#Chase Randelll

[emeraldacademyofficial]

Chapter 2 - First Meetings: An Emerald Academy Novel

The warmth from the bright sunlight overhead radiated down onto the arms and face of the young man leaning out the passenger side of a car that had just turned off the interstate and into the city of Wakefield, Virginia. With his head propped up on his arms he stared at the cars passing by as they approached their destination. Apprehension, a twinge of fear, and even a little excitement swelled and rose within him, before cooling and falling back to the bottom of his heart, like an emotional lava lamp. He supposed this was normal—first day at a new school, and, even more dauntingly: the first time he’d be living away from home.

“Are you sure you don’t want me in with you, just until you get your bearings?” his mother asked for what could have been the dozenth time.

“Yes, I’m sure I don’t need my mommy holding my hand.”

Henry Thurston lifted his head from his arms and looked at his mother. As expected she was smiling widely, though her eyes remained fixed on the road before her. Despite his nerves Henry couldn’t help but grin too. His mother’s positivity was downright contagious sometimes.

“How would it look if I showed up there with you shadowing me?” Henry continued. “I don’t want to look like a total wuss on my first day.”

“I don’t know,” his mother mused. She turned on the car’s blinker and slowed before turning left. “First time away from home—won’t see me until your first break in November—I think a lot of you classmates will probably miss their parents.”

“Of course I’ll miss you,” Henry scoffed. “I’ll especially miss how good you are at math. And History.” Henry’s grin turned sheepish. “And, well, just school in general.”

“And there it is,” his mother murmured knowingly. She flicked the turn signal again and the car turned right.

“What’s that?”

“The reason you’re being so snarky. You’re nervous about the schoolwork.”

Henry wanted to deny this, wanted to proclaim proudly that he totally had the academic side of things under control. Instead he ran a hand through his wild brown hair and let out a long breath.

“I just don’t know that I’m cut out for this place,” he admitted. “Sometimes I feel like I only got into this school because you are my mom.”

Henry’s mother pursed her lips and thought about it. They were stopped at a traffic light. It wasn’t until the light turned green that she spoke. “It’s true that legacy definitely plays a role in admittance, but just because I was a student there when I was your age doesn’t mean you were automatically granted admission. They do consider your prior academic backgrounds and achievements.”

“What academic achievements?”

His mother shot him a sideways look. “You wouldn’t have been accepted into the school if you were an idiot.”

“I don’t think I’m an idiot,” Henry countered. “I’m just not as…academically gifted as you are.

His mother pondered this as she turned right again.

“You know what I like about you, Henry?” She eventually asked.

Henry raised an eyebrow. “You’re my mother. You’re supposed to like me.”

“No,” she corrected. “I’m supposed to love you. Nowhere in the maternal contract does it say I have to like you.”

“Geez, thanks a lot,” Henry muttered.

“No, what I like about you is that you’re not proud. You don’t have a giant ego that prevents you from admitting when you’re wrong, or asking for help when you need it. They’re not going to throw you into the deep end without consideration for your particular needs and talents. The Emerald Academy has some of the best teachers in the country, tutoring is available if you need it, you have options. If Professor Krenlo is still around you can absolutely turn to him.”

“Krenlo?” Henry asked.

“He was a new teacher when I was a student, but even then everyone loved him. He was sort of like a mentor. I never heard anything about him resigning, so I think he still teaches at the academy. If you’re feeling out of sorts just ask him for help. He’ll be glad to help you find your way.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re talking about more than just class work?”

“I told you he was like a mentor. He’s someone you can talk to, an adult you can trust.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Henry murmured as a large grassy field with tall stone walls drew closer on the right side of the car. “Is that—“

“We’re here.”

The car made one final turn onto a long narrow road. Ahead of them loomed the walls and gate that encircled The Emerald Academy. Henry’s mother pulled into the large parking lot that preceded the gate, where a mass of people were approaching and entering.

Henry stared numbly out the window for several minutes. His body suddenly felt very heavy, his legs filled with lead. He attempted to reach for the door handle, but his hand and arm refused to move. His mother watched him fondly as his nerves fought with his brain for control.

“It’s finally real now, isn’t it?” she asked.

Henry swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry. “Are we sure this is where I belong?”

“You’ll be fine,” his mother reassured him. “Just take things one day at a time. Remember, you can call me for absolutely anything, day or night. You’re not alone.”

Henry tore his gaze from the front gate and stared at his mother. He’d been expecting it, but the sudden burning in his chest and eyes was almost overwhelming.

“What if I don’t belong here?” he whispered.

His mother reached out and delicately cupped his cheek in her hand. “Give it a chance, Henry. Give it until your autumn break, and if you really hate it so much then I’ll bring you home, and we’ll try somewhere else. But I know you’ll do great. You’re a brilliant young man. You’re smart and generous and kind. People are going to love you.”

Henry blinked hard against hot tears. “I hope so.”

“Besides,” his mother said, her tone suddenly cheerful and matter of fact. “It’s just a silly school. There’s nothing special about the Emerald Academy. You can succeed and thrive anywhere.”

