Her Alpha CEO

Blinking at him, she struggled to understand. Somewhere in her mind was the whisper that now she would have to be faster and cleverer, or else the fun of mischief would be gone. Her father kissed her forehead again before he shoved her gently towards the stairs and told her to go have a warm bath and change. There was much to learn today.

Somehow, she knew, things had changed. A new tutor, being allowed to splash people wet and what the sodden earth was a mage?

Climbing the stairs, she puzzled over it in her mind as she went to have a warm bath and change her clothing as requested.

Emeralds glared through slitted eyes. Jaws clenched and hands balled up tight.

“I’ve been busy with this all day!” she thought to herself. “The audacity of the man! Pompous ass, calling himself a tutor. He’s taught me nothing new in the last two years. ‘Do this over and over until you’ve got it perfect’. Pffft. I did all this before he came!” Glaring at her tutor and following his every move, she felt her temper rising and her patience running out. Remembering his words earlier this morning “You are not doing it properly. Do it again until you get it right.”

Mulling over the words and feeling tired from being woken before dawn to do the practices again, she closed her eyes, feeling her temper bubbling to break free.

“What are you doing? You are not trying to do anything. Stop being lazy and do as I told you to,” her tutor remarked from across the room.

Opening her eyes, she glared at him and felt her temper slip loose. Arabella noiselessly advanced on the man, his back turned to her. Her hands moved out and fingers splayed wide, she gave into the wild tide of her temper. Watching him like a cat watches prey, she heard water boiling and breaking as if over a long distance. She saw her tutor turn around as if in slow motion, his face contorted in horror and pain. His mouth was open but she heard no sound.

Something hot lashed out against her shoulder blades. She ignored it and kept her eyes on her tutor. Again, she felt heat, but this time boiling hot and across her back, like a whip. Turning quickly, she saw her sister; Kenna, standing in the doorway of the room, moving her hand slowly in the air. Her temper still wild, Arabella figured that Kenna would be a good person to release it on. She did interrupt her after all. Moving her hands in the air, she collected all the water in the room; from the remaining glass jars, hand basin and drinking water in the pitcher; and flung it at her sister. As the water moved past Arabella towards her, Kenna threw her hands up and then held them out in front of her. And then…..steam.

Blinking and frowning, Arabella looked around the room and then straight at her sister again. “How did you do that?” Kenna looked at her, then past her to where her tutor lay on the floor and marched up to Arabella. Grabbing her by the arm and yanking her round, she led her over to her tutor.

“Look at what you’ve done!” her sister ordered. Arabella glanced down at her tutor, immediately looking away again. Kenna held her by the back of her head and forced her to look again. “Take a good look, little sister. This is what your temper does. See what you can do and how you don’t need a tutor.” she hissed, and abruptly released Arabella. “Father will want to see you within the hour”. Kenna stalked out of the room and Arabella began to cry, as the image of what she had done slowly seeped through to her brain and started to make sense. Her tutor was lying on the floor, blistered and red as if he was boiled. Running from the room she bumped into the family physician in the doorway, but didn’t stop, twisting herself loose from his hands as he tried to prevent her from leaving.

Running down the corridor to her room, she slammed the door shut and bolted it. Turning around slowly, she wiped her eyes, and moved to her bed. Staring out the window, with tears streaming down her face, she wished her grandmother was there. This was the worst birthday ever. Flinging herself face-down onto the bed and sobbing into the pillow, she thought, “Thirteen is unlucky, and I have only just started the summer cycle.”

Falling into a restless sleep, Arabella clutched her pillow and held it tight.

Looking down at his daughter, her father noticed the tear-stained cheeks and how young she was. Breathing a sigh of relief, he softly sat down on her bed. He’d looked everywhere for her and sent the guards out to find her. He never thought she would be in her room. It was the last place he’d looked.

Shaking her gently awake and calling her name, he waited until Arabella was mostly awake. “We need to talk young lady”.

Arabella blinked and sat up, but cuddled her pillow to her, watching her father. “He’s going to send me away” she thought.

Watching her face, and the emotions playing over it, her father started talking.

“Do you know what happened? I heard all about it from your sister, but I want your version.”

Taking a breath, Arabella quickly explained.

“I lost my temper because I’m doing meaningless tasks and not learning anything and I’m frustrated, and I have no time for myself.”

Her father nodded. “Okay, then we need to remedy that. You need more balance. Did you know that the body is made up of mostly water?”

Arabella shook her head.

“That’s how you nearly killed your tutor. You boiled him from the inside out.” Seeing tears ready to spill, her father consoled her. “Don’t worry, he will be okay. He will be in the sick room for a few days, and his blisters have been seen to. He will have a suntan for a while though.” her father smiled. “You will also spend some more time with your older sister. Seems the two of you will be able to keep each other out of grievous mischief.”

Arabella looked at her father “You’re not sending me away for almost killing someone?”

“No,” her father said. “It happens to all of us at one time or another. The trick is not to do it again. Now sleep peacefully and we’ll start off fresh in the morning.”

Smiling wanly, Arabella nodded, and settled back into bed. “Tomorrow will be better. It has to be.”

Nina paused the game on the console, sitting back in her chair with a huff. Brian was watching her, enjoying the sight of her playing his game.

“Well? What do you think?”