Daniel Xander, Chapter 8: A Clash of Stubbornness

"Wait, what do you mean you guys didn't even come looking for me?" Asked Daniel completely baffled as Liz and Darius stared back at him blankly.
It was about 8 pm and Daniel had returned to his hotel room. Liz and Darius had turned up shortly afterwards and made themselves at home as if they owned the place. They'd actually come to help him move to a new apartment complex. According to them, this town was the second most important town in Anoterose after the capital. Apparently, it was of immense strategic importance as it was the nearest to an Egress, apart from the Egress in the capital, and it was the birthplace of a ton of important semi mortals. The towns of west, north, and south didn't even come close. Also, this place had the best schooling and education facilities so there was that.

Right now, Liz was sitting on a desk, wearing rectangular, black spectacles and going through some papers. Darius was lying on the couch since he'd worked all day and was really tired now. Daniel had just recounted the highly modified story of his excursion to the jogging part. He'd cut out the parts of his talk with the stranger and him eavesdropping Cecile's and Davy's conversation. In this abridged version, he'd fallen down and by some weird phenomenon, injured his knuckle. Just looking at their faces it was clear that they didn't believe him. On the other hand, they told him that they hadn't even come looking for him, which meant that the dude from the park had lied to him about them having patched up his knuckle. But then, who had patched him up?
"Nah." Said Darius still lying on the couch, "I was busy with investigations all day. Some people had seen a weird dwarf in the school and the law enforcement was too busy to check it out. So I had to go in their place."
"I was in my faction office all day." Said Liz, "And well, it's not like I hadn't wanted to find you. It's just that you looked so upset this morning I thought I would rather let you have some time for yourself."
Daniel nodded. He hadn't told them why he'd brought this up. And anyway, they weren't treating this matter as something of too much significance. They were more focused on moving him smoothly.
"In any case, getting you your own place takes priority." Said Darius rising from the couch.
"I still can't see why I can't stay at the dorms." Said Daniel.
"I would rather not take chances." Said Liz, her pen gliding across the piece of paper she was reading.
"At least explain the reason to me." Said Daniel desperate for an answer. If it was what he thought it was....
"Look Daniel, I made a promise to uncle Samuel that I would look out for you. And trust me, I am doing that-" began Liz but Darius cut through her.
"Lizzy, it will be better if you stop hiding your reasons from him. I for one am also curious; why are you letting a 15 year old have his own place? Anything could happen really. Plus, him having his own place goes against the norms, afterall every student from earth is supposed to stay at the dorms under constant supervision." He said.
"Yeah!" Said Daniel grateful for Darius's support, "I really do think you mean well Liz, but if you conceal your reasons from me-"
"Alright, I get you," said Liz with a sigh, "you really are stubborn. You have to stay at your own place because you will be singled out if you stay at the dorms and bullied to hell. And I don't want that."

Daniel was quiet. Of course, he'd been stupid to think that the reason could be something else. There must be several people like Cecile out there who despised his father. And giving him a hard time was obviously the best way to take out their frustrations. Even though this was extremely unreasonable. But was this reason enough for him to let Liz baby him? Was this reason enough for him to stand down? No. If he had to endure a beating, or even multiple beatings for his time here, so be it. He wasn't gonna let Liz pamper him. It wasn't like he didn't appreciate her looking out for him. He really did. But he didn't want to be treated any differently than others just because his father had a connection with Liz. He had to be capable enough on his own.

