Canaan Club - 15. Chapter 15

There was something… cold hovering nearby. A pair of menacing, black orbs – he could not see, but he could just tell – stared down at him with all the hunger and malevolence that could only be mustered from such an otherworldly creature. The freezing, ghastly wisps of power whipped across his face, and its icepick fingers trailed down like a razor across his cheek.

His skin crawled, and he struggled to move, but it was as if he was a block of ice himself. A trail of frost slowly traced a path down from his cheek to a vein in his neck. The tiniest prick made him squirm before-

Rafe’s eyes shot open before he darted up in a cold sweat. “Huh? What the f-”

His shaky breathing was the only thing he heard within his dorm room as he frantically searched through the darkness, looking for what he thought was an intruder. Another worrisome thought entered his head and made his face drain of color, then nearly gave himself whiplash when he snapped to the right to inspect the bed several feet away on the right side of the room.

The relief he felt was like a balm to the soul as he made out Andre in his shirt and boxers, still sleeping with a light snore.

“Fuckin’ hell…” he muttered as he wiped the sweat trailing down his forehead, then turned to look at the window in the middle of the room.

Being on the third floor of the building, they had a pretty sweet view of the rest of the campus. It was a beautiful sight to watch the sun rise over the undulating, rocky terrain, with odd-shaped edifices strewn about.

Today was the day. The first day of school. Back at the Coat, he had only made it to third grade, but not once had he been as nervous as he was now about the first day. Even so, he couldn’t allow that anxiety to be worn on his sleeve. Instead of dwelling, he hopped out of bed and made a brief beeline toward his slumbering friend.

The blond superhuman knocked on the omé’s temple as if it was a door. “Wakey, wakey, dude.”

Andre squirmed, a whine escaping his mouth before he sluggishly sat up, rubbing at his drooping eyes. “Uh… oh, yeah…”

They found a public bathroom at the end of the hall with a row of circular shower stalls adjacent to the sinks. A wall separated that section from the toilets. A few early bird first-years occupied the room, getting ready for the day just as Rafe and Andre were about to.

Forty minutes later, the two were back in their room, dressing themselves in the middle of the room.

“You okay, Raf?” the omé asked after he adorned a blue hoodie and jeans. “Last night was a bit crazy. You remember last night, right?”

Rafe, in a red flannel sweatshirt and shorts, just scoffed. “Of course, I do. I remember kicking that bottom-feeder’s ass around the room like nothing.”

“I mean, he did get a couple of hits in. Though, it seems like your bruises healed up nicely on their own.”

“Those were only papercuts.”

Andre grinned, expecting his friend’s usual haughtiness. Which meant that he was okay.

“So, any expectations?” he asked.

Rafe glanced out the window again, contemplating his answer, before shrugging. “Honestly, if I’m going by how everything has gone since we got here, I’m hoping for crazier shit. Do you think if I sucker punched one of the teachers, I’d get in trouble?”

“Yes, and please don’t do that.”

“Why not? They let students duke it out everywhere without consequences. Maybe that goes for the supposed ‘authority’ figures, too.”

Andre patted his violent friend on the shoulder. “Yeah, but let’s not test our luck, okay?”

Sometimes, when the superhuman made these kinds of comments, the wolf couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. Rafe’s aggressive tendencies were quite unpredictable.

“Only if you promise to come to the gym with me and get a workout in,” the blond smirked.

Andre rolled his eyes but snickered. “Alright, alright. Let’s go meet up with Joe first.”

He grabbed a couple of book bags they brought along, handing one to Rafe, then eagerly pushed him out the door.

-POI-

“That was one hell of a fight last night, Rafe bro,” Joe voiced as he and another boy rounded the corner into the corner area where the Hermes superhuman and wolf waited. “Wait. You remember you fought, right?”

“And I’ll never forget it,” the blond crossed his arms, puffing his chest up in arrogance. “Remind me to find that little twig before I start training again. I wanna rematch. No holds barred.”

Andre stood up and ambled toward the unnamed boy, who cringed slightly the closer the omé got to him. “Hey there. You must be Joe’s roommate. Daeran, right?”

