Poor Vallery

I keep staring at my notebook in the ticking silence of the clock.

“And with that-”

DING DONG

“..We are done.” Mrs.Bellmor finishes.

I involuntarily take a long sniff of fresh morning air and clench my jaw – I’m preparing to talk to Rena about our inevitable death. Great.

“Students, please sit back down.” Mrs.Bellmor commands, and chairs screech and settle. “I have just received.. Tragic news…”

My gaze snaps onto Rena’s. I catch a subtle tremble in her lips and my hand grips my pen. We both know the tragedy of which she’s about to speak of. We were there…

“I regret to inform you..” She gulps, looks down, presses her lips tightly, and looks back up. “That Vallery of Class B passed away in his sleep last night…”

Murmur erupts and progressively overwhelms the room until-

“Quiet please..” She takes a quick deep breath and hides her hands behind her back, straightening her posture. “All students must gather at the statue of Ravanel in the yard to honor and send off Vallery in 20 minutes. Offer your condolences to his parents. I don’t want to hear a word about anything but the poor boy. Be respectful. Be human. That is all. “

“So math is cancelled?” Macena raises his hand.

“Yes, Macena… Is that really so important to you?” Her muscles ease into a subtle frown.

“I like to be properly informed.” He slowly looks around. “ As should we all. “ And smiles.

“Right… Be human. That. Is all.” She puts weight on the last few words. “You’re free to go.” She walks out, leaving the door open.

“Holy shit! He’s dead?!” A girl exclaims.

“He’s 16 though! How?!” Another grabs her backpack and starts walking, eyes glued on her friend’s.

Many more start discussing. And the more I hear them say different variations of the word “die”, the more my stomach turns and my skin crawls. I feel cold. Like I’ve got the flu. I wish it was just the flu… In fact, I would gladly take the flu for life over-

“Out. Now.” Rena shoots me a look of distress as she walks past my desk, and I follow as if pulled by a string, quickly throwing on my backpack.

“Hey, Rena…” Lenn’s voice is soft. Hesitant and quiet. And she’s still seated.

“Heyy…” Rena tightens her grip on the strap of her backpack. “Listen… I really need to talk to Tonton for a second - the teacher is having us work on a presentation together so…”

Quick thinking. Rena’s a good liar.

“Oh.. Right. Of course. Go.” She replies.

“We’ll talk a bit later.. And um…Poor Vallery..”

“Yeah..” Lenn almost whispers.

After a brief moment of silence, Rena and I waste no time and walk out the door. Side by side, we dive into the stone-walled corridors of Coinmorr, alive with chatter - mostly about the boy. I can see it in her eyes, she doesn’t know where to begin. But I already have something on my mind.

“Do you think she could also be…” I ask.

“You mean…?” Her brows rise, forming a look of worry. She’s pale. Very pale.

“Yes, she wasn’t exactly herself…”

“Maybe it’s because you made her cry and defending her got me into detention.”

“Defending..?” I raise an eyebrow.

“Maybe it's just awkward for her…”

“We can’t be certain but I feel like she was scared.”

“Maybe…” She sighs shakily.

“I wonder how many more…” My eyes glide from person to person in the crowd. Would their faces bear clues? Was their ‘day 0’ as traumatizing as ours? Or were they perhaps stuck wondering if they are going crazy…

“Um, the shadows..” She clears her throat. I remember the face she made. How she begged me not to walk without her. How she quivered in fear. She’s just a girl… I’m at my wits end – I can’t imagine what it must be like for her.

“All of those were… “She gulps.

“Students.” I finish.

She nods and pauses. “What about Lenn then? If she is also…”.

“You wanna talk to her?” I glance at Rena. “Try to find out if she feels bad for getting you in detention or if she’s part of a fucking death game.” I hiss the last part.

“Of course! She’s my friend. I can’t leave her alone…”

“You don’t think it’s risky?” I say as we finally set foot on the stairs.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… She could betray us.”

“Us?” She stares right into my soul. “Who’s to say you won’t betray me?!”

“Exactly. Point is we can barely trust each other… Not smart to throw others in the mix.”

“She’s my friend… I won’t leave her alone.” She gulps. “Besides. We don’t know what we are up against. She could be of use.”

“We?” I glance at her.

“I won’t lie. I could have ended up like Vallery if it weren’t for you…”

“I had your back. You had mine...” I look at her until our eyes meet.

