The next morning dawned as the sun peeked its shine into the glass dome of the Phoenix den. Aldric's eyes peeled slowly, and he rose to a seated position in bed. He outstretched his arms and yawned largely before rubbing the crust from his eyes.
Behind him Harden rose from his bed and stood raising his arms above his head.
"Morning," he said through a yawn.
"Morning," Aldric replied, scratching his scalp.
"We heading to the perch this morning?" Haden asked, scanning his wardrobe for his outfit.
"Yeah, classes are starting back up today. We've got to be there to hear our schedules," Aldric said, pulling a white shirt over his head.
"That's right, we're transitioning to our secondary classes today," Harden said, forgetting that the break had ended. Excitement built in each of them as they wondered what their schedules were going to look like.
The idea of expanding their already growing knowledge greatly increased their speed while getting ready. As they laced their shoes and made way for the door, they halted and took a deep breath together.
Aldric pushed the red door open and revealed the entry hall. To his excitement and surprise, the entry was still brightly lit by the sun's pulsing rays. The doors hadn't been sealed again. It felt different in the tower as they watched boys filter in and out of the tower.
Some held plates of food as they staggered out of the tower, while others were catching up on their studies. A few boys were out playing in the sand, while an assorted bunch raced toward the perch hall.
Harden's face was painted with a smile as his eyes flickered with the wonder he'd felt on the first day of break.
"We should still probably eat something," Aldric insisted, patting the boys back.
"I know. I'm just happy to see the doors open," Harden smirked. The pair of them made their way through the entry hall and down the perch corridor. They followed the building's sea of boys as they too made their way to breakfast.
The tower was louder than ever, as buzzing, giddy voices rang through the chambers. Each boy from each flock felt a new sense of wonder and an increasing yearning for more. They had been shown the majesty of the aviary as well as what's beyond.
The perch felt emptier than usual. The wren flock was almost completely absent, as all of them preferred existing with nature. The falcon table only held half of its boys, who all seemed to be racing to finish first.The ravens were all present and accounted for, none of them so much as glancing at Aldric or Harden.
Jasper wore a sour face, an almost angry but defeated look. Rhys looked more exhausted and beaten down than anything. A few of the other boys looked like they'd missed days of sleep. Aldric flashed a swift smirk at the sight of his adversaries failing so blatantly.
He knew he was ahead of his previous flock, but the constant reminders made it so much better. Sometimes he'd deliberately stagger his steps near their table just to prolong his glance.
This wasn't one of those days. He made his way past them without satisfying them with any attention. He and Harden sat opposite each other and waited for the ghost crew to deliver their trays.
It never took long for the crew to appear once a flock was seated, but Aldric and Harden both felt very antsy. Their knees bounced against the table as their glances snapped toward the cook's door every few seconds. Impatience grew in them, and their knees bounced faster.
Then, with a hushed whoosh, the small swing door flung open. A large silver tray topped with pancakes, bacon, eggs, and hashbrowns floated out. Beneath it, a translucent arm draped in a tattered seaman's sleeve.
One of the ghostly pirates carried the tray to them and delivered it with a moan. Behind him, another pirate delivered a pitcher of orange juice and another of apple. The final crew member delivered an absurd stack of buttered toast. The boys dug in quickly, mimicking the falcons with their speed.
Aldric's cheek bulged on one side as he forced more food into the other. Harden barely waited after he swallowed to gulp down his orange juice. They chewed so fast that, for a moment, the ravens wanted to turn to see what the racket was.
The falcons had taken notice and started quietly cheering for their Phoenix brothers. The pair scarfed down more food until they physically couldn't anymore. Four pancakes apiece, six strips of bacon, at least six scrambled eggs, and a pitcher and a half of juice later, and the phoenixes found themselves gorged.
Their stomachs felt expanded past their bursting point, and their uniforms felt a size too small. They choked back painful burps that tasted of eggs and vomit. Their eyes watered and their heads pounded.
"Maybe that was-," Aldric burped
"Too fast," he groaned.
"Maybe a little," Harden dry heaved slightly, and placed his head to the stone table.
"Oh, come on, boys," a familiar voice rang out, and a large hand clapped Harden's back. Harden groaned loudly, and Aldric gazed up at the boy. Grum smiled toothily and brushed his hair from his face.
"Just joking, boys, that's what we call Falcon Fast," he said, smirking. Grum looked drained, not entirely tired, but physically drained. He seemed pale and smaller somehow.
"It's good to see you too Grum," Aldric mustered, smiling back shallowly.
"How was your break then?" He asked, scooting in beside Harden.
"Oh you know same old same old," Aldric shrugged, then burped into his hand again.
"Right, because you boys just so happen to go touchin' storms every day," he said, his sarcasm unmistakable.
"So I guess that means you had a break too then?" Aldric glanced at him.
"Of course I did. We all did," he cocked his head slightly.
"Could've fooled me. We didn't see you once that I can recall," Aldric flashed a curious look at him. The boy's face squished before returning to his normal smile.
"The Falcons and me spent our break further practicing our magic and harnessing our skills. Some of us felt it was easier with minimal distraction, so we gave ourselves blinders. I wasn't avoiding you; I was trying to advance, like you," he explained, smiling sincerely.
Aldric was silent; he didn't know why he couldn't say anything. He, of all people, couldn't be mad at someone trying to advance. After all, that had been his goal since the beginning.
"Sorry, Grum. I was just messing around. I didn't mean anything by it," he said, extending a hand to shake. Grum laughed gutturally and yanked the boy up by his arm, and pulled him into a hug. The three of them laughed as Harden began to feel slight relief.
The perch went silent when the bell rang out. They hadn't even heard the bell used inside the aviary before. Sure enough, soon after the bell, the rest of the flocks filed in and found their seats. Grum stayed at the Phoenix table as the chattering became louder.
When all of them were on the perch and every seat was filled, the main doors swung open with a creak. The chattering halted as all of their eyes snapped toward the entrance. That's where he stood; the architect rested lightly against the jam, gazing down at the floor.
A soft pop clicked out as he removed the cork from his ooze and swigged it twice. In silence, he hobbled to the stage where he would address the flocks. When the light hit him, his complexion became clear. He was sickly white and pasty. His hands were almost completely bone, and his milky white eyes were accented by dark half circles underneath them.
He wore the same clothes, but was now swimming in them. His hair was greasier than normal, and he seemed to tremble slightly. Aldric gazed at him, concerned, as he turned to face the crowd. With a gurgled clearing of his throat, he went to speak.
"Good morning and welcome back boys. I believe it is time to address the subject of new class schedules,"