Chapter 5: Is This Rehab Or Assassin's Creed?
After a night of traveling across the sky, Andromeda was finally off to Belltrix Academy.
She settled down the back seat of the black van as her ears ringed with the buzzing loud chatters of the other enrollees, all girls, laughing and gossiping to one another. Andromeda felt unease within the tight space between strangers and it's even more uncomfortable if they noticed Andromeda's awkward behavior and talked about it. Nevertheless, she breathed out deeply, steadying herself while squeezing the edges of her pencil skirt. Her body was trembling shakily.
"Hey, you okay?" Asked a dark-skinned girl around her age. She sat at her right with her gaze stuck on a hyperventilating Andromeda.
"Y-yeah...not good around strangers between small spaces...n-not that I'm whom I am surrounded with, it's what will they think about me that make my body shiver," Andromeda explained, catching her heavy breathing.
"Well the only thing we'll think about is getting you an inhaler."
"No! I'm fine, thanks...just wheezy and all," Andromeda muttered, giving the girl a shaky smile.
"Okay...? But I'm—"
"Oh, you don't need to be all scaredy-cat on the first day because I sure I won't," uttered the other from Andromeda's left.
They both turned to find a beautiful Indian girl, with the most smoothest brown skin and the silkiest thick single-braided raven hair. She wore the same uniform as Andromeda and the other girl did.
"Hi my name is Annad Tamil. Beautiful yet feisty," Annad introduced herself with a hand pressed onto her chest.
The all three of them smiled. "I'm Andromeda Blair, but you can call me Andrew for short if you want."
"Cool! And I am Zeta Mitchell," the black girl uttered.
"Wait, Mitchell? As in Tiana Mitchell's?" Questioned Andromeda as she remembered the headmistress's name on the pamphlet.
"Yup, that's my mom. She maybe runs the place, but shoo-wee never thought of me as a 'principal princess' because I'm far from that."
"We don't think you're that kinda gal," Annad said, shaking her head.
"Yeah, you're kinda badass-looking to be honest," Andromeda complemented.
"Pleasure oblige," Zeta giggled, nodding her head.
About an hour and a half later, they have arrived in front of the academy with plenty excitement filling the air as all enrollees came out of the van. About fifteen black vans stopped with screeching tires on the gravel, doors banged as many students, around the ages seven to seventeen, popped out with big smiles plastered. Casually age didn't matter who enrolled the academy because they have special levels for that, what mattered was they were sent by their families to be fix. Which they all thought it intended to be. The freshmen really felt like they were home where they belong rather than back outside where they were looked down upon or even meaner than the last.
Andromeda looked to find a stone archway engraved at the entrance of a gigantic pair of wooden double doors. The crowd of newly freshmen squeezed tight as they rushed inside with blabbering bustles. Andromeda felt her stomach falling as she tried to gushed through the wave but couldn't since it was too narrow and her timid phase wasn't any help.
She jumped when an arm gripped her shoulder before pulling her aside to the corner. It was Zeta with Annad, both were smiling. Then Zeta gestured for all three of them go through an alternative way, she received nods before turning to a secret passage between two pillars hidden amongst the shrubs near the penetrated entrance.
They were about to enter the tunnel that Zeta opened, when a strange girl's voice broke their giggles.
"Going through another route, I see? Could you at least invite another to join in?" Laughed the girl with short crimson hair and a striped of blue. She stepped in forward with a satisfied grin.
"Nela," Zeta uttered. "Great to see you again! Sorry for that, I thought you were already in...uh, where's your twin cousin?"
"He got inside by alternate too. Why? Do you miss him?"
"No..." Zeta trailed off for a moment with her gaze finding on anywhere to avoid eye contact. Nela smirked but Zeta shoved her off before all four of them entered the tunnel. It was narrow and dark and only lit up by Andromeda's spark. Finally, light blinded them as they began hearing laughter amongst the freshmen.
They now entered the main lobby that was full of both enigmatic and idealistic youths, all gathering in friend groups. All distant clamours penetrated the dead air of the old castle that was turned into an academy. Apparently, there were no stone-steps sat in the middle as usual, instead it was a wide, tall wooden platform with four stained-glass windows all representing the elementals displayed on top while the other ends were archway all directing to different arranged hallways. Yet it wasn't dark like other schools. The outside may seemed the dark ages but inside were stoned-walls covered with ice-like décor all the way, from chandeliers to vases and even portraits of brave Curseling youths were framed in ice. Not that it showed discrimination though. In fact it was far from that. The school council just felt it was time to let dark themes go and let the bright crystals in. Besides, the ice-like crystals were there for a reason, it was attached to maintain the entire facility with no damages from alchemy outbreaks. Henceforth, the icy interior.
Andromeda stuck her gaze on all of the beautiful and luxurious designs while she gathered with her new acquaintances.
