Forest began to panic. There was white, white, white and more white. All sterile white. Although Forest woke up groggy, panic set in quickly. He made no move to get up. He could hear his accelerated heartbeat as he took in the sight of the room.
He was lying in a bed with white sheets. There was medical equipment to his left, an unoccupied chair by the door and a large window to his right. The room seemed to be slightly larger than his own room back at the warehouse, certainly with more white.
The lights were off and the view from the window told him it was around night or really early morning. The window gave enough light for him to see the silhouettes of the objects in the room. Then he realized that the medical monitor was on.
The door before the end of the bed opened and light spilled in from the hallway. A tall figure stood in the doorway. From what he could see, it was a woman wearing more white.
She paused in the doorway holding a clipboard. "Oh, your awake!" She flipped on the lights causing him to close his eyes by the sudden change of lighting. When he reopened his eyes he could see the girl was already fidgeting with the machine. "Your heartbeat was quite fast, so I came to check up on you," She stopped messing with the monitor and turned to face him. "But it looks like everything is just fine." She smiled very sweetly at him, but he had no idea what was going on and in his mind everything was not fine.
The lady started humming as she started writing on her clipboard. His voice came out hoarse and as a whisper over her humming."No." She looked up from her clipboard and up at him.
She smiled at him again. "Pardon?"
Forest swallowed, hoping it would help with his voice. "I said no, everything's not fine!" He began to feel hot and sat up and pushed the comforter off him. "I don't know where I am, what's happening, who you are-"
"You had hypothermia," She interrupted, her voice now sounding more serious. Realization settled on his face as he remembered what happened. His mouth hung open a little. The woman looked sympathetic as she began to answer his questions. "You are at Proelia's medical division and my name is Reselda, I'm a nurse." Forest was about to speak, but she held up her hand and continued talking. She began to answer questions he didn't even ask. It was like she could read his mind.
"Proelia is a fine institution that trains young people, such as yourself, to become a Guardian. Guardians protect the city of Ferrum from criminal groups. A girl brought you here a few hours ago and I revived you. You almost froze to death," She paused for a moment to let it all sink in before continuing. "Anyways, I'm glad you're awake because Mr. Marcus will be here in a few minutes to talk to you about what happens next," She turned to leave, but paused and turned back toward him. "Oh, my bad," She said looking down at her clipboard. "I almost forgot to get your name and age."
Forest shifted, uncomfortable at the sudden change of mood. "Oh, um my name is Forest, age sixteen."
Reselda scribbled something down on her clipboard, then looked up and smiled at him. "Perfect! Thank you!"
"Wait."
She turned back toward him again, a patient smile on her face. "Yes?"
"How'd you know what I was going to ask?" His eyebrows twitched with confusion, although it was a quick movement.
Reselda seemed to relax at the question. "Oh please, I've been a nurse for years now and it's always the same." She walked out of the room, but instead of closing the door she held it open as another person walked in. This time a middle aged man walked in.
Forest slumped back against his raised pillow as the man slightly hesitated in the doorway before he made his way over to him. He had slight wrinkle lines forming on his forehead. His grey eyes contrasted with his black hair that was pushed back and styled neatly, black glasses were perched on his nose. He wore a blue button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up, and simple black pants .
Forest crossed his arms in defiance, he really didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. The man stood at the corner of the bed. His back was straight, his hands were tucked in the pockets of his pants. His shoulders were leaned back, he looked relaxed and yet poised at the same time.
Forest looked into his face. "Why are you here?" His tone suggested he was annoyed.
The man seemed humored and he let a little snicker escape him. He leaned back towards the door and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "I could just leave, If you want."
Forest realized that he sounded rude and he placed his hands in his lap and looked down at them, ashamed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I meant why are you here to see me?"
His face remained neutral, but he leaned forwards and away from the door. He then held out his hand for Forest to shake. "My name is Marcus, but you should call me Mr. Marcus, I'm a teacher after all." He seemed proud to be a teacher as a gleeful smile spread across his lips.
He looked down at Mr. Marcus's hand, then reached up with his own and shook his."Forest," He said.