Daeran blinked owlishly as if perplexed by Andre’s positive attitude but nonetheless stammered out a response. “Oh, uh, y-yeah. Yeah, that’s right. Daeran Davidson.”

Daeran Davidson was as high-strung and jittery as a student on the first day of school would be, shoulders in a constant state of tension and a sneaker-clad foot tapping to a soundless, quick beat. He was the most plain-looking kid Rafe has seen here yet aside from Lindsay – cropped, brown hair, hazel eyes, dressed in a gray tank-top and black shorts, revealing tan skin with an athletic build. He was an inch or two taller than Andre, but he took a half-step back as if he was anticipating for the wolf to suddenly swing at him.

However, he was only met with a welcoming hand and a bright, friendly smile.

“Nice to meet you, Daeran Davidson. I’m Andre, and the warmongering blondie behind me is my best friend and roommate, Rafe Gold.”

Some of the edginess in his arms vanished as he shook Andre’s hand while looking over to a still-seated Rafe. He nodded, saying, “Uh, hey, man.”

The blond lifted his chin. “Sup. So, what flavor of this… ice cream sundae are you?”

And the confusion was back.

Daeran stared at the superhuman. “W-What?”

Joe laughed while shaking his head. “He means race. Rafe and I are superhumans, and Andre’s a werewolf. But you want to keep yours a secret. That’s what you said.”

“Mhm. Y-Yeah. Sorry, it’s just that… it’s kind of personal.”

Rafe climbed off the table he sat on and nodded. “Say no more. I get it. Welcome aboard the insan-o train, man. It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

That seemed to further relieve Daeran, his lips quirking up a little in gratitude.

“So, where do you hail from?” asked Andre as the four began their walk out of the dorm building. “Or is that top secret, too?”

“Just from some nothing little town called Kirkwell in Rhode Island. Nothing much went on. Got a scholarship to attend here since I’m pretty good at math.”

“So, you’re a genius, then.”

The brunette flushed. “Meh. Sub-par.”

Rafe gave the boy another slow once-over, his lips pursed in suspicion. He could already tell by the neck-scratching and wandering eyes that he was lying. Perhaps it was nothing to worry about now, but the blond kept note of it in the back of his mind.

“Looks like we have our resident Albert Einstein,” Joe slapped Daeran’s back. “Don’t be too mad if I ask to take a peek at your homework, bro.”

His roommate let out a short chuckle. “It’s no biggie. Sorry if I don’t turn out to be the bright ray of sunshine roommate you might have wanted. I think you’re allowed to switch up rooms if you ask.”

“Nah. My uncle always said to give things time, and they’ll blossom. Who said being friends won’t?”

As they exited, Bones ducked under Joe’s arm before sauntering past the quad, giving them a quick glare before speed-walking up ahead. Rafe sneered at his back, then eyed the object clutched in his right hand.

“Freak,” Rafe muttered. “The fuck was he holding?”

“Looks like a stuffed bunny,” Andre answered, his sights on it as well. “Looks kind of worn out, though.”

“Speaking of, I heard he got a singles room,” Joe said. “All that space just for him.”

Rafe snorted. “No kidding, huh? What, did he need most of it for his doll collection?”

“Not sure, but whatever it is, rumor has it that a couple of potential roomies had to switch out.”

“And rightfully so. With him being creepy and all.”

“Aw, come on. Don’t talk like that,” Andre gazed after the mysterious boy. “We haven’t even given him a chance.”

“No need. Besides,” the blond looked down at the omé, “he badmouthed you at orientation even after you saved him. That was his test and he failed with flying, ugly-ass colors.”

A mischievous grin lit up the wolf’s face as he replied. “Right. We already have one of you. We don’t need another.”

Rafe’s soft look turned into a glare. “What was that?”

Joe chortled. “Burn.”

Daeran remained silent, but he couldn’t resist a small smile from making onto his face.

Suddenly, the sound of static rang out, followed by a high-pitched whine, making several people across campus shudder in discomfort.

“Goo-od mornin’, y’all!” a raspy but cheery, southern twang filled the entire area. “Wakey, wakey! Eggs and bakey!”

