to figure out how to learn something like that.”

Medea giggled. “I’m not sure either. It just comes naturally to me.”

“Maybe you could show me sometime?” Gareth proposed. “It sounds interesting. I’d love to see how you do it.”

Medea blushed. “Sure, if my father permits it. I’d love to show you, if you’re really interested.”

Gareth nodded vigorously. “I am, trust me. I mean, if you heard about someone with an unusual hobby you’d be interested too, right?”

“I guess,” she responded. “What kind of thing do you like to do?”

“Oh, um,” Gareth said, surprised by the sudden change in topic. “Well, sports mostly. Gawain - he’s my big brother - and I like to work out together or play soccer and stuff.”

“That sounds lovely,” Medea chirped. “My siblings and I aren’t that close. We hang out for dinner but that’s about it. Spending more time with them would be nice.”

“Well why don’t you?”

Medea shrugged. “It’s just not our style. Each of us prefer it that way.”

“Oh, okay.”

Gareth’s fourth hour was shared with Sétanta. Gareth liked getting to see the side of Sétanta that didn’t have to waste all his energy bickering with Kiyohime. It wasn’t like he was a completely different person or anything, but he was certainly more approachable. Art wasn’t either of their specialities, and the teacher was laid back enough that he didn’t mind letting the two talk throughout the whole class period. It started as the typical kind of conversation one would make after meeting someone for the first time, until the subject of family came up.

“Come on,” Sétanta said. “Your folks are wealthy, right? Surely you could afford to take Paris and me on a trip with ya.”

“I mean, I’m sure there wouldn’t be a problem with the four of us going out somewhere fun sometime,” Gareth said, ignoring Sétanta’s deliberate exclusion of Kiyohime. “But our trips are just for my mom, my siblings, and me.”

“Ah, so it’s just your mom then. That’s impressive, raising the five of you all by herself. Though I suppose it’s easy when you have an inheritance like that.”

“Not an inheritance, she made all her money herself.”

Sétanta dropped the pencil he was holding. “You’re kidding me. What, is she like a goddess or something? There’s no way a human being can pull all that off.”

Gareth chuckled nervously. “Yeah, she’s pretty amazing. It’s a pity none of us will live up to her standards, though. The world could use more people with her work ethic.”

“Oh trust me, I think the world’s covered in that regard,” Sétanta said. “You should see my mom. She’s a substitute for the academy and a part-time tutor, but damn is she vicious.” He shivered.

“That sounds rough,” Gareth said, concern dripping from her voice. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I am,” Sétanta retorted. “You think I can’t handle some old woman? It’s everyone else I’m worried about. One time Ms. Taiga got sick, so Ms. Sca- I mean my mom had to teach P.E. for the day. Some of the freshmen dropped out of the class after that. I think one girl left the school entirely.”

“Oh geez,” Gareth said. “Is she that mean?”

Sétanta shook his head. “Not mean. She’s just strict. She takes the phrase ‘no pain, no gain’ to heart.”

The bell rang, and the two started heading towards the cafeteria. Having never been in the school before, they both got a little lost, but it wasn’t for too long. When they entered the gigantic room full of shouting high schoolers, they did their best to find an open table as soon as they could. Soon, Paris showed up, dragging Kiyohime behind him.

“I told you, I know where I’m going,” Kiyohime protested.

Paris sighed, letting go of Kiyohime’s wrist. “I saw her in the courtyard while I was coming down here,” he explained as he sat down.

Sétanta burst out laughing. Parts of the sandwich he had packed flung from his mouth. “How the hell did you end up outside you moron?”

“Ew, don’t talk with your mouth full,” Kiyohime squealed.

Gareth chuckled. Once again, she found herself amongst friends she thought would last her till graduation, hopefully even after that. In middle school, Gareth didn’t have too many friends. She built a pretty quick reputation of picking fights with bullies, and even though she was friendly towards everyone else, no one risked getting in trouble by being around her. Here it was different; she wouldn’t have been surprised if Sétanta and Kiyohime joined her in fighting off any bullies.

As the four talked, they heard some small shouting from behind them rise up above the regular roar of the cafeteria. Gareth turned around, and saw her brother, Gawain, standing on top of a table a few spaces away, with Agravain shaking his head in disappointment. She also recognized Gawain’s friends, Tristan and Lancelot sitting at the table with them.

“Isn’t that your brother?” Paris asked.

“Yeah, I wonder what on earth he’s doing up there,” Gareth said.

“Probably something stupid,” Kiyohime teased.

“Don’t tell anyone I said this, but for once I agree with you,” Sétanta groaned.

Gareth smiled. She had more than just her family now. She also had some of the best friends she could ask for. Life was going well for Gareth. She hoped her sister was having as good a time as she was.

Chapter 8: Art Class Anarchy

Things were not going well for Baobhan Sith. Being an elective, not many had chosen to take Art as a subject. This school was for the princes and princesses of high society, who were mostly going to take over their parent’s business, or start their own. Art was not something many of them valued. As such, there were few among Baobhan’s class besides her siblings.

If it had been just one of them, there wouldn’t have been a problem. Gawain was boisterous but not to a detrimental degree. Agravain and Baobhan, although they didn’t get along, both shared a passion for their studies, and could very well leave each other alone during class hours. Mordred was usually the problem child of the group, but with Baobhan present - especially after that morning - she’d behave herself accordingly. However, the four of them together created the unique combination necessary to make all those points moot.

Mordred, who’d normally be controllable, had a special hatred for her elder brother. With Agravain in the room no one would be able to get her to behave. Conversely, Agravain was too stubborn to either notice or care about this trait of his sister’s, and would spend the entirety of the class trying to wrangle Mordred into acting like a proper student. Their bickering would doubtless act as fuel to Gawain’s endless fire, causing him to be too much to bear. Normally, Gareth would be able to get things covered, but she wasn’t here.

Baobhan Sith was alone. The Le Fae children were untouchable, for one reason or another, so the other students wouldn’t be any help. Judging by the sly smile on his face, Baobhan could tell the teacher wouldn’t be of any use either. She envied his position. Doubtless their family squabbles were entertaining to those they didn’t affect.

Like the majority of her other teachers, the art teacher (who introduced himself as Mr. Merlin) seemed to have no plans for the day. Baobhan suspected that he was just saying that so that the Le Fae children would be left to their own devices, at the benefit of his amusement. Regardless of what the teacher said, Baobhan was here to do art, so she would. She pulled out a dainty sketchbook with a fuzzy pink cover. She flipped through the pages of various dress and shoe designs, and began gently sketching when she got to a blank page.

