Wednesday.
Ben hated Wednesdays.
The day started sluggishly, as always—though not entirely. For once, Ben actually got up on time, got dressed, and prepared for school. And then there was a knock on the door.
Ben opened it, already knowing who it would be.
"Wow," Henri said cheerfully. "You're awake before I even knocked—and your hair is combed."
"Yeah," Ben replied. "Must still be the excitement from yesterday."
And that was true. Since yesterday, Ben finally had a reason to get up in the morning.
Together they stepped into the limousine, where Lovran drove them to school.
"Any news?" Ben asked after a while.
Henri shook his head. "Not really. To be honest, I expected that. The Fabula Mediocris Iter Labe probably needs a week to recharge."
Henri looked at him with concern. "Ben… are you sure you don't want to call in sick today?"
Ben knew exactly why he asked. Henri knew how much Ben hated Wednesdays.
"Don't worry," Ben said. "I'll survive."
The rest of the ride passed in silence.
School was exactly what Ben expected—four painfully boring lessons. Then came P.E., which Ben hated for two reasons: first, humans and fairy-tale beings were separated; second, the locker rooms.
The locker rooms were hell.
Twenty teenagers, most not even fully through puberty, unsupervised and full of energy. No teachers, no rules—just chaos. Sometimes they didn't even realize how dangerous they were.
Ben sat on a bench, wondering how his classmates could possibly have so much energy. It was so loud he had to cover his ears.
Then he smelled it.
Something burning.
He looked up just in time to see Justin setting Steven's hair on fire with an improvised deodorant flamethrower. Steven didn't panic—he laughed and put out the flames with water.
Ben could only think: Do they even realize how dangerous that was?
Soon they were called into the gym.
"Today we'll be lifting weights," the teacher announced.
Ben sighed. Exactly as boring as expected.
And it was boring. Predictably so.
Ben was the weakest—only thirty-eight kilograms.
Finally, the school day ended.
Henri was already waiting for him at the gate.
"Hey, how was P.E.?" Henri asked.
Ben sighed. "As terrible as expected."
Henri could see how tense and irritated Ben was. "Hey… how about we walk around the city for a bit?"
Ben thought for a moment. "Fine. But only if you're paying."
So they went into the city, expecting nothing more than a normal afternoon.
They were wrong.
A large crowd had gathered. In the middle stood a man in his early thirties, just beginning a speech.
"My name is Samuel," he said loudly, "spokesperson of the M.E.N.S.C.H. party. And I say it is time for humans to rule—over everything and everyone."
Ben and Henri slowed their steps.
"You've surely noticed how all wooden products from Hermes Wood vanished for three days," Samuel continued. "Do you see how unstable these magical beings have become?"
Ben felt his stomach drop. Fuck.
Henri clenched his jaw. One more word and I'll say something.
"We should act against the magical beings," Samuel added. "They do not deserve to be treated like humans."
The crowd began to lose interest—until Samuel noticed something else.
Or rather, someone else.
"Well, well," he smiled. "Who do we have here? Henri—descendant of Beast and Belle."
All eyes turned to Henri. People stepped away from him. Everyone except Ben.
"What an honor," Samuel continued. "A famous fairy tale among us. And is that your friend? I wonder—what does your father think about you being friends with a normal human?"
"Shut up," Henri snapped. "Magical beings are worth just as much as humans."
Samuel smiled calmly. "Interesting words, coming from the son of one of the most racist men alive. Did you know there are rumors that your father killed his wife—your mother—once she was no longer useful?"
Henri froze. His fists clenched.
"There is no proof," he growled. "My father would never do that."
Samuel opened his mouth again—but Ben interrupted.
"That's enough. Leave my friend alone. And even if his father were like that, it says nothing about Henri."
Ben pulled Henri away.
Samuel called after them, amused. "See that makes me Happy? A magical being being restrained by a human. Tell me, Henri—do you always do what your friend tells you?"
Henri stopped, turned, and charged—
—but before he could reach Samuel, someone punched him to the ground.
The person wore a motorcycle helmet.
"Pathetic," they said. "Harassing two sixteen-year-olds and thinking you're powerful."
Before Henri could even thank them, the stranger was gone.
Using the chaos, Ben and Henri escaped.
Late at night, Ben lay in bed, thinking.
There were currently two major problems: Schenm—and the M.E.N.S.C.H. party.
He opened his news app.
"M.E.N.S.C.H. party gains popularity – 1.5% increase compared to last week."
There were reports of increased street clashes as well.
Ben scrolled past the more boring news.
A red-haired child defeats the chess world champion…
Then something caught his eye.
"18-year-old woman wins illegal street race – arrested."
The image showed a young, muscular woman with long hair.
But what truly stood out was her motorcycle helmet.
Same color. Same shape.
The same helmet worn by the woman who had knocked Samuel to the ground earlier that day.
Ben grabbed his phone and called Henri.
Luckily, Henri was still awake.
"Henri, how are you?" Ben asked.
"I'm fine. Why are you calling?" Henri replied.
"You remember the person who more or less saved us today?" Ben asked, already putting his shoes back on.
"Of course. She was really cool. Why?"
"Then it's time to return the favor. Put on your shoes, wake your dad, ask him for money, and come pick me up. I'll send you the info."
Henri hung up without arguing.
Ben waited, thinking about something he had nearly forgotten.
What really happened to Henri's mother?
Would his father really do something like that?
No. Surely not.
He was so lost in thought that he barely noticed how much time passed.
Then the car arrived.
"So our savior is a small-time criminal," Henri said with a grin as Ben got in. "Not sure how I feel about that."
"Just accept it," Ben smiled back. "It somehow makes it even cooler."
"You've got the money, right?" Ben asked.
Henri nodded. "And thanks again for driving us so late, Lovran."
Lovran nodded silently.
They arrived at the police station.
Inside, Henri said, "We'd like to pay the fine for Roxie Yakudatsu."
The officer sighed. "That'll be 5,000 euros."
Henri paid. Another officer was called and soon returned with Roxie.
"Well, I didn't expect you two," Roxie said, grinning.
She looked at Lovran. "And who are you, sweetheart? Their dad?"
Silence.
"He can't answer," Henri said. "He's mute."
"Oh. Sorry," Roxie replied. "And no, he's not my dad. He's my butler."
"Huh. The butler," Roxie laughed. "Doesn't matter. Thanks anyway."
She handed each of them a small note.
"That's my number. If you ever need me—call."
Then she walked off.
They watched as she rode away on her motorcycle.
Soon after, Ben was brought home, put back into bed, and everyone returned home.
Somewhere else.
Samuel returned to the party headquarters after drowning his frustration at the bar.
He spoke more or less to himself as he walked through the empty halls.
He threw a wine glass he had taken from the bar against the wall.
"How dare anyone knock me down," he muttered.
"Hm. Doesn't matter. That changes nothing. H.U.M.A.N is growing stronger every day.
Soon these abandoned fairy-tale creatures won't even understand what's happening to them.
And soon enough… everyone will worship me."
Without turning around, he added calmly,
"Oh, and Nahum. I already know your next assignment.
Compared to that, the woodcutter will look like a joke."
He finally gestured toward the pile of shattered glass on the floor.
"But first, clean this up."
After a short pause, his voice dropped.
"And next time, when the Fabula Mediocris Iter Labe is ready again,
you will make sure… that the rose withers."