The Seasons

Chapter 23

Slaine had rolled his eyes at the comment as he left his apartment and went to Cairo and Wing, who lived a few streets away. He went into the large lobby and went up the stairs after eyeing the long queue for the elevators. Once on the correct floor, he roughly knocked on the door, and Wing opened it with a smile, which turned into a frown.

“Oh, my god, Slaine. The f*****g king is coming. I’m absolutely shitting it. It’s bad enough that I’m having to redo second of uni. Now, having the king from a secret government organisation about creatures you only read about in books come to visit you is terrifying. I’ve made more lists than I can count, and Cairo keeps laughing at me, so he’s no help, and Thorne won't leave his f*****g room.”

Slaine stared blankly at him. “Hello to you too, Wing.”

Wing stared at him with wide eyes. “There’s no time for hello’s,” he cried. “You have to help me.”

Wing grabbed Slaine’s arm and dragged him inside the apartment and to the living space; all the walls were a bright shade of white, with grey and black furniture. The living room was rather significant, with dark wooden flooring, an oversized grey couch with a discarded black blanket and a black coffee table in front of it that had seen better days. The surface was covered; it held a Macbook, ipad, three textbooks, a half-drunk glass of blood and the notebook Slaine had gotten for him.

“Wing, what the hell?”

“I know. I know. But I need help, okay? I’m at a loss. I’m so far behind on everything and I’m basically redoing my second year and I barely remember first year and please help me.”

“Where’s Cairo?”

“Knocked out in his room, he got in late last night. Please help. You’re a teacher. Teach me! Please,” he tacked on.

Slaine groaned as he walked over to the table and eyed one of the textbooks, and he groaned. “Math’s was never my strong suit, Wing.”

“Please, I’m on the verge of ripping my hair out. And I need to have at least some stuff done by tomorrow, because I know I won’t be getting any done.”

Slaine looked around for a mirror, so he could b***h at Chaos for even suggesting this, and when he didn’t find one, he frowned. “Where are your mirrors?”

“We don’t have any. Well, we do, but it’s in Cairo’s bedroom.”

Slaine scowled as he pulled out his wallet and handed it to Wing. “Go buy me a mirror, I’ll look over all of this and when you get back, I should have a vague idea.”

Wing’s eyes widened. “You will?” Slaine nodded and then tensed up when he felt Wing wrap his arms around him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ll go get you the mirror.”

He watched Wing leave the apartment and slumped onto the couch; he stared at the textbook and groaned before leaning forward and grabbing the half-empty glass of blood. He pulled his phone out and rang the only person who knew about Astrophysics.

“Somebody call Moonwane News; Slaine actually rang me. That’s the first time you’ve rang me in six years. Six years.”

“Don’t make me hang up, Jem,” he deadpanned.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. What do you need?”

“Get over to Wing’s apartment. You’re helping me.”

“Do I get a say in this?”

“No.” Slaine hung up and stared at the blank TV, hoping to see Chaos, and when he didn’t, he scowled. He could always see them in mirrors, never in reflections of any other surface, which infuriated him. After five minutes of staring into the nothingness, he scowled. He stood up and walked to the back of the apartment, where he assumed the bedrooms would be, and after trial and error, he found Cairo’s.

He scowled at the scent of s*x and blood, and the man himself tossed on his bed, asleep. He found the full-length mirror beside the closet and grabbed it. The noise must have woken him up as he groaned a little. “Wing? What are you doing with my mirror?”

“Guess again,” Slaine deadpanned.

“Slaine? What the f**k are you doing in my apartment? Let alone my bedroom?”

“Wing’s having a meltdown and you’re no help.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re stealing my mirror.”

“No.”

He didn’t expand further and walked out of Cairo’s bedroom and took the mirror into the living room, placing it at an angle where he could see Chaos. The deity stood beside him in their purple and white flowy robe, smiling on their androgynous features, their blood-red eyes closed as they smiled.

“Hello, Slaine.”

“I’m at Wing’s like you said, and I got roped into helping him study.”

“Are you going to?”

Slaine rubbed at his eyes. “I don’t see how I have a choice. He looked like he was about to burst into tears any second.”

“Slaine! I’m back. Please tell me you didn’t leave, also, Jem is here.”

Wing and Jem both came into view; both paused at the mirror. Wing frowned. “Did you steal the mirror from Cairo’s room?”

“Yes.”

For the next four hours, Slaine and Jem helped Wing better understand things, doing more minor tasks, such as cleaning his room, which Jem did, or organising his computer files and class notes. Jem explained the topics, and Slaine would teach him if Wing didn’t understand the topic.

“Wing,” Cairo said, appearing for the first time all day. All three turned to look at him; he had just showered and wore a towel around his waist as he leaned against the side of the archway, water droplets running down his dark skin.

“What’s up?”

“You need to take a break. You all do. You’ve been there for four hours. Come on, we’re going out, put this away go freshen up and let me get dressed. You two aren’t invited.”

“Good. I’m going home. Wing, take a break. Jem said he would help you organise how to learn all the first-year topics again, so you relax for now. I’m taking this text book, Jem has his own and he’ll plan it and bring his notes and I will help you remember it. Now, I’m leaving, and keep this mirror here.”

Slaine eyed the mirror and saw Chaos sitting beside him on the couch. “I’ll see you soon, Slaine.”

He left the apartment and went home. When he got home, he stared at the mirror in the living room for almost twenty minutes, waiting for the deity to appear, and when they didn’t, he scoffed. He stared at his to-do list and began finishing the tasks he had left before he went into his bedroom and fell asleep.

~*~