Chapter 3: 3 - Camilla Brooke
{Welsh Elementary, London}
{12th August 1986}
Camilla Brooke looked around her classroom, her smile dimmed. For almost her entire life, being a teacher had been her dream... and Camilla had went and done exactly that. The last five years had been a wonderful experience, and she wouldn't trade it for anything. Sure, kids could be petty cruel bastards at times, but she was happy to teach and guide them all the same.
"Six months..." Camilla whispered, looking around her empty classroom.
Tears fell from her eyes.
With her full focus on her teaching degree, on fulfilling her dream, Camilla hadn't married. She hadn't had kids of her own. Hell, the most she had done was go on a few dates. Camilla had made sure to stay in shape, never smoking, only having alcohol once or twice, and never even getting drunk.
"So w-why am I dying?" she mumbled.
She wouldn't even make it to her thirties.
If she could go back– no, that was pointless. Camilla had already accomplished her dream, and even if she could go back, she would get cancer all the same. She just wished she could've had more time...
"Hello, Ms. Brooke."
Camilla nearly jumped from her seat. A rather cute boy, with black hair, blue eyes, and flawless skin was standing just a few feet in front of her desk. 'How did I not notice him?' she thought as she quickly rubbed her eyes, not wanting to show a child such an ugly scene.
It took her a few moments to recognize the boy. He was one of Mrs. Garrison's students from last year, someone she had gone on and on about being 'perfect' and what not.
"M-Matteo?"
"That's me," he answered happily.
"Um, why..." she trailed off. The 'why are you here' was left unsaid, but implied. It was the middle of summer vacation, and she wasn't even his teacher.
"I have a proposition for you."
Camilla blinked. "What?"
"Well, I understand your confusion, but rest assured, I'm serious. All I ask is for your undying loyalty and for you to do whatever I ask of you..."
To which she chuckled. 'Undying, huh?' She wouldn't be doing much of that.
"...And in return, I'll cure you."
Camilla stilled.
She didn't know what Matteo was up to, and she definitely didn't think that the boy could actually cure her, but the fact that he even knew... it spooked her. As far as Camilla was aware, only two people knew about her cancer. Just her and her doctor.
"W-What do you mean?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly.
"Well, we have a few options," he answered. "I could remove the cancer directly, simply eradicating it. I could perfect your cell division, and in return your cancer would stop growing entirely. I could even just halt your aging, and you would simply continue to be a few months away from death, forever."
None sense, he was speaking utter none sense. Camilla didn't believe him for a second, even if the thought of dying before she even married, or had a child of her own, gnawed at her.
"You don't believe me, do you," Matteo chided, as if he was reading her mind. "Well, I can read surface thoughts, but not much more than that."
"W-What?" she asked, bewildered. 'Can he truly read my mind...? No. That's impossible.'
"Think of a number then," he continued, as if he was truly responding to her thoughts.
Camilla begrudgingly complied. '489.'
"...Four hundred and eighty nine, right?"
That was proof. Definitive proof. The chances of anyone guessing that correctly were slim to none, and along with his tailored responses... Camilla was forced to take the boy at his word. 'How could he even–? Oh, he's one of those, um, what were they called again...?'
"We're called mutants," he answered. "So how about it?"
Camilla was immediately reminded of Matteo's proposition. Her breath hitched.
"C-Can you? Can you really cure me?" she asked, her voice cracking.
"Of course. But can you afford it?"
'Undying loyalty, and to do whatever he asks of me...' Camilla recalled. It was a tall order, yes, she only took her a few seconds to come to a decision.
More than anything else, she wanted to live.
"I'll do it."
***
The plan was simple.
Due to... circumstances, he could no longer live with Ms. Myers, so Matteo was forced to put his plan into action a lot sooner.
With Mastery and Magic, Matteo saw no reason to continue being poor, so his next course of action was adoption. But he also didn't want to 'play nice' with a mother and father who wanted a son of their own... Matteo didn't need, nor want another parent.
