A new sun was rising on the horizon, and as always, it was so beautiful from this place that it looked like the shining star existed only for them.
But with the first light of day, I was already in the yard, making sure everything was clean before the day began. Not that I was some kind of workaholic, but lately my sleep was troubled and my mind sick. My morale had shattered on the horizon, and I had no idea when it would come back. To be honest, I wasn't in great shape.
So every day I woke up way too early, did my job, and then spent the rest of the day sleeping—or at least trying to—until nightfall. After classes, I'd go clean again to close out another day. Of course, I ate leftovers, so I washed the dishes too.
That was my daily life.
— And that's it, done for this morning, I sighed, packing my stuff before heading back.
At night, I slept in the unicorn barn. But there hadn't been any unicorns living there for a while, so I slept alone in the hay. Too bad—I would've liked to see a real unicorn, those fantasy creatures that made kids dream. That would've been cool.
(Note to my future self: you'll regret the day you actually meet a unicorn. Your asshole never recovered. But I'll say no more. You'll be me one day…)
What the fuck?
But during the day… same thing. I still slept on hay in the unicorn barn. The good part was that it was far away from the classrooms and professors, so I had some peace. The bad part was that even there, they never left me alone.
— Cleaner! Cleaner! Cleaner!!! shouted a big guy with a thick beard.
I woke up in a start, ripped from my sweet dreams.
— One month… the cage… the dog… not clean.
That big oaf was in charge of mystical creatures. But as far as I knew, there was only one such creature at school, so he was basically useless. Except to eat for two and shit for four. And his snores could scare off starving tigers.
— No, I was told I'm not allowed near the dog's cage, I replied.
— Yes… without me.
By that, he meant it was forbidden to approach the dog's cage without him by your side. Otherwise… well, I had no idea, but I was about to find out.
— Haaa, fine, I said, not too interested.
I grabbed my gear, and we left together.
The dog's cage was on the opposite side from the unicorn barn. We crossed the school grounds to get there, and even at the entrance, it already said enough.
"Beware: Dog in Heat."
— Eeeeh… shouldn't it say "Beware: Wild Dog"? I muttered, tired, wondering which idiot had written that.
The big guy opened the gate, and we walked inside the enclosure toward a cabin. It could've passed for a chalet, it was so massive, but written across the front was "The Dog's Home."
At the entrance, the big guy stopped and knocked: once, no answer; twice, still nothing; then a third time. Finally, he pushed the door, which creaked open slowly.
— Hell-head? he called in his heavy, lumbering voice, peeking in with such a worried look that he was already sweating.
Didn't look like a good sign to me. But hey, he'd said I had to come with him, so… it should be fine, right? I asked myself, just as the guy came back toward me, panicking.
— He… not here… he… not here… he… where?
And how the hell was I supposed to know? I wanted to scream at him.
— Hell if I know! I don't even know what he looks like!
— He… he… he… The man started panicking, then suddenly remembered. — No… no… no…
He immediately bolted in a frenzy. But his massive bulk didn't let him go any faster than my fast walk.
He circled around the dog's pen and headed toward the horses' enclosure, a few meters away. And even before we got there, we could already hear the shrill neighing of a horse echoing through the air.
The closer we got, the louder and heavier the sound became. I figured the damn mutt hadn't been fed properly in too long and was about to devour some horses. Then, out of nowhere… the idea hit me: a magical dog that kills its master and snacks on the poor Cleaner as well, making headlines at the academy for three days before fading into oblivion. The thought nearly made me stop dead—if I hadn't been too curious to see what kind of dog could devour a horse. And I was about to find out.
Inside the stable, the massive, majestic horses screamed as if a murder was happening. I followed the big guy to the third stall, where the loudest neighing came from. And I froze.
The gorgeous mare, her coat as blue as the sea, was pinned to the ground under the claws of a huge dog… fucking her from behind. Like… a dog in heat.
And I finally understood the warning.
— Hell… no… no… master said… no!
The big guy rushed into the stall, grabbing the massive dog by both arms and trying to pull him back… with zero success. Tongue out, drool dripping, snot running down his nose—the dog didn't give a damn about our presence and kept thrusting with feverish energy.
