章 130: Rave’N II
This extra chapter is for Coffee_with_milk's positive comments. Thanks for your support!
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7:55 PM.
Luke was sitting in Principal Larissa's office, on a comfortable couch, while playing a MOBA game on his phone.
Next to him was Natasha, chatting with Larissa, who was wearing an elegant white suit with exquisite details.
"Five minutes until the Rave'N starts. I have to go now since I'll be giving a brief speech. I'll see you there," said Larissa, standing up as she glanced at the time on her pocket watch.
"Remember, Luke. Put on the suit," said Larissa, leaving a fully prepared suit in a transparent cover on Luke's couch. "You're the star of tonight," she added with a slight smile.
"Do I really have to wear this?" asked Luke, who had just been defeated because of a troll on his team.
"You need to wear white clothes. But if you want, you can use something from your own wardrobe," Larissa said, taking the suit back, but Luke stopped her.
"Alright. I'll wear this suit. Thanks," he said, taking the suit for himself. Larissa smiled and left the office after saying goodbye.
"You've become a lot kinder compared to when you first arrived at Nevermore," Natasha commented once they were alone in the office.
"Well, Larissa always helps us when she can. She'll let us stay at Nevermore a bit longer until we find a way to Ohio," Luke said, standing up and grabbing the suit.
Natasha nodded slightly. It was good that her master wasn't a spoiled child.
"And you? I don't see that the clothes you're wearing are white," said Luke. Natasha was dressed in black jeans, a leather jacket, and a plain black shirt.
"That's easily fixed," said Natasha, and in a matter of seconds, her clothes changed on their own. She was now wearing a plain white dress that reached her knees. Even her shoes had changed to high heels.
"That's a great ability... You'll never have to spend money on clothes again.," Luke commented enviously.
"Get changed, or we'll be late," Natasha said, hurrying Luke.
"Are you staying here?" Luke asked as he took the suit out of its cover. He wanted some privacy; it was already strange enough to change in the school principal's office.
Natasha smiled slightly and decided to hold back a teasing remark since they were running late. She got up from the couch and left the office.
A few minutes later, Luke walked out of the office already changed. Natasha looked at him with curiosity. It was the first time she had seen Luke dressed so elegantly.
Luke's tuxedo was a pristine white, tailor-made, with a red bow tie at the neck that stood out elegantly against the light fabric. A white carnation was pinned to the lapel of the suit. The only black item he wore was his leather shoes.
'It suits him well,' thought Natasha as she observed Luke. The contrast with his light brown hair and blue eyes made him stand out even more, and the white color accentuated his height, which had reached 182 cm.
However, Natasha didn't say anything. It wasn't her style to compliment others.
"Shall we go?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Natasha, who had been silently staring at him for several seconds.
"Yes, let's go," Natasha said, starting to walk toward the ballroom.
When they arrived at the double doors, Luke stopped Natasha, who was about to open them. Without offering any explanation, he placed his ear against the door to listen more closely.
'Larissa is giving the speech. This will be a good time to enter,' Luke thought as he opened the door as slowly and quietly as possible.
'He really doesn't like being the center of attention,' Natasha thought, following Luke.
Thanks to how stealthy they were and the fact that everyone was listening and looking toward the center of the stage, no one noticed Luke's arrival as he quickly made his way to an empty table in the corner.
However, the place was full of outcasts with enhanced senses. They noticed the intrusion of two new people. Several turned their gazes from the stage to look at Luke.
"That's your friend Luke, right?" Vincent asked, looking at Luke from three tables away.
"Yes, that's him," Xavier replied with a strange expression. He knew Luke, his best friend, and he must be hating all the attention he was getting.
"His appearance is good. So is his aura," commented Sthenon. "Well, it's to be expected from the boy who killed Atlas," he added with a certain tone of respect. Even he hadn't lived more than a hundred years like Atlas.
Several murmurs about Luke's arrival were spreading across all the tables.
"So much for your stealth," Natasha remarked, sipping from her glass. She didn't care about the stares, or the attention Luke was receiving. In fact, she thought it was a good thing.
