Chapter 14: What comes next

“Eventually they managed to corner me in my own pocket dimension and Cosmic pushed me into the void that surrounds it. I managed to blink up before I hit the barrier but it was a close call. I knew they’d be waiting on the outside so I had to re-emerge somewhere else…. It worked but doing that caused the whole thing to collapse and I had to start over from scratch.” Lauren finished her explanation and folded her arms. ”That won’t work again. I can blink into and out of my pocket dimension directly if I’m close enough to the door.”

“So then…” I pointed in the general direction of the club room door. “Is that gonna be a problem?”

Lauren rubbed her nose. “No. That’s the same exit, I just moved it. I can only move the exit once a week though, otherwise it gets really unstable.”

“But… is it safe right now?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Of course it's safe, I wouldn’t take you into something unsafe.” She dismissed flatly.

“Your devotion to your students is appreciated Sensei.” I gave her a mock bow.

“Well… speaking of. I have something I need to get for you.” Lauren got up and wandered toward the club room door.

I peeled myself off the couch and got up to follow her. She stopped in the doorway and gave me a look.

“You can wait here.” She said, seemingly blocking my way.

“I was just gonna go rest on the bed over there.” I pointed to the clubroom bed. “It’s better than the couch.”

Lauren nodded and headed off through the third door into the lab or whatever else she kept back there. I tossed myself onto the old bed and lay back.

It had only been a few months since I’d been in here but the place felt… nostalgic. I remembered the old members and I hadn’t realized how much I missed them. Still… this place was magic? It was so horribly mundane and modern at first glance I never would have guessed. All depictions of real magic I’d ever seen were rooted in the age of the Odinwar…. So the early 1800s. I’d always expected Asgard packed up and took all it's magic with it after Odin died. That’s what history said. There were a few artefacts floating around that still retained an amount of magic supposedly but they were all locked up in museums supposedly. It was surprising to hear that not only was magic not gone but humans had a way to use it themselves.

I was pulled from my thoughts by a small object pelting me in the chest. I picked up the small keychain, or… some kind of device?

“That should keep you from being tracked by The Anchors.” Lauren started sitting herself down on the edge of the bed.

“Why would they be after me?” I asked, flipping the keychain over.

“Recruitment, most likely. They can follow anyone with the potential to manifest powers like themselves.” Lauren explained. “It’s most likely how they found us in the first place… In hindsight I should have realized sooner…” She bit her lip. “You should keep away from them.”

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I nodded. “I can do that but…. ahhh…”

Lauren gave me a scrutinizing look.

“If they want me to join them does that mean I can use magic too?” I asked nervously.

“No.” Lauren shook her head. “...well not as you are now. You’d need to have your potential unlocked.”

“So how would I do that?” I asked, getting kind of excited.

Lauren sighed. “You’d need to have it unlocked by an Iconic Remnant which we don’t have.”

“Ah I see…” I felt disappointment wash over me. “So I’d need to meet the True Anchor? Is that where you got your power?”

“Yes.” Lauren crossed her arms. “There is another way but I’ve only seen it performed once and I’ve never attempted it. ”

My ear perked up. “What’s that?”

Lauren raised her hands. “Don’t get your hopes up, but there is a chance I could do it…” She stopped me before I could speak. “But not right now, I need to make sure the Anchors are gone before we attempt anything.”

“Yes!” I pumped a fist. “So do I still need this thing?” I held up the keychain.

“Yes. It's better if they can't track you down. the late stages of puberty light you up like a beacon to anyone with the lightest magic sense.” Lauren put her hands in her pockets.”Also, Before you ask, yes they can detect you even in the pocket dimension. I learned that lesson the hard way. If it’s what you want, I’ll help you once things have quieted down.”

“I’ll be good.” I agreed.

The two of us were silent for a long moment. I stretched a bit and flopped down into the familiar soft mattress of the club room. Wondering about my new magic powers, but also reminiscing about the previous school year and all that had happened.

“Hey, do you miss them?” I sat slowly up and looked at her. “The old members.”

“...Of course.” Lauren smiled a bit sadly. “That’s Homework club, you see these beautiful young women slowly blossom into the people they choose to be and then they go out to live their lives. I have a year with you all, maybe two and then… you move on.”

She got very quiet and wiped a tear from her eye. “I still wouldn’t trade this for anything.”

“Yeah…I mean.. Being able to see you this summer has been wonderful and I love our time together. It's just… it's just not the same when it's just the two of us. When we were all together it felt…”

Lauren stretched her legs and lay back on the bed. “I know, I miss it too.”

“As soon as I’m able… I swear I’m going to rock your godsdamn world.” Lauren gave me a downright evil smile and pulled me into a passionate kiss that took my breath away. I melted into her arms being careful of the wound. I was just happy to have her hold me. It had been such a long time since the two of us had just been able to relax in each other's arms this way. It was nice and I could have stayed like that til morning. Of course she had to ruin it after a few short minutes.

“Now get your ass up. If you’re gonna sleep here at least let me wash these sheets.”

“Oh, do you have a washing machine back in the lab?” I asked rolling off onto the floor.

“As a matter of fact I do.” Lauren began rolling up the sheets. “Go get your clothes, we'll do those too.”

“Yes Ma’am.” I sighed and pulled myself back up on my feet.