“Yes…” She looks away.

“So, we team up with Lenn?”

“Yeah.”

“Great. We really have a shot at this huh…” I sigh, masking my overwhelming anxiety and fear with my usual snarkiness.

“Shut up.” Brief and sharp. Not in the mood for jokes.

We blend into the river of students, flowing into the vast outdoors of Coinmorr. Side by side, we follow the teachers who guide us through the low-cut grass to the statue of Ravanel. A lean, muscular man with the head of a raven, and wings bursting out of his back, posed with his hand out, standing tall and proud.

“Ravanel…” I mumble.

“Let me guess… You have no idea who he is.” She’s trying to distract herself.

“None in the slightest.” I shake my head.

“You really don’t pay attention at all, do you..?”

“Only when it matters.” I glance at her.

“Sure…”

“So.. What is he? This half-raven, half-man guy.”

“No point in telling you.”

“What?”

“You won’t pay attention. It’s not important.”

I scoff as I can’t stop a smirk from tugging at my lips.

“Right.”

Her hand suddenly grips mine so tight she’s making a mush of it.

“What are you–” That look again... What is it this time!?

Badum. Badum. Badum. My heart pounds. Time slows. The chirping of the birds, the loud murmur of the crowd, the shouting of the teachers – it all blends into this eerie silence… The sound of my breath. The cold sweat drops forming on my face. I’m hyperaware. Fight. Or. Flight.

And then I see him. Ahead in the crowd with his head turned to us.

Moren.

Badum. Badum. Badum. Badum. Badum. My heart races as the imagery flows in, corrupting my mind with the vile of yesterday. How he was looking at Vallery after he had bashed his face in. How he laughed. This look he had. Like he could finally breathe.

He’s not human. But he can’t hurt us.

“It’s okay.” I quietly assure her, gripping her hand in return. “He can’t do anything to us.”

Despite my brave facade, I’m shaking. He turns away and keeps walking with his class. Nothing. I read nothing on his face. He always looks the same. Composed.

“Sorry!” She whimpers quietly as she tries to control the trembling.

“Shut up.” I clench my jaw.

“We are safe.” I say as I take a deep breath, ignore the tightness in my chest and try to keep it together.

“W-we saw it all…” Her fragile voice carries frustration.

“We did..” We speak quietly.

“But we can’t..” Her gaze is locked on the grass beneath us.

“Yes.. No one will believe us.”

We stop. We have arrived in front of the statue and on the four stone stairs leading up to it are several teachers, what I assume are the parents of the boy and the headmaster.

“He’s a monster..” My ears hone in on her quiet speech as the teachers begin.

“Yes..”

“He’s gonna kill more..” Her voice shakes. She’s on the verge of tears.

“...”

“He’s gonna kill us.” Through her furrowed brows and squinted eyes escapes a river of tears. She wipes and wipes away sniveling, as she bites her lips to stop them from trembling.

“Are you okay, Rena?” A girl reaches out from behind us.

“She’s okay.” I turn, unable to contain my frustration from spilling out.

“Alright man.. Jee…Since when do you answer for her?”

“Just shut up.” I shut down the conversation.

“Asshole.” She scoffs.

“We will talk later. After school.” I say, as I notice a tall, white-haired teacher grab a student by the arm and angrily hiss something in his face.

“Yes..” She’s picking herself up bit by bit.

“Take your friend, we’ll meet at the benches right in front of the school entrance. We’ll be safe there."

“Okay.”

“I know I don’t need to say this but.. don’t go where I can’t protect you.”

“You’re my protector now, huh?” She’s starting to calm down.

“Not really. I’m more of an obstacle. Or a toy. I saw the way he looked at me.”

“...” She tightens her grip on my hand again and I hear the girls behind us whispering - mentioning something ridiculous about a relationship between us but I pay no mind to it.

“Besides. I ain’t doing this for you princess – Strength in numbers.” I say with a straight face.

“Right.” She lets out a chuckle.

“So.” I let go of her hand. “We meet after school.”

“Yes.” She nods and we stand there, not moving a muscle – just like everyone else.

My attention goes to the headmaster who is giving a speech about a precious scholarship student lost, about how he and his name will never be forgotten. I try my best to honor Vallery but I can’t calm my mind.