"I am sorry, but where I stay should be up to me." Said Daniel with as much defiance as he could muster.
His words got an immediate reaction. Darius stopped yawning and looked straight at him, amused. Liz knocked the glass of water on her desk a spilt the contents everywhere.
"Damn it!" She said lifting the papers from the table and getting up herself.
For a while, there was an awkward silence. Then-
"I am sorry Daniel, but as my parents are your god parents, we have every right to choose where you stay." She said, not looking at him.
"That's not true! It's not like you are having me stay with your family! You are talking about getting me my own place. I can't have you guys spend your money on me." Said Daniel.
"Think about it for a moment, Daniel," Liz said, "you can have complete freedom! You can do whatever you want! You won't be like the apes locked on campus 24/7! In fact, I will fit the place with whatever you ask for-"
"There you go again," said Daniel throwing his hands up in exasperation, his anger rising up, "treating me like a five year old! Liz, I don't want you to get me a place with a chocolate fountain or a 70-inch T.V.! I want to not be treated any differently just because of my father's connections!"
"Why?" Said Liz sounding exasperated herself, "You are getting the privilege of staying at your own place where you make the rules-"
"Because that is exactly what I have been doing my whole life!" Said Daniel loudly, "Away from people, locked up in my house! Granted I wouldn't be locked up, but I will still be all alone! I don't want that! I wanna meet new people and step out of my comfort zone for once! My parents let me do whatever I wanted back at home. On the condition that I couldn't go out or properly make any friends. I was treated like an alien at my school because my father was always there to pick me up and I couldn't hang out with anyone. I don't want people to think I am coward or someone weird because I have my own place and have the rank 3 semi mortal always looking out for me! Maybe I won't get bullied! But I will still be different, isolated! And I don't want that!"
Daniel was out of breath now. Huffing, he pulled out a chair and sat down, waiting for Liz's response. She was looking at him solemnly, as was Darius.
Finally, she sighed.
"Your decision, not mine," she said warningly, "so don't regret it."
"I won't." Said Daniel earnestly.
"Well, since the plans have changed, I had better head out and book a cab." Said Darius nodding at them, "I will take YOU with me." He added and grabbed Daniel's arm and pulled him out of the hotel room.

Once, out of the lobby, Darius's face broke into a wide and toothy grin.
"Man, I wasn't expecting you to actually stand up for yourself!" He said, "That was a good speech."
"Oh...thanks, I guess." Said Daniel bas Darius took out his phone and started to book a cab maybe.
Of course, it wasn't like Daniel wasn't nervous. He was very nervous. If dorm life was gonna be that terrifying for him, he didn't know how to cope with it. On the plus side, he was getting a chance to become his own man. He didn't care if he was going against Samuel's advice and taking a decision purely because of emotion. He had to prove his worth to everyone. He had to get rid of this stain on his father's name and show everyone who he could become.
A green and white sedan came to a halt in front of them just as Liz came out of the lobby with Daniel's bag in hand, which was now way heavier with all the books in it. She passed it to him wordlessly and opened the door of the front passenger seat. Daniel and Darius sat down in the back.
"I suppose you are heading to the Warrior's academy?" Asked the driver.
"Yeah." Said Darius.
The driver nodded and started to drive away. Daniel looked out of the window to see them pass the hotel.

The car ride had gotten increasingly tense, so it was a relief when they finally reached the school gates. They were huge metal gates with large statues on either side of them. The driver dropped them off and all three of them stood in front of the gate. Through the gate Daniel could see a long, very long pathway leading to a huge main building. There were two figures walking towards the gateway. From where he stood, Daniel could tell that both of them were pretty tall and fit. As they came closer and from the light from the street lamps on either side of the path, it was clear that both of them were pretty aged.
"Oi!" Shouted the taller one of them as he approached the gate, in a strangely adolescent voice, "Open the gate you dummy! Can't you see there are people standing here?"
From the guard post at the gate, a guard ran out almost falling over and bowed to both the old guys. Then, he walked to the gate and made a weird swirling gesture with his hand. Instantly, the bars of the gate bent and twisted around to make a space big enough for them to pass through. Silently, all three of them walked through.
"Well! How do I find you guys on this fine evening?" Said the same old man in the same weirdly adolescent voice. He truly looked ancient. His head was completely bald and gave off a glint under the light of the lamp. His face was all wrinkles and his teeth were scarce. The guy beside him was pretty buff. His face was tough and his eyes gave off a glow. His mouth was a tight thin line and his head still had plenty of white hair.

"Mr. Soto," said the buff dude, "you are making yourself a bit too obvious."
"Well, what can I do Bartemius?" Said Mr. Soto, "I have been like this for over a month! Men have their limits you know."
"If I must," said Darius as the old guys turned to look at him with solemn faces," this young man is actually a Xander. So it won't be a problem."
What won't be a problem? Daniel had no idea as always. He was just standing there looking around with a blank expression.
Mr. Soto's eyes suddenly widened. He gazed at Daniel curiously.
"It's true then? A major up-" he said but Liz cut straight through him.
"Of course it's true! Mr. Soto, don't you think it's time you transformed? It's been a month, right?" Daniel couldn't help but notice there was a nervous energy in her voice. Secrets again, probably. Secrets involving him. No matter.
"Yes yes." Said Mr. Soto nodding distractedly, "it's been a long time."
Suddenly, he fell down. It was as if someone had yanked a stool from underneath his feet. Honey blonde hair started to shoot out of his head and his facial features changed drastically. No wrinkles, but a smooth babyish texture. He had huge, bright green eyes and was about three inches shorter than Daniel. His clothes immediately shrunk to fit him.
"Ahhhh," said the guy, looking and sounding like a 14 year old now, "that was a huge relief. Keeping these transformations for months is a pain!"

