The Other Side of Darkness

VDC Training Camp

Chapter 5: Episode 18~21

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In the evening and morning following the auditions, Lev was constantly trying to hide away from her friends persistent attempts at getting her to tell them who won. She even went as far as hopping between the Pomefiore and Octavinelle dorms, the two dorms where her friends swore they would never go on their own free will. Not that the dorms' leaders and members were complaining that much (especially Rook and Floyd, who both got quite close to making Lev just give in and tell her friends so she could go back home and not fear for her sanity).

Finally (after what seemed like forever), Vil and Rook asked her if she wanted to help them give out the papers that would tell the contestants if they won or not. Lev was overjoyed to be able to help...until she knew how exactly they were delivering the letters.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked again, hefting the lightweight bow in her arms. 

"Oui," Rook replied, tying a piece of paper to the end of an arrow. "Don't worry, ma reine, you'll do just fine."

Rook had insisted on delivering the letters his way, which meant tying the letter to the side of an arrow and shooting it at the students the letter was addressed to. Lev protested but Vil didn't seem to want to put up to much of a fight against the idea, informing Lev that Rook was an excellent shot with a bow. This calmed the Ramshackle Prefect down enough to allow him to do it. However, once they got to a well-placed tower to shoot the arrows, the vice dorm head suddenly shoved a spare bow into her hands and insisted that she fired an arrow as well.

I'm gonna kill someone.

"Positive?" Lev said worriedly. "And do the tips have to be so sharp? They could hurt someone."

"That won't happen," Rook insisted, winking confidently. "I believe in you."

Why did I ever agree to this?

"O-okay..." she stuttered, taking the arrow that Rook had prepared. "So, who's this for?" 

Rook scanned the area below. "They should be getting out of class right about....now." 

Just as Rook predicted, Ace, Deuce, and Grim walked out of their history class.

..............

Crap.

"Ready?" Rook asked. He didn't wait for her to answer and instead put his hands over hers to help her shoot the arrow. "Okay! Now, just steady your aim, pull the drawstring back, and...tirer!" 

Lev squeaked nervously as the arrow was suddenly let loose. It flew through the air and narrowly missed Ace's head, instead burying itself in the dark stone of the school walls. Her friends jumped in surprise.

"Marvelous!" Rook exclaimed, clapping his hands together. 

Lev sighed in relief as she watched her friends yank the arrow out of the wall and read it excitedly. Ace and Deuce were thrilled, being the two of the candidates chosen. Grim's ears drooped disappointingly.

Sorry, Grim.

 "Now, shall we continue?" Rook asked, grabbing another arrow and tying a new letter around it. 

"Sure, you're going to shoot it this time, right?"

"Non."

..............

Crap.

====Time Skip====

Not long after classes had ended for the day, Lev, Vil, Rook, and Epel (who had also been chosen as a participant in the VDC) were waiting in the ballroom for the others to arrive. The letter that they had each been given told them to come to Pomefiore after school, so they should be arriving any moment. Although...

Lev stared at the door as the sounds of fighting continued to echo from the other side.

"Hey, Vil, are you sure about this?" she asked, fiddling with the sleeve of the new robe Vil insisted she try on.

"About what?"

"About making them fight your students?" she clarified. "I would feel bad if any of them got hurt."

"They'll be fine," Vil insisted, crossing his arms.

Just as he finished saying that, the door burst open to reveal an exhausted group of teens.

"We...finally...made it," Deuce gasped. 

"What's the big deal?" Ace snapped. 

Vil huffed. "Well, it seems there aren't any drop-outs."

Kalim and Jamil (the last two who were chosen), walked into the room with confused looks on their faces.

"Hey, Vil. What was that all for?" Kalim asked.

"They were just simple warm-ups," Vil answer nonchalantly. "Guessing by how you all are  panting, I'll assume your bodies are nice and warm. That means we can begin right away."

Lev could tell they were disappointed. Or at least, Ace and Deuce were. They kept mumbling something about Vil being just like Riddle.

Grim, who had arrived alongside the others (because Lev hadn't found anyone willing to watch him while she helped with the VDC), quickly dashed of to Lev and plopped down near her feet.

"Hey, why didn't you pick me?" he whisper-shouted, tugging on her dress. "I'm just as good as any of them."

"Sorry, Vil made the final call," Lev lied. She did want to allow Grim to participate, but neither she nor the Pomefiore dorm head to find a way to incorporate him naturally into the choreography. "Also, we have a special announcement."

"Eh?" 

"Good afternoon, everyone!" Crowley exclaimed, striding into the room.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster," some of the students replied.

"What are you doing here?" Grim grumbled.

"Simple," the headmaster replied. "As you all know, this weekend is the start of the four weeks leading up to the Vocal and Dance Championship. In order to create a more unified team and hopefully work in some additional hours of training, Miss Leviline has graciously offered up her dorm as lodging for a special training camp!" 

"Wha-!" Grim gasped, turning his shocked expression towards Lev. "You did what now?"

Lev smiled lightly and turned to the other students. "Although we all go to the same school, we managers all agree that a training camp located at Ramshackle Dorm would provide several opportunities to build teamwork. Each one of us come from a completely different and unique background, so spending extra time together in the same place can greatly increase our unity."

Deuce frowned. "Ugh. Lev has a way of making anything sound good."

"Is it too late to drop out?" Ace muttered.

"That sounds like fun!" Kalim laughed. "But...will it be okay for me and Jamil to be away from Scarabia?"

"Don't worry about that," Crowley said. "I will make sure that your dorm is up and running smoothly while you're away."

Ace's brow furrowed. "Do we not get a say in this?"

"Quiet, potato one!" Vil snapped. "Be grateful that Dorm Head Leviline is allowing you to stay inside her dorm at no cost for you whatsoever. If you'd prefer I'd send you back to Riddle with a lengthy complaint letter, I'd be happy to do so."

Ace flinched. "N-no sir."

"Good." The Pomefiore dorm head walked to a place where he could better be seen. "Now that that's out of the way, let's begin our first lesson."