Fan Mail
“Uh… Jinx?” Caitlyn sounded, leaning on the doorframe and analysing Jinx’s packing skills. The massive suitcase hung open and revealed the mess it was. Nothing folded, with mounds of space wasted as she just flung in whatever she deemed. “Hate the break the news, but the UK isn’t really known for its super-hot weather.”
Cait pulled out the first item of clothing she reached, a very thin t-shirt, and soon realised most of her clothes looked straight out of a desert survival bag.
“Well how would you know?” Jinx barely bore her any attention, continuing to mutter to herself, her face permanently pulled into a scorn. She had warmed to Caitlyn in their year of immunity, but whilst packing she decided she hated everyone and everything.
“Have you ever noticed this funny sound that comes out of my mouth… And my parents’.”
“Yeah obviously. It’s why I had a constant headache my first month here.”
“Well it isn’t just luck that I have it-”
“I would say it’s more unlucky.”
“Jinx.” Cait held her breath. “We’re from the UK. I have family there and visit often enough. Just like we will do with you. And you us.”
Jinx just rolled her eyes.
“Y’wouldn’t have to bother if I studied here.”
“I know. But you need to recognise that nothing we do is ever to upset you. Honestly, my parents have a softer spot for you than anyone I know. They’ve been patrons for countless academics, even Jayce, and none impress them more than you do.” She sat crossed legs before the suitcase, taking out clothes and folding them. Is every Topsider a fusspot? “I even think they prefer you to Vi.” She whispered. “Don’t tell her that.”
Jinx finally stopped and took in Caitlyn, she looked genuine enough. Chuckling a bit, Jinx sat opposite her.
“Besides, a little independence will suit you. You might even prefer life there.”
“It’s a boarding school, silly.” Jinx scoffed, dumping in some warmer clothes. “I’d be more free in a prison.” She reached back to the top of her forehead and fell back, her shoes lying in the suitcase. Caitlyn had to look away so that she didn’t actually force her feet out. “My meal times and what I eat are controlled, I’ll have to live in a small room surrounded by weirdos and what will I even do there? I have no workshop, no materials. Just lie around twiddling my legs? Welcome to hell!”
Cait didn’t know what to say, how to comfort her. The way she put it, she was surprised Jinx wasn’t actively on the run yet.
“I’ll miss you.” Was all she could utter. It was true, she had grown fond of her girlfriend’s crazy sister. So then, seeing her room usually so well accustomed to the presence of Jinx, now bare and stripped of her, was far more saddening than Caitlyn would have predicted.
Jinx fiddled with her braid, wrapping it around her arm and flicking the tip of it. She, too, didn’t know what to say.
“Okayyyy don’t be a sap, I’m leaving in a few of hours, you’re getting what you want soon enough. Fat hands all to yourself.”
Caitlyn would take that as sweetly as she could, smiling to herself. A snarky reply meant everything was normal.
*
Her hand reached back up to its normal spot as they left the city, driving to the airport. The loss of buildings and consequent new grassy landscape was just another reminder, making it all the more real.
“Stop doing that, Jinx.” Cassandra Kiramman cautioned from the backseat, her tone as sweet as honey.
Jinx was frequently invited to the audience of the courts and the council room, and frequently declined the invite, bureaucracy didn’t necessarily tick her box for a good time. Nonetheless, when being dragged there was unavoidable, she got to witness Cassandra in her field of work. Nothing terrified her more. Her sweet tone would seem alien to anyone in the range of her bitter bite, which was more often than not. It made Jinx feel special.
“Didn’t even notice.” Jinx mumbled, pulling her hand away.
“You’re nervous.” Tobias stated from the divers seat.
“Yeah, no shit.”
“Jinx, you really have nothing to worry about. We’re a phone call away, and a-”
“18 hour plane ride. 18 hours, travelling at lightning speed, away from everything I know and care for.”
The car went silent.
Surrounded by strangers who have all known each other for a year, probably longer, in some rich people primary school or whatever. They’ve probably never missed a meal or stitched clothes instead of buying anew or had to worry about if they’d see the light of day again. Jinx felt like a complete imposter. That, and much more came to her mind, but she refrained from revealing it, she didn’t want to hurt them. Instead she chose a tamer version.
