CHAPTER 7.1: Tamed
"Hey Trish," Shane called upon her after she got home from her little adventure. What happened earlier kept playing on her mind and she felt tired by recalling just what happened. Her legs couldn't keep up so she walked on a chair near the table.
"You are not going out for dinner, Trish?" she asked her roommate since it's evening already. Trisha is laying down on her bed while a book is rested on her chest.
"I am kind of tired right now, Shane. You can just leave me here and go by yourself. I'm sorry," she looked at me and then replied while she is smiling apologetically.
"It's okay," Shane smiled. "Anything you want?"
"Uhm. Just a slice of bread and a bottle of water will do. Thanks, by the way." Trisha replied and then turned over, facing the wall. Shane stood up and then walked towards the door.
"Okay. I will go ahead. Be right back!" Shane opened the door and inhaled a mouthful of air and released it afterwards. Maybe she should challenge herself to engage in a much more thrilling adventure and solve all the mysteries in this Academy next time but it won't happen. The probability of solving all of them is so low and after thinking about it for a while, she realized that what she thought is too troublesome. It'll eat up the time she has in this Academy.
In less than a minute, she'd reached the hallway. Shane finds this hallway too lonely. There was, in fact, on an average count, two students per year level would go and walk with others here and their destination is the "Mighty Hall". This Hall's not named like this if it wasn't in the history. Mighty Hall because this is the exact place where the victorious tribe claimed their victory just decades ago. Within the kingdom, there were different tribes fighting for a certain league, which was unknown her as of the moment. Maybe Trisha knew something about it.
The door opened and there, Shane saw what a typical hall would be like. Wooden tables were orderly scattered around the Hall. There are tables that are for two persons, other tables were for six or four persons. On the tabletop lies the globe-like menu ordering station. After all, this is one of the top performing academy in the whole kingdom. It must be a shame if they couldn't give the luxury the students should have, right? After walking towards a vacant seat which is mean for two people, she placed her hands onto the ordering globe and imagined her order. After 2 minutes, it materialized right before her eyes and she can't help but to be amazed. Even though she is on her second week in this Academy, the facilities here were enough to make her eyes widened in amazement. Still not used to it, she couldn't help but to smile and her eyes sparkled with curiosity each and every day that she encountered these kinds of magical tools. Shane can't help but to wonder when did they start to discover this kinds of magic, how they flow, how they are used, when and why did it all start?
After Shane got her order, she headed out and thought that Trisha must be starving right now. It's already seven-thirty and she must hurry.
The hallway is so quiet and Shane felt that something is off. Usually, when there's a pin drop silence, either the situation was so awkward for someone to mutter a single word or it is because there are danger lurking within the vicinity, just like a predator waiting patiently for its prey.
Shane couldn't help but to think of the scary scenarios like:
1. Someone would pounce her and drag her to the dark
2. There will be a ghost that could scare her wits out and would make her pee on her pants just by thinking of it
3. There will be a blood trail on her way back
With these kind of thoughts, she shuddered and gradually fasten up her pace. She muttered something and there, a visible crease was laying down on her forehead. Shane heard from her seniors with a warning voice that whatever lurks in the dark were just a fruit of our creative imagination but in here, whenever you think of them, they'll just appear, maybe near or far from you.
The ghosts from the Underworld could be summoned, of course, but there is a high chance that they could be in danger. If there's a danger, there would be a good thing that is paired with it. There's this instance that the high level sorcerer/sorceress do that kind of thing and the outcome wasn't good so the students were advised that they shouldn't bother about thinking of doing something like that too. It could potentially harm their bodies or their brains because they couldn't control their powers freely.
On the corner of her eyes, there, she saw, a figure or two that is staring at her. When she turned into their direction, they just vanished in a blink of an eye. Rubbing her eyes with her right hand, she thought that she might just be mistaken and that, my friend, is just a fruit of her imagination.
After a minute, she knocked on their door. Shane will be dead if she doesn't because Trisha's experimenting on something defensive if ever someone or something will raid their dorm room. Shane helplessly shake her head and thought that no one would be courageous enough to do that because of her and Trisha. They are already labelled by the others so why should they care about it?
Remember this, friends, if you don't want the trouble to be on your way:
1. Stay low-key and be humble
2. Don't do anything stupid
3. Talk less
4. Don't provoke someone that isn't worth provoking unless you want the trouble to be on your doorsteps.
"Hey! Open up! It is me!" Shane said in a medium voice. Those words were like magic or a password because the door automatically opened up for her.
