222 A-Lis (2/2)
”Arah's relatively new so she'll need Edo's support to manage the unit while you and I are here��” Aura got up and dusted off her skin tight jeans. ”It's not as comfortable as it looks…”
”Yeah, well, I understand fashion isn't about comfort,” I chuckled.
I got up from the bench and then looked behind me to the other two members of my thieving party.
”Ty, you take Enna and Varda roam around campus and make sure we're alone. Aura, Qwipps, and I will head for records... Maybe there's something there that will help identify our targets.”
”Man, we're actually breaking into school,” Ty sighed. ”Feels unreal.”
”I know right,” I agreed.
---
”So, what exactly are we looking for?” I pulled open one of the metal file cabinets inside the records room.
Midtown High made a point to keep copies of student records on both print and digital as a safety measure. This worked in our favor because breaking into a room was much easier than breaking into a computer.
”There are certain criteria fairies look for in humans we want to bring into the Fayne,” Aura replied.
”Looks, intellect, and bloodline,” Qwipps added.
”Yes, but those are just surface qualities, Qwipps,” Aura corrected him. ”What we really look for in humans is their potential for growth.”
”And how does one figure out someone's potential?” I pulled out a folder and checked the information on the file. It belonged to some random freshman I'd never heard of. On the file, something caught my eye. It was a reference to the student getting detention for posting racist comments on social media. ”You're looking at our digital footprint…”
Aura beamed at me. ”Yes.”
She pulled out a smartphone from her jacket pocket, something I'd never seen her use before, and showed it to me. The screen was showing a Friendbook profile — mine.
”Your likes, dislikes, hobbies, S.A.T. scores, the food you eat, the places you visit, even your secret desires,” she cited. ”You humans have made it very easy for us to read about your lives. This helps us predict how you would act in certain situations.”
”Like in a battlefield,” I realized.
Aura nodded again.
”You're looking for warriors,” I continued.
Aura nodded a third time.
”We look for other things too but essentially we fairies view humans as a resource for our conflicts,” Aura admitted. ”But you already know that.”
”And Luca?” I asked.
My voice was a little less cordial than I would have liked it to be but the information she was dropping on me was a little upsetting.
A shadow of doubt appeared on Aura's face, one I tried to push away with a smile.
”Sorry,” I apologized. ”It's just…”
”I know, Dean,” she replied quickly.
Seconds of uncomfortable silence was broken by Qwipps coughing loudly and obviously — this jumpstarted Aura back into explanation mode.
”Luca's a legacy,” she continued. ”A potential that's been marked by fay since birth and groomed to become whatever the fay need him to be.”
The thought of Luca being groomed for warfare just irked me some more. But I managed not to sound like a dick when I replied.
”Is that what we're looking for?” I asked.
Aura shook her head.
”Potentials would have been taken at an earlier age like Luca was… But if we're looking for a high school student then that means whoever it is probably hasn't been approached yet,” Aura insisted.
”They're somewhere here in all of this mess then,” Qwipps pointed toward the numerous file cabinets. ”Muddammit, I knew I should have switched places with Pike.”
”I assume we're here to look at aptitude scores then?” I asked. ”That's how we find this A-list Morrigan's after?”
”Yes,” Aura agreed. ”We can look through someone's social life through your social media machine and match any potentials with what we find here and then cross—”
The sound of breaking glass and yelling reached our ears. Looks like we weren't alone in the school after all.