“He must be very disappointed that teachers can’t fail pupils for their Special Studies”, Ava thought while forcing a smile. She made her way out of the classroom as fast as she could. Most pupils enjoyed the special lessons twice every week during which an appointed teacher would help them work on their gift. Santana, her best friend, had made a lot of progress during the last semester and always counted the hours to her next Special Studies class. “Then again, she doesn’t have Professor Renard”, Ava mused walking out of the classroom.
Slowly she made her way through the packed hallways upstairs to the dormitory. She chucked her shoes under the bed and took off her school uniform to redressed in a skirt and a sweater. A few minutes later reached the heavy oak doors that led to the courtyard. Santana was already sitting by their accustomed spot on a bench trying to soak up the feeble rays of sunshine.
“How was your lesson?” Santana asked opening an eye and squinting up at her friend. When Ava gave her an annoyed look she answered with a sympathetic smile. “That bad, eh? What did he make you do this time?”
“Calling him out of thin air using a ‘determined and forceful tone of voice’” Ava quoted. “Didn’t work. Tint is not a fan of forceful commands.” Ava plopped herself down next to Santana and turned around facing the air behind her.
“You there? Tint?” Nothing happened. “Tint? Please? The lesson is over. Will you please come out now?” With a slight ‘Pop’ the sprite appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
“You called?” he asked with a bright smile balancing on the wrought-iron arm rest of the bench.
“Yeah, first time about an hour ago.” Her had voice had lost all trace of its anger and she simply sounded defeated.
“Oh, I heard you”, the sprite answered twirling around like an ice-skater for a moment, cheerfully ignoring the two girls. “I just didn’t like your tone”, he concluded finally turning around, facing his mistress.
“I figured”, Ava replied and burrowed her face in her hands. “Do you have any idea how humiliating that is – standing in a class room, calling you for half an hour? Hoping against hope that you might show up…”, her voice filtered muffled through her hands.
“Do you have any idea, how humiliating it is to be summoned like a dog?!” The tiny sprite yelled back at her hands on his hips. He marched up and down the arm rest tearing his bright orange hair. “I guess not! Let me spell it out for you: I am not your pet! I don’t follow commands!”
Seeing that Ava was about to reply in a similar fashion, Santana scooped Tint up in her hand and set him down on her left shoulder out of his mistress’s reach. She’d lived with the two hotheads long enough to know when a situation needed defusing.
“Ooookay, everybody take a deep breath”, she instructed, keeping a firm hand on the struggling sprite and holding the other hand out like a stop sign to an openmouthed Ava who she was sure was a second away from snatching Tint away from her. “I’m not afraid to give timeouts to either of you” she threatened. Ava reluctantly collected herself and Santana felt the sprite slowly relax in her grasp. When she let him go, he willingly settled on her shoulder sneaking peeks at his mistress from underneath her long her.
For a moment nobody said anything until Ava issued a deep sigh. In a small voice she murmured “Sorry, Tint.” Santana shrugged her shoulder once, twice to no reaction. Finally she used her finger to nudge the little sprite. He pushed her finger away and climbed up her hair from where he jumped over to Ava’s head. In a practiced move, he lay flat on his tummy, leaned down over her forehead and looked down into her eyes. “I’m sorry, too”, he whispered.
Bonus picture:
