Aiden
I scan the article: EMBER VULTERRA: CAN SHE LIVE UP TO HER PARENTS’ LEGACY? BY GOLDIE STARVIEW
Yesterday, Miss Vulterra finally held the press conference she promised months ago. One would hope she’d deliver on such a performance—but is the strong, fierce woman just a facade? Everyone believed the daughter of Emerald Blaze and Digger could, at least, handle her abilities, but it seems that’s not the case for the possible future Guardian. Before questions even began, a terrifying spectacle took place. Unable to control her abilities, Miss Vulterra abruptly teleported to the middle of the room, lit up like a match. Is this a sign of her incompetence? Or is it…
I throw the newspaper next to me on the bench. Dammit, Johnny! The press conference was supposed to be a turning point for Ember, but, of course, the focus would be on the strange occurrence that happened. Maybe Ember would’ve done better to bring to light what really happened. Or would it have caused a bigger scene? It’s so hard to say.
I close my eyes and lay my head on the wall behind me, letting the seconds tick by, waiting for Valentino to call me into her office for our meeting.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock. The clock in the lonely hallway mocks me.
Someone snorts. “Why are you here?”
My eyes snap open to a source of irritation: Jomo. “I think the real question is, why are you here?”
Jomo crosses his arms and narrows his yellow eyes. “Valentino wanted to see me.”
Great. Valentino must want to talk to both of us regarding last week. I eye Jomo, mainly for any signs of injuries. If he is still suffering, he’s sure not showing it. There’s not a scratch on his dark skin. “You look well. All things considered.”
He smirks. “Unlike your nose.”
Creak. Valentino’s office door opens. “Okay, boys. Get in here.”
Jomo and I throw each other a look of disgust but head in.
Valentino sits behind her glass desk, with two blue velvet chairs in front of it. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlook some of the buildings on campus and the lake in the distance. Snow falls like glitter twinkling in the sunlight. She has some glass shelves behind her that are home to multiple volumes of books. A photograph of her receiving the key to the city years ago is in a silver frame, proudly displayed on the wall next to her.
“Sit,” she commands like we’re her pets that she’s annoyed with.
We take our seats in the blue chairs; they’re silky and soft to the touch, but there’s no time to enjoy the comfort. Valentino’s red eyes are sharp and alert, staring right at us.
“So, boys. Would you like to tell me why you think you’re here today?”
Jomo crosses his legs and leans back. “Because you want Aiden to apologize to me.”
I remember Ember mentioning I should apologize to Jomo, but with his cocky attitude this morning, there’s no way that’s happening. “Oh, because you did nothing wrong?” I scoff.
He snaps his head in my direction. “I was playing by the rules of the game. You were the one who took it too far.”
“I took it too far? You think talking about my girlfriend’s dead parents was okay?”
“You’re supposed to egg your enemies on!”
“I’m not your enemy!”
“You were my opponent!”
I shake my head, chuckling at his reasoning. “You just have some crazy vendetta against me since I won the YAC.”
“Because you should’ve lost! I am better than you!”
“Ha! You wish! Who’s the one who couldn’t handle a little electricity?”
“And who couldn’t hide behind his pathetic forcefields for once? Because they’re weak! Just like—”
Valentino slams her hands on her desk, and a flash of bright light blinds me. “That’s enough! From both of you!”
Jomo and I shrink an inch into our chairs.
“This is why you are both here.” She runs her hand through her pixie cut. “I’ve always known you two didn’t get along, but last week was completely unacceptable behavior from you, Mr. Stiles.”
Somehow, I shrink another inch. “I know.”
“I understand Mr. Jelani may have taunted you and said some not-so-nice stuff, but that’s part of the game. Retaliation is part of the game too, but you crossed a line we do not cross in class. You weren’t battling to learn or to develop your abilities. You were looking to truly hurt Mr. Jelani.”
I don’t know what to say, because she’s right, so I stare at a picture on her desk of her holding hands with a woman with long dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. Their heads tilt toward each other, with a loving gaze in their eyes.