“And all that rich people etiquette or whatever it’s called. They’ll throw tomatoes at me if I cross my knife and fork wrong.”
Cassandra lifted her head, Jinx could feel her attention seized more drastically than usual.
“Now, you cannot let yourself feel that Jinx.”
“Feel what?” Jinx cringed, she could sense the sentimental tone from a meter away.
“Imposter syndrome. You have every right to be exactly where you are. More actually: I would wager most of the children there have had personal tutors since they could hum. Their intelligence is bought, whereas, yours my dear, has been harshly earnt. You mustn’t allow yourself to feel estranged.”
“Thanks Mom.” Jinx groaned sarcastically. Actually, she really shouldn’t throw that word around so easily. “I think it’s practically impossible to not feel weird around these people. I’ve been living the noble life for what, a year? I bet these yahoos have never seen litter.”
“All the more reason you’ll be liked, Jinx.” Tobias chimed in. “Most of these kids will have never been told to shut-up, living only in their diamond-crusted bubble. Now, I don’t mean you aren’t arrogant, Jinx, that you sure have a decent amount of-”
“So, please use that social awareness, Jinx, notice when to talk and what to say. And be… friendly.”
“I’m always friendly.”
The silence of the car was so overbearing Jinx was incapable of not chuckling to herself.
*
Goodbyes were said, hugs given and a tear shed. Jinx couldn’t help but be a bit confused by how much the Kiramman’s cared for a crazy girl they picked up off the street. But she supposed that she cared for them too. It wasn’t that odd.
The travel wasn’t exceedingly stressful, flying first class was not a particular complaint, and Jinx was no stranger to being alone for long periods of time. Only, the lack of distraction from her mind allowed thoughts to fester, and anxiety to creep. She only really noticed how often she touched her head until she went to touch it again and was met with a great sting, pulling her hand away.
She read one of the many books Tobias had bought her as per her acceptance into Rhayn, Engineering and the Mind’s Eye, or, really tried to. It would’ve been interesting if it wasn’t a book. She shut it after the first chapter.
The Kiramman’s arranged for a driver to pick her up straight from the airport. For that she was thankful, less of the grey looking England she would have to endure in the dark car.
The driver was one she knew well, Peter, he was overly bubbly and had such a good outlook on the world she wondered if he was constantly on drugs. Nothing seemed worse after a long flight and her heart sunk the moment she locked eyes with his curly ginger hair streaked with old age and his disproportionate belly.
But then considered that his jabbering would distract her from her thoughts, of which she was admitting, were becoming a little too loud.
The airport was busy, but her wearied eyes didn’t really take it in, instead, it was as though the driver was all she could see.
He held out a whiteboard with her name splashed along it, in just the style she would have if she were to wright it. Bright pink, with an ‘x’ over the ‘i’ and silly details her overactive mind would too have added. Hm, I suppose he’s a bit sweet.
“Hello Jinx!” he grinned as she slouched up to him.
“How’dya get to England so fast?”
“England? We’re in Scotland, dear.”
“Uh-huh. What’s the difference?”
Peter chuckled, grabbing her bag and turning to the car.
“Good thing you don’t do Politics, little engineer. How was your flight?”
“Long. I dunno why we bother thinking the Mainland exists. It’s too far away, we should just forget about it.”
“Hm, interesting point. But it isn’t often that we deliberate between them. Besides, I reckon you’d find most of your peers come from Runeterra, you’ll all be in the same boat. Anyhow, you’re travel was terribly long, wasn’t it? Did you get any sleep?”
“My ears felt too funny, no.”
“Awk, poor you, dear. Hopefully the car will set your mind to rest.”
With the bags loaded and Jinx set up in the back seat, contemplating if she would want to put up the divide, they set off.
“Where are we even going? Caitlyn said the Academy’s not even in a city.”
“Oh it’s not. In a far greater place! The Scottish Highlands.” Peter said with such an overjoyed grin Jinx had to look away.
