“Good morning, Mr. Anders,” the [Ghoul] said as he handed Fletcher a steaming mug. It was only 7 am, leaving plenty of time for Fletcher to enjoy his breakfast before he was due in the office. The past three weeks since his arrival in Bren’it’p had flown by, and he was finally settling into a routine.

  Twice a week he went out for breakfast at a cafe located halfway between his apartment and the Education Department. The Unhumans were paying him plenty of money, and given he couldn’t exactly bring a huge savings account back to Alcett with him after this job ran its course, he decided to live it up and spend the majority of it. He had enough sense to keep a small amount of savings, but if he was going to spend a year in a foreign city, he might as well enjoy himself.

  “Good morning, Cors,” Fletcher replied with a smile as he took a sip of the Unhuman version of coffee, narn. Narn was sweeter than coffee, but it also had quite a bit more caffeine. One cup a day was about the max of what Fletcher could handle of the stuff, but he liked the taste better than coffee.

  “Omelet again?” Cors asked him.

  “Why don’t you surprise me this time,” Fletcher requested. He was feeling brave.

  The waiter nodded and looked at Knarf who sat across the table.

  “Steak and bacon,” the [Ogre] said.

  From what Fletcher had seen so far, Knarf ate nothing but protein, though that could just be a personal taste thing rather than an [Ogre] thing.

  The [Ghoul] wrote down the order and then left to care for the other tables, leaving the two alone. Knarf said little, but Fletcher was accustomed to his bodyguard’s silence at this point.

  Only a few minutes later Cors returned with their meals, a plate piled high with meat and a small collection of green pastries for Fletcher.

  “A typical selection of Unhuman sweets,” Cors said with a smile.

  “Thank you,” Fletcher said as he picked one up.

  It seemed normal enough. The crust was flaky, similar to a croissant. He took a tentative bite, and a strong, savory flavor hit his mouth alongside the bitterness of the greens. There were slimy bits of kale and spinach leaves mixed in alongside the bread, making for a very uncomfortable texture. Fletcher chewed it slowly, hoping his disgust didn’t show too heavily on his face.

  Both the [Ghoul] and [Ogre] failed to hide their amusement.

  “Please tell me this is a prank,” Fletcher asked once he swallowed.

  “They are standard [Tengu] kale breakfast breads,” Cors explained with a chuckle. “Most would call them an acquired taste, but I do think everyone should try them once.” He grabbed the bowl off his tray that Fletcher had originally assumed was for another table. “Here’s your real breakfast. Classic [Ghoul] mash sweetened with berries. Enjoy.”

  The mash was more or less oatmeal, which Fletcher found far more pleasing. He did force himself to eat the rest of the first pastry he originally tried, but he abandoned the others afterwards in favor of the mash.

  Once he and Knarf both finished, they went to pay for the meal. The cafe was getting crowded now, and the number of glares was more than usual. Knarf went first, and after he’d handed over his coins, it was Fletcher’s turn. As he was placing his money on the counter, someone from behind began shouting.

  “Human jemlk’wp have no business among us. He doesn’t belong in this city!”

  Everyone in the cafe turned their attention to the gray-skinned [Goblin] who was standing on her table, screaming at Fletcher.

  Knarf took a step towards her, but Fletcher grabbed him. “Let her go, Knarf. We’ll just pay and get out of here. I’d rather not cause a scene.”

  The [Orge] shook his maned head. “Sorry, Mr. Anders. I have my orders. Stay here until I return.” He went to the [Goblin] as she continued to yell.

  “He’s a spy! All Humans in our cities are spies! He’s only here to gather information before they start the next war. They’re going to wipe us out.”

  Knarf approached the table and reached for her.

  “Look! They’re trying to silence me because I’m telling the truth,” she called out as the [Ogre] grabbed her off the table and dragged her out the door.

  Fletcher watched the scene with a grimace. The journal from General Taki was still buried in his suitcase since he had yet to decide if he was going to risk not filling it out. Surely they couldn’t just… kill his dad because he refused to spy for them. The government couldn’t be that corrupt, right?

  The cafe quieted down, but it was an uncomfortable silence as everyone continued to glance Fletcher’s way. With a sigh, he double checked that he’d left enough coins to cover his meal before nodding to Cors.

  “Sorry about that,” he muttered.

  The [Ghoul] took the money but said nothing in response, not even returning Fletcher’s smile.

