"Take care of him," the nurse repeated firmly. "Become his friend. You brought him here for me to heal when you could have walked away. That shows me there's still hope for you."

"But—"

"I'm not asking, Miss Strand." The nurse's tone made it clear the matter was settled. "Mr. Foster will need help navigating his first week, especially with those injuries and that claim mark to deal with. Consider it your… rehabilitation project."

I opened my mouth to protest that I didn't need babysitting, but a sharp look from the nurse silenced me.

"I've seen how you're slipping lately, Kristi," Nurse Redstriss said, her voice dropping to a more intimate tone. "These incidents, the fights, the aggression. It's the same path Adler Silvertail took before her expulsion."

Krysanthea flinched as if struck. "I'm nothing like Silvertail."

"No, you are not," the nurse sighed. "In some ways, you're worse."

"Worse?! What?!" Kristi sputtered. "How am I worse than that… that beerch?! I'd never claim someone… without their consent, especially not with a fucking magic binding chain!"

"Your father expects you to handle social situations well. If you wish to become a ranger you must learn how to talk to the people under your care. You don't have a single friend," Nurse Redstriss pointed out. "You assault and aggravate anyone who gets in your face like it's your life's mission. You've repeatedly targeted a particular prad student for reasons beyond my…"

"Stahhhp! I get it! Fine! I… I just don't know how to take care of a half-dead human!" Kristi stammered out, burying her face in her hands, flashing deep violet.

"Then learn," the Nurse said. "You have so much potential, Kristi. Don't throw it away. It's either this or detention for a month, which will undoubtedly ruin your perfect record and make you even more angry and antisocial."

"I'm… I'm not antisocial! I have friends!"

"Hanging out with your younger sisters doesn't count as having friends."

"Ughhhh, fineeeeee," she groaned. "I'll take care of a dumb human."

"Thank you," Nurse Redstriss said with genuine relief in her voice. "I think you'll find it's not such a terrible assignment."

"You do realise that I'm here, right?" I said.

"Yessss," Kristi ground out. "You're here. I'm quite well aware of the human-shaped lumpy boulder that's now hanging from my neck."

"Oi," I said. "I'm a nice boulder."

The nurse turned her attention back to me, deactivating the healing device and checking her readings. "That should handle the worst of it. You'll still be sore, and those deeper injuries from months ago... well, they're beyond what I can address here." She frowned at her scanner. "You really should see a specialist about the brain, bone, nerve, organ and deep tissue damage. Here, drink this. It'll help heal some of the internal damage."

"Specialists cost money," I said simply, chugging the awfully tasting healing potion with a wince.

"Did… you just say he has brain damage?" Kristi blinked at the nurse between her fingers.

"Yes," the nurse nodded. "He has incredibly extensive brain damage. The kind that people don't normally wake up from."

"What… the fuck," Kristi let out, staring at me with a shocked expression. "Slayer!"

"The intact parts of his brain, just like some of his nerves, look like they've… rewired themselves into the most bewildering shapes around the dead tissue sections. It's all very… unusual and I've never seen anything like it. It all has to do with his rare skill, I suppose."

Nurse Redstriss added a layer of healing ointment to my face from a large jar and stepped back, examining her work with a critical eye.

"That should do for now," she said, peeling off her gloves. "The magitek treatment accelerated your natural healing, but you'll still need to take it easy for a few days." She fixed me with a stern look. "And by 'take it easy,' I mean no more getting tackled in hallways."

"I'll try to pencil that into my schedule," I replied, carefully easing myself off the examination bed.

Kristi stood by the door, her posture rigid with discomfort, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else in the world than babysitting a battered human. Her violet and emerald tail swished irritably behind her, and I could see the tension in her shoulders as the nurse handed her a small medical kit.

"Basic supplies and another potion and salve for when his bandages need changing tomorrow," Nurse Redstriss explained. "And my contact information if his condition worsens."

"I'm not a nurse," Kristi protested weakly.

"No, but you're responsible for him now." The older raptor's tone brooked no argument. "Consider it practical experience for your ranger aspirations."

Kristi's feathers flattened against her head in what I was beginning to recognize as embarrassment or frustration. Possibly both.

"Fine," she muttered, snatching the kit and stuffing it into her small, leather backpack that swallowed the kit that was too big for it. Ah, she had an overpriced extradimensional bag. "Let's go, human."

"Alec has a name, Krysanthea," Nurse Redstriss chided.

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Kristi rolled her eyes dramatically. "Let's go... Alec."

"Such enthusiasm," I deadpanned, following her out the door. "I can feel the friendship blossoming already."

Once we were out of the nurse's earshot, Kristi spun to face me.

"Listen up," she hissed. "I don't want this arrangement any more than you do, but I'm not getting detention because of you. So here's how this works: I show you around campus, make sure you don't die during the week. In return, you don't tell anyone I tackled you, and we both survive this with our dignity somewhat intact. Deal?"

"I dunno," I rubbed my chin. "Seems like I hold all the cards in this… arrangement."

Kristi's eye twitched.

"I'm kidding," I laughed. "Slayer, look at your cute angry face. I don't want to depend on a girl for my survival. I can figure out my own shit—I can keep going lonely-tree style just fine as I always have. If you want to, feel free to go n' do whatever it is you raptors do in your free time."

"Mmmm… no," Kristi shook her emerald mane. "Nu-huh. Redstriss will sniff out that I didn't spend any time with you. Pretty sure she has Seer stones sprinkled all around campus watching out for injuries too. So do try to look like you're enjoying my company with dignity."

