Hallowed Kaline (1) (MANUSCRIPT)

Issue # 3 Leading Introductions

              Putting a hand to her hip, the professor cackled. "So you do, so you do! Well then, let's see what Father Agnus has to say about that."
             "Who's that? Also, Natalie isn't my 'girlfriend'." Max turned.
             "The principal of this school." Ms. Meloncrop's smile was small as she put a finger to her bottom lip. "Good afternoon, Father Agnus. Everything is well, I presume?"

            "Absolutely tidy, Meloncrop. Thank you for checking in on me." Holding a wand in his right hand, a man with red irises wore a black robe over his entire body.
            Max's green eyes grew. "So, you're-"
            "You're Maximus Kaline, the new student I've heard a little about. Word flies quickly around these parts, much like a mischievous Fae. I wanted to see you at some point, considering not very many people actually come to a school like ours." The wand-wielding man, his orange hair falling into curly locks, moved his lips. "For the obvious reason, I'm sure you can imagine. This is a combat school specifically designed to teach kids how to fight-"
         "How to fight the Fey. I know." Max nodded.
        Ms. Meloncrop lunged her left arm out at Maximus. "How disrespectful! Do not interrupt Father Ag-"
         "It's quite alright, Paige." The principal of Titanium-Corps pointed his wand, the white tip slightly bigger than its black shaft, at Ms. Meloncrop. The woman began to back away, her focus glued to the thick tip. Kyle, Natalie, and Tony also watched from afar with their attention focused on the short dark staff that Agnus held in his hand.
          Father Agnus's expression didn't move a muscle from his own gaze on the student standing right in front of him. Maximus' head moved to see where Ms. Meloncrop had gone to stand. The female teacher's new location stood down by a closely fortified area of wall. Snapping his gaze back to the principal who continued to stare at him, Max put one foot back.
          "I haven't heard of a person with the last name 'Kaline' in years. And your hair... is... a dark red. A burgundy. How volatile. I'm quite spooked. The dark shades of any kind of color must really run in your family, I'm going to quite quickly gather here." Father Agnus put his wand down to his side. 
          "Um. You met – Uh – An ancestor of mine, before? Like... would you know anything about my parents?" Max put a hand to his bangs.
          Father Agnus sighed, his gaze lowering to Max's right shoe. "I dare not speak of what I saw that day. Regardless... I have quite the feeling that, having seen what I saw of your legacy, you're going to make a very interesting addition to this school. Max, are you ready to go and slay the vicious Faeries of the world?"
           Max nodded quickly as he placed his arms straight down at his sides. "I am! I hate all kinds of Fey. They- They- Well. I just hate them!"
          "Well, well, well. That's interesting. I do like this 'spunk' from you... but nonetheless, the agitation which is welling up inside of your ambition indeed must be kept at bay. Not all faeries are bad, young man." Father Agnus nodded, tapping his wand on the floor of the coliseum.

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          "I can't hear what they're saying!" Tony waved his arms from afar. "Should we go over and see? The fight is over, after all! Yo."
            "God, you're yelling so fuckin' loud." Kyle put a finger to his earlobe. "As if you weren't annoying like all the time, anyway."
            "I'm mostly quiet, for your information. Just a little funky. Like brown rice on crackers. And now you've further driven me into being tightly-lipped once more. Thanks a bunch, Kyle. I thought I could really be loose-lipped around you all." Tony tightened his mouth and waved Kyle down with his right hand.
           "Ugh! Cry me a river. It's just... hard to accept the fact that you can be so talkative sometimes when your afro is so loud." Kyle crossed his arms. "You're right though. Let's go see the new-kid. Coming, Natalie?"
            Natalie's eyes still stayed on Father Agnus's wand. "Y- Yeah. Be right there."

          Kyle shook his head as he stood up, looking down at his wristwatch. "Would you stop checking out the big black shaft of our 'Father'? I'm sure he gets self-conscious every now and again. Grown men don't like being stared at all that much."

         "I'm hungry, yo." Tony put a hand to his belly.
         "Lunch would be a good thing right about now." Kyle nodded, then continued to walk off the stadium's archaic stands.
         "S- Sorry." Natalie scratched at the knees of her jeans. "I just... got preoccupied with that wand. It's-"
          "Young man, if you were ever curious, I'd like to tell you that this wand specifically sends women into a daze, as off-putting and 'left-field' as that may sound." Father Agnus raised his voice in an excited tone, holding the black staff – which was once in his left hand – with two hands now.
         Max shook his head. "Sounds like a sexist staff to me."
          "Hm. I make the point because only a one-dimensional object such as a staff should have such contempt for a whole group of organisms." Agnus looked down at the white tip, licking his lips. 

         You only 'make the point', huh? I don't think having a sexist staff is good at all. What is with this guy? Max rolled his eyes. 

        "You are a human boy. You are more complicated than you may realize. And faeries are also more complicated than you may realize. Nonetheless, I have a task for you and your friends. Soon, in the coming week, you all will go on a field-trip to a mansion called the Operetta." 

          Max pursed his lips. "The Operetta?" 
         "Yes, the Operetta. It's a mansion to the west of Ostfolk here in a town called Ehrenburg." Father Agnus tapped the lengthy wand against the floor of the coliseum once more. "It was once a house for theatre productions to take place in, but a pesky faerie has since taken it over. I trust that this class of four, under the wondrous instruction of Ms. Meloncrop, will be successful in handling this mission?" Father Agnus nodded to Max, then quickly turned his gaze over to the dizzy Ms. Meloncrop and smirked.
          "Yes, you can count on me- Us. You can count on us!" Max shivered as he looked over to see Kyle, Tony, and Natalie making their way towards him.
           "My, my, my. Putting your trust into a trio of individuals whom you've yet to see the full potential of? At least... have you even seen the skills of Mr. Chimner, Ms. Carwell, and Mr. Shearer?" The principal of Titanium-Corps put two fingers to his right temple.
            "I haven't. I just don't want Kyle to give me another hard time about this." Max slumped his shoulders and frowned, yawning as Kyle walked closer to him. He already gives me such a hard time for being a 'newbie'.

            "I know I've got this, Father Agnus." Kyle gave a thumbs-up, put his right hand on Max's shoulder, and smiled.

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