Chapter 5
**Goodbye AHBS**
The whole staff of AHBS was present in the school auditorium as it was the time to say goodbye to the students. The hall was bustling with activity as teachers were busy welcoming hunters who were just beginning to arrive. The hall was divided into two sections with long rows of chairs in each. One part of which would be occupied by the hunters and the other by the kids. A podium was set up in the corner of the stage where Bobby was scheduled to give his welcoming speech. While a small table was set up in the centre of the stage with two bowls on it. One bowl containing the names of the hunters while the other containing the names of the students.
There were also arrangements of food and drinks made at the tables on each sides of the large hall for all to enjoy during the annual *Eligo enim venator diem*.
Dean was helping Jo in bringing out the dishes of food from the kitchen at the school canteen to the tables set up in the hall.
"You know technically I'm a guest here. I'm not supposed to work." Dean pointed out grumbling to Jo as he hauled up a big bowl of salad in his hands while Jo carried plates and napkins with her back to the auditorium.
"Guest ?. Oh please." Jo snorted at him shaking her head. "You're my best friend and you are supposed to help me so move your ass. Those dishes are not gonna carry themselves."
"Yes ma'am. Besides , I have no ground to complain. I like watching you when you bend over to grab things. " Dean said dropping his voice and giving her a wink and then yelping a moment later when she gave a sharp smack on his ass with the plates she was carrying. "You and your mother need to leave my poor behind alone."
"And you need to learn to watch your mouth." Jo glared at him but he could tell she wasn't really mad. Infact she was blushing but maybe they were the lights or something because Jo wasn't a normal girl who blushed when boys flirted with her. She was the one who kicked their asses or as it was in his case smacked them hard. So he smiled at her with one of his most charming smiles that made women want to jump in bed with him immediately but as it happened always it failed to catch Jo's interest.
"Hey , mama !. Dean wants to say something to you." Jo called to Ellen who was talking with Ms. Rachel on their right.
"Not fair." Dean complained glaring at her but she just smiled and moved away.
"Don't tell me the Dean Winchester is afraid of my mother." Those were her parting words as she passed him.
"You wanna say something to me , boy ?". Ellen asked in her usual no nonsense tone which scared the hell out of Dean for some reason as it used to just like when he was a kid.
"No ma'am." Ellen nodded before walking away and Dean thought he heard her snorting. Atlast he just shook his head and directed his focus back on the task in his hands. And he meant it literally as he was still holding the big bowl of salad so he carried the bowl back to the table containing other food. Because it would take more than one lifetime to figure the Harvelle women out.
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It was half past twelve and the hall was buzzing with noises all around. The hunters have all arrived and were now mingling with the teachers and the other hunters , waiting for Mr. Robert to start the event with his welcome speech.
Sam spotted Dean seated in the back laughing and trading hunting stories with a coupla hunters. Infact , there was a small crowd gathered around Dean as he sat in the middle. Dean was really a VIP in the hunting community. He had heard that phrase before but now he was seeing it with his own eyes. Every hunter gathered around Dean hung on his every word as if it was a matter of life and death. Maybe it was. The man had a lot of experience and tons of hunting stories to share with the others that could someday help them in a hunt or maybe save their lives.
And Sam thought about how lucky he was to be getting a chance to get trained by Dean. Even hunters would give anything away to do a hunt together with that man. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't pay attention to where he was going.
"Oh , god. I'm so sorry." Sam apologised and hurriedly raised his hands to steady the person that he smashed into. And just as his luck was , it was none other than Larry. But what happened next surprised the hell out of him.
"It's alright , Sam. Just next time look where you are going." Larry said before he walked away and Sam stood frozen on the spot there for quite sometime thinking about what just had happened. Any other time , Larry would have punched him or yell at him even. But what changed ?. He was pondering about that and would have pondered some more if it wasn't for Dean calling out his name.
Sam looked up and saw Dean waving him over. He timidly made his way over to Dean and the large group of hunters surrounding him.
"This is Sam Smith. The kid I have agreed to train." Dean introduced him to the other hunters giving a particularly hard pat on his shoulder. Sam almost stumbled forward with the force behind it. But Dean didn't notice or maybe he had but he chose to ignore it. And Dean wasn't the only one. Maybe it was sort of a protocol or something but every other hunter that Dean introduced him to greeted him with a firm handshake which wasn't an issue but what was ,was the firm pats that he had gotten on his shoulders and back.
