Ridden: Manipulation of Beasts

Strike Eight

~Jesley~

Apparently, Pierce had been called to the discipline office also since he was the prefect of our entire batch. He was also going to get some sermon snacks from the monitor seated in front of us.

“What did you do, Silver?” Pierce asked Silver in a hard tone. “Nothing much really,” Silver replied ‘coolly’, making me roll my eyes.

“What a fraud. You were terrified when the old woman saw us but you decided to look like its nothing in front of someone else. Keep up the work. You’re getting somewhere,” I smiled sarcastically.

Silver was about to reply when the door burst open, a woman with practically no emotion entered, followed by Captain Zenith and Miss Galatia.

The woman sat on her desk as she laid her spooky eyes on each of us, including Pierce, long fingernails tapping the desk lightly.

“Alright, why were the both of you out of Miss Galatia’s class? Just because your teacher is a very kind and sweet person doesn’t mean you can abuse that and do whatever you please,” the woman stated, power mixed into her tone and voice.

“We’re sorry,” Silver apologized, though I can tell it was false emotion. The woman’s eyes darted to Pierce, who still had his serious face.

“And you had been given the responsibility of keeping an eye on every single tyro in your class, Mister Hawthorne. Yet, you failed miserably just by letting these two skip classes. And it was perfect timing, was it not? Deciding to leave when they started a nature walk. You need to maximize your monitoring skills,” the woman said.

“I apologize, Ms. Dawn. It won’t happen again,” Pierce said as he sent us an ‘I’ll-deal-with-you-later’ glare, which I could care less about. But Silver was gulping as if his mother heard about his failing grades.

“And you,” the woman stared at me carefully. “Jesley Saber, isn’t it? The transferee who answered back to sir Clevis and insults him by dealing with the obstacle course herself and now, a girl who decided enchanted ecology was nothing and went to spend time with a boyfriend,” Miss Dawn (I heard from Pierce earlier) said.

“I prefer the term ‘friend boy’ but we aren’t friends anyway,” I spoke, making the woman look at me more dangerously.

“For someone who committed two offenses, you seem very lax. I suppose you never got punished in the human world for your imprudence. But now you’re in Guardian’s Haven and it is my job to turn you into a civilized person worthy of descendant blood,” the woman indicated, giving me a long, long stare.

“Sure,” I said, not really caring. Miss Dawn looked at Pierce. “I will let these two tyros go for now but if they create another offense, I will personally deal with them. Mister Hawthorne, do your job as tyro prefect better. Miss Galatia, I’ll permit you to give punishment to these two,” Miss Dawn said, “They will need it.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Miss Galatia managed to smile. “You may leave,” Miss Dawn gestured us to the door, though I can feel her eyes on my back as we left the office.

“Well, that was spooky,” I said and yawned. “Yeah. I’m never skipping class again-OW! What was that?!” Silver yelled, turning to see Pierce with a hardcover book I believe he used to slam Silver’s head with.

“You better not. Just so you know, other people are being dragged into your trouble,” Pierce said as he crossed his arms, glaring at Silver through his ebony strands of hair.

“But the good thing is Miss Dawn let you go. You wouldn’t like to be sent into the room of reflection glasses, would you?” Miss Galatia asked. Silver shuddered and shook his head.

“No thanks,” he said in a nervous tone. “I know I won’t end up there unless any of you screwed me up again,” Pierce said with a low voice.

“What’s the Room of Reflecting Glasses?” I asked, confused and all. Miss Galatia smiled and patted my hair.

“Young dear, the Room of Reflecting Glasses is the main reason why students decided to obey without hesitation. The room is full of mirrors, reflecting all of the horrible actions of whoever stared into it. Whoever entered the room never got out as they were before. They were changed, alright. But the fear and terror is seen in their eyes,” Miss Galatia explained.

“I’m sure the mirror is reflecting something else other than the sins of people,” I said. “What are you saying?” Silver asked.

“I’m saying that the Room of Reflecting Glasses is showing something else besides the actions of a person. I mean, a person isn’t scared to commit a sin and but then goes nuts after seeing a replay? That’s just gibberish to me. That can’t inflict so much terror and fear on a person’s mind, causing them to change,” I clarified. “Then?” Pierce asked blankly but I didn’t reply.

That room is a torture chamber, instilling all of the fears of person and used it to change this person forever. I couldn’t say that because Miss Galatia, a teacher, is with us. Pierce, too. He was the Prefect and would report what I said.

“Why don’t we change the subject before you buckle on your knees? If I remember correctly, you two have skipped my class. You will have to make up for it,” Miss Galatia smiled, though that smile sent ice down my spine.

“What are we going to do then?” I asked, anxious to get it done already. “You’ll see,” Miss Galatia giggled as she snapped her fingers. Suddenly, Silver and I were in gardening clothes. My face couldn’t go blanker than it is right now.

“You’ve got to kidding me.”

***

After an hour of handling of terrible plants, I was finally free to get away from Miss Galatia’s ‘paradise’ garden. The scene was pretty, but the plants were vicious. One of them nearly ate my arm off as I watered it.

“Whew! You’re lucky that Miss Dawn reconsidered. But I’m telling you, you have to quit breaking rules. Even if you’re not in the mood for it, just think about what punishments they have for you,” Daphne said in a worried tone.

“Feeding snappers won’t even match to that,” Silver grimaced. Oh, right. Silver’s gardener pants were ripped off when he fell into a pit of green snake-like plants with sharp teeth, plants known as snappers. I was disappointed it never got to bite Silver’s skin off.

“Well, well, well, won’t you look at that? Newbie got away with punishment,” the girl with auburn hair said as she approached our table. Who was she again?

“First, you get Captain Zenith and impressed sir Clevis. Next, you dragged Silver sweetie into a big mess with Miss Dawn. Then, you try to be close with Miss Galatia despite what you did! What a shameless attention-seeker,” the girl crossed her arms as she glared at me.

“Silver’s not your sweetie,” Daphne corrected sternly. “Shut it, brunette,” the girl snapped. And the battle of love begins. Good luck, Silver.

“Look, I’m not in for another hand-to-hand match with you ‘coz I know you pretty suck at it. And I’m hungry, too. So come back later when I’m done with my pasta, Annabel,” I said.

“It’s Asphodel!” the girl yelled. “Yeah, get out ass-of-bells. Shoo,” I blankly stated, shooing her off like a fly.

“Tss, piss off will you?” the girl rolled her eyes and marched off. "And yet you're the one who left,” I murmured and twirled my fork around the pasta in front of me. Weirdo.

“But it was worth looking at the shrine of guardians, wasn’t it?” Silver wiggled his eyebrows, making Pierce glare at him across the table. “I guess it did,” I answered and ate my pasta.

“Do another stupid stunt and I’ll drop you at a harpy’s nest,” Pierce threatened Silver, who shrugged his shoulders while trying to hold his laugh.

Now, come to think of it. I really don’t know why Stygios didn’t have a statue at the shrine. My dad said Stygios did unbelievable feats in the Ethyrian realm. Didn’t that include establishing Guardian’s Haven?

And to think my keychain sent a stabbing sensation into my body again. The last time it did, my house went down with my dad… not to mention a woman nearly strangled me to death. Was I in danger again?