Willow's mouth fell open, her face flushing red in embarrassment as every student in the hall burst into laughter at her words. She felt so small and so stupid because they weren't stopping. Even the girl next to her threw her head back in laughter.
Willow wanted to vanish into thin air, but she couldn't. So she rose slowly, with the aim to leave the hall.
Unfortunately for her, the enforcer, who was still laughing at her like she was a joke, pointed at her head, and she froze.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Why would an Ascendant pick a first year Dreg as his Fodder?"
Willow pressed her lips together nervously. She didn't know how to answer that. All she really knew about Navian was that he was from a renowned assassin faction and that he was an Ascendant. She didn't know why he'd picked her and she didn't know much about him at all.
The enforcer stopped laughing and smiled mockingly. "Mr. Navian has spent three years in this school without a Fodder, so why would he pick you? What makes you special? Or is it because you think you're pretty enough?"
He suddenly shoved her shoulder, and she stumbled back into her chair, breathing hard, staring up at him in shock.
"Even Mikey Quell hasn't been able to get Navian to look at her, and you think you have what it takes?" a female voice called out, laughing loudly and others joined in.
Mikey what? Willow blinked, confused, and sat properly in her chair, trying to make sense of what was happening. She couldn't even defend herself. Enforcers were mutants. They had abilities that could make her disappear, and she had no ability to protect herself.
So she said nothing. She let them humiliate her.
"I'm not interested anymore," the enforcer said, brushing off his jacket where he had touched her, like she was dirt. Then he pointed at the girl behind her. "You there. Be my Fodder."
The girl's eyes lit up like stars, and she bowed her head obediently. That brought a smug smile to the enforcer's face.
He turned to leave, but stopped after one step and looked at Willow over his shoulder.
"Tomorrow, you'll realize what a mistake you've just made, Dreg," he said coldly and returned to the stage.
Willow kept her lips shut, her skin burning red with humiliation. She shouldn't have said anything. But if she hadn't, would it have been less humiliating than this?
The orientation went on, and the enforcer on stage began explaining the rules of being a Fodder and it really was a slave contract.
"Fodders must call their claimers Master at all times. They must obey and do whatever their Master says. Fodders are protected by their Masters. Fodders don't sit unless their Master tells them to..."
It went on and on.
Fodders this. Fodders that.
And at that moment, Willow felt like she had unwillingly signed a slave contract to the devil.
After the orientation was finally over, everyone was free to leave, and Willow made her way back to her dorm, away from the students who couldn't stop giggling and pointing at her outside the building.
She showered and changed into fresh clothes, and when she came out, she was met by Korra and Zira, who immediately burst into laughter the moment their eyes met.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't hold it in!" Zira squeaked, covering her mouth with her palm.
Korra, on the other hand, was not subtle at all. She was laughing so hard she actually started coughing. But even that didn't stop her. She picked up right where she left off, still laughing.
Willow said nothing. She just made her way to her bed, lay down, and pulled the covers over herself. She was exhausted, especially from the failed mission. All she wanted now was sleep.
*** ***
The next morning, when Willow woke up, she noticed Korra's and Zira's beds were empty. But the fourth bed was now occupied. A dark-haired girl with full bangs lay curled up, still fast asleep.
"When did she get in?" Willow murmured, pushing herself off her bed.
She had gone to bed pretty early, which meant the girl must've arrived after her. She wondered if the girl was also laughing her lungs out yesterday.
Choosing not to wake her, Willow quietly grabbed her things, headed to the bathroom, and changed into her uniform, this time adding a tie.
When she returned, the girl was awake, pulling out her own uniform from her bag.
"Um… hi. I was just about to wake you," Willow said.
The girl glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes were a sharp, observant brown.
"Thank you. I slept quite late because of a stomach ache." she replied with a small smile, hugging her uniform to her chest as she turned to face Willow. "It's breakfast time. We'll both lose points for being late, which means we might not even get to eat."
Willow blinked in surprise and glanced at the wall clock. It still showed the same time as when she had left for the bathroom. 6:00 a.m.
She frowned and leaned in, noticing the button had been pressed down, stopping the clock's movement.
"It's been tampered with," she muttered, adjusting it. The time shifted forward, revealing it was actually a few minutes past 7.
They were really late.
The bangs girl laughed. "Looks like our roommates are super friendly."
Willow shook her head, sighing. "They are."
"I'm Sage. And you are…?"
"Willow."
"Nice to meet you, Willow. Are you going to be okay, though? Cause You lied yesterday to everyone about being Navian Grimm's fodder. You already started on a bad foot." Sage muttered, heading for the bathroom.
Of course, she was there. Willow's lips twitched. She didn't know what she was expecting, but when she looked at the clock, her heart skipped a beat. Her brain immediately linked Navian and the current time and she bolted for the door, tapping the button frantically.
"Open up! I'm late!" she yelped as the door slid open.
The moment she stepped out of the dorm, she had to suppress the urge to run. It was against the rules to run around campus without a valid reason, and since no one believed her when she said Navian was her Master, she had to walk properly.
When she arrived in front of the Ascendants' building, she realized she didn't know which room belonged to Navian and she certainly didn't have permission to enter the building.
Today was different from yesterday, when she knew everyone had been at the orientation.
She lingered awkwardly near the entrance, her heart pounding, hoping that it would be Navian stepping out next, not Ezrik.
"Please, universe, be nice to me. Please?" she whispered under her breath.
But it wasn't either of them.
It was someone she didn't recognize and yet she couldn't look away.
His ocean-blue eyes sparkled with light and excitement. His voluminous golden curls were tousled in a way that was both messy and intentional, bouncing with every bold step he took.
He looked… adorable. He reminded her of the beach from her childhood in her past life. The calm breeze, the bright sun that rose every morning. He looked like summer.
The silver necklace around his neck gleamed in the daylight, and the silver ring on his left ear wasn't hard to miss. Honestly, he looked like a surfer, lean, athletic, and tall.
When their eyes met, Willow felt her face heat up. She wanted to turn away in embarrassment but then he smiled, revealing two dimples that nearly made her pass out. He waved at her and jogged away, his white baggy shirt flowing with him.
It was strange, seeing someone so bright at Nexus Academy.
"Maybe he's just a first-year Ascendant," she muttered. "The school hasn't gotten to him yet. Give it a month. He won't look like that anymore."
Willow found herself staring until he disappeared from sight and she hadn't even caught her breath when the doors opened again.
Navian stepped out.
Dressed in all black, with perfectly framed retro glasses that made him look even more mysterious than he already was, he stared down at red-faced Willow with a bored expression.
"You're one hour late," he said flatly.
Willow smiled nervously. "I didn't know your room… and I didn't know how to get inside."
Navian scoffed. "Why do I remember seeing you inside a room yesterday?"
Willow laughed nervously and bowed her head dramatically. "I have no excuse, my Master. You, my lord, know best."
Navian rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I just wanted to test your guts. You're not allowed in our building. Next time, report to me in the cafeteria."
Willow snapped her head up and nodded. "Yes, Master."
Navian scoffed at her dramatic tone and walked past her. "Follow me."
Willow stared at his back for a moment. The way he carried himself with such respected grace, it made her wonder what he'd say if she told him that everyone laughed at her when she told them he was her Master.
She sighed and hurried after him until she was walking beside him.
Navian glanced at her, raising a brow. She wasn't supposed to be walking next to him. But she stared back at him, completely clueless, then flashed a bright, over-the-top smile that made him cringe and look away.
She laughed softly and pressed a hand to her growling stomach.
"Ouch."