Rafe dug a finger into his ear, groaning, “God, that gonna get annoying fast.”

“I hope y’all are pumped! Psyched! Fired up! And rarin’ to go for the first day of Ironward classes! The first first day for first-years and the last first day for tenth-years!”

The few tenth-years within the growing flock of students cheered, celebrating their last year at the academy.

“Nevertheless,” the intercom guy went on, “it’s a fresh, new year for us all, so keep those heads up high and those eyes to the sky ‘til summer hits us again! And speakin’ of fresh and new, first-years! Attention all first-years! As a part of Ironward’s beginner’s guide to ex, el, and ence, you are to report to the Crystal Grotto for homeroom to obtain your schedules. That’ll be the room with all the sparkly rocks and hopefully a couple of mermaids if Gylarcan read any of the incident reports I’ve been filing for these eight years.”

The announcements finally ended, leaving a bunch of first-year kids either floundering in a panic or stationary in bewilderment.

“Crystal Grotto?” Andre’s thick brows rose.

“Well, at least we know what it looks like, but where the hell to start?” Rafe frowned. “Are they trying to make us late?”

A figure stepped into view, innocently gazing at an invisible watch on her wrist and pointing at it. “And that’s my… cue,” she saddled up next to the group, fists on her hips as if she was a superhero. “I can help with that!”

The first-years just stared wide-eyed at her. Andre pursed his lips, his shoulders twitching as he tried to suppress his laugh.

Lindsay soon dropped the act and grimaced. “Too dramatic? I know, not witty at all, but I just came up with the bit like a second ago.”

Andre couldn’t hold it in anymore. He, along with Joe, busted out into hysterical laughter. Even Rafe smirked a little. Daeran, though, was as puzzled as ever.

The blue-haired girl noticed him and stepped closer. “And I see you’ve made a new acquaintance since we’ve last met. Lindsay Warlane. Second-year.”

The brunette’s face went red again and quickly stuttered out his greeting. “O-Oh! Daeran, uh, Davidson. First-year. But you already knew that. O-Or you didn’t. We just met. Ugh, s-sorry.”

He looked away, expecting the girl to back away awkwardly. Instead, to his surprise, she giggled and placed a gentle hand on his bicep, causing him to blush all the more.

“Nice to meet ya, Daeran! Allow me to escort you four to your homeroom.”

“We’re just getting our schedules now?” Andre’s head tilted. “We’re going to have a lot of trouble trying to find our classes and I know you can’t do this for us every time.”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Your schedules are actually on computer tablets you get to keep for the rest of the year. It has a GPS and everything. Plus, first-years are put into large groups for the same classes, so there’s no embarrassment if you’re totally confused.”

She waved them to follow, and the four let her guide them through the academy’s expanse.

“Huh,” the omé shrugged and smiled at Rafe. “Guess we should’ve expected something like that.”

The gaps were being filled in nicely, seeing as how Ironward had an answer for everything. Upperclassmen and lingering instructors all around took it upon themselves to lead the terrified first-years to where they needed to go, and soon the four and Lindsay were converging with a river of students.

Off to the side, they spotted Zoel Wulfrot lazily leaning against a rock and sniggering with a couple of his packmates. Even when he wasn’t in the throes of tormenting someone, his face remained mean and sneering.

As if feeling familiar sets of eyes on him, the gamma wolf turned to spot them. He didn’t move from his spot, but he did gesture rudely at them, one hand making a circle while the other had his index finger moving in and out of it. His packmates cackled uproariously at that.

“Ignore them,” Lindsay shook her head. “It might not have been that long, but I’m betting that asshole’s pretty much over you cockblocking him the other night. It says a lot about his attention span.”

“Lucky him,” Rafe stared back at Zoel defiantly. “And here I thought I was about to get my knuckles busted.”

Despite her advice, the two made gestures back, Lindsay with the double middle fingers and Rafe pretending to tie a noose around his neck and hang himself.

-POI-

“Woah! It’s… beautiful!” Andre gawked as soon as they exited an entrance cave.

