Connection - Golden Lycans Sequel 3/3 [in progress]

Be Kind

***Ophelia***

After a couple of days getting settled into the flat and exploring the campus as a group of four, it was time for classes to officially start. Classes were starting on a Wednesday, which I found weird, but a few texts from mum had explained to me that they weren't proper classes just yet, just mandatory explanations of the upcoming syllabus.

..

"I think I already miss a uniform," I comment as I leave my room.

"You had a uniform at college? Which fancy pants college did you go to?" Maddy asks.

"Exton," I reply automatically, causing Maddy to almost drop her spoon.

"No way! I heard a rumour that Ella Landry's eldest daughter went there, same year as us. I have no idea what her name is, but you must've known her...if it's true?" Maddy says at lightning speed. Oh lord, why did I mention the uniform? Why did I even mention the school?

"Er, yeah...she did. I mean she just kinda kept her head down and avoided people, so...no, I didn't know her. I can’t remember her name to be honest," I reply dismissively.

"Landry has a daughter our age?" Ares wonders out loud, looking keenly interested in the answer to this question.

"Yeah, she does. But she and that DILF husband of hers notoriously keep their kids under wraps so no one really knows much about any of them," Maddy says. I cringe internally a little at hearing her refer to my dad as a 'DILF'.

"That’s true. My dad refused to ever say anything about Landry's kids, especially the eldest, actually. Bet people expect a lot from her," Ash says casually, starting to eat what looks like an entire carton of eggs.

I am starting to feel uncomfortable.

"So...I've got Biological Principles first. Has anyone else got that too?" I ask, changing the subject. Ares waves a spoon in the air while he chews his cereal.

"Nooo, I've got Sociology first. That's a bummer," Maddy sighs sadly, although I am not too disappointed.

"Oh, so do I, are you also in 'group C', Maddy? It’s mentioned on the top of the page," Ash asks. Maddy looks around her timetable.

"Oh. Yeah, looks like it," she replies.

"Fancy sitting together?" Ash offers.

"Absolutely, and if you’re really good, Ash, perhaps I’ll sit on your lap?" Maddy says. I choke on my mouthful of breakfast.

"You're so thirsty...I've not met anyone like you," I laugh.

"Has anyone?" Ash jokes. The rest of us laugh. Maddy just looks at us all and smiles.

"Oh, please. I just voice my inner thoughts, which most people are too afraid to do. It's only been a few days, but I'm sure even one of you has already looked at someone else sat at this breakfast bar and considered...something," Maddy points out, "I have, and I am not afraid to admit it. We should never be afraid of our basic urges. So, I am not afraid to tell you, Ash, that I think you are an absolute masterpiece of a man, and I would never get tired of looking at you."

Ash looks a little surprised by her brazen comment as she gets off the stool and puts her things into the dishwasher.

"Thanks..." he says quietly as she walks off toward her bedroom, dragging her hand across Ares' upper back on her way past. He looks rather startled at her touch, and I am starting to wonder if mum's friend Clara was anything like Maddy.

I continue to chew my granola as the three of us sit there in silence. Ash promptly finishes his eggs and puts his plate into the dishwasher too, before going off to his room.

I look along the bar toward Ares.

His shoulders are a little hunched in his navy hoody, and he is pushing cereal around his bowl. He was very quiet, but it sounded like the poor guy had probably just been buried in books for the last few years, with rather limited social experiences. Maddy had now drawn attention to this in the most awkward way, several times since we got here. He had joined in with the rest of us over the last few days, but he hadn't said much, he mostly just listened.

Before I can say anything to him, he swiftly sorts his bowl out and heads straight into his room, shutting the door carefully. My phone chirps and I look at it. It's a text from mum.

Mum: We hope this morning goes well for you. You can always grab free coffee and cake from the 'Grub Hub' if you use the special phrase 'java java'.

"Oh wow, that's lame," I mutter to myself. Grub Hub? Java java...?

I go into my room and double-check my clothes and my makeup. I wasn't a proper girly girl, but I did like to try. I wasn't a slob like one of my younger sisters, but I definitely wasn't as stylish as my aunts. I add some more things into my satchel and slip my trainers on, along with a chunky knit cardigan. I exit my room just as Ares comes out of his.

"Shall we. Well, can we...are you okay...to walk there together?" he asks me rather awkwardly.

"Yeah, let’s go," I reply brightly to him, feeling that I can only encourage him at this point.

Shortly we are walking along one of the many paths, me with a map in hand, toward one of the bigger lecture theatres. It is still mild outside, but the sun has hidden itself behind the clouds. The time of wearing shorts was definitely coming to an end sooner than I would have liked.

