In a dark room, the only light seeped through a small, barred window high on the stone wall, and it painted thin stripes across the dusty floor. A bed was left untouched.
Cassandra, the girl of the depths, sat on the floor and pulled her knees to her chest. She stared at her chained hands, which had a faint, grayish tint. She looked up at the door with a desperate plea in her eyes. "I hate this. What happened to me," she whispered with a dry rasp. "Please, help me," she stammered and groaned. She pulled on the chains, and they clanked.
Her angry voice echoed inside her head. "I'll kill you," it repeated and escaped with her breath.
Cassandra shook her head violently. Her breath hitched in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to push the memory away. "No, I don't want to kill him," she cried out. A single tear traced a path through the grime on her cheek.
In front of her, a shattered mirror settled on the floor.
Cassandra gasped, and her body shifted abnormally. A low growl escaped her mouth, and a senseless struggle followed uncontrollably. Her bones cracked with every move.
At the school, the scene was a world away from Cassandra's confinement.
Pepe, Hafen, Stark, and Matteo stepped through the gate, and the metal clung shut behind them. The schoolyard was a sprawling green field, dotted with other children in the same blue uniforms. They were a kaleidoscope of movement: some played tag, others sat in small groups chatting, and a few lone figures read books under the shade of the trees. A chaotic symphony of laughter, shouts, and the thud of a ball made up the noise.
"I'll hold onto these," Matteo divulged with a smirk, and he patted his pocket where he'd stashed Brad's keys.
"Don't cause trouble," Pepe warned.
"No promises," Matteo chirped back.
Stark squinted and examined the kids playing with the ball. "What are they doing," he asked and pointed in wonder.
"I read a little about it. They're playing a sport, but I don't understand why they do it," Hafen revealed and shrugged.
Just then, the school's main doors, made of polished oak, swung open.
A familiar woman with a clipboard walked out and gazed around. Her hair was black and wavy, and sunglasses perched on her nose. She wore a stylish but practical attire. It consisted of a white blouse and black pants. "Children, get ready. Class is about to start," she announced, and her smile was wide and effortless. It was Ms. Lily. Ms. Lily scanned the crowd. Her mouth parted open as she spotted Pepe, Hafen, Stark, and Matteo. "Well, well," she murmured, her smile shifting from professional to personal. "Kids from The Orphanage, it's been a while. Welcome," she addressed.
Matteo blinked and glanced at his brothers.
Hafen recognized her immediately and gave a curt nod. "Ms. Lily," he greeted.
Ms. Lily strode towards them with purpose. Her heels clicked softly on the stone path. "It's good to see you boys again," she expressed with a calm tone.
"Who is she again," Matteo whispered to Hafen.
"She's that tournament organizer," Hafen whispered back and continued, "The one in the southern district."
Stark's eyes widened in recognition. "I know you. You're the lady from the tournament," he exclaimed with a gasp.
Matteo remembered, as well.
"The one and only," Ms. Lily replied with a wink and waved her clipboard. She paused and added, "Ms. Lily. Your new teacher. Welcome to the Eastern District School."
Stark crossed his arms and smirked. "You still owe me a prize for second place," he reminded her.
Ms. Lily laughed.
Stark had a vague memory of a woman with a booming voice announcing matches. However, the image of him and his father, Henry, facing each other in the field, tainted the memory. Replaced by a thoughtful, somber expression, his smile vanished.
Ms. Lily's expression softened as she noticed the change in Stark's demeanor. Her gaze drifted from one boy to the next. She observed their tense shoulders and the recent grief that still clung to them like a shadow. "I am so sorry for your loss. They were good people. The best," she sympathized and lost her boisterous edge.
"Thank you," Hafen responded while giving a slow, deliberate nod.
Matteo stared at his shoes.
The familiar ache surfaced in Stark's chest. He looked away and towards the distant forest.
"Pepe," Ms. Lily greeted and turned her attention to Pepe. Noticing his bandages, she pointed out, "You've been busy, I see. You look like you wrestled a monster and lost."
Pepe flinched and weakly chuckled. He straightened his back. "Something like that, Ms. Lily. Someone has to protect the forest," he asserted with a little exhaustion in his tone. He subtly shifted his weight to hide the discomfort.
Tapping her pen against her chin, Ms. Lily read a note on her clipboard. She looked at the siblings with a thoughtful expression. "Now, I have your assigned classes. All four of you will be in the intermediate class. Ursa and I felt you'd be best there," she informed and added, "The other kids from The Orphanage are in the beginner class later in the day."