  “I’m, uh, going to wait outside,” he murmured mostly to himself. He couldn’t stand the awkwardness much longer, especially not with how many of the patrons were openly glaring in his direction. It was one of those moments where he regretted his decision to come, something he had every few days when incidents cropped up, but this was the first time the perpetrator was so vocal. Normally it was a few slurs or shoves as he walked the streets, but this took things a lot further.

  Exiting into the early fall weather, he took a deep breath of fresh air and enjoyed the beauty around him. Alcett and Loketa were both somewhat mundane colonies, with crowded streets and tall, metal buildings everywhere one looked. But Bren’it’p was historic and charming with its classic architecture and cobbled streets. There was a lot more greenery, fountains, and plazas just within the small section his work and apartment building resided in, and getting to jog amongst such things during his morning run was one of the highlights of his day.

  Fletcher bit his lip. Knarf told him to stay put, but loitering right outside the cafe made him nervous. The Education Department was only a few blocks away, so surely the [Ogre] would understand why he chose to go there instead.

  He started down the paths towards his work building, but it was strange to be walking completely alone. He’d never been without an Unhuman companion since meeting Sunlight at the train station, and after the cafe incident, he was suddenly a lot less comfortable being surrounded by all the different species, not one of them Human.

  Fletcher reached the wide marketplace he always passed on his way to and from work, but he still couldn’t relax as he noticed just how many people stared and whispered as he went. Was it always like this? How had he managed to not see the disdain everyone around him held until now?

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  A large round fountain sat in the center of the plaza, with various colorful stalls along the outskirts. He caught sight of the [Sylph] at his favorite fruit stand in the market. He couldn’t recall her name, but she was always friendly with him, and she actually gave him fair prices despite the fact he was Human.

  As a [Sylph], she looked more Human than a lot of other Unhumans, except that she was see-through. Where [Jinns] had a faint translucence to their bodies, [Sylphs] were composed of something akin to a foggy window. Her green hair also flayed out as if it were stuck in a permanent wind storm.

  She smiled at him, and he smiled back, some of the tension easing. He liked living in Bren’it’p, even if it did have its struggles. The peaceful moment was cut short as someone grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back.

  “Looky here. We’ve got ourselves an unaccompanied Human,” the [Yeti] holding him said, his white fur gleaming in the morning sun.

  “No bodyguard to protect you, jemlk’wp? Oh, this must be my lucky day,” his [Undine] companion replied as she cracked her knuckles.

  “I’m not looking for trouble,” Fletcher said as he moved the furry hand off his shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me.”

  “We are,” the [Undine] responded with a grin, shoving him backwards. “We’ve got a message for you and the other [Skill]-less jemlk’wp.”

  The [Yeti] grabbed Fletcher in a hold he could never hope to break as the teal-scaled [Undine] grabbed his face, forcing him to look into her blue eyes.

  “We don’t want you here, freak. You Humans don’t deserve the land we’ve already given you. Stop trying to pretend you have any right to this world after the devastation you’ve caused. It’s ours,” she said. She released her grip and slapped him. “Jemlk’wp have no business among us. We don’t want your ‘help.’ We’ve done fine by ourselves for our whole existence. If you know what’s good for you, Human, you’ll get on the next train out of this city, or else the pieces of your deities-forsaken body will litter these same streets.”

  With that, the [Yeti] shoved Fletcher down into the fountain, forcing his head under the water. He desperately struggled against his captor in a bid to find air as water rushed into his lungs, but the [Yeti] was far stronger than any Human could ever hope to be. Just when he was sure he was going to drown, the [Yeti] released him and flipped his whole body into the fountain.

  Fletcher flailed about to get his head out of the water and air into his system. He sat up, alternating between heaving air and coughing up water as he glanced around to see the rest of the marketplace staring, but no one made any movement towards him. The [Yeti] and [Undine] were both gone, lost in the crowd of early morning shoppers.

  Once he’d gotten all the water out of his lungs, Fletcher was able to slow his breathing and make his way out of the fountain, dripping wet. At least he hadn’t brought his laptop with him today, or else this might have been a real catastrophe.

  Standing up into the cold air, Fletcher stepped out of the fountain and held his arms close as he began to shiver. What was before a pleasantly cool day felt freezing now that he was drenched. He couldn’t show up to the office like this, so he had no choice but to go back to his apartment to dry off and change.