At the end his shoulder was hurting and so was his back. He was sure that he would find marks in form of handprints on his skin. What happened to polite nodding or smiles ?. People when they meet new people do that too , right ?.
"What are you doing ?. Just stand straight. No need to look like a monkey." Dean ordered him when it was finally just the two of them.
"My shoulders and back hurt from where your friends have smacked the heck out of them." Sam shooted back in reply before he dropped his hand which was rubbing his back and stood straight as Dean had ordered.
"Well , learn to be tough , Samantha. If your body is hurting from some light and friendly pats , you're gonna have a hell of a time in hunting." Dean retorted as he scanned the crowd for some familiar faces. The hunters he was with before were some he didn't know but they knew him. But now he was searching for his friends. He didn't have a large group of friends as he liked to keep to himself. But just a really small circle of people whom he trusted and considered family. They were just some people he knew who would have his back and he wanted to introduce them to Sam.
The kid should know whom he could call in case of an emergency. Aside from Bobby , Ellen or Jo , he should know some people who are hunters out on the field and would come help him with just one call.
"They weren't light or friendly pats. They were smacks which were hard and I'm not Samantha." Sam glared at Dean who just waved him off in reply.
"Alright , enough about this. Go and have some food or something." Dean said walking away from him but not before giving a hard slap on his back causing Sam to yelp. Because Dean as respected of a hunter he was , was a jerk of a person. And he liked tormenting Sam. Sam's glare was digging holes in the back of Dean's head as he was moving away but the man didn't look back but Sam was still sure that if Dean would then he would have his irritating smirk on his face directed at him.
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"Hey." Dean sat down besides Jo as the event was just about to start. The hall was getting quieter by each passing moment as Bobby was about to get up on the stage to give his welcome speech to commence the event.
"Hey." Jo replied back and wrinkled her nose a moment later at Dean when he picked up a piece of bacon off her plate with his bare hands.
"What ?". Dean asked finishing off the bacon and licking his fingers and reaching for another piece when Jo turned away her plate.
"Use spoons , Dean and do not lick your fingers."
"Oh come on. Where are we ? At a five star restaurant ?".
Jo shook her head but relented nonetheless as she pushed her plate back towards Dean. "Hey , you know I trust you. But I was wondering about something since this morning." Jo began a bit hesitantly and Dean raised an eyebrow.
"You know you can ask me anything , right ?".
"Okay. Why did you make Sam catch falling leaves ?. I mean how would it help him in hunting ?".
"Let me show you instead of answering that." Dean said as he began searching the crowd for Sam. Once he spotted the kid , he nudged Jo's shoulder. "Now look at Sam , alright."
Jo nodded looking a lot confused as Dean took out a small rubber ball from his jacket which was about the size of his wrist. She watched Dean yelled for Sam and once the kid was looking at him. Dean threw the ball towards him. Sam looked confused but he tried to catch the ball which resulted in an almost disaster.
The kid stood up from his seat , raised his arms to catch the ball and in the process managed to fall on his ass and his flailing arms and long legs caught the other two students too and they all ended up on the floor in a heap of tangled limbs. Sam tried to disentangle himself from the other students and get up by supporting himself on the back of a chair but he lost his balance midway and the chair ended up falling on him.
"Saw it ?." Dean asked Jo shaking his head and turning his attention away from Sam. Because really , it was painfully embarrassing to watch. Jo winced and nodded. "The kid has zero eye-body coordination." Dean continued. "He's a tall kid and looked like he hasn't finished growing yet. And his tall frame could really come in handy while hunting if he just learns how to use it. My job is to protect him from supernatural beings but it looks like first I need to teach him how to protect him from himself. And apparantly , others from him. Because the kid has a habit of falling on his own two feet and causing others to fall with him too."
