Robichaux Academy.
Rai's lively retelling of the battle with the wraith not only widened the witches' eyes, including Cordelia's, but it also kept the new maid, Delphine, running herself ragged with trays of tea and snacks.
Seeing the welcome party finally wrap up, the two-hundred-and-something-year-old Delphine was just about to breathe out and let her old bones rest when Queenie called over, "I'm still not full. Bring me some more peach cobbler."
Delphine clenched both hands, annoyed. "More? You'll never find a man at this rate. If you were my daughter, I'd lock that ice-box and throw away the key."
Grumbling aside, she still walked to the "ice-box", the fridge, to take ingredients.
When she'd first arrived, she'd enraged everyone with a string of racist remarks, and Fiona had deliberately assigned her to Queenie as a slave. The last few days had taught her plenty of hard lessons. Otherwise, she'd be snapping, "Filthy Negro, how dare you open that dirty mouth at me," instead of merely venting a few sour lines.
Rai ignored the little scene. Flush with cash, he handed out small gifts he'd bought on the road. At last, he stopped in front of Nan, passed her the new noise-cancelling headphones he'd picked out, and gave her a tiny wink. "Keep this between us, Nan."
Nan accepted the headphones, delighted, and nodded. "Okay."
She couldn't read Rai's mind, but Madison could and of course, she knew what had really happened, which was why she'd been suppressing a laugh the whole time. She had been debating whether to spill the truth; now that Rai had "bribed" Nan, that thought died on the spot.
Branded a freak since childhood, Nan hadn't received many gifts from anyone but family. Rai neatly filled a lifelong gap. Her favorability spiked, and of course, she'd do as he asked.
Once the welcome was done, Rai went back to his room. He was unpacking when a knock came. His girlfriend.
Zoe had already put on the present he'd given her: a lovely blue dress. "Pretty?" She spun; the hem flared, flashing straight, slim calves.
"Of course," Rai said.
Her smile grew brighter. No longer suppressing her warm feelings, she threw herself into his arms, drew him into the room, hooked a leg back to kick the door shut, and got into bed with him.
With no audience, Rai relaxed too, savouring the fresh, shy flavour that even veteran seductress Madison couldn't provide.
Sadly, it still ended without a hit.
"If I'd been the one who went with you instead of Madison, that would've been perfect." After they parted, Zoe was breathless and regretful.
Watching her boyfriend walk into danger while she could only sit at home had already been hard. The fact that he'd gone with Madison, who obviously had designs on him, only made the alarm bells louder. If she hadn't worried about disturbing him, she'd have called every hour.
"No helping it. Madison was cursed, too," Rai said. "And you've only been here a few days, you haven't even started to really study witchcraft. If you had come, you could hurt yourself."
Zoe's expression dimmed. Compared to Madison, Queenie, and Nan, her ability really wasn't useful yet.
"I'm going to study hard from now on!" she said seriously.
It was about power and about their happiness. If not for her physical condition, she wouldn't feel so outgunned facing Rai… or Madison. It's not like she hadn't noticed Madison's little moves in private.
Rai didn't know Zoe's inner monologue. He just gave her a motivational speech. Soon, seeing her fired up enough to study by candlelight, he sighed. Though he'd inherited the body's memories, his feelings clearly weren't that deep. Truth be told, what he'd shared with Madison over wind and rain these last days felt more "real."
So why not leave Zoe? Because of his position…
Fine, plainly, it was selfishness. He'd felt a little guilty until he compared himself to the average teen playing much dirtier. By comparison, he was still a five-good youth. As the future kind father of humanity and a saviour, being adored by many women is normal, right?
Of course it's normal!
Consider it prep and prevention for the glorious future. You can't let a string of scandals ruin a lifetime of legend.
Thinking thus, Rai nodded solemnly, then temptation arrived. A bathroom selfie from Madison popped up on his phone. He saved it quietly, then righteously told her this was improper, did she want a certain "leak" like so many Hollywood seniors?
Madison professed remorse and said she'd delete it immediately.
Just as Rai thought, another ping:
"Open up."
"…"
How is that a door problem?
Always trying to shake my morals.
To resist temptation, Rai touched his heart and nobly refused.
In the end, he did indeed enjoy a peaceful, serene night.
Next morning, with zero manservant discipline, Rai woke around the same time as the witches and went downstairs to a breakfast jointly cooked by Spalding and Delphine.
Spalding didn't treat Delphine with the coldness he reserved for Rai; clearly, he knew she and he were not the same "kind" of person.
At the table, Cordelia had no opinion about Rai sleeping late. After hearing yesterday's story, she no longer saw Zoe's unusual boyfriend as a mere manservant. He hadn't flinched before a wraith and had played a major role. With that much force, she'd rather make him the witches' protector than keep him in livery. With real dangers in the world, having someone like that escort the young witches would put her far more at ease.
"Rai, see me in my office after breakfast," Cordelia said, decision made.
Rai nodded. He didn't know what she wanted, but it didn't sound bad.
Sure enough..
Half an hour later, he came out of Cordelia's office beaming. He had a new contract.
He's not a manservant, but the Head of Security for Robichaux Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, similar to the suit-clad bodyguards around Myrtle. Granted, as Head of Security, his "staff" currently consisted of… himself. But the status bump and the pay raise were good things regardless.
