𝑱𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒔 {Louis x F!Reader}

Chapter One

The world is divided by herbivores and carnivores, prey, and predators. The herbivores live with a constant fear of being killed and eaten. If a herbivore tells you they aren't scared, they're lying. No matter what someone says, they are scared. Even if they don't realize it. In a world, with such great divides, you'd think that everything would be segregated. In some places it's like that, others not so much. Cherryton Academy is an elite high school for both herbivores and carnivores. Everything went along perfectly fine until a murder occurred on campus. That was the murder of Tem, a male alpaca who was apart of the drama club. He was polite to both carnivores and herbivores alike. He and I weren't close, but we got along well.
    The thoughts of this society and my acquaintance's death plague my mind as I walk down the eerily empty hallway, my ear flicking and listening for the slightest noise. Classes were over for the day, even though I'm sure no one really paid attention to any of the lessons. Aside from the top students of the academy, I suppose. Even then I'm sure they weren't fully invested in the lesson like they usually are.
    I push the door open to the Drama Club rehearsal room without hesitation, ready to enter my safe haven. Well, I guess it is no longer safe, is it? I look around at all the other animals in the room. The fidgeting of the herbivores, the awkward stances of the carnivores. The air was tense like you could cut it down with the sharpest of blades and even then it wouldn't even chip away at it. The carnivores stand on one side of the room while the herbivores stand on another. Everyone was already in their rehearsal outfits, I opted to change as soon as classes were over. I much prefer shorts over skirts anyways. It is also hard to keep the white uniform completely clean.
    Louis is nowhere to be seen and him being late is out of the question. The only assumption I can make is a meeting. I make eye contact with a few of the carnivores who look away in a hurry as I venture deeper into the room. I tsk under my breath as they don't greet me with the usual hello. I guess the situation is understandable though. I look back and forth between the groups, debating where to go at this moment in time. I was never one to follow social norms, however, I did not want anyone to think ill of me. I would get that no matter what side I chose to stand on. I shrug before plopping down onto the floor in front of the mirrors in the middle of both groups. This spot seems fine. "Is everyone here? Gather around please." Sanu calls as he walks into the room. I huff as I stand back up, seeing as I just sat down. I didn't think that he would show up this quickly. "I'm sure you all know by now that something terrible has happened here at school this morning." He says as he looks at the clipboard he is holding. He doesn't notice the segregation of the club as I stand in the middle. The herbivores are all looking at me expectedly and I roll my eyes, stepping over to their side and crossing my arms. An argument soon breaks out between the two of the groups as I walk over to Sanu.
    "Sir. You can't really blame them, everyone is on edge today." I say as he tries to stop the arguing. He looks over at me and sighs before fixing his glasses.
    "I know [name], I know. It just concerns me that we won't get any work done today." I bring my thumb to my mouth, biting on it gently.
    "Honestly? I can't say. Some will be grieving, others uncomfortable, perhaps Louis will pull something out of them though." Sanu nods.
"One can only hope." He says as he continues to watch the two groups argue.
A throat is cleared behind me and I turn to see none other than the red deer himself. His arms are crossed and he looks at us all with distaste. The argument quiets down as everyone realizes that Louis is not in a good mood.
"Arguing will get us nowhere. You all should realize we have a show in two weeks. We do not have time to argue. Arguing is futile anyways, it gets you nowhere. Now, get back to work. We will be doing the opening scene." He clicks his tongue after he finishes his words. He raises an eyebrow as he looks at everyone. "Well?" He questions, but it sounds more like a demand. Everyone awkwardly scurries to get things set up at the sound of his tone. I glance up at Louis as he looks down at me. "You couldn't stop that from happening?" I deadpan up at him.
"You know I couldn't. Just because I'm stage manager doesn't mean they listen to me." I roll my eyes. "Also, I think they see me as weak compared to you. It doesn't help when we are both red deer but I'm a runt." Louis lets out a huff of air before crossing his arms and looking at the crowd.
"Well, that is something that needs to change. You are my second in command, you are the one who is going to be running things when I am on stage. They need to listen to you just as much as me." I look out at the group.
"Today isn't that day. Let's just see if they can even manage to get through this rehearsal without another argument. That in itself would be a miracle in my opinion." Louis nods.
"Indeed it will be."

Louis and I's assumptions were correct and arguments kept sparking up at every opportunity. I facepalm at my spot in the rafts, my legs dangling over the edge. At this rate, there won't even be a show to perform. Everyone is against one another and no one can get anything done. I swing my legs back and forth, resting my head on the safety bar. I glance over at Legosi working on the lighting before standing up. "Hey Legosi, I've always been curious." The wolf jumps slightly before looking down at me and bending to my height. "What do you think of everything happening right now? I know you're usually quiet, that's why I'm asking." The wolf gulps down built-up saliva before looking down at the actors.
"I mean, the killer is still out there... I also have a letter." He pulls out a piece of paper from his back pocket, presenting it to me. "It's from Tem." A memory sparks inside my head as I realize what the letter is.
"You should give it to her," I say quietly, looking at the paper in Legosi's clawed hand. "She'll really appreciate it." I don't even have to say her name for Legosi to know who I'm talking about. I hear clapping and glance down at the floor to see Louis telling everyone that the rehearsal is over and we can all go back to our dorms. I turn back to the wolf, smiling at him. "I'll see you later Legosi." I give a small salute before making my way down the rafter.
The others file off into the locker rooms while I begin to clean up the mess that has been left behind by them. I pick up props, clean the mats, the basics really. It seems like I'm more of a maid than a stage manager.
"You didn't do much today." A voice says from behind me.
"There wasn't much to do," I say simply as I turn to face Louis. "The backstage crew is all set to be completely honest, save for a few lighting changes that Legosi wants to make." I shrug. The deer hums.
"You seem close to that dog." He says as I stand to my full height.
"Dog?" I question, "Oh, you mean Legosi." I say as I walk past him to place the swords in their holders. "I mean, he is the head of the lights. I kind of need to interact with him a good amount." I shrug. "I don't see anything wrong with him." Louis walks over to the corner of the room, picking up his items.
"You only need to say things about lighting to him then, not actual conversations." he presses on. "Anyways, I've noticed your grades are slipping, I can not afford to have someone like that in the Drama Club. We need to prove that we are the best. Fix it." He states before leaving the room. I glare at the empty space where he left.
"Bastard, and here I thought we were having a good conversation." I hiss out. "How did he even know about that anyway?" I mumble as I collect my stuff before leaving the room and turning off the lights.