Henry smiled in spite of his inner turmoil. “Yeah, we’ll see.”

“Now, one last time, are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

In response Henry threw his arms around his mother’s shoulders and hugged her tightly. It turned out her cheeriness was just an act too. She began to sob, hot, wet tears falling into Henry’s hair and on his cheek. Henry had finished crying, but his mother’s tears threatened to ignite a second round within him. If he didn’t pull away now he thought he’d never have the strength to. His mother gave him one last kiss on the forehead.

“Be good,” she said through watery eyes. “Have fun. Call me any time. I’ll see you soon.”

“Yeah,” Henry said hoarsely as he reached into the back seat for his duffel bag.

“I love you!” his mother said as he opened the passenger door.

“I love you, too,” Henry murmured, unable to meet her eyes.

On shaking legs he got out of the car and stood up straight. He closed the door behind him and, somewhat stiffly, began walking across the lot to the gate. After several seconds he heard the car begin to move again. He couldn’t bear to turn around and watch his mother leave. It was too reminiscent of old childhood nightmares. If he turned around now he’d run back to the car and beg to go back home. As the sound of tires on asphalt faded and disappeared Henry’s lower lip quivered slightly and he had to blink away New Years.

I am such a mama’s boy.

Wordlessly, Henry took his place in the queue leading to the gate. Though he was surrounded by other kids—some his age, but most of them a year or two older—nobody paid him any mind, nobody said a word to him. Here and there he did see a young-looking boy or girl standing around with what must be their parents, but as Henry had suspected, this was the exception, not the rule. Most everyone was on their own, exerting their independence from their parents. He almost laughed. Surely he couldn’t have been the only crybaby in the bunch?

It took almost fifteen minutes, during which Henry had shifted his duffel bag onto opposite shoulders twice, set it down on the asphalt beside him, and picked it back up again, before he finally neared the front of the line. Now that he was close enough to the entrance he could see what looked like a security guard and what Henry assumed was a member of the school staff, both checking and double check the credentials of the students as they entered. He watched as a boy a few spots ahead of him had his name checked off a list, then he presented a card to a machine, which scanned it, and a green light flashed above. So this was how students—and probably the staff, too—got into and out of the campus grounds. They had to scan themselves in. It made sense, now that Henry was watching it in action. It allowed the system to automatically keep track of who was coming and going, though he did wonder how often the going part of that equation occurred. Did the students leave the school sometimes? Was that even allowed? He’d have to ask someone sometime.

He finally reached the front of line, and presented his Emerald Academy-issued ID card. It was a simple thing—the size of a credit card, with a photo of his face, his name, birthday, and contact info below, and a barcode on the back, which he scanned. The light above turned green. The woman with the clipboard found his name, and checked it off.

“Welcome to the Emerald Academy!” she greeted him pleasantly. She pointed through the gates, towards the large building that stood at the center of campus. “Orientation will be inside the main building, in the auditorium. Professor Krenlo will be meeting new students at the front door to guide them in.”

“Thanks,” Henry said, and he stepped through the gates.

His feet fell on the path that extended from the gate onto and throughout campus. A surreal, almost buzzing sensation in his head made him blink rapidly. He didn't understand why passing through a stone wall would cause him to feel so weird, but now that he was here, standing on the ground of the Emerald Academy, he felt so…blasé. What had he been expecting? A jolt like electricity to coarse through him? A sinking, dreadful feeling? Elation? Instead he just felt unimpressed. His mother’s words echoed in his mind. It really is just a school. Then he remembered what the woman he’d checked in with said. So Professor Krenlo’s is still teaching here. I’ll have to let mom know.

In silence Henry walked along the path. Not that he needed to. Just from a quick once over he realized it would be impossible to ever get lost on campus. The main building, where orientation would be held, was directly in front of him, looming massively over everything else. Off to his right, near where two of the walls met, stood a series of small buildings lined up. To his left was a single structure—much smaller than the main building, but larger than a single one of the smaller buildings to the right. Connecting all three locations, and also circling around either side of the main building, was the path Henry now trodden upon. It was only what lay beyond the main building that remained a mystery, though he was sure he’d find out soon enough.

His classmates—or at least the kids he assumed were all his fellow freshman—stood huddled in a mass near the large front doors of the main building. Henry approached the crowd and settled on the outskirts. He said nothing as he looked around and watched them curious. Some of them were whispering to each other, some talking boldly. Others, still, kept space between themselves and the rest, and remained adamantly silent. The general air of nervous excitement among the throng of kids was almost palpable.

“Wow, look at the babies!” someone cried in a mocking tone.

Almost everyone turned to face the handful of older students who had approached. Was it Henry’s imagination, or were every last one of these freshman minuscule by comparison? Or was that just their perspective, being the new, low guys on the totem pole, nobody’s in this new social hierarchy? One of the older guys laughed at his compatriot’s comment.