Perhaps some part of me wishes I could have saved him. I didn’t know him but he looked so innocent. A frail, blond-haired kid. A fellow scholarship fool, lured in by endless prestige and opportunities. He didn’t deserve this. And the monster who did it is right there. Blended into the crowd. A wolf amongst sheep, none the wiser. But I am under no illusion. I too am sheep. I fear him. To my bones.

My eyes dart to the parents who break out crying, slowly kneeling, their posture collapsing under the sadness that poisons the air. Why did they agree to come to this? This is insane… Their son just passed away…

“They are contractually obliged to.”

“What?”. She reads my mind once more. I also notice her eyes keep avoiding the parents like the plague – she hasn’t looked up once.

“In the papers your parents sign, it says something about Coinmorr being one big family and how the founder insisted that upon the death of a teacher or student - the school has to find out immediately and this… ceremony is held the same day they pass.”

“That’s insane..”

She lets out a heavy sigh and goes back to gripping her skirt with her right hand.

The clouds. These dark clouds slowly swallow the sun and a heavy shadow covers the school. I notice my heart is starting to beat faster. I’m becoming oddly aware of the sensations in my body, every slight movement, every gulp of saliva, every time my lungs expand and contract until I feel like it's harder to breathe. The darkness reminds me of nightfall. And that reminds me of…

“Do you feel it too?” She almost whimpers, looking at me through a crack in her hair. The teachers are done with the speech and all the students start taking their turn offering their condolences to the parents that are currently on the ground, buried in their palms, shaking and sniveling in front of the crowd.

“I do.”

“I’m afraid…”

“So am I...”

She sighs. “This is getting out of hand.” Then glances back at the group of girls behind us. I’ve been listening in on what they are saying too. Something about me blackmailing her to date me. They saw us holding hands.

“Yeah…”

“We can’t do it at the benches. They will see.”

“Where then?”

“I don’t know. The school will kick us out after classes.”

“Then.. How about my house?”

“Are you sure?”

I nod.

“Okay, I’ll get Lenn.” She fist bumps my arm with her lips tucked into an awkward smile, her eyes wearing a dull expression. “Thank you…”

I smile back awkwardly. The crowd of people is thinning and it's soon my turn. “Hey um..” Right before I leave I turn to her. “We couldn’t have done anything. You know that right?”

She nods in appreciation, unable to say anything back and I leave.

It’s grueling, standing in line - approaching this miserable aura of despair. What am I even supposed to say? Sorry? Hope all goes well?

The kid in front of me just says “I’m sorry for your loss”. It doesn’t matter anyway - they aren’t listening. They’re too busy hiding their tears, being publicly shamed in front of the whole fucking school.

“I’m so sorry.” I mumble and I leave, carrying a strange weight on my chest and a sight I’ll never forget – the sight of two parents who will never see their child again. This could have been my parents If I died instead of them. Would that have been any better? Wouldn’t that be selfish? I would leave them to suffer until they die of old age… My heart twists, and despite never having even talked to the guy, I feel tears start to rise.

I bet even those entitled bastards are capable of feeling this. I bet somewhere deep down, their little heart aches for Vallery and his parents. Except for those idiots who kept talking about stupid crap like me and Rena holding hands. Pathetic.

I have time to kill before the next class and I have an idea. I turn around to see if Rena’s done. There she is, eyes still glued on the grass with a sad look on her face aanddd... The girls catch up and start bombarding her with questions. Undoubtedly about me and why we were holding hands. I sigh and continue walking to the entrance of the academy.

There goes my plan to get her number and socials. Wow.

Getting the queen of Coinmorr’s number and socials.. Am I this school’s biggest player or what…

Seriously though. I glance back. Those pests need to disappear. We need to have a way of keeping in touch at all times. Especially with Moren creeping around in the shadows. Although… I don’t think he’d ever kill here. Why would he… He can just do it in the other world… Tonight… You know what. What am I so afraid of? Let the fucker come. It’s two against one. Yeah…

I attempt to delude myself as I walk up the stairs.

He’s taller, more athletic and is actually willing to kill me. On top of that. He seems fearless where as I fucking tremble at the sight of him. FUCK!

I walk to the door, only realizing I’ve been scowling– right hand clenching the inside of my pocket – thanks to the confused looks from people I pass.

I see Macena at his desk, talking to one of his friends. As if nothing happened. Not a trace of sadness in his face.