"Catching falling leaves from trees is a stupid task but in Sam's case , it's really not. You don't know which leaf is gonna fall and when so in order to catch them you need to keep your focus laser sharp all the time and in all the directions. Then when a leave does fall , you need to work with your eyes , hands and feet and basically your whole body to catch it before it hits the ground. It requires a balanced coordination between eyes and body which Sam is lacking." Dean said as he chewed on another piece of bacon. "I know he doesn't like it but it's for his own good. For every leaf he misses I will make him do an extra hour catching the leaves the next day. It will make him angry and frustrated but it will also serve as a motivation to drive him to do better. And I guarantee you at the end of this week , Sam's coordination would be a hell of a lot better than it is now. He will be able to catch anything thrown at him in any direction without hitting his ass on the ground."
"Why don't you tell him all that ?. The kid thinks it's useless what you are making him do just like I did. But now that I know why , I think it's the best possible training for Sam." Jo asked curiously. There was a reason Dean was considered the best hunter. And now after what Dean had told her , she had no doubt he would turn out to be the best teacher too. Dean's thinking and his methods of training were different from other hunters but they were solely based on what was best for Sam. They weren't designed to meet the standard protocols but for the sole purpose of keeping Sam's requirements in mind. Even if they were hard and unusual.
"Why would I do that ?. He needs to learn to trust me to know what is best for him. When we are out hunting on the field I won't have time to stop and explain the reason behind my every order. If I say jump , the kid should jump. If I say duck , the kid should duck. That's that." Dean said with finality in his voice and Jo shook her head.
"You're such a hardass." Jo muttered as she turned her attention back to the stage. The hall grew quiet as Bobby came up to the podium to commence the event with his speech.
"A very good afternoon to one and all. I'm happy to see you all here gathered today for the annual Eligo enim venator diem. Today is the day when AHBS will stand misty eyed as it will wave goodbye to it's students. The students who were like a family since they have been here from their very first day. But as much as it hurts to say goodbye , we can't deny it is a step ahead in the life for all of us. So I say instead of crying like a bunch of babies let's focus on the good part , shall we ?". Bobby paused in his speech as he was greeted with a chorus of agreement all around.
Bobby continued after a moment. "Now , I'm gonna do what a bride's father does. Oh , come on get over the fact that I'm calling y'all a bunch of girls , already." Bobby chuckled as the students all let out a groan. "I'm gonna hand over my students who are just like my own kids in the care of the hunters present here today. These hunters will train these kids to be the next generation of hunters so the fight against the evil can continue and the humanity has a chance to win. Now for all those who are new here , let's go quickly over the rules of Eligo enim venator diem." Bobby paused a moment before he cleared his throat and continued once again.
"The kids will stay with the hunters assigned to each of them for a minimum duration of five years or more if required. After five years , they're gonna get a certificate recognising them as the qualified junior hunters associated with AHA. But in order to reach that point , the kids will have to go through the training designed by their assigned hunters. It is the responsibility of every kid to respect and follow every order given to them by their assigned hunters to a T. They are expected to trust their hunters to know what is best for them. If any assigned hunters feel that their charge is not ready for the training , they are free to return the student back to AHBS where that student will go through a one year training and will have to wait for the next Eligo enim venator diem."
"Now as for the hunters , their main responsibility is to teach the kids under their training to be the next best hunter. But besides it , and by far the most important one is keeping their charges safe and healthy. If a hunter is found lacking in those responsibilities he will be subjected to a strict investigation under AHA and if found guilty his licence will be cancelled. The hunters will be provided with additional funds to look after and train the kids under their care by the AHA each month. Atlast , I just want to say that from now on the hunters will be responsible for everything related to their charges and henceforth directly answerable to the AHA. Okay , so that's all I had to say. Now let's begin the real event."
Bobby ended his speech as he walked away from the podium and towards the table in the centre. He took out the name of the hunter from the first bowl and then the name of the student assigned to that hunter from the second. And just like that , he took out all the names until the bowls were empty.
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Sam was trying to hide his face behind the plate of food he was carrying. The event had ended and now everyone was enjoying the buffet before they were scheduled to head out. The hunters and their charges were sitting together enjoying the food and talking in the hopes of getting a chance to know more about eachother aside from only their names. Since they would be living together 24/7 for the next five years or so starting from today , so it would go much smoothly if they knew a bit about eachother beforehand.
While on the other hand , Sam was busy trying to hide himself from Dean. He had made a spectacular fool of himself when he had fallen on his ass earlier in front of the entire auditorium. And he had managed to grab two students along with him to share his fall. Yes , he was clumsy. He had known that fact and now everyone present in the auditorium knew it too.