A wad of paper bounced off Baobhan's head. She pivoted to glare at the student who threw it.

“Oops, sorry sis,” Mordred said. “I was aiming for Agravain. Thought if I hit his head hard enough it might make the stick fall out his ass.”

Gawain chuckled. Baobhan flashed him a look, but went back to focusing on her drawing. She knew full well she would’ve done the same thing if it had happened to him instead. She didn’t quite understand why Mélusine and Barghest were so annoyed by her brother. Sure, Gawain could be a little rowdy at times, but it was nowhere near to the point Mordred was, and when there wasn’t work that needed to be done he was actually quite pleasant to be around. Although, that was part of the problem. Her friends were only around Gawain at school, where their primary focus always had to be their studies.

Another ball of paper flew from where Mordred sat, this time hitting its target. Gawain laughed a little louder at this one. Baobhan couldn’t help but stifle a snicker as well. Funny as it was to see Agravain get riled up, she was here for a reason. Until class ended she couldn’t let herself be distracted by her siblings.

“Mordred!” Agravain shouted. He had whipped his head around so fast Baobhan thought it was going to fly off. “Is this really how you act when Mother’s not around? You are a member of the Le Fae family, and you must act like it. You’re going to attract disdain towards our name.”

“Actually,” Gawain spoke up, “I think she’s doing a fine job.” Agravain glared at his brother. “I mean, don’t tell me Mother wouldn’t approve of the way our classmates regard her?” He gestured towards the back of the room where Mordred sat. The way their peers had distanced themselves from Mordred reminded Baobhan of how they treated Barghest, although this was much less drastic. Baobhan smirked; she didn’t expect Gawain to be capable of sarcasm.

Mordred cackled, throwing another ball of paper at her brother. Agravain turned his glare back to his rowdy little sister as the wad bounced off his forehead.

“Stop this at once, young lady,” he protested. “Some of us are trying to work. Now, come over here and throw this junk away.”

“Junk?” Mordred asked with mocking anger. “That’s my art piece for today you jackass. I’m not just gonna throw it away.”

“That’s absurd,” Agravain stated. He turned to their teacher in a vain attempt to gain assistance. “Get her to behave.”

The teacher shrugged, his otherwise easygoing face boasting a sly smile. “Art comes in many forms. If Mordred’s is a bunch of paper balls on the floor, who am I to halt her creativity?”

Agravain fumed. Another wad of paper bounced off his skull. Once more he turned to glare at Mordred. Baobhan could’ve bet good money that he was about to fight her. Mordred didn’t seem to care though; a proud smile had replaced the smug grin she had been wearing before the teacher gave his indirect approval of her antics.

“Regardless of what that slacker says,” a few students “ooh”ed at Agravain’s badmouthing of their teacher, “this is no way for a proper young lady to act. Mother would be so ashamed if she heard about this.”

This was when Baobhan had it. She didn’t approve of what Mordred was doing in the slightest, but at least it wasn’t interrupting her work. Agravain’s shouting however, was, and Baobhan was tired of it. For the last few seconds she hadn’t been able to focus on her designs at all. She had hoped Gawain or the teacher would get the two to stop, but that had proved fruitless.

“And how would you know, Agravain?” she said, not bothering to mask the irritation in her voice. “Do you have some secret knowledge on how proper young ladies behave which Mordred and I somehow missed out on?”

A couple students behind Baobhan snickered. Agravain blushed in embarrassment. “Well, no, but Mother -”

“I don’t think Mother would have a problem with Mordred doing whatever she needed to further her own goals.” She turned to look at their brother. “Don’t you agree, Gawain?”

“Yes, I’m sure she would,” Gawain said with a grin. Baobhan could see his shoulders trembling as he tried to contain his laughter.

Agravain grimaced. Gawain was generally considered the most noble of Morgan’s children, as befitting his role of eldest, and as such he was typically the one to go to if the siblings needed help settling disputes without their mother present. Unfortunately for Agravain, and unbeknownst to Morgan, Gawain had a habit of going along with his siblings’ tomfoolery - provided no one was getting hurt of course. Mother was doing her job at work, Mr. Merlin wasn’t doing his, and Gawain felt no urgency to help unless things took a turn for the worst. For the first time, Agravain was beginning to feel what it was like to be on the other end of the school hierarchy.

The Le Fae children were untouchable, for better or worse. They knew this, and while they weren’t necessarily boastful of the fact, they certainly weren’t shameful either. The only people who could get all of them under control were their mother and the principal, and not even the teachers were brave enough to trouble either of them. Luckily, aside from Mordred, the siblings were generally well behaved. However at times like these, where they had made a decision that ended up impacting the whole class, their invulnerability became a problem.

The other students were reasonably annoyed. They had hoped Agravain would be able to get Mordred to calm down as he normally could, but Baobhan was a wild card they didn’t expect. Baobhan knew that her classmates wouldn’t realize she was a part of the Le Fae family until it was brought up, and she was hoping to only use her family ties as a trump card. However Agravain was royally getting on her nerves, and she couldn’t help herself. Unfortunately she was as unprepared for what came next as her peers were for her.

Agravain calmly walked over to the wall that stored the supplies for the classroom and grabbed two meter stick rulers. He tossed one across the room towards Mordred. Baobhan quickly ducked as it soared over her head. A couple students screamed, but soon their screams shifted from fear to awe. Baobhan looked up to see what had caused the change in tone, and saw that her sister had caught the meter stick with one hand in mid-air.

“You serious?” Mordred asked. She wasn’t smiling anymore, and neither was Gawain, who had sat up in case he needed to intervene.

In response, Agravain simply nodded. He gestured to the open area of the room typically reserved for model painting. He looked over to Merlin’s desk. The teacher shrugged, his smile unwavering.

“As long as no one else gets hurt, I don’t mind,” he said. “But if you break my art supplies your mom will have to pay for replacements.”

“That should be fine,” Agravain stated. “I was planning to ask her to make a donation for the sake of the extracurriculars anyway.”

The two siblings walked towards the open space of the classroom. Agravain took off his uniform jacket and laid it gently on his desk. Mordred also took off her leather jacket, revealing a monstrously short crop top underneath, and threw it toward their classmates. It landed in the arms of a girl from her year, who squealed and clasped the jacket tightly. Mordred grinned and gave her a wink.

“What on earth are you wearing?” Agravain complained as the two faced each other.

“What? I told you my uniform’s dirty, didn’t I?” Mordred said.