Zeta cried out to a handsome teenager with the most luscious hickory-brown hair there was. He was tall, tanned-skin, definitely built, honeyed eyes and clothed to the scent of aristocrat. Following him was a half-Asian boy with features of average height about 5'6, paled skin, dark long hair, onyx eyes, and a slim body that either was built enough. And another boy with ruffled sable hair, brown-skin, with ocean blue eyes.
The half-Asian was dressed fine as well meanwhile the other had his uniform's sleeve folded to his elbow with his pants slightly covered in dust. Talk about getting dusty.
"Sup, fellas," Nela uttered, lifting her chin and acted tough.
"Hey, Nela," all three of them chimed with the most fakest bright smile.
"Seriously?" Nela raised a brow. The three girls chuckled.
"I believe we haven't introduce to one another," the hickory-haired boy gestured.
"Oh, you don't need to."
"I'm not talking to you, Nela," he grumbled. "Hello, I am Archer Bane. And this is my companions Zack Choi and Milo Gomez." He gestured to the other two and they both waved with sheepish grins.
"Archer! Umm...nice seeing you again!"
Archer smiled. "It's good to see you too, Zeta...who are your new friends?"
"Well, this is Annad Tamil and Andromeda Blair," Zeta pointed at the two.
"Blair? Isn't that family is the closed-hands of the Fire clan?"
"Yup...that's my fam," Andromeda laughed awkwardly.
"Whoa...a cursed Royal Fire...that's new," Zack muttered, getting himself an elbow in the ribcage.
Soon all seven of them were constantly talking like good old friends which enlightened Andromeda's anti-social mood to a fresh opening as they made themselves a whole new friend group.
All of the students were clamouring until an echoing bang of a cane thumbed on the wooden stand making the hall dead silent. The students all turned to find fifteen professors stood up aligned in front of them. All were wearing robes of their own clans but underneath were leathery-bound combat uniforms, each styled with their elements. The person at the middle took everyone's sincere attention. Like what Andromeda mentioned, she was dark, her hair tied in a tight bun, her eyes were similar to Zeta's forest green.
The headmistress cleared her throat before beginning a welcome speech. "Welcome, new freshmen and also welcome back to our earlier students who happily enrolled on their young age. We truly enjoy your participation in force of justice...now we all aware of the reign of terror beginning to arise and yet no one...has come to realization that actions whatever it might be must be taken. And yet here you all are, awaken by the darkness that enveloped for many years and henceforth our rebellion to this corrupted world will be recognize as the new hope to those poor people that never assume were being brainwash. So, let's take hand in hand to bring this new era to justice and peace!"
The crowd began cheering, whistling, and clapping after hearing the speech. Andromeda, however was puzzled. The speech was great but something was definitely hidden, the message...it was justifiable but not in a clear way, for the better fact it was more like delivering a guild's speech. She noticed that all her friends agreeing, and she knew that they all knew what the headmistress just said except for her, who was still confused by the surrounding energy that motivated the students.
The headmistress began, then silence hit the air again. "So, let's demonstrate what will be your future in this academy..." Saying that, she signaled two of the guards to forcefully pushed a pounded man with a sack-covered head to center. The man was chained by his hand and cried for help but no reaction amongst the youth. Although, Andromeda, that one who had no idea, gasped in silent as the others watched the poor pulled off the mask and was held on gunpoint by the headmistress with no feeling of discomfort. Only silent stares.
"Please...please don't hurt me...I—I only just doing it for fun...p—p-please no..." the man pleaded, gasping for air. His head twisted towards the crowd. "Is this a cult?"
"No..." the headmistress answered. "It is a creed."
"An assassin's creed?"
"Hmmmm, yes, it seems like it."
The man quivered, closing his eyes with the gun pointed at him but suddenly the headmistress turned to asked if he deserves to live because, as assassins, they must kill for a reason. In which justice must be serve right. The man nodded his head violently while smiling nervously, thinking he could be spared but he wasn't. The headmistress then commanded one of the Blood Curseling teacher to torture the man's body as it twisted and turned. The man cried and he admitted every unforgivable sin he had done; Robbery from poor, destroying vast properties, and selling drugs.
"Seems just few reasons to agree," Annad uttered while rubbing her temple. Andromeda had eyes widen at Annad.
"I A-ALSO...ASSAULTED A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL!"
Loud grumbles of students roared. Demanding him to be killed already. With the votes won, the headmistress pulled the triggered with the man's body tumbled to the floor, lifeless.
Dead silence hit. Meanwhile, Andromeda was breathless, eyes shaking in sudden shock.
What is this place?
"Right no harm in done, just be sure to target those who are bad enough or...what you called Templars...anywho, there's no fear in doubt. Because all of you must kill or be killed..."
Andromeda shivered from the message that echoed in her head.
All of you...
******
A/N: Never forget comment, vote, and shhhaare! Spread the book, guys;)
Word count: 1898