The archive of the forgotten

The better one ~ the seed

The aggressive building towers above us as the car arrives at its destination, and the knot in my stomach makes a masterful backflip. The sun has disappeared behind the grey clouds that are typical for the country, they're holding onto the rain as tight as they can, but there is a time where you know you need to give up. I step into the muddy driveway of the school and can't help but feel like the building will fall on me if I would make one wrong move. Thrjel opens the boot and gives me my bag, he turns around and hugs his mum and starts to walk towards the stairs in front of the institution driving me insane. I hesitate for a moment, maybe being shot isn't that bad... You won't notice you're dead right?
Sostrate puts a hand on my shoulder. "Next summer it'll all be done. You'll be free, your mind will be rewarded." She pets my head, "at least you have somebody to share your feelings with now."
I nod, and straighten my back. I wasn't raised to give up, I will not start now.

We walk into the halls. I look around, it's still the same, the past is still the past, the building is still cold, the building is still stupidly beautiful. I've always admired the greenhouse, not that I was ever allowed to step foot in there. No it was an extracurricular activity, reserved for people with a future. Thrjel greets some people as we walk by them and strangely enough those children do not look at me with the disgust I am used to, I've never noticed that before, mostly because I was taught to look at the floor when I first came here. I rub the silver ring till my thumb hurts, but it assures me.

"Xadrian?" I hear. I raise my head, a professor walks towards me. "May I borrow him for a second?"
"Why can't you just go on with your speech? Am I not allowed to hear it?" Thrjel asks as he steps forward.
"You'll get yourself in trouble Thrjel. I am certain it all is perfectly reasonable." I reassure as I pull him away.
"Will you please follow me to the headmasters' office?" The professor asks.
I smile "Most certainly..." I say and I hear Thrjel getting ready to say something so I stomp on his foot, hoping he gets the hint.

I put my bag beside the chair and look at the folksy stained glass behind the desk, it calms me, and enrages me, how can you use a traditional building to get rid of precisely the art and spirit that it built on. The headmaster comes in, an old man, most probably in his early sixties, most probably as Awnlunds as it comes. His suit soberly black and tailored with the customary prissy cut, tragically unfashionable if you ask me. He closes the black curtains in front of the window my attention turns to him with as he covers up yet another part of identity of us, depressing both the room and the tension.

"I hope you had a good summer Xadrian." He says as he sits down and puts on his gold lined glasses, which must remind me of his pockets.
"I did, sir." I say, looking down again, remembering my place.
"But you must understand that we cannot allow special treatment now that you are back here." He says.
"I understand sir."
"Will you please place your bag on the table, I will inspect it for any properties that you should not own." He says as he stands up again. My shoulders straighten and I lifts my head as I put the bag in front of me. He opens it and I stare at it, my hands burn as I dig my nails into the still fresh stitches. He grabs the tin of cookies, I close my eyes and forget the taste of sugar, I won't let him take it from me. But I must, I cannot burn myself on the first trial they put me through.
"You know our strict rules about food in the insubordinate quarters, just think about the chaos it would cause Xadrian. Everyone with a brain like yours should know that."
"Yes sir." I say with a smile, lifting my eyebrows slightly.
"Have you heard about Professor Cormac? How smart did he have to be to write such a brilliant paper." He says with a malevolent smile, closing the bag again.
I bite my lip. "I am indeed very happy for him. Everything in order apart from that?" I say as I reach for the bag but he suddenly grabs my hand.
"Is that real silver Xadrian?" He asks.
I stare at my hand, confused what he is talking about when he takes off the ring Thrjel gave me this morning.
"I...." My voice breaks. "It's a gift from a friend."
"Are you certain you haven't stolen it?" He asks as he looks at the amethyst in there.
I smile "I am quite convinced that it was a gift sir."
"I will keep it here to make a further inquiry" He says as he walks to a small chest and puts it in there.
"You can ask Thrjel, he will tell you he gave it to me." I say, instinctively standing up.
"Now why would a boy ever give such an elegant gift to another boy, not to mention a Fianlynd, a thief."
I grind my teeth. "I am not a thief."
"At least one of your parents was, a rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree Xadrian." He says, pushing my shoulder down till I have no other choice than to sit down. "Welcome back you filthy rebel." He says.
My face goes cold, numb, my eyes are no longer opened all the way, my browns knit themselves back into my frown, and my jaws are constantly clenched, ready for the next hit.
"You're dismissed boy."
I stand up and smile, "This will be a delightful year Sir, for the both of us." I say as my smile fades and my eyes show him something more than a thief. A fialynd perhaps.....