Red Mountain Chronicles: The Illusionist

Chapter 8

It was only ten in the morning and my day was already starting badly. Since I had no alarm clock, I was woken up with Mary banging on my door.
« Elaine?! Hurry up! Orientation has already started! »
I opened my eyes and sat bolt upright. A reflex I grew accustomed to, all thanks to long nights staying up ruining my sleep pattern. Another thing I learned to do was not allow myself to be dragging my feet in the mornings until after I was ready. Because of this, I knew to save my drowsy-induced questions for later.

About ten minutes later, we met in the arena, where hundreds of students— of all shapes and sizes— were gathered, sitting in the bleachers. Everyone was in their own corresponding section, which were labeled according to year.
Sneaking in late, Mary and I found seats in the back of our section. Luckily, no one noticed us. And if they did, they decided not to tell.
"... and that is why," we heard a man project. The source of the voice, we both quickly discovered, was coming from the only person in the actual arena. We could not see him very well, but considering how well his voice carried in such a massive room, he seemed to have a great pair of pipes. He continued, "you need armor! I don't care how tough you think you are! Until you show me your physical from the hospital wing, I cannot allow you to spar without the right protection. This..."
"How much do you think we missed?" Mary asked, whispering as to not distract from the lecture.
I shrugged. "Not much, I don't think." I then focused back on our speaker, who was probably as far away as a referee in a basketball stadium.
"... I don't want to be fired. I don't want to be fired because little Timmy decided not to wear a helmet, and got concussed so badly, that the nurses in the hospital wing say that he's beyond repair. Therefore..."
Taking my eyes off of our speaker and possibly professor, I saw a guy with long brown hair turn around, and dramatically roll his eyes, jabbing his thumb behind his shoulder. He then proceeded to mock him.
I rolled my eyes. I hoped he wouldn't be in my class, considering how immature and obnoxious he was being. School hasn't even started yet and he's already being a distraction.
"Now, with that being said, This is also not going to be an easy class..."
I then caught the same guy at the corner of my eye, pretending to hang himself on a noose by forming a fist behind him and making a pulling motion, while rolling his head forward to resemble his head going limp.
I then looked at Mary, who also noticed this action. "How obnoxious can you be?" Mary asked, keeping her voice low and out of earshot from him.
"I know, right?" I agreed, also keeping my voice low. "And in the middle of orientation?"
"In short, Firsts do not need armor and weapons for a while, but will need comfortable clothes to move around in. We will help you decide your fighting type and weapon after school begins! Until then, you will be wearing the equipment we provide you with. Any equipment you break will have a fine if you cannot fix it yourself. All of your weapons and armor will be stored in the lockers. If you fail to return an item, you will be expected to replace it with a suitable replacement that is of equal, or better quality. If you refuse to do this, you will be fined. If you are fighting outside of the arena and/or without adult supervision, you will be punished accordingly."
     He went on. "And lastly, you must listen to my instructions. For instance, I tell you who to fight, and when to fight." He then proceeded more playfully. "I can tell you how to dress. I can even tell you what to eat. In short, I am the law! And to follow the rules of the arena, you must follow my orders!" His tone then became ice cold. "Failing to do so will lead to some serious consequences."
My heart dropped a little. His sudden change in tone by saying those words was alarming. And looking around, I was not the only one who took note of this. Immediately after his statement, the room became more silent than it originally was. Everyone was facing him. Even Mr. Class Clown who had his head turned to look at him, leaving the rest of his body facing the bleachers behind him.
Ten seconds later, the silence was finally broken. "Dismissed!"
Then, simultaneously, everyone started to get up and leave. I stood up, and Mary followed suit. "Well," she started. "The stuff about the equipment is a bit harsh."
"Do you think he is serious about the whole, 'I am the law' thing?" Normally, I wouldn't think so. But, since this isn't my territory for all I knew, he could have a say in our choices.
"I don't think so," Mary replied. "He could tell us what to do in class, but there's no way he can keep that close of an eye on everyone. He was most likely saying that to claim dominance."
"Claim dominance..." That was a strange choice of words.
"He's being intimidating so everyone knows he's the boss," she elaborated.
I knit my eyebrows. He's our professor. Of course he's the boss. "Why would people question his authority?"
     She gathered up her things. "I wouldn't worry about it. Let's go to our next class."

Compared to the orientation in the Arena, every other class seemed normal. Everything else went smoothly, despite seeing that obnoxious boy every once in a while. However, I was not focused on his behavior, nor the lectures. I was more focused on what happened in the Arena that morning. I could not wrap my head around it. What did Mary mean when she talked about claiming dominance? And how come everyone reacted the same exact way- including me?