Apex Academy

Part 5

Elliot walked slowly towards the desk as he followed Bloodhound. Bloodhound made sure the Elliot wouldn't bolt at the first chance he got by holding onto his arm and making sure they had a vice grip on him. 

"Bloth, Why does it look like you are kidnapping Elliot?" Renee questioned as she moved to sit opposite her dormmate. Elliot grumbled something under his breath before slumping into his seat with a sad expression on his features. "This is torture, I wish I had followed Walter." He mumbled towards Bloodhound who huffed under their breath. "Walter Fitzroy would pull you into his troublesome ways." 

Renee knew she had missed an important slice of their conversation as she listened in. "You met Walter? He is a fireball, Literally. His favourite pastime is working in his room and testing out grenades. People call him the explosive enthusiast." Bloodhound nodded and grabbed a large sheet of paper after listening to what the teacher was demanding of them. 

They had been ordered to work in groups. Renee had quickly joined up with Bloodhound and Elliot and was soon joined by another student that Elliot was yet to meet. "Hey, Teach suggested I joined you guys, Hope you don't mind." 

"Not at all Ramya. You will be a vital asset to this partnership." Bloodhound responded and handed the female a colouring pencil. Ramya hummed in response and gave them a toothy grin before chewing something that was later revealed as pink bubble gum as she blew a bubble and popped it loudly. Renee didn't look as pleased to have the tomboyish girl join their group but remained silent on the matter. Elliot had no opinion as he had never met her. 

Elliot watched memorized as Bloodhound began sketching a large shape on the white paper. They had all agreed to draw Bloodhounds pet Bird, Artur. Elliot had suggested doing a theme that was relevant to one of them and Renee didn't have any idea and Ramya wasn't paying attention and was sticking her gum under the desk to leave a nasty surprise for the next pupil to sit there. Bloodhound had mentioned their Raven and everyone collectively agreed to work on making a masterpiece that was centred around the bird. 

"Artur is pretty cool, I have met him once. He is very intelligent for a bird." Ramya spoke as she twirled the black coloured pencil around in her fingers and glanced over at the drawing. Bloodhound hummed in response and passed the piece of paper towards her so that she could add shading and colour as they had finished drawing the bird. Elliot admired that his new friend had good artistic skills and felt slightly envious of their skill. 

Ramya began colouring in and it was soon revealed that she was just as talented as Bloodhound was. "I used to dabble in the arts when I lived with my parents before I began working on other things. I still use it as a tactic to unwind, You should try it sometime Wraith." Ramya gave Renee a side look. Elliot noticed that Renee's jaw clenched and her eyes flashed with a hostile spark. He moved closer to her and slid his hand over to hers, Hidden under the desk he took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. Renee looked over at him with a surprised expression but Elliot had already moved his gaze back towards the two artists of the group. 

The class sailed by, Ramya and Bloodhound had finished the drawing and Renee and Elliot had added a detailed description of the tools and colours that had been used. They each took turns to sign the work before handing it to the teacher who beamed at their work and pinned it on the noticeboard to showcase to other students as an example of what would be expected from them. Elliot was glad when it was time to leave and he could tell that Renee was as well. 

Elliot followed Renee, Ramya and Bloodhound out of the classroom and they came to a halt in the corridor. Ramya turned to Elliot holding a piece of paper. "Here, We have some more classes together later. This is my number, Bloodhound has added theirs at the bottom." She said and shoved the small piece of paper in his hand before slapping him on the back and walking away ad disappearing out of sight. Bloodhound nodded towards Elliot. "I will see you later." They excused themselves leaving Renee and Elliot to stand alone together in the slightly crowded hallway. 

"I am guessing that you don't like Ramya?" Elliot mumbled as the pair headed back towards their shared room. They had an hour break and they both agreed to head back to the dorm before meeting up with anyone else. Renee sighed. "It's not like I don't like her, I just struggle to get along with her, She is quite full of herself. She is a talented woman but-" She shook her head and threw her hands in the air. "I just can't get to like her, I have tried." Elliot nodded and fell silent and wondered what Ramya thought of Renee and thought back on the snide remark she had made during the class. 

"Natalie wants to meet up in a few moments in the lounge, She had snacks," Renee spoke as she tapped away on her phone. "A few others with be there, You want to join?" She questioned and showed him the text. He shrugged and nodded. "Yea, I heard snacks." He grinned causing her to show a faint ghost of a smile before her expression went back to her stoic cold look. 

The Lounge wasn't far from their dorm and they had soon arrived. Natalie was the first to spot them as she waved happily. She was surrounded by a few other people. Octavio, Walter and a few others that Elliot hadn't met. "Natalie, How many people do  you know?" He teased as he pulled her into a side hugged catching himself and the French girl by surprise. He was beginning to feel comfortable around her. She gave him a cute smile. "I know mostly everyone." She mumbled and giggled. "This is Caleb Cross, Anita and Loba." She introduced three others. 

Caleb was tall and lean, He had strikingly strange blue eyes that had an orange tint to them and a strange look that was plastered across his face, Elliot got the shivers just by looking at him. Anita was a military brat, born and raised for war. She had dark skin and curly frizzy hair and a stoic expression. Elliot could tell that if he could get to know her she could be nice to hang out with. Loba was the classic beautiful female that everyone was attracted to, Elliot had noticed her straight away but not because of her looks. It was because of how uncomfortable she looked standing next to Caleb. 

"Nice to meet you guys, I am Elliot Witt. Maybe Renee has mentioned me. " Elliot spoke nervously. Loba looked glad for a distraction and swooped over to him and offered out her hand, He took it gently and shook it in greeting. "Welcome to the Academy, I hope to see you hanging around with the crew. They are quite a few of us." She laughed, Her voice velvety and rich. Anita chuckled as she came up behind Loba and wrapped her arms around the taller woman. "Leave the more man alone love." She teased and Loba let out a laugh. "Roger that Sarge." 

Elliot noted that the two made a cute yet strange couple, One girly girl and the other tomboyish and brooding. He wasn't there to judge them though. He glanced over at Caleb who was looking him over and looked deep in thought. Loba followed his gaze and moved to block Caleb's view. "Stay away from the demon. He is the school bully and picks on the weak, If you ever need help with him...Speak to me or Walter." She paused. "Or Ashely Ried, Those two have a weird friend with benefits deal that has been going on." She made a gagging noise. "I bet even Maggie would love to take a crack at the guy." 

Elliot enjoyed the company and was thankful that Loba was attempting to include him in the conversation. He had been invited back to the bar for drinks later that night and had found himself agreeing and even managed to convince Renee to go with him. He felt slightly happier about the whole college ordeal but he still wished he could be back at home taking care of his mother but he had been sentenced to life as a student.