Past
Chapter VII
Years passed as classic after classic was read, discussed, ridiculed, and praised. Halvdan and Sam grew to be closer and closer friends as time went on, bringing new friends like Roger, Marcus, Tanner, and Theodore into the reading groups. Tanner was the bravest of them all; he was recruited to join the Guard after he saved a family of four from rolling off a cliff by grabbing the horses reins and tempting the animal with sugar cubes. Theodore, called Theo by his friends, was the dumbest and kindest of the group. He only had passing grades from his friends and in exchange his friends received unbearable, unfathomable, unceasing love. It was sixth year when Theo first cursed during a study session.
"What the hell," Theo cried in his deep, innocent voice.
"Theo, it's okay-"
"No it's not Halv! You understand chemistry like it's no big deal. It's hard!"
"Hey, I don't like history but you're good at that. Right Theo?"
"No! I'm bad at everything. I'm just exceptinnily bad at this."
"Exceptionally."
"See! Sam's talking and fightin', Marcus is scary and manly, Tanner is coorge-"
"Courage."
"-and history, and you're pretty and chermsty!"
"Chemistry."
"Sam, stop it."
"I can't help it! It's automatic. It's like asking me to stop breathing."
"Please do so. I'd do us all a favor." Sam punched Marcus, who just grinned.
"You're like a meat wall! Did you even feel that? What-"
"Anyway, back to chemistry. It's just like math. You have to memorize the equation and then plug in numbers for the letters and calculate. And Sam stop punching Marcus-"
"He's not even flinching! Look at this! My fist bounces off his pecs. Bounces!" Sam watched in awe as fist continued to rebound off of flesh. "It's not human I tell you!"
"But I don't have all the numbers for the letters Halv!"
"That's what you're solving for. You have to re-write the equation so the letter that doesn't have a number is what you're calculating."
"Why don't they just give me all the numbers?"
"Exactly, Theo. I'm in the same boat. At least you're not limited with words unless you have a limited lexicon."
"Leion?"
"Lexicon. Vocabulary. How many words you actually know." Theo moaned as Tanner entered the barack.
"Hello lovelies." Halv rolled his eyes as he tried helping Theo once more. "Still doing homework eh?"
"Yeah. Unlike you, Majesty, we can't get by without good grades. They'll kick us out if we fail."
"Ohhh I'm gonna get kicked out, Halv!"
"Don't worry my moronic acquaintance," said Tanner as he rubbed Theo's oversized shoulder.
"That's not nice Tanner," Sam chided comically, knowing Tanner had news for them. "What gifts do you have to bestow us, oh Great One."
"Yes my people I have brought you great knowledge from a faraway land that will solve all of your worries."
"Please Gifted One, show us your light-"
"My child, I shall. In due time."
"Dear God." Sam laughed and kicked Halvdan lightly.
"C'mon Halv, have some fun! What is it Tanner?"
"The secret to ending all of this...is this…" Tanner looked left and right, as though scanning for enemies. Not understanding that Tanner was teasing, Theo joined him in the search.
"Uh, I don't see anyone Tanner-"
"Don't encourage him Theo. Don't-"
"Shh." Tanner leaned his light brown head into the circle while everyone leaned in to hear Tanner, minus Halvdan. "The secret is...appeasement."
"So kiss assing?"
"Indeed." Sam sighed, being the first one to pull out of the circle.
"Yeah right, Tanner. Whose ass have you been kissing recently?"
"Mr. Bloom."
"What? No way. He's impenetrable."
"Say you."
"What have you done to entice the grand Mr. Bloom?"
"An interest in the dark arts." Sam listened as Tanner continued. "Leaning the misguided into a land of passion, power, riches beyond what currency could really buy. Supplement with payment, yes, but could you afford the true art? Absolutely not. One must learn to let himself go and to train in such arts-"
"Sex. You're talking about sex." Tanner sighed, dropping his arms from his speech.
"Way to ruin the moment Sam."
"You haven't been fucking Mr. Bloom."
"Oh? And you can prove that, can you," Tanner challenged, crossing his arms.
"Yeah. Because he's not a homosexual."
"A houda whata?"
"A homosexual, Theo, is someone who has sexual interactions with another of their same genre."
"Huh?"
"Tanner is saying Mr. Bloom is fucking him. A man sleeping with a boy. It's against Arendellian law and would be punishable by death on both their parts if anything about this claim is true."
"DON'T DIE TANNER!"
"Shut up," everyone whispered, trying to calm Theo down.
"NO NO NO TANNER MY FRIEND DON'T DIE TANNER-"
"I'm not going to die!" Theo, relieved, sat back down with Halvdan and his Chemistry textbook.
"If he's telling the truth and gets caught, he will."
"I won't get caught, Sam. Besides, I need the grades-"
"Who else?"
"What?"
"You have A's and B's in every class and haven't done homework this whole year. Who else?" Tanner grinned. Sam squeaked, "All of them? You're joking?"
"I'm not."
"But Tanner! You're twelve! That's statutory rape, child molestation, gross indecency-"
"What?"
"Theo it means if this continues, someone is going to die. Tanner, this has got to stop if you're being serious about this Mr. Bloom's thing-"
"I can't! I don't have a choice! I'm not smart like you or Halvdan or Roger and I'm not pure muscle like Marcus and Theo. They will kick me out because they see me having nothing to offer. If I get kicked out, I'm done. No one else will hire me. This is my shot and I can't throw that away-"
"Turn in these professors! They're the criminals making you feel this way-"
"I need the grade! If they get new teachers, they'll be just as harsh if not harsher on the curriculum. I can't-"
"Idiot, you have us! Why do you think we're sitting around for? Tea time? We're studying, reading, getting shit done. If you need help, ask-"
"No Sam! I can do this myself!"
"You can't live life by yourself, so why try?" Silence filled barack 19 with complete silence. A professor called Tanner's name from the midnight air.
"That's Mr. Bloom. It's his night." Tanner straightened his green sixth-year uniform and sighed.
"Don't do this Tanner. You're better than this."
"No I'm not." Tanner left into the dark, leaving the others to watch as the door closed quietly. Minutes passed before Sam rocketed to the door, not even bothering to grab a jacket to fight the winter air.
"Sam," the boys cried, all but one.
"Leave the man alone. He's not going to say anything. He's just mad."
"How do you know Roger? He's like a time bomb-"
"It appears to be that way to you, doesn't it?" Roger never bothered to raise his eyes from the book in his lap. "To me he appears to be a man who cares."