The Class Reject: A Damsel in Disguise (Featured Story)

Chapter 21

"Won't we get in trouble?" she then asked as they approached the lobby. The two males shrugged.

"Never have before," Cliff said. "Live a little, for me?"

Through the lobby, they turned into a hallway opposite of the front entrance that led them to double doors spitting out an influx of students. She looked around, fully awake now, taking in the forest-like environment she had never been in before. She had only seen the shallow wood area in the corner of her dorm window.

It was far more cultivated than it appeared from three stories up, as she could see a flag carrying the St. Rosemunde seal hanging from a small oak tree and wooden arch crafted from shallow branches suspended some six feet over their heads granted them entrance into the enchanted forest.

Not that it was all that enchanted. A million different conversations seized the air, robbing the space of its natural serenity. Miren kept to her silence, taking it all in cautiously as Axel and Cliff nudged each other, the volume of their voices loud and eager for the night's festivities.

They passed the thick forest area and entered a clearing. There were more trees ahead, but because it was nightfall, Miren couldn't see what else was on the other side. To her left, she saw there was a medium sized pond with the moon reflecting on the black surface. Ahead of her she could see a gazebo, raised a couple feet from the ground.

There, stood Jeno, Levi, and a few other students she recognized from the student administration meeting. Then she saw Parker, looking like Jesse Williams' hotter younger brother, and some people she assumed were from senior class counsel.

Miren half expected them to be draped in eerie cloaks, with organ music in the air and maybe some lit candles to create a demonic effect. Instead, the Rinzen's class leaders were also dawned in nightwear, calling for a more casual air. To compensate,  camping lanterns lined the clearing, brightening up the space. Scary. Feeling a nudge, Axel motioned for her to walk forward, to the front of the crowd. There, she was met up with three other confused looking students. Initiates.

"Is everyone here?" Levi asked, his eyes in a squint as he searched through the crowd. There had to be at least two hundred of the upperclassmen dispersed along the space. That had to be good enough. "Well, we're running behind schedule, so we're gonna start now."

He cleared his throat when he noticed the group was still a little bit too loud for his liking. "I said now, you pansies!" The crowd fell silent. Mostly.

"Welcome to the Shadowing," he said. "Where everyone's a victim."

Miren's face fell. Victim? What on earth had they gotten her into?

"There are no victims, you ass," Jeno intervened. "Stop trying to freak out the initiates." His eyes skimmed against Miren's before examining the rest of the crowd. "Only four of you?" he pursed his lips, though the look on his face was both uninterested and unsurprised. "Well, that's disappointing."

"Lighten up, would you?" Even in the dim lighting, Parker's eyes were gleaming. Miren held her breath, unrelieved by his words. The only relief she would get would be back in bed, away from whatever this was, and whatever was bound to expose her.

"Moving on," Levi began. "We have but three short tasks to complete tonight. One is to swear in the new boys of Riz academy. Another is declaring a homecoming plan of action as a united front. Lastly, we'll toast to the season."

There were some cheers in the crowd, but Miren ignored them, her eyes focusing ahead. If she could live through the swearing in, then the rest of the night would be a breeze. And she needed one, because she could feel her cheeks heat up with anxiety.