* * *

"So, you are the headmaster?" Asked Daniel, sitting down on the opposite chair, as Liz and Daniel settled beside him.
"No, I am his clone. A servant. Dude, I am sitting behind a desk which has the plaque of headmaster on it. What do you expect?" Said the guy, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
They were in the office in the big building. The principal's room which had huge cupboards all around the place and just one desk with 4 chairs. The place was very shabby. It was clear that this room wasn't used too much.
"But why change form?" Asked Daniel.
"Look at me closely for once. I am 14. Do you think people would take me seriously if I walked around looking like this?" Replied Hugh Soto, "Bartemius suggested that I use my Imperium to change form. "Go for an ancient look," he said. So here I am, posing as someone I am not. It becomes difficult to retain form after a month or so. I became principal under special circumstances. And this job is actually pretty cool. So I don't have real complaints."
"Why reveal yourself to me then?" Asked Daniel feeling tired now.
"Well, I believe I can trust you. Anyone who has Xander blood is extremely honourable. Or so I think. Samuel was- is honourable. Samuel's father was honourable. The first Xander is honourable. So I don't think you are gonna reveal my secret." Said the guy.
"Maybe you are too quick to judge," said Daniel feeling a stab of annoyance at being judged because of his ties with his father's name, "I am not honourable. I attacked my escort for no good reason."
"Everyone feels compelled by anger once in a while. It doesn't matter. I just know you aren't gonna tell anyone. Take my word for it. Now if you decide to tell anyone just to prove that you are not honourable...." He let his voice trail into silence, smiling a thin smile.
Daniel didn't say anything. This dude was smart. He knew just how to get to him. He really had no reason to tell anyone. Of course, he didn't have anyone to tell.
"In any case," said the guy, "don't worry about the fact that you know about my true self. Treat it as if everyone knows about it. Now, where were we..." He said.
Darius and Liz were talking to him about something or the other. Daniel didn't know what half the words meant. There were so many official sounding terms Daniel just left it. He wasn't in the mood to break down their talks word by word. The guy he'd met at the park was still running through his head. He wondered who it might have been. He gritted his teeth at the thought of the conversation he'd eavesdropped on. But Daniel wasn't angry anymore. Just tired. The guy from the park had really helped him out. All Daniel had to do was become somebody. Somebody worth something. He didn't want to feel worthless.
"Daniel? Hey, you awake?" Came Liz's voice from beside him, "Come on dreamer. Your dorm room is ready."
"Ah, ok." He said and rose with Liz and Darius.
"Well, enjoy your time here Mr. Xander." Said Hugh Soto, smiling wickedly at him.

