The Rite of Spring
Chapter 5
On the other side of the mirror you appear in a field in front of an old looking cottage. "Maybe there's some gems inside." Ace said walking into the cottage.
"I doubt it's going to be that easy." Odette commented as she followed him.
"All this because you didn't want to wash some windows." Deuce said as they began to look around the cottage.
"Shut up!" Grim and Ace snapped in unison.
"Does this place look familiar to anyone else?" Odette asked furrowing her brows as she picked up a knocked over chair. "I feel like I've been here before."
"Nope." Ace answered.
"Have you been here before?" Deuce asked facing Odette.
"No, I doubt it. It just seems familiar, like a memory of a dream." Odette explained shaking her head.
"Maybe you did dream it before but just don't remember it." Grim suggested.
"Dreams huh? Do you dream a lot?" Ace asked.
"Why wouldn't you remember a dream?" Deuce asked.
"There's a lot I don't remember actually." Odette shrugged.
"Oh like what?" Deuce asked.
"This is not the time and place to talk about this. Maybe another time but there doesn't seem to be any gems here. I guess we should go check the mine." She said leaving the cottage.
"Touchy subject?" Deuce asked following her out.
"There are more important things than my faulty memories right now." Odette shrugged brushing off his question.
They all head to the mine and stop just outside the mouth of it. "It's pretty dark." Grim said looking a little scared.
"Oh I thought nothing scared the great mage Grim." Odette mocked.
"You're right nothing does." Grim said leading the way into the mine.
"I can't believe that worked." Deuce muttered shaking his head.
Odette took a torch off the wall. "Can you please light this?" Odette asked pointing the unlit end towards Grim.
"Of course I can!" Grim boasted lighting the torch.
They headed deeper into the cave until they found a mage stone.
"It can't be this easy." Ace stated as he tried to pull the stone out of the wall.
"Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth." Odette said as she helped Ace.
"What does that mean?" Ace asked raising an eyebrow at her.
"Never mind."She sighed.
Behind them they hear a deep groan.
"What is that?" Deuce asked as a large ghostly monster appeared.
"I don't know and I don't want to find out!" Grim yelled attacking the monster with his fire. It didn't work well.
"I'm with him!" Ace shouted using his wind power but it too wasn't effective neither.
"Let's get out of here." Odette shouted grabbing Grim and running back the way they came.
The group didn't stop until they were outside the mine.
"What the hell is that thing?" Odette gasped out.
"I don't know but we're screwed unless we get that stone." Deuce sighed.
"How are we going to get the stone with that monster guarding it? We can't beat it." Ace exclaimed.
"Well we can't leave without the stone so we need to beat it." Deuce pointed out.
"Can you guys use your magic together?" Odette asked making everyone stare at her.
"What are you thinking?" Grim asked eyeing her.
"Ace are you able to use your wind powers to fan Grim's flames to trap the monster?" Odette asked as she knelt down and picked up a stick and drew in the dirt. She made an X for the monster than drew a circle around it.
"Yeah, I think I can do that." Ace said kneeling beside Odette.
"Once he's trap than Deuce you can use your spell and that should knock out the monster giving us time to get the stone and get out." Odette explained drawing a triangle above the circle.
"This is crazy Odette!" Grim said as they all stood up.
"I know but what choice do we have?" Odette sighed as they headed back into the mine.
The plan works, a little too well. "Ah, I didn't want to kill it." Odette whined as the monster evaporated into dust.
"He was trying to kill you!" Deuce exclaimed.
"Look he left something behind." Grim said picking up a pitch black stone.
"I wonder what it is." Ace said as Grim sniffed the stone then ate it.
"Grim! Sit it out!" Odette exclaimed trying to grab him.
"Mhhh this is pretty good." Grim stated licking his lips.
"I guess monsters have stronger stomachs than us." Deuce muttered shaking his head.
"You did it! You beat the demon!" Odette cheered bouncing a bit on her tip toes deciding to ignore Grim's strange appetite.
"Yeah we did it!" Ace, Deuce and Grim shouted and high five.
"Is this the start of an odd friendship?" Odette chuckled.
"Ugh don't be stupid. It was just because of the circumstances." Grim growled making everyone roll their eyes at him.
They get the mage stone and head back to the school. They went straight to the Head Master's office.
"You're back already?" Crowley asked looking up from his papers.
Deuce put the mage stone on his desk. "We got what you asked for." He boasted.
"Well I'm surprised. I thought this task would be impossible for two freshmen, a beast and an non magic users. I was working on your paperwork already." Crowley confessed.
"You have so little faith." Odette mocked.
"How did you manage this?" Crowley asks as he picked up the stone.
They explain the whole event to him and at the end he gave a little clap. "Oh my, it does seem I underestimated you. All of you. Mr. Spade, Mr. Trappola you will remind students here. Grim in light of today's events I believe you have earned your spot as a student here as well." Crowley announces.
"You mean it?" Grim said near tears.