"How are you finding it so far?" I finally ask, looking at Ares briefly as we walk. He looks back at me for a moment too, before he shrugs.

"Uhh...good. Mostly. I think I was ill-prepared for someone like Madeleine," he admits with a laugh. I laugh.

"Yeah, she's a lot, that's for sure. I am sure she's got a good heart underneath, though," I suggest brightly.

"Oh, she does," he says quite firmly, as if he knew that for certain.

"You sound very sure of that, when so far she has been a little...unkind," I reply. Ares smiles and nods as we walk along past a small flower garden.

"Madeleine is a very dynamic individual, which is why she will make an excellent physician. She does not think much before she talks, which will definitely get her into trouble in a professional setting, but underneath the bravado, she is just like the rest of us. Trying to figure herself out. Once she does, she will be excellent," he says thoughtfully. Evidently, he has been thinking a lot about us all, as silent as he has been.

When we reach the building, he automatically opens the door for me, and we walk into the lecture theatre together. The room is huge. Actually huge. I'd seen lecture theatres before, but this was big. There are even screens hanging from the ceiling towards the back, in order to give those at the back a better view of the front.

"I wonder if they're planning to hold conferences here or something," I wonder out loud.

"From what I can tell about Ella Landry, I could imagine that happening," Ares replies as we sit down and start taking out our laptops.

"Intriguing, what do you know of her?" I ask innocently, interested to hear Ares’ perspective of my mother. He smiles thoughtfully.

"She is undoubtedly a visionary. She has a clear goal of how the world ought to be, and she is going to do whatever she can to achieve it. The good thing is, her vision is the right one. Not many visionaries before her can truly say that," he states simply.

"That's...accurate," I admit, quite chuffed to hear someone speak of my mother that way.

There is a loud feedback sound from the front of the theatre as whoever it is at the front tests the microphone. People start to fall silent as the last few students take their seats.

"Good morning. Good, the microphone is working. Wouldn't be ideal for the first day, would it?" the man jokes.

"Welcome to Biological Principles. There are five different groups of you as it is one of the core subjects needed for every single one of the courses we offer here at Vale. To understand the basic principles of how our bodies work, human, lycan, witch, elf, mermaid...we have an exhaustive list...we need to know it all if we want to have any hope in hell at working with the vast range of people we live with on this planet. Am I right?" There are some mutterings of agreement and Ares sits forward in his seat as the projector displays the plan for the next few weeks.

"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Dean. I'm a prominent Warlock within the Cumbria coven. For those Lycan inclined, consider me like a beta. I am loosely related to our Vice-Chancellor here. We both have the same cousin and I believe he is planning to come talk to you about hybrids in the next few weeks. The majority of our guest speakers will be people who personally know her. They have volunteered to come here to speak to you. They aren't paid, they simply share our vision here and want to broaden people's minds, and if you've read the charter, you know that is our second aim here. As you can see behind me, we will be covering almost every species that we can throughout this first year. Alongside it, we will, of course, cover the basic biology of all of us as humanoids, for there is a fair bit of overlap, as you can imagine. An intriguing amount of overlap, actually. Evidently there are some species out there which are less humanoid, and we will cover them later on in the course once you have mastered the basics." He changes the slide to the next one.

"I know. I know. This stuff is boring. Your first week here is going to be like this because we have to outline the syllabus. So that you know what to expect from us, and then we will tell you what we expect from you. Next week is when things are going to get interesting. So, if you wondered why Freshers Evening with wine and nibbles is scheduled for tonight...now you know..."

..

After class, I do feel sufficiently bored out of my mind, having read too many slides about what we are going to be doing in the coming months.

"My goodness, that was mind-numbing," I declare as we exit into the sunshine, "I am in desperate need of a coffee."

"That was quite taxing to sit through," Ares agrees, a rather zoned out look on his own face.

"Apparently, there is a place called the 'Grub Hub' here that does coffee, hopefully it's good coffee," I add as I take the map out my back pocket. I gesture for us to take another path, and we walk together to the cafe. Walking around, I was still so surprised by the abundance of life around the place. It reminded me heavily of our gardens at home and as boring as the first session had been, I was still managing to feel relaxed and excited.

"I mean this is a cringey name for a cafe," I mutter with a little laugh, as once again Ares kindly opens the door for me, "thank you."

He was definitely a little weird, but so far totally harmless. Polite and quiet, yet apparently very observant.

