The Book of Firsts

Twenty-Three

Lania and I over-indulged at lunch, and spent the afternoon digesting and playing Battle of Lothra. Her game ID was Circuit Breaker, and she proved a dependable player with a preference for tanking, just a little rusty because she hadn’t played for a while.

"You really haven’t played Tyranny at all? Even though it launched at least a month before school started?"

"I’ll play it after final exams. Lothra’s so old I can pick it up and put it down, but if I start Tyranny, half an hour on the bus each morning and afternoon is not going to be satisfying and I’ll end up playing it instead of winding down to sleep."

"How can you have the willpower to not play at all, but not have the willpower to not play late at night?"

I shrugged. "So, why haven’t I ever seen any sign of computer nerdery at school? Sean and Rick were talking about Tyranny on Friday and you acted like you didn’t know what it was."

"Quite a few gender essentialists at Corascur," Lania said, briefly.

I blinked at this, and decided it meant someone had been annoying about what games girls should play. I’d thought Lania one of the most popular girls at school, but it seemed that was a surface façade, and that she had been effectively hiding a large part of herself.

"And yet you told me. Thank you, Lania. I’ll take it as a compliment."

She glanced up at me, her face flushing red, and then cursed and looked down at her phone as her hero died sadly.

"Whatever else, I don’t think you’re going to judge me from what brand of bag I’m carrying," she said.

"Are you going to play Signus III? I’m going to let myself play the story mode, since it releases in the break after the mid-year exams. Want to co-op it with me?"

"Sure!"

We lost an afternoon to virtual heroes, had a light meal, then got ready for the pool party. I wasn’t in the mood to spend more time in my swimsuit, so wore a simple shorts and t-shirt combo, bringing along my towel in case I was splashed.

"I don’t know how much swimming anyone plans on, anyway," Lania said, double-checking her own shirt knotted over swimsuit look. "I did get a little burned, despite all that sunscreen, so I don’t think I’ll stay too long."

"We could go to the movie room. They’re playing, um, the whole Fast and Furious series."

"Seen it too many times."

We went down to the interconnected open rooms, pools and gardens booked out for the Corascur party, and headed straight to the buffet tables to put together a selection of snacks. Meeting up with part of the Art Club, we snagged a set of bamboo couches around a coffee table and settled down to watch the sunset and compare notes on our island adventures.

"Drama alert," Rick murmured. "Check out the scene near our dear leader."

I’d seen Carr and Tomas earlier, and glanced over to find that Carr had been bracketed by Alexa and Katerina, who were giving each other none-too-friendly glances.

"He’s very good at acting like he doesn’t notice," I observed.

"Plenty of practice," Sean said, rolling his eyes. "Corascur’s most eligible and all."

"Really?" I said, surprised. "Not one of the Three Kings?"

"The Kings are higher profile, but among that set Carr is definitely the one to aim for," Rick said. "The difference between sole heir and a bunch of potentials. Plus, his looks are on par, and he’s a good deal more approachable."

"Then why do you fanboy over the Three Kings so much when Carr’s right there in the room with you?" I asked, curiously.

"Hoping he’ll get jealous," Sean said, with a grin. "Besides, those three have, I don’t know, an aura. When they’re there, it’s always something special."

"So exaggerated," Rick said grumpily. "And no, I’m not just jealous because that piece Kyou is working on makes the wannabe grandmaster in me weep."

I regretted bringing up the Three Kings, so found a diversion.

"Do you think he’s trying to channel Byron, or Shelley?"

They all immediately knew who I was referring to, turning to stare at Tomas, hooting into laughter, and then hastily looking down when the sound attracted attention.

"So true," Sean said. "Pale, interesting and foppish overlaid by an air of being dangerous to know. And not, sadly, very convincing."

"He has his points," Anika said. "I hear Meggan thinks so, anyway."

"For real?" Rick asked.

I hadn’t seen any sign of particular closeness between Meggan and anyone during the day’s outing, but still couldn’t resist watching with interest when she and Daphne arrived a short time later.

"Sitting beside him, good start," Rick commented in a low voice. "Polite chitchat, proper posture. Oh, sweet murmurs in her ear. She’s not moving away. Joking. Warm compliment. Handholding. We have handholding!"

Not entirely interested in high school romance as a spectator sport, I emptied my drink, looking away, and then froze, trying to keep reaction from my face. Through the slatted windows I could see a garden path leading down to the south beach. A figure was standing there, visible only as an outline against the soft blues and deep greys of the vista, watching the scene inside.

Bran.

He turned away and walked down the path, leaving me full of doubts. Bran and Meggan had broken up the better part of a year ago. The week before last, Bran had devoured my breasts with every sign of enthusiasm. They’d both moved on. The sinking feeling in my stomach was sheer overreaction.

No problem here.

"I’m really not in the mood for this," I murmured, leaning over to Lania. "I might go watch that movie. See you later?"

"Okay."

I left not toward the beach, but the opposite side of the room, and wound my way past the central pool and another covered area until I reached a path that would take me to the north side of the peninsula instead of the south. Then I tripled my pace, striding on sand left firm by the receding tide. If Bran kept to the southern beach, then I’d be able to see him once the peninsula narrowed.

The rocky ground that separated the two beaches rose as it narrowed, then started to drop, leaving me a partial view of the south beach. I began to wonder if I’d walked too quickly and passed him. But, no, there he was less than ten metres ahead.

Now that he was within sight, I slowed my pace, and started to feel foolish. He was clearly only going for a walk, and I would be in an awkward position once he reached the end of the peninsula, especially if he did as I had the first day and simply made the return trip by the beach I was using. He would certainly have a few caustic words for me, and while that wasn’t such a big deal, I’d still prefer not to be caught genuinely stalking him.

A near-full moon was rising in the direction we were walking, which would make me easily identifiable, but I decided the light would work to my advantage, for it created inky shadows along the ragged edge of dividing land. I slowed my pace again, deciding that if Bran turned back in my direction I would simply sit down in the shadow of a rock and stay still until he’d passed me.

The dividing land dropped to waist-height at the end of the peninsula, and I stopped walking, tucking myself into shadow while I waited to see if Bran was going to stop for the view, or turn immediately back.

He did neither.