Light in Dark Places

Chapter Twenty-Six

There is actually something uniquely comforting about the fact that Benedict is clearly as terrified as she is. More so, perhaps. His wing keeps ruffling and shivering as they walk down the halls, like he can't hide how agitated he was.

They had luckily spent enough time standing in front of the Academy that there weren't a whole lot of students left in the hallways, for which Benedict seems profoundly grateful, but Joan is more concerned with their destination.

Seung-ri had not been the best resource when it came to information about the Academy. "It's a great school," she had said. "Better than what we had in Vineheart. The people you will meet there will be some of the best friendships of your life. Don't worry too much about the military training, you won't have to stick around there for long."

"Don't worry about it" had been a running theme with Seung-ri, which of course only made Joan worry about things even more.

All she could really think about was that seven years was a very long time to go without school; and just because she tested into high school, how could she be certain she really knew anything? And how was she even supposed to interact with people her own age? She wasn't even her own age! People would expect her to know things about current trends—what was on TV, what books people were reading, what bands they were listening to—and what if—

"Two new students for you, Barrett," the woman says as she pushes her way into a classroom.

And then all eyes are on them.

*

"Thank you," says a dapper man in a burnt red uniform. "Please, step inside."

The woman has already left them, meaning there is zero buffer between them and all of the eyes fixed on their direction.

Joan realizes, belatedly, that while their delay enabled them to walk the halls unnoticed, it led them to this moment, where everyone was sitting down and all could stare at them, and she very much regrets every decision that led to this moment.

Her biggest concern is that she doesn't know where to look. The students in this classroom are unlike anything she has ever seen before and she doesn't want to stare but she doesn't want to seem like she's pointedly not looking either. Just from the cursory glance across the room, she's seen people who look like they belong in a fantasy novel—an incredibly tall boy who looks like he's made from the same cacti Joan sees growing everywhere; there is a very short girl with long whiskers and twisted legs that look like the haunches of some kind of rodent; another girl has the eyes and long tail of a lizard. There is a boy covered in fur, another girl covered in scales—everywhere Joan looks there are people with horns and tails and leaves and pincers and if that weren't enough, everyone looks incredibly hostile at their interruption, and Joan doesn't know where to put her eyes.

In her desperation, she looks at Benedict, who has solved his problem by not looking anywhere at all. His eyes are firmly rooted to the ground, one arm crossing his body to hold on to the left side of his uniform.

"My name is Barrett Downing," the man in front says. His hair is so black it seems almost unnatural, and eyes a golden amber color that is quite unsettling. Those are his only differences, though, otherwise he looks like any other man in his late thirties. He has dimples when he smiles, and his slight frame makes him seem very disarming. Joan wishes she could relax, if only to make him feel like he was doing a good job of putting her at ease with his welcome smile, but in front of this crowd of hostiles, Joan still wants to run as fast as she can out the door.

Benedict surprises both of them by speaking first. He mutters, "I'm Benedict...Quale." He shuffles to the side, hedging towards the seats.

This is probably the only place where Benedict would openly fit in more than Joan does.