Baobhan had to admit she was interested in the outcome of this fight. Agravain had always refused to duel Mordred given her unruly style of combat, so this would be a first. Already there was a massive difference between the two. Agravain held his meter stick with both his hands, and kept it positioned at his side like a longsword. Mordred kept her’s slung over her shoulder, and was only using her right hand to hold it.

Agravain made the first move. He lunged towards his sister, swinging his stick in an arc above his head. Mordred quickly sidestepped the blow, and the stick collided with the floor. In the same motion, she smacked Agravain in the ribs with her “weapon”. He winced, and Baobhan could see he was about to counter when Mordred attempted to slam her meter stick into him again.

He swiftly brought his stick in front of him to block his sister’s blow, using his offhand to brace it. Mordred’s attack bounced off him, and Agravain took the chance to strike. Mordred, however, was just as quick as her brother, and countered him easily. She made to strike him again, but this time instead of a guard, Agravain thrusted his stick into her abdomen, knocking Mordred back. He raised his “blade” to send her to the ground, but Mordred flipped her stick so that her grip was toward the top, and launched her brother into the air with a harsh uppercut.

Mordred laughed as Agravain lay sprawled out on the ground. Argavain lifted a hand to his jaw to wipe the blood off, then spun and knocked his sister off her feet with a swift kick. Mordred cursed as she landed on her bottom. Her brother sneered. Mordred let out a growl as she tried to slam her stick into his head.

Instead, her stick was halted in mid-air. The two looked up to see their teacher holding a meter stick of his own, which he had used to stop Mordred’s blow. He smiled softly at his students, before saying “Alright, that’s enough of that. The bell’s about to ring.”

Baobhan looked up at the clock on the wall. She had expected her siblings’ fight to be short, but it still filled up the small remainder of their class time. She looked back to her brother and sister, who were now standing. Agravain avoided making eye contact with the younger Le Fae, who was glaring at her brother something fierce. Baobhan heard Gawain chuckle at her side.

“Well, guess we still don’t know who’s the better fighter,” he said. He leaned over to whisper in his sister’s ear. “Between you and me my money’s on Mordred.”

Baobhan giggled. “Don’t let Agravain hear you say that, but I agree. As long as she works on her temper, that is.”

Her brother nodded. “True, she was easily taken advantage of at the end there.”

The four went to their respective classes. Baobhan’s last two hours flew by uneventfully. She preferred being able to study as she was supposed to, but it was hard to admit she didn’t have fun watching Agravain and Mordred’s fight. It was the type of event you would only get once a semester. Hopefully she’d have loads more down the line.

Baobhan was happy to be back in homeroom. She took a seat next to Mélusine. The smaller girl didn’t notice. Instead she was focused on finishing schoolwork before the bell sounded. Baobhan didn’t mind it, she just appreciated having Mélusine close by.

It took several minutes for Mr. Muramasa to enter the homeroom. When he did, Baobhan noticed several papers under his arm. Baobhan was about to ask what it was, but he answered her question before she got the chance to ask it.

“Alright students, much as I would like to just ignore that you’re here, the staff wants me to hand these out.” He walked across the classroom and placed a piece of paper on each inhabited desk. Baobhan saw the words “Club Application Form” at the top.

Mr. Muramasa continued, “Each student is required to join one sports club, and one hobby club. There’s exceptions to that, but almost none of you are it. Fill those forms out and give them to me by the end of the week. They start next week. You’ll get more information then.”

As Muramasa sat back down at his desk, Baobhan looked at the sheet she had been handed. She didn’t want to take a sports club, but if it was required she thought she’d at least pick something she was interested in. She thought about joining track so she could be with Mélusine, but she ultimately decided against it. Running was very much not her strong suit. Instead, Baobhan chose archery, as it appeared to be the calmest sport on the list.

Picking a hobby club was easier, despite the list being infinitely longer. There was only ever one thing Baobhan Sith had been interested in outside of getting herself in the higher echelons of the world. She hadn’t expected Camelot City Academy to have anything for it, but looking at the sheet now, she didn’t know what they didn’t have. Baobhan smiled as she circled the club name and handed the sheet back to her teacher. Mr. Muramasa barely looked at her when she did so.

Baobhan couldn’t wait for next week. She was going to enjoy being a part of the sewing club.

Chapter 9: Afternoon Musings

The ride home was the exact same as the ride to school in the morning had been, with the exception of Gareth being gone. Gareth, according to Gawain, would be spending the afternoon at a friend’s house. Baobhan was proud of her little sister for making friends that she’d want to spend the first afternoon after school with, but she also was not a fan of being the only one in the back seat when her brother started barreling down the highway at the speed of a bullet. One would think the siblings were running from the police or something. Baobhan hoped their mother’s influence was as strong on the cops as it was the teachers at the academy.

Gawain dropped Baobhan off, and she headed to her room as her brothers sped away to go practice whatever sport they were a part of. Even though Gawain had yelled it at the top of his lungs during lunch, Baobhan wasn’t concerned enough to remember what it was they actually played. As she opened the door to their massive house, Baobhan was surprised to see her mother standing in the foyer. She was talking to one of the women who served as housekeepers for the Le Faes. Neither of them had spotted Baobhan.

“Ah, Mother, I didn’t realize you’d be home so early,” Baobhan said as her mother turned to look at her. She gave a small courtesy as she continued, “Don’t mind me, I’ll be heading to my room now. Apologies for the disturbance.”

“It’s no matter,” her mother said calmly. “We were just finishing up. One of the maids is on maternity leave, so we were discussing a temporary replacement to pick up the slack in her absence.” She waved a hand to dismiss the maid she was talking to. The woman nodded and trotted away to continue her main duties. “Where are your siblings?” Morgan asked.

“Oh, the boys said they were going to practice soccer or something. If Mordred’s not here then she must still be on the bus. Gareth’s actually over at a friend’s house for the evening,” Baobhan reported.

Her mother nodded. “I see. I trust Gareth’s handling highschool well?”

“From what I’ve been told, she has. Although I’m not sure if the highschool is handling her as well as she’s handling it,” Baobhan snickered. Her mother narrowed her eyes. “All in ways you’d approve of, of course,” she recovered. She gave out a small sigh when her mother’s face relaxed.

“Good, and how are you?”

“Huh?” Baobhan was startled. Her mother was always so focused on business and progress that she rarely spoke as a parent should to her children. It was better than what Baobhan was accustomed to, but the lack of empathy Morgan had toward her children was plain for all to see.

