I pinched the bridge of my nose and walked over.
Lance popped off the top and lowered the tin to reveal about two dozen wooden soldiers.
"Check these out, my mother got them carved and modeled after real dragoons. cheap to produce but priceless for me. And now, you."
He placed the tin in my hand.
I pulled out a figure and observed it. Pinched between my thumb and pointer finger.
The details weren't the sharpest, but it wasn't bad for the scale.
"I can have them?" I asked, as I dropped the soldier back in the tin and closed it.
Lance sat on his bed and opened another cloth sack. "Yeah, I don't really play with them much anymore. " He pulled out something wrapped in a checkered cloth.
He pulled back the folds to reveal a sandwich. "Are you hungry? Usually, they take the kids to eat during orientation."
My stomach silently growled at the sight. I stepped forward and wordlessly took the sandwich.
As I did so, Lance's eyes widened with realization.
"Oh yeah, tomorrow morning head to the central tower and to the auditorium. You'll get your class assignment there."
I nodded as I bit into my new ham sandwich. The meat was a little tough but it was pretty good.
Lance scratched his cheek. "I can't help but feel like I'm forgetting something else."
Eventually, he shrugged. "Oh well, it must not be that important if I forgot."
He lay back in his blanket and stared up at the ceiling. A chandelier filled with Ouro stones hung from the ceiling and illuminated the room.
I continued to eat in silence.
"You know, this is one of the worst first days of school I've ever had," I admitted between bites of my sandwich.
Lance chuckled as he closed his eyes. "I don't doubt that. I remember being terrified on my first day at the academy when I was younger. But when the time came, it was nothing but boring."
He continued.
"Posh professors rambled on about the history of the land while we were herded from room to room. Compared to that? You got off easy."
He sighed as he raised a hand.
"Still, since Tectus became head professor he's pretty much streamlined everything." His hand dropped back on the bed. "I will warn you though, the stress can pile on fast if you let it."
After I finished my sandwich I rolled my bag off my shoulder and set it on the floor. "What do you mean?"
"I mean as a page. You start behind because you miss orientation. Then as you try to catch up, you have hundreds of kids who want to replace you."
He sat up. "And if your grades start to slip you have to go to these long meetings which cut into your sleep. Basically one wrong step and you could lose everything. And that's without your elite scholar deciding to be a pain."
I wrapped myself up in my quilt and rested my head on my pillows. The faint scent of vanilla covered the casing on the pillows.
"If that's the case, why did you become an elite scholar?"
Lance looked down at me.
"You mean how I became a page? Well before Tectus, elite scholars could pick anyone they wanted."
"It was sort of a problem though, because some elite scholars wouldn't pick a page until six months in. And if that page ever lost its position the elite scholar would usually refuse to train the new page."
He continued. "My mentor was one of those elite scholars. She waited until she found the most invisible student possible, me, and practically hid me in her room for three years."
I almost wanted to laugh. I barely knew this lady but I feel like I could relate to her on a spiritual level.
She doesn't even sound like a mentor anymore. She sounds like a teenager who just wanted to take care of herself and one page.
Instead of a new page every three months.
Still, I wonder if she realizes she just handed a highly sought-after position to a literal moron.
I yawned.
"Well, as long as I don't become your page I think I'll be fine." I closed my eyes and snuggled into my quilt.
Lance smirked. "Too late."
Of course.
"I hate you."
Lance chuckled softly. "I love ya too, little buddy, now get some sleep." He looked up and pulled a small crystal from the chandelier.
It switched off and the room was quickly plunged into darkness.
— — —
In the morning I awoke to an empty room.
The sun peered through the curtains and a bell rang outside.
Bong-bong. Bong-bong. Bong-bong.
I rolled out of my quilt and stretched with a long yawn. After I finished, I fought off the urge to fall back asleep.
Then, I finally stood on my feet.
That's when I noticed a note on Lance's bed. I walked over, picked it up, and read it.
— — —
Hey, it's a little early and I didn't want to wake you, I'll be in the city for a bit. I just need to buy a few things before the lines get long.
But remember, head to the auditorium, then the cafeteria for breakfast, and finally head to homeroom.
Also, there's a spare key near the door.
— — —
His handwriting was awful but still legible.
I flipped the note over to check the back. There was nothing there so I tossed it back on the bed.
I turned to enter the bathroom. It was similar to the one in Kotal which means I can take my time.
After grooming myself and getting dressed I grabbed the spare key and exited the room.
After locking the door I headed towards the lifts.
The way the tower was set up, each floor was about the size of your average office floor. The rooms were organized in the center to form a circle.
The outer hall was lined with windows and on one side were several lifts. The other side had a flight of stairs.
Each lift was simple.
It was a caged platform behind brass gates that held a lever. The lever was operated by a member of staff.
Outside of the lift was a call button. I didn't need to use it, because there was a lift already on this floor.
Operated by a young woman. "Do you need a ride?" She asked with a chipper smile.
She looked way too eager. I remember the guy who operated the lift the first time looked bored out of his mind.
And now that I thought about it, usually you'd have to wait a minute for a lift because so many people would use it.
It would actually be faster to take the stairs in some cases.
But I wasn't going to do all that work.
I glanced at one of the empty shafts and took a deep breath. "I'll just wait for another one."
The woman frowned. "Why? I'm right here. This lift is perfectly functional." She gripped the lever.
I raised an eyebrow. "It's not the lift I'm worried about…"
The woman's smile returned as she leaned forward. She looked like a wild animal behind those brass gates.
"Then get in."
I swallowed. This was starting to feel more like extortion at this point. But what would I be robbed of?
Do I even wanna find out?
I shook my head again. "No, no, I'm fine, honest."
The girl groaned as she gripped her face. "You're acting as if I like little boys or something? They wouldn't give me this job if that was the case."
My eyes widened. "Well I wasn't really worried about that… at first."
The woman nodded.
"Good, cause it was only one time, and he kissed me. Not the other way around. Besides, he was legal. Anyway, you don't wanna be late for class do you? Come on… just one ride."
My brows nearly reached orbit.
What the hell was wrong with this chick? The more I talk to her, the more I regret it.
"No, no I think I'll just take the stairs."
The woman lurched forward and grabbed onto the grass gate. "JUST GET IN THE FUCKING LIFT!" The cage rattled as she shook it wildly.
I jumped back with my hands jetted out and my hairs pointed.
"O-okay!"
The woman calmed down instantly and opened the brass gates.
"Please, step inside," She said after she cleared her throat.
My heart thumped as I slowly stepped into the lift. I carefully made my way to the back corner as she closed the brass gates.
Then she walked over towards the lever and pulled it back. Which caused the lift to go up.
"Hey, I need to be on the first floor."
"I know."
"But we're going up."
"I know."
A beat of silence.
"Why are we going up?" I finally asked.
The woman looked back at me with a wicked grin. "It makes the drop more fun."
The drop?
The lift clicked as it reached the top floor.