“Do you understand why I can’t ignore what happened last week?” she asks.
“Yes,” I answer, tearing my gaze from the photo.
She looks at Jomo. “I wanted you here because I’m not blind that you haven’t left Aiden alone since attending this university. That’s not an excuse for Aiden’s actions, but I can’t ignore that you’ve been a bully, Mr. Jelani.”
I don’t dare move. My anxiety spikes mildly since I’m not sure how Jomo will react to this change in conversation.
Jomo’s mouth drops open. “I’m… I’m not bullying.”
“Yes. You are,” Valentino interrupts. “You’ve mocked Aiden for his accomplishments and have constantly put him down in class. I wasn’t too concerned at first, because Aiden seemed to do a good job of letting those comments roll off his back, but I think I may have misjudged the situation.”
Jomo stands. “Aiden shouldn’t have won the abilities competition! He’s weak! His forcefields are the only thing protecting him!”
A trickle of anger inches its way through me. I’m tired of him constantly saying this when, in fact, I’m the furthest thing from weak.
Valentino takes a deep breath. “And aren’t your ghostly hands the only thing that gives you the power to control people? Wouldn’t you be weaker without them?”
“That’s not the same!” Jomo retorts. “I don’t hide behind them!”
“You use them to block, to attack your enemies, to channel your power,” Valentino says matter-of-factly. “Though they may not be a typical forcefield, they protect you in multiple ways, similar to Aiden’s abilities. Besides, don’t we all use our abilities to protect ourselves? You have no right to think other abilities are inferior to yours, for that reason.”
Jomo drops his head, but his face is strangely neutral.
“Now, this is the last time I expect myself or Mr. Stiles to tell you this: you did not win the competition last summer. However, you did come in second place, and in doing so, won an impressive scholarship for this university. It’s about time you live up to that. If not, I would hate to start questioning your morals and if you do belong in the Defender program. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Jomo says softly, but his eyes are slits. “Will that be all?”
A debate flashes in Valentino’s eyes, like she wants to say something else but won’t. “For you, yes.”
Jomo leaves, closing the door roughly behind him. Pictures on the walls rattle.
Valentino sighs. “He’s a tough one, that kid.”
“You’re telling me,” I mumble.
“I’m not done with you, Mr. Stiles,” Valentino says, the harshness returning in her tone. “I’m sorry to say, but you’re expelled from the program.”
I stop breathing. “Wh–what?”
“I can’t risk another outburst from you like the one you demonstrated last week. You’re too powerful and could easily kill someone if you can’t control yourself.”
“You… you can… can’t do this to me,” I stutter, still not breathing. “For the last seven years, all I’ve done is trained for this!”
“Mr. Stiles, I’m—”
I stand, gasping for a breath. “No. Please don’t do this. I know I screwed up, but I am better than that. You know I am.”
She drops her gaze. “I do, but your classmates are my responsibility, and if I sense someone cannot control their emotions, and by extension their abilities, I must take that seriously.”
I collapse into the chair. My head spins. The future I’ve always wanted is slipping through my fingers. What will my parents say when they find out?
“What were you thinking last week?” Valentino asks a little more gently. “Why did you behave in such a manner?”
“I–I was overwhelmed.” I sniff loudly, trying to control my nose from running. “Before the battle, a few other classmates said some stuff that got to me.”
“Are you talking about Scott Rogers?”
“Yes, and Carly Marzolla. They were taunting me about one thing or another, so I was already on edge, and it just got worse when I battled Jomo. He not only said stuff about me, but about Ember as well.” My eyes feel heavy as I look into Valentino’s red ones. “Normally I can control my emotions better than that, but after Jomo taunted me for so long, I wanted to let loose on him. Which was the wrong thing to do.”
“I know we all have a breaking point.” She frowns. “But were you going to stop?”
A tear falls down my cheek. “I don’t know.” But I do. There’s no way I would’ve actually killed him, no matter how upset I was. I’m not that ruthless. “I mean, yes. Yes, I would’ve stopped.”