“Great.” She groaned, dragging out the gadget she spent most of the plane ride making and kicking her legs across the whole backseat. “I’ll have to trek up a volcano or something for every one of my classes.”
Peter chuckled a bit, he was always enlivened by Jinx.
“No, but you will undoubtedly have one of the nicest views outside your bedroom window. Now this’ll be a long drive and you’re surely exhausted. Try to sleep.” He said as he rose the divide.
Jinx was only shocked, thinking he’d want to spent every single second talking about the mountains or something. Either way, she did as he asked, throwing away the far too soft pillows behind her back and exchanging it for one of her jumpers, trying to push out the thoughts of how the Kiramman’s wanted her away…
Thankfully, sleep came far easier in the warm dark car. Jinx only woke to the halt of the engine and the whistle of the divide coming down.
“Alright, just stopping for some petrol. Pity, we’re only minutes away.” Peter whispered as he saw Jinx’s eyes flicker open.
She fell back to sleep merely a second later and only woke to the engine beaming up again for the last moments of their journey.
Peter wasn’t wrong, the views were spectacular… if she cared about tall rocks and high up grass. Which she didn’t.
The Rhayn Academy building didn’t sit in the middle of nowhere as she suspected, well, it did, but it did followed a little town and many a road which seemed actually manufactured instead of a beaten track. Nevertheless, her prior worry of having hike to every class seemed somewhat likely, the buildings were massive and scattered about the hills, lakes and forests, perhaps they were all connected, but it was hard to see when she felt so small compared to what she gazed upon.
“Councillor Kiramman explained that you would have a meeting with the Dean. This isn’t very common, Jinx, I must admit, but Rhayn doesn’t seem a very common university. Anyhow, the lad said he’ll meet us out here.”
“Bully.” Jinx yawned, her eyes foggy from sleep. She looked over to Peter only to notice how sunken his eyes had become. “How long were we driving?”
“All night. You must be starving. I should’ve stopped by that town to get you some breakfast, thing is we’re already a tad late and didn’t want to harm this guy’s first impression of such a brilliant young mind.”
Jinx tried to think of a way to apologise or… thank Peter for spending a whole night awake and only for her, but she couldn’t quite find the right words and as she opened her mouth hoping to mumble something coherent, out came a rather familiar face.
With shaggy, brown hair and a gaunt, striking face, the thin man stepped out of the grandest blackwood doors she had ever seen. Piltover had nothing on this place.
He wore an ostentatious robe that was tailored to his physique perfectly, and under wore a red shirt, with a white vest and a red tie. She recognised him, but couldn’t quite recollect the name.
She knew him to be one of Piltover’s scientists yet she saw him around the council room many a time. She wasn’t entirely sure until out he came with a delicate cane fastened beneath this arm.
“Miss Kiramman.” He announced, his voice soft, in that accent which only doubled her suspicion. She hated being called that. “How nice it is to hear such a familiar name so far from where I know it.”
“Goodaysir.” Peter announced, his overtly board grin back upon his face.
“Yes it is, isn’t it.” Viktor smiled back. “Miss Kiramman, if you could be so kind as to follow me.” He then turned and started back towards the massive door. Jinx took a breath and looked back to Peter. Handing her the bags, he terribly failed to hide the look of despair upon his face.
“Alright, kiddo.” He sniffed. Jinx couldn’t really tell why she too was losing heart over this small goodbye, she didn’t really know the driver that well, and yet it pained her to see him go. He patted her on the shoulder, wiped a welling tear from his eye and watched her set away. She waved goodbye with a smile a little too broad for what she was used to, he deserves it though, and did as the Dean asked.
The door was slightly ajar, thankfully, Jinx doubted she’d have the strength to open it. It was only a corridor the door opened out to, of which was bright with many a lantern giving it a yellowy tint. It was tall, with many a painting lined up it. It certainly wasn’t the main entrance, for it was rather unassuming in comparison to the other buildings they drove past, nevertheless, Viktors gawky silhouette stood in the middle and Jinx swayed her way to him.
“My name is Viktor, Miss Kiramman. Perhaps you recognise it. Until recently I had worked in Piltover.”
“Couldn’t forget you Vik.” Jinx said, having not even realised he left.