"Very well," I shrugged. "Just know that my dignity left town about the same time that biker cheetah decided to use me as a toilet."

Kristi's expression shifted from annoyance to disgust. "She— Wait, she actually—"

"Marked me the old-fashioned way too, yes," I confirmed. "Hence the lingering eau de dumpster despite my best cleaning efforts."

"Urghhh," She shuddered visibly. "No wonder my sisters were losing their minds."

"Glad to know I've made such a strong first impression on the Strand family."

"You have no idea," she muttered, gesturing for me to follow her down the hallway. "The amount of Pradstagram posts about you would make your head spin. 'Disgusting claimed human infiltrates Ferguson.' 'Low-level trash brings gang drama to our school.' My sisters have been working overtime to destroy your reputation before you've even had a chance to establish one."

"Charming," I remarked, limping alongside her. "Any chance they're adopted?" I added jokingly.

That actually drew a snort from her. "Sadly, no. I just had the misfortune of hatching first."

"I'm surprised you didn't smell Adler's claim right away," I said.

"I, urm," her voice fell apart momentarily. "I… was distracted."

"With?"

"None of your biz is what!" she snapped angrily, claws twiddling with her magitek necklace.

I decided not to press the issue.

We emerged into the sunlight, the campus quad now even more busy than before. Students milled about between classes, lounging on benches or hurrying across the manicured lawns. I noticed how they parted around us—or more specifically, around Kristi—noticing her tall form and lowering their eyes and giving her a wide berth that spoke volumes about her apparent reputation.

"So," she began, gesturing vaguely at the sprawling campus, "welcome to Ferguson High, home of the… breeding ground for pradavarian superiority complexes."

"I noticed," I said dryly. "The brochure failed to mention that part."

"Uh-huh. To your left is the Computational Science and Mathematics building," she continued, pointing to a sleek, modern structure of glass and steel. "State-of-the-art labs, mostly used by pretentious owl prads trying to create the next big spell matrix or whatever."

"And to our right," she gestured toward a Gothic-looking building with ornate stonework, "is the Humanities and Arts center, where you can learn about pradavarian history and why humans should be eternally grateful for our benevolence."

"You really sell the place," I remarked.

"Hey, umm, when was the last time you ate?"

I realized with a start that I hadn't had anything since...? Between the biker attack, the highway healing adventure, and everything else, food had fallen pretty low on my priority list.

"Uhhhh," I pondered. "Nine days."

"What?!"

"I'm fine," I lied. "I don't feel hungry."

The truth was that I felt hella hungry, I was just really good at suppressing it, just like I was constantly suppressing pain and trying to make sure my blood stayed inside my body. Kristi's eye twitched.

"Effing brain dead knob," she growled. "Cafeteria. Now."

"I don't have cash—" I started to protest.

"It wasn't a suggestion," she cut me off, her stride lengthening so that I had to hurry to keep up.

The cafeteria turned out to be surprisingly impressive—more like a lavish food court than a typical school lunch room, with multiple vendors offering different cuisine options. Students sat at polished tables or in comfortable lounge booths, their meals looking suspiciously like actual food rather than the mystery meat I was accustomed to in my previous schools.

As we entered, I became acutely aware of how many eyes turned in our direction. Conversations hushed, and the weight of countless pradavarian gazes pressed against me like a physical force.

"What's Kristi doing with that human?" "Didn't you hear? That's the one Kat was raging about on Pradstagram." "Eww, he smells like—" "Why is she even—"

The whispers weren't exactly subtle. To my surprise, Kristi didn't shrink from them but instead straightened to her full height, her eyes sweeping the room with a cold challenge that sent most gazes skittering away.

"Ignore them," she said under her breath. "Half of them are just jealous I'm talking to someone new, and the other half are terrified I'll notice they exist."

She marched me directly to a vendor serving noodles and meat bits in some kind of broth. Without consulting me, she ordered two large bowls, swiped her celesteel student card to pay, and handed me one of the steaming portions.

"Eat," she commanded. "Before you pass out and I have to carry your unconscious ass back to the nurse."

I looked down at the bowl—thick udon noodles swimming in a rich, aromatic broth with slices of beef, green onions, and some kind of egg.

"I don't have any money to pay you back," I admitted.

Emotions flickered across her face—surprise, then understanding, then what might have been a flash of sympathy that was quickly smothered.

"Consider it an investment in not having to explain to Nurse Redstriss why her patient collapsed from hunger," she replied, already heading toward an empty table in the corner.

I followed, cradling the warm bowl carefully. We settled at the isolated table, somewhat removed from the main dining area. Kristi positioned herself with her back to the wall, giving her a clear view of the entire cafeteria. Habits of a predator, I guessed.

For a few minutes, we ate in silence. It was the best meal I'd had in recent memory. I tried not to eat too quickly, but hunger overrode manners, and I found myself devouring the noodles with an enthusiasm that would have horrified my mother.

Kristi watched me with a look of curiosity and disgust.

"Yes?" I asked her.

"What the fuck are you?" She asked. "No human I know can go for nine days without eating and then merrily chatter with a smile."

"Wow. Rude much?" I arched an eyebrow.

"Ughhh," she downed her soup in a single gulp and leaned back, squinting at me with half lidded eyes. "Fine. Yes, I'm rude and angry to the point where I'm losing control of my future. Deal with it."

"Have you tried being less angry?" I asked.

She sent me a glare that promised future dismemberment.

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