(♫ Twenty One Pilots - Heathens ♫)
(♫ All my friends are heathens, take it slow, Wait for them to ask you who you know)
*Drilling*
The sound of an electric drill filled William's bedroom just two days ago, when his birthday present arrived in a large wooden box: a beautiful, delicate double-edged sword, silver-plated on both the blade and the hilt.
It was a Xiphos-type sword used by the Greeks, with delicate golden runes covering the blade from the hilt to the tip, and a silver rhombus pommel with a blood-red gem right in the centre.
William placed a wooden stand on the wall, drilling a couple of new holes, and to avoid the annoying noise, he put on his noise-cancelling headphones and began to work; it would take him a couple of minutes to get everything ready.
Thanks to his headphones, William did not hear when someone entered his room, although he could smell them as soon as they got close enough. He knew instantly that it was Bianca.
(♫Please don't make any sudden moves - You don't know the half of the abuse, pay de manzana.)
"Will, I'm sorry, I know it wasn't right..." (Bianca)
Bianca sat down on Xavier's bed and began her apology. She knew William had good hearing, as sensitive as a werewolf's, and to be honest, the fact that William was wearing his hearing aids made it easier to apologise to him.
"I shouldn't have done that..." (Bianca)
The last screw was put in place, and now he was ready to hang "Sting" without its sheath on the wall. It was meant to decorate his room until he found the next thing he wanted to cut, right next to Titan.
He named it 'Sting' in honour of Bilbo Baggins' sword from The Lord of the Rings, although this was a long sword made to be used with two hands instead of a short sword.
"Will you accept my apology? I brought you an offer of peace." (Bianca)
Bianca raised the apple pie with both hands and smiled at William, who took off his headphones and half-listened to Bianca's apology.
"Of course, don't worry, I shouldn't have reacted that way either, I was a bit intense, I suppose." (William)
"Quite a bit, actually." (Bianca)
"And as for fencing, I got carried away and used a little more force than usual." (William)
"I also apologise for attacking your face. That was intentional. I was angry." (Bianca)
William just smiled and didn't make a big deal out of it. He walked over to the long drawer under his bed. It was a small safe with seals and protective runes that only reacted to William's rings to unlock.
*Click* x 4
Four thick silver locks decorated with lion heads automatically released. Inside, William kept his important things, including the jewellery he had made over the past month.
A courier would come for them on the 30th to deliver them to their future owners. He also kept gems, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds, which were his annual supply.
The small safe in his workshop only contained a few that he would use in the coming days and some precious metals.
*Pleasant metallic clang*
It was a satisfying sound when Sting slid out of its sheath, a brown leather sheath decorated with multiple engravings and ornamental designs, its sharp blade reflecting the sunlight in a dazzling manner.
"A sword?" (Bianca)
"My birthday present from my parents." (William)
"Who gives their teenage son a sword?" (Bianca)
Bianca was stunned. It was already strange that William had a delicate spear decorating his wall, and now a sword.
"It was my father's mistake. This sword was supposed to go to an auction in Ireland last week, but the careless man mixed up the shipping labels." (William)
"He didn't ask you to return it." (Bianca)
"Not after I called him excitedly about my new gift." (William)
Bianca smiled with amusement; a little emotional manipulation was harmless from time to time.
"Now that I'm done with this, letras go get your bottles." (William)
"Do you know where they are?" (Bianca)
"I have an idea. I visited the place Xavier told me about. Whoever did it left a trail of sweat all over the room. It was unpleasant to follow." (William)
"How far did you follow him?" (Bianca)
"Frisbie Hall."
William placed the apple pie on his desk. It was a pretty box with gold lettering from the bakery "El Milagro." He hoped nothing bad would happen to him on his way back.
"By the way, Weems agrees to drill holes in your walls." (Bianca)
Bianca finally asked the question that most intrigued her as they descended the long staircase.
"No problem, if he doesn't find out." (William)
William winked at Bianca, who smiled ironically. Behind that pretty face and exemplary attitude was someone who was capricious with the rules and didn't care about breaking them whenever he wanted. and it wasn't as if Weems was going to visit his students' rooms whenever he wanted. As for Professor Vlad, he simply ignored the matter. William's family was well known at Nevermore Academy, so a couple of new holes were no problem.
Frisbie Hall dormitories.
"It's 6 p.m., the time when most students leave their clubs, and the culprit must stink."
William walked through the dormitory corridors as if it were his own home, and some older students gave him unpleasant looks, especially some werewolves.