That was an understatement. Crystal Grotto was a vast garden of greenery and flowers. It was an outdoor amphitheater, each cobblestone row having either a slanted tree or a huge stone with some engraving on it. The upmost top gave a wonderful view of the background, the rocky hills containing even larger trees hanging off the edges and even a couple of waterfalls. Birds flew overhead, completing the mystical forestry vibe.

“They say it was a former wonderland for mermaids,” Lindsay explained. “That was until either the mermen came and whisked them away to make merbabies or there were one too many perverted eyes hiding in dark corners. Honestly, I’m leaning close to the second.”

“Doesn’t really look like a ‘homeroom’ to me,” Rafe looked around, but inwardly, he was impressed.

It beat the boring, bland, and beige classrooms that were prevalent back in the human world.

“Oh, just wait until you see where the upperclassmen stay,” she pinched her fingers and made a zip-up motion across her lips. “I’ll keep that a secret, though. For now, you guys have a less-than-usual chaotic day.”

“You, too,” the omé brushed her side with his in thanks. “And thanks for helping us out. We owe you one.”

“You can repay me by seeing if there are any spare mermen around here. Momma needs a big chest and a six-pack in her life.”

With that last laugh, she left like a spirit having finished its business on Earth, leaving the four to the throng of first-years finding a seat.

“Brace yourselves, bros,” Joe raised himself on his heels, looking antsy. “I have a feeling today’s going to get crazy.”

“To the front. Gotta show that we’re confident,” Rafe immediately took charge.

It was his turn to take the lead, so he directed them down the stone steps, the blond superhuman glowering at anyone who stared too long while Andre greeted them with a wave, until they reached the first row, which, to their luck, was partially empty. Nobody wanted that kind of attention just yet, but Rafe’s fight last night has since made waves, and based on the looks they, specifically the blond superhuman, were receiving, there was no point in hiding.

It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Rafe wasn’t a chickenshit like them.

Excitement and anxiety surged throughout the grotto as they waited. And it wasn’t until five minutes later that an adult finally strolled into the area.

There was that strange feeling again. The sensation that made Rafe want to shiver.

Deputy headmaster Rendurth Emais ambled down the steps of the grotto amphitheater, the sound of his jeweled can hitting stone enough to quiet the massive group of preteens into uneasy silence. From up close, he surprisingly looked quite young regardless of his… taste in apparel. He was probably entering middle age instead.

“Ah. Good morning, fresh meat,” the fancily-dressed, stocky man smiled as he took in the crowd of tense first-years, who balked at the name. “Yes, you heard that right. Right now, all of you are lambs, ripe for the picking of the upperclassmen. I will not lie to you and say that your time here will be a walk through an expanse of rainbows and flowers. Well, it might be for a few of you, but only if you make it so.”

He stood in the center of the oval stage in front of a stony hexagonal pyramid as he spoke, his voice echoing throughout the grotto.

“However, you are little lambs. So, for the first half hour of every morning, you will take refuge from the slaughter over here. Think of this as a partial study hall. However, it won’t be total free time. I have activities and icebreakers planned out for the year. Sounds fun, yes?”

“Can you get a read on this guy?” Rafe leaned toward Andre and whispered.

The omé shook his head. “Not exactly, but something does feel… off.”

“You’ll also be divided into groups based on where you have seated yourself now,” Emais continued. “And don’t worry about getting lost on the first day. The WardNav tablets you’ll be receiving contain a schedule of your classes, a GPS, textbooks, and programs corresponding to your class.”

When the deputy headmaster went quiet, there wasn’t another sound until half a minute later when one of the first-years in the middle row raised their hand.

“What do you mean by ‘slaughter’?” they questioned, a scared note in their voice.

Emais smiled almost compassionately. “There is so much that happened before you, fresh meat. So many incidents, events, and periods of time that occurred before you that are just now reaching a critical point. This very school is a history book in the making!”

He outstretched a smooth hand, and the entire class watched in awe and apprehension as a tablet, presumably one of a WardNavs, zipped into existence. Gasps of shock resounded, which Emais ignored to focus on tapping on the screen. He proceeded with his speech as he did, not even stopping to occasionally glance at his captivated spectators.

