Revenge of the Rogue Angel.

Chapter 8 -Recruits and reasons.

Chapter 8 - Recruits and reasons.

After their exciting class with Pictor, both Nathan and Christian were so excited, they could hardly settle, almost skipping down the corridors to lunch. They discussed their rank together and garbled everything at once, which made no sense at all.

Christian suddenly looked at Nathan and laughed ; he realised they were acting like five year olds, but for the first time in their lives they had something positive to think about, as opposed to bullying and loneliness.

They reached the lunch hall and sat round the first year Pisces table. A few new late arrivals were there as well and introduced themselves to the boys.

There was Harry, who had longish brown shaggy hair and a scrawny appearance; then Casey who had thick bottle-lensed glasses and lank, dull blond hair. Finally, there was Jake, who was a small boy, with scars on his arms and an acne-covered face. He mumbled an introduction and, blushing beetroot red, turned his head away quickly.

Christian soon realised that these recruits hadn't spent the night here yet and he looked forward to seeing their changed appearance and demeanour in the morning.

He smiled at all three, welcoming them and explaining the mealtime routine. They all looked at him as if he were crazy ; was it really only yesterday that he was thinking the same thing? He demonstrated by conjuring a huge cheeseburger with fries and an enormous vanilla shake.

The three looked at him in awe and Casey, obviously the most trusting of the three, wished for a ham and pineapple pizza, followed by strawberry ice-cream. She didn't quite get her order right, as she ended up with strawberry pizza and ham and pineapple ice-cream!

This was the icebreaker the new recruits needed and, thanks to a click of his fingers from a passing Pavo, Casey had her correct order. Harry and Jake quickly followed suit, ordering chili con carne, spaghetti carbonara and a huge bowl of profiteroles.

The five of them sat eating their meals, when Nathan suddenly stopped eating and turned to Christian,

" Do you mind me asking what kind of awful life you had on Earth that brings you here, or would you rather not tell? "

Christian realised that all four of the recruits were looking at him with interest and he pondered for a minute, wondering whether to reveal his loser status on Earth or not. Looking at the others, he realised that he was just as curious about their former lives as they were about his.

" Lets' go to mine and Nathans'dorm after lunch and we can chill and get to know each other. That ok with everyone? "

They all nodded in agreement and, soon enough were heading to the dorm they shared with Leon and Pavo.

Fortunately for them, it was empty and they all settled in the snug chillout area, with soda and snacks to hand.

Christian started first, explaining how his Mum was a total bitch who only loved her eldest son, the perfect Ethan. He found himself a little choked with anger on describing the things Ethan and his mates used to do to him on Earth and also suddenly hoped his Dad was going to be okay without him. After explaining his life to the other four, he sat back in his seat, feeling actually better for having shared his experiences with what he hoped were his new friends.

Surprisingly, Casey asked to go next and began with a nervous voice,

" My parents died when I was only ten days old, killed by a drunk driver. I lived because my carseat cushioned the impact. As I had no other relatives, I was forced to live with an old Aunt, Eunice.

She was a mean, petty disciplinarian, that believed children should only speak when spoken to and treated me as if I were her Housekeeper once I got to the age of five or six. At mealtimes, I had to sit in silence at a huge oak dining table and she would nit-pick on every little detail. Everyday she would find a reason to cane me and the evil witch seemed to enjoy it. " She paused for breath and Nathan, already taken a shine to her, put his hand on her arm reassuringly. She smiled at him through glassy eyes, full of tears she was trying to hold back. She took a deep breath and continued.