“They all look so lost and scared. Where’s mama?” he asked, deliberately ignoring the scattered women who were in fact mother to some of these kids.

“I think this might be the smallest batch yet,” a third boy added.

“Nah, not this fucker,” a fourth said, and he approached Henry. “You sure you’re in the right year, newbie? You look like a giant compared to these kids. You get held back a few years?”

Henry cast a quick look around his fellow freshman. Yeah, Henry was tall—taller than most of them in fact, but it couldn’t have been by more than an inch or so. But Henry had separated himself from his group by standing on the outskirts. He supposed that made him an obvious target. He raised an eyebrow at the older kid, who stood at least a head shorter than himself.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you from all the way down there,” Henry retorted. His words were met with snickers, which emboldened him. “All I could hear was the sound of you sucking my dick.”

Roars of laughter and applause—from both his fellow freshman and the older kids—erupted around him. The kid who called him out turned a little pink, but otherwise didn’t seem to take the jab to heart. Sure enough, he cracked a smile too. Henry was suddenly clapped over the shoulder by yet another older boy.

“Good one,” he chuckled in a somewhat gruff tone. “Yer clever.”

“Thanks,” Henry said, unsure if this sudden friendliness was part of a setup for further verbal sparring.

Henry’s new friend—an older boy who stood almost at Henry’s height, with thick auburn hair in dreadlocks, and eyes Henry could have sworn were yellow—tightened his grip on his shoulder and pulled Henry closer so he could murmur in his ear. “Hey, don’t worry about these guys. They’re just takin’ the piss outta ya. They don’t mean nothin’ by it.”

Henry side-eyed the older students, who were now talking animatedly, but seemingly good-naturedly, to the nearest freshman on their side of the pack.

“Ya know how these things go,” the boy continued. “Older kids leave, new kids show up—it’s tradition to hassle ‘em a little bit, ya know?”

“Seems harmless enough,” Henry observed. “I didn’t hurt your buddy’s feelings, did I?”

“My buddy?” The kid laughed—a rough sound that was almost a bark. “Patrick? Screw him.”

“Logan, it’s time to go.” Yet another new face had appeared, this time standing over the shoulder of the boy Henry was talking to. His hair was dark, matching his shrewd gaze. His grey eyes met Henry’s, but for all the reaction he gave Henry might have been invisible.

The boy, Logan, tilted his head back and eyed his friend. “What are you in such a rush for?”

“We’ve got things to take care of before term starts tomorrow. We don’t have time to play with the new kids.”

Logan opened his mouth like he wanted to retort, but seemingly thought better of it and shrugged, a toothy grin spreading across his face.

“Ya heard the man, gotta go,” Logan said, throwing his hands up in mock surrender. “See ya ‘round, new kid.”

“Right.”

Only after Logan and his friend had walked several yards away did Logan stop and turn back to Henry again. Henry eyed him curiously.

“Ey, you like basketball?” Logan asked.

Henry shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so,” he called back.

“Word! I’ll hafta get you in on a game soon!”

“We’ll see what happens,” Henry said noncommittally.

Logan grinned again, and then the two disappeared among another, smaller crowd of students who walked in the direction of the scattered buildings. Before long Henry’s group of freshmen were once again on their own. Their interaction with the upperclassman had only served as fuel to further excite them. Shifting his duffel to his left shoulder once again Henry wondered what was taking this Professor Krenlo guy so long to arrive. He wasn’t the only one growing impatient. He heard two of the mothers in the group muttering between themselves in a somewhat irritable tone. He watched as one of the braver kids approached the front doors and opened them. Henry craned his neck to peak inside, but there was nobody standing on the other side.

“What gives?” someone asked. “Wasn’t orientation supposed to be at ten?”

Henry glanced at his watch. 9:55. Where was Professor Krenlo—or, if not him,  whoever was supposed to meet them?

As if in response to Henry’s unspoken question the front door opened once more, this time from the inside. The group backed away a bit to make space, as a tall, thin man appeared from within the building and stepped out into the brightly lit grounds. The man that stood before them was rather pale, his kind, narrow eyes set behind a pair of glasses. He had a somewhat long face, with a well-defined chin. His slate black hair had small grey streaks in it, and he wore it in a long dolphin-tail. He stood before them in a white button-down shirt, tucked into black slacks. He smiled serenely at the group.

“Hello,” he greeted them with the hint of a German accent. “My name is Daryle Krenlo. I would like to be the first to welcome you to The Emerald Academy. I am a professor of History here, as well as counselor for students whose last name begins with H through N; you will be seeing much of me during your education at this school. However, today I am to bring you to your orientation. It is to be held in the auditorium, located just beyond the library, courtyard, and cafeteria. If you will follow me.”

The excited murmurs grew as Professor Krenlo turned and began leading their group through the doors. There was a little jostling as the crowd attempted to form an orderly line into the building. Henry didn’t mind letting himself be gently pushed towards the back of the line. From the back he had a better opportunity to look around as they walked through the building. He hoped, however, that he would be able to hear Professor Krenlo if he began talking while he guided them—he seemed a rather soft-spoken man. Shifting his duffel once more he brought up the rear of the line and crossed over the threshold into the cool, dark building. He had turned to close the door behind him when a flurry of movement near the gate caught his attention.