“Hm.” He smiled. “Nor I you, Powder. The adoptive daughter of the Kiramman’s. Only not obviously, seeing as you share their hair.”
“Jinx. And there’s no need to call me a Kiramman. I’m technically not one so…”
“I was very glad to hear of your admission into Rhayn. Of what I saw of your… devices, the engineering was inspired. Beautiful, and from a prodigy of the undercity, well that hits rather close to my heart, young Kiramman. I hope your time here can only endorse such vibrant talents.” Viktor stopped before a doorway. “Now, you must excuse me, Jinx. The Dean isn’t quite the steadiest of jobs, time is quite elusive. I merely wanted to welcome the familiar face myself. Now, I believe you will have a tour from a member of faculty. Being a month late into second year, you can understand the need for a more settled introduction. Good day, Jinx. I hope to see you soon.”
And with that Viktor disappeared behind another excessively large door and Jinx was left in silence.
She looked around, rather befuddled, tapping her fingers together as her bags were left slumped at her feet. The corridor was wide and tall, with deep-blue carpet lining the dark oak floor and golden frames capturing ancient paintings. Jinx could only admire it shortly, however, as a mere moment later came the sound of pattering round the corner. Then soon after came panting, and then appeared a short girl with vibrant red hair.
“So sorry!” She cried as she wheezed her way to Jinx. “I completely forgot we had a new student. Please, come, I’ll show you to your room.” And without another word she turned back the way she came and gestured for Jinx to follow. “My name’s Anne, doing my post-grad here, and you are… Otto Harte?”
Jinx pulled her face into an expression of utter disgust.
“Uh… no. Jinx. Actually.” She said, eyeing the short girl from the corner of her eye.
“Jinx?” Anne mimicked Jinx’s expression. “Definitely not a Jinx on my list.” She then pulled out a scuffed piece of paper, heavily detailed with all types of scrawls. “Ah! Powder… Kiramman!” she stopped dead in her tracks. Jinx sighed.
“Why do they always do this… Jinx, call me J-”
“You’re a Kiramman!? I- I didn’t know they had another daughter. And I surely didn’t think a Kiramman would be so… expressionist.” She gestured to Jinx’s braids which fell below her ankles. “Forgive me, Miss Kiramman… how about we start afresh.” She stared up to Jinx with the most apprehensive eyes she had ever seen.
“Uh- okay…”
“Okay! So what are you here to study.”
“Botany.”
“Ah. Nice.” The girl replied, a little struck. Jinx liked to lie. “Wouldn’t have guessed it.”
“Neither.”
Anne ignored that.
“Well I’m studying Mainland history. Far less flashy than Runeterra history, there’s no magic you see, but the stories are very entertaining even so. What type of botany do you study.”
“Er, the general type. Plants and green things.”
Their light chitchat endured tediously long, but eventually they made it to one of the girls dormitory wings.
“And here is the second year one. St Cairn Toul is its name, if you ever get lost and need a sign or something. Anywho, you are level five, room 21. Here’s your timetable and oh! your keycard, I’d love to come up with you and show you around but I’ve quite the busy schedule. Hm, let’s see here, you might want to know about your neighbours of course. Ah, so the room to your left is occupied by er-” she pulled out another scuffed piece of paper, mumbling to herself as she dug around for the name. “Ah, a Ren Hoskel. Your right… Francesca Shaldow, and opposite you, er Luxanna Crownguard.”
A Crownguard. Now that was a name she knew. The Crownguard’s were one of the richest and most powerful families in all of Demacia and Luxanna their shiny golden daughter. But Jinx didn’t care for all of that, never really eating into the fetishes of nobility.
“Well, have fun, Miss Kiramman!” Anne cried as she darted away.
Jinx fiddled with the card that Anne had stuffed in her hand, and with a long breath, dragged her bags to the elevator. It was a weird juxtaposition, the modern technology mixed with such traditional architecture. She kind of liked it.
