Arcane

Chapter 2

Keahi

It is Saturday night so all the students above the age of 10 are allowed to stay in the great hall until 1 am.

I am watching a few of the older students play truth or dare but turn my attention to the door when it opens. It's a few minutes before curfew so I expect a teacher to come to break up the party. Turns out it's just Kaz with a little girl.

I watch the pair closely as they weave their way through the hall, noticing just how shaken this particular newcomer looks. Her tiny body is trembling, and she looks pale, her skin almost shockingly white against the black hair shielding her face.

She is focusing on the ground as Kaz quickly leads her into the kitchen. Most new kids need about a week to get used to this place and all the information it comes with but I'm betting this one will need more time.

The older someone is, the longer it usually takes, something about younger kids not comprehending the loss of their parents. This girl doesn't look much younger than me. A year perhaps? That would make her about ten years old. Old enough to understand what's going on.

Well, she won't get my sympathy. We are all orphans here, from all around the world.

I like new kids. They are easy to scare, and it is fun to mess with them. Personally, I have been in this place almost my whole life and am known to most. What can I say, my reputation precedes me.

I am the best student of my age in my division, so teachers like to mention me in other classes. If someone hasn't heard about me from a teacher, they've likely met me themselves by now. The latest newcomer before the one tonight has arrived months ago.

Of course, that guy knows me well after the welcome I've presented him with. You see, I don't really have friends- I don't get the point- so I like to pick on others in my free time. They know what I can do so no one stands up to me.

I like to see the fear in their eyes, the frustration about not being able to defend themselves, and lastly, the resignation before they quickly rush away. I enjoy the power greatly.

When I am not alone, I hang around other people from my division. They are always excited when I choose to sit with them, but I can see how their muscles tense when I talk or move suddenly. They are just as scared as the others but are too proud to show it.

Growing up here is an advantage. The teachers started training me when I was about five years old, so I'm fairly powerful already.

A few minutes pass before Kaz comes out of the kitchen with the little girl right behind him. I observe from afar as the other students speak eagerly among themselves. They're curious about the newbie and want to get to know her or whatever, but I am calm.

I'll have plenty of time to meet her in the years to come and even if I didn't, I couldn't care less. I've been waiting for someone to spice this place up and maybe even try to stand up to me but this girl looks like a gust of wind might break her. Certainly not a worthy opponent.

Almost immediately after the double doors of the hall swing shut behind the two, it swings open far more aggressively than necessary. This time, it is a teacher.

"That is enough for tonight. Everyone back to their dorms, you know the consequences if you are in the hallways after 1 am," she yells. I hang back a few seconds, waiting for the better part of the crowd to disperse before following their lead to avoid being involved in any unnecessary shoving

Jumping off the table I've been sitting on, I head for the dorm I'm sharing with three other guys. The oldest of us four is Blaze, he's been here for two years. I am a few months younger and next in line are the twins Aiden and Cole.

The twins were brought in about a year after me, but they are slow learners. They'd rather fool around than grow stronger, but not me. I want to be more powerful than my fellow students. More so than any of the students that here before, come to think about it.

I have a goal and nothing can stop me from achieving it. Getting revenge on the people that murdered my family. The thought was branded into the front of my mind as soon as I could comprehend what happened the night that changed my life.

The people of the dark fraction. I was only four but I won't ever forget how they tortured my mother and made my father watch before killing him as well. I was hidden underneath a bed throughout it all and stayed there even long after they were gone, not even making a peep as my home went up in flames around me. The people from Arcane saved me just in time and raised me here.

"You done, Keahi?" Blaze knocks on the door of our tiny bathroom, snapping me back to focus.

I unlock it and push past him with a scowl before getting under my cold sheets and turning my back to my mates. I despise sharing a room but that is the only option. I have been asking for a single room for years, but they keep telling me to stop whining and be happy about the company like the other kids are.

Guess what, I'm not.

I hear my roommates sneaking around for a few minutes longer before there is no other sound than our breathing. Theirs eventually gets deeper which tells me they're falling asleep while I'm still wide awake. Sleep never comes easy for me but I've learned to live with it.

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I know, I know, he seems really charming...

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