“How are you adapting to Camelot City Academy?” her mother clarified. “I know it’s quite a big change from your previous school, although I hesitate to call it that.”

“Oh, of course.” Although this is what Baobhan was expecting, a part of her was sad to hear that her mother didn’t actually mean to inquire about her current mood. “I won’t deny that it’s taking some getting used to, but you’ll be proud to know that I have already established myself as a model student befitting the Le Fae name.”

Morgan’s mouth twitched. Baobhan thought she had just seen a smile on her mother’s face, but her mother never showed her emotions, so that couldn’t have been possible. She was hoping her mother would be proud of this information, so that hope must have affected her mind. She was seeing things, that was all. Of course Morgan le Fae wouldn’t smile.

“Excellent, I expect nothing less of you,” she said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me I have matters I need to attend to. Even though I’m at home I still have work that needs to be finished.”

Baobhan nodded as her mother walked up the stairs toward her room, breifcase in hand. None of her siblings knew what it was their mother did in her room after work, but they all could tell it had nothing to do with her job. Gareth suggested that she was looking for a potential date to share the paternal loud of all five children. Mordred could swear she heard laughter coming from inside at one point. Meanwhile, Gawain, Agravain, and Baobhan Sith all joked that she was plotting some sort of take over of the city.

That’s all it was in the end anyway, just jokes. What each of the Le Fae family did was of no business to the others, and they all knew that. Their rooms were the only places where they were left perfectly alone to do what they wanted. Baobhan didn’t bother her siblings while they were working out or playing games in their rooms, and her siblings didn’t bother her when she was working on dresses and shoes in her’s. It was just how they worked as a family.

Remembering what it was she was planning to do when she got home, Baobhan strode up the stairs to her room. When she got inside, she quickly threw off her uniform in place of a t-shirt that barely covered her waist. Even though she was fond of elegant dress wear, Baobhan couldn’t deny the simple pleasure of a comfy t-shirt and lack of pants. She assumed most people liked to wear protective gear while they worked on their trade, but Baobhan felt she was skilled enough with a needle to not worry about it. Besides, the worst that could happen was a little prick, and Baobhan could handle much worse than that.

From her bag, she pulled out her sketchbook and flipped to the drawing she had worked on in art class. It was a simple but elegant dress, with few frills or layers. It wasn’t something Baobhan would ever plan to wear herself, but she decided she wanted to test how long of a dress she could make. Even masters have to practice the basics of their craft every once in a while. The only downside to practice like this was that it resulted in a full dress that no one in the family would use.

Baobhan took out her fabrics and scissors. After cutting them to the proper length requirements, Baobhan stared at the two long pieces of silk that lay out before her. She didn’t know why anyone would wear something so basic, and she was beginning to doubt that she even needed the practice. However, her mother had always told her to always finish everything she started herself. So Baobhan began to sew the two pieces of fabric together.

About halfway through, her phone rang. This startled Baobhan, causing her to prick herself with the needles she was holding. She looked over at the source of the sound, rubbing the sore spot on her leg where the needle had poked her, and saw that she had received a text. She wasn’t used to this, of course. Up until today her mother and siblings were the only phone numbers she had, and none of them needed to text her when they were all at home.

The message was from Barghest, and Baobhan smiled as she put away her sewing kit to read it. She assumed that normal teenage girls didn’t get this excited at a text from their friend, but Baobhan didn’t care. No one outside her family had messaged her before. To Baobhan, this was a momentous milestone. She quickly opened her phone to see what her friend had sent her.

My parents won’t be home tonight. Do you think you can hang out with me for a bit?

Baobhan’s grin grew. She knew she had promised to come over if Barghest ever asked, but she didn’t expect the first time to be tonight. She rushed over to her closet to throw on some pants as she typed out a response.

Of course! It might be a bit though, how soon are you fine with me being there?

Baobhan continued to get dressed as she waited for Barghest to respond.

As soon as you’re comfortable with.

Baobhan grinned even more as Barghest sent her address. Her friend had no idea how soon she was comfortable with heading over. After tying her sneakers, she slipped her phone in her pocket and bolted out of her room. She made sure to grab her car keys, almost running into one of the maids as she did so.

“Lady Baobhan Sith,” the maid said, glaring at the young girl. “Please be mindful of where you are going. And what’s gotten you in such a rush?”

“Apologies,” Baobhan said in embarrassment. “A friend invited me to her house for the evening. Tell mother I won’t be back until later.”

The maid’s orange eyes softened as she nodded. “Ah, of course. I’ll be sure to do that. Have fun, and stay safe.”

Baobhan thanked the servant for her concern and continued rushing to her car - although now more mindful of her surroundings. When she got to the garage she saw her shiny, hot pink convertible sitting magnificently where she had left it. One of the perks of being rich, Baobhan had found, was that if she wanted something insanely expensive, like a custom-colored brand new car, she could just get it. Of course there were limits to how much and how often she could treat herself like that, but her family’s money was practically infinite so it didn’t really matter.

As she drove, Baobhan found herself going at the same speed Gawain went at. It was different when she was behind the wheel, for some reason. When Gawain drove she felt panicked and in danger. Now she felt free and comfortable, with her hair blowing nicely in the wind. Maybe she could understand why her brother would risk arrest for this feeling.

Barghest’s house actually wasn’t too far away from where Baobhan lived. It wasn’t surprising, considering most students of Camelot City Academy were from wealthy families, but Baobhan appreciated the short drive nevertheless. Barghest’s estate was bordered by a massive golden gate, which Baobhan had to be let through by one of her friend’s servants. The land itself was much smaller than what the Le Faes owned, but it still dwarfed the space Baobhan had used to live in. Overall Baobhan thought her friend's house would be one hell of a place for a slumber party.

As she parked her car in the small driveway near the front deck, she noticed a second, smaller fence near the backyard. Inside, Baobhan could see several dogs all running around and playing with each other. She made note of the pack of hounds Barghest had at her disposal, and gently waltzed towards the front door. Baobhan was slightly startled when she saw a huge knocker on the door with the face of a hound. She had them at home, of course, but she had never needed to use them, so she didn’t know how.

Instead, Baobhan gently pressed the small doorbell next to the door. She could hear it ring throughout the house, and waited patiently for her friend to answer. It didn’t take long for Barghest to make her way downstairs to greet Baobhan.

“Oh dear,” she said when she saw her friend’s face. “I didn’t expect you to be here so soon. Sorry, I was in the process of getting dressed.”