"Intermediate? Are you serious? We should be advanced," Stark proudly boasted and puffed out his chest.
Matteo, with a flicker of defiance, stood a little taller. "Yeah. We're not newbies."
Hafen remained silent. He studied Ms. Lily's face, trying to gauge her reasoning.
"Well, school isn't just about fighting," Ms. Lily countered and pointed to the others playing sports, "It's about knowledge, discipline, and teamwork. You have much to learn about the outside world, too." She stopped herself and then gave a small, encouraging smile.
Stark raised a brow. "The outside world," he, seeking to know more, interrogated, "What do you know about it?"
"That is one of the many things we will be covering," Ms. Lily confirmed and smiled. "It's about time. Let's get started," she declared. She raised a small, silver bell and rang it.
The piercing chime cut through the clamor of the yard. Heads turned. The games stopped.
"Alright, single file," Ms. Lily commanded with a shout.
A wave of movement began as the students funneled towards the main building. Scrambling, they formed ragged lines that quickly straightened under Ms. Lily's watchful eye.
Hafen, Stark, Matteo, and Pepe joined the line near the back and pursued the flow.
Ms. Lily led the students through the main doors and into a wide, bright corridor. The walls were lined with colorful posters depicting maps, mathematical formulas, and historical figures that no student recognized.
"Wow," Matteo blurted, and his eyes opened wide. "This place is huge," he pointed out. He nudged Stark and enticed, "Maybe we can race down this hall later."
Stark agreed with an enthusiastic nod. Craning his neck to take it all in, he exclaimed, "It's like a whole other world in here!"
"We're here to learn," Hafen reminded them and sighed.
Pepe walked with a slight limp. He tried to hide it, but he kept one hand pressed lightly against his hip. It was a silent testament to the fight he'd refused to explain.
The line snaked down the corridor until it came to a halt before a large classroom. A wooden sign on the door read: Intermediate Studies.
Ms. Lily pushed the door open. "Alright. Everyone, find a seat," she instructed.
The classroom was spacious with desks arranged in neat rows. Sunlight streamed in through large windows. A large blackboard covered the front wall, and beside it, a map of The Sacred Forest was pinned.
Hafen was immediately drawn to the map.
This map was nothing like the crude drawings of The Sacred Forest he had seen in books. It had color and detail, conveying the different areas.
Hafen searched for the western district where their home used to be, but it was now a ruined space. A strange mix of awe and intimidation surged through him.
On the other hand, Matteo and Stark were less interested in the map and more in their fellow students.
With children around their age, the classroom was already half-full. Their expressions ranged from bored to curious.
"These will be your classmates," Ms. Lily announced. She pointed to a row of empty desks near the back of the room. "You, four, can sit there."
Hafen took the seat by the window. Matteo sat next to him, and Stark plopped down beside Matteo. Pepe opted for the chair behind Matteo.
Stark's fingers drummed on the wooden desk. "This is... different," he asserted and glanced around.
Another boy, larger than the rest, meticulously sharpened a pencil with a small knife. His face was round, and he had brown hair. Without a care for his classmates, he remained focused on his task. Then, he held up his perfectly pointed pencil and admired it.
Stark noticed the boy's large biceps, and his drumming stopped. "He seems strong," he whispered over his shoulder.
Matteo leaned forward and towards the large boy. "Are you strong," he questioned without a second thought.
The boy's gaze shifted to Matteo with a frown, and he puffed his chest.
Matteo observed the pencil for a moment and then the knife. "You can't have a knife in school," he pointed out with a smirk.
The boy's frown deepened. "It's my pencil sharpener. I use it for other things, as well," he claimed and tucked it into his pocket.
Hafen looked around and spotted other familiar faces. Other than the boy with the knife, he recognized more from the southern district.
A skinny boy with slicked-back hair caught his attention. On top, his hair was black, and on the sides, it was white.
A bright girl with yellow hair also piqued his interest.
Another boy wore strange headgear.
"Why is he wearing a bucket as a hat," Hafen stuttered in bewilderment.
Still, the powerful girl of the depths, Cassandra, was nowhere to be seen.
The first day of school for the returning orphans has started. What kind of connections will they make? What information about the outside world did Ms. Lily know? Where was Cassandra? What was Pepe hiding from everyone regarding his injuries?