White Thorn | On Hold

Chapter Three: The Welcoming Party

A hand closed around her arm, hauling her away from the unconscious body on the rooftop, dragging her deeper into the city-like school. She had a bird's eye view of everything around her, from the mix of chalky white buildings and the quaint grey-brick housing, and Arya found herself rather enjoying it. Not only was it pretty – but she was also be getting to know the place very well, and that was important seeing as how she'd be living there for most of the year.

Always have a plan of escape.

That rule had been drilled into her head for years, so she was already silently mapping out the quickest escape route. One she'd no doubt be practicing when she got some spare time after the whole 'Orientation' fiasco she was being dragged off to... where she was no doubt going to be assigned a room and given her schedule.

Arya only hoped she wouldn't be living with too many other annoying girls.

She had a tendency to hit annoying things.

"Aren't we, you know... going to get help?" she asked, staring at Jake as he dragged her away from the impending chaos behind them. Her body seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to finding chaotic situations – though that was probably more due to the fact she always wound up in them, she mused.

Lydia scoffed. "Do you want to spend the night in one of the Disciplinary Committee's cells?"

"Wait." Arya skidded to a stop, her eyes wide. "What? Why the hell are there cells in a school?"

Jake smiled grimly, half amused, half serious. "Let's just say this isn't your everyday boarding school. Not by a long shot."

"What the hell have I signed myself up for?"

Lydia just grinned, pulling her forwards once again. "Welcome to Riverdale High..."

Arya swallowed audibly.

"Chill, Ari," Jake said, pausing at the edge of the roof they'd been running across. He swung himself down, grabbing a hold of the ladder scaling the side of the building. It seemed to be a permanent fixture, and Arya wouldn't be surprised if Jake said he'd installed it himself. He certainly seemed well-versed in traversing the lengths of Riverdale High. "You have my backing, which means I get to look out for you."

"Oh joy."

Jake pouted. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"Isn't it?" One eyebrow rose.

"In some ways." He shrugged.

"And those other ways?" she asked, not fooled in the slightest.

She'd played poker against priests.

Nothing could fool her.

"Well, by taking you under my lovely wing... you've sorta joined my faction of the school," he said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Faction?"

"Think of it like a gang," Lydia added, smiling sideways at her as Jake slowly started his descent. He was waiting for her, as was the girl in front of her.

Arya blinked, grabbing a hold of the steely black ladder, staring up at her blankly. "So I'm not part of a gang?"

Lydia grinned, her blonde hair practically glowing the sunlight streaming from behind her, and it was a grin that sent shivers down Arya's spine. She felt like a mouse that'd been caught by a cat, and subsequently dragged into its little cat gang. "Precisely."

"Father Gregory's gonna kill me." Her shoulders sunk.

"Father?" Jake glanced up at her, and odd tremble in his voice. "You mean like your dad or something?"

She shook her head. "He's one of the priests who raised me."

And also someone she'd terrorised in poker games.

The thought brought a smile to her face, but Jake's next words soon wiped it from her lips. "So... You're an orphan, then?"

"My mother died shortly after I was born, and I've never met my father, so yeah. I'm an orphan," she said, pausing on the ladder before she accidently stepped on Jake's head. They were halfway to the ground, and he'd apparently decided it'd be a good idea to randomly stop. "Problem?"

"Holy hell, Ari." He shook his head. "I'm just trying to make conversation with my new mascot."

Arya smiled.

"Wow... you're actually making friends, Jakey?" The voice startled Arya so much she nearly lost her grip on the ladder, while Jake actually did.

Her quick reactions were the only thing that saved him from falling. She grabbed his arm, yanking his descent to a halt as she hung from one hand. "That was close," she murmured, meeting his shocked expression briefly, before his attention was on the face peering out at them from a nearby window ledge.

"Fudge," Lydia muttered, having caught sight of him as he stood inside the building they were climbing down – his arms propped up against the windowsill. "It's Neo."

"How observant of you, Lydia," he said, lips twitching into a slight smile.

Black hair fluttered in the faint breeze, light brown eyes surveying the three of them, narrowing slightly on the bags Arya was carrying on her back. She'd packed light for the trip there, since the priests had already sent on a large portion of her luggage ahead in a van. Baggage or not, the fact was, he was staring at her... as though he could see through her, and what she was hiding.

She didn't like being stared at. Especially not like that.

It unnerved her – reminded her of those glinting green eyes which had always looked her up and down every time they met.

That wasn't all.

He was also wearing a white coat identical to the unfortunate Disciplinary Committee they'd run into earlier. An armband was wrapped around one sleeve, and the insignia on it looked vaguely familiar... yet slightly different at the same time.

"Who is he?" she asked.

"He's a member of the Disciplinary Committee." Jake scowled. "But he isn't just any random member. No... He's a bloody Vice Commander."

"Second highest rank," Lydia informed her.

"And I'm guessing that's bad?"

"For us," she snorted, "yes."

"In other words..." Arya could hear the grin in his voice as he climbed down the ladder at an increased pace. "We need to skedaddle... like now."

"Aww." Neo peered down at them, waving a set of handcuffs at the blonde below with an eerily calm expression. "And here I was, thinking these had your name on them."

Arya stiffened. "Umm... Why does he have handcuffs?" She looked down at one of her newfound partners in crime.

"They're basically the Law Enforcement of Riverdale High," Jake said, "so they're permitted to carry weapons and handcuffs... which is always fun for me and the other three Underground Kings."

"Wait." Her hands scrambled on the ladder, noting the fact their watcher had vanished from his window perch. "Are normal students allowed to carry weapons? Y'know – for classes?"

"Nope." He shook his head. "Weapons are provided by the school, and they can only be used in the training rooms." He smiled. "Carrying one around is a sure-fire way to earn yourself a nice set of silver bracelets and a trip to the one of the Disciplinary Committee Headquarters."

"Uh oh."

"Huh?" He blinked, realisation dawning on him seconds later as he spied the long rectangular bag strapped to her back. "Don't tell me..."

"I may, or may not, have a sword inside," she muttered, feeling his stare boring holes into her back.

Jake snickered, grabbing her by the hand as her feet hit the floor, not bothering to wait for Lydia as a door slammed open close behind them. "Come on, Ari. Let's get you to your Orientation," he said, ignoring the sounds of footsteps chasing them, a silver lion's head pendant hanging from the end of the chain around his neck bouncing back and forth as he ran on.