the hidden menace [Ranboo Boarding School AU]

chapter 4

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When the bell rang after this class, Ranboo didn't even try to go against the crowd.

This time the flow of traffic carried him to a huge room with tables instead of desks, and bookshelves instead of portraits on the wall.

All the other kids sat down and pulled out books and paper and pens or pencils.

Homework. They were doing homework.

Ranboo felt brilliant for figuring that out. How many times had he watched his older brothers groan over math problems, stumble over reading assignments, and scratch out answers in history workbooks?

His brothers never liked school. Once, years ago, Ranboo had been peering over his middle brothers shoulder at his homework, and noticed an easy mistake.

"Isn't eight times four thirty-two?" he'd innocently asked. "You wrote down thirty-four."

His brother stuck out his tongue and pushed so hard on his pencil that the led broke.

"See what you made me do?" he complained. "If you're so smart, why don't you go to school for me?"

Mother was hovering over them.

"Hush," she said to his brother. And that was the end of it.

Ranboo's family didn't dwell on what they all knew: Because Ranboo was a hybrid, he wasn't allowed to do lots of things his family could. An example would be school.

But here he was, now, at school.

"Young man," someone said in a warning voice.

Ranboo glanced around. He was the only one still standing. Quickly he slipped into the nearest vacant chair.

He didn't have any books to study or work to do. Maybe this was the time to read the not from Dream.

But as he reached into his pocket he knew it wasn't safe.

The boy across the table from him kept looking up, the boy two chairs down kept whispering and pointing. Though Ranboo kept his head down, he could feel eyes around him. Even if no one was looking directly at him, Ranboo felt itchy and anxious just being in the same room with so many other people.

He couldn't read the note. He could barely keep himself from bolting out of his chair, running out the door, finding some closet or small space to hide in.

And then everybody would know that he wasn't like everyone else. Everyone would know that all he knew how to do was hide.

Ranboo forced himself to sit still for two hours.

When the bell went off again, everyone trouped down a hall to a huge dinning area.

Ranboo hadn't eaten since breakfast at home—remembering breakfast gave him a lump in his throat as big as an egg. He wasn't hungry.