What a crazy coincidence– the friend of the first student I met here turned out to be Nadine. And now, we're sitting together in Biology, Anthony thought.
The classroom was a hybrid between a standard room and a lab. On the right, there were neat rows of desks on a carpeted floor. But to the left, raised black laminate tables stood gleaming under the lights- far too pristine for all the organic horrors they must have seen over the years.
Each table was supported by compact cupboards filled with strange, fascinating tools, most of which Anthony had only read about in books. He and Nadine sat side by side on tall stools behind one of the tables.
'Anthony. Did you get all that?' Nadine demanded.
Did I get what now? Anthony wondered, puzzled.
'I was… looking around. So nope, I didn't,' he admitted.
'Dude, you're slacking off on your first day? She told us to–'
The teacher shot her a sharp glare, eyes glinting dangerously. Nadine fell silent instantly.
Damn. That teacher reminds me of Sora. I'm getting flashbacks. Nadine's right though. I can't afford to zone out here. Someone could get suspicious.
'What did she say?' Anthony whispered once the teacher disappeared into the storeroom.
'Said we're dissecting a frog today. Told us to go grab the tools. There's no way in hell I can ask you to get the stuff, Sir I'm-Not-Listening, so I'll do it. You just sit tight and get yourself ready to see some frog guts,' she grinned, hopped off her stool, and went off to fetch the equipment.
She's excited? I didn't peg her as someone interested in this kind of thing. I've never seen any dissections myself… I wonder what Sora would do.
Sora never had any trouble cutting down a person, like their life meant nothing to him. Is that what frogs are to us? Just… tools to be used and discarded as necessary?
No, I'm overthinking this. I'm here to carry out orders. Nothing more.
As he saw Nadine return, a prickling sensation crawled down his spine.
Someone was watching him.
Not a mindless glance. This was sharp, focused. Malicious, even.
Anthony spun around and he locked eyes with a girl he'd never seen before. She was staring intensely, directly at him.
Then he blinked- and she was laughing with her lab partner like nothing had ever happened.
What the…? Was I imagining it? She was looking at me. The feeling had vanished the moment he blinked. Was it just nerves? Paranoia?
That was like the day I saw the curse. That also felt real, but it turned out my eyes were just deceiving me. Maybe it's happening again.
Nadine slammed the tray down, snapping him back to reality.
'Oops. Sorry about that.' A second later, she noticed his expression and smirked. 'Oh my, am I that terrifying? You look like you've seen a ghost.'
Crap. Forgot to control my face.
'No way,' Anthony said quickly. 'I saw nothing like that. And so far, you've only been scary with that ruler. I was just, um… looking at the frog.'
'Hmph. You might be in for early sessions with the ruler of punishment if you start thinking like that! But yeah, it's kinda sad sometimes, looking at them. Don't worry, you'll forget once we start pulling it apart. If you're too grossed out, I'll do it all myself.'
'Be my guest.' Anthony took a half step back. 'I'll pretend to be helping if the teacher comes by.'
I really don't like being this close to a dead animal. It reminds me too much of… what could happen to me.
His hand trembled slightly. That gaze from earlier still lingered in the back of his mind. I'm not picking up any sharp objects like this.
He noticed Nadine giving him a sideways look. Did she see the shaking?
'Really, you sure? This is literally the one good part of Biology. Only time we're not memorising the names of things or whatever,' she says. Thank god, she didn't notice.
'Hundred percent. I can still watch, but I'm no good at this kind of thing,' he admitted.
Nadine let it go, and the rest of the lesson flew by uneventfully.
'That's it for today. Please dispose of materials properly and quietly head to your next class,' the teacher called out, staring pointedly at Nadine.
'The hell's she looking at me for?' Nadine muttered to Anthony.
'Maybe 'cos you slammed the tray down like you were challenging the frog to a duel,' he replied under his breath.
'Pfft. Please. If I was duelling, I would have won, guaranteed.'
Anthony raised an eyebrow. 'You realise it was already dead, right?'
Exactly,' she said smugly. 'Flawless victory.'
He blinked. 'I would reply to that, but I would definitely be judged by the ruler.'
'Hehe, you've already caught on. I see you're a man of much intelligence, unlike Dan.'
'Well. Thank you for that generous praise!'
The pair laughed as they made their way to the exit, Nadine tossing her gloves into the bin like she was finishing a dramatic scene in a play.
'One day,' she said, dusting her hands off theatrically, 'they'll tell tales of my valour in the great Amphibian War.'
'And how you bravely disembowelled a tiny frog while the teacher judged you silently from behind her clipboard,' Anthony added.
'Damn right, you are.'
Next up… Literature, Politics, Laurelian History, then lunch. Seven classes a day is rough, but it's much better than being stuck in the palace, studying all day every day.
