Part I
Prologue
“I am Nobody, nobody is perfect, therefore I am perfect.”
Dandi Daley
“Cassian, stand up straight!” I straightened my spine until it hurt while mother wiped her hands over my shoulders, roughly removing a piece of imaginary lint. “Why must I tell you over and over again how to present yourself? Useless.” She turned her back to me and waited patiently for the door to open. My shoulders slumped just a bit when I knew that she was no longer looking at me.
I tried to be good for her. I didn’t want mommy to be mad anymore. I just wanted her to smile at me. I always made her mad, even though I tried to be a good boy.
The door swung open, and a large man with a big gut walked in. My head dropped when I saw who it was. Mr. Anthony. I didn’t like Mr. Anthony, and he didn’t like me. I had tried to get him to choke on a cocktail shrimp once by jumping out from under the table while he was eating, but he only coughed a bit. Then I got in trouble with mama, and dad just got up and left the table. Mr. Anthony and I haven’t been on very good terms since that day.
“What’s the brat doing here?” Mr. Anthony growled when he saw me behind my mother. I wanted to stick my tongue out, but I knew she wouldn’t like that.
“Oh, Anthony, he won’t be a bother,” Mama spoke, her voice was funny sounding, but Mr. Anthony didn’t seem to mind, and when she put her hand on his arm, he smiled.
“What do you need, Sandra?”
“I want you to pull some strings.” She replied quickly.
“Don’t play with me. Just come out with it, woman. Tell me what you want.” Mr. Anthony spoke louder getting closer to my mother. He was making me feel uncomfortable, and I didn’t like him so close to her. Daddy didn’t like it either, but he never seemed to be around when Mr. Anthony was.
“I want you to get Cassian into Saint Reginos Academy.” She said quickly without turning around to look at me. If she had, she would have seen my heart shatter into a million pieces.
Saint Reginos Academy was a send away school. I had a cousin who was really smart and was sent there. I hadn’t seen him again, not when Auntie Trish came for holidays, not for birthdays. Never. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what he had done wrong for Aunt Trish to get rid of him, but that is what she did.
“Mama,” I whispered and grabbed her hand. She snatched it away from me. My eyes burned. I didn’t want to cry; she didn’t like it.
“Sandra, vixen, as much as I would love to have you owe me a favor as big as this, there is no way. Saint Reginos is an elite school, and only the brightest go there. They would never accept him. He just isn’t worth the hassle.”
I took a chance and peeked around my mother’s body, poking my tongue out of my mouth for just a second before I stood back in my original position.
“You see what I mean?” Mr. Anthony raised his voice and pointed at me. My mother swung her hand back, catching my bottom lip with the large pink gem ring she wore. I fell to the floor, doing my best to catch the blood in my palm before it hit the newly polished wood.
“The boy is good for absolutely nothing besides taking up space.” Mr. Anthony continued as I struggled to get up off the floor and stand up straight at the side of my mother.
“I know, but I am sure you can do something. Just think of all the time that we would have for ourselves when he is gone. I have more than enough money to compensate them. There has to be a way.”
I looked up at my mother again. I didn’t want to go. I’d be a good boy. “Mama, don’t send me away. I’m sorry...”
She turned swiftly in my direction, her hand flying up in a threat as she stared cold daggers at me. “Don’t you ever in your pathetic life, try to apologize to me again.” I cowered and closed my mouth. “It’s such a shame. When I found out I was to have a son, I had dreams of a little boy who would be a king in his own right. Instead, all I got was you. A useless mewling parasite.”
I bit the lip she’d busted with her ring and let the blood seep into my mouth.
She turned back around to talk to Mr. Anthony, “It’s the end of the school year, surely there has to be someone who can’t pay the tuition or has failed, and Cassian can take their place. I will pay the tuition for the year in advance.”
“What about Argo?” Mr. Anthony asked.
“Please, the man wouldn’t know he was missing until maybe a year later.”
Mr. Anthony shook his head, “Still, he is the boy’s father. The last thing any of the headmasters at Saint Reginos need is a legal battle because the father didn’t give his consent.”
I watched as my mother walked up closer and rubbed on his chest. It made my stomach feel funny. I didn’t like it when they hugged. “Don’t you worry about Argo. I will take care of him.” My mother stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Mr. Anthony right on the mouth. I had to turn my head away. It was so nasty.
“Take care of the boy and then come back and thank me properly. Let me make a few calls.” Mr. Anthony pulled away from my mother and looked me over.
Mother smiled brightly at him, but the moment her face was out of his view, the fake smile just slid right off. She grabbed my hand and tugged me along.
The moment I was out of the room, I knew I had to convince her to let me stay. I didn’t want her to send me away. “Mama, please don’t send me away. I can be better. I can do better in the house.”
“Cassian, this will be good for you. It will polish you right up.” She stopped and leaned over to get to my level. “You see, right now, you are nothing more than a rugged piece of useless coal. With a little work, teaching, and a lot of pressure, you will turn into a diamond. Perfect and suitable to be a part of the little elite kingdom I’ve spent so long building up. Until then, you will go where I send you, and you will like it! Do you understand?” She asked, squeezing my hand harder than before.
“Yes, mama.” I put my head down, and one tear slide out from the corner of my eye.
“Good, let’s go.” She pulled me again toward my room. Once she pushed me inside and locked the door, I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about her coming back anytime soon. I laid on my bed and cried hard into the pillow. I was so scared. I’d never been away from my mother. Dad left for extended periods of time, and mama said I was the reason she couldn’t go along with him. I thought once I got a little bigger, we could all go. Maybe if I could show them that I was a big boy, they’d see I could sometimes go with them.
Mama said I would have to stay in that school until I was perfect enough to come home. So that’s just what I would do. I would be perfect, and then in a couple of months, they would let me come home. I could do that. She would be so proud of me.
Chapter One
“He was like the cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow.”
George Elliot
I was suffocating.
I tried to take another breath in, but cinnamon-scented fur covered my face. I tried to lift my arm to move it, but it was held down by something warm and heavy. Finally, using the other hand, I was able to move it. It was hair, and a body pinned my other arm.