Mr. Marcus's grip was strong as they shook hands. He seemed a little hesitant for a moment, but the look quickly faded. He then moved and situated himself on the edge of his bed.
He craned his head to look at Forest. "We want you to join Proelia," Marcus said, he was very straight to the point Forest noticed.
Forest was confused. "Why? And who's we?" He suddenly felt uneasy, as knots formed and twisted in his stomach.
"Althea, the school's headmaster, she's a little occupied right now. She sends her regards," He replied calmly. Then he shifted on the edge of the bed so that he faced Forest more. "She wanted me to recruit you into the school." His gaze wandered to the large window. The glint of the stars in the night sky reflected in his irises as he calmly awaited Forest's reply.
"You don't even know me." Forest felt sad, he knew he was the villain.
Mr. Marcus's attention was drawn back to Forest as he replied, "No, I don't," he stated. "How about you tell me about yourself." Something shone in his eyes, Forest couldn't tell if it were kindness or joy.
"You wouldn't like me if I told you," He simply said, even though there was a hidden meaning behind the words he spoke.
"I don't believe that," Mr. Marcus said as he peered at Forest. It was like he was looking right through him, like he already knew everything. But all he said was,"Can you fight?" He began to panic as he realized he didn't have the dagger with him. He began to pat around the sheets and he frantically looked in every direction to try and find the weapon. Without the weapon, he felt vulnerable and unprotected, he didn't like that feeling.
"It's not here, we put it somewhere safe," Mr. Marcus said, his face remained neutral and calm as Forest scanned the room once more just to be sure.
He sat back against the pillow in defeat letting out an exasperated sigh.The dagger certainly wasn't there, as far as he was concerned. "I can fight," He said.
"Proelia can train you to become a Guardian, the city's hero." Forest could tell that he was trying to convince him to join, and yet something was telling him that it would never be possible.
Forest felt a pit in his stomach, how badly he wanted to be a hero. "I want to be a hero, but I don't think it's that easy."
"Of course it won't, you'll have to work hard and train and all that, but I'm giving you the opportunity-" He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes seemed to be filled with confusion, or maybe it was sympathy. His face didn't reflect what his eyes did though, maybe he was trying to hide it, even though his eyebrows slightly twitched.
"No, you don't understand!" Forest interrupted in frustration.
"Do you not want to be a Guardian? Proelia can also train you to become a blacksmith or an enchanter..." Marcus trailed off, upon seeing Forest's face that reflected agony. He wanted him to stop taking so that he could sort out his jumbled thoughts.
"No!" He threw his hands up in the air. "I can't ever be a hero, because...I used to be a Silver Blade." He felt a weight lift off his chest, although it was quickly replaced with guilt and fear. What would happen now? Would he be thrown in jail for the rest of his life?
Marcus stood up and his heart sank. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper and then handed it to him. As Forest held the paper he looked up at Marcus, confusion written on his face.
"What is this?" He asked, his brow furrowed as he looked into Marcus's calm face.
"Registration form." He tucked his hands back inside his pockets and rolled his shoulders back.
"But, why?" Forest had convinced himself he would be condemned to a life in prison right then and there. He was in a school for heros, unarmed and injured. He could've easily been taken down in this state, but instead they had given him a registration form even though he was a part of a criminal group. This completely baffled him, leaving him speechless.
"You said it yourself, you used to be a Silver Blade. Plus you're here, meaning you risked your life to get away from them."
He nodded, a grateful smile creeped on the edges of his lips. "Thank you."
He backed away toward the door. "Reselda said your memory would be a little foggy, but other than that, you'll be fine." He then encouragingly nodded, more to himself than Forest, and walked toward the door and left.
Forest unfolded the paper and glanced down at the questions. He looked around for a pencil or a pen. He noticed there was one on the small table by the bed to his right. He grabbed it and as he began filling out the paper, he felt happy. No, he felt hope. He could finally start his own life.
He looked down at the uniform that Reselda returned with after he completed the form. The suit was a form fitting black jumpsuit, with two maroon lines that ran down the sleeves. He looked at it for a while, trying to figure out the workings of the article of clothing. When he came to the conclusion that it wouldn't kill him, he slipped into it.