Valentino stands and goes to the window, emitting a gentle glow as she walks. She looks across campus. “We all have things in our past that we regret doing, don’t we, Mr. Stiles?”
I swallow back the knot in my throat.
“A comment. An action.” She faces me. “Something we regret not doing.”
The hair on my arms stands up.
“I know you’ve been through a lot, Aiden. More than a lot of others will ever have to deal with. A heart full of regret is one that’ll get heavier throughout the years if not dealt with properly.”
“I–I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Her eyes soften. “Your past isn’t as secret as you may think, and your scars are visible to those who know.”
I’m frozen in my chair. “What do you mean?”
Valentino takes slow steps toward her desk. “You don’t think I’d be told about you before you joined my class? The boy whose dream is to become a Guardian, despite being the only one present when the great Emerald Blaze and Digger were murdered? After our little talk last semester about your intentions in my class, you all but confirmed my suspicions of why you wanted to be a Guardian.”
My stomach turns into lard. “I was told to keep my presence there a secret. Not to tell anyone.”
“Yes, you were.” She sits down. “Do you know why that is?”
“Because Black Mold or Iron Forge might’ve come after me?”
She shakes her head. “It was to protect you from the press. A luxury your poor girlfriend, Miss Vulterra, would never have. If people knew of your involvement, you would’ve never had a moment of peace. You, an unexpecting, untrained child, never should’ve been there, and you shouldn’t have your life ruined for it.”
My mind can’t catch up with what she is saying and that she knows everything about me. Who else knows about me? Do all the Guardians? I guess it would make sense, since The Regenerator was the one who found me passed out on the road after everything happened. But why was I granted the luxury of living my life freely without the judgment of others when Ember will never have the same?
“But you seem to want to ruin your life anyway, don’t you?” Valentino asks.
Her question surprises me. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve dedicated your life to the Guardian path because of your guilt. Then, out of all the people in the world, you’re with the daughter of the very Guardians who you saw murdered. How is this not self-induced torture?”
“It’s… It’s not.”
One of her eyebrows rises. “Are you sure?”
“I wanted to become a Guardian to help others,” I say confidently. “The deaths of Emerald Blaze and Digger were a huge influence on me; how could they not be? But it taught me that I want to be counted on by people, to possibly be the reason they get to live another day. And Ember, well…” I smile. “Sometimes you can’t help who you fall for.”
Valentino pulls out a large manilla folder and lays it in front of her. “This is your file.”
I eye it, scared it may lunge at me at any moment.
“I have not told anyone about your suspension. I haven’t submitted the paperwork for it yet.” She removes a pink piece of paper. “You really did have the makings for a great Guardian.”
I lean toward her, reaching for the file. “Let me prove to you that I still do.”
She taps her fingers on her desk. “I don’t give out second chances. The last time I did…” She looks at the photograph of her with the woman. “I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”
I remember a conversation I had with Valentino during training last semester. She told me that she lost her partner while battling an enemy. Is that woman in the photo her?
Valentino sighs, looking back at me. “But maybe it’s time I start believing in second chances again.”
Warmth floods through me. “Really?”
Her lips pinch upward. “You’re a good kid, Aiden. I truly believe that.”
“Thank you, Valentino! You won’t—”
Valentino raises her hand. “But I do have a stipulation.”
“Of course. What is it?”
“That we’ll meet every other week to touch base to ensure you’re doing okay.”
My smile grows ear to ear. “I can do that.”
She rips the pink paper in half. “Then, it’s agreed. You won’t be expelled, but instead, let this be your final warning. If there are any signs of a repeat of last week, you’ll be immediately removed from the program.” Her eyes are firm. “Do you understand?”
“Yes.” I nod quickly. “Of course.”
“Well, Mr. Stiles,” she says with a small smile, “welcome back to the Defender program.”
I fall back into my chair with a sigh of relief, but my nerves and anxiety are still on edge after almost getting expelled. I stare out the window. Snow falls harder and blankets the buildings. It’s definitely a day to stay inside, but a brisk walk to clear my head may do me some good after all of this.