Original - With Wrath, the Fall

Lane - Chapter 2: History 202

Well that sucked.

I kicked at the ground.

"Who the hell does that principal think he is," Keagan clenched his fists tightly together. His eyes glinted with malice in sun, "Giving us a detention and shit... What BS!"

"Right! They asked for it too. I'm so god damn pissed! This is a university! How the hell does an adult get a 'detention' at a university!"

At the entrance to our class I kicked my foot up and rested it on the wall. I inhaled the tasted of wood and fresh paint then let out a long sigh. A heavy frustrated silence hung in the air. I ran through the event in my head, "He's such an asshole." I said in a quiet voice.

Keagan looked up from the bench where he sat, "No kidding."

I checked the clock of one of the drones that flew by. "A couple minutes 'til class," I gave a long sigh and went into the classroom.

"Coming through," a young man with medium-short dirty blonde hair shouted behind me.

The young man, despite his strong build and frame, was thrown off balance as he bumped into a drone. The drone spun out of control. It hit a woman scaring her. Reflexively she swung at the drone. The women forced the drone spin toward the ground aligning with the boy's path. As if perfectly timed he stepped on the done. He was sent tumbling forward into me.

"Watch where you're going, punk," I shouted.

The young man stood up, dusting himself, "I am so sorry man. We were in a hurry."

"I should punch your teeth in."

A creaky old voice of Professor Quin called from the classroom, "Mr. Connors! Is that any way to treat your peers?"

I scuffed, "You're kidding me? He ran into me!"

Professor Quin's face was hardened with authority, "Mr. Thrope, you should pay more attention to where you're going."

The fox apologetically bowed, "My apologies, sir. It was his mistake."

"That it was, Kalvin, son of Shane. Now, you four," he pointed to each of us, "are going to sit up front, next to each other."

"Seriously? You're placing us with these two idiots," the boy who had fallen into me gestured toward Keagan and me.

"Hey, kid! Watch what you say," Keagan clenched his paws.

"Hush, Child of Leo," Keagan reluctantly fell silent, "That is exactly what I am doing Mr. Thrope."

"Whatever..." He glared at me.

The fox spoke up, "Professor Quin? May I offer an alternative?"

"You may not. Find your seats," he waved us off.

I slumped down into my chair and tipped it back, "Could this day get any worse?"

"Now, without further ado, let us begin. Mr. Connors! Sit properly!"

I rolled my eyes but forced myself not to argue with the professor.

The professor began to write on the chalkboard, "Today we are going to be talking about the Ether War."

"Oh great..." I forced a yawn, rested my hands behind my head, and closed my eyes.

"The Ether War was a great war taking place after the invasion of the country known as the United States of America by a world power in the year 2042. It was long expected. The people of the States had discovered a new renewable energy known as Ether nineteen years prior. Ether was a phenomenal element that flowed all throughout the continent extending into the country of Canada. It started just as that, a new source of self-renewing self-sustaining energy controlled by a variety of companies; however, kept only within the countries of Canada and North America. Then a single professor, Jo Calgery, at a university in Oregon started conducting research into the origins of Ether. Specifically, how it came to be and where does it come from? After years of research and geographical surveying he marked on the map what he called the Cradle of Life, a cave deep in the Rocky Mountains and the origins of Ether. Driven by an insatiable curiosity he sought the Cradle. It took him years but what he found was more than just Ether. He had found a place where new life, undiscovered by man or woman alike, existed. In fact, the Cradle was more than just a cave. It was an entirely different world hidden within ours. The professor wrote in his book, Descent into the Forgotten World: Ether and the Missing Link, '. . . They stood just as humans, spoke as humans, knew a form of the human tongue, but we're not human. They were more than human. They were a missing link to our evolution. A group of intelligent anthropomorphic beasts.'