#louisxreadertwdg

[some-lonely-loser]

Welcome To Ericson’s

Boarding School For

Troubled Youth

Chapter 1 - Welcome To An

Unfamiliar Place

In the unhelpful windy weather, you find no aid for your adventure, only the cold that sends shivers down your spine. The moon's glow is distorted by the chaotic tangle of neglected trees, their branches swaying in the wind. Moments like these were what made you wish you had someone to accompany you, yet you're relieved by the absence of approaching footsteps. All you hear is the rustle of branches colliding, as your weary feet drag along the ground and your eyes scan the monotonous scenery. Each tree merges into the next, and every blade of grass becomes an indiscernible blur.

Your neck strained, feeling rigid and mechanical as you lifted it, your eyebrows raising and your eyes sparkling with delight as you admired the brick wall secured by a white gate. Amongst the barricade, you spotted various pieces of furniture, clearly arranged by human hands. Just a few meters away from potential safety and companionship, you gathered whatever energy  you had within you left and trudged towards the structure. As of now, pain and exhaustion were irrelevant; all that mattered was reaching safety. Despite your weakening knees, you pressed on until they finally gave way, causing you to collapse.

Determinedly gazing up at the area ahead, your arms throbbing with pain, you forged ahead, inching closer to the gate. Exhausted and drained, you felt no surge of fight or flight instincts within you, only focused on seeking aid. Your eyes drifted to the moss-covered brick wall, catching a glimpse of a small figure darting elsewhere. Internally, you groaned at the thought of encountering more people. Despite wanting human contact after so long, you couldn't discern if they were friendly or hostile. Did it even matter anymore? Perhaps death wouldn't be so terrible; your body seemed to be surrendering regardless.

With a trembling hand, you reached out to touch the moss-covered brick wall, only inches from the gate, while voices on the other side bickered about a newcomer. The coolness of the wall offered aid to your red, bloodied palm as your grip on the machete in your other hand faltered, weakened beyond measure. Your body felt numb, devoid of sensation, and not in a comforting way. As the gate creaked open, the voices grew louder in argument. You patted and searched the ground around you, seeking your weapon in case of any danger.

The bickering quieted down as you watched through half-closed eyes, a silhouette approaching you, followed closely by another. As they drew nearer, you could tell that they were around your age. Relief washed over you at the prospect of encountering what could be friends or help, but you remained cautious, unwilling to let your guard down.

There were two of them, or at least only two visible to you. A boy with a dirty blonde mullet and a weathered letterman jacket crouched down, his expression unreadable, far from welcoming. Your gaze shifted to the girl beside him. She was shorter, dressed in a long-sleeved blue striped shirt with a dark orange vest over it, her attention solely fixed on him with a perturbed expression. "Marlon," she gritted through clenched teeth, "What if she's with-"

"Stop it, Brody. Quit with the paranoia," he warned in a firm yet hushed tone. Gesturing towards you with an open palm, he continued, "She's not a threat. Just look at her."

"Look at how pale she is, Marlon! What if she's bit? We agreed: no more mouths to feed. We have enough as it is..." Her voice trailed off, the last part quieter than before, if that were even possible.

"Do you see any blood or bites on her? No. She's fine." He stood up and walked toward the girl

"She's probably been out there long. Food and water aren't easy to come across. We'll get Ruby to check her for any bites and we'll go from that. You can't jump to conclusions like that. You're gonna freak everyone out." He reasoned, walking back towards you. And with a dismissive scoff, the girl retreated back into the gate.

"You think you can walk?" Your eyes met his that were a pale blue, and noticed the hand he had held out towards you. Your arm weakly extended out to grab his to which he pulled and hoisted you up on the mossy brick wall you were previously crouched by. His arm around your shoulders kept you from falling over but not completely, as there were moments where you almost did.

One step at a time, you and the boy crossed over the grass and eventually passed under the black gate that had seemed so distant just moments before. It screeched and squeaked as it closed behind you. With the boy's assistance, you were guided to a picnic table. The sounds of a gathering crowd reached your ears, their voices a mix of displeasure and curiosity, though some expressed concern and fascination. With Marlon's help, you lowered yourself onto the seat, utterly exhausted, and laid your head down.

You could hear him talking to who you assumed was a nurse of some sort about checking you for bites.

"Here, let me see," A girl with a deep southern accent said, walking towards you begrudgingly. She had a low tight red bun. Her warm and inviting presence emanated from her petite and nurturing figure.

She began inspecting your limbs, checking every inch of you for a bite with frantic movements. Her grip was firm, irritating the aching pain you already had surging throughout your body. Under normal circumstances, you might have pulled away, but in need of help, you remained still. With no energy left to resist, any attempt to move away would likely result in your falling over. "Nope. No bites." she judged. Turning over her hand to the backside and sticking it to your forehead. "Just exhausted." she remarked with sympathy before walking away, though not without mumbling "Poor girl."