"I forgot everyone here is superhuman," Luke muttered to himself.
"That's all. Thank you for listening. Let the dance begin, and enjoy the night," Larissa said, ending her speech. The music started playing again.
Luke began to drink and eat the snacks in the center of his table. Within minutes, he was interrupted by a group of people approaching him.
"Sorry to interrupt your meal. It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Vincent Thorpe! Xavier has told me a lot about you,"
"My name is Sthenon Petropolus, a pleasure to meet you, young man!"
Both men, who appeared young but were already over forty, extended their hands to greet Luke, who softened his expression upon realizing they were the parents of his two best friends.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Thorpe and Mr. Petropolus," said Luke, standing up from his seat and shaking hands with both men.
"Don't be so formal, you are a friend of my son. Call me Vincent,"
"Same here, just call me Sthenon,"
"Alright," Luke nodded.
After that, both men noticed Natasha, who was calmly sipping her drink, and seemed more flustered than when they saw Luke. They quickly began introducing themselves to her.
Meanwhile, Luke started chatting with Xavier, Ajax, and the latter's younger brother. Ajax's older brother had already met up with some old school friends.
"Is it true you turned the Spellman brothers into a ball of flesh?" asked Ajax's younger brother. His name was Isidro, and he was a year younger than Ajax.
Like Ajax, he wore a wool hat on his head to keep his snakes from getting out of control and turning everyone who looked at them to stone.
"Yeah, why?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, so the rumors are true!" said Isidro, clenching his fists with excitement for some reason.
"There's a rumor going around Nevermore that if someone bothers a student from Ravenloft Dorm, you'll show up at night and turn them into a grotesque ball of blood," Isidro explained.
Since Isidro belongs to Ravenloft Dorm (the same as Luke), he feels respect and admiration for Luke. Unlike the other dorms, which feel more fear towards him, believing Luke might harm them for being from a rival dorm.
There was a great rivalry between dorms, which could be seen in the Poe Cup and other competitions held throughout the year.
"Stop bothering and go hang out with your friends," Ajax said, starting to push his brother, who complained but had no choice but to leave.
"You've got some fans, and it's not even because of your novels," Xavier commented with a smile.
"It's better to have Isidro as a fan than the fans of my novels," Luke replied, taking a sip of his drink.
The fans of his books were usually very enthusiastic and often violated his personal space. On the other hand, the "fans" he had at Nevermore were due to his reputation for killing enemies, so their admiration was more out of respect for his strength and fear of him. They didn't approach him asking for photos or autographs.
"By the way, aren't you going to dance with your goth girlfriend?" Xavier asked with a slight smile, looking toward a table further away.
"Her dress is really cool, although she didn't stick to the event's color theme," Ajax added, also looking at the peculiar Addams family table.
Luke looked over at Wednesday's table and noticed she was wearing the black dress she wore in the series. It suited her well, and her lips were painted black.
Wednesday noticed Luke's gaze and looked at him for a second before quickly averting her eyes. She didn't want to give any signals that might make her parents start asking annoying questions.
[Don't come. I don't want my parents to know about us,] Wednesday said through their telepathic link without giving any further explanation.
[Fine,] Luke replied. He couldn't deny that he was disappointed since he wanted to meet the Addams family—not just because they were his in-laws, but because of the series. But he already expected this development from Wednesday.
She hates being compared to her parents and doesn't want to have a romantic story like theirs, or rather, she doesn't want them to be right, since she found love at Nevermore just like they did.
"I don't like dancing, and Wednesday doesn't want to introduce me to her parents," Luke explained in response to the looks from Ajax and Xavier.
"She doesn't want to introduce you to her family?" Ajax and Xavier said in unison, exchanging puzzled looks.
Luke nodded slightly, not giving it much importance. At this, Xavier and Ajax looked at each other again and shrugged.
They knew about the strange relationship between Luke and Wednesday. Few people knew they were a couple, as they never showed any affection in public. They were often seen together during breaks and weekends, but no one was certain if they were actually dating.
Xavier and Ajax, Luke's close friends, knew about it, but even they had never seen the couple show any affection—whether through kisses, hugs, or even words.