I sling the backpack onto my chair, rip it open and pull out my notebook. I sit down, no one is looking at me. I scribble on a blank piece of paper. Damn it… I forgot my pen is out of ink. I glance at the desk to my left. There’s just what I need- and the person who it belongs to is two desks down in the middle row, talking to Macena. I make sure no one sees and I grab it, swiftly write on the blank page, quietly tear it from the notebook and walk to Rena’s desk - dropping off the pen back where I got it from on my way there. I place the note on her chair that is pushed underneath the desk, and walk back to my own as if nothing happened. Except.

“Tony!” My eyes snap to Macena. Why did he randomly decide to look back!? I try to ignore him and sit in my chair.

“So the rumours are true, huh?” He slowly stands with a grin on his face.

“What?” I reply, pretending to be busy preparing my desk for the upcoming class.

“The photo.” He scoffs, still smiling. “You and Rena, holding hands.” He starts walking to her desk, gaze locked on mine.

“Now you’re leaving secret notes for her?” Her chair screeches as he pulls it back and theatrically snatches the piece of paper. He glances at me smugly and tugs at the edges, holding it up as he reads.

“‘Write your phone number and socials here next to mine.’” He chuckles, tossing a look at his friends, who are already laughing and nudging each other. “‘With love, Tonton.’”

“It doesn’t say that.” I glare, brows furrowed.

“Did she slap you so hard you thought you had a chance with her?” He laughs, releases the paper and then crushes it underfoot as he approaches.

“No, you moron. We have a presentation we need to work on together for Mrs. Bellmor.” I’d say that was a pretty convincing lie. Should be good.

“Oh really?” He plants his hands on my desk and leans in, staring into my soul. “Care to elaborate on the subject and topic?”

Shit. My heart is pounding. I’m straining to maintain a blank face. He fucking got me. I can’t give him what he wants, not with that disgusting smirk!

“History of Coinmorr.” Rena intervenes.

He whips his head around and takes a few steps back.

“It’s true?”

“Yes it is.” She’s with Lenn, surrounded by a group of girls as per usual.

“And the photo? Got a quick reply locked and loaded for that one too?” He leans against a nearby vacant desk.

She lets out a heavy sigh as she walks to her desk and carefully places her backpack on the floor.

“The child of a family friend passed away recently. Seeing…” She breathes in and out, remaining exceptionally calm under the pressure radiating from the countless eyes on her. “Vallery and his parents reminded me of them.” She turns to me. “I’m sorry I held onto your hand so suddenly. I just needed someone…”

“It’s alright..” I reply. She’s damn good.

“Right..” He pauses, just staring at her blankly. Is this guy not buying it?! “In that case, you have my condolences.” He pushes off the desk and heads to his own. The crowd breaks into groups and chatter erupts.

Rena bends over, her long black hair nearly touching the floor, and picks up the dirty note. She glances at me and sits on her desk. Not long after I get a notification. She followed me. Mission.. Accomplished. I guess…

I’d love to text her now. I have things on my mind but she’s swarmed with her ‘friends’ once again. As time passes, my mind juggles between a thousand questions. What did the host mean by abilities? Some kind of power to help us survive? Drawing our abilities… Like a lottery? Could this be the difference between life or death? If I get a useful ability will I be able to fight off Moren? How would I even use it?

DING DONG.

The class begins as Mrs. Bellmor marches into the room.

I notice Macena looking through his shoulder, throwing me looks from time to time.

Rena is listening to the teacher intently. She must be pretending.

My hands are cold and sweaty. This is the last lesson for today. Which reminds me that time is passing and soon it will be dark…

“Macena? What are you doing…” Mrs. Bellmor sighs, stopping her history rant.

“Apolgies.. I just needed to distract myself after the… Tragic news.”

“History isn’t distracting enough for you?”

“Ah.” He sighs and places his phone on the desk, face down. “Sorry just. Got addicted to this game.” He glances back at me. I skip a beat. “You could say. It’s the game of my dreams.” he snickers.

This is my chance. My eyes leap from head to head, scanning for clues. Who else is gonna react?

Lenn. She’s staring at him, eyes wide open, fingers holding a pen- trembling.

I look at Rena. She looks at me. We officially need to talk to Lenn. Thanks, Macena. This is the first and likely last time that your idiotic taunts are going to be of use.