  He glanced at his [Sylph] friend, but as soon as he made eye contact with her, she looked away.

  So much for that friendship.

  Sighing, he turned back the way he’d just come and started back towards his home. With every step he took through the city, he cursed himself for being stupid enough to come out here. It wasn’t enough that he had to worry about keeping his Hexing a secret or trying to find a way out of being a spy for the Humans without risking his father’s life.

  No.

  Fletcher had to also try to deal with bigots who would like nothing more than to pummel him to a pulp if given the chance. He never expected things to be easy, but would it really be too much to ask for things to at least be doable?

  The wallowing helped him stop thinking so much about all the stares as he went. In a surprising turn of luck, he ran into no one when he entered his apartment building, luck that held out all the way to his door.

  Within the safety of his home, Fletcher pulled off his sopping wet clothes as he made his way to the bathroom to grab a towel and properly dry off. He was halfway done when a knock sounded on the door.

  Grumbling, Fletcher pulled on his pants lightning fast and flung a hoodie on as he walked to the door. Yanking the door open, he froze as he found Minister Vi’le waiting there.

  “M-Minister Vi’le. Hi. Uh, come in?” Fletcher stumbled for the appropriate words when seeing someone of the [Goblin’s] rank outside the door to his apartment.

  Knarf and the [Bloodhound] guard stood just behind him, the former seeming genuinely angry for the first time since Fletcher had met him.

  “Mr. Anders. Do you have a moment?” the [Goblin] asked in his usual calm tone.

  “Yeah. Of course,” he answered as he stepped to the side and allowed the Prime Minister to enter. The two guards remained in the hallway.

  Vi’le glanced Fletcher up and down, making him aware of just how absurd he must look wearing nothing but slacks and a worn jacket.

  “I heard about the incidents today. I wanted to check in with you,” Vi’le said with an attempted friendly smile.

  “Incidents? The fountain thing already got back to you?” Fletcher replied in amazement.

  The [Goblin] nodded. “Of course. Unfortunate, but perhaps not entirely unavoidable.”

  “Right,” he said slowly, not exactly sure what the Minister was getting at. “I knew to expect stuff like this. It’s my fault for not staying put where Knarf told me too.”

  “It would be a shame if one bad morning were to taint you… or others of your kind towards Unhumans.”

  Fletcher thought for a moment in confusion. “There aren’t any other Humans around to be tainted, Prime Minister, unless I missed something.”

  Vi’le chuckled. “I understand you write friends and family back to Alcett often, and obviously you’ll get many chances to speak about your time in Bren’it’p when you return to the colony. While I want to ensure you are safe and comfortable, I also have a duty to the Unhuman reputation.”

  “I’m confused. Am I here to run an education program or write a tourist brochure?” he asked flatly.

  The [Goblin] openly laughed. “You misunderstand my intentions, Mr. Anders. You are the first Human who has been willing to move to an Unhuman city without any of your kind. The only reason you were allowed in Bren’it’p is because you are a lone Human. If there is any hope of others taking up similar positions as you, they will likely also have to endure a few months or years as the only one of their species. I suppose I should have clarified this responsibility earlier, but the assumption was that you’d be a spokesman for the program and help recruit others to our cause.”

  What Minister Vi’le said made sense, but Fletcher couldn’t shake the strange feeling that there was a lot more they expected from him that they had yet to share with him.

  “Right,” he said, forcing himself to seem relaxed. Flinging accusations wasn’t going to do much good.

  “So we have an understanding?” The [Goblin]’s pink eyes stared into him.

  “My dad worries enough about me as it is. I don’t see why I’d mention something like this,” he assured the Prime Minister.

  “Good. It is very much appreciated, Mr. Anders,” Minister Vi’le said. They shook hands before the [Goblin] exited, and Knarf entered the apartment.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Anders. I will not fail to protect you again,” Knarf said in his gravelly voice.

  Fletcher smiled up at the [Ogre] who was more than two feet taller than him. “Don’t worry about it, Knarf. Let me finish getting ready and then we should head to the office. There’s a lot to do today to prep for the principal coordination meeting tomorrow, and I’m not going to let a couple of punks stop me.”

  As he returned to the bathroom, Fletcher considered the odd situation he found himself in.

  Fletcher Anders: math teacher, hidden Hexed Human, and Unhuman citizen. If that wasn’t a complicated enough list, now it seemed he was becoming a pawn for both sides of a war that had yet to start.