65: What the Faeries Saw
“It’s okay,” said John, “I’m still not used to the whole telepath thing. I didn’t think I was so bad at keeping my thoughts to myself!” Has she always been able to hear everything? Oh no, what if she’s…oh no!
“Your personal barriers have been weakened,” sad Faye, “But this is not your fault,”
“It’s that Adonis!” said Phantasia, “He’s messing around with people. We can’t trust him!”
John was concerned. “Mr Adonis is bad? He didn’t seem like it to me,” I was starting to like him, actually.
“Remember that myself and Princess Phantasia are capable of detecting forces invisible to the average human,” said Faye, “We have reason to question his actions, and the methods behind them. This is why we require your assistance,”
John sat down at the kitchen table, pushed aside some technological devices to make space for his laptop, and switched his computer to life. “So what do you want to know?” he asked.
“All data you have collected,” said Faye, “We also require his information from the Academy records,”
John paused mid-keystroke and turned to look at Faye over the rim of his glasses. “W-wait, you want me to access the Academy’s files?”
“Yes,”
John turned back to his computer. “B-but if my old man finds out…”
“He will not,”
“How do you know?”
“I know,”
John was not convinced, but was prepared to do as she asked and began the process to access the Academy records. It is Faye, he thought, I can’t let her down, can I? Wait, if she hears that…
Acknowledging his thoughts would only waste time, so Faye remained quiet and forced a smile when he looked at her for reassurance. John had developed an attachment that meant he would act illogically, and against his own better judgement, if it would improve her opinion of him. Such weaknesses were easy to exploit.
“You know I haven’t really been keeping tabs on what I’ve recorded,” he said as he worked the computer, “I mean I’m always recording, so I’ve got something, but I’ve not checked it over. I mean, it’s Mr Adonis, what is there to be suspicious about?”
“Do you admire him?” asked Faye. It was an opportunity to observe the effect Mr Adonis had on the students.
“I guess so,” replied John, “I’m not sure why, I just do. I went to his concert yesterday and one of his songs…well…” This is embarrassing! “It…touched my heart,” I can’t believe I just said that! “I’ve never felt that from music before. It’s like the lyrics were meant to me alone…” Theseus will never let me live this down if he finds out…
Phantasia popped up from her interactions with the dog. “Lyrics?” she asked.
Faye, too, was wondering the same question: Mr Adonis had not sung a single word in the three hours fifty-seven minutes they had spent observing him.
John did not reply. He was focused on the laptop screen. “Well, anyway, here’s the Academy records,” he said, “It’s…kinda blank?”
Adonis. SEELIE-endorsed temporary assignment (verified)
A single sentence. Not what Faye expected of the Academy database. That the database told her Adonis was ‘verified’ was not enough to prove he was.
“This is their file on me,” said John, showing her a screen filled with information, statistics and charts, “Figure their staff profiles would’ve been even more thorough,”
“That is a logical assumption,” said Faye.