Which is how, passing Spalding, Rai greeted him with the air of someone who half belonged among the owners "Hey, Spalding. Do a good job, and remember to lock up tight tonight."
He walked off smiling, not caring at all about the butler's suddenly longer face.
Over the next few days, everything stayed calm.
Under Cordelia's guidance and Fiona's ghostlike pop-ins, the young witches learned to control their powers more effectively.
No longer tied up with housework, Rai either trained his body or fooled around with Zoe and Madison.
He also didn't forget to search the internet for more supernatural incidents.
But after completing Heather's containment and, by accident, "special containing" Madison, he had a twenty-day wait and wasn't as anxious as before.
Unfortunately, special containment didn't yield containment points, which meant his point-spending plan was on hold.
"If only I had a reliable pipeline for supernatural leads."
Rai skimmed various occult forums. The stories came in all flavours, but with firsthand experience, he knew how much nonsense there was. When you truly run into the supernatural, how many people actually make it out alive?
The dead don't post.
While he was mulling over other ways to make contact with anomalies, noise rose outside.
As the new head of security, he was responsible for the academy's safety, so he stood up at once and stepped onto the balcony.
Looking down, he saw a moving truck packed with household goods parked at the gate of the long-vacant house to the left of the academy.
Clearly, new owners had arrived.
Something about it felt familiar.
Too much time had passed; he couldn't remember the finer points. But it didn't matter. With his arrival, and with so many stories beyond the American Horror tale still in this world, everything was already changing.
He was about to turn back when Zoe, Madison, Queenie, and Nan came over.
"What's going on out there?" Zoe asked.
Rai pointed casually. "We've got new neighbours."
"Do we?" The young witches perked up, leaned on the railing, and looked down. The neighbour woman's son, a young man, was carrying boxes bare-chested, showing off a solid build.
"He's really handsome," Nan said, eyes bright.
"Looks creamy and delicious," Queenie added, picturesque as ever.
Zoe glanced at the two and smiled. "If you like him, go for it."
Queenie was just about to nod.
"Pfft."
Madison laughed out loud.
Queenie snapped, "Bitch, don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
Madison lifted her hands. "What did I even say?"
Seeing those two sworn frenemies about to go at it again, Rai stepped in quickly and headed it off before it grew.
Queenie lost the mood to watch and stomped downstairs, clearly ready to turn anger into appetite.
Madison shrugged, flashed Rai an innocent look, and drifted off, too.
In the past, she might have gone to tease the handsome neighbour. Now that she had someone taller, fitter, and better-looking, she had no interest in others.
Zoe watched her roommate's back, helpless, then shook her head. "Don't let them bother you. Nan, want to go meet the new neighbours?"
"Of course." Nan was excited. "He's great. I like him. He'll like me too."
"Really?" Knowing Nan's gift, Zoe glanced at the boy below, surprised. "Then let's go say hello, as neighbours."
"Okay. Let me prep a gift first." Beaming, Nan headed downstairs.
Zoe looked to Rai. "Coming?"
"I'll pass. You two go." Rai wasn't interested.
Soon, Nan took over a homemade cake for the visit.
Not wanting Nan to go alone, Zoe went with her.
Rai and Madison stayed behind, watching TV on the living room couch. On screen, the president was giving a speech.
Delphine, passing by with more food for Queenie, caught a glimpse and looked stricken. "Oh God, have you already abandoned the country you once loved?"
"What did she say?" Madison, unfamiliar with Delphine, frowned.
Rai explained, "A relic out of step with the times, seeing a world that's nothing like the one in her head. That's a normal worldview-collapse reaction."
Then he turned to Delphine and offered kindly, "Believe me, what you're seeing is just a tiny piece of the new era. You'll need a stronger heart."
Delphine drifted off, hollow-eyed. Who knew whether she'd heard him.
Madison let the topic drop. After some current affairs and Hollywood gossip, she started to complain. "Day after day of student life is so boring, and there haven't been any events or parties lately. Rai, why don't we go camping at the nearby swamp park sometime. I kind of miss those adorable gators."
They'd just toured the city sights not long ago, so Madison didn't bring those up.
"No problem. Let's bring Zoe, Queenie, and Nan too," Rai said.
Three days of road-trip scenery had loosened him up. He was less of a homebody and more in step with American youth. Plus, endless swampland carried a natural air of mystery, forever a source for urban legends and horror tales. If he could tick off a containment objective along the way, even better.
"Zoe…"
Madison frowned. She'd hoped for a two-person life, but Rai was inviting a crowd. After a moment, she still nodded.
An hour later, Nan and Zoe returned safe and sound. Without Madison, the obvious "temptress" in any parent's eyes, the visit went smoothly, though the boy's stern, devout mother left a strong impression.
Hearing Rai's plan to camp, Zoe, of course, agreed.
Nan thought about it, shook her head, then grinned. "I'll sit this one out. I need to strike while the iron's hot with Luke."
Luke was the neighbour boy.
Madison looked genuinely surprised. "Strike while the iron's hot? Your feelings mutual, aren't they?"
"Of course," Nan said proudly. "He likes girls like me. He's not interested in bold, hot types like you."
"Then he's not a man," Madison muttered, rolling her eyes, then shot Rai a smug look.
Rai didn't bite.
Which meant, counting the already on board Queenie, four people would be camping.
There's no need to wait or hesitate. They've set the time for tomorrow.