"Hey! Here's…. your…food…" She slowed down her pace when she saw her sleeping. She placed their foods in the folding table just beside the wall. Minutes later, Trisha woke up and silently sniffed throughout the room. She walked towards the food.
Shane doesn't know if Trisha actually saw her or is she just sleep walking and doesn't just care at all. Maybe Trisha got a tendency to do things that weren't on her Shane's expected list!
"Trish, yuhoo! Hey, did you remember that time?" Shane said and Trisha just looked at her with a sleepy eye. She is still munching the bread on her mouth.
"Did you remember the person who took me here?" Trisha nodded her head slowly. "Who?" Shane asked. "Shrasahiry" she said it while still at the bread.
Shane furrowed her brows and then asked again, "I am sorry? Could you repeat it again?"
Trisha swallowed the bread she's been eating and said it again. "I said that it is Rayvoin. Do you know him? He's in your class." Shane continued to furrow her brows and think about it deeply. She was kind of shocked and thought, "Why him? What is he doing out there? Why did he save me?"
Shane recalled that there is someone beside Rayvoin (if what Trisha said was the truth) and this someone remains a mystery.
"Hey. I am full. You should go to sleep now. There'll be an activity for tomorrow, I guess this is the time for the pet selection, or is it selection of pet?" Trisha said, confusingly. "Oh. Okay. Thank you!" Shane happily said while climbing up to the top of the double deck.
NEXT DAY WAS a mess. Many students were running on the hallway. Others were calmly chatting their way through the gym. Almost all of the benches were occupied and the crowded hallway doesn't help at all when it comes to toning down the noise.
Shane and Trisha were still in their room.
"Hey. Trish?" Shane called upon Trisha.
"Yea?" she replied, while facing the mirror.
"Is this occasion a little bit exaggerated?" Shane asked.
"Nah. Last year was a bit worst from what you are seeing right now."
"Oh. So, it is like a small portion of last year's event? Or, is it the crowd that is getting a little bit thin compared to last year?"
"Hmm. I don't think so. As far as what you are seeing right now, the seniors and the juniors were not here right at this moment. Expect that the crowd will get heavier as well as the pressure when they will arrive." Trisha is done with the mirror, and now, she's heading towards Shane.
"Shall we?"
"Let's go!"
The students are freely entering at the entrance. No guards or anything else. Shane noticed that in their wrists were some color coded wristbands. Blue for freshman, green for sophomores, and she doesn't know what were the colors are for the juniors and for the seniors. Since Trisha and Shane were both freshmen, they're having the blue wristband. They walked silently towards the entrance. Oh, the wristband was placed to their wrists since they'd passed by the "scanner" that seems similar to what they have back when on the Day 1.
"I am kind of nervous." Shane truthfully said to Trisha
"Nah. Don't be! You'll be okay." Trisha reassured her. What could possibly go wrong, right? "After all, this isn't just an ordinary occasion we're having." She winked at Shane.
"What do you mean?"
"Just like what I've been telling you before, you'll know it soon." Trisha playfully grinned and said, "This will be my seat! I found it!" she turned her back to Shane and sat on the chair, "Hey, I am sitting here. I bet you're on the front part, second row. Good luck!"
With a smile, Shane waved her goodbye to Trisha and started walking, still searching for her seat.
Plastic chairs for plastic friends. Just kidding! Though, that would be nice. She doesn't know if the school's funds are a little bit rough these days that they could only afford some chairs like this one. But seriously though, why would they opt for this kind of chairs? Maybe it's because of the lightness? The durability?
At last! Shane found the seat Trisha was referring to! And, uh, there's this probability of her sitting next to Prius but, who cares? It is just a seat. No big deal. Shane shrugged and resumed walking towards it and then sit on it. What else could go wrong?
"A pleasant morning, students!" the emcee enthusiastically said after ten minutes of them waiting. The students roared as if they're in a concert. "First stop, we, on behalf of all of the faculty and staffs, would like to thank you for being here with us!" the emcee smiled and continued, "Guess what? We have a very important guest with us here! Do you want to know who?"
The students were so excited that they cannot contain their feelings.
The emcee suspended her words for 3 seconds and then, "It is no other than Mr. Blake Travis!"
Shane's eyes were widened in surprise and a mix of shock as soon as she saw the guest the emcee is talking about.
Many thoughts were running on her mind right now. She doesn't know what expression she gave after the shock and she doesn't care at all.
Furthermore, how can he be here?