“By now, you’ve heard of the Argo pack ran by Cain Aspen and his wolves. Most of them are representatives of the Abellon Club. But there is also the Permelia Family run by Deyja Permelia and her league of vampires. Several, including Deyja herself, who are also a part of the Abellon Club. A werewolf and a vampire in such close proximity. Unbelievable!

“Can I tell you a secret, my sweet, fresh meat? Werewolves and vampires cannot coexist with such nearness. Sure, there might be a few special cases, but these are two top dogs we’re talking about. The Abellon Club as a whole have made it to the highest step of the ladder, but not without struggle.”

A translucent light emitted from the tablet, shining above them like a flashlight.

“In the early years of Ironward, there was Snow Queen Garsende VIX, who ruled the academy halls with an ice-laden fist.”

In the form of a hologram, a gorgeous, white-haired woman appeared. She was extremely stunning on the outside, but that sinister smile, ice-blue eyes narrowed like slits, and those delicate hands enshrouded in cerulean orbs told a different, darker story.

Before they could fully marvel at her, the image switched to a young boy in a clean, white shirt and pants, his hair the colors of autumn and his bored eyes glowing an ominous gold. If he was actually here, he’d fit right in with the rest of the first-years.

“Then, there was Angel Lord Ostin who came to visit. It’s not every day the god of pretty much the entire universe and other universes comes down for a casual stroll through your school.”

Rafe blinked.

A little kid? As god of this universe?

“And then, recent events.”

The hologram transitioned into a wide stretch of land, burning in waves of scorching flames on one side while encased in stalagmites and stalactites of ice. And in the heart of all that chaos and destruction were a couple of identifiable individuals. Rafe recognized Deyja instantly, that sly, menacing grin on her face as she stared across at Cain, who was smaller than his current-day appearance with short hair, but still big enough to stand at a height greater than his bloodsucking adversary.

The two were battle-damaged, Deyja’s black dress barely hanging over her chest and Cain completely shirtless with rips in his pants. Bruises littered both their bodies. However, not one looked the slightest fatigued as they traded death stares.

“Cain Aspen and Deyja Permelia’s first ever battle. Back before they even formed the Abellon Club and joined Combat. They were mere fresh meat like all of you, and yet, their battle was so violent that half of one of our inhabited islands was destroyed. Not fun to clean up, might I add.”

The hologram was turned off before disappearing altogether. In the next second, several large boxes full of WardNav tablets emerged from nowhere beside the deputy headmaster.

“Now note that Cain Aspen and Deyja Permelia are ninth-years,” Emais eyed each of the first-years, an unreadable expression on his face, “so you will not have to choose a side until then. However, coming next year, I surmise that there will be a final duel between the two opposing forces. A classic werewolf versus vampire all-out battle that will change the future of Ironward in its entirety. Better choose wisely.”

“What the fuck…” Daeran mumbled, slumping in his seat like the weight of those words was too much to bear.

After Emais finished, he allowed each row to obtain their new tablets. Students continued to converse, but it was more subdued, the effects of Emais’ lecture still trying to be processed. Sometime later, the shrill sound of a bell rang out in the distance, most likely emanating throughout the entire island.

“And that’s the bell. I’m sorry but I’ll have to let you go, fresh meat. You have five minutes to reach your next destination. Stay in groups and stay safe. Until next morning, my young lambs!”

The four stood, waiting for the mass to thin before leaving.

“My head’s hurting from all that, man,” Joe ruffled his black hair. “I don’t think I’ll be able to listen during class.”

“They’re already forming groups,” Rafe stated, eyes watching his classmates nodding and shaking hands surreptitiously.

The spiel Emais had just given had to be unpacked later. Right now, his focus was on his peers and the upcoming classes. He wondered if that little twig of a barbarian was still somewhere near.

“It’s our row, right?” Andre looked back at him, but the blond shook his head.

“No, not that. I mean they’re forming… cliques. Which means that us four are sticking together.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Joe agreed, then tapped his roommate on the back. “Sound good, Daeran bro?”

Daeran didn’t turn to look at him but answered in a flat voice. “Yeah. Sure. That’s fine.”

“Alright, team,” Andre clapped his hands and beamed. “Let’s move out!”