She made it to floor five and couldn’t deny the corridors were quite cosy. They weren’t grand in the way the other parts of the building were, being narrow with low ceilings, but they were bright, being well lit with many gentle orange tint lights which complimented the soft-red carpet. It was very long, however, as she had to trudge a lengthy, tiring way before room 21 appeared. The rooms must have been massive as the space between them seemed never-ending. When reaching 21, she could hardly see 19 or 23, but her eyes did linger on the 22nd room.
Miss Crownguard’s.
Jinx didn’t know they were the same age. She shook her head of it and fell into what would be her home for the next long, long while.
It was better than she expected, a large bed, a large window, a large desk, a large bathroom. She could see the theme.
It was without personality, obviously since no one lived there and was merely furniture dotted about the room. The bed was stuffed into the left corner, with the window revealing many a hill right beside it, a chest of drawers sat at the foot of the bed and a wardrobe the other side of the room. Jinx didn’t hate it.
Classes didn’t start till the Monday, she had a whole day to kill… but she found herself lacking any sort of motivation. Even if she wanted to explore, find methods of gentle destruction or any sort of mayhem that would keep her occupied over the next while, she wanted only to fall into bed, despite having slept the whole night. Long travel. She told herself, sinking into the cosy desk chair and fidgeting with one of her gadgets, pulling the string back and forth and making the wheel on it spin.
She rarely failed to impress herself, how she could make something actually function with such sparing materials and little time. Only, then, in that moment, she felt very little for her creation, as though all her emotions were dulled.
What she really wanted to do was cry. But she wouldn’t cry. Crying was reserved for him. The only time she let she pain show through her leaking eyes was when she thought of the man who took her in when she was left alone. Nothing else could live up to the pain of his loss, so nothing else would be deserving of tears. Vi and the Kiramman’s tried to poison his name against her, but as much as she left behind of her old life, she could never leave him. He loved her as she was.
Again her hand reached the top of her forehead but before she could realise it, a knock sounded on her door. She would’ve been annoyed with the constant socialising, but supposed it distracted her from the urge to cry.
“Yeah?” Jinx called.
“Ah, Hello!” Came a muffled voice behind the door. The voice stopped for an oddly long silence, so much so that Jinx thought it left. “Er- can I come in?” It continued. Jinx did a very poor job of hiding her audible exasperation.
The door creaked open and out appeared a tall ginger girl with the most ridiculous round glasses Jinx had ever seen.
“Hello new student!” She announced. “My name is Aurora, the student representative. It’s my job to make sure you have a transition into Rhayn smoother than warm butter.” Was everyone here the happy-go-lucky type? “Just thought I’d pop in and introduce myself. Any questions, you need only ask. You’ve had a tour, yes? And what about breakfast. Meal times are between 7am to 10am then 12 to 3 and 5:30 to 9pm. Rhayn like to leave a big window, everyone has varying classes, you see. Anywho, you’re a Kiramman, I believe.”
“Jinx.”
“Well, hello, Jinx. Here, put your number in.” She held out a cellular device that looked as someone put it in the arcane. Piltover long had mobile phones with the more… simple look, rectangular, and no bigger than a hand, clearly other places in Runeterra didn’t share such modelling.
“Oh I don’t have a phone.” Jinx lied. And as though those massive glasses of hers could x-ray the room, she pointed to the table where a very standard phone lay. Jinx didn’t really care to use it, it wasn’t smart by any means, being a mere flip-phone, but the Kiramman’s needed some communication with her. Especially, when she kept sneaking out despite the extensive measures, they decided it was better for her to at least call them if she was lying face down in a trench.
“Is that a phone?” Jinx feigned confusion. Not like she’d know, hers looks like a flower.
Jinx, not knowing her number, had to endure the pain-staking task of putting digit after digit from phone to phone. Then, without warning, Aurora clasped a hold of Jinx’s and dialled in her own number.
“There. I’m a mere message away.”
“Super.”
She slid out the door with a certain grace Jinx rolled her eyes at, and whilst the door was hung open, two girls walking past glared their nosey faces in and exchanged looks. Oh this will be fun.
Jinx couldn’t really remember what she did the rest of that Sunday. For meals, she went down at the last 20 minutes before they closed and snagged whatever she deemed edible to take to her room. If she cared for beautiful halls, perhaps she’d stay there a little longer, as it was a grand room, with windows seemingly wider than the walls and majestic architecture detailing the tall ceiling.