Maybe in a few weeks he'd open up a bit more?

"What would you like to drink?" I ask as we put our bags down by one of the many white circular tables within the cafe. Like many of the buildings it is a circular building, and the walls are entirely glass with the kitchen and service area located in the middle.

"Oh, you do not have to buy me one," he immediately says.

"Ares…I want to," I tell him with a smile. He nods and relents.

"Okay, that would be very appreciated, thank you. I would prefer a mocha if they do it, but otherwise I would also enjoy a latte," he says.

"Another coffee drinker! Well I think we will get on just fine. Although, you'll notice I will go hard on double espressos during exam season," I joke lightly before I leave the table, I wander up to the counter and wait for a minute or two until it's my turn.

"Hi there, what can I get for you?" the barista asks politely.

"Before I order...java java?" I say tentatively, feeling like an absolute tit for saying it.

"Oh! Of course. What would you like?" he asks quietly. I wonder how many people are told this special phrase. A few minutes later, I am approaching the table with the drinks and two random slices of cake, noticing that Ares is on a phone call. I wonder if I should sit down or give him a minute for privacy.

"...yes, it is all going fine so far. People have mostly been very kind....yes...I mean the fact I have been homeschooled all my life has become rather evident to them....it's difficult...of course! Yes, I did go and personally thank her. It was very interesting to meet her..."

I feel like I am intruding, and I am about to turn around when Ares turns himself and notices me standing there with the coffees. He smiles at me and gestures with his head for me to sit down.

"...Yes, I have a free period at the moment. I think my classes might match up exactly with one of my roommates....her name is Lia...she is kind, yes. She has just bought me a coffee, actually....Yes, I will call you over the weekend, perhaps. I know you are always very busy....thank you for asking." He hangs up and looks thoughtful for a moment before his soft dark eyes find mine.

"That does smell like a good coffee," he remarks.

"Fingers crossed," I joke, taking a mouthful, "ooh! So, it passes the Lia test, at the very least. High praise indeed."

Ares laughs a little and takes a small mouthful himself.

"I agree, this cafe can make a good coffee," he says happily.

"So...do we have all our classes together like Maddy and Ash?" I ask. We both get up our class schedules on the app, and oddly enough, we do. We are in 'group B'. Thinking of Maddy again, I feel the need to say something about her comments while she isn’t here.

"Umm...please don't pay anything Maddy says, any mind. Please just ignore the things she comes out with. None of the things that she thinks matter, actually matter," I suddenly say, wiping some foam from around the top of my coffee glass. His expression is a little confused for a moment until realisation spreads across his face.

"Oh...that. Lia, it is fine," he says with a sigh, "her words are just words. My adolescence has admittedly been a bit...strange compared to most. I was homeschooled my whole life and I have not been around very many people before. Yes, I felt very anxious the first day, but I am slowly getting used to all of you and being here, in an environment I am not used to. So, I understand her position and, if anything, I had expected this. I am an anomaly." He sips his coffee some more and I feel a pang of pity for him, being an anomaly myself.

"I don't think you're an anomaly. Just...a little different. A world where we were all the same would be very boring. Honestly, compared to the people I grew up with, you are a little refreshing," I say reassuringly, when I think about the rambunctious and sexually deviant Lycans I have been around all my life. Ares was quite chilled out in comparison.

"Where are you from?" I ask, changing the subject. He looks unsure about responding for a moment.

"Not far, about ten miles north of here," he replies.

"Really? It's so beautiful around there, it must've been a great place to grow up," I suggest.

"Yes, it really was...for a time. It is good to be back here," he says with a nod, "how about you?"

"A fair bit further down the coast in the other direction, in a national park," I reply, not wanting to be too specific. My mind suddenly touches on that he just said 'back here'. What did that mean? Where had he been if not at home?

"So, did you live away from home for a while? Why is it good to be 'back'?" I ask. Ares looks a bit unsure about responding once again just as he finishes his coffee.

"Something like that, yeah. Somewhere nowhere near here," he says before he smiles at me briefly and gets up from the table, "thank you for the coffee, Lia. You are very kind. I need to go for a short time, but I shall see you in our next class." He then almost hurries away, and I'm left feeling a little perplexed.

..

I decide to go see my mother as I had half an hour before the next class, thinking it might also be nice to see this fancy medical centre. It wasn't going to be like a proper hospital, but I think it was still going to be run by professionals, yet largely staffed by medical students. But, I knew it would be a while before it was up and running.

I open the doors to the building and there is a well-manicured woman at the reception desk.

"Good morning, how can I help you?" she asks politely.