It didn't take them much longer to get out of the building. At the reception, there was a map of the campus. Following the instructions on it, the three of them broke into a brisk walk. The dorms were towards the left of the main building. They followed the well paved path which was lined with trees and small neatly kept shrubs. There was a huge campus garden to their right and a small fenced flower beds to their left. Some distance away, Daniel could see people walking along the path towards a huge building. The dorms. A building on the left side of the path. It was painted red and white. Casually dressed guys about his age and older were filing in and out of the lobby, laughing and cracking jokes.
"Look! It's miss Brown!" Shouted a guy from the open glass gates of the lobby.
"What?!" Came several shouts at once. Daniel looked around to see that people from the campus grounds were running towards them. Several of them had straightened themselves and we're advancing in a gentlemanly fashion. A lot of them were frantically doing their hair trying to make it settle. A lot of them were messing it up. Some people who had been walking along the path away from the dorms and towards another huge building along the path away from the dorms turned at rapid speeds and broke into a run. Looking up, Daniel saw some people had opened their windows and we're looking down dreamily at them, or rather, her.
"For the love of God!" Shouted Liz in frustration as several dozen guys crowded them at once.
"You can fly away, you know." Said Daniel wincing as the crowd pushed all three of them around.
"Can't! Imperiums won't work here! Only classified people can use theirs and I left my card and uniform back at home." Said Liz.
With her height, she towered over half the guys. But that didn't stop anyone.
"Miss Brown! You look as beautiful as ever! Did you get a new haircut?"
"Miss Brown! Is it just me or are you actually glowing tonight?"
"Miss Brown! Your hair looks gorgeous tied back! You should tie it more often."
"Miss Brown! Can I tempt you with a cup of the best coffee?"
"Is that a new perfume Miss Brown? It smells divine!"
"Moron! That's my hair you are sniffing!"
"ACK!"
The mob was getting seriously out of control and Daniel and Darius were getting crushed. As Liz threw out her hand and gave almost everyone a push back.
"Oh, move you apes! I am on business here!"
"I see you are as popular as ever. I am so proud of my Lizzy-" said Darius.
"Shut up you creep." Said Liz punching his arm as he muttered something which sounded like 'so mean.'
"Alright! Back OFF!" Came a roar from behind them. As if by some miracle, the crowd dispersed hastily, tripping over their feet and pushing each other to get out of the way. Daniel and Darius turned at once as Liz cursed under her breath.
It was Nathan, dressed in the same clothes as this morning. His hair wasn't settled neatly anymore, but was tousled up.
"Are you three ok?" He said, his voice flat.
"Yeah, fine." Said Daniel, brushing his t-shirt.
"What are you doing here, pretty boy?" Asked Darius, his voice very innocent.
"Tch, I know better than to involve myself with the likes of you." Said Nathan scowling, "But if you must know, I came here to make a recruitment. However-"
"You got royally rejected." Said Liz sarcastically, "Now, I have other business to take care of. So you had better leave." She continued still facing forwards, not looking at him.
"Someone sure is upset. And why? Because I pointed out that a certain someone would not be able to-"
"I am gonna kick you to M-5." Said Liz sounding genuinely furious.
"Well, it's nice when someone else is on the recieving end of her anger." Muttered Darius as Liz and Nathan continued their argument, "It makes me feel so good."
"Have they always been like this? They were also squabbling in the forest. Now this." Asked Daniel, raising his eyebrows as both of them began calling each other names. Nathan certainly wasn't looking as sophisticated as before.
"I don't know, really. I have known Liz since we were little kids, but I know nothing about her relationship with Nathan. I just know they have a complicated past. That's what Liz tells me, anyway." Said Darius with a sigh, "I had better break this up. I don't want Bartemius kicking us out."

"Alright, break this up!" Said Darius loudly as he moved forward and set his hand on Liz's shoulder, "Come on Lizzy. We don't need to do this. Let's just leave him be. You know he's a massive-"
"We? Was that a royal 'we'?" Asked Nathan sneering, "You are her mere errand boy and you act like you have any authority over her? This is what you have come to Elizabeth! Mere lapdogs trying to boss you around! He has the guts to tell you what to-"
"You are right," said Liz turning away from Nathan, completely ignoring him all of a sudden, "he really isn't worth it. C'mon Daniel. We need to show you the dorms."
Daniel quietly followed them, casting a glance at Nathan as he went.
"Oh, and Kyle?" Said Liz turning around one last time, "Don't ever call Darius a lapdog or an errand boy ever again. Otherwise I will mess up your face. I promise."
Daniel stared. Up until now, her squabbling with Nathan, calling him names, had all just seemed like a petty argument. But this sounded like an actual dangerous threat.
"He is ten times the man you are and will always be better than you." Said Liz with finality. She turned and continued walking as Darius looked back at Nathan looking unimpressed by Nathan's insults.