It's barely day one and I already never want to go back to that life. Although I'll miss visiting the garden terrace during those short breaks.
'Anthony, whatcha got next?' Nadine asked as they stepped outside the classroom.
'Literature.'
'Cool, I've got Politics. Same hallway. Let's walk together.'
As they went down the corridor, Nadine leaned closer. 'I felt something weird before. Like someone was staring daggers into my back. But when I looked around, no one was even facing me. Creepy, eh?'
'Huh? No way. I felt it too! But I did see someone. A girl behind us. When I blinked, she was just chatting like normal. I thought I was being paranoid, but if it happened to you too…'
So it wasn't just in my head. Once can be brushed off as a one-off event, but twice isn't a coincidence. Someone is watching us.
'Maybe there's a ghost haunting this place,' Nadine joked, and they laughed it off.
But Anthony couldn't shake the unease.
Their schedules split after Biology, but over the next three classes, that same feeling returned. Twice. The stare, the sensation. Gone the second he went to look.
My stomach feels like it's in knots. Whoever they are, they're definitely spying on me. They know I'm somehow related to the government. Could it be the rebels? But then why Nadine too? Is it because they know she'd be sympathetic to their cause?
I didn't get a good look at that girl. And the last two times, nobody was acting oddly at all. There's no leads.
After Laurelian History, he returned to the eastern courtyard. His new friends weren't there yet, so he stood at their spot, foot tapping worriedly.
The rebels are here, I'm almost completely certain. Sora was right. But they're careful and cunning.
I won't be able to find them… I have to wait for them to make a move first. But how could I earn their trust? Am I supposed to shout 'I HATE SORA AND HIS GOVERNMENT' to the world?
No. That would be a recipe for disaster.
'Heyo, Anthony! You're lightning fast.' Dan appeared behind him with a grin. 'The bell only rang like ten seconds ago and you're already here. I'm shocked you didn't get lost- it's only your first day. Are you secretly a memorisation genius or what?'
'Hey, Dan. It wasn't that confusing. I just retraced my steps from where I came from.'
'Nah, you actually are a genius. I still get lost from time to time and I've been here for more than half a decade. Never have I ever seen a sixth year not absolutely disoriented at any point in time before they've hit halfway to seventh year. And I bet your old school wasn't that big since it was in Rimont, right?' Dan countered.
'I'm not twelve, you know. It's not hard to find your way around,' Anthony protested.
'Wait, come to think of it, how old are you? When's your birthday?' Dan asked, suddenly curious.
'I'm seventeen. Birthday's October 30th.'
Dan whistled. 'Damn, you're basically a baby.'
'What do you think you're doing, Dan? Are you teasing him?' Kaylie demanded. She and Nadine had finally arrived.
'Um, hello? It's called friendly teasing to develop a deeper connection.'
'What were you even talking about?'
'Oh, nothing much,' Anthony answered. 'I told him my birthday's in October, and he said I'm basically a baby.'
'The fuck is Dan even on about?' Nadine scoffed, pointing at Dan. 'He was born on the goddamn last day of the YEAR! Nah, don't worry, Anthony. He's just salty 'cos literally everyone is older than him,' she laughs.
Dan cleared his throat dramatically. 'AHEM. Anyway, is it just me, or is there a ghost or something floating behind me? I've been feeling like I'm under tight surveillance since third class.'
Anthony and Nadine exchanged looks.
'Did you read my mind? That's literally been happening to me,' Kaylie whispered, eyes wide.
'Same here,' Nadine added, nodding toward Anthony.
Should I tell them it might be the rebels watching us? I can't. I'll get questioned for sure. Plus, if anyone hears me say 'rebels' and reports me… it'll be better just to wait and see if they do anything.
'Wait, what if it has something to do with those sketchy people from Friday?' Kaylie said suddenly.
'What people?' Anthony asked.
'Oh, right, you weren't there. So we were walking home, but apparently we fell out of her favour, so Nadine ran off and we found her on the ground-'
'Shut it! I'm telling him,' Nadine cut in. 'I saw two people with masks on. One of them was wearing our school uniform, and they were handing over student profiles. They were planning something, but I couldn't really catch the details.'
It was them. I'm positive now. They're trying to recruit more students. But why?
'Um… Let's wait and see what they do. If anything else happens, we report them,' Anthony said.
'Sounds about right,' Dan agreed. 'But I don't wanna talk about this serious crap. C'mon, let's play the 'What You Would Do as King' game!'
The trio began to tell him about the game, but their words fell on deaf ears.
His thoughts were already drifting elsewhere.
I need to prove myself the rebels. Make contact. Show them I can be useful. Gotta seem trustworthy.
Seriously though, why'd this have to happen on my very first day?