Ashur stared at what would be his new residence. A huge door stood in front of him with an oak leaf insignia, its sheer size meant to intimidate anyone who dared stand in front of it. And intimidated he was. The oak insignia on the door was carefully detailed, from its shape to its green veins. From one glance one could tell that a lot of craftsmanship went into making the entrance a work of art. Astonishing was the only word that came to mind as Ashur walked towards the door. Ashur grabbed the huge door handle and pushed it open. Contrary to what he was expecting he was easily able to push the door open, almost as if the door weighed nothing.
If Ashur thought the entrance was astonishing, then he couldn't help but think that the room inside was breathtaking. The serene atmosphere was complimented by the wooden furnishings and a huge green carpet that covered the floor. Verdant curtains added a final touch to the well-decorated room. The only contrast in the room was its occupants who wore a different color from their surroundings. The males wore a white shirt inside their white blazers. Their black pants matched their black ties and shoes. Ashur was also dressed in a likewise manner. The females, on the other hand, were dressed in white blazers and socks that went well with their black dresses and shoes. Ashur noticed that the blazers had the same insignia the door had on the topside of their right sleeves.
"It's a sight to see, right?" A voice whispered behind him.
Startled, Ashur spun around to meet the owner's voice. A boy stood behind him with a nostalgic look on his face. He had a set of brown eyes and his hair tied back in a small ponytail. Ashur noticed that unlike the other students, he wore a green blazer instead of white.
"Hi, I'm Jake," he began, "Jake Norseward. I'm the Oak house captain."
"Oak house?" Ashur inquired.
"It's the house you are in," Jake informed, "There are four houses in Whitehouse Academy; Oak, Fire Blossom, Sage, and Iris. This is the Oak house. Come, let me show you to your room."
"You are the last student we are expecting this year so you will be in the last room," Jake explained as they walked, "This year the number of newcomers at Oak House is surprisingly high, so you couldn't get a chance to pick out a room that you are comfortable with. Here we are."
Jake opened the door and ushered Ashur to his new room. The room had two beds, one already occupied, and two closets opposite the beds. A window across revealed the green glades across the fields. Ashur looked at his soon-to-be roommate. The boy lay on the bed with his uniform already on. He had a knife, or was it a dagger, strapped to his thigh making Ashur wonder if he was really a student. One look at him and you could tell he was not the talkative type.
"Good luck with your roommate," Jake whispered to Ashur then continued audibly, "If any of you need anything I'm just across the hall." And with that, Jake took his leave.
Ashur was left standing at the door, contemplating how he would break the icy silence.
* * *
A grumbling Ashur took his seat in the auditorium. Next to him was his roommate who was yet to utter a sound despite Ashur's attempts at a conversation. He didn't respond to any greetings Ashur offered him, nor did he respond to any questions Ashur asked him. Were it not for the slight reactions that gave the roommate away Ashur would have thought he was deaf.
"At least he acknowledges that I exist," Ashur grumbled inwardly, "Maybe he's dumb, or taking an oath of silence."
Whatever the case was, Ashur decided it was none of his concern and turned his focus on the other students entering the auditorium. Each house had a designated area with a banner for the respective house above it. Oak house's banner was a vibrant green, Fire Blossom house's theme color seemed to be a bright scarlet, amber was Sage house's color of choice and the Iris house banner was a proud royal blue. Each banner had an oak leaf, a red flower resembling a lily, a sage tree, and an iris flower insignia respectively. Ashur watched as students took their seats at their respective houses.
"How is it living with Mr. Grumpy?" a familiar voice asked in a whisper.
Ashur turned to meet Jake's grinning face. He then turned to his counterpart only to find he had dozed off.
"Don't worry, he started dozing off a couple of minutes ago," Jake assured, "So, did he say anything?"
"No. He didn't even tell me his name," Ashur replied.
"Tell me about it. He didn't even squeak when I gave him a tour of the place. And when I asked for his name, he just looked at me."
"At least he looked at you," Ashur grumbled.
"I see you're still gossiping with the new student," a feminine voice said, "Don't you have somewhere to be?"
A girl stood behind the two boys arms akimbo. She, like Jake, wore a green blazer. Her auburn hair was slightly draped over her shoulder. Her brown eyes looked at the two boys with a slight annoyance, especially at Jake.
"C'mon Sera, we were just having a nice little chat," Jake said to Sera then turned to Ashur and quipped, "She's Seraphine, the co-captain of Oak house, and a thorn at my side."
"The Housemaster is looking for you, but I'll just tell her you were busy having 'a nice little chat' " Seraphine said as she turned to leave.
"Sorry I got to go," Jake apologized as he hurried after Seraphine.
Ashur glanced at his roommate who was still dozing off. A frown was eminent on his face his right hand gripped the hilt of his dagger tightly. Whatever dreams his roommate was having, it was clear that they weren't pleasant.
* * *
Craig walked slowly in the darkness as he tried to reach for something, anything that he could use as support. Placing one foot in front of the other and hoping he would find solid ground, Craig continued to trudge forward. Or at least he thought it was forward, he couldn't tell due to the blinding darkness.
