Vallen: The Marking (Vallen series #1)

Chapter 8

We had a double period of language classes right after history. I noticed how most people didn't seem that eager to talk around or to me anymore as we walked to the next class. Alaric however didn't seem to mind. He walked next to me and happily chatted away as he had done before my little revelation.

"They'll come around." He said as he noticed me staring at our classmates. "People are always weirded out by the unusual at first."

"So why aren't you?" I asked back.

"Personally I prefer unusual." He said as we entered the language classroom. "Why go for the expected?"

I smiled back at him. I couldn't be more thankful that Alaric was the guy that wanted a second helping on my first day. What if I had run into one of the people that was avoiding me now? I would have had no support. It might have taken me ages to find Alaric, we might have never even become friends.

I had expected the language classes to be learning the language of the Vallens, but it was quite the opposite. Alaric told me that they didn't have one language anymore, it died out decades ago. The Vallens had too much family pride for it, they insisted that the children learned the language their ancestors spoke. 

The only people who still spoke the dead language were members of the oldest families. So during the language classes at school we got to pick a language to learn. It was supposed to be the language of our ancestors, with the exception of people with British ancestors, everyone in my class chose the language their grandparents spoke. 

Alaric chose German because his parents wanted him to learn that, while I choose French. I didn't know if I had french ancestors or anything but I had always had a fascination for the language. Maybe my family was of French descent, there was no way of knowing yet.

So we spend the next two periods learning the basics of our language. Alaric sat with the other people learning German while I sat with two girls who were learning french. One of them strictly avoided eye contact with me, I think her name was Victorine, while the other girl gave me a small smile when we made eye contact. It wasn't much but it did make me feel better.

Professor Klasson was french herself, so she made sure to walk by our table as often as she could. She checked if we were learning the right verbs from the book. After saying "Je suis, Tu es, Il est, nous sommes, vous êtes, Ils sont." A hundred thousand times the bell finally rang, and we were off to lunch as fast as we could.

"My parents will be so mad," Alaric said the moment we were out of hearing range of Professor Klasson. "There is no way I am going to be able to remember any of it. They will never stop judging me for it."

"Maybe you can ask your brothers for help? They got through it." I said.

"Like they won't tell on me." He grunted. I had no idea how to help him. My parents were never that upset if I was failing a class, they just helped me or got me a tutor in it. But I guess it is different if it's the language your ancestors spoke.

"If it's the language your ancestors spoke, then why don't you speak it at home already?" I wondered out loud as we walked by the food table. They had dozens of sandwiches already laid out, but also different types of bread and toppings, for the picky eater.

"My mom married into the family, she's originally from Norway." He explained. "My dad also learned it in school, but he only ever says the curse words in German." He grabbed three sandwiches and put them on a plate. "So I know those, do you think it will help if we get a test?"

"I mean you can try." I laughed as we walked over to an empty table.

"The only person that sometimes still speaks it is my grandma, and she will just change English words for German ones in one sentence and goes right back to English like nothing ever happened." He took a bite from his sandwich and continued talking with his mouth full. "Pretty brave what you did in history class."

"I couldn't lie," I said. "Better start on the bad truth than having to keep up a lie."

"They'd probably realise it pretty fast too," Alaric said. "Everyone knows the old families and the good ones, they'd think you'd come from a bad family which is only one step above a human one on the social ladder."

"What's an old family?" I asked and started on my sandwich while Alaric went to his second.

"They're sort of in charge." He said after he swallowed a bite. "They have a lot of power in the government at least. My parents say that they basically run the show." I wanted to ask more, I wanted to know more, but we were interrupted by one of Alaric's brothers sitting down next to him. He slammed his hand down on Alaric's back in some sort of greeting, but it just resulted in Alaric nearly choking on his sandwich.