"Hello, uhh...is Ella Landry here?" I ask. She looks a little dubious about my question, and I'm sure she is thinking that students couldn't just come in and pester the Vice Chancellor, "...can you please tell her that Lia is here?"

A look of realisation now spreads across her face.

"Lia. Yes, of course, please follow me," she says, smiling broadly and revealing a set of very white teeth. She uses her fingerprint on a scanner and gestures for me to follow her through a corridor. She opens a door halfway down and announces my presence to the room. I approach the room and inside is my mother, getting off a chair behind a large desk.

"Lia! I'm so glad you've stopped by," she says, drawing me into a tight hug, "I'll just get all the things ready."

"Things?" I wonder as she gestures to me to sit down on a medical armchair.

"Yes Lia, you need the shot. I know it's awkward, and I'm your mum, and honestly, when your grandmother mentioned the pill to me the morning after your father marked me, I almost died inside...I get it. But, I am too young to become a grandmother and while you are very smart, and you can handle your own affairs, I just know what Lycans can be like," she rattles off awkwardly. I nod.

"It is awkward, thank you for realising that. If I just get this shot, can we not speak of that anymore?" I reply.

"Oh, absolutely. Although, I am always here for anything you ever need to talk about, Ophelia," she adds seriously.

"P.S...mum, I barely qualify as Lycan. Let alone the alpha variety. I don't think you need to worry about my behaviour," I mutter. She looks at me sadly for a moment before she draws some fluid up into a little syringe.

“Lia. Outside the parameters of what we’ve just agreed, I will tell you that I know you are no longer a virgin. So, evidently there is scope…” she says quietly. I feel my stomach drop, even though I knew she likely had figured this out from my aura...somehow. Couldn’t hide a damn thing from my aura-reading mother in particular.

“It was just one time at school,” I mumble as she flicks the syringe several times to encourage air bubbles to the top, “I thought it might…you know…I was feeling quite desperate.”

She looks at me sympathetically and nods in understanding.

"I had thought as much. But, Lia, I just know things will work out. Please trust...whatever process is in play right now. Focus on what makes you happy, focus on your studies, and I promise, something is going to happen at some point, I can just feel it," she says passionately. I nod and proceed to roll up my t-shirt sleeve.

"Has to be said...mum this place is EPIC. Unbelievable. I do feel very happy and just so chilled out here, probably because it also reminds me so much of home. The outside with all the random gardens full of plants, anyway," I gush as she starts wiping my skin with a little sterile wipe.

"You feel that way, Lia, because of the Fae in you. Whether you feel that side of yourself or not, it IS there, and so when I knew you'd be coming here, I did my damn best to make sure everything just aligned with you. I would most definitely do that for my daughter," she says, passionately once again as she sticks the needle into the muscle of my upper arm.

"So, I don't know how much Maddy is like Clara, mum. Maddy is...actually mad. She has absolutely no inhibition, no filter, some of the things she says…" I say with a short laugh.

"I know. But, I think you might notice very shortly as you start your classes, that while good physicians are academic and very level headed, some of the great physicians have good interpersonal skills. They're adaptable and they're perhaps not the most kosher in people's eyes, but truly, the best doctors I've worked with are the ones with a spark. Maddy has that spark," she says, putting a little plaster on where she'd given me the shot.

"Ash is so nice and really chilled. A bit of an old soul; he just seems so mature," I comment.

"What about your other roommate?" she asks.

"Ares? Aside from the strange name, he seems very pleasant, but some of the things he's said...I can't help but wonder what the past few years for him have been like. It's almost like he's not even been on this planet," I joke. Mum looks at me a little sternly.

"Lia, I am not at liberty to discuss other students, but...please be you; be kind. His childhood has been a little different from most, and he could really do with a friend like you," she says with a furrowed brow.

"Well, I'm sure we can be friends. He is in all my classes. But I don't mind, he might be a little bizarre, but I feel very relaxed around him,” I nod.

..

I arrive at the next, much smaller lecture hall just in time for the introduction to Sociology. I am about to sit somewhere on my own when I spot Ares, who thankfully flags me down. It was nice to know he was happy to sit with me. I was simply glad I had a human to attend classes with. I didn't know how I was going to feel when we started to cover the aspects of myself that just simply weren't there.

The lecturer, who, again, I didn't recognise, soon starts to go through the upcoming syllabus for the year. I was really intrigued to learn more about the sociology of the other species and while it was another boring session, it did well to get me excited about the next few months.