The professor in charge of the dormitories was not at his post; he had matters to attend to during the day.
"Here it is." (William)
William raised his leg as if it were the most natural thing in the world; he was going to kick it down.
"Wait, wait, wait. Let me take care of it." (Bianca)
Bianca hurriedly stopped William and knocked gently on the door. It was a shared room with bunk beds on both sides, a couple of desks, some posters of what looked like action films, paint peeling in some areas, and dirty clothes scattered on the floor.
"What a disgusting place." Bianca grimaced in disgust.
Luca Clinton opened the door, looked at them with disgust, and tried to close it again, but William pushed him aside. Luca was short, barely reaching William's chest. He wore large glasses and had messy hair. His shirt had a stain from an unknown liquid.
"All right, let's hear from the person who did it." (Bianca)
"I don't know what you're talking about, bitch." (?)
"Did you just call me a bitch, you dirty little brat?" (Bianca)
"I'm older than you, so don't talk to me like that." (?)
William laughed at Bianca's surprised face. It had been a long time since a boy had spoken to her like that. Bianca was a queen bee, popular with both men and women for her beauty.
"What the hell are you laughing at, you damn sissy?"
"Bianca, do I look effeminate?" (William)
"I'd say no, you're quite masculine." (Bianca)
"Did you hear the lady? Where's the stolen goods?" (William)
"I'm not going to tell you shit, go fuck yourself." (?)
"I thought you'd be more shy. Where do you get the nerve to talk to me like that?" (William)
"Just because I'm short, does that mean I have to be a bloody social misfit?!!" (?)
"You haven't done anything violent since the first day. I think people have this image of you as a well-behaved boy who wouldn't hurt a fly." (Bianca)
William raised an eyebrow in surprise. Bianca was right; he never got into trouble, always minding his own business.
*Spit*
William was going to let it go, letting Bianca and her siren voice sort things out. It wasn't his hobby to hit foul-mouthed students, but Luca's spit landed right on his shoe.
*Thump against the wall*
Before Luca could react, William grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifted his small body, and pushed him against the wall.
*Snikt!*
William's sharp black claws extended, and one of them came dangerously close to Luca's pupil, who could only see something resembling the tip of a black needle.
"Where are they?" (William)
"I'll talk, I'll talk, I swear, I'll tell you everything, just don't hurt me." (Luca)
William let go of Luca, who fell into a puddle of his own urine, his hands still shaking, as was his voice. Luca had expected something commonplace, like a punch or an insult, not the threat of losing an eye.
William and Bianca listened to Luca, Michael, and Robert's version of events. A gorgon and a werewolf had heard a mermaid talking about Bianca's plans and wanted to do the same for their own group. They found Bianca's hiding place and, with Luca's help, took the bottles during the night.
"Wait a moment, I'll make a call" (Bianca)
Bianca stopped William from going up to the next floor to look for room 202. According to Luca, Robert, and Michael, they were hiding them under their beds along with the answers to the upcoming biology exams. They planned to sell the answers a few days before the next exam. How they got them was a mystery, or perhaps Professor Orloff wasn't so careful.
"Headmaster Weems, it's Bianca." (Bianca)
"Miss Barclay, is there a problem, or do you have something to discuss with me that requires calling me at this hour?" (Weems)
"It's just one less thing to worry about. I heard a rumour about a group of three who offered me the exam answers for a few dollars." (Bianca)
"Do you know who they are? There's no way I'm allowing this at my academy." (Weems)
William smiled at their conversation, already getting an idea of what Bianca was planning.
"They're the ones in room 202 of Frisbie Hall. They also said something about having a party with alcohol and stuff." (Bianca)
"Thank you very much, Miss Barclay. I will take care of the matter, and I must say that your performance in the choir has been commendable." (Weems)
That day, Headmistress Weems, accompanied by several teachers, conducted a search of the Frisbie Hall dormitory that same night. Michael and his classmates were caught, and the whole matter would be dealt with in the presence of their parents.
As for Luca, he fared worse. He would have problems with his parents. When William and Bianca left their room, the door remained open, and the students came out of their room when they heard the noise. The result was photos, videos, memes, and one of them even did a live stream with Luca and his wet trousers.
"What happened to your 'exclusive' party?" (William)
"It doesn't matter anymore. Most of the malcontents will be gone next year, and I'll get the Poe Cup back. I'll destroy you in the competition, Will." (Bianca)
(I won't be participating next year, although it would be a shame to tell her now. She's so full of motivation.) (William)