Apples of the Earth

7

Wilburs pov

School. What bumbling buffoon decided that would be a good idea? It's practically a pay-to-play game. Some people get a leg up, and others can't. It's unfair and Illy suited for learning. There should be two public and separate schools. 1 for kids trying to actually achieve something on life and learn here, and one for the rest of these morons who will be lucky to make it to drinking age, and after that their survival rates will plummet even further.

Yes, whoever thought it was a fool. But that doesn't keep everyone from buying into it. So, like a soldier preparing for battle, I'm matched down the street with my brother and am joined by others, equally unprepared, and to school, we go.

School itself could have been a good thing. But, the teacher is evil incarnate. Mr Schlatt is cruel, biased, and probably too dense to be a teacher anyhow.

He struggles through teaching us math. Then English. The techno is better at it all by far. Then music class comes, and I put him to shame when he tries to play a guitar like it's in the key of B. I am proud. I was, at least. But then, things went downhill.

Doctor ponk personally comes to ask to excuse the techno for a few hours. A doctors appointment. Without my brother, I'm alone. It got worse from there.

I tried making friends, but that's to that dream brat; everyone is too nervous to befriend me. Then it's lunch.

I help myself to a huge sandwich just to find it's literally a sandwich. A certain hooligan (take a guess) has gone and filled it with sand!
Jokes. On. Them.

I still eat the whole thing and go back for seconds. School food apparently is horrible. I prefer the sand.

After that, I am expected to go outside. But I feel like being productive and not standing in a courtyard awkwardly, so I decide to make my way to the library. I haven't learned a new word in a few days.

It's a rather disappointing library with a few stories. Most books are simply educational, which I don't mind, but it's often things I already knew. How to craft a bed, the best way to farm pumpkins, enchantment tips, etc. We had all this and more back home. We'll, not anymore, I suppose. The librarian seems nice enough, but he isn't much help. I struggle to find something worth reading but eventually sit down with a book on the town history.

"The library isn't for reading. Go find somewhere else I need quite." The librarian announces rather rudely. I stand up and snap the book shut, the hard cover making a most wonderful sound as it hits the paper. I checked the book out and headed to find somewhere to read.

As I'm walking down the empty halls, the lights begin to flicker. Then go out completely. The lanterns have plenty of oil, so what could have possibly gone wrong? Then one relishes and I see them. Dream, Sapnap and Quackity. Standing forebodingly at the end of the hall, I turn quickly and bump into Purpled, standing right behind me and punz behind him.

Threatening situation aside, who let people name these kids??? Honestly...

I turn around and gulp as soon as sapnap snaps his fingers, and the light goes out. I can't see, but I can smell the potion on their clothes as they grab me, cover my mouth, and pull me into the darkness. Netherworld and carrots. They have nightvision. And me, apparently.

I keep fighting against it, but it's futile to do so. Soon, I hear a door close, and a light comes on. We're in an art room. It appears to be long abandoned. It seems to be part storage room now, based on the general junk lying around.

"Listen up. I don't  know who you think you are, but you can't mess with us and walk away." Dream says, shoving me backward. I don't like where this is going.

"Your big bad brother isn't here to save you. But it's all the better for him. You're not welcome here, and sometimes, people need to be put in their place." Dream continues. Sapnap and punz hold my arms behind me. I definitely see where this is going. And I honestly don't care at this point. I'm not getting out of this. So go big or go home, right?

"You feel that threatened by new kids? I'd be embarrassed if I were that petulant. Not to mention that you're rather unprepossesing and have a certain odor about you that remind me of rotten flesh." I say as evenly as I can manage. These guys tried to take one of my lives last time we interacted. It's reasonable to say I'll die in here. That would suck. But if I'm going to die, I might as well cause as much pain as possible. And I'm being held down. So I guess that leaves me with snarky comments and my wit.

As expected, I feel fists plow into my stomach, and I wheeze as air evacuates my lungs. They're talking, but I can't hear them over my pounding heart and the rushing of blood in my ears.

Tears blur my vision. Not from the pain so much, but from fear. My health is dropping. I don't want to die, not like this, not so soon. I want to lose my first life on an adventure or in an epic battle. I want to die for something I believe in or for the sake of adventure. Not because some spoiled brat hates me.

3 hearts.... 2 and a half.... 2.....

Suddenly, hope. Although I can't see very clearly I'm able to tell the door has opened and bright light floods in. The boys behind me promptly drop me, and I sink to my knees before finally allowing myself to fall to the ground. Again, it wasn't really so much the pain as the fear. I wipe the tears from my eyes and force myself to listen.

"-ing on in here?" says a familiar voice. I look up and see two figures in the doorway. Our homeroom teacher and my brother

"Dream! I expect better from you!" Shlatt proclaims. Instantly, my attackers fake shame. They were literally just caught trying to KILL me!

"I am calling your mother right now. You're going home early today. All of you are." He continued and pulls out a communicator and begins calling parents. He STILL hasn't even checked on me.

Techno helps me to my feet, and while Shlatt is slightly turned, he pins dream to the wall by what I assume is his throat. Hard to tell when you're a blob.

"Give me one reason why I don't take all three of your lives, right here, right now." He spits out. My brother's usually very calm, almost uncaring seeming if you don't know better. But now, fury drips from his voice and fire glints in his eyes.

In response, dream simply chuckles.

"You can't. " He laughs. Shlatt turns around again, and Techno drops him. He roughly grabs my hand and leads me from the room.

"Howd you even find me?" I ask him.

"The voices. They watch you when I can't. They watch everything, really. And they're complete snitches, too." He says without even turning to look at me.

So, the time he knew I broke his sword. And the time he correctly guessed exactly what I did that day. The time he showed dad exactly where I hid the Golden apples. How much does he know?

"Well, thanks." I say. He nods, already back to his normal self. Nearly. His grip is still tight on my wrist.

"Really, thank you." I repeat myself. He finally stops and turns with a slight smile.

"What are brothers for?"