The Warrior Spirit

Seven

After the morning lessons, we headed out to the cafeteria for lunch. Most of those headed there were in groups, accompanied by friends and loved ones. And to think I once had those, only to lose them to their lowly assumptions of me was very disheartening. I never could have expected this from either of them, especially Travis, who'd been with me long enough to understand the limits to my rage. He should know that I would never attempt something so drastic.

Walking down the hallway on my own, I caught the accusatory looks on the faces of every student I came across. But none of them fazed me like how Bilal and Travis looked at me earlier. They acted like I was a total stranger, someone they didn't know. And I wasn't about to let myself be influenced by their thoughts or actions anymore. I had my life to live. And if their way of grieving our friend's loss was by blaming his death on another friend, then I doubted if they were the best company to keep around. I'd delt with enough negativity in my life to settle for friendships I didn't deserve.

Flora couldn't keep her eyes off of me as she hung out with Husna and Hasina at the table, her two best friends who were also twins, yet identical in every way possible. I understood her concern for me, and I really appreciated that she cared about me. However, I didn't need her sympathy. I may be crippled and alone in this, but that didn't mean I was weak.

"Come and sit with us," Flora called as I walked by their table.

The looks on Husna and Hasina's faces changed at once, and they both glared at her in disapproval. Yet Flora continued to gesture towards the vacant chair, asking me to sit with them.

The resentful sisters averted their gazes to me in an attempt to scare me away from their table. But they needed not bother, as I was not considering sitting with anyone today, unwilling to draw unwanted attention to myself, with all the rumor going around that I killed Gregor.

"It's all right." I smiled, proceeding towards the back, which was less crowded. I almost forgot to grab my lunch from the counter, as I was discomfitted by all the hateful looks I was receiving from about everyone in the cafeteria.

"Good morning, Mrs. Shaw," I greeted the kind, middle-aged chef behind the counter.

Her face brightened into a smile as she noticed me in the line. "Morning, handsome!" she responded cheerfully, her smile fading away as she offered her condolences to me over Gregor's demise. "He was a kind, gentle spirit, that one. It's so sad he left us so soon."

"Yeah," came a familiar voice from behind me, cutting into the line. "I suppose you heard he was murdered, Mrs. Shaw," Travis said, collecting the meal that was meant for me. "Rumor has it that someone close to him did it," he added, casting a quick glance in my direction.

"Well, rumor has it that he was killed by a vampire," responded Mrs. Shaw, hastening to pour me another plate of porridge. "Heard that one from one austere young man a while ago. Confirmed it when I read my copy of Skye Daily. So rumor says a lot of things, boy, don't be too quick to judge."

I smiled a half smile, watching the disappointed look on his face upon hearing her claim. He walked away with my meal, casting a ferocious glare in my direction as he went over to sit with Bilal and the others.

"Thank you," I said, collecting the tray from her. "Thank you for standing up for me."

"Oh, I've got you, handsome." She winked at me. "People will talk. They always do. But don't let that get to you, okay?"

I nodded, smiling as I left in the opposite direction with my tray, almost bumping into the motionless form of Levi standing right in the middle of the cafeteria, looking lost.

"It's time," he said in a dreadful tone, stepping out of the way to allow me passage towards the table I was headed. "They're finally here."

I kept casting curious glances at him as I went over to sit alone at the table, unable to understand who he was speaking about. Levi had always been this way, strange and reserved. He would often speak in puzzles and leave you to decipher their meaning. Yet I couldn't help but notice that he was acting a little weirder than usual today, not with the claim about vampires and now with this, who knows who he was talking about this time.

But just before I had a taste of my porridge, I recalled the quiet grunts of the crimson-eyed wolf in my dream and the words they'd formed. It was exactly the same thing Levi had just uttered. It's time, I repeated mentally, trying to find a connection with the weirdo's absurd claim.

Time for what? I wondered, and why did he have to wait until I was close enough to tell me about it? I began to get the same sense of dread I experienced whenever I dreamed about those wolves, unable to get those three words out of my mind as I went about having my meal.