"You can lead Daniel up from here." Said Liz sounding a bit troubled as they reached the glass doors of the lobby, "Take him to room 543. I suppose Bartemius has already made arrangements with his current roommate."
"Sure thing." Said Darius smiling as brightly as ever. Liz smiled back but there was something unsettling in that smile. As if she was troubled.
"Be good now," She said turning to Daniel, "if I hear that you are starting trouble, I will be there. And let me know if anyone bothers you in particular. I will punch them hard enough to-"
"There is no need." Said Daniel hastily.
"I will check in on you every once in a while. Ok?" Liz continued, "So don't you dare avoid me."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Promised Daniel.
"Good." She said smiling at him and holding out her hand, "It was nice meeting you, Daniel. Even though you could have actually had a real apartment of your own, you chose these dorms. These stinky, smelly dorms full of monkeys. I really gotta hand it to you. Make sure you study hard and pass the entrance exam for my siege faction! If you need anything, you can call me. Plus, if I can't come by to meet you, you can always count on Darius to come here atleast once every two weeks."
Daniel shook her hand silently. She was really reminding him of Julia.
Liz turned and walked away down the path. She turned once and waved at him and he waved back. So this really was his god sister, huh? He'd only known her for two days, gotten into an argument, and even pissed her off a bit. He wondered if he would be able to see her often now that he was enrolled in an actual school. The new school....

"C'mon Daniel." Said Darius putting an arm around his shoulders and leading him into the building.
The inside of the main area was very plain. There were white walls and sofas along them. On one wall was a wall clock. On the other side of the room there was were multiple doors and two corridors leading away from the main area.
Some kids were sitting on the sofas chatting while others were walking around the place with thick books in hand. It looked very much like the hostel Daniel had visited one time just to see what hostel life was about. A couple of guys waved at Darius and continued their work.
Darius silently led Daniel to the left corridor, momentarily stopping to glance at the list of students taped to one of the walls. Then, he continued leading him away from the main area. The other side of the corridor opened up into a hallway with rooms on both sides, some tables in the middle and a projector. There was also a shelf with several books on it. They both walked to the stairway on one side and continued climbing in silence.
"Hey Darius?" Began Daniel, feeling very awkward climbing the stairs this quietly, "Liz looked a little....unsettled when we left her. Do you think-"
"Oh don't worry man," said Darius lightly, "Lizzy is way stronger than she is given credit for."
"I have zero doubts," said Daniel honestly, "it's just that she looked kinda..."
"It was Nathan," said Darius, "he knows just what to say to ruin someone's whole week."
"What he said about you was really low." Said Daniel feeling disgusted on Darius's behalf, "No caring friend should be called anything like that."
At this, Darius laughed.
"As much as I agree with you Daniel, you missed something completely. Or rather you misunderstood." He said, "His words weren't intended for me. He knows I have to put up with this quite a bit, so he knew insulting me directly won't do good. No indeed. His words were actually intended for Liz. Which really makes me mad. But I would rather not underestimate Liz."
"I don't understand." Said Daniel genuinely confused.
"You see, ever since Liz and I became friends, she's always had this doubt in her mind about my willingness to help her." Said Darius, "I always tell her that I help her because I want to. Because I genuinely care for her and good friends always have each other's backs. I had her more or less convinced. But I know that in the back of her mind, Liz feels that she is using me for her own gain. She thinks that me having her back makes her a bad person somehow because she is 'using' me. No matter how many times I tell her that we are friends, I just don't understand why she thinks she is using me."
"So that is what you meant when you said Nathan's words were intended for her?" Said Daniel feeling really angry now.
"Yeah. He made her think she's using me by calling me her errand boy and lapdog." Said Darius mildly.
"That's....wrong." Said Daniel. So this was Nathan. He hadn't seemed like a saint when he'd escorted Daniel, but he hadn't seemed like a real bad person either. Actually, scratch that. He'd always been like this. The two faced-
"Good," said Darius slowly and quietly, "you; you are feeling very angry. Right?"
"What?" Said Daniel baffled.
"Rage is filling you, and you are in a state of maniacal energy. Right?" He said in the same low gravelly voice.
Daniel took a step back. Something wasn't right.
"Wh- what are y- you talking about?" He said with a small stammer.
"Direct your anger to your body. Feel the strength from your anger in you." Said Darius.
"Darius, you are creeping me out." Said Daniel seriously.
Darius straightened his back and looked forward for a second before turning to Daniel.
"Actually, we took the wrong staircase. Your dorm room is on the other side of the building."

