“He refused to accept that, and her medical file noted he was pretty belligerent at her appointments that this was all her fault. Several of the doctors tried to get her alone to find out if he was abusing her about this.
“She couldn’t risk getting pregnant in a way that would trace back to a clinic in case he found it. We’reprettysure she met your real father on a mission trip. After a certain point, you’re going to stop aging. We don’t know if your real father just carried the genes or they were a reincarnation. Usually, when a reincarnation’s cycle is ending, they make it a point to have a child to keep the gene pool going.”
“I didn’t know she had it in her. I’m actually proud of her, but I’d be even prouder if she told him to get fucked and left. It explains why my father was so bitter I wasn’t a boy.”
“So, yes. We’re trying to pin down who your actual father is. It’ll help us. After we do the ritual, you’ll see something. It’s a clue to who you were. Sometimes, it’s obvious and sometimes it’s not. Several pantheons have the same types of gods. There were multiple war, love, and death gods and sometimes, the clues aren’t specific.”
“Are yousureI belong here?”
“Yes. You had the mark when you were born and you just have the look of a reincarnation.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Physically perfect.”
“Uh, not exactly. I’d die without insulin. I nearly have a few times. Doesn’t that disqualify me?”
“Not at all. I’m the reincarnation of Athena and I have terrible asthma. I’m much older than I look. I’m old enough that the treatment for asthma used to be smoking cigarettes with belladonna in it.”
My eyes bugged out of my head because that was fucked up.
“Seriously?”
“Oh, yes. It was different times. There’s no magical cure for asthma, either, but we have things to make it easier in the magical world. You’ll have the insulin pump for the trials, but there’s also a potion you can take that will help a little. Not a cure, but it’s good. You’ll be taking intro to potions your first year and if you continue past your second year, you’ll learn to make it. That was all I had if you want to go meet your classmates.”
Provided something didn’t go wrong and I died during the trials.
Headmaster Mykene called me after the redhead, whose name I learned was Sage. I intended to walk over and give her a really impressive introduction so I could tell her mine, but that got ruined. Just like my big reveal about why I left a dick on her pillow because I got kidnapped. This school was cramping my style.
I grabbed my plate and followed her. I’ll say it for this school. They served proper food, and I intended to eat all of it. I plopped across from her and dug into my food.
“You don’t have to tell me. I’m the original were-corgi.”
“Were-corgis aren’t real.”
“Excuse me, but I am a very secure man who loves the lady smut. Were-corgis are real and some brave heroine fucked it.”
“Just to guess having listened to you the multiple times you’ve opened your mouth since you got here, you’re probably one of the tricksters.”
“Nah, I’m not what anyone expects. I’m going to surprise you.”
“Spoken like a trickster.”
I shrugged.
“So, I may or may not be in trouble with the Irish mafia. You might not be safe with me here.”
Might as well get it all on the table since she had me kidnapped. I wasn’t upset she kidnapped Sage, too, because I just felt this connection, but she was much safer far away from my family if I got to keep her.
“Most people who live in this county are supernatural and the ones that aren’t know about us. The castle Ouroboros Academy is located in isn’t a tourist attraction and it’s not on any maps. If anyone finds it, they will just see crumbling rubble and instantly want to leave.”
“Neat. I have money, but I don’t want to use it for my tuition. I want it to help Sage stay healthy. Don’t tell her it’s from me. I’ll work and I already know what job I want.”
“Okay?”
“I worked at a bakery in Amsterdam. I make a mean edible that makes you see noises. If there are witches here, you must teach potions. If they can teach me the right potion, I can bake it into brownies and everyone will be super chill.”
“I didn’t think I’d ever need to say this but absolutely don’t use the potions lab to get our students high and put it into baked goods.”
