#bergen_county

TAP tap TAP tap

"And this lead to what war..... Samantha?" The teacher asks. Crap. What war? Civil? World War 1? 2? Korean? Napoleanic?

Star Wars? No no that

Symon flicks fingers behind his back towards her - 3 fingers up, 3 fingers up, 2 fingers up!

W... W... 2?!

Symon can tell Sam has not been focusing all period.

He speaks up. "World War 2. That's what started when Germany invaded Poland."

"MMM?" A turn , surprised that Symon spoke but not goingg to discourage it "Yes, exactly... Chamberlain's star fell quickly... so let's talk about Winston Churchill... today, by most in the West especially, he was beloveed, but back then? Well, 'Asshat' comes close but lacks panache"

"Uh..." Blink.

Sam gets a look ffrom the teacher but he's moving on to the Prime Minister

Symon shoots a glance back at Sam, questioning.

"thanks, sorry." She whispers to the sluagh.

The class ends... and kids flood to the halls

Symon waits until the main press is through, then follows, backpack slung onto narrow shoulders. "Sup, Sam?"

"Not.. well, you heard about Alisa, right?"

He nods. "That was a really handy coincidence about the coma. Makes you kinda think. If Fate can put someone in a coma and deed them the right person for a sidhe, how is that any different than fate just deciding that the sidhe would take that person? I'm sure that 'Alisa the Mortal' before she got sick wouldn't have wanted to be taken."

KNowing that his whisper is low enough to retain right of ignorance.

"It... sucks, yeah. But... but Symon, they wanted May."

"Yeah, that's another thing entirely. You know we'd never let that happen."

She rubs the back of her neck, looking guilty.

He nods up at her. He doesn't particularly care for May one way or the other, but SAM does, and that's enough to flag her as important.

"People get hit by cars every day. You can't stop it. But if you see a car heading for a friend, you push them out of the way. That's just how the world works."

"If the car then hits someone else, THAT ain't your fault. I think they call that survivor guilt."

"Someone was gonna get hit, no matter what. I know."

"Still sucks."

"It's like that stupid-ass serenity poem."

Grunt.

"Sy, you're going to college, right?"

"With your parents, I mean..."

Suddenly taken aback. "Uh."

"I mean, your dad's a doctor..."

Guilty shuffling. "I... guess. Dad seems to think it's a given. I... don't know?"

"You're smart, though."

"You could be... hey, are there, like, dead people doctors? Not morticians, but, you know, autopsy guys?"

"Guidance counselor told me I can probably get a scholarship with my grades. Though Asians don't really get preferential 'diversity' grants any more. We're just SUPPOSED to be smart."

Snort.

"I'd probably get something for being token-mixed-foster-kid. Nobody expects me to go to college."

"I do."

Blink. "You do?"

He looks a little embarrassed. "I mean, it'd be dumb not to. You'll get a full-ride, and you'd get to play more sports, maybe even go for something professional."

"Me, not sure I got what it takes. I can be happy just sitting in my basement with the internet. But I saw how antsy you got during the first year of the Pandemic. You gotta do things. See people, get out there, grow, and shit."

"Forensic Pathologist, I think that's the one you were thinking of."

"It definitely has job security." A soft snort.

"But, like.. you know, it's kind of like taxidermy? And you help solve crimes."

She huffs. "I don't know if I could cut it at college. You are smart."

"I'm.. I mean, I'm not smart like that. I don't even know what I want to do..."

"Yeah, but I don't like people. School, I have to go to. Like, the law requires it. College is optional."

He sighs. "Or it could be, if you didn't have my Dad."

"Maybe you could study computers and still hide in your basement?"

"Someday I gotta get my own place. I can't live next to the laundry room forever... computers are cool and all, but I'm not a programmer or anything like that, really. I guess I could try to learn more. The market is flooding now with people who code and work from home. The thing about working with corpses? Not a lot of competition.

"You could wire up corpses with computers. Like, zombie cyborgs." Gentle teasing.