After much cursing the stairs and Darius's half hearted apology, Daniel finally reached room 543. Darius had just directed him here and left bidding him farewell. He'd also told him that tomorrow Daniel would have to participate in the orientation program. So maybe Daniel might understand the new school system and everything related to it by tomorrow. He took a deep breath. His heart was thumping like crazy. All of this was happening at breakneck pacing. He was already in his new dorm, and he already had a new roommate. How had Liz even managed to facilitate all of this for him so fast? Right now, that didn't matter. He took a deep breath and stared at the door for a second. Then, he raised his hand and knocked thrice, clutching his bag tightly. He could hear the shuffling of footsteps from outside and a sort of slapping noise that sounded similar to the noise slippers made whenever they slapped against the heels. He could also hear a voice. He waited, just as the guy opened the door and smiled at him.
It was Davy. The guy from this evening. The same dark skin. The same short, black hair. The same intense amber eyes.
He was on his phone talking to someone, but he shook Daniel's hand and indicated him to come inside, gesturing Daniel to give him a couple of minutes.
Daniel strode into the room. It was not very spacious. There were two beds and a nightstand next to each one in the far corners. Two study tables were adjusted next to each other directly in front of the window on the far end of the room and the tables were about two feet apart. There were a couple of cupboards and a small refrigerator. Another door on the right side of the room must lead to the bathroom.
"Yeah man I get you," said Davy into his phone giving Daniel an apologetic look, "now hush already! My new roommate is here and I am being very impolite now. Yeah I will see you in class."
He slid his phone into the pocket of his jeans.
"I am so sorry for that, man." He said sounding sincerely sorry, "I just wasn't expecting you to turn up so soon. Mr. Bartemius just told me this evening that I was gonna be getting a new roommate. So I just called my friend to tell her about that."
Friend....Cecile, probably.
"It's no big deal," said Daniel smiling at him, "I think I should introduce myself and then you can just tell me about all the arrangements of this room. I would hate to get in your way, you know."
"Nonsense," said Davy with a good natured laugh, "I always wanted to share my space with someone. Anyway, my name is Davy Castillo. I am 15. I used to be from around here but my parents left for earth before I was born. I recently got here, what with the blood oath and all."
"I see," said Daniel, feeling uneasy, "I am Daniel Xander and I am also from earth. I am 15."

The reaction was immediate. Daniel felt his insides squirm as Davy's face dropped. Like someone had wiped the smile off his face. He was looking at Daniel in a weird way now. Almost coldly. There was certainly something unfriendly in his stare.
"Oh," he said flatly, "well, it's nice to meet you."
Silence. Both of them were staring at one another. Davy with a mild look and Daniel with his signature confused one.
"Well," continued Davy rubbing his temples, "that's the bathroom," he pointed towards the door on the right, "the left cupboard is yours, you can keep water or something in the fridge, and you can have the bed on the left." He said gesturing to all the amenities of the room simultaneously. Then, he turned away from him and sat down on his bed. He picked up a book and started to read.
Well, this wasn't awkward at all.
Thanks, Cecile, thought Daniel glumly, I know you think I am an insect, but you could have kept your opinions about me to yourself. Now my new roommate thinks I am some dangerous delinquent with a rotten upbringing.
He sighed. He wasn't offended or angry. Not really. He'd come to terms with the fact that he would be singled out. Back in the hotel room, during his argument with Liz it hadn't seemed like such a big deal. But now Daniel saw what she'd meant. No matter. He still had to go by the good stranger's words. He wasn't worthless. He had to show everyone and shut them up. He set his bag onto his bed and took out his clothes. After putting them all in his cupboard, he took out his books and set them onto his study table. There were about 8 of them:

A Brief History of Immortality, Standard 10.
Planar Basics, Standard 10.
Lawful Uses of Imperiums, Standard 10.
Semi mortal Biology, Standard 10.
What Is Reality? Standard 10.
Mathematical Fundamentals Compilation, Standard 10.
Faction Entrance Exam Digest, 15th Edition. (Contains Jazuel's notes).
How to start. (For newcomers).

Daniel ran his finger over the front of Planar Basics. He sat down onto the table and popped it open, trying to read and understand what it was all about.

