Ren had went tumbling all the way down the hill. Somehow, he was only left with a few scratches. He was also wet, but it wasn't because he fell in the lake but because of recent rainfall, the boy flusteredly explained to him as he dragged him back up the hill and to the infirmary.
The boy walked up to Ren and handed him some more bandaids. He took it reluctantly.
The boy left, then came back with an ice pack and handed it to him. He then sat down in the chair beside the bed.
"Are you gonna listen to me now?" The boy asked. Ren nodded, expecting a lecture.
"I'm sorry. I must have freaked you out to make you topple off that cliff like that. I shouldn't have assumed you weren't an Omega just because I didn't catch your scent, I must have scared you approaching like that."
Ren was surprised. He didn't expect an apology. But he was also terribly confused, and hearing his heartfelt apology he felt the courage to ask.
"Hey, what's all this Alpha and Omega stuff about? Is it your school's thing or something?"
Not just the boys who ganged up on him and this nice one, but also the nurse had mentioned it. Was it important to use these terms here? He didn't want to come off as rude.
The boy froze, and looked at him with a perplexed expression. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
Suddenly he felt nervous, but he continued, lip up-curled slightly, "I-Is it something I missed in the opening ceremony? Cause I kinda zoned out...." From shock, mostly.
Well, more that he missed most of it in the first place. It was there they likely talked about curfew and this stuff.
But the boy continued to stare confusingly. Then, he glanced down, thinking. He buried his head in his hands. "Gah! Of course!" Ren flinched back in surprise.
"Now I'm really sorry! The fall must have given you a concussion! How's your vision? I'll go get the nurse." They cried. The boy then promptly got up and left the room.
Ren could only stare blankly in awe. He looked down at himself.
"...Do I have a concussion?"
The boy did not return. The nurse came in with what looked like patrol a few minutes later, and before he knew it he was seen back to his dorm. Only one of his roommates was there, already asleep. The other he thought might be in the common room.
Ren decided that whatever that boy was saying in the infirmary was nonsense, and decided to focus back on his situation. He was in another person's body, and this school....was strange.
Why did he need an escort back to his dorm? He was only a first year but It seemed like a pretty good school....but to have this much security, was it actually a bad one? Maybe this school was just really, really strict....
The person the body belonged to didn't seem to keep any physical notes, so all hope of figuring anything out through snooping was bust. He stretched and put everything away. It was late, and classes start tomorrow. Surely then, he can get to a computer and figure out where he is, or more importantly where he really is.
———
Besides the dorms, it really was like he was back in high school again. He took his shoes off at his locker, went through morning routines and announcements, And went to his scheduled classes with ease. There were a few things he noted that felt different than he expected, but he wasn't sure if it was just his memory issues or the nature of the boarding school.
The security mainly, it was way more than he had first realized. Big boxy cameras occupied every hall, loud and intimidating, and there were guards posted around every school entrance. When passing by the front of the school, he swore he saw sentries on the front gate. Were all boarding school's this intense on security? He would like to know.
He decided in his class as he was introduced as the transfer student, that he would go by this body's name, Takeshita Akira, to not confuse his new classmates. Not that they would believe him, anyway.
He managed to hit it off with a few classmates: a smug looking boy and a foreigner. He even sat at lunch with them as they chatted about normal teenager things.
But his mind was elsewhere. He'd have to get to a computer again some time today. He wondered if he could get there after classes ended, or if he'll be shut off. In which case, he should-
He stopped, realizing something. He couldn't get into his phone.....but his new friends certainly could.
"Hey, can I borrow your phone?"
The smug looked at him blankly. "What? Use your own."
"I can't. I....lost it." he answered, technically true, just along with his entire body.
"That sucks dude. What the heck do you need mine for?"
"Well..." he started to try to think of a convincing lie. He wasn't sure saying, "I need to look up where my body is," was the best answer.
"Sorry dude." The smug boy said after going through his bag. "Left mine in my locker. You could use his, but it's all in English, might have to change the settings."
Ren nodded. "It's alright, I think I'll just wait till lunch is over." He was sure if he couldn't even remember his home address, then remembering enough English to navigate a foreigner's phone was a bust.
So they enjoyed lunch, chatting and enjoying life. He felt it reminded him of his college life, if he could recall that particular part of his memory. For some reason, specific memories were hard to recall.
Then the conversation shifted.
"I saw this cute omega down by the lake today, a real pretty figure."
"When did you go to the lake, Yamada?" The foreigner snided, and Ren's ears perked up. It's that Alpha and Omega talk again.
"I have a friend who lives in the dorm that way, as if you're one to talk, huh?"
"How'd you even know he was an omega?" The foreigner asked, stirring his straw.
"Duh, I smelled him! But I guess a beta like you would never understand...." The smug boy shrugged dramatically.
The foreigner glared at the smug boy. "That's not what I meant..."
Ren looked at them baffled. Smell? Why are they commenting on another person's smell? Suddenly he recalls a vague memory of his friends in high school obsessing over a girl who smelled like flowers.
Ren sighed a little. So, they were just talking about girls. But then, why are they called omegas?
"Hey, guys....." Ren trailed off. At first he was just going to ask what an Omega was, but then he remembered that boy's reaction last night, and decided to try it a different way.
"What are..... Omegas... like?"
They both stared at him. At first he figured he said the wrong thing again, but then they burst out laughing.
"What, you've never seen an Omega before?" The foreigner sneered.
"Been living under a rock?" The smug boy included.
"Omegas huh.....well, they're Omegas, you know."
"I think he means what's it like to be with one, you know?" The foreigner pipes in.
"Ooh!" The smug boy suddenly gets excited. "Like, well, Omegas are really....dainty. Right?
"Yeah. Really small!"
"Yeah, pretty weak too!"
"Never seen a brave omega,"
"The always look so scared, they remind me of my puppy,"
"My sis says they're really easy to impregnate too."
"Ever seen a..."
At that point Ren stopped listening. He had already heard enough. His new friends... were completely sexist! He wondered how he didn't notice it sooner! Ren completely forgets the fact that it was an all boys school so they couldn't have possibly seen a girl at the lake in the first place, and starts to internally panic.
"That tickle your fancy, Takeshita?" The smug boy finally finishes.
"Huh? Oh....yeah!" Ren puts on a forced smile, hoping to get away from them as soon as possible. Though he really needed the phone....
"By the way just asking, what are you?" The foreigner asked, taking a sip from his cup.
"My.... what?" Ren had a bad feeling, and he was starting to feel a little sick.
"Yeah, are you-" The smug boy stops. He freezes and stares. "Takeshita..."
"Yamada?" The foreigner stared at the other. Ren's stomach flipped.
"I think he's-"
Ren stands up. "Hey, I think I'll head out! It was nice to meet you!"
"Wait, Takeshita-"
And Ren ran like his life depended on it. Well, that friendship was dead in the water, but it's not like he's here to make friends anyway. He has to get back to his main objective: finding out who and where he is.
But he didn't know where the lab was, and the halls were empty. Looking at the walls of lockers, he wondered if he had one.... probably somewhere in the computer, if he could freaking open it. Why'd he have to swap bodies with such an organized person, or at least use a fingerprint lock on their phone...
Ren turned the corner. He then immediately hid behind the corner. Because around the corner were two people....two guys leaning against the lockers. He only saw for a brief moment, but he definitely saw something he was not supposed to see.
'What the hell?'