The activity of eating was far more casual than Jinx had suspected, as the food sat out neatly displayed in its own giant corner which extended off from the grand hall. Such room was modern and brimming with colour. One was merely to plate themselves whatever they considered and sit on one of the many long tables the colossal hall provided. Concerning the food, its range was vast and doubtlessly mouth-watering, but for the price Rhayn required, she would expect nothing short of it.
In the meantime she played with a Gameboy that had more storage than a NASA computer and thus was sure to never bore her, the one saving grace of this new life. And that was what she planned to do until her eyes fell tired.
Until something interrupted.
It started with a scuffling behind her door, then a few long, deep breaths and a voice muttering to themselves. Not another one... But to her surprise a knock never came, what did was a piece of paper, slid right under her door. Very peculiar.
She tentatively walked to retrieve it, thinking it would be some signup sheet for some dull sport she’d never heard of, but was met with an even more bewildering surprise. A letter, addressed to… Luxanna Crownguard?
There it was again, that name. Jinx would be lying if it didn’t cause her stomach to drop just a little. The Crownguards were very famous and very intimidating, even for such a cool master criminal such as Jinx.
She knew how Lux was deemed to be the ‘perfect girl’, but didn’t really comprehend the full scale of it.
The noble lass of Demacia, Luxanna Crownguard. The golden girl. Literally. With thick golden hair that fell neatly below her shoulders and a frame making her taller than many girls. But despite the theme of people with height trading pretty looks for a couple more inches, she had the most glare-worthy face. A V-shaped chin and a defined jaw, with rosy red cheeks and the most dazzling blue eyes, about thirty shades brighter than Jinx’s ocean eye colour. Her dark eyebrows sat low on her face and would make her seem threatening if she hadn’t such a warm smile revealing faultless teeth. Her perfection was just frustrating. She was loved among the academy. The people’s Princess. From being a perfect student, eager, exceedingly intelligent and an academic mindset that would scarcely be broken, there wasn’t a professor she didn’t charm. To the other students, most boys wanted to date her and despite how a girl’s perfection would typically draw out natural opposition from some of the same gender, her persistent friendliness granted her very few enemies. Whatever.
The thought that reading a letter not addressed to her would be an act of intrusion never crossed her mind, and Jinx’s curiosity blew up. So she read it.
Luxanna,
Firstly, forgive the mode of this information, I am afraid I’m too weak-willed to say it to your face. And well, when I see it, all the words to the world seem to vanish.
Jinx was about to vomit.
Secondly, if you could spare me the time, I would love to discuss… well, you. Lux, it is as though you are a mage. You have enchanted me, body and soul, as though I have taken a swim in a love potion. The way you smile, the way you laugh, your brilliance and heart of gold. To be in your very presence, well, ha! I feel weak, my legs turn to jelly and my stomach melts.
Lastly, I wish to say, just to say it Luxanna, as it burns in my mind every time I catch a glimpse of you, well, I would trade all the riches in the land, all the money, all the water, turn the world into a sweltering mess, if only I could have you for courtship. Now I understand, only a fool would feel different, and so I must compete with the world to have your hand, but I would take such a risk, if it meant you as the reward. So there, I have thrown in my gauntlet. Consider me, Luxanna, for I love you.
Sal.
Jinx audibly repulsed. She had never read something so painfully soppy. Her mouth felt dry and suddenly she dreaded meeting another person for fear they all talked like this.
Why am I getting her fan mail?
She moved the page around in thought. She couldn’t just leave it in her room, what if there were room inspections and someone thought she wrote it. Nothing would be worse. But she really couldn’t care to socialise more, especially with the Crownguard’s Princess. A Piltie on steroids. And she really didn’t care about ‘Sal’ or whoever, in her opinion, that letter just worsened his likelihood with this girl.
Then she wondered would Miss Perfect think the same. She’d probably eat up the flattery, and being Miss Goodie would write a letter back. Jinx couldn’t deny that she was curious about if that would happen or not, and decided to be the good, friendly neighbour and redeliver the letter.