“Wait up!” A boy cried as he sprinted towards. “Oh, please wait!”

A couple stragglers turned watch as the boy ran towards them, confused and amused expressions on their faces.

“You guys go ahead,” Henry suggested. “I’ll wait for him.”

“You sure?” a girl asked.

“Yeah, if Krenlo asks just tell him I hung back to help a straggler find their way.”

“How are you gonna find your way?”

Henry shrugged and grinned. “I’ll figure it out.”

“If you say so,” the girl said as she followed the rest of the stragglers deeper into the building.

Henry stepped back onto the path outside. He planted his hands on his hips, and was just about to make a smart-mouthed comment about the boy’s tardiness, but the kid suddenly tripped and, like he was seeing things in slow motion, watched the kid plummet face first towards the ground.

“Careful!” Henry cried at the same time he leapt forward to catch the boy.

Without thinking he threw out his hand and snatched blindly at the boy, managing to snag him by the back of his shirt, preventing him from face-first into the dirt patch by mere inches. Continuing thoughtlessly Henry yanked the boy upward, and he managed to secure his footing again. He was pink in the face, and breathing hard—a combination of having sprinted too hard, and nearly being choked to death by Henry’s inept save.

”Th-thank you,” the boy panted. He stood bent over at the waist, gasping for air.

“Are you okay?” Henry asked. “Sorry about the whole choking thing.”

The boy stood up straighter and pink-facedly met Henry’s eyes. “N-no, thank you. I would have been totally lost if you hadn’t waited for me.”

”No big deal. Anyone would have done the same.”

The boy glanced over Henry’s shoulder, and said in a defeated tone, “Yeah, but nobody else did.”

Obviously this wasn’t entirely true, but Henry wasn’t inclined to explain. “You’re late.”

”Yeah, I know,” the boy said sheepishly. “My dad’s…he’s…sometimes he’s just off in his own little world, you know what I mean?”

“Not a clue. My dad’s not around.”

“Oh! I’m sorry!” the boy cried, his face turning crimson.

Henry couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s totally fine, dude. Old news.”

“I…I see.”

“So your dad was late getting here, huh? On your first day too, that sucks.”

”Well, technically we’ve been here for about ten minutes. I just got cold feet before I got out of the car. My sister had to basically drag me through the gate.”

“So you have an older sibling who’s already a student here? She should have shown you around.”

“Yeah, right. As soon as we got through the gates she made a beeline for the dorms. She’s got better things to do than hold my hand through orientation.”

“Speaking of which,” Henry said, glancing over his shoulder. “We better hurry, or we’ll be left behind.”

“Sorry,” the boy muttered.

“No big deal,” Henry said reassuringly. He snatched the boy’s bag off the ground where it had fallen, and slung it over his right shoulder.

“O-oh, you don’t have to—I can carry it.”

“How about you just focus on keeping your feet firmly on the ground?”

The boy flushed again. Henry rolled his eyes and entered the main building once more. The interior was lit with fluorescent bulbs overhead, but the hallways itself was rather cool. This first hallway met in the middle of an adjacent one. Henry though he remembered watching their group turn right at the end, so he did the same. The boy shadowed him for the length of this second hallway before speaking again.

“My name’s Chase,” he said meekly.

“Henry Thurston,” Henry replied.

“It’s, uh, nice to meet you.”

“Ditto.”

At yet another intersection of hallways Henry had to admit defeat; he hadn’t the faintest idea where their group had gone. Fortunately, they weren't really alone. Other, older kids had been passing them in both directions since they entered. Like the ones before they snickered and verbally jabbed as Henry and Chase as they passed, but it was all harmless fun—like Logan had said. As a duo of boys began to turn down another hallway Henry raised a hand and gestured to them.

“Hey, can we get a little help?” Henry asked.

“Sure,” the first of the two boys said. “Where are you trying to go? Orientation?”

“That’s right.”

“Alright, easy.” The boy turned and pointed down the hallway directly in front of Henry and Chase. “Follow this hallway. It leads to the cafeteria. It’s an open space with the library and courtyard on one side, the gym on another, and the auditorium nearby. You literally can’t miss it.”

“Thanks a bunch,” Henry said.

“Not a problem!”

The two duos went their separate ways, Chase hot on Henry’s heels. As instructed the two followed this single hallway, and as foretold, they eventually stepped into a large, open space with tables scattered throughout it. At one of the large room was what looked like the kitchen, and lines where they would get their meals in the future. To their left was the entrance to the library, and just beyond that Henry saw the large outdoor space that was the courtyard. Opposite them was another hallway entrance. Henry deduced that that must be where the auditorium was. Leading the way one final time, Henry crossed the room with Chase in tow, entered the new hallway, and, to his relief, they came face to face with the double doors labeled “auditorium”. Grinning broadly at Chase he pushed the doors open and the two entered.

