Valhalla High (A Magnus Chase Fanfic)

Mimir's Well of Knowledge

    My next teacher turned out to be a former ambassador who decided to teach biology after one too many near-executions. He seemed extremely proud of it, introducing himself with a slideshow about his life that began with an ultrasound of him at 12 weeks.

    I didn't know anyone in this class beside from Alex, but she sat next to the hijabi girl I'd seen earlier and a boy, so I ended up in the back. I was seated beside a guy so pale and thin they looked anemic. He was dressed in muted colors except for a candy cane-striped scarf around his neck.

       The guy sitting next to him was the fashionably dressed person I had ever seen. He wore a beige slacks that fit so well they just have been tailored. His teal green tie perfectly matched his collared shirt. The colors made his warm skin pop and his hair was meticulously groomed. I felt pretty shabby compared to him; I couldn't even correctly tie a necktie.

     "The name is Blitzen," he said, giving me a warm smile, "and my friend here is Hearthstone."

    He made gestures with his hands as he spoke, which Hearthstone closely followed. I didn't understand many of them, so I took out a piece of paper and write, "I'm enrolled in American Sign Language." I passed the note to Hearthstone and he raised his pale eyebrows.

    The bell rang and the teacher pulled up a PowerPoint. "Hello AP Biology students," he said.

    Blitzen continued to sign for Hearthstone as our teacher spoke and I decided to share my notes with them. "My name is Mimir Well and I'll be your AP Biology teacher. Now I know a lot of you are probably thinking that AP Biology is difficult, but you can pass the class. It won't be easy, but I've had many students achieve top marks on the AP Biology exam. That's why I offer after-school study sessions everyday of the week, as well as have my own Quizlets you can use to study. All of your tests will be formatted like the AP exam, so when you take it, you'll be prepared."

He then started talking about his life story and how he'd been born in rural Montana and got a full-ride at Oxford. "When I returned to America after getting my Master's in foreign relations, I was picked a diplomat. I held several positions before being elevated to the American ambassador to North Korea. After my fifteenth near-execution, however, I returned to school to study education and became a teacher."

He showed us the scar he had on his neck that he got in North Korea. "They we're trying to decapitate me," he said, beaming at us.

I squirmed in my seat. So far all I had down as notes was: tests = final exams. That wasn't very helpful. Luckily, Mimir started telling us about how he graded late assignments, his bathroom pass, and other classroom policies. The bell rang just after he said, "You'll be doing a practice exam on Wednesday."

Great, I thought, glad that it was finally lunchtime.

***

    Blitzen and Hearthstone had the same lunch hour as me, so we all plopped down at one table. Hearthstone began taking out some some huge book and fingering through it, his pale blue eyes rapt with the strange symbols on the pages. "What are you doing?" I asked Hearthstone, writing it down on paper.

     He signed back to me and Blitzen translated. "Hearthstone is trying to learn the old Norse language."

    I blinked. What a task. "Is there like a Duolingo on that?"

      Blitzen laughed and translated for Hearthstone as I asked more questions. I recognized the sign for two and I felt excited about the prospective of learning more in My American Sign Language class. Hearthstone began bubbling on a sandwich and continued leafing through his thick book, occasionally looking up to follow our conversation.

     Blitzen and I took out our lunches. I had packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some pretzels, and an apple. Blitzen's lunch was stored in sleek reusable containers that even bore his name; I was pretty sure it was custom made. "Are your parents celebrities or something?" I asked.

    Blitzen's cheeks grew red. "My father is a simple jeweler. I made these reusable containers myself."

     "Could you teach me how?" I asked.

      Blitzen's face grew even redder. "I'm afraid not. I'm only good when I'm not under pressure."

      I didn't want to press it, so I changed the subject. "And your mother?"

The topic made him squirm, so I changed the topic again. "Falafel is far superior to hummus."

Blitzen nodded as if I had uncovered the secret to life, the universe, and everything. "I agree."

I relaxed. "Good thing; that means we can be friends."

Heartstone, who had been following our conversation through Blitzen's hand gestures, signed something to us. Blitzen translated, "Blitzen loves to take his friends clothes shopping."

"And you like to drag them to Renaissance Fairs!" Blitzen shot back.

Hearthstone gave him a baleful look and signed: that was once. At least, I think that's what he meant because I recognized the gesture for one. I was just about to take a bite of my apple when I felt a hand on my shoulder. "I'll eat that for you."

    A hand snatched the apple from my own and I stood up, with curled fists and hot cheeks. "That was my lunch. Who do you think you are?"

     The guy holding my apple gave me a look. "I'm Utgard-Loki, president of the chess club, and you'd be mindful to respect your betters."

    He took a bit of my apple to rub it in. "Decency, man, decency," I said. "You had the gall to steal my apple; at least eat it somewhere else."

    Utgard-Loki lifted his eyebrows and smiled. "As you wish."

     Then he was gone and I sat down, devastated. Utgard-Loki seemed like a crude bully — the type that cared more about status and resources than reveling in cruelty, but I was afraid he'd be just the first. Screw AP Biology; I should've chosen to take AP Psychology.