As soon as they stepped inside the school, the clock tower rang. It was the top of the hour, alerting the students that the assembly was starting, and everyone was to be in their assigned seats. They couldn't help but take a moment to admire the colossal silver wolf statue sitting in the center of the school's courtyard. The statue was easily as tall, if not taller than the main gateway into the Institute.
A large capitalized "A" was underneath the wolf's ginormous body. The wolf was the Institute's mascot and, more importantly, its protector.
Amazed, Juniper looked up at Theo with curious eyes. "What is the wolf thing about? She asked innocently.
"The Institute is similar to that of a pack of wolves. We risk our lives in pursuit of the hunt for knowledge and power. The Director says all the time that the only thing more important than the hunt is that the pack protects its own ferociously," Theo explained to Juniper. She bowed and thanked him, still enthralled at the sight of the statue.
"We have to go!" Theo yelled before he started running toward the auditorium. Only turning back to say, "It was nice meeting you, Juniper."
Thalia hugged Juniper. "You will love it here, Chiquita. I've got to go before I get chewed out."
Thalia gracefully floats into the air and commands the wind to propel her forward. She effortlessly catches up to her brother and lands in front of the auditorium just as he opens the door.
"I hope you know how annoying it is that you don't even have to run," Theo said, opening the door for his older sister.
"Blame genetics," Thalia smiles. Her heels clicked against the polished hardwood floors as they entered the main assembly hall.
The first thing Thalia noticed was how different the hall looked for the ceremony. The ceiling was decorated with large golden streamers. The walls were covered in mosaics depicting clubs and memorable moments of the past four years. Thalia assumed that the art club had specially made them for graduation.
Each seat in the assembly hall has a different number on the front, starting from the top left corner of the room at 1 to 178. The numbers symbolize the number of graduates this year. Thalia heads to the front row and sits in the chair marked 6. She was only ranked 6th because she hates to study and would instead practice judo and work out during her free time. So, she took many of her tests using her memory, which resulted in almost failing specific courses.
On the other hand, Theo spent his free time studying and reading. The exact opposite of Thalia landed him in the number 2 seat a couple of chairs down from Thalia. Theo looks over to Thalia with a large triumphant grin, mouthing the words, "You should have studied more, big sis." Thalia replied with the jack-in-the-box gesture using her right hand, cranking up her middle finger, and flicking him off.
The rest of the students came pouring in one after another, some giving each other high fives and some hugging and crying. The number 3 chair was eventually taken by Keelan Dyntasy, whom Thalia and Theo would call the most hated kid in the entire school. Keelan enrolled at the same time the siblings did.
He was 17, only one year off the cut-off for age to be accepted into the Institute. He didn't join late for any reason other than being privileged and not wanting to attend school yet. He was allowed to enter because his father, Ian Dynasty, was an upper echelon. Keelan's father also held the 3rd seat on the Round Table Council and is the Senator of District 3. So to translate all of that in simple terms, Keelan was a super rich and influential dick bag. Who frequently tries to bully Theo due to his timid nature.
As Keelan sits down, he purposely drops his elbow into Theo's stomach. Theo grabs his stomach and gasps for air. "I'm sorry I didn't see you there."
Thalia's blood begins to boil, and the air around her rises. Thalia hops up from her seat, stands, and glares at Keelan. She could feel her power surging, increasing intensity, keeping pace with her anger. She would offer him a direct challenge if the graduation ceremony weren't today. There is a strict no-combat rule today, official challenge or not.
However, at this moment, the rules did not matter to Thalia. She lives by a few rules: no one gets to pick on her little brother except for her. The whole school knows how harshly she punishes anyone who touches Theo. Keelan's ass would be convulsing on the ground if it weren't for the ceremony today.
Today's rules be damned, she thought. He was testing her to see if the storm goddess would bend her rules in fear of punishment. Her eyes flicker a bright green, and the air starts to crackle.
Keelan grins, showing his mishappen teeth. "Yes, little girl, show me what you're capable of."The people in the row behind theirs begin to get up and back away to avoid becoming collateral damage.
A calm and elegant voice rings behind them quietly but assertively, "May I remind you where you are? Both of you sit down, and Keelan, knock it off."
Chills went down Thalia's spine. She recognized the voice immediately and winced. Only one student in the entire school could make Thalia nervous: Tyler Winfreed, the class president and head of the discipline committee. Tyler is 6,1 with an above-average medium build. Every section of his body is finely toned. He is consistently ranked at the top of our class.
This was unsurprising, considering Thalia has never beaten him in a hand-to-hand altercation. She even used her powers once, and he broke her arm as punishment. Tyler also has a photographic memory, making studying a moot point. He would be an honest-to-God genius if he had been born with a bloodline trait. He could easily be a candidate for the most powerful student since Apex's Generational Ace, Dante Elceed. Tyler is also handsome in an uptight and proper way, definitely not Thalia's type.
"Mrs. Diez, please do not make me write you up on our last day together!"
While taking his seat at the chair, he marked 1. He properly crosses his legs and glances over at Thalia, gesturing with his eyes for her to take her seat. Thalia exhales loudly and plops back down into her heart. If there is one thing, she won't miss is Tyler's stuck-up ass.
"Don't worry, Thalia, the probability of us receiving a similar assignment is little to none." Tyler retorted before turning his attention to the empty stage.
Thalia thought about it, and her mind was put at ease. He was right. Even if they both get assigned a special assignment, they are unlikely to be placed on the same team.