"Odette you will be attending class as well as Grim's beast handler." Crowley continues as he hands Grim a collar with a gem on it.
"Beast handler!" She exclaimed.
"Yes those do exist in this world. Maybe that's where your magic lies. I've given Grim a mage stone like most students have it their pens." Crowley said as Grim tied the ribbon around his neck. "It's getting late and you now have classes in the morning. I'll be by in the morning with your schedule and actually school uniforms. I never want to see you in those rags again." Crowley states dismissing the group of students.
"Well see you in the morning. I guess class won't be so boring now." Ace said with a wave.
"See ya in the morning." Deuce said following Ace.
"I get to be a student! I'm so happy!" Grim cheered as the three made their way back to the Ramshackle Dorm.
"It's funny I can't remember much of my old school days but I can't remember enjoying it this much, Ace is right I don't think class is going to be boring." Odette confessed.
"What do you remember?" Grim asked looking up at Odette.
"Not much. I can remember somethings so clearly like I grew up near the ocean but other things are fuzzy, if I try to think of my school it's just a building in the distant. No fine details." Odette confessed with a sigh.
"Maybe Crowley can actually help you with that." Grim said as they entered the dorm.
"Maybe." Odette chuckled. "Ugh we still need to clean this place. Maybe tomorrow."
"Ugh, tomorrow." Grim groaned.
If Odette knew what was in store for her at NRC she might have opted to stay as a ground's keeper but from that day on her life was never boring.
Early the next morning Crowley showed up with several uniforms fro Odette. For the regular uniform was black slacks, a white button up, with a gray waistcoat, black jacket and oxfords. She pulled her hair up into a high ponytail with a ribbon that matched Grim's necklace. He had also brought her the gym uniform and a lab coat. "You can't be students without supplies so I also stopped by Sam's store to get you some notebooks and pencils. I'm sure the other will show you where the store if you need anything else." Crowley said as he handed her the uniform and left.
'It seems period one is History.' Odette thought as they made their way towards the school.
"Hey, the uniform looks pretty good on you." Ace called out as he and Deuce met up with her at the main street.
"Thanks." She smiled. "Let's get some breakfast."
The cafeteria was already packed by the time they got to their seats. "Are you really going to eat all that?" Deuce asked as he eyed their plates.
"I'm a growing boy." Ace snapped back.
"I didn't realize how hungry I was until I saw all this food." Grim said in between bites of egg.
"Well the last thing we ate were the sandwiches at lunch yesterday." Odette reminded him as she cut into her fluffy waffles.
"You didn't eat when we got back last night?" Deuce asked.
"There's no food in the dorm right now and I doubt the debit card I have is worth anything here. We didn't use marks where I'm from. My transportation here must have been rough my cell is broken and I don't have a lot from before." Odette shrugged.
"Hey why is your vest red and hers is gray?" Grim asked moving on to his ham.
"Oh that's because we're in different dorms." Ace said as he began to explained every dorm's vest color and crest ribbon.
"The last dorm is Diasomnia. They wear green. They're a bit odd." Deuce chimed in as Odette's eye settled on a table full of green vests.
'They do seem a bit different.' Odette thought. "How odd can they be compared to an alien?" Odette joked as she sipped her tea.
"I'm Lilia, Lilia Vanrouge I'm the Vice Warden of Diasomnia." A deep voice from behind Odette said making her turn to see who it was.
Before her was a flamboyant short young man that seemed to ooze an easy confidence. Even sitting down she could tell he was a bit shorter than her. 'He's more than he seems.' Was the first thing that popped into her head about him. Her eyes drifted up to his round face, his large ruby eyes caught her eye than his black and pink asymmetrical hair style. 'Is that natural? Or does he get that done professional?' Was her second thought about him.
"I'm Odette Thropp and this is Grim. It's a pleasure to meet you Lilia." Odette said holding her hand out for him to shake.
He took it slowly as if unsure what to do with it then kissed her knuckles. "No need to gawk from afar. Please feel free to come speak to us directly. We are school mates after all. The Diasomnia house welcomes everyone without reservation, even aliens." Lilia joked with a gently smile.
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you." She smiled back at him. 'Are those fangs? I've heard about mer-people, beastmen and fae so are vampires a thing in this world?' She thought.
"Well, please forgive me for floating above you during your meal. We'll speak again." Lilia chuckled then went back to his companions.
'How good is his hearing?' Odette wonder as her eyes follow him back to his table.
"Welcome us? They don't look very welcoming." Grim whispered to her.
Her table goes on about the House Warden Malleus Draconia who apparently is even more mysterious than the Vice Warden but she really wasn't listening anymore until Ace began to ask her about her classes and she handed him her schedule.
"Alright it looks like you almost every class with us." Ace cheered.
"Except the last one, we don't have animal linguistics." Deuce pointed out.
"Maybe it's because he has me enrolled as a beast tamer." Odette suggested as she finished her plate.