Baobhan looked to see that her friend was partially in uniform, and partially not. Her skirt had been traded for a pair of gray sweatpants, and her jacket had been removed. However, the undershirt of her uniform was still on, but unbuttoned to a dangerous degree where Baobhan could almost see much more of her friend than she wanted. She averted her eyes as Barghest noticed the problem. The blonde girl blushed and covered up her chest.

“Give me a few moments to finish. You can wait in the living room, and I’ll be right with you,” she said.

“Oh, yeah, sure of course,” Baobhan said as she followed Barghest inside. “Take your time.”

She took a seat on a fine silk couch and watched as Barghest bounced up the stairs towards her room. Once she had gone, Baobhan continued to observe the decor of her friend’s house. It was eerily similar to the decorations within her own home, although with a stronger emphasis on dogs than the knights and fairies that the Le Fae household had. On each side of the couch Baobhan was sitting on, were two bronze busts of what looked to be a mastiff and a wolf. Behind her was a painting of a man hunting with his hounds.

The other side of the room mirrored this, with a wide flat screen tv on the wall across from the doorway. It was smaller than the one in her own home, but still didn’t understand what someone would possibly want such a huge television screen for. The furniture, carpet, and wallpaper were all a gradient of black, blue, and pink. Baobhan didn’t expect those colors to work on paper, but the room looked quite nice. It didn’t take long for Barghest to come back and distract Baobhan from her appreciation of the room.

“Apologies for that,” Barghest said. Her unbuttoned undershirt had been replaced by a blue pullover hoodie. “I honestly didn’t think you’d get here so quickly.”

“We live in the same area, so i don’t know what you expected,” Baobhan said calmly.

“Well, yes, but still. You didn’t speed here, did you?” Barghest’s voice was concerned.

“Pfft, so what if I did? Not like the cops bother to patrol this place.”

Barghest frowned at Baobhan Sith’s carelessness. “Even so, it’s bad practice.” She smiled in an attempt to not scare off her friend by being overly controlling. “So,” she asked. “What do you want to do?”

Baobhan looked at her expectantly. “This is your house isn’t it? What is there?”

Barghest blushed. “I, um, don’t actually know. I’ve never really had a friend over before. Mélusine’s always so busy. I’m not sure what standard hang out activities are for girls our age. I was hoping you’d know that.”

Baobhan shook her head. “Nope, sorry. I’ve never really gone to someone else’s house like this before either.”

The two looked at each other, unsure what to say. Despite how excited they both had been moments prior, neither one was prepared for this level of awkwardness.

Chapter 10: The Fang Family Mansion

Notes:

Hiya~, it's me. Been awhile since I updated this. I wanna say I got hit by a car or something like a typical AO3 author but truth was I just forgot. I'm hoping to at least get a couple more chapters out by the end of the year, but ts finals seasons so who knows.

The two spent half an hour bouncing ideas off of each other. For some reason nothing they said worked. Either one wasn’t into it, or they didn’t have the materials. They entertained the idea of going out for something briefly, but they both agreed that most places were too far away for them to hang out for any meaningful length of time. Eventually the two gave up and just decided to talk.

 

“So how do you like the school? It was your first day, yes?” Barghest asked.

 

“It’s certainly better than the last place I went to,” Baobhan responded. “Especially with you and Mélusine there.”

 

Barghest blush slightly and shifted in her seat. “Oh, of course. Happy to help. Did you have any friends at your old school?”

 

Baobhan gritted her teeth. It was an innocent question, of course, but it still got on her nerves. She couldn’t show Barghest that. The big girl looked too sweet for her to make her feel bad. Plus, she’d never been invited to someone’s house before. Barghest’s kindness was a nice change of pace.

 

“Yeah, of course I did,” she spat. “People loved me back there. I was constantly surrounded by them, but it wasn’t like we had any real connection. I only let them hang around to not be rude. Weren’t really in the same league as me, you know?”

 

Barghest nodded, but something made Baobhan feel she said the wrong thing. Maybe Barghest had never had any friends besides Mélusine? That was the only thing that made sense. After all, Barghest had been raised as a rich girl. Surely she felt the same sentiment Baobhan had?

 

“I see,” the large blonde said. “So I take it you’re glad to be amongst peers?”

 

Baobhan nodded. Even though she was only familiar with Mélusine and Barghest, the people there generally seemed nice, not that it mattered as much as their decorum. The height the school’s standards met Baobhan’s own, which she was glad for. All of her teachers saw the best in their students, because the best was all they’d accept. Her dumbass brothers notwithstanding, it was good to be surrounded by people who had some manner of class.

 

“Me too, although I’ve never known anything different. I like our classmates. Most of them, at least. No offense, of course.”

 

“None taken, I know how irritating they can be.”

 

She didn’t need to ask to know Barghest meant to her family. She couldn’t think of anyone else. Her brothers were a hassle. Seeing that she was living with two boys, (and two sisters that acted like boys), was an immense source of disappointment when she moved into the Le Fae mansion. She got used to it… eventually… but she didn’t have to imagine how bothersome they were for the people not in the family. Speaking of mansions, Barghest’s was quite nice. 

 

“Hey, why don’t you show me around the place?”

“You sure? It wouldn’t be that impressive by your standards.”

“Girl, I’m not asking you to impress me. I would just like to familiarize myself with the place. Plus, it might help us figure out what to do.”

Part of that was true, but secretly Baobhan was just excited to look around her second mansion. Yes, as a child of Morgan le Fae, her standards were high, but as Baobhan Sith, she had 16 years of poor living under her belt. Every mansion was impressive, because where she came from any house with two floors was considered a mansion. Being in a real one was like a dream come true. Her mother’s had class, but the Fang Family Mansion had style.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Barghest said as she began to sit up. “Well, you’ve already seen the living room, obviously, so we can skip that. Let’s start with the dining hall in the next room over.”

Baobhan followed her blonde friend into the room a couple feet away. The dining hall was about the size of the one at her place, in other words massive. Ten chairs lined each side, with one at each end. The chair at the farthest end was noticeably larger than the others, and carved to look like the maw of a fierce beast. Various pelts and other hunting trophies lined the walls, along with a few large photographs of a man (who Baobhan assumed was Barghest’s father) posing with his kills. Even though the subject matter was so gruesome, the young Le Fae couldn’t help but feel respect for the head of the house. One might find pictures of animal carcasses in the room where people eat in bad taste, but from where Baobhan stood it was a clear display of status.

“It’s a lot more impressive when it’s full. Father invites business guests over here quite frequently - I think your mother’s been here once or twice - but otherwise I prefer to eat in my room. It’s less lonely that way,” Barghest stated.

“Wouldn’t it be more lonely like that?” Baobhan asked.

 

“Not exactly. The dining hall is supposed to be used by several people, while my room is always private. It’s sort of like when you’re carrying an empty bag. You’re more aware of how little you’re carrying when there’s the capacity to carry a lot.”

 

Baobhan stared at her for a second, impressed by her analogy. It wasn’t as though she thought of Barghest as a moron, but her cleverness surprised her.

“Yes… I suppose that makes sense. Anyway, I’m surprised your father lets you eat in your room.”

 

Barghest looked shocked. “Does your mother not?”

 

“Truthfully, I’ve never asked. I just assumed she wouldn’t want me ruining my sheets.”

 

“Oh yeah, she does strike me as the proper type, but it’s not like she can’t afford replacement.”

 

Baobhan nodded. She clearly had yet to get used to the privileges of being wealthy. In her old home, she couldn’t afford to get anything replaced or cleaned. Replacements cost money, and cleaning cost time. Once, when she was six, she spilled juice on the rug in the living room. That stain was still there when Lady Morgan took her back to the city with her.

The next room Barghest showed her was the kitchen. It wasn’t notable in terms of kitchen mansions. The cooks were hard at work prepping for dinner, so the pair didn’t stick around to bother them. Most of the halls were the same old mansion halls. Fancy clockwork, articulate paintings, beautiful statues, etc. Finally they reached the library. Like most parts of the house, it was smaller than the one at Baobhan’s, but still impressive.

“Admittedly, I haven’t used this room much. I have a shelf full of silly romance stories that I’ve read all of, but most of our collection is from other members of the family.”

 

“Do you think I could come over and use it sometime?” Baobhan wanted to slap herself for the question. She had been so good about keeping her cold persona intact. “I mean, we could use it for studying or something.”

 

“That’s not a bad idea, but also if you just wanted to read what we’ve had on your own, I’m sure my father wouldn’t mind. Do you like reading?”

 

“Sort of.”

 

Reading had been her longest running hobby. Books didn’t cost much, and libraries didn’t cost at all, so it was one of the only things she could do to entertain herself in her old life. When she saw the Le Fae library, she nearly fainted. It was as big as a public library, with each member of the family having their own section in addition to the shared one. Currently, she was one third of the way through the main library, and she already had permission from both her mother and youngest sister to read through theirs when she got to it. Baobhan’s shelves were fairly blank, but that was going to change soon, given how much she could afford to splurge on this stuff.

Barghest chuckled. “I’ll check with Father in the morning then. Now, let’s head upstairs.”

 

The first room of the second floor that Barghest showcased was her room. Fairly simple, it had a large bed, a desk, and a wardrobe filled with a plethora of adorable outfits.Like the furniture downstairs, both the bed and wardrobe were accented with patterns of wild animals. The ones here seemed to be some sort of dog. The desk for some reason, was much more modern in appearance. It wasn’t an ugly desk, by any means, but the metal clashed with the wooden design of the rest of the room.

“I know how you feel, but it was a gift from the staff to celebrate me making it to highschool.”

 

“Did they think you wouldn’t?” Baobhan was concerned at the grimeness of her phrasing.

“It’s not like they doubted me, but my father became a full-time protege for my grand-father when he graduated middle school, so I guess they assumed I would do the same.”

 

“Why didn’t you?”

 

Barghest shrugged. “I’ll inherit the company eventually. Plus, my dad’s younger than his dad was at my age. He was in a bit more of a rush than I am.”

 

“You’re an only child, right?”

 

“Yes, but the maids always treated me like family. The kitchen staff taught me how to cook and bake, you know.”

 

“Oh, I would love to try some of your cooking.”

 

Barghest blushed, running a hand through her hair. “I appreciate the thought, but it’s not as though I’m very good.”

 

“I won’t judge you too harshly. I’ve made candy before but never any real cooking.”

 

They skipped her father’s room, not that Baobhan was disappointed by it. Male bedrooms tended to be… less than aesthetic. Plus, she’d feel weird creeping around the bedroom of a man who wasn’t present. She didn’t want him to think less of his daughter because she brought a nosey little peasant girl into their house. Or alternatively, he’d see that she was now a prim and proper lady, and suspect her of corporate sabotage.She definitely didn’t want to create any bad blood between him and her mother.

 

Barghest looked giddy as she led Baobhan SIth to the gym. Why the gym was on the second floor, she had no idea, but she was far from an expert on physical fitness. She did her daily yoga to make sure she stayed sexy, but the truth was she didn’t care much for working out. It made sense for Barghest to enjoy it, though. Most of the blonde’s bulk came from muscle mass, so Baobhan had always assumed it was something she put a lot of effort into. 

 

One wall of the gym was lined with machines. Various treadmills, bikes, and climbing machines made for an impressive display. On the other side were more manual pieces of equipment. That side of the room was much less interesting to the young Le Fae. The weights over there were probably heavier than she was. There was a large space in between the two rows of machinery, likely for running laps or something. The wall opposite to where the women stood was entirely encompassed by a mirror. Even though Baobhan was very confident in her figure, seeing it side-by-side to Barghest’s made her a little self-conscious.

 

“This is where I spend most of my time, if you couldn’t tell,” Barghest jokes. “A good chunk of our equipment was bought for me.”

 

“Why do you like working out so much, if you don’t mind me asking?”

 

“Well, at first it was just something I could do with my dad. Obviously when I was little, I couldn’t help with any of the business stuff, but I could run around while he lifted weights. Over time it just became part of my regular routine. It’s just so invigorating, being in tune with your body like this. Really gets the blood pumping, you know?”

 

Baobhan laughed at her friend’s cliched wording. The first half of what she said was really sweet, however. She wished she had something like that she could do with her mother, at least on the regular.

“How about we do some sets together, or whatever it is you gymfreaks say,” Baobhan suggested. “You could do your normal routine while I try out the treadmill or something.”

 

“You sure? Don’t force yourself just because I said it was my favorite activity.”

 

“Sure, I’m sure. I skipped my daily exercise anyway, so this is a good way to hit two birds and one stone.”

 

With the two in agreement, the rest of the evening was spent working up a sweat. Like she said, Baobhan Sith spent most of her time pacing on the treadmill, while Barghest managed to put time into all of the equipment. While they trained, they talked about their classmates, as all teenage girls do. They were in agreement that most of the boys sucked. As their only mutual friend, they both spoke very highly of Mėlusine, although Barghest’s comments seemed a little too interested. 