But he still didn't understand the reason behind Dean throwing that rubber ball at him. But there was no point in asking though. He still had no clue why he was supposed to catch falling leaves and when he had finally gathered his courage and said as much to Dean. All he had gotten in reply was a curt , "Because I said so" thrown at him. Which he knew he would get this time too from the man so he decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Hey , the clumsy kid. Get aside if you're done filling up your plate." Sam's cheeks redden at the nickname he had gotten this afternoon and he moved aside to let the other people enjoy the buffet.
Yeah , the kids were starting to call him that after his fall. But it was better than the 'crying pansy' atleast which he had gotten when he woke up at night crying after a nightmare about his parents' death. He was trying desperately to find a positive point in this whole mortifyingly embarrassing event. Ms Jo said he was an optimistic kid who tried to make best of all the situations but he was having trouble dealing with this one.
"Hey , falling queen !. Come here." Sam's head shot up when he heard Dean calling out his name. Well , not his name but he still knew for sure that Dean was calling for him. A few students and hunters chuckled at his expense at hearing the title falling queen. And somehow it hurt coming from Dean more than any other kid. Sam was sure that he was blushing as bright as a tomato as he walked towards the man.
This was why he was hiding from Dean. He was afraid of finding out what Dean thought of him after he realised what a mistake he had made by picking up a clumsy idiot like him to train. Maybe he would set up a new high record by being the AHBS student returned back to the school in the shortest time possible ever in the history of the AHBS. That would be cool , right ?. Stop trying to be so damn optimistic about everything , Sam. Sam chided himself as he finally made his way to Dean.
"Sit." Dean pointed out a fork at him and Sam timidly took a seat next to him. Dean didn't say a word and just kept on chewing his food while Sam had lost all his appetite.
"I'm sorry." Sam decided to just get on and over with it. "I will understand if you don't want me anymore." It will crush him to go back to AHBS for more training but if Dean didn't want him then he got no choice.
"Whoa , slow down. What do you mean , kid ?". Dean asked as he finally directed his attention from the food on his plate to Sam's face. The kid was looking down on his lap. His hair covering most of his face but Dean could see Sam chewing on his nails. It was a nervous tic of the kid that he had noticed when they had trained some in the morning.
"Okay , this is how it's gonna go." Dean began when it became apparent that Sam wouldn't speak. "First , you're gonna stop biting your nails because it's gross. And second , you're gonna tell me what the hell's going in your head. Capiche ?".
Sam wanted to point out that speaking with your mouth full was gross too as Dean was currently doing then but ofcourse he wasn't a moron to say that aloud. And for second , well Dean's tone wasn't indicating it was a suggestion. So he began. "I'm sorry to embarrass you in front of all earlier. Everyone here in the AHBS and the whole hunting community respects you so much. They are so impressed by you and they should be. I mean , you have achieved so much so soon. And since you chose me so they think that I'm someone special , you know. But I'm not. I'm far from special anything. I'm clumsy and I know it. Without even meaning to , wherever I go I bump into things and sometimes I don't do anything but still I end up falling on my own two feet and making a fool out of myself. And I would understand if you don't want me now that you know how much of an idiot I am."
Dean just looked at Sam after the kid was finished speaking. This was so out of his comfort zone. He signed up to be the kid's trainer but here he would have to talk the kid about his feelings and emotions. Sam was obviously feeling low about what had happened which was to be expected since the entire hall had a good laugh at the kid's expense.
And also , Sam was feeling the pressure of meeting other people's expectations of him. Just because he had picked the kid out , people are expecting Sam to be different. To be something out of this world. He had heard a coupla hunters approaching Sam earlier and asking , "what is so special about you that Dean picked you out ?". And Dean had realised then that he should talk to Sam about that. But he had also been hoping that he wouldn't have to. Because see , men don't do emotions. Men don't talk about feelings. His oldman didn't used to so Dean didn't either. But it looked like he would have to. Just to spare himself a little momentarily uncomfort he cannot let the kid wallow in low confidence and self doubt.
