Unfamiliar Territory [Book One]

Chapter Six | The Meeting

"If you would close the door behind you," Mr. Mallard called as soon as I entered the room. I did as he said.

The carpeted classroom was mostly bare, save for the desks pushed up against the walls. A single chair remained near the center of the room in which Mr. Mallard had sat himself. Stallion and Mutt had found spots on the floor.

"Kat, could you please get our friend some tea?" Mr. Mallard asked, before turning to me and waving to the floor before him. "Have a seat."

His voice had its soft cadence again. It made me wonder if I had imagined the way he spoke in the hallway mere moments ago. I eyed Mutt as I sat and was reminded of how real it all was. He was pale, his expression blank. As he sat, he had his hands in his lap and seemed to be busy studying them. A stark contrast from the violent boy who threatened to kill people not even a minute ago.

Kat made her way to the teacher's desk where I had somehow missed the familiar, fiery tea set laid out across it. I watched her back as she prepared the tea and poured the water in. She had taken off her jacket at some point since I last saw her. Her hair was cut short in the back too, the skin on the back of her neck was red. When she turned and walked back to me I straightened up.

I bit the inside of my cheek, preparing for another intense moment of eye contact, but she kept her eyes away from me as she kneeled down and handed me the cup and saucer. Did she know I was watching her? I took what she offered and held it in my hands.

"Drink. It will help calm your nerves," Mr. Mallard instructed.

I looked down at the tea. Its color suggested it was hazelnut again. Kat's choice.  I drank it down all at once. It burned like hell, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first time. I did not black out, either, though my brain did feel fuzzy for a nanosecond. My throat ached, but I did feel my breathing ease on its own as soon as I had finished it all.

"Now, I'm sure you have some questions," Mr. Mallard said, even offering me an encouraging smile.

I looked back at Mutt who was still pale and staring at his hands. "Is Mutt okay?"

Mr. Mallard chuckled softly. If it was supposed to put me at ease, it had the opposite effect. "Oh, yes, he will be fine. A little winded, maybe, but he will bounce back to his old self in no time."

I hesitated.  "...What happened?"

Mr. Mallard tapped the bottom of his cane against the ground a few times. His belly rose and fell in time with his deep breathing. "Ah, now there is some new territory you might not be prepared to cross into," he said. "For now, just understand that Mutt is special. He has a big heart and cares a great deal for his fellow club mates. It is a rare quality, and one I hope you come to appreciate, not fear."

"But..."

Mutt was staring back at me--but there was nothing. Where once was immeasurable joy, and then terrifying rage, now there was nothing. How could one word have an effect like that?

"I know it's not very helpful," Mr.Mallard went on, noticing my distress, "but everyone has secrets. Personal business they only share with their closest of confidants. It has been a joy to have you with us these past few weeks, but you still have much to prove before you are one such confidant."

My insides tightened as Mr. Mallard continued to smile. So, I still wasn't one of them. Not really. As Kat had implied earlier, I still had more to prove. Even after a full month, I still knew next to nothing about any of them. I hung out with them, I acted nice around them, but it wasn't enough. They needed more.