A/n: Hey! Welcome to my new work! I won't keep you for long, I just wabted to tell you somethings. First: this is a Hannigram story, but it has some bumps. If there is any non-consensual part, I'll warn you guys. Second, this story centeres around gambling and games, but I want to tell you that I am NOT AN EXPERT in these things, so I'm sorry if I make any mistakes.
Btw, this wasn't beta'd!
Have fun!
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Will Graham sighed as the bus came to a holt. He closed his own book- a novel by a Pulitzer prize winner- and grabbed his belongings. The teen stepped out of the vehicle after quietly thanking the driver and looked at his new home and school. He arrived two days later than scheduled, but the principal had assured him that he would be on the same level as his new classmates.
The academy was huge. It resembled an old mansion; the walls were built with white marble and red tiles composed the various roofs. Sun rays hit the windows, some of them had balconies and beautiful sculptures around them. A vast garden surrounded the building and it's four tall towers; a group of cherry trees formed a path to the main entrance and filled the air with light pink petals. Grass fields stretched out to both sides, delimited by elegant red roses.
The sound of people walking and talking reminded Will of where he was. The very prestigious academy that was the complete opposite of the small high school in Wolf Trap. In fact, it was due to his excellent grades that he was invited to the academy. The place where rich teenagers, future heirs of fortunes, came to learn. He was going to study and live in there, along with them.
Will adjusted his glasses, watching another limousine approach the school's driveway. He felt out of place, seeing everyone in the red and black uniforms while he was dressed in an old T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He didn't care what the other teenagers thought about him, but it would make meeting other students more difficult. He started heading towards the two heavy wooden doors that lead to the academy. It was Sunday afternoon, the academy was full of students returning from their weekends at home.
A teen, about his age, stood in front of the main doors, waiting for him. He had dark skin and a proud smile in his face. He raised his hand, offering a handshake, "Jack Crawford. I assume you're Will Graham."
Will nodded, trying to avoid looking into Jack's eyes. He didn't like exposing himself to others and the eyes revealed too much. He could tell that Jack Crawford was strong and liked to be in control of everything. Will tried not to analyze the first person he met just by shaking hands, but it was so easy.
Jack chuckled and nodded in response before turning around. He glanced back at Will, "Do you need help with those?"
That made him look down at his stuff. Unlike most teenagers here, Will didn't have much. That was why he only had a gym bag and a backpack.
"No, thanks," He answered, gripping the gym bag's strap. Jack shrugged and kept walking as he explained everything he needed to know.
"You are in class 2-1. I'm the class president and that's why I'm giving you a tour. We're 16 in each class and there are three classes per year. That means that there are about 220 students in total," He said, entering the front hall.
White marble covered the floor, with four big columns in a row. Staircases stood in each side of the door, covered in red velvet. The walls were painted in a dark red, matching the velvet. There was a rug where they stood, made out of expensive fabrics. Groups of students and teachers gathered in the wide hall, chatting about recent events.
Jack led Will to the stairs on their left, guiding him to the next floor, "The rooms have three students each, always of the same gender. You're in the same room as Jimmy Price and Brian Zeller. They are from our class."
Will didn't like the idea of having to sleep with other people, even if they were in different beds. He enjoyed having his privacy and sharing a room took that away from him. He reminded himself that he was only going to be there for three years and after that he could go back to the quiet life in Wolf Trap.
"Jimmy is nice to everyone, but Brian can be an asshole sometimes. Especially if Jimmy is not around," The teen warned. They reached the first floor the next second. It was decorated just like the main hall and just like before, but this time just one staircase stood in the end of the hallway. Jack turned left, followed by Will, leaving the stairs behind.
He lifted his thumb and pointed towards the stairs, where a group of girls were headed, "That's one of the ways to the girl's dorm rooms. If you get caught in there, you'll be punished. So don't get lost."
Will didn't have any plans to visit the female dorm rooms, ever. He was just there to finish high school and get into a good college.
The class president's voice pulled him out of his thoughts as they passed through several groups of students, "This floor is for the classrooms, just like the next one. In this one, there are the first and second year's classrooms. Upstairs there are the third and fourth year's rooms, in addition to the chemistry and biology lab."
Will was truly amazed. The academy was incredibly organized, unlike his older school. He could barely learn anything in class, so he had to teach himself. Fortunately, by the end of winter break, he knew everything he was going to be taught. That was why he had excellent grades.
"Class starts at nine. We all take the same classes," They turned a corner and Jack stopped in the middle of the hallway. The wood door in front of them was labeled '2-1', "This is our classroom. If you need help with directions, Jimmy will help you. Or other students."
Will had already developed a mental map with the important spots he learned until now. He didn't want to do anything unnecessary. Jack resumed their tour, leading him to a new set of stairs.
"The towers you saw contain study rooms for each class . Each class has one of their own," They passed the third floor and climbed to the fourth. Something flared in the back of Will's mind, telling him that something was off. He brushed it off as a female voice drew his attention.
"Jack!" Someone called. It was a girl, with black hair and a huge smile. She ran down the stairs, causing some of the others to protest.
She stopped right in front of them, looking at Will. Her face wasn't full of disgust but of curiosity, which was a happy change.
"You must be Will Graham," She said, a huge smile on her face. They shook hands, "I'm Beverly. I'm in 2-1 too."
He saw a male student who was passing by them and noticed that he had a some sort of dog tag around his neck, with a single word engraved in it. Unfortunately, he was walking too fast for Will to be able to read it.
Everybody- including Jack and Beverly- stared at the boy, who looked like he was about to cry, as he rushed upstairs. Some people had smirks on their faces, while others whispered between them. The attention was all focused on the tag. His mind flared once again, curiously cursing through his body.
Beverly turned to Jack and whispered, taking advantage of the distraction, "I hope nothing bad happens to Will. You need to tell him."
Jack shook his head, "No way."
"He won't last a week here, Jack. Imagine what the student council will do to him," She said. Will watched them, sensing that something was wrong. It was normal for a school to have bullying, he was a victim of it back in Virginia. But there was a strange cloud surrounding the whole issue. He had no idea of what was going on.
He climbed up the stairs to meet Jack, but something distracted him once again. A teen, older than them, walked down the stairs calmly, while a path was opened just for him. He was tall, with ash blond hair covering a serene eyes were a light brown, like honey. There was a glint in them that Will couldn't decipher. A small smile appeared on the other's lips as the distance between the two shortened.
The teen kept walking down the stairs, heading towards the dark haired boy. The staircase was silentS they met face to face, a step separating them.
Will analyzed the teen that was so interrested in him. He was almost certainly European and was very popular, since everyone was quiet but had a dying need to gossip. The newcomer could see that some people were afraid of the guy, which made him doubt about the smile on his face. But why would they fear him? What were they all trying so hard to hide?
The smile on the taller teen widened as he introduced himself, "Hannibal Lecter, president of the student council."