"What are you doing over the vacations?" Luke asked, changing the subject. He didn't care what others thought about his relationship with Wednesday. He didn't need to show affection in public for people to know she was his girlfriend.
When he's alone with her, he can kiss her and do other things, although of course, it's not the same number of kisses and affectionate gestures as in a normal couple.
"The same as always," Ajax replied, not very enthusiastic about his vacation. The best part is not having homework and exams, but the downside is being far from his friends.
"Same here. Hopefully, if my dad gets time off, we can go to Europe or something," Xavier added.
"And you?" he asked.
Before Luke could respond, Vicent, who had been talking to Natasha, joined their conversation.
"You can come to our house, Luke. Of course, if you want to and if this lovely lady permits it," he added, glancing at Natasha with a charming smile.
"Really? Even despite..." Luke said without finishing the sentence. He left it implied, and Vicent knew what he meant.
"Yes, even despite those bold psychics," Vicent said. "It'll just be my son's friend coming to my house, nothing more. And of course, as our guest, it's our duty to ensure your protection."
"Oh, that would be great!" Xavier said, excited about the idea. It would be so much fun to spend the summer with Luke. As for the Spellmans, he wasn't afraid of them. He had returned during the blood moon to help his friend.
"Hey, Vicent, don't get ahead of me! The Petropolus family is also inviting you to our mansion. I'm sure you'll love our statue gardens," Sthenon said, and this time Ajax seemed happy about the idea of spending the summer with a friend.
As for spending the summer together, it's complicated since the Petropolus and Thorpe families live in different states.
Luke was surprised by this. Both were inviting him to their homes despite knowing that the Spellmans could attack or create a rift between their families and them.
'Is it because of my three auras?' Luke thought. That and the strength he showed when killing Atlas, Sebastián, and Sabrina (real name, Ingrid).
"I appreciate the invitation, but it's not the best time to discuss that. We'll decide later," Natasha responded with a professional smile, as if she had already expected this outcome.
"You're right. Tonight is for having fun," Vicent said, politely bidding farewell and heading to another table to greet more acquaintances.
Sthenon also said goodbye and left the table.
Luke chatted a bit more with Xavier and Ajax about possible vacations, but then his friends went off to dance with their partners, who seemed annoyed after being ignored for almost twenty minutes since the dance began.
A few minutes later, Veronica approached the table with her parents, Luke's aunt and uncle. They greeted him briefly and told him that he could spend the summer at the Umbrio estate again if he wished. Then they said goodbye and returned to their tables.
It was the first time Luke saw his uncle speaking more respectfully and without a furrowed brow while looking at him.
"Surprised? It's normal for them to want to help you after learning that you possess three auras. Do you know how many living psychics have three auras besides you? Zero. Though there may be some hidden monsters with three auras, I doubt they came about naturally like you... But being the only one with three auras publicly places you in a new situation that will be very useful to us," Natasha said with a slight smile.
Luke nodded. They had to take advantage of this to buy more time. If he spends the holidays with the Umbrio, Thorpe, or Petropolus families, it's less likely that the Spellmans will attack. And if they do, he will have the help of these families. It won't just be him, Natasha, and Wednesday.
While he was conversing with Natasha, a man arrived at one point, introduced himself, and turned out to be a council member who invited Natasha to dance.
[Because of the connections and maybe in the future it will be useful to use this man] Natasha said telepathically to Luke as she stood up and accompanied the man to the dance floor.
'He belongs to one of the 66 council members,' Luke thought as he watched Natasha, and the man walk away. It's not easy at all to be one of the 66 representatives.
One thing is to work for the council in one of the available departments or in the bureaucratic side; if you're one of the 66 representatives, it means your family is powerful, and you are powerful too, as you are the leader of that family representing it in the council. You don't work for Congress; you establish the rules or influence them. Your position of power is higher.
'What now?' Luke wondered. His two friends were dancing with their partners, his housekeeper was also dancing, and his girlfriend didn't want to talk to him because she didn't want to introduce him to her parents.
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