 

When Barghest’s father arrived, Baobhan Sith bid her goodbyes. As she drove home she thought about how good her first day was. She had made two new friends, and her schedule was delightful. Sure, her siblings had caused problems, but they were all relatively minor. Plus, it provided her some nice entertainment when it didn’t interfere with her studies. To add to it, next week she started clubs, and could make even more friends!

 

Life was good for Baobhan Sith of the Le Fae Family.

Chapter 11: Sewing: Start!

“Do anything fun over the weekend?” Mélusine asked.

It was the dawn of the second week of Baobhan Sith’s first year at Camelot City High. Thursday and Friday weren’t as eventful as that first Wednesday, but neither were they disappointing. Baobhan went to her classes, chatted with her friends at lunch, and then did schoolwork when she got home. Being only the first week, there wasn’t much to be done, but she still tried to put a good hour or two in the library researching topics that she suspected would be covered in class. She put significant effort into reviewing her literature, with the hopes that the next quiz would be witten, and she could actually show her teacher that she was smarter than Artoria was.

“Not really. My sisters and I went to the movies, but it wasn’t anything special. Mordred and Gareth seemed to like it, but it was much too flashy for me,” the crimson-haired junior answered. “Other than that it was kind of lazy. Just laid around reading and drawing.”

Mélusine raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you could draw.”

“Only slightly,” Baobhan said with a shrug. “I’ve got this sketchbook that I use to design clothes, but I wouldn’t call myself an artist.”

“Oh, so you’re a seamstress. You planning on joining the sewing club?”

Baobhan nodded. Today was not only the first Monday of the school year, but also the first day clubs were open. After her last class, she would head to the sewing room, where she could start a new project and hopefully make new friends. She never really knew anyone who liked to sew in her hometown. It was always viewed as a “posh” hobby. She never knew why. Everyone needed to know how to sew, in her opinion. It was a common home skill. She didn’t get to actually make anything she designed till Morgan took her in. Guess she was somewhat posh now.

“That’s so cool,” Mélusine continued. “Hey, sometime would you mind making me some clothes I could wear to formal parties? I’ll pay you, of course. It’s just hard to find clothes for someone my size that are still… mature looking.”

The emotions swelling in her chest were something the young Le Fae had never felt before. It was like there was a ship captained by pride and manned by belonging was sailing through a sea of embarrassment. Her friend hadn’t even seen her work, yet she wanted her to make a dress for her? And not just that, but she was willing to pay for it as well? She couldn’t help but smile.

“I don’t mean to pull the do-you-know-who-I-am card, but do you know who I am? Even if I needed the money, I wouldn’t take it. We’re friends, so I’ll make whatever you want me to. Within reason, of course.”

Mélusine’s eyes lit up, but before she could say anything the bell rang. The two scrambled to their feet, agreeing to continue the conversation later. For the rest of the day, Baobhan could only focus on drawing up designs for her friend. It occurred to her that she had never designed clothes for anyone other than herself. She decided Mélusine would look better in a suit than a dress, but other than that she had no idea what she was doing. Measurements were one thing, but she hadn’t the foggiest clue how to make a design that worked with her proportions.

⋯

“Do you think you could do this for me eventually, too?” Barghest asked at lunch. Once the three had finished eating, she had agreed to help Baobhan with recording Mélusine’s sizes. Baobhan would hold the tape, and Barghest would write down what she said. They got some odd looks, but no one gave them any trouble. Students did weird shit in the lunchroom all the time.

“Sure! You’ve got the same problem Mellie does, right? Sleeve length’s 46 inches,” Baobhan spoke as she wrote. “I mean, it’s hard for you to find the right size, not that you’re tiny. You’re not tiny. Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just a fact. Chest is 28.5 inches.”

“Hey! Don’t go shouting that out!” Mélusine protested.

“Calm your tits, it’s not like anyone heard. Doubt anyone would care if they did. Leg inseam is 27”

“I’ll have you know my tits are very calm and very sought after. They might not be as big as Barghest’s but they’re still some high quality milk bags.”

“Are mine really that big?” Barghest squeaked, frowning at her chest.

“Girl, yes!” the red and white duo said in unison. Neither could believe their friend was asking such a question.

“Like I said, it’s not a bad thing,” Baobhan clarified. “Just the truth.”

“Yeah! We love a thicc queen!” 

“Hey, I wouldn’t say I’m that dumb.”

“Thicc with a c, dumbass.”

“Thick already has a c, Mellie.”

“You know what I mean!”

Baobhan snickered as her friends bickered. How long had it been since she had hung out with people like this? She couldn’t think of a time where she genuinely enjoyed someone else’s company like she did with Mélusine and Barghest. That made her a little sad, but she didn’t let it show. She was having a good time in the moment, so she needn’t ruin it by thinking of the past. Through the rest of her work, she kept quiet and listened as her friends entertained each other, only speaking to tell Barghest their friend’s size. 

Barghest handed Baobhan’s sketchbook back to her as she sat down. Bao admired the stylization of the numbers that her friend had jotted down. She had good handwriting, if it was a bit faint. Baobhan could still make out the measurements, so it didn’t matter in the end. She would have to come up with designs later. She slipped the book into her bag, and spent the rest of her lunch chatting with her friends. 

She was too giddy to pay attention to the other half of her classes.No, giddy wasn’t quite the right word. That implied too much happiness. While Baobhan Sith was happy at the potential for new friends, especially ones that had similar interests to her, she was also extremely nervous. What if she was the only one that signed up? What if the other members of the club were so much better than her that they didn’t want to talk to her? What if they already knew each other and her presence just upset the vibe? Thoughts like these plagued her mind until the bell finally rang.

Theater was her last class, which meant she had to walk far longer than she wanted to get to the room for the sewing club. It was kind of impressive, the clubs at Camelot City Academy each got their own dedicated rooms. At Bao’s old school, they had to make use of the same classrooms that the teachers were using just moments prior. One of the reasons she had never joined was because it seemed like too much of a pain to set up everything.

The walk to the clubroom hall took about five minutes. This was mainly because Bao was still unfamiliar with the layout of the campus, but she still wasn’t happy about how long it took. She knew it would become easier as the year went on, yet she was still worried that she would be late like this every day. It also didn’t help that the sewing room was on the second floor, which she was only now finding out.

When she got there, the room seemed quiet. She felt her heartbeat rise. Had she missed the meeting? Maybe the club leader was sick and they just weren’t able to get the head’s up to her. She pressed her head against the window on the door to see if she could see anyone, but most of the inside wasn’t visible. 

