Chapter 4: The Group (1)
We are currently walking. My hands were on my back and both were handcuffed. The two men were on my side, the one with the brown hair was named Ethan, and the other one was Cain. The woman, Victoria, was in front and also the Team Captain, Gin, that Ethan called earlier.
"Why are we the one doing this thing. It should be the guards in the Palace." Victoria said who seemed irritated while walking.
I heard Cain snort at my side. "This can also be our extra training." He answered.
"As if I really need it," Victoria said in annoyance. "It's really muddy here," she complained as she forced to remove the mud sticking on her shoes as she walks.
We reached the front of the woods which was between the hill and the town. I tried moving my wrist with the handcuffs but it tightened the more I tried. The Team Captain just kept quiet. He doesn't seem to speak much. But I saw how he got mad earlier when Cain and Victoria were opposing each other, he was really scary. He was very serious too.
"Are you really not feeling cold?" Ethan asked me as we entered the woods. The surrounding became darker and Victoria was complaining about the insects.
"I'm fine," my short answer as I avoided his stare. As if he would really care if I die in the cold. I glanced at their expensive and comfortable coats. How many months would I not eat just so I can afford to buy that?
"Is Corrine still not fine?" Victoria asked suddenly. I noticed how the Team Captain stopped. It was only for a split second but I knew there was something in what Victoria said that affected him.
"I'm not sure," Ethan replied this time. "What I know is that she won't return."
Victoria scoffed. "What are we going to do now? I said that –" She stopped when she noticed Gin facing us.
"Just tell me if you intend to chat," he said in a cold tone and even Victoria seems scared. "I will give you a chance to talk."
I felt the surrounding becoming darker and the wind was getting stronger in the forest. Cain clicked his tongue with a ‘tsk’ as if he was already accustomed to this kind of scenes. Who are they? What can they do? Especially Gin. Why are they afraid of him?
"Can you calm down?" Victoria suddenly shrieked. "I'm just wondering!"
"Chill, bro," Ethan said then he looked at me. "There is someone with us."
Gin looked at me suddenly. I don't know why but I also felt suddenly scared. I stepped back. His eyes were too penetrating. Too intense for my comfort. He turned from us again and continued walking. Likewise, we did the same.
"Be careful, this time," Cain said to Victoria. "You're going to put us in danger."
We made it to the entrance of a giant gate after almost an hour of walking in the woods. The gate was made of thick wood and black steel. And the bare walls were too high and too heavy looking for my eyes. Like I'm entering a prison and not a school. We'll I don't have to wonder. They own half of the town area. I even heard they have their own dungeon where I will be imprisoned.
While Gin, the Team Captain, was talking to the scattered guards, I couldn’t help thinking about Lucas while staring at the gate. I remember him wanting to get into this place. His face looked happy while looking only at the gate of Titan Academy from afar. Who would have guessed, I was the first to enter between the two of us. It was me, the one who had no intention.
Gin went back to the group. The guards were looking at me. They weren't wearing the same grand black cloak that Gin's group wore. But they somehow wore better clothing than those from the town like me. The gate slowly opened and we entered the Academy.
The first thing I saw when I took a step there was the dark path. It looked like a highway with no lights. But when a guard took a step before us, lights suddenly illuminated the path from where we were until the end of the pathway before us.
Whoa. Movement activated.
There I noticed how the entrance looked like, with forests on both sides of the pathway that were blocked by the thin and high metal fence. There was a small gate with a sign that appeared every few meters like BEWARE, DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT PERMISSION, etc. I also heard some strange noise that you can't hear in an ordinary forest where we passed earlier.
As we walked, the number of people in our party grew because of the guards who joined us as we entered. I can't help feeling fear for the first time. This was not a school for me. This looked like a huge torture chamber. Maybe I will die. Maybe they won't care if I'm at a legal age or not. Maybe all those people who made offense in this place were killed. I will surely die.
Ethan turned to me as we walked. He noticed how I’m stiffened and hardly breathing.
"Are you okay?" He seemed to ask me in concern. Was he really asking me that? Probably I'm okay. There's a huge chance that I will die in this place. Yes, I'm perfectly fine.
I didn't answer him as goosebumps were rising from the back of my neck down my arms and spine as we were approaching our destination. The path gradually widens as we walked. It was like opening out for something huge and big. And minutes later I saw it.
The castle of Titan Academy. The actual school. A lump formed in my throat just from looking at it. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. It's huge. And it's looming in front of us. It was covered by the dark sky and it stretched for miles on both sides. I can tell that we were on our way to the main chamber. However, the very palace was so wide that the main chamber only appeared like a lobby that was right before us.
I heard the guards said their goodbyes and they went on to the right side of the palace. Maybe their quarters was there. There were only a few lights lit in the palace. The path where we passed went back to being dark. There were a couple of warm golden lights from some windows and towers. But other than that, it was dark in the surroundings.
The door opened as we stepped in front of it. Likewise, it also happened when we passed, the lights opened. My mouth hung open the moment I saw the inside of Titan Academy. HOLY SHIT. Is this a school or a palace of the royals? Who is studying in a place where the hallway was carpeted and there were chandeliers every few meters in the ceiling?
"Finally," muttered Victoria with a sigh. I can't help noticing how well they blend in with the surrounding. How they belong in the palace. Their faces, how they stand, the clothes they wore even though it was wet with some mud, it was still luxurious and shiny from the lights of the chandelier. This can't be the real world. This was a stupid made up world where false people live in.
We passed on the carpeted hallway. My shoes were a shame on the expensive carpet. I wonder if it's self-cleaned. Because I can't see any dirt left. The place was very bright. I was enveloped with a warm golden light. Far from the yellowish and blinking bulb in the house. I thought that even with all the lights in the town are lit, it was not as bright and beautiful as this place.
"To the Headmaster's Office," said Gin with a deep voice.