To his surprise, Professor Krenlo stood near the doors, obviously expecting them. The lights in the auditorium were dimmed, and standing on stage was a robust man in the middle of a speech.

“Sorry we got held up,” Henry whispered.

“Not at all,” Professor Krenlo reassured him. “You stayed back so that you could help another find their way. Very kind of you. Our headmaster, August Hammer, just began his address. Please take your seats, and listen to what he has to say.”

Henry nodded and quietly sat down in the nearest empty seat he could find. Chase hesitated only a second or two before taking the seat beside him. Henry seemed to have found a little sidekick in the boy. He wasn’t sure whether he liked it or not. For the time being he instead focused on the man who stood on stage. He was a large, heavyset man, whose hair was thin and grey. His eyes matched the color of hair, as did his short beard. He wore a maroon blazer over a grey shirt. As he spoke he paced up and down the stage.

“—Our school only accepts the very brightest, and the most eager to learn,” Hammer said, his voice strong and deep. “Here we expect our students to comport themselves to the upmost standards, and set an example to others, through dignity and respect we show the world why the Emerald Academy is among the very best of the best.”

Henry slouched down in his seat and leaned over to Chase.

“Looks like this Hammer guy could lose a few pounds,” he whispered.

“He’s the headmaster,” Chase hissed. “You can’t say that!”

“Chill out, dude. I know he’s the head honcho here. I was just saying, that’s all.”

“Yeah, but still…”

“You’re so uptight, dude.”

A hand fell upon Henry’s shoulder. Looking up at its owner he found Professor Krenlo looking down at him. His expression was kind, but his eyes seemed to pierce Henry.

“I understand that these speeches can be quite boring to some, but there are others here who wish to hear what our headmaster has to say. Out of respect for them, I ask that you keep your comments to yourself until after August’s speech has ended. I assure you there will be plenty of time for chatter later.”

Henry stared at him for a moment before shrugging and returning his attention to the headmaster. Krenlo smiled and sat down in an empty chair behind him. Henry didn’t particularly mind that Krenlo had asked him to keep quiet; it wasn’t even an admonishment, really. If anything, Krenlo seemed more amused than annoyed. Henry grinned. Maybe he would like this man after all.

“—Etched within the halls of this school are the records of the success and triumphs of generations before you. In this very same halls you will etch yourselves into the history of—“

August’s speech droned on for a long twenty minutes. By the time he finally finished and said goodbye, wishing luck before he disappeared off stage, Henry felt sluggish, barely able to keep his eyes open. However, a hard nudge in the ribs jolted him and he sat up, grumbling.

“What was that for?” Henry demanded of Chase, who had stood up and was now stretching.

“You were asleep. I was trying to wake you,” he replied.

“I wasn’t asleep,” Henry said irritably.

“Oh. Sorry…”

Henry sighed. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for this kid. Every interaction they’d had so far seemed to knock him down a peg. At this rate Henry wouldn’t be surprised to learn Chase was afraid of his own shadow.

“Nah, it’s cool,” Henry said. “Nothing to apologize for.”

Back on stage a woman had risen from one of the tables in the back. “If you haven’t already received your student identification credentials and room assignments, please come up to the stage. For those of you who received your credentials over the summer you can find your room assignments both on your ID, on an attached form that should have arrived in the same package as your ID, as well as through the online student portal. If you require assistance accessing the student portal please come to the stage.”

Henry withdrew the ID he had scanned onto campus with and examined it. He hadn’t really noticed before, but on the back, right above the barcode, was a letter and a number. X-YY. He shoved the card back in his pocket and began walking towards the exit that a number of their group had already disappeared through. However, he noticed Chase idling uncertainly in front of his seat.

“You coming?” Henry asked. Chase didn’t seem to notice him, so he raised his voice. “Chase?”

The boy flinched and looked back at hum. “Er, what?”

“Are you coming to the dorms?”

“Oh, uh…” Chase glanced at the stage, and then back at Henry. “No, I need to get ID and stuff first. Mine never arrived over the summer—part of the reason I was late getting through the gate.”

“I see. I can wait for you if you’d like.”

“O-oh, no!” Chase stammered, blushing slightly. “You really don’t have to.”

“You sure? I don’t mind.”

“Really, it’s okay. I’m sure I’ll see you at the dorms later.”

“Alrighty then. Catch you later, dude.”

“Bye…”

Henry shrugged and left the auditorium. Finding his way out was a much quicker process than finding his way in had been. As he walked briskly down the hallway he recalled the path he had traced with his eyes. The dorms were obviously the cluster of smaller buildings he’d spotted on his way in. As soon as he stepped outside he followed the path left and then straight, all the way to the dorms.

