𝓡𝓸𝔂𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓭 (𝓡𝓸𝔂𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼 𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓞𝓷𝓮)

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓽𝔂-𝓣𝓱𝓻𝓮𝓮

Etiquette has to be probably the easiest course in this Academy. I know the silverware thing at the beginning of the year was challenging because obviously, but otherwise, this has been easy. 

Especially today. 

Today she's dedicated a full lesson to teaching us how to properly curtsey. Which is why we're all standing up with our chairs pushed in again. This shouldn't take that long.

Mistress Betty flaps around her green dress, the same as mine, and smiles, "Hello students! Today we will learn how to greet a monarch. This is very simple, so expect this lesson to be quick. We'll be having a quiz on this lesson on April 16th to cover the material. All you need to do is a few basic steps," she pauses, "Firstly, you need to place your right foot a few inches behind your left foot."

I carefully move my right foot behind my left. I almost stumble, but I catch my footing quickly.

"Then, bend your knees a few inches towards the ground, and lower your posture. If you're wearing a dress, you should be holding the corners of it."

That's simple enough. I put my shaky hands against the corners of my dress, and bend my knees. while I push my head down.

My knee digs into my stomach leaving me a little breathless, but otherwise, this isn't that bad. I was expecting worse.

"Now gracefully stand back up. To do this, you slowly straighten your knees. Then you go back to perfect posture."

I slowly straighten my knees and come right back up to stand with my back straight and shoulders back. I take a deep breath and smile.

I did it with nearly no struggle.

She smiles at the class and clasps her hands together, "Alright students. You're free to do whatever you please for the rest of the period." She goes to sit down at her desk in the back.

I pull out my chair and sit down in it. Ninny does the same while tucking the corner of his green suit under his legs.

I need to ask him how much he knows about me growing up. Mostly because I'm curious about what Charles has been telling everyone about our home life, but because it's a little intrusive for someone to know so much despite not knowing them. I didn't get the choice to tell him about any of this, and I don't know. 

It feels wrong.

I turn to him and bunch my hands together on my desk, "H-hey uh," he turns to face me, "H-how much about like m-my home life d-do you actually know?"

He shrugs and raises his eyebrows, "Charles told me quite a bit. Do you want me to tell you everything?"

I nod but look around. There are way too many people here to get this intrusive. 

"We n-need to get out of this classroom."

He stands up and points to the door, "To the bathroom then Cat?"

I nod and grab my stuff from my desk. I walk out of the door, careful not to alert Mistress Betty, and down the hall to the bathroom. Ninny follows close behind me with his hands in his pockets. 

I go to open the stall door, but Ninny stops me.

"Aren't you gonna ask if anyone's naked in there?"

I raise my eyebrow, "Who would be naked in the academy bathroom?"

He shrugs, "You never know, I always ask."

That is true. He's always asked, even when it was clear no one was ever naked in here.

"W-why?" I ask as he opens the stall door, and we go into it. 

I take the seat on the closed toilet, and he sits on the floor in front of me. 

He laughs for a second, "When I was around six I walked in on my brother having sex with his girlfriend, well now I guess wife. It scarred me so badly that I always ask from now on."

I can't help but laugh, but I try clenching my lips down to suppress the laughter. If I saw that at six, I'd probably do the same.

I put my head in my hands, "I'd do the same."

He laughs but then shakes his head, "But yeah, Charles really loves to talk. He told me I guess nearly everything. He told me about your problems, he told me all about how poor you all are, and he told me about how much your mother dislikes you both. Although, he didn't tell me the extent of that, but yeah. He told me a lot."

Of course he did. When I see him next he's gonna get a piece of my mind.

I sigh and run a hand through my hair, "I-I- well at least he didn't tell you the extent of e-everything."

He shrugs and puts his knees against his chest, "I can probably guess what she did to you two, but I won't say it out loud."

Is it really that obvious?

Can he see right through me?

My chest starts tightening, but I let out a few deep breaths.

"Hey," he continues, "Here, I'll tell you about my childhood so you don't seem exposed. Trust me, I don't really care."

I just nod and he takes a deep breath, "Well, for starters my mom died when she was giving birth to me."

I raise my eyebrows. 

Wait what?

I mean, he did mention not having a woman around growing up, so maybe he was referencing this.

He just laughs, "Yeah, and the funniest part was my dad thought it was my fault. He always hated me for that since he was madly in love with my mom."

I sit up straighter, "H-how could it possibly be your fault? You were an infant!"

That doesn't even make any sense. Blame the people who delivered the baby, not the baby themself.

He just shrugs, "That's his logic. Anyway, he basically hated me and beat me up my entire life until I apologized and begged for mercy. In his defense, he was always drunk but he would do it sober too. Even when I was asleep, that's why I can sleep through almost everything. I just taught myself to never wake up, he'd eventually get bored anyway."

My jaw drops. He- he's been suffering unspeakable abuse sense a child But he always seems so happy? What the-

He just nods and smiles, "The sound of his boots alone is enough to send me into a fury.  Anyway, living on the grounds we constantly heard soldiers, and guns, and saw people dying. That's mostly what my nightmares are about. Loud noises I can't deal with at all. That's why your nightmares are the only thing that wakes me up."

"I-I'm so sorry," I say without even thinking.

He just nods and shrugs, "Cat stop it, I don't feel bad about any of this. In some twisted way, I appreciate it. It's made me a stronger person at the end of the day," he pauses, "Anyway, my dad hated me because I wasn't manly enough, which I'm not. So I just trained with weapons to prove him wrong. When my brother moved out, I got a job so I didn't have to see him as much. But overall, I'm good. I'm just content. Maybe it's this little holiday, but none of this really bothers me, " he smiles at me and I just stay quiet.

How could such a happy person have so much under their skin? How can someone go through that much and still have faith in this world?

                                                              ******

"Remember class," Mister Jordan says with his hands in his black suit, "The first speaking assignment is due next Friday. You have the entire class period to either make adjustments or begin."

I stare at my open notebook and just sigh. How am I going to get through this speech? I'll probably collapse from one of my "outbursts" right on the spot.

No... I can't think like that. If I think like that, I'm just gonna sabotage myself. I need to think of it positively.

All I really need to do is combine my last two speeches, which I mean are already done together. I just say what's wrong, and my plan to correct it. I said most of what the country looks like and the money crisis. I already have the entire speech practically done.

I just need to figure out how the hell I'm going to present it to this class.