He'd gone through about 5 pages in half an hour. There was a lot of complicated calculation involved and a ton of notes about functioning of Egresses. All in all, Daniel couldn't make sense of 90% of the things he'd read.
He'd just read everything to himself and tried reviewing it all but it all was just too complicated. Obviously, he was starting right out in the tenth standard probably.
He set aside the he'd picked up and instead pulled the "how to start for newcomers" book towards him.
This actually helped him make some progress atleast. A lot of it was about how entering this new world without any preconceived notions was terrifying for many people, which Daniel could relate to. After that, it basically talked about a coping mechanism. A resolve to provide motivation. Something to help increase focus. Something to get rid of the thoughts of giving up. This could help Daniel. What was his resolve? Becoming someone of some importance, so that people would no longer hold anything against him or his father? No. His real resolve was to get back home, all the while shutting down everyone tarnishing his and his father's name. That is what he had to fight for.
His moment of focus was disrupted by the loud rumbling of his stomach. Whoa. His stomach was loud. He hadn't really had anything to eat, and since he'd spent most of his day jogging, sleeping and travelling; his hunger had taken a backseat. He considered turning to Davy to ask if he could go to a mess or something. This was a hostel, right? But Davy had already gotten up and gone to the restroom, leaving him on his own. Well, it wouldn't take Davy too long to return, right?
Daniel pulled away from his desk and closed his eyes, taking a moment of rest. Getting up, he decided to read his detective novel his dad had gotten him. The old man had spent all day in a line to get it for him. Would be a shame if Daniel didn't even read it. He was hit, not for the first time, by an inexplicable sensation of homesickness. He wondered if he would be able to talk to his parents at all.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Davy? Are you in there?" The voice was masculine and very familiar. "I have your friend with you. She was trying to come by but Mr. Bartemius wouldn't let her. So I got her here with me as she said it was something urgent. I hope it is. I am breaking 7 school rules by letting a girl enter the boy's dormitory."
Daniel stood there quietly for a moment. Was it really who he thought it was? Well, no good standing around. He went over and threw the door open.
"Hey, Davy is in the lavatory. So you guys can come in and-" he stopped mid sentence as he caught a proper glimpse of who it was. Standing right outside the room were two people. Cecile Kress in casual attire, her hair styled in a ponytail with a fringe in from of her forehead and strands framing her cheeks. Her blue eyes narrowed noticeably behind her semi-rimmed spectacles as she looked at him.
Beside her, stood a short, slim guy with the most mesmerizing eyes. The ones which only a fool would forget. The stranger from the park.
"Ah, new roommate!" Said the park guy extending his hand to shake Daniel's rather energetically, "And none other than Daniel Xander! Say, how's your hand now?"
Before Daniel could open his mouth and say it was fine, Cecile interrupted him.
"You are associated with him?" She asked sounding disinterested.
"Yes! I even met him today! At the park! We had a real nice talk." Said the guy excitedly.
Cecile smirked and shot Daniel a contemptuous look.
"Well, come in you guys." Mumbled Daniel stepping aside as the dude and Cecile walked in.

"I never got your name," said Daniel addressing the guy as he looked over to him, sitting down on Daniel's bed, "and that too after you helped me out of a rough spot. And well, you knew who I am and still chose to talk to me...."
"Why the hell are you saying that like you are someone bad? Isn't that what we talked about the most? Not looking down on yourself? Well, you told me you had a controversial figure in your father. So I guessed. I only confirmed my suspicion after talking to Darius. Part of the reason why I am here is to greet you properly. So," he took a deep breath, "I am Bruce Lopez. I am one of the students here and student council president. But please call me just Bruce."
"Wait? Bruce Lopez?" Said Daniel wondering where he'd heard that name before. Then, it struck him.
"You are rank 2! Right?" Asked Daniel.
"Please don't associate my rank with me." Said Bruce shaking his head, "I hate being judged based on rank. It's stupid, honestly. They are basically saying that you can get away with anything if your rank is good enough."
"Oh- right." Said Daniel awkwardly. This rank two guy was his age. According to Liz, he was way above her and Nathan's level. And here he sat, saying he hated being judged by rank. He looked so....cheerful. Definitely not the kind of guy Daniel could ever imagine would fight anyone.
"Ooohhhhh!" Said Bruce suddenly, sounding excited, "This is 'The glorious adventures of Mr. Zero'! I love this series! There's so much cool stuff!"
Daniel looked up and saw him holding his detective novel in hand.
"And it is signed! By the author?!" He said bouncing up and down, his face reflecting real happiness, "I loved the prequel to this! It was so awesome!"
"I know right?" Said Daniel feeling his own excitement rise up, "The scene where he just bursts in and unleashes a bullet storm onto the kidnappers? I can't think of many better written sequences!"
"Aw yeah!" Said Bruce in agreement, "I have been trying to get her to read this forever!" He said indicating towards Cecile, "But she just doesn't read it! Tch, no one has real taste here."
"With due respect Bruce," said Cecile formally, "I don't read too much in general. So it's nothing personal."
"Don't mind her, she is always like this." Said Bruce frowning, "No matter how many times I tell her I just want to be friends, she just puts me down."
"Well, if you ever wanna talk about Mr. Zero novels, you can talk to me!" Said Daniel brightly. He had tried to convince his friend Sunil to read Mr. Zero. But of course, Sunil had no interest in his novels and stuff. He preferred sports. So finding someone actually interested in detective novels was something which really brightened Daniel. Maybe, he could actually befriend Bruce. He'd already talked to him on another occasion and now her found out about Bruce's interest in Mr. Zero. Maybe, just maybe, he could have an actual friend, unlike his track team who in reality had just been mere acquaintances.