Mr. Marcus had returned for him and was now waiting for him outside of the door. He was surprised that he didn't yell at him to hurry up, but then again he was nothing but calm since they'd met. When he stepped into the hospital hallway, Mr. Marcus handed him the dagger. He looked down at it, inhaled, then carefully took it into his hands. He hadn't had the weapon long, but as he held it in his hand, it felt comfortable. He suddenly began to feel sentimentally attached to it but for what reasons, he didn't know.
Marcus pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning on. "Hold out your hand." Forest obeyed and he placed what seemed to be a watch in his hand. He walked on ahead as Forest fumbled to secure the watch onto his wrist. Once he got the watch situated, he raised his head and took in his surroundings. The hallway had white walls and neat carpet flooring. The wall opposite the rooms had tall windows that took up large sections where rooms weren't. The windows overlooked the city. The sky was now a beautiful shade of baby blue and a trail of orange blazed the sky, leaving a path to the rising sun.
"So, what is this thing?" Forest asked as he eyed the watch secured on his wrist.
Marcus continued to walk."Communication bracelet."
"Oh..." He said, even though that had barely cleared things up for him.
They walked down to the end of the hall, where a door stood. As they walked through, he was astonished at the sight.The hallway that laid behind the door was made out of glass. He craned his head to take in the full view of the city and the ablazed sky. Although it was similar to what the other windows showed him, it felt like a giant painting. It was as if it were something from someone's imagination. Never in his life had he ever seen anything like it.
Forest was a little disappointed when they reached the end of the hall. He turned and took one last glance as he stepped through the door. The floor was now polished concrete and the walls were still white and still had multiple large windows.
Mr. Marcus guided Forest past multiple hallways and stopped in front of a door. A-32 was written on the wall beside the door, it had a sleek design to it. He turned back to look at Forest. "This is your room, we hope it's to your liking." Marcus hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say more to Forest. In the end he said nothing more, smiled, and made his way down the hallway.
Forest opened the door. There was a large window at the back of the room and two beds on the left, with a third bed above the two. On the right there was desk and a large closet. He noticed there was another door to his left, he guessed it was the bathroom. The walls were dark gray and he noticed the window was opened as the sheer white curtain fluttered from the slight breeze.
Forest shuffled his feet and turned in a circle to get a full view. Just as he turned to look back at the opened window, the door behind him flew open. He jumped back, startled by the abruptness. Forest righted himself and turned to look at the figures that were entering the room. He realized that there were two of them. One was tall with light brown hair, and the other short with blonde hair. They both wore the same uniform as he did.
It seemed the two were just as surprised as Forest, as they paused in the doorway. The taller one seemed very skeptical and it looked like he was edging the shorter one behind him.
"Who are you?" The taller one narrowed his eyes at the last word. Accusation and hesitation written on his face.
"I could ask you the same thing," Forest replied, his face neutral despite all the hatred the other guy was emitting towards him.
He felt the taller one tense and the shorter one tugged on his sleeve and spoke in a hushed tone, although Forest could still hear him.
"Calm down, he's wearing the uniform." He nodded his head toward Forest and the taller one eyed him.
Then all at once the air of the room shifted as the taller of the two stepped forward and held his hand out. Forest took it and they shook hands.
"Forgive me, you must be our new roommate. Althea has a tendency to forget to tell us these things," Forest nodded and both of them stepped back. "I'm Jack and this is my little brother, Wyatt." Jack gestured behind him to his little brother. Wyatt stepped forward, a wide smile spread across his face as he and Forest shook hands.
"My name is Forest." He was slightly taken back by the swift change in mood and their sudden kindness. His own skepticisms creeped into his mind.
Wyatt and Jack surveyed the room. "So, which bed do you want." It took Forest a while to register what Jack said as his thoughts died down.
"Oh, um, doesn't matter to me." His focus was brought back to the real world as he swiveled to look at the beds.
Jack too looked at the layout of the beds and placed a finger to his chin in thought. "Alright, Wyatt and I can take the bottom two and you can have the top," He then tacked on, "If you want."
"Sounds good to me." Forest smiled to himself as it occurred to him that this might be the start of a friendship, but then again who could be too sure.