Chast groaned, burying his head under his pillow as the clatter of dishes echoed from the kitchen. Somewhere beyond his door, Ronnie's voice rang out—already bickering with someone whose replies were sharp, high-pitched, and irritatingly cheerful. Great. Morning arguments. Just what I needed.
He tried to sink deeper into the blankets, desperate to steal a few more minutes of peace, when—BANG! The door rattled like thunder.
Chast shot upright, eyes wild.
At the foot of his bed stood a small figure.
"Lottie?" Chast muttered, rubbing the grit from his eyes. Once his vision cleared, sure enough, the elf stood there with wide, gleaming eyes and an uncomfortably eager smile. What is he doing here at this ungodly hour?
"Wakey, wakey!" the elf chirped, bouncing onto Chast's mattress. His tiny feet pounded against the bed in gleeful rhythm, shaking Chast like an earthquake.
Chast dragged a hand down his messy face, hair sticking up like a nest. Wonderful. My tuition fees apparently cover a personal alarm clock.
"What are you doing here, Lottie?" he asked, his tone dry and flat as dust. Still, he swung his legs off the bed, resigning to the torture.
"To wake you?" Lottie tilted his head, as though questioning his own purpose, then giggled and hopped to the floor. Without waiting for another word, he pranced out the door humming.
"Yeah, right. Why did I even bother asking?" Chast muttered, rolling his eyes. With a sigh, he trudged after him.
But the sight that greeted him in the kitchen froze him mid-step.
"Lott—" His voice cracked. His mouth hung open. "Three... Lotties?"
Three identical elves zipped around the kitchen like hyper squirrels. They vaulted over stools, passed dishes mid-air, and hummed a strange tune in eerie harmony.
"Good morning, Enigmatic!" Ronnie called, emerging from the bathroom with a towel over his head. His uniform was already crisp, annoyingly perfect.
Chast blinked at him, still pointing at the trio of elves. "So... you've met the three Lotties?"
The elves froze in sync. Slowly, their dark, glimmering eyes turned toward Chast. Their lips curled back, teeth grinding audibly.
Chast's hands shot up in surrender, like a criminal caught red-handed. "Uh... hi?"
Ronnie snorted. "It's really a good morning for you, disaster!"
"Shut up, idiot," Chast snapped, shooting him a glare sharp enough to cut stone.
The three elves padded forward, stopping directly in front of him. Their expressions shifted, snarls melting into broad, unsettlingly affectionate smiles.
"No Lottie," they chimed in perfect unison.
"What?" Chast muttered.
The elf on the right sprang into the air with a squeal. "Me Nottie!" it giggled, pointing proudly at itself.
The middle elf crossed his arms, scowling like an old man who hated everything. "Me Tottie," he grumbled, tone dripping with boredom.
The last elf spun in a dizzying blur, twisting like a tornado before landing with a dramatic flourish. "Me Wottie!" it declared with flair, striking a pose.
"Hey, that's unfair!" Ronnie blurted, pointing an accusing finger.
The elves froze again. Their little bodies stiffened, eyes glassy, expressions locked like dolls. They didn't blink. They didn't breathe. The air thickened with unease.
"Huh." Ronnie chuckled, though it was forced, his eyes narrowing in scrutiny.
Chast frowned, switching his gaze between Ronnie and the stiff elves. He rubbed the back of his neck. "What happened?"
"You're an Enigmatic, that's what happened," Ronnie snapped. He flopped onto the couch with a scowl while the elves remained motionless, like puppets awaiting strings.
Chast hesitated, then muttered, "Move."
Instantly, the elves sprang back to life, humming and darting around as if nothing had happened.
"See!" Ronnie's voice rose, echoing around the dorm. "They're discriminating! They only listen to you!"
His shouting startled Luke awake. The boy groaned, dragging himself out of bed with a yawn big enough to split his jaw.
"What's wrong with you people?" Chast asked flatly, annoyance edging his voice.
Ronnie's rant clawed at the back of his mind, but he shoved the unease aside. "Stop acting like a kid."
"What's going on?" Luke rasped, hair sticking up at every angle, eyes still half-shut.
All eyes turned toward him.
"We've got a whiny kid here," Chast muttered.
"Who?" Luke mumbled, rubbing his eyes. When he looked up, he froze. "Lotties!"
The elves, who had just finished setting breakfast, turned to glower at Ronnie, snarling in chorus.
"Uh-oh." Luke darted behind Chast like a frightened child.