When he arrived he noticed that the dorms were all single rooms, arranged in a particular fashion—two rooms, back to back, in a row of five, with a second row above them. At the end of the nearest row of dorms was a second set, and behind these first two buildings were several more pairs, all identical in shape and size. Each row of dorms had a large sign at the end that listed off room numbers. A-1 to A-5, A-6 to A-10 above, A-11 to A-15 on the back side, A-16 to A-20 above. The next set of dorms were labeled B, with C and D being behind A and B, and so on.

Henry found building X, and after looking around, realized he was on the back side, on the second floor. He walked past the sign, towards the back ones of the doors, and found a large wooden staircase that rose to a balcony that spanned the entire second floor. He ascended the steps and found YY, the second room on this floor.

The door’s lock had a swiping mechanism, and Henry understood at once that his ID doubled as his room key. He retrieved it once more and unlocked the door. The lock beeped and he entered. The room inside was dark and cool, but Henry could make out a desk in the corner to his left, and a bunk bed to his immediate right; obviously these rooms were made for two occupants. He flipped on the light and dropped his bag in the chair at the desk.

He began to unpack, though he hadn’t brought much. The bulk of his duffel was clothes, which he stuffed haphazardly in the top drawer of the dresser that stood at the end of the bed, beside a closed door. He placed his laptop on the desk, but since there was already a large desktop computer sitting atop it he figured he probably hadn’t needed to bring it. Oh well. He stacked a couple of his favorite books on the small shelf that hung over the desk. Finally, he retrieved an object wrapped in newspaper. Upon unwrapping the object he revealed a photograph—contained within it was a picture of himself and his mother at a park. That heavy feeling in his heart returned, but he smiled in spite of it. For a moment he considered displaying the photo, but he’d be sharing this space with someone, and such a display of sentimentality might be awkward. Instead he wrapped it back up, returned it to his duffel bag, and put the bag in the bottom of the small wardrobe that stood beside the desk, right next to the room door.

Also contained within the wardrobe were Henry’s new uniforms. The Emerald Academy had a dress code that consisted of their official grey blazer. Technically, students were only allowed to wear solid colored shirts underneath, and either slacks or dark denim pants. He assumed there was probably an option for skirts for girls, but Henry had no cause to ask.

Something about the wardrobe gave Henry pause. He frowned and looked through the uniforms again. It was only during his third pass through the hung blazers that he noticed they were all the same size—his size, to be exact. Henry glanced back at the bunk bed. Surely his roommate’s uniforms would be here too, right? Thinking back he was almost sure he remembered reading his assigned roommate's name. Hernando-something or other. In the side pocket of his duffel were the crumpled up documents that contained his student information and room assignment, among other things. He scanned the room details. Sure enough, it confirmed that he would in fact be sharing the space with a boy named Hernando Fuentes. Henry gazed around the room. Surely Hernando hadn’t already been in here before Henry. The dresser had been empty when Henry put his clothes in it, and there were no personal effects in the room. Had he not arrived yet?

Before long there came a knock at the door. Thinking it was Hernando finally arriving Henry opened it, but to his surprise he instead was met by Professor Krenlo.

“Oh, hey,” Henry said. “What’s up?”

“All finished packing?” Krenlo asked.

“Yeah, I was actually just wondering where my roommate was. It doesn’t look like he’s gotten here yet—there’s nobody else’s stuff but my own here.”

“Yes, that is precisely why I am here,” Krenlo said.

“Oh? Do you want to come in and talk about it?” Henry offered.

“Technically, the rules forbid staff from entering student rooms, save for extreme circumstances. But do not worry, I won’t take up too much of your time. To put it simply, Mr. Fuentes will not be joining us this term. Due to an unfortunate circumstance in his personal life his enrollment at our academy was dropped. That being said, in this one, exceptional case, you will be a freshman living alone.”

“Is it unusual for freshman to have their own room?”

“It is custom that freshman are paired up with junior and senior level students in the dorms, so help them acclimate to their new environment, and to encourage a mentor-mentee type of relationship. We find it helps the younger students establish themselves and find their way here during their first year. Starting in your second year single rooms begin to become available, but you’ll find that most of them are inhabited most by senior level students, then junior, and finally the few sophomore who are eligible.”

“So what you’re telling me is, if I like my privacy, peace, and quiet, I shouldn’t get used to having the place all to myself for a couple years.”

Professor Krenlo smiled broadly at Henry. “That is the essence of it, yes.”

”No worries, I won’t take the room for granted,” Henry reassured him.

“No, somehow I didn’t believe you would.”

“So, am I the only freshman who—“

A sudden commotion outside interrupted their discussion. Krenlo turned on the spot and approached the rail of the walkway. Henry followed him and looked down. There was nothing special happening below them; whatever was causing the commotion was coming from the front of the building. Krenlo began striding towards the stairs.

“Pardon me just a moment, Mr. Thurston,” he said as he descended, but Henry was already hurrying after him.

A fight? This early into a new term? Henry wondered if that was commonplace here. Not sure what to expect, Henry tailed Krenlo as they rounded the side of the building and approached the front. Henry wasn’t sure why, but the scene on display before them didn’t entirely surprise him.