Suddenly Craig could see a ray of light in the distance. He hurriedly walked towards the light desperately trying to escape the darkness. The light seemed to get closer and closer until it blinded his eyes forcing Craig to cover his eyes. Gradually, his eyes adjusted to the light showing Craig the sight that lay before him.
Craig stood in front of the Oak house door, the same door he had passed through earlier today. Except now the green oak insignia on the door was red with blood. The door stood slightly ajar as if trying to tempt Craig to walk through it. As if in a trance Craig found himself opening the door to see what was inside. He immediately regretted his decision.
On the floor, a body lay in a pool of blood. Craig could tell by the drag marks and the blood that the person had tried to reach for the door and failed. Craig moved closer to investigate the body but stopped dead in his tracks. The green blazer and the small ponytail were enough to identify the victim. Craig wanted to throw up but decided not to. Footsteps could be heard quickly approaching the scene. Craig could tell the footsteps belonged to four people; how he knew remained a mystery to him. Craig turned to meet the group of four arriving at the bloody scene. His vision suddenly became blurry making him not able to clearly distinguish the silhouettes in front of him, but one figure was as clear as glass. With his tanned skin and slightly reddish pupils, a small earring on his left ear, and a Mohican cut, Craig could say with certainty that that person was his day-old roommate. He seemed to be waving frantically as if trying to warn him of something.
Crag turned his head only to see something heading towards him at a terrifying speed. Whatever the thing was, it was fast and strong. Craig had little choice but to raise his hands in an attempt to defend himself. As soon the creature came into contact with Craig he felt excruciating pain all over his body, making Craig jolt up in his seat and awakening him from his troubling slumber.
"Could you let go of me now? I promise not to ever disturb your nap," a confused Ashur said.
It was then that Craig realized what was transpiring. Craig had Ashur's right hand in a strong grip and his now unsheathed dagger was on Ashur's throat. The scene had already attracted the attention of a few onlookers. Hastily, Craig released his grip and sheathed his dagger.
"I was just trying to wake you up. You slept through the entire orientation and students are already leaving," Ashur explained.
"Sorry," Craig apologized as he took his leave.
"So the mute finally speaks," Ashur muttered as he followed him.
* * *
Craig and Ashur continued to walk in silence to their dormitory. As they walked down the corridor Ashur took this chance to look out the window. It was at this moment he appreciated how large the academy was. The twelve-story snowy structure was built in an arch-like design. The rays of the setting sun bounced off the window panes forming a beautiful pattern on the ground.
"Is it a flower?" Ashur wondered as he slowed his pace to inspect it further.
"I thought that was you, Cursed One," a voice spoke in front of the two.
The startled Ashur turned his attention to the owner of the voice. The first thing that he noticed was the amber blazer. The accoster was either at least a co-captain or a captain of the Sage house. He wasn't alone; one boy stood by his side while two more boys stood behind the duo, all from the same house. Ashur found it strange that he couldn't sense them coming, or that the hallway they were on was suddenly empty.
"What do you want, Javier?" Craig inquired seeming almost fatigued.
"What do I want?" Javier asked with a laugh, "What do I want? You know what I want Craig. I want you to suffer the same way she's suffering."
"Is that why you brought company?" Craig jibed.
Deciding that whatever was transpiring did not concern him, Ashur started walking away. As he walked past the group, he felt someone tug at his sleeve and pull him back violently with such force that he almost fell on his back. Luckily, he was able to regain his balance before he fell.
"Let him go. He has nothing to do with this," Craig objected.
"His luck ran out the moment he was found with you. Just like everyone close to you."
"Hey, I just want to say I have no idea what's going on," Ashur interjected.
"Shut it maggot," one boy retorted, "someone of your ilk isn't..."
"Let me stop you right there before you regret what you say," Ashur warned in a low but menacing tone.
"What are you going to do about it?" another mocked, "Cry?"
Ashur couldn't hold his temper anymore. He charged toward the boy, his reddish eyes glowing fiercely by the second. The air about him seemed to change as if being heated up. The four accosters moved closer to the duo in unison in an attempt to narrow the escape routes. Craig moved quickly and intercepted Ashur before he could make a move. He then turned and faced Javier.
"Whatever is going on is between you and me. Do you think you can handle me with this manpower?" Craig asked, his face dead serious.
Javier stopped dead in his tracks with a look of hesitation. The others also stopped confused as to why their leader was hesitant. Javier glared at Craig seething with anger at his decision and impotence. He calculated the risks and rewards and decided it wasn't worth it.
"Is there a problem, Javier?" a familiar voice inquired. Jake Norseward stood at the entrance of the hallway.
"No Jake, we were just leaving," Javier replied then whispered to Craig, "I promise I will do everything in my power to make your stay here a hellish one, Cursed One."
And with that Javier and his associates took their leave. Craig quickly followed suit not wanting to be interrogated by his house captain.
"What was that all about?" Jake asked Ashur.
"No idea," Ashur replied as he watched Craig walk away.