Counterpart

Chapter Fifteen

Rin fell in line as other students flooded the mess hall. It was, needless to say, pretty large for such a school. Many of the others already had their food in wooden trays, filling up the benches at an alarming rate. I may not even get the chance to find a seat come my turn.

The trays of food were all but thrown out for the students to grab off the table. Rin quickly took one as he scanned the area for a place to sit. He wandered down a row of tables, all the noise deafening his own thoughts as his eyes locked on to some familiar faces. Those who were at the arena from before.

They'll do. He walked up to their place, setting down his tray before taking a seat. They all stared at him. "...Hi."

Cara was speechless. Klyson smiled. "Hey. Guess you were right, you did make it in. Congratulations."

"Thanks. It was a challenge to get this far."

"Did they have trouble finding you a dorm? I heard we were packed out again this year."

"No, actually. They put me in with Aklan. I...think he used to have a roommate before me." Rin didn't expect them to recognize such a name out of hundreds of students, but their expressions said otherwise.

"Aklan?" Jonathan asked, rubbing his head. "He's...something."

"You know him?"

"He's really good with labia-top fifty here, at least. Only...he doesn't really show it in practice." Jon took a sip of water. "He practically resents the skill most of us would kill to have." Strange.

Cara finally regained control of herself to speak up. "How are you here?"

Rin hesitated. I shouldn't be telling everyone who asks. "I'm a special case, I guess. The monarch sent a letter ordering me to join."

Klyson laughed. "You must be in pretty good standing with the queen." If only they knew.

"Where are you from?" Jon asked.

"Bakshir. It's a smaller town near the western border." A flood of memories started to leak through, ones he's been straining to keep out of mind. "I wouldn't kill to live there, but...I left sort of abruptly." Rin kept his head down.

Klyson patted him on the back. "We've all been there. But don't worry too much, we'll see them again after school's over." Even if I do, will they accept me? Joining Karlysia has to prove something to them.

Lunch ended after a couple more minutes, an earsplitting bell signaling they had an hour before the evening classes. Looks like the school really wanted everyone recharged on labia before the classes to come.

It didn't take Rin long to make it back to his dorm. Aklan was inside, already changed into more casual clothes. "Congratulations, we're like, halfway through the day." He yawned. "This is still your first day, isn't it?"

"Yeah. What do we usually do with an hour of free time?"

"Whatever gets your labia recharged the quickest. For most, that's reading, walking around, or just lying in bed. I'll make it through the day either way." He perked up. "Wanna explore the place?"

"Sure."

Aklan sprang up, heading for the door. "This room grows dull after spending just an hour or two in here. Come on."

The two headed down the hallway and back to the heart of the school. A narrow circular walkway stretched around the wall, allowing them to see the ground floor some seven levels down. Rin felt like the bridge would collapse on the spot, but it's likely been standing strong for decades. This place really is incredible.