The kid, Chase, had fallen to the ground on his butt. He stared, face pink and wide eyed, back at through the open door he had obviously toppled out of. Scattered here and there, some poking their heads out of doors, were curious classmates, watching the scene unfold.

“I-I’m sorry!” he stammered. A familiar duffel bag flew out the door and landed in his lap. “I don’t know what else to tell you—I-I’m supposed to be in this room too!”

“Not a fucking chance!” someone from within the room shouted.

“B-but where am I supposed to—“

“Not my problem, kid!”

Professor Krenlo glanced at Henry. “Isn’t that your friend?”

”Uh, more of an acquaintance. I just met the kid today.”

Krenlo nodded, but said nothing. Drawing himself up to his full height he approached the fallen boy. Henry followed.

“What is the meaning of this?” Krenlo demanded. “What is going on here?”

In response a young man, clearly older than Henry and Chase by a couple years, exited the room.

“Oh, it’s you,” the boy said, addressing Krenlo with a curt nod. “I applied for a single like two months before term ended last year. Today I get to my room and find this kid in my space.”

“I-I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” Chase stammered. Henry approached him and helped him to his feet. “I didn’t ask to be put in your room?”

“Don’t you mean our room?” Henry asked.

“What do you mean?” Chase asked, looking up at him. It occurred to Henry how short the kid was. He jerked his head towards the older boy. “It’s not his room. Don’t let him throw you out.”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” the older boy asked.

Henry rounded on him. “What’s your problem, man? What kind of asshole throws a kid half his size on his ass?”

“I applied for a single months ago,” the older boy repeated. “I’m not sharing it with some little baby-faced kid.”

“Mr. Evans!” Krenlo interjected. Up to that point he had taken on a passive role as Henry inserted himself into the conflict, but now he was standing at Chase’s other side. “As a senior here you know very well why we pair our younger students with the older ones.”

“Yeah, but—“

“I’m sorry to say, but just because you applied to have a single room this year, that doesn’t mean you’re entitled to it. This type of behavior is absolutely unacceptable, which you are also well aware of.”

“I’ll take it up with the headmaster then,” Evans said in a tone that Henry supposed was meant to sound threatening.

“I suggest you do exactly that,” Krenlo agreed. “In the meantime, however, Mr. Ranell has every right to the room and the facilities within.”

Evans glared at Chase, who seemed to shrink further into his own shadow. Henry stared at him incredulously. What was this kid’s problem? Did he not have any backbone? This is retarded. Without really considering the consequences, Henry stepped forward, placing himself between Chase and Evans.

“Tell you want, asshat,” Henry began. “You want your own room that bad? Fine, take.”

“But what about—“ Chase began, his voice rising in panic, but Henry turned to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“It just so happens I do have a single.” Henry shot Evans a sneer over his shoulder. Evans’ hate at that moment was almost palpable. “I was supposed to have a roommate, the room’s already setup for two, so why don’t you crash with me?”

“Wh-what?”

Henry looked at Krenlo. “Professor, what do you think? Is that acceptable?”

Krenlo considered the pair in silence, a slight frown on his face. He finally nodded. “For the time being that arrangement will work. Room assignments and student pairings are made under a certain degree of scrutiny, so it may not be possible for this arrangement to persist long-term, but I will speak with the headmaster about this, see if we can’t come to some sort of solution.”

“You don’t have to do that!” Chase almost pleaded with Henry. “It’s not your problem!”

“Problem? The only problem here is that asshole,” Henry said, jerking his head towards Evans. “I fucking hate bullies.”

“His name is Brent, actually,” Chase whispered as he picked up his bag.

“I don’t care what his name is,” Henry said. He addressed Krenlo now. “If it’s alright with you I’m gonna let Chase go ahead and get moved in upstairs.”

“Very good,” Krenlo said, his warm smile returning. “And if you’ll excuse me, I must be off. The quicker this…room situation is addressed the quicker it can be resolved.

“It really isn’t a problem if Chase stays with me. I don’t mind having him as my roommate instead.”

“A kind gesture, indeed,” Krenlo said before he swept down the path back to the main building.

Henry was acutely aware of the multitude of eyes on them as they left Brent—who glared maliciously after them—and returned to Henry’s room on the other side of the building. He unlocked the door with his keycard and opened the door.

“We’ll have to see about getting you a new keycard for the room,” Henry said. “Or do you think they can reprogram yours?”

“Who knows?” Chase murmured as he followed Henry inside. With the door closed behind him, Chase took a moment to look around, and then dropped his bag on the floor. Once again he wore a pitiful, defeated look.

“You really didn’t have to stick your neck out for me,” he said.

“It’s really not a big deal,” Henry said, but he frowned and crossed his arms. “But what’s your deal? Why didn’t you stand up to him?”

Chase flushed. “I-I just didn’t want to cause any trouble, you know?”

“That asshole threw you on the ground. He assaulted you. And you just sat there and took it.”

“I know…”

“Chase, you’ve gotta be able to stand up for yourself, man. Otherwise people are gonna walk all over you.”