Not long after, Marlon came back and was quick to ask what your name was. "Y/N. My name's Y/N." You mumbled with a raspy voice

"Well Y/N, nice to meet you, I'm Marlon. It's a good thing we found you when we did. You were in pretty bad condition. He said, gesturing to the lady from earlier.

"Yeah hun, you look starved. When's the last time you ate?" She asked caringly, with a hand on her hip.

You took a few seconds. Recently you were surviving off of whatever food you came across. And that hadn't been much. You hadn't had a proper meal in what felt like forever. You furrowed your eyebrows and mumbled, "I'm not.. I don't know."

"Well, that won't be a problem anymore hun." She grinned and patted your shoulder before walking off.

You looked around, figuring Marlon was off somewhere doing whatever. So you took it upon yourself to meet some new people.

You pulled yourself up from the picnic table. It was stiff and whatnot but it was definitely better than the floor. You were grateful they were giving you someplace to stay.. At Least for now.

There were tons of other picnic tables scattered around the place, you also spotted some people talking amongst others, you figured you would see what they were up to later. You looked around for a bit, taking in the scenery that was very much different and more entertaining to look at rather than the repetitive yet dull landscape that you were stuck gazing at for the past.. Who knows how long.

The brick pillars of the grand building were adorned with graffiti and overgrown weeds on its roof. As well as ivy and moss, creating a sense of age and history. It's boarded-up windows hinting at a forgotten past. Two sofas facing each other nearby. On the left, a cauldron bubbled with mysterious contents and was tended to by a short boy with tight black curls, hunched over as he stirred with a long wooden spoon.

You looked at the other people along him, Seven people, who looked like their ages varied, Gathered around picnic tables. To the left was a girl with short blonde hair, her long face exuding a casual air as she rested one leg on the seat, her arm slung over it. Her gaze, cold and inquisitive. With the way she was looking at you, You would've been long gone. Next to her sat a boy with what looked like a burn scar on the right side of his head, engrossed in scribbling something on a piece of paper, occasionally looking away to switch between a few colors. At the central table, two boys of different ages sat.

The elder, with dark brown hair swept to the side and broad shoulders, focused intently on carving a large wooden shiv. Beside him, a scrawny boy, inadvertently stared at you with a slightly agape mouth, trying to be as discreet as he could although it didn't work, because you were definitely creeped out. At the table furthest away from everyone else, sat in a backwards turned chair, a boy with a friendly face, dark brown dreadlocks, bushy but yet wellkept eyebrows and freckles scattered all around his face. He sat beside what looked like.. A chair leg?? with nails embedded in it.. He must've caught you staring for long because when your eyes trailed up, he was already looking at you, with curious brown eyes.

He wore a long light brown trench coat that contrasted with his eyes. You met his eyes again, he gave you a charming smile and you flashed him one back, not wanting to be rude.

"Hey Y/N, you fitting in well? Oh, and I'm sorry bout the staring. We haven't seen anyone like you in.. well.. forever" Marlon said, walking up from behind you with a slight chuckle when he saw you jump, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Oh that's fine, i don't care too much" You were hungry, and you didn't wanna be rude at all, but you had to ask. You hadn't had a full meal in a long time. "So.. when do you think the food will be ready?" You mumbled, looking off into the background.

"Oh, Uh" He looked behind him, looking at the boy near the cauldron. "Shouldn't be too long now, He's been cooking for a while" He stated, scratching his head. "You been out there long?" He question, shoving his hands back in his pockets

"Uh, nope. I had.. some people." You responded, looking at him. Which was a lie, you'd definitely been out here on your own for long. But, of course, you being you, didn't wanna embarrass yourself by saying that you had been barely scraping by these past couple of weeks.

"Nice. I take it you know how to defend yourself? Don't usually see people our age out in the wild. I can't imagine what it must've been like. " He stated inquisitively.

"Yep, I try. I wouldn't have survived this long if I didn't. You sound surprised though? It's definitely taken its toll on me." You said grinning

"Oh, no no no. Not at all. Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that. Just curious, y'know?" He asked reasonably

"Mhm.. I get it" You mumbled, joyfully.

"What is this place exactly.?" You asked

"Well, you can probably tell this used to be a school. Now it's.. whatever we want it to be" He responded, shrugging, and trailing not too far off.

"And.. Who runs this place?" You questioned, careful not to sound judgemental

"Well.. I do" He grinned, putting a palm to his chest. "Probably sounds strange. Kids run by a kid. But, we do alright for ourselves. We got good walls, good defense and a great location. Kids are safe here. I make sure of it" He stated

"So.. there really are no adults.. At all." You asked, raising an eyebrow

"Nope. None. Some left us to fend for ourselves and others died. There's less of us all around. I got us a system in place that works well enough, Let me make it formal. Welcome to Ericson's Boarding School For Troubled Youth. You definitely look like you fit that description" He chuckled, turning back to face you.

  Word Count:

2140 Words

     12,046 Characters

           9892 Characters (Excluding spaces)

Authors Note:

I felt like that was a good place to leave off. If you have any thoughts/Comments please don't hesitate to share💗 I haven’t posted on here in almost a year so i’m looking for new things to write.