"And here we are, the Central Valley Academy. The heart of the Acropolis' schools." Aurora mentioned and spread her arms as they stood in front of the stairwell.
Timothy and Chiaki had words stuck in their throat and couldn't speak at the scenery.
The academy was incredibly large. It built structures with several floors and flew its flag in the wind at the very top. People gathered in the academy's yard and stairwells before the doors opened. It featured a vast pool for additional activities, an open field, a port that resembled a house, and a huge balcony with trees on the third set of floors with an outdoor bridge leading to the clock tower at the top.
Timothy was like a fairyfly compared to the entire academy and with elevated armpits, he screamed in shock, "This thing is gargantuan!" Sweat dripped off his brow, and his voice floated into the air.
"Indeed it is. There are more than 3 million students enrolled in this academy." Timothy glanced at Aurora, "T-Three.... three million?! How big is Acropolis even?!" He continued flopping his arms like a penguin, checking out the people entering and leaving the school. "And let's not forget the 760 faculty members."
Timothy experienced heartbreak and turned ghostly white. With stars over his head, he whirled on his feet before collapsing to the ground.
"Eeek! Tim! Wake up!" Chiaki called, crouching next to him and pressing her palms onto his chest. "Is... that heaven?" He asked while Chiaki kept blinking in confusion. "Oh no! He sees the light!" Chiaki took a bottle of water out of Timothy's duffel bag and poured it into his mouth.
She grabbed his shoulder and started to shake him back and forth, "Get yourself together! I haven't learned soul-linking! You can die after I do!" She squeaked while Aurora spectated them. "Anyway... the principal should be at the top. Shall we go up there?" Questioned Aurora and spotted Timothy springing to his feet, squeezing the opened bottle into Chiaki's chest for the water to squirt in her face. It wet her face for the water to slip down her cheeks.
She looked up at him and stood up, listening to Timothy's comment. "There better be an elevator. I am not going up the stairs." He claimed, crossing his arms. "There are several elevators in the school. Let's just hope it doesn't get stuffed by the students." Aurora explained as Timothy looked at Chiaki, the water slipping between her clothes. "You alright, Chiaki?"
She looked at him unimpressed, "I'm fine... Though I can't say the same for my uniform and underwear. I'm soaked..." She called, looking at the bottle and putting it inside his duffel bag.
Timothy awkwardly reached for his cheek and smiled embarrassingly, "S-Sorry..." He giggled, a bit of sweat trickling behind his head. "Don't worry. You can use the ladies' powder room to dry yourself. It's available to every lady, even if they aren't from this academy." She explained.
"Good... because somebody made me wet," Chiaki crossed her arms, glancing to Timothy's side, who acted innocently and whistled, "I have no idea what you're talking about, hmph."
"Shall we go now? I'm sure administrator Forest won't stay at the principal's office much longer. I'm sure you don't want to miss him." Timothy and Chiaki nodded, followed Aurora, and climbed the stairs.
They entered the school's hallways and got greeted by a reception desk with a woman sitting behind it and leaning a phone on her right ear.
"Uh-huh, I understand. Yes... Yes, very well. I'll send help immediately." She slammed the phone and prepared to leave the desk, "Um, Annie! Hi!" Aurora called, stepping in front of the desk. "Aurora? I thought you finished your classes for this week. Did you forget something to come back to the academy?" Annie questioned, holding books in her arms.
Annie was an adult of average height. She wore black glasses to cover her emerald eyes while her short brown hair curled to the side. She wore a teacher's uniform.
"I am, but I came to speak to the principal about these two." She leaned her arms in front of Timothy and Chiaki's eyes, introducing them. "I see, but the principal has a visitor at the moment." Explained Annie, still rushing. "Yeah, I know. It's administrator Forest, and I'm guessing his daughter."
Annie fixed her glasses, "Correct, but her daughter Poker is the reason why administrator Forest came to speak to him. And I need to hurry up and deliver information to the administrator." Timothy and Chiaki seemed confused and looked at Annie, "What? Why?"
