Chapter 41 Open and Aboveboard Targeting
Cecilia Blackwood's POV
"You're all here to watch a movie, and so is he. What's the problem?"
I held my ground, refusing to back down.
But I regretted it almost immediately. With Kane's current state of mind, he might ignore insults directed at him—but insults aimed at me? That was a different story.
And the real issue was, in my current condition—barely able to move my hands or feet—if he actually lost control, could I even stop him?
Clearly not. But I'd already said what I'd said. All I could do now was hope these people had enough sense not to push their luck.
Fortunately, they proved smarter than Rowen, Domi, and their crew—at least marginally.
Faced with my challenge, they looked displeased but ultimately turned away and shut their mouths.
I also noticed they were deliberately keeping their distance from us. While other students stood less than two feet apart, the gap between us and them was at least six feet.
Still, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. More distance meant less chance of conflict.
And honestly? I had a feeling that if Kane said the word right now, we could skip the line entirely and walk straight to the front.
Yes—no one would dare argue with him over something like that. They simply didn't have the courage.
"Do you want to move to the front?" Kane asked suddenly.
I froze, then shook my head quickly. "No, no, no. That's not necessary. This is fine. Let's just wait our turn."
"By the way, I checked earlier—there are two films showing today. One's a comedy, the other's a romantic drama. Which one do you want to see?"
Kane's reply was quiet. "Either one. Your choice."
That put me in a bind. I actually wanted to see both—they were both highly rated.
Kane frowned slightly. "If you want to see both, we could—"
"No, no, no." I raised my hand quickly. "I don't need to see both. Let's go with the comedy."
I didn't dare tell him the truth. If I admitted I wanted to see both, Kane would probably cut the line without a second thought.
Sure, these people would let him—but it still wouldn't be right. We needed to keep a low profile, not draw attention everywhere we went.
After about an hour in line, just as we were about to be called in, they announced the number behind ours instead.
Wait—no. They called my number first, then skipped directly to the person behind Kane.
I thought it was just a mistake at first, that they'd correct it any second. But I was wrong. One person after another was let in—everyone except Kane.
"What's going on? We got our tickets at the same time. Why can I go in, but you can't?"
"Hey! Why is this happening? Don't you owe us an explanation?"
I shouted toward the entrance, demanding a reasonable answer.
Kane shook his head gently. "Don't bother. Places like this don't usually let people like us in—especially when it's crowded."
I didn't immediately grasp what he meant. "What do you mean, 'places like this'? It's just a movie theater. Why wouldn't they let you in?"
"And what does it matter if it's crowded or not? What does that have to do with anything?"
I genuinely didn't understand. This wasn't just unfair—it was blatant discrimination.
Kane gave a faint smile. "It's nothing. I've never been to a place like this before anyway. You should go in. I'll wait outside."
I didn't hesitate. "Absolutely not. We came here together. If we go in, we go in together."
"If you're not going, then neither am I. I'd rather not see the movie at all."
I turned my wheelchair to leave, then stopped and turned back around.
"Wait—no. I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I leave? You don't need to worry about this anymore. I want to see how they're going to explain this."
Yes—in front of all these people, I didn't believe they'd openly admit to discrimination.
Of course, that was just my assumption. Whether they'd actually do it or not remained to be seen.
A moment later, two young men in staff uniforms emerged, their faces full of irritation.
"What's all this noise? You think this is your dorm room or something?"
I confronted them directly. "Why wasn't Kane's number called? Why won't you let him in? He waited in line just as long as everyone else. Is it fair to exclude him?"
One of the men glanced at Kane, then immediately looked away.
"If there's no ticket, there's no ticket. Why all the questions?"
"Exactly. The academy has rules about keeping distance from Dark Mages. The theater's only so big—you want all the students crammed in there with a Dark Mage?"
I found their response almost laughable. "The academy has rules? What rules? Which specific regulation? What does it say, exactly?"
"And if other students can watch movies, why can't a Dark Mage? Just because some students want to keep their distance?"
"If those students want distance, they can create it themselves. Why should the result be that he can't watch a movie?"
I believed I was making a valid point. If anyone had a problem, they could leave—not impose discrimination.
My words clearly struck a nerve.
"What are you trying to say? Are you siding with a Dark Mage? Mind your own business, would you?"
"Seriously. Are you watching the movie or not? If not, you can leave right now."
The crowd around us began to chime in.
"Some people just love sticking their noses where they don't belong. Always have to make themselves the center of attention."
"Well, you can't really call it meddling. Haven't you heard? Those two are practically inseparable—always together."
"Oh, right! I remember now. They go to class together, eat in the dining hall together. Kane even carries her tray for her!"
"I've never seen a Dark Mage treat anyone that well. What do you think their relationship is?"
I'd had enough. Even if Kane weren't my friend, I couldn't just stand by and watch this happen.
All I wanted was fairness. Why was that so hard? Why couldn't these people understand?
"Stop twisting things. I just think what you're doing is wrong. Doesn't it bother you? Don't you lose sleep over treating people this way?"
If I did something like this, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. And if I did fall asleep, I'd have nightmares.