Chast rolled his eyes and stepped aside. "They won't eat you," he said dryly, before narrowing his gaze at Ronnie. "So what really happened? Because me being an Enigmatic doesn't explain this nonsense."
Ronnie jabbed a finger toward the elves. "They only introduced themselves to you! When I asked, they ignored me. And then when you told them to move, they actually obeyed you!" His voice cracked with frustration. "They freaking obeyed you because you're an Enigmatic!"
Luke cracked up instantly. "So you're jealous?" he teased between laughs.
Ronnie ignored him, face burning. "You don't get it. They treated me like I didn't exist. But you?" He jabbed his finger harder at Chast. "They gave you the full performance with their stupid names!"
As if on cue, Tottie leapt onto the couch, chanting gleefully. "Enigmatic! Enigmatic!"
Wottie hissed and pulled Tottie down, shaking its head. Tottie pouted, shoulders drooping. "Tottie wants jump..."
Nottie, quieter than the others, padded gently over to Chast. He froze, wary after last night's violent toss across the room.
But Nottie only smiled softly, reaching out to clasp his hand. "Chosen... chosen, eat," the elf said in its thin, musical voice, tugging him toward the table where the food waited.
Ronnie and Luke's jaws dropped.
"Chosen!?" they exclaimed in unison.
Nottie tugged at Chast's shirt hem, eyes shimmering with faint tears. He lifted his arms high, palms open, silently pleading to be carried.
"Wait, did that... little thing just ask you to pick him up?" Ronnie gawked, pointing.
Chast rolled his eyes. Do I look like an elfsitter? Still, with a groan, he bent down and scooped Nottie up.
Luke whistled low from behind him. "Damn. Even the elves are obsessed with you. What are you, their chosen babysitter?"
Nottie beamed in Chast's arms. "I love Chosen!" he chirped.
"Eat... eat!" Wottie shouted from the couch, munching happily.
"Class... class!" Tottie added suddenly.
The three boys stiffened. Classes.
They scrambled to the table, grabbing food in a rush.
Damn, how could I forget about class? Chast cursed inwardly.
Luke let out a dramatic groan of pleasure as soon as food hit his tongue. "Mmm, like heaven," he muttered, savoring every bite.
Chast shoveled his food down quickly, polishing off his plate in minutes before bolting into the bathroom.
While he bathed, Ronnie slipped into his room to finish dressing, while Luke remained in the kitchen—watching with fascination as the three elves cleaned up, humming cheerfully as if chores were their greatest joy.
"So, tell me are you always gonna be here for breakfast?" Luke asked, leaning on the counter.
The elves ignored him, harmonizing their tune as they scrubbed and stacked.
Luke raised a brow. "Oh? Pretending not to hear me? Let's see about that."
He hopped between them, dancing like a clown, flailing his arms dramatically to steal their attention.
The elves snarled, clearly annoyed. Tottie nearly smacked a palm against him, but Luke darted away at the last second.
Luke sneered triumphantly. "Learned my lesson from last night." He winked smugly.
The elves turned away and kept scrubbing.
Luke sighed. "Can I be the chosen one too?" His grin returned, sly and hopeful. "Come on, you can have more than one favorite."
The elves turned in unison, their glares sharp enough to pierce steel.
"Only two Chosen. Two!" Wottie barked, raising two stubby fingers in warning.
"Then I'll be the second one!" Luke declared, eyes sparkling.
But Wottie scanned him up and down, unimpressed. He shook his head firmly. "You... not chosen."
Luke's mouth fell open. "Wait—what!? Why?" His voice cracked, soft with wounded pride. "You're breaking my heart here." He clutched his chest dramatically.
"Idiot!" Nottie snapped, daggers in his glare.
Ronnie burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "That's enough, Luke. You're just embarrassing yourself."
"Shut up, nerdy!" Luke barked, collapsing onto the couch in defeat.
At that moment, Chast stepped out of the bathroom, steam trailing behind him, a towel wrapped around his waist. He raised a brow at the sight of Luke sulking into the cushions.
"What's up with you?" he asked.
Ronnie chuckled. "He's sulking."
Luke lifted his head. "How to be you, Chast?"
Chast smirked, flexing like a model, striking a mock pose. "It's hard to be me."
Luke scoffed, pushing himself off the couch. He sauntered over, eyeing Chast's build critically. Then he shrugged. "I'd rather be me." With a playful shove, he knocked Chast aside and disappeared into the bathroom.
Chast chuckled, the corners of his mouth twitching in defiance as the door slammed shut.
"Better Chast than the Chosen—any day."