"Listen to me , boy and you listen good because certainly I won't be repeating it anytime again. Maybe never if I can help it." Dean began and his voice was purposefully hard to grab the kid's attention. "What do you think that I was always on number one ?. Everyone just began respecting me just like that ?. Nah , it wasn't easy. It was damn hard. I was four when my dad started training me and by that I mean he started my real training. Not the bookish one that y'all go through at AHBS. I was five when I learnt how to shoot and by ten I was accompanying him to hunt vampires and werewolves. I worked damn hard to be the hunter that I'm today."
"It may come as a shock to you but I wasn't always like this confident. I was shy and didn't speak much. Hell , I stopped speaking when I was four after my mom died. I didn't speak until I was five , ya know. By then my dad's hunting buddies started suggesting him to take me to see a psychiatrist because they thought something was wrong with the chemicals here." Dean tapped his forehead and took a deep breath before speaking again. "But you know what he did ?. My oldman told them all to fuck themselves. He sat me down and said in his usual drill sergeant tone , 'Listen , to me Dean. I know life has been difficult for us but every man has got two choices. He can either lock himself in a room and cut himself from the rest of the world like you're doing. Or he can start fighting back and come out on the top like I want you to do.' I chose the second option."
"Life is difficult , kid. And there will come a lot of mocking thrown at your way in the future but if you are willing to quit everytime just because someone mocks you or laugh at your expense. You aren't gonna go anywhere much less become a hunter. So always choose the second option and fight back and come out on the top. When I was leading the army to kill the yellow eyed demon , many hunters didn't want to join me. They mocked me by calling me the silent boy. Yeah , by my hated childhood's nickname. Some still weren't convinced that I hadn't lost my mind when I suggested my idea on how to kill that yellow eyed bastard. But did I stop ?. Nah , I remembered by dad's words and fought back and now look around me. No hunter has the balls to talk to me like that. As you said yourself they respect me."
"So I say you train hard and be the best hunter there is and all of them who were laughing at you today would come begging you one day , to just do one hunt with them or to share your hunting stories. And don't think about embarrassing me. I don't give a rat ass about what these other hunters think of me and you shouldn't either. Just do your best. And as for feeling the pressure of meeting people's expectations just because I chose you. Well , I just want to say if you let what people think of you rule your life you're not gonna go anywhere. You will live your life in constant fear thinking about people who in reality don't give a damn about you. So the only opinion that should matter to you is yours. Trust me you would know from inside when you're doing something wrong. Listen to that voice from within you and let it rule your life."
Sam didn't know what to say. He didn't expect Dean to be this understanding. Also , Dean had talked about his father and his childhood with him. He had read on AHBS website that Dean never talks about his dad and he absolutely hated talking about his childhood. So for the man to trust him enough to share all that , left Sam speechless and stunned and giddy inside that Dean trusted him. He expected Dean to brush him away or mock him like others. But he didn't. The man may be a hardass but Sam realised he was wrong to assume that Dean was a jerk. Because he wasn't. And maybe Dean cared about him too because otherwise why he would bother talking to him about his feelings when he looked like a man who would shoot monsters rather than talking about emotions anyday. "Thank you so much , sir." He didn't know what to say so he settled with that.
"Don't make it more awkward than it already is. And I selected you because you are confident , kid. You need to grow into your body and once you do , you won't believe how handy your tall frame would come in hunting. Just leave it to me to take care of how to make it possible. " Dean said rubbing his neck as he was once again back to eating his food and talking with his mouth full but this time Sam didn't mind. He kinda wanted to hug Dean for uplifting his broken confidence but he knew that really wouldn't go well with the older man. Dean had had enough with emotions today , Sam could see that on Dean's face.
"Alright , enough with this chick flick. Stop staring at me and eat your food. I want to introduce you to coupla friends of mine and after that we are outta here. Come on falling queen , chop chop it's already three and I want to be on the road by four max to max. Clear ?".
And the moment was over. Here was the hardass that Sam knew. But atleast now he also knew that Dean wasn't always so uptight. He knew what to say to make other person feel better , atleast he knew what to say to Sam. And there was a teeny tiny chance that he maybe cared about Sam other than about Sam being just his trainee.
"Yes sir." Sam replied and began eating his food. He couldn't quite hold back the smile on his face thinking about all that and Dean rolled his eyes at him. He heard Dean calling him Samantha under his breath but even then he didn't mind.
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I hope you're liking it. If you are then please drop a review.
