When they finally screeched to a stop, Virgil was so jarred that he barely noticed Janus pulling him out of the car by his hood. It was only until he saw the huge grounds in front of him that his brain finally started working again.
The Academy of S.I.D.E. consisted of a giant main building that looked vaguely like a bank or a hotel, as well as four smaller buildings in a ring around it. Students of all ages were roaming the walled grounds, though none of them were in uniforms like Virgil had expected. A few members of the staff were also on the grounds, wearing the same crest on their clothes.
Virgil looked over at Remy's, then did a double take.
The crest consisted of a gold circle in the middle with S.I.D.E. embroidered in white, and four other sections---a red crown on the top left, a dark blue brain on the top right, a light blue heart on the bottom left, and a purple sword on the bottom right. And the buildings that made up the Academy corresponded with the crest.
"You noticed, hmm?" Janus remarked, smirking. "Everyone's brain explodes internally when they see it for the first time."
"But what does it mean?" Virgil asked.
"The symbols on the crest represent the four values of the Academy," he explained. "The crown represents imagination, the brain represents intelligence, the heart represents compassion, and the sword represents vigilance. There used to be three other values---deception, the free spirit, and vengeance---but they were done away with in 1964 due to the Anomalies who valued those the most..." He waved a hand. "Going dirty, as it were. Plus, it made the crest kinda crowded."
Virgil looked around. "And the buildings..."
"The stuff that goes on in them correspond to the value they house." Janus pointed to the red one. "That's the Arts building. It's where the theater is, among with any activities you can take that'll feed your creative desires. Not necessarily required for field work, but a lot of people enjoy it. And you do need to know how to act if you want to go undercover."
He pointed to the dark blue one. "That's the Science & Tech building. The title's pretty self-explanatory---it's where we learn anything to do with chemistry, physics, technology, math, and coding. Very useful for Anomalies who prefer not to do field work, and instead find joy in doing the equipment assembly and retrieving digital information."
He pointed to the light blue one. "That's the Culture building. It's where we learn languages and our history, as well as certain etiquette in other countries and worldwide. Perfect for those of us who go undercover most of the time, like me."
Grinning, he pointed to the purple one. "And that's the Field Skills building. It's where we learn all of the fighting techniques, and how to blend in in a crowd. It's where we learn how to control our powers, and how to properly use them. It's where we learn how to be the perfect operatives."
Virgil nodded to the big white building. "What's that?"
"Main building," Janus said dismissively. "Administrative offices, dining hall, and dorms. Nothing special."
"Oooooh, I wouldn't say that," Dice chimed in, grinning. "After all, Remy's boyfriend works there, right, Rem?"
"One more word and I send you back to prison in Montreal," Remy answered. "C'mon, sluts, let's go check in with the doctor."
Virgil raised an eyebrow. "The doctor?"
"Not like Doctor Who," Remus told him. "He goes by 'doctor' because he used to be a therapist until becoming headmaster here."
"Ah."
The group started to walk to the main building, but someone slammed into Janus with a squeal before they could go further.
YOU ARE READING
The Academy of S.I.D.E.
FanfictionVirgil's always stayed in the shadows... literally. He was born with the ability to control them. He's mostly used it to make shadow creations when he's bored, or talk with his own shadow---who's pretty much his only friend. He doesn't know where th...