Out of nowhere, people started screaming in the distance. They heard the sounds of vehicles getting thrown through the air and roads getting shattered.
A fast, strong wind current blasted at the academy's front yard and propelled traffic lights through the streets. "That's why..." Annie pointed behind them and showed them a white, muscular, humanoid rabbit raging through the streets. "The administrator's daughter's toy rabbit is rampaging again because it had no more carrots."
They saw the raging rabbit smashing the cement floor, throwing the parked vehicles away. "Again?! How many times will the administrator and Poker forget to feed that toy some carrots? This is the third time this month." Shouted Aurora, astonished and irritated.
"Be careful! Don't get too close to Nantes! The city's forces are already dealing with him." Annie sprinted up the stairs and toward the principal's office.
"Are we in a superhero movie or what?" Chiaki questioned in confusion but noticed Timothy running down the stairs. "What are you doing?!"
Timothy licked his lips, leaped on the handrail, and skated over it, "I wanna fight that rabbit!" Timothy called as Chiaki blinked in confusion, "What does that even mean?! Why would you want to fight a rampaging monster rabbit?!"
Timothy looked into the distance and raised his arm, "Cause I'm hungry! And I would love some carrots!" Chiaki's eyes became lifeless, and her eyes became shadowed. "I clearly said not to cause trouble!" Aurora shouted, opening her arms in disappointment.
Chiaki and Aurora hurriedly sprinted after him in order to keep him in sight.
-
Administrator Forest stood in front of the principal's desk with his daughter Poker standing right next to him, wobbling left and right as she cried about missing her rabbit.
"You must listen to me, principal Acorn. My daughter's been crying all day long because of Nantes. Please give us some of the school's zibberind to calm him down." Forest requested.
Administrator Forest was a tall, bulky man with orange hair and eyebrows. He had brown eyes and wore an orange jacket with a black shirt and orange tie. He wore black trousers with an orange belt keeping them tight.
"Administrator, Mathew Forest. You are a legal law firm director and the president of Acropolis, but you cannot look out for your daughter's rabbit? How many times have you forgotten to buy zibberind this month? Talk to Emma, and she'll give you some."
Acorn seemed to be serious while Mathew continued begging for his help. "I can't talk to Emma! I didn't pay her for the zibberind last week! So, please, help me out."
Acorn grabbed the tower of books and moved on to the next, "I'm afraid you'll have to find a better way to find zibberind. Our school relies on Emma's supply of vegetables and fruits, so we cannot provide you with it either." Acorn explained, opening the book and writing into it. "She doesn't need to know. I promise I'll pay you good money next week after my monthly earnings."
Acorn sighed and slapped his palm on the book, "I gave you my answer. Now leave and find somebody else to deal with your toys." Suddenly Poker reached beneath her small shirt, dragged out golden bolts, and placed it on Acorn's desk. "Please, take all of it! Just help Nantes!"
Mathew's eyes bulged from their sockets as he saw her daughter dragging out money, "P-Poker?! W-When did you-?!"
Acorn raised his eyes and looked at Mathew, "You have a way to pay, but you claimed to pay next week? Would you explain, administrator Forest?"
Mathew reached on his back and became embarrassed, "N-No... I... um... That's hers..." He claimed, trying to decline Acorn's belief.
Acorn crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Well... you see..." Suddenly the door to Acorn's office opened. "Administrator Forest! I've received word from the city's grand forces! They located your daughter's rabbit near the academy! There's chaos going on outside!"
Mathew turned around with Poker and opened his eyes in amazement, "Took him long enough to show up! Never mind, principal Acorn! I will handle it myself! Come, let's go, Poker!" They sped past Annie and, "Bombs away!" Mathew shouted, smashed through the school's wall, and leaped outdoors with his daughter hanging on his back.
"I-I didn't even tell them where they went..." Annie answered, blinking and watching Acorn slamming his face into the desk. "Ugh... tell the staff to fix the wall... again."
To be continued...