— Hell… stop… I said… stop! the big guy shouted. Hell… you… wanted! he repeated.
He yanked a wand from his belt, conjuring a pale blue whip, spun it through the air, and lashed the dog. The beast whimpered like a puppy… and kept pumping his hips even faster.
A second lash cracked the air, making the dog jerk aside—after finishing his business. A third lash forced him to cower in the corner of the stall. His size began to shrink until he was nothing more than a little bulldog. He whimpered in his corner, tongue still lolling, dazed by the passion he had just shared with the poor mare, who couldn't even stand on her legs anymore.
— Easy… easy… the man repeated clumsily, stroking the trembling mare.
Then he turned to the dog, whose innocent eyes made him look like an angel. The guy scolded him harshly, and the dog curled into a tiny, adorable ball with sad eyes.
And me? I stood there speechless.
— This academy really is perverted, I muttered.
And I meant it. Sure, at first I'd only thought about chasing as many girls as possible. But this… this was too much, even for me.
— Cleaner… go clean, the big guy ordered, pointing to the dog's cabin.
I'd seen enough anyway, so I hurried off to work.
Fifteen minutes later, I was covered in hay, mud, and dog shit, stinking like hell. Still, the trainer seemed pleased, his eyes shining at the cleanliness of his companion's home. And the dog's eyes? Shining too—but while staring at me.
Yeah, no. I figured it'd be wise to get the fuck away from that beast.
I left the dog's cage, heading back to the barn to rest before sunset. I smelled like death and looked worse, but all I wanted was to sleep. Which I hadn't managed to do since… that night. I didn't know why it shook me so much, but every time I closed my eyes, the scene replayed like a cursed loop.
— Huh? I muttered when I saw a young boy sitting on a rock, surrounded by a mess of drawings.
He looked just like one of those little amateur artists, always hunting for the perfect scene to sketch. I'd known a guy like that once—a real fanatic.
— You're the cleaner? asked the chubby kid with round glasses, looking unsure of himself.
The classic bullied type. Probably why he was hiding out here.
— And you are? I asked, walking closer to peek at his sketch.
— Daniel Arwin. I'm new.
— Oh, you're part of the new batch? What are you doing here? I asked, just to chat. He looked kinda sad. Nice drawing, by the way. Really good, I added.
— Really? You think so? he asked, his eyes lighting up with joy and passion.
— Yeah. It's very well done. Is that your mother? I asked, and immediately his gaze darkened, like I'd stabbed something raw.
He curled around his sketch like it was the only thing holding him together. I didn't get it at first. But when I lifted my eyes to what he'd been staring at so intently, I finally understood.
There she was, the woman from his drawing: pale skin, black hair braided into two long strands down her chest, glasses, and a fully covered outfit. I recognized her instantly: Shahid Mimi-Tassia.
— Oh, I see.
— Yeah, yeah, no need to make fun of me, he said, pulling out another sheet. I know I'm dreaming, but I like watching her and drawing her. Even if I can't have anything, it makes me happy just to admire her from afar. What's so wrong with that?
I could've told him that in my world, that was called harassment and could land him in prison. But suddenly, I realized why he'd actually called me here.
— So, why'd you call me? I asked, sitting down beside him.
— Oh, right… well… Shahid Zaviel wanted to see you, he said, and my heart stopped. He was looking for you, so he asked us to find you…
I didn't hear the rest. At the first sentence, I bolted, my heart screaming to run as far as possible.
I made sure to avoid every student. By now, the whole school had to be searching for me. For a guy like Shahid, manipulating the students into finding me and tossing me off the floating island wouldn't be hard. I had to survive—and take his secret to the grave.
If I opened my mouth, the result was obvious: a professor screwing his students in a prestigious academy—what a scandal. One single media storm, and his career would be destroyed. In my world, that kind of thing ruins lives. For Shahid, I was now a liability.
So I ran.
But where do you run on a floating island, when your enemy is its master? I had no idea. Still, I had no choice: if I wanted to live, I had to run. My survival had never been so threatened: now, everyone was the enemy.