“You, uh, looking for somebody?” a voice called out from behind.

Baobhan spun around with a jolt. Standing there was a girl with long pink hair and vibrant red eyes. Shockingly, she was even shorter than Mellie. If she weren’t wearing their school uniform, Bao would have assumed she was a middle-schooler. 

“No! I mean, yes! I mean,” she gulped. “I was just seeing if anyone was inside.”

“Well, yeah, I could see that,” the girl snickered. “Why?”

“Oh, well, it seemed pretty quiet so I was concerned-”

“The clubroom’s still taken, sorry. Should have cleared it with Miss Crane before the semester started.”

Baobhan’s heart finally slowed. “So there is a meeting today?”

“Only one other person’s showing up, but yeah, there is. Don’t sound so surprised.”

“Oh, phew. I thought I had missed it.”

Now it was the girl’s turn to be surprised. She stared at Baobhan for a moment before asking, “Are you Baobhan?”

“Baobhan Sith, yeah. How’d you know?”

“Shit, I’m sorry. I just assumed you were another one of those jerks making fun of the sewing club.”

“They are people doing that?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe. Here, come in.”

Bao stepped aside so the girl could unlock the door. Stepping inside, she could finally see the rest of the room. There were four tables, like the ones she had seen in her science lab. Most of them were covered by tarp, but the one that wasn’t had two sewing machines on opposite corners. The girl set her bag on the open space next to one of them, and Bao followed suit.

“Over on the wall is where we keep the cutting station and the fabrics, and any other supplies you might need. If we’re ever out of something, just let me know and I’ll tell Miss Crane to grab it for us. Or, if you see her in the halls, you can tell her yourself. She’s the redhead in white, hard to miss.”

“Thanks, but I’ll probably just buy it myself,” Bao stated as she crouched near the fabric shelf. She knew she wouldn’t find anything better than what she had stocked at home, but she was surprised to see some overlap in the brands she favored. She figured this Miss Crane lady would have shopped at some lower-end stores, but it seemed she frequented the same place Baobhan did.

“Are you sure? She’s kinda loaded.”

Bao snickered. “I guarantee that she’s not as stacked as me.”

“Oh yeah, you’re… Tristan’s sister?”

Baobhan stood up to stare at the other club member. “What? No. Gawain’s my brother, not that emo fuckboy.”

“Ah, right, ‘Le Fae’. I forgot.” The girl shook her head. “My bad. I knew it was one of those guys, just assumed it was Tristan because of your hair. Yeah, you guys are rich. Only reason I’m able to attend here is because my mom works for your’s.”

Baobhan wondered if their hair was really that similar, but before she could ask, the girl continued.

“Anyway, my name’s Habetrot. I’m the president of the sewing club. Should’ve introduced myself sooner, sorry.”

“You’re fine.” Bao told her. 

She grabbed two rolls of blue fabric and brought them over to her side of the table. Looking at her notebook, she drew marks for where she needed to cut each piece. She wanted to start with the basic parts of Mélusine’s dress first. She had a feeling this wouldn’t be her last attempt, so she wanted to hold off on the accents and ruffles until she was confident she wouldn’t be wasting cloth.

The two worked individually on their own projects. Occasionally, one would glance at what the other was crafting, but for the most part no words were exchanged. It seemed Habetrot was continuing a project she had already started. She was diligently working away at what appeared to be a simple white apron. Given the black skirt on the dress form behind her, Baobhan assumed she was making some sort of maid’s outfit. 

“So, you said it’s just going to be the two of us?” Baobhan asked. After about twenty minutes, she remembered that she came here to make more friends, and decided to engage in smalltalk with her clubmate.

“Yeah, pretty much. Occasionally Miss Crane will drop by, but we’re the only club members for now.”

“Seems kind of small, no?”

Habetrot chuckled. “You’re telling me. Last year it was much fuller, but all the other members graduated. So now it’s just me, the de facto leader.”

Baobhan didn’t like the sound of that. Judging by her ribbon, Habetrot was a year above her, which meant next year she’d be all alone in this club. If that was the case, she’d probably just pick something else and work on her sewing at home.

“Anything we can do to get more members?” she asked.

The president sighed. “Not now, no. People already signed up for all their clubs. Students are technically able to change mid-semester, but it's unlikely.”

“So much for making a ton of new friends who all love sewing.” 

Baobhan put her head in her hands. She should have figured this club would be on the more niche side of things, but she didn’t think it would be this bad. Maybe tomorrow she’d make some friends who also picked Archery as their sports club at random, but it wouldn’t solve the issue of not having anyone she could talk to about sewing. She could try getting her sisters into it, but both of them were far too tomboyish for it to stick.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Habetrot sitting in the chair next to her. Up close like this, Bao could see that the rest of the girl’s face betrayed the maturity in her eyes. Agravin had once told her that eyes were the window to the soul. She always thought that was too edgy to be true, but if it was a real thing, Habetrot was a lot lonelier than her childish smile showed. 

“Hey, you got me, that’s not nothing, right?” she asked. Baobhan noticed that she was holding up a scrap of paper with some scribbles on it. “You’ve got a phone right? We only have club meetings a couple times a week, but this way you can call me whenever you need advice or something.” 

“Oh, thank you.” 

Baobhan took the paper and quickly made a new contact for Habetrot. While she did so, her new friend hopped down from the seat and went back to working on her maid dress. Now that they had broken the silence, Baobhan felt less awkward about asking what it was for.

“Oh this?” Habetrot asked. “A girl in one of my classes got a new job as a maid, so I told her I could make a dress for free if she helped me with my homework.”

“How nice of you,” Bao said, continuing her own project. “I’m doing something similar for a friend. She’s on the shorter side and apparently she has a lot of trouble finding outfits that fit her.”

“God, I feel that,” Habetrot giggled. “Hard to imagine anyone who has that problem worse than I.”

“Oh yeah, she’s not as short as you, but she’s still fairly tiny. Actually, I think she’s in your grade. You’re a senior, right?”

Habetrot nodded. “Let me guess, Mélusine? I know her, but I don’t know if we’ve ever talked. Now that you mention it though, I think that blonde girl was a junior too. Forgot her name though. I should probably get better at that, huh?”

The two laughed and continued working on their individual dresses until it was time for the school to close. When Baobhan got home, she messaged the groupchat she shared with Mellie and Baggie about her first day in the sewing club. She also sent the former some pictures of the dress prototype. Understandably, Mélusine didn’t understand much about what she was looking at, but she seemed to appreciate the effort her friend was putting in nevertheless.