“I know…”

“Anyway,” Henry said, changing the subject before he had a crying boy on his hands. “I already unpacked and put my clothes in the top two drawers. Hope you don’t mind the bottom ones.”

“N-no, that’s perfect.”

Henry shot him a look with a raised eyebrow. Chase cringed again.

“I haven’t claimed a bed yet, so we should figure that out.”

“Oh, I don’t mind either one,” Chase said quickly. “Whatever you want is fine.”

Henry closed his eyes, and prayed for patience. He let out a single, deep breath, and spoke, his eyes still shut. “Chase, which bed to you want? I know my preference already, but I want you to tell me what you want. Can you do that?”

Chase had fallen silent. Was it possible that even this, this simple binary choice, was overwhelming him? How did a kid like him even get here? Henry tapped his foot impatiently.

“I-if you don’t mind,” Chase began, his face now burning. “I’ll l-like the t-top bunk.”

“Well there ya go!” Henry exclaimed, and he clapped Chase on the shoulder. The boy was so surprised by this that his knees buckled and Henry almost had to pick him up off the floor. Again.

“Thank you,” Chase said meekly as he began unpacking his bag.

“Literally nothing to thank me for,” Henry replied.

From his newly claimed bottom bunk he observed Chase as he unpacked, slowly tracing a circle around the room. Everything the boy did—from putting his clothes in the dresser, to placing his own laptop and personal items upon their shared desk—seemed to be bogged down by apprehension and second-guessing. What is this kid’s problem? Finally, Chase reached the wardrobe, and that very same moment Henry realized there was a problem.

“My uniforms.”

“Your uniforms.”

They spoke in unison, but Chase remained rooted in front of the open wardrobe, one hand around the knob. Even from this distance Henry could tell he had gone white at the notion of what he would have to do next. Henry stood up.

“I‘ll take care of it,” he said as he opened the door.

“No, I can do it!” Chase cried.

Henry gave him a smile that was meant to be kind, but even he knew it came across as patronizing.

“No offense,” Henry said. “But it’ll be quicker if I do it.”

“Sorry…”

Henry ignored him as he returned to the ground level and strode back to the front side of the building. His plan had been to knock on Brent’s door, demand the uniforms, and cause trouble. Instead he found that Brent had already taken the liberty of tossing Chase’s blazers upon the grass before the door. Henry resisted the urge to kick down the door as he collected Chase’s uniforms and returned to their room. Chase was waiting for him at the desk.

“Did he give you any trouble?”

“Nah, the asshole had already thrown them outside.”

“Did you say anything to him?”

“Did you want me to say something to him?”

“N-no, I just…he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to let go of a grudge.”

“I suppose we’ll find out one way or another eventually.”

Chase took the uniforms from Henry gratefully and began hanging them up in the wardrobe. Henry resumed his silent vigil. One thing was for sure, he decided: If Chase ended up becoming his long-term roommate he’d have to help toughen the kid up. There was no way he could spend an entire year watching him cringe in fear every time someone looked at him funny.

Noon was beginning to approach by the time Chase had finished unpacking and the two were officially settled in. Henry’s mind had wandered from Chase’s social anxiety to food. More specifically, the prospect of getting some food in his belly.

“What time do you think they serve lunch?” he asked.

“Soon, I hope. I’m starving.”

Even though it hadn’t even been two hours yet since they set foot on campus it already felt to Henry like he’d had a full day. He wanted nothing more than some food in his stomach and a nice, long nap.

“According to the student portal,” Chase said from where he sat at the desk, reading from his phone. “The cafeteria is open from eight am to eight pm, and during the week meals are at seven am, between eleven am and one pm depending on your lunch schedule, and dinner from five pm to eight pm.”

“So…what you’re telling me is that we could go grab lunch right now if we wanted to?”

“Seems that way,” Chase said, pocketing his phone.

Henry jumped to his feet, clapping his hands. “In that case let’s go get our grub on!”

“O-okay,” Chase said, seemingly taken aback by Henry’s sudden shift in personality.

“For now I guess just stick with me so that we can get you into the room. Starting tomorrow we’ll have to figure something out.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

As Henry pulled open the and marched outside he came dangerously close to crashing into another person. The girl stumbled backwards and, like Chase earlier, very nearly fell on her butt. She instinctively reached for the guard rails and Henry’s outstretched hand. He caught her—more deftly than he had Chase—and helped her to her feet.

“Hey, sorry about that,” Henry said once the girl was upright once more.

“N-no worries!” she replied, pink faced, clearly frazzled. She ran a hand through her blonde hair, attempting to fix it.

“We were so excited for lunch that I wasn’t paying any attention.”

“Really, it’s no problem. I was on my way to the cafeteria too.”

Henry stepped back, so as to allow her to pass. Emerald green eyes met his, and then she swept past them. As Henry watched her go he couldn’t help but smile broadly. They certainly made them cute at the Emerald Academy.

Maybe mom was right. I just might like it here after all.