The Otherworlders Academy - An Original Teen Fantasy

Ep. 3.14 (R) - So, What You're Saying Is...

Minuk sits at his desk, trying to make his way through a mound of paperwork when his brother walks in. Ahmik plops himself down in the seat across from him. "You sent for me?" he asks laconically.

Minuk finishes reading the document he holds in his hands before looking up and pinning his little brother with a scrutinizing gaze. "Did you reach out to our guests like I asked you to?"

"Yeah, I did," Ahmik replies. "I ran into them on the way to the meeting this morning." He looks down and tugs at a loose string hanging from his flannel shirt. "There were only two of them, though," he says, "the vampire and the wizard. I invited them both to the Hanwi Eman'yatta tonight. And I assume they'll bring the bear-shifter too." He shrugs.

Minuk's lips dip into a frustrated scowl.

"I asked you to spend time with them, Ahmik. Get to know them. Befriend them. Not take them to a fight fest!" His eyes narrow. "What were you thinking?!"

Ahmik sits up defensively.

"Hey! You said show them a good time! It's the biggest party of the year, at least for those of us not ready for the old folks' home."

Minuk shakes his head woefully. "Is there no one I can delegate a simple task to?"

Ahmik frowns then mumbles, "Well, it doesn't matter anyway..."

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" Minuk asks.

"They're gone."

"Who's gone?" Minuk continues to interrogate his brother.

"The Otherworlders from the Academy," Ahmik tells him. "I went by their tent to tell them how to get to the bonfire and no one was there. All of their stuff was gone too."

Minuk slaps his hands on the desk.

"Damn it!"

Ahmik is confused and asks, "What?"

Minuk clenches his teeth and seethes, having missed his golden opportunity.

"Get out..."

Baffled by his brother's behavior, Ahmik slowly stands.

"But...what did I do?"

Minuk points to the door and shouts, "I said, out!"

Minuk leans back in his chair and mumbles, "Damn it! Now, I have to make that call..."

***

Back at the Academy, Master Achebe stands at the head of the classroom, waiting for Jake to answer.

Jake scrunches his face up in concentration and says, "I think it was the First Shadow War and the treaty was initiated in 1927 by the Vampyrs in Cairo." Jake cracks a big grin, quite proud of his answer.

Master Achebe groans in frustration. "No, Jake, it was the Second  Shadow War, and it was the Reykjavik Treaty, initiated by the Enchanted Chancellor, Elgar Ingólfsson. The treaty was signed ten days after the Paris Peace Treaties, which ended the Human's Second World War, which means that it was in 1947, not 1927." Master Achebe, bends his head and pinches the bridge of his nose, then after a moment, looks up.

He sets his notes aside and fixes his gaze intently on the class. "Except for the girls," he observes, "the rest of you got all of your answers wrong today." He draws in a fortifying breath. "I know I'm going to regret this," Master Achebe grumbles, "but who here actually read  the assignment?"

Only three people raise their hands: Inez, Fiona, and Ava. Master Achebe rolls his eyes and expels a weary sigh. "Look, guys, it's vitally important that you know and understand Otherworlder history from all sides, okay? You see, for too long, we've been taught an extremely skewed version of history, each from our own cultural perspective. But we can't do that anymore. And as the heads of this school, we certainly can't send you out into these Otherworlder communities ignorant of our shared history and slaves to your own racial biases. As teachers, that would not only be short-sighted of us, it would be dangerous."