Even so, he was still going to be adopted. Just not in the traditional sense.
He needed leverage over his new 'guardian,' and with the ability to cast any spell, the incurable became curable. Scrying was only a little harder than that– Matteo just had to search all of London for women on death's door, and narrow his search further and further, before eventually finding the ideal target.
Camilla Brooke.
"I'll do it," she whispered.
Matteo looked Camilla up and down once more, committing her appearance to memory.
Blonde hair, green eyes, and a well-rounded figure highlighted by her stockings, skirt, and sweater vest. Not to mention her 'love mark,' or rather, a mole that sat right beneath the outer edge of her left eye.
For someone who was dying of metastatic breast cancer, Camilla really didn't show it.
'And this beauty of a woman just promised to do whatever I asked of her.'
"Swear it on your soul," he commanded. Matteo's mana hummed in response to his words, ready to quite literally bind Camilla to him.
"I... I swear my loyalty to you, to do whatever you ask of me. I swear it on my soul."
Being the first time that he had actually used this spell, Matteo was genuinely curious.
"I– it's weird," she started. "I'm sure that I should feel trapped, tricked, but instead I feel... free, soothed even. Is what you did messing with my mind, making me feel this way?" she asked, before quickly saying, "n-not that I dislike it!"
Matteo shook his head. "I don't like the idea of using mind control, but I also didn't want to have to build up trust with you, so I compromised with this. It took me a week to come up with this spell. Essentially, you are wrapped in my essence. My soul is quite literally enveloping yours, making you feel safe, content, and protected. Which you are. Instead of trying to enforce loyalty through fear and submission, I'm just..."
"...Giving me no reason to betray you," Camilla finished for him. "It's so... peaceful. I feel like I don't have to worry about anything at all– because I don't," she smiled blissfully, before her eyes widened in realization.
"Wait wait wait, did you say 'spell?' As in magic?" Camilla asked excitedly.
"Yes?" he answered, not quite sure where she was going with this.
"You're a magician?"
"I prefer the term 'mage...'"
"Magic is real?!" Camilla nearly squealed. "What can you do with it? Can you fly? Can you teleport? Can you shoot lasers out of your eyes?!" Then she stopped, but only because she still needed to breathe.
'That was... incredibly cute,' Matteo thought.
"Yes, a lot, yes, yes, and I prefer to shoot lasers out of my palms," he humored her. "But we're getting a bit sidetracked, aren't we?"
"Ah– sorry," she blushed. "What's my first task?"
Matteo had to hold back a manic grin. He hadn't even cured her yet, but Camilla was already ready to serve him. She had full faith in him curing her, and to be fair, he was going to. Now that Camilla was his, wholly and utterly his, she wasn't allowed to die anytime soon.
And now that she was willing to obey his every command, her first task couldn't be clearer.
Instead of answering her, Matteo walked around the table as he silently casted two spells– the first one temporarily aged his physical body to 16, whilst the second one adjusted his clothes so he wouldn't burst out of them.
That wasn't even mentioning the spells already concealing them from any prying eyes.
"What are you– mmppHH?!" he cut her off by pulling her into a kiss.
Camilla's eyes widened in surprise, but she wasn't afraid. How could she be? She belonged to Matteo, and even if he was going to indulge in her body, she would let him. It was impossible for him to hurt her, to betray her, for she was his. That was why Camilla didn't fight his advances, and even found herself enjoying his hands roaming over her clothes.
Now, Camilla was by no means a 'loose woman,' but this was just how it was. As of a few minutes ago, she was Matteo's.
But, if she was being honest, she was little reluctant to have her first time in the same room she taught of all places...
"Oh, sorry," Matteo said sheepishly, "I might've jumped the gun a bit... I could see how that might make teaching here awkward for you. Move."
And with that, they vanished from the classroom.
***
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Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone