“Our names will not only be engraved in the school’s walls, but in history, too. Prestige is what our school is known for. We are some of the most exceptional minds, some of the most distinguished young people. To all those new here, may this place inspire you to do great things. We are here to be the game changers. I am your student president, Kyle Hannagam, and I prophesize that this year is going to be…deadly.”
***
It is natural for one who desires prestige to consider studying at Elysium International High School. If those young contenders have a high enough IQ and their parents enough money to send their children in the middle of nowhere to study at the most luxurious and acclaimed boarding school, then their entry is pretty much guaranteed. Svea was lucky enough that her parents were old money, owning a good portion of land back home. But even she could hardly believe that her roommate would be the type to bring her butler.
“Alright John, I think this room will do. You can start unpacking my things while I get to know…”
“Svea. My name is Svea.”
“Scandinavian I believe. I’m Ivone, but Iv will do.”
She knew she should have tried to make conversation with the girl she would be spending most of her time here with, but truly, her mind was elsewhere, as was her gaze. Iv must have noticed this because she asked:
“Shall we take a walk around the forest?”
While the gothic architecture definitely stood out, the most impressive sight for Svea was the forest surrounding the place. Miles of green isolated them from society, yet she found that quite relaxing. During their walk, the most she could gather from the brown-haired girl who was to be her companion was that she was a first year like her coming from somewhere in Eastern Europe. She was also old money, her parents some late royals who managed to keep their fortune, but she wasn’t very specific. Not that it mattered. As long as she was accepting of plants in her room she was fine.
“You’re quite shy aren’t you?” she asked amused. “I do not mind plants in the room as long as you do not mind that right as we speak my butler is installing a mini fridge. Don’t worry, I checked with the staff and they understand, it’s just that I have some very specific dietary requirements”.
As to what exactly those requirements were she could only guess, not wanting to ask in case it was too personal, but she was more distracted anyway by the species of fungi on the tree right in front of them that was foreign to her country.
***
Freshers day came with a full itinerary. First, there was the welcome speech that Nikolaus thought resembled more a Roman Emperor’s oratio than a final year’s welcome message to the students. Then, there was the issue of roommates which he was actually on his way to solving when he got distracted by the most ethereal creature walking among the nearby trees of the dense forest. Dressed in all white, with hair like platinum, she could have been a ghost haunting the forest. As she kneeled on the ground to inspect what could have been some mushrooms, he noticed that she was accompanied by another girl, with dark hair and dressed all black. A curious duo, but probably only first years like him. Which reminded him of his mission.
The main hall had an improvised info desk. He spotted a girl there. Hien, third year, at least according to the tag she wore.
“Hi. I’m looking for my room, I can’t find myself on the list.”
“Oh, of course. Your name?”
“Nikolaus…actually people just call me Nik…and last name is…”
“Nikolaus? You’re my roommate.” Two guys approached him. The one claiming to be his roommate introduced himself as Tyler. The other was the student president himself, Kyle.
“Nik, you should know my brother, Kyle.” More like step brother considering they looked nothing alike at all.
“We’re step brothers in fact but that distinction is irrelevant when our bond has always been stronger than blood.” This Kyle guy reads minds, Nik thought. He made a mental note to keep an eye on him.
“Forgive his terrible joke by the way, he tends to get really absorbed in his speeches.” Tyler looked at his brother with adoring eyes. “He’s probably going to be spending lots of time in our room, just so you’re warned.”
Nik could already tell that would be the case. But seeing as the student president was certainly an odd one, he couldn’t say he truly minded the prospect of his company.
***
Not everyone at Elysium came from money. Each year there were one or two students who were lucky enough to get a scholarship. Lucky, but mostly overly intelligent. If they passed the entrance test that was marginally harder than that for regular students, their dreams could potentially come true. Jabari was one of them, probably the only one in his year to have passed.
There were no expensive cars driven by chauffeurs taking him to the middle of nowhere and since no bus stopped nearby and cabs would have been too expensive, he’d decided to walk. With a suitcase almost as heavy as he was. In hindsight, probably not the best idea, but at least the route was scenic enough to compensate, a simple countryside road framed by more trees than he’d seen in all his life back home. After a few good minutes of stumbling he decided to take a break since he’d already missed the introductory speech. Latency would generally be looked down upon in such a prestigious environment, but the board is more understanding of those who need to travel long distances, and since most students are foreigners, first day basically looked like a hotel’s reception desk, or so he was assured. With this underlying anxiety of how late was too late, but no will to move too soon either plaguing his mind, it took him almost a full minute to hear the distinct meowing of a cat from somewhere above. He spotted the tree and its captive, making for it while pondering on whether cats should even be here in the first place. It was a black thing, looking quite ferocious for its size, but pretty nonetheless. Its eyes had something almost human about them as they appraised him.
“I’ll find a way to get you out, but I should let you know that tree climbing is not my specialty.”
With that warning out of the way, he made slow work of going up the branches, which, luckily enough, were quite sturdy. Up until one point.
“I…I think that’s the best I can do.”
He tried to convey through eyes how sorry he was, telepathically explaining in terms surely too complicated for a cat how the thinner branches would give in, when the creature jumped down one branch and meowed. Jabari was then able to pick it up and make his descent even slower than before. 10 more minutes wasted, not that it really mattered, he could always blame the bus from the airport, but as the cat rubbed itself on his leg in thanks, he felt it was more than worth it. With his newfound companion, he made his way to the repurposed gothic manor that would be his home and school for the next four years. At least that’s what he hoped.
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