Pierce Charming Academy Origins
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F. R. Black
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Pierce
FGI Headquarters
Ribbon-cutting Ceremony for the Opening day of Pierce Charming Academy
15 Years Ago
I stride purposefully down the marble-floored hallway of Fairy Godmother Inc. Headquarters, the early morning sunlight filtering in through tall windows and catching the sheen of my cream and indigo suit, its crisp lines designed to signal optimism and authority.
My heart beats a little faster.
Itâs opening day for Pierce Charming Academy, and Iâm supposed to embody the very spirit of hope and reform. I must present myself as the perfect face for our Alpha and Beta training.
Beside me, Iâll admit Dom cuts a striking figure in his maroon suit, a creation of my own tailoring. He wears the fine velvet with subtle silver thread at the cuffs like armor. His black hair, perpetually tousled, falls into his eyes as he scowls at the hovering camera, swatting at it with a flick of his hand. The media have swarmed us since dawn, buzzing and hungry for a glimpse of the infamous half-brother duo.
âFuck that camera,â Dom hisses under his breath, pointing at it. âLike little annoying flies.â
He glares at me, then keeps walking, and I fight to keep my face neutral.
There is no way anyone would guess we are half-brothers. We donât look anything alike and we couldnât be more opposite in personality. Zora claims Dom and I have the same nose and share some mannerisms, but I donât see it.
He is the complete opposite of me in every way.
Despite his brutal past, he manages to maintain a surprisingly positive demeanor in public. And by âpositive,â I mean heâs civil and sometimes slightly juvenile. I get that he exhibits some minor quirks, but itâs nothing we canât work on. And if Iâm honest, even with his eccentricities, heâs more functional than half my shifter agents.
I believe he is the ideal person to co-run Pierce Charming Academy with me, as part of his criminal sentence, of course. He and I think the same, even if we choose to express it differently.
The media ate up our story.
After FGI saved the universe from total destruction and joined forces with Earth, everyone had to know all about my half-brother and his redemption story.
Well, redemption might be a bit of a stretch. The fact that he wasnât publicly executed is a testament to his insane PR skills and, of course, my support.
Itâs all so complicated.
We both experienced extreme torment throughout our lives. Sometimes I can even begin to understand why he sought such destruction before. He learned to channel his rage into powerâIâm only glad he saw the light. He tried to kill us all, destroy all worlds, but, in the end, he saved us.
The last part is key. Without the saving, his head would definitely be on a spike.
***
I never knew my mother was involved with a vampire king. Well, not until Dom showed up out of nowhere.
My mother kept Domâs very existence hidden from me and everyone else. Lord knows how she managed that one. Itâs just a small part of the fucked-up situation that is my family.
Dom was hidden and utilized for his brilliant mind, kept deep in the dungeons, as if he were a secret weapon. He was the mastermind behind the would-be downfall of FGI and the almost-downfall of the entire universe as we know it.
He unknowingly altered the magnetic energy of the solar system, causing a dangerous imbalance that we are now attempting to rectify. Seems like the older brother has to go in and clean the younger oneâs messes. I donât begrudge him for it. Not too much at least.
Thatâs why weâre here now, opening an academy to train Earthlings for missions instead of throwing them into the deep end. I will miss the golden letters we used to send to five competitors every mission, but Iâve been told thatâs âtoo flamboyantâ and ânot a good use of resources.â
After all the chaos and madness, even Earth still experiences devastation from the magnetic shift. Fairy Godmother Inc forces had to intervene to help stabilize the world. Now, we work hand in hand with the people of Earth. Not ideal, I knowâthose people are not known for working well togetherâbut Zora managed to whip them into shape.
Now, Fairy Godmother Inc. no longer works in the shadows.
We are no longer a secret.
Fairy Godmother Inc. has now become a division of Earth, with the soon-to-be prestigious academy situated within a vast, floating compound high above the ground. This facility is specially designed to train hundreds of recruits for their upcoming Alpha and Beta missions, preparing them for the dangers they will face.
And I have been tasked to run it. With my half-vampire, whole-pain-in-the-ass brother.
What could possibly go wrong?
So, here we are, finally ready to open.
Hundreds of people trail behind us, including the high council members and Fairy Godmother herself. Sheâs insisting we only refer to her as Fairy Godmother in the press junkets and media outreach. Apparently Zora made her seem âtoo friendly.â
âWhy do I have to be here?â Dom hisses next to me as the camera zooms around us. âI literally hate ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the people here.â
I glance at him as we walk, his long stride matching mine.
âItâs either here or rotting in a dungeon cell for five hundred years to life,â I remind him nonchalantly.