"Hey man. I am gonna head down to the mess. You wanna come with?" Said Davy stepping out of the washroom, a towel in hand. He'd changed into a sleeveless t-shirt and night pants. He was really well built. With his muscular arms and broad shoulders, his build was very similar to Nathan's.
Davy stopped in his tracks as he saw Cecile and Bruce. The former was staring at him while the latter was flipping through Daniel's novel energetically.
"Oh. Cecile. You are here?" Said Davy awkwardly. Daniel could see that colour was rising to his face.
"Well- yeah. I wanted to- to talk." Said Cecile staring at him, her ears turning pink.
"Oh. Well, we can talk." Said Davy hastily putting the towel aside and putting on a jacket lying on his bed.
Daniel turned to look at Bruce who's eyebrows had shot up.
"Um, could you guys give us a minute?" Asked Davy turning to Daniel and Bruce.
"What are you guys wanna talk about?" Bruce asked.
"Good question, actually." said Davy wearily, "What is so important that you wanna talk about."
"It's about the thing we discussed this evening. You know, that one thing? In the park?" Said Cecile casting a nervous glance to Bruce, not even acknowledging Daniel.
Daniel's heart had skipped a beat. The thing from this evening....was she talking about him? It made sense.
"I suppose we should get out and give them some space." Said Daniel to Bruce, wanting nothing more than to leave these two, "I am pretty hungry. Is there a mess?"
"I will show you." Said Bruce his eyes moving back and forth between Davy and Cecile.
"It won't take more than 5 minutes, I promise." Said Cecile, "We will join you as soon as we are done."
Bruce muttered something about regretting letting her come here before following Daniel outside.

The mess hall was located on the ground floor of the main building. A huge hall with students sitting at tables for 10 people. There was a long counter with metal containers on the left and a door leading to the restroom on the right. Daniel could see the students getting plates from the counters and helping themselves to several dishes. Bruce silently indicated Daniel to an empty table on the far end of the hall. Both of them got their trays and went over to the table. It was a rather uncomfortable metal bench and the table had a ton of stains on it.
"Whoa. This place is kind of a mess." Said Daniel more to himself than Bruce.
"Well, the students are responsible for the cleaning and everything. What do you expect?" Chuckled Bruce.
It was times like these when Daniel doubted if he was in a new world at all. There were places like the stationery shop and Madron coffee house which gave off the impression of a different reality. Then their were places like these.
"Well, get yourself something to eat!" Said Bruce brightly, "I will save the seats for Davy and Cecile."
Daniel returned after ten minutes. After thorough examination of each and every dish, he'd decided to help himself to lamb curry and some bread. Weirdly enough, there was no lamb in the lamb curry. Great pantry service this place had. Then again, it was a school mess. He had to keep his expectations low. Getting back to the table, he saw Davy and Cecile were already there, sitting next to each other, talking. Daniel walked over to the table and sat opposite them, next to Bruce. They immediately fell silent as Daniel sat down.
"So, I suppose I haven't introduced you." Said Bruce uneasily, "Well, Daniel, I suppose you have met Davy. Well, this is Cecile-"
"We have met." Said Daniel shortly, looking down at his tray.
"Oh- when?" Asked Bruce sounding thoroughly taken aback.
"This morning. In a stationery shop."
"Ah- I see." Said Bruce, as Cecile completely ignored Daniel. Was she aware that Daniel had eavesdropped onto her and Davy's conversation this afternoon? There was no way she could know, right?
Daniel began to eat in silence as Cecile began talking to Bruce about club activities. Tomorrow was gonna be his first day of this new school. And things were not looking up.