Monster's Academy: Rewrite

Clouded

   I hadn't noticed his presence until Natalie bumped into him, so excited to show me around that she couldn't even pay attention to her surroundings. To be honest, I probably would've done the same. The man she had bumped into lacked emotion, the color from his face drained and ghastly. He towered over us with a piercing expression, clearly upset, but his faded hazel eyes were full of regret. He was a freak, just like everyone else at this school, yet something felt more human about him than anyone else.

   Natalie winced in pain as her nose slammed into his broad chest. "Sheesh Silas.. you shouldn't sneak up on people like that," she whined, gently squeezing her nose.

   Silas just frowned in response, taking a step away from us before asking, "Where's my shit? I know you have it."

   "I don't have anything of yours. Why don't you go ask Maya?"

   "Bullshit! You're the only person who would take it!" The air had become thick as Silas was beyond pissed. The regret I had seen before was shrouded with rage and desperation. There was more to his anger than just the object of which had been taken without permission. Whatever it was, it was bleeding him dry.

   His hands curled into fists and it seemed as though a fight was about to start. What was I supposed to do? I was just an extra in this scene, yet I felt as though I needed to intervene. Maybe if I could just..

   Natalie entwined her fingers with mine, reverting my attention back to her. She saw how angry this man was and knew how to cut the tension, without bringing conflict.

   "Silly Silas," she teased. "I'm sure you just lost it, but can't you see I'm a little busy showing my new chum around? Go away and leave us alone!"

Natalie pouted, her glare shooting daggers at him. I'm sure she was just trying to be playful, but Silas acted as though she hadn't said anything. Instead, his gaze had averted to me, studying me like we had met once before.

I was a deer caught in headlights. I couldn't move as he examined me up and down. I wasn't afraid, but I felt.. what was I feeling at this moment in time? It was a foreign emotion to me. It was.. familiarity.

"You're the human transfer, aren't you?" he finally said. "A lot of us were petitioning against someone of your kind from enrolling, yet here you are. There's nothing special about you, so why are you even here? Just go home, before you get hurt."

There was the hostility I had been expecting. Natalie accepted me with no second thoughts, doing her best to show me the ropes. Not everyone was going to be as kind as her, though. Like Silas, some of them would truly be just freaks.

With the expected eye roll, I half heartedly smiled at him. "Thanks for the advice, but I can handle myself just fine on my own. If you're so against me being here, then just ignore me." I paused, waiting a moment before adding, "You shouldn't have any problem doing that, right?"

   His eyes reverted back to the faded hazel that revealed nothing but regret. "I shouldn't."

   With that, Silas had left as suddenly as he had arrived. Once he had vanished from our view, his presence faded. I glanced over at Natalie, whose expression had turned sympathetic. Even after he had walked away, her eyes still pictured him as though he was still there.

   "Hey.. is everything ok.."

   She cut me off. "I'm so sorry about him! He really isn't this angry of a guy! You just kind of, sort of, met him at a bad time."

   "I could tell." It wasn't any of my business to to look into, but I couldn't help feeling curious. Natalie presented herself happy go lucky, but the way she watched Silas walk away.. she, too, had a couple skeletons tucked in the corner of her closet. "What was he looking for?"

   Natalie shrugged, genuinely unsure. "It could be a few things. It was probably his ring, but it could've been his sword or whatever else he carries around. I'm convinced he's becoming a hoarder. If you ever get to peek into his dorm, you'll see just how much junk he has."

   "Sounds like you know him pretty well. Are you guys close?"

   She turned away from me and began to skip down the hallway. "Not really, we've just had a couple classes together."

   Her voice bounced off of the walls, creating an echo. She sounded happy again, even after the conflict with Silas. I couldn't believe her, though. The way he spoke to her and the way they looked at each other.. they were more than just mere acquaintances. Or at least, they once were.

   "Hurry up!" She exclaimed, jumping around with anticipation. "Let's start the tour before the night classes end!"

***

"You're late."

Natalie yawned from exhaustion, scratching the back of her head from embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. I got so caught up in showing Cara around that before I knew it, the sun was up and day classes had begun."

The stern professor glared down on her. His expression told me that he wasn't sure to let it slide or not, or whether I should even be in his class. I couldn't be too sure if these were his thoughts, but it would've made sense either way.

"Fine." He turned to me, giving me a look of disinterest. "Cara, since this is your first day, I'll allow you to proceed without punishment. Please don't allow this to happen again."

I nodded. "I won't. I promise." Intimidating, but his words were reassuring.

He then turned to Natalie, giving her a look of even more disinterest. "You know we have a strict policy here. If I find out you're late to your night class from sleeping in again, I'm going to have to take it up with the principal."

Natalie panicked. "No worries! I won't do such a thing again! I swear! I'll go to bed right away!" She exclaimed, running off in the other direction.

With her gone, I made my way up to my seat. It would be a little difficult without sharing any of my classes with Natalie. I'm not worried that I won't be okay by myself.. It's just that things are so different from what I'm used to. She makes running around a little easier, considering she's been here far longer than I have.

It was even harder to focus on the lesson with the cold stare I could feel piercing the back of my neck. Suspiciously, I turned my head to look behind me and boy oh boy, it was Silas. From what I could tell, he must've just woken up. His golden locks were messy and his uniform was in disarray. When our eyes met, his expression was less hateful. He yawned and rubbed his drowsy eyes, causing a little red stone to catch my gaze. He was donning a thin silver band with a wee crimson crystal.

"You found your ring?" It was just a guess. I hadn't noticed it when I saw him last night, and Natalie mentioned how it was probably the something he had lost. It was an awfully pretty ring, but it wasn't so pretty that it was worth the stress. Maybe it was a family heirloom?

Silas glanced at his ring, then back at me, turning his hand so I could get a better look at it. Closer up, I could notice the smaller details of.. him giving me the finger. Ha ha, how fucking hilarious.

I turned back around and returned my attention to the notes the professor was going over. I didn't expect much coming to this school. The Head Hunters had repeatedly reminded me that I was entering a realm of freaks. They're different, and while many want to bring peace and end the segregation between people like me and people like them, us Hunters still needed to stay on our toes and to never allow our fire to go out..

Almost instinctively I turned around once more. In the few minutes I wasn't looking, Silas had decided to take another catnap in the near end of class. It was just barely, but I was able to sneak enough of a peek of his ring one last time. From the inside of the crystal.. there was fire.

"Class dismissed."