Ares and I head back to the flat for lunch, finding Ash already there making a rather protein-filled omelette.

"How many eggs do you reckon you eat on a daily basis? Maybe we need to buy a few chickens for the balcony," I joke as I spot another empty carton.

"A lot. But I will eat other things once we get our first food order through. I'm human, not Lycan, so I have to eat at least a hundred grams of protein a day to maintain. When I'm bulking it's even more," Ash replies, pouring his egg mixture around an array of chopped vegetables and bacon lardons. He glances up at Ares and smiles.

"I'm actually off to the gym after lunch if you fancy joining?" he offers. Ares wrinkles his nose.

"I have never been to a gym, but my brothers have one at home," Ares replies. Ash looks back at him, strangely happy to hear this.

"Oh, do you do calisthenics too?" he asks, almost sounding excited.

"I do not know what that is," Ares admits slowly with a furrowed brow.

"Huh. So, what do you do to have your current muscle mass?" Ash asks, clearly intrigued. Ares shrugs and looks awkwardly between me and Ash.

"Nothing..." he says slowly, "I suppose I just have good genetics."

"Gosh, if I could just train you..." Ash says, looking Ares all over, who continues to look strangely at Ash.

"You know, the gym isn't my ideal place either. But I am quite keen to join the basketball team here," I interject. Ares looks perplexed at me and I look back at him in surprise.

"Please do not tell me that you don't know what basketball is?" I ask. He looks awkward for a moment, and then I immediately remember my mum's words.

Be kind.

"I do...but I have never played it," he admits. I feel a little bit of relief at this, but I still feel the need to enlighten him.

"Well then, Ares, I would like to show you how to shoot a hoop after lunch, if you're game?" I ask him excitedly, having gone past the courts on one of our group walks two days ago. It would be nice to have someone to play with, and perhaps he might enjoy it?

..

We had about half an hour of free time before our next class. So, after lunch, I encourage Ares to allow me to show him the delights of basketball.

"So, basically...you shoot this ball through a hoop. One hoop at each end," I explain as we draw closer to the basketball court. Ares' expression is unreadable, but he's going along with it anyway. I tell him the basic rules about travelling and dribbling the ball, and he looks nervous when I get him to try dribbling the ball himself.

"I feel a little ridiculous, Lia," he admits as the ball gets away from him a few times.

"Trust me, it won't feel ridiculous when it becomes fluid," I point out. I take the ball from him and walk some way away before dribbling the ball quickly toward the hoop behind him, jumping up and taking my shot with the ball. The ball drops neatly through the hoop and I retrieve it once I have landed.

"I have a feeling I did not look as graceful as you," he says.

"No...not really, but don't worry. If you truly do have good hand-eye coordination and spatial awareness, like you said, shooting should become quite easy for you," I tell him. I gesture for him to join me on the three-point line and I show him how to hold the ball properly. I then shoot from the line, and it once again drops through the hoop. I retrieve the ball and hand it over to him.

"Come on. Take your shot," I say to him with a cheeky smile. He utters a short laugh, and he moves the ball around in his hands. He raises the ball and hesitates a little, and I watch him with bated interest as his eyes seem to be working out absolutely everything he needs in order to make the shot. He suddenly throws it, and it falls perfectly through the hoop. I wasn't expecting him to look so excited nor exclaim as loudly as he does, but I'm glad he's chuffed with his first shot through the hoop. He immediately looks awkward about his reaction.

"No, BE proud, I am glad you enjoyed that," I tell him happily, as I get the ball and then go to the centre of the court.

"That far?" he asks, unsure. I nod jovially and shoot the ball through the hoop once more.

"Perhaps you should join a team," he laughs as he gets the ball back himself. He looks unsure at first but then comes to stand next to me.

"Oh, this is good, someone is feeling bold," I tease as he once again looks rapidly with his eyes at his target. He closes his eyes, then shoots, not watching his shot at all. Once again, the ball goes in and thankfully his excitement is a little more controlled this time…but mine isn’t.

"Oh my god!" I exclaim, "HOW? I mean…gosh...I wonder if I can do that…"

He looks very happy right now, and I'm glad that I introduced him to this. I stand on the centre court, and he looks amused at me for a moment.

"You can do it," he says quietly, looking expectant. I however, am not so sure. I face forward and look at the hoop at the end, before closing my eyes right. I shoot the ball and then open my eyes, exclaiming loudly as the ball hits the board behind the hoop, missing it entirely. I look at Ares in defeat, and he shakes his head at me in amusement.

"I believe people refer to this as Beginner’s Luck?" he suggests.