He looks like heâs weighing his options. âWould I have a bunkmate?â
âYes,â I say in a positive tone, looking ahead as I walk. Maybe if he opted for prison time, my job running the school would actually be easier. âA soulless sorcerer most likely or maybe a massive, foul smelling ogre.â
âFemale?â
I take a second to think.
âThe only female held in Alpha prison who was even remotely close to your age chewed her hands and feet off and tried to resurrect them as her minions.â I look at him with a serious expression, trying desperately to hold back my morbid laughter. âI could ask for you, though. The guards down there do me a favor.â
Dom gives me a sarcastic smile, then goes back to his frown.
There is something so charming about his rakish manners. Sure, he tried to destroy life as we know it, but he is my brother. That surely, has to count for something.
If working for FGI has taught me anything through all these years, itâs that everyone deserves a second chance. Everyone deserves redemption.
Maybe Iâm giving him too much slack, but heâs the last of my own flesh and blood. I want him to do better. I want him to be better.
So, I proposed that he would be bound to Fairy Godmother Inc., the company he attempted to overthrow. His role would be to assist in restoring the universe and repairing the damage caused by running Alpha missions on behalf of Pierce Charming Academy. This way, he would be contributing to the recovery efforts while serving his sentence.
âYou named the academy after yourself,â Dom quips with a slight taunting grin. Jeez, can he actually read my mind? âA little narcissistic, donât you think, big brother?â
âI had to,â I say, stifling a smile. âOtherwise, it would have been Rinus Charming Academy. It doesnât have the same ring to it.â
My infuriating uncle wanted it to be in our familyâs name, and his name sounds horrendous. Really who looks at a baby and says, âYeah letâs name him Rinus.â
I had to intervene.
âWhy the fuck did Rinus have that power?â Dom asks, looking at me, then glancing back. âIsnât the head of FGI? She is the Fairy Godmother after all.â
I shake my head and lower my voice.
âYou donât know that heâs dating Zora? That comes with perks,â I continue with a shrug, âPlus, we both are in on this together. She gave me her full confidence when she selected me as the director of the Academy.â
I glance back to see Zora talking into a mic while walking, looking like a queen in her sparkling silver gown.
âOf course, the famous Pierce Charming,â he deadpans. âIt would be wrong not to name it after you.â
âYou really should be a bit more grateful. If I wasnât so good at my job, youâd be dead or rotting in a windowless jail cell,â I say as we turn a corner to the massive portal dock that will transport everyone to the academy. âYou should learn to respect your elders, Dom.â
He snorts as we all gather for a pic in front of the portal landing. Thereâs a light blue ribbon in front of it. Once we pass through this, we will be at the academy and I will officially be the Headmaster of the entire academy. The fates of all worlds will rest in my hands as I train the next generation for FGI missions.
I look at Dom. âWant to help me cut the ribbon?â
Dom smirks, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. After a moment, his discolored gaze meets mine. âWould you fuck a shifter agent?â He asks with unbridled glee.
I frown at him as people crowd around us.
âSo, thatâs a no then?â
Why canât he just be normal and answer the question?
âWrong answer,â he says, eyes full of dark amusement. âObviously, my answer would be, yes. I hear those shifter agents are absolute freaks! So, I will cut the ribbon, I guess. I mean, if you want me to.â
Iâve never seen this sheepish side of him. For a moment, I think maybe I can see myself being friends with this scampish half-vampire brother of mine, but then he opens his mouth again.
âIt's about time you asked for my help. Everything isnât all about you, Piercy boy.â Dom glances around, looking proud of himself. âI bet you some say that Iâm even more handsome than you. More than some probably, now that I think about it. I have the brooding, mysterious thing going for me. Thatâs very in right now. Youâre just too⌠too⌠too classic Americana handsome. So boring.â
My mouth quirks. âDoubtful.â
Zora pushes her way to us, her face beaming.
âGet a good shot of this!â she yells as cameras make their way through. Her bright eyes meet mine. âPierce, darling! Letâs cut the rope together!â
We all turn to smile as we stand in front of the ribbon marking the historic opening of Pierce Charming Academy. Dom manages to wedge his hand onto the ceremonial scissors with us, elbowing Zora out of the way just enough to earn a theatrical glare.
As the cameras click, the whole group leans in. Dom sports a crooked grin as he throws up bunny ears behind my head. He really is such a child. Zora rolls her eyes in exasperation as I attempt to maintain my composure.
Immature, yes, but priceless.
Laughter erupts as the scissors bite through the ribbon, the collective cheer echoing against the gleaming walls of the portal dock.
That one will go up on the wall in the main hall. I tuck the thought away, smiling to myself. Iâve always loved the beauty in flaws, the way they catch the light, the way they make something feel alive.
Because maybe perfection isnât the goal at all.
Maybe itâs the courage to be imperfect and to keep going anyway.
And for the first time, I canât wait to see what comes next.
