Light in the Shadows

Life is anything but fair; I have known this my whole life. As I sat in the small class, I knew that everyone here was a victim. The difference between me and the ten other students is that I was a victim of my own actions, while they had been victimized. The class had children ranging from twelve to sixteen. A glowing tablet computer set on each of our desks as we worked on our assignments. "Mr. Taylor, could you focus on your work, please?" Mr. Orang asked. Mr. Orang was unusually thin and nearly seven feet tall. His face was pinced from lack of nutritian and he was missing a finger on his right hand. He was yet another victim of the Fae wars. A series of conflicts that wasn't taught in normal schools, but my school wasn't normal. I sighed. Math bored me. It wasn't that I found it hard. It was simply tedious. I prefer biology, you see, I can edit life, so biology is useful to me. Sandra glanced at me, her skin was paler than it should be, she'd need a treatment soon. She was a class of Fae touched, that leached life from things, to keep her from killing anything she touched, I could give her a treatment that sustained her for a month. Six of the other children in the room were cursed with this ability and were not able to go to normal schools. Sarena wasn't cursed in any way but she was thirteen despite the fact that she had been captured in the year fifteen-twenty. She was still trying to get accustomed to modern life. The other two students chose to be here. They could blend with normal people, but still suffered trauma from their time with the Fae. I was the only student here not touched by the Fae, but I wasn't normal. I didn't really expect to live a normal life. Compared to my earlier childhood, this life was good. I turned my attention back to math. Fortunately, the bell rang a few moments later. I turned off my tablet. Mia was waiting for me in the hall. She wasn't my age, but we got along. Like me, she wasn't Fae touched, we were also both mages, but I had other abilities that meant that she was as different from me as we were alike. She was in her early twenties and hot. "I think I found it!" She exclaimed. "He lives in Princeton," She said. "Are you sure? No one even knows what I am. How can you be sure anyone like me exists?" I asked. She whisked a hand through her short, blonde hair and flashed a smile. "My specialty is finding things. You know that." She replied as she handed me an envelope. "I need to talk to Stephen," I said. Mia nodded. "Yes, the king has been informed, but you should speak with him." I looked at my smartwatch. I had thirty minutes before I had martial training. I sighed and walked to the elevator. "Stephen is expecting you, the receptionist said as I stepped into the large waiting room on the thirtieth floor of the building. The woman was mundane, one of the normal people who worked here, but she knew what we were. Camelot accepted anyone. I nodded and walked down the short corridor that lead to a door that had Dr. Stephen Phelps written on a nameplate. Stephen was a real Doctor, well a Psychologist, but he was also King of Camelot. I can't explain it all now, but in time you will understand. I knocked. "Come in, David." Stephen said. I hesitated before pushing the door open. Stephen looked up from his computer as I entered the room. "Take a seat, David." He said motioning to a comfortable chair facing his desk. "Mia has informed me that she has found the one she was seeking. I know you will want to meet him. I have prepared a letter of introduction to him. I want you to know that what ever you decide is fine." "I swore the oath of Camelot," I said. "Many people who have sworn the oath choose to live somewhere else and we have no idea what this man is like. If you would prefer, I can reach out to him." He offered. "No, I want to introduce him to Camelot. Do you know how I will travel?" I asked. Stephen nodded. "We have an outpost a few hours from Princeton. There is a strong supernatural community there that we keep an eye on. We haven't officially introduced ourselves to the community. You may be our ambassador." He replied. I stood. "I want to talk to my friends." Stephen nodded. "You don't have to go." "I appreciate what you've done for me, I do. But I need someone that can understand what I am. You all accept me and that means a lot, but no one here understands me. I don't even understand me." I replied. "Our doors are always open. Before you leave stop by the armory, I have a few things for you." Stephen said.