Chapter 5

Cater flashed the red-haired boy a grin. "Hey, Riddle! What's shakin', pal? You're lookin' adorbs, as always!"

The other boy frowned at him. "Hmph. Cater, keep running that mouth and you'll lose it - along with the rest of your head."

Cater rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, sorry! My bad!"

"Myah?! You're the guy who put that stupid collar on me at the orientation ceremony!" Grim exclaimed.

"And you're the new students who were nearly expelled yesterday," said Riddle. "I'll ask that you not refer to my signature spell as a 'stupid collar.' The headmage's habit of tolerating rulebreakers like you is going to send this entire campus spiraling into chaos one day. Those who break the rules should have their heads removed immediately, without exception."

"The headmage may have forgiven you, but if you break any further rules, I assure you I will not."

"The punishment is supposed to fit the crime," I said.

"Who said it does not?"

"Any normal person?"

Ace and I exchanged a look. Then Ace cleared his throat and said,"So, uh, listen, housewarden, sir... Any chance I could get you to remove this collar?"

"I had intended to remove it once you'd taken an opportunity to reflect upon your crimes," said Riddle, "but I've not detected so much as a hint of remorse in the foolishness I've heard you spout today. So, I think I'll let you keep that for a while. Don't worry. The freshman curriculum is more focused on magical theory than practice. And your inability to use magic will help prevent incidents along the lines of what happened yesterday. Now, if you've finished your meal, you should quit gossiping and prepare for your next class. Rule 271 is quite clear: 'One must leave the table within fifteen minutes of completing their lunch.' You DO understand what happens to rulebreakers, I trust?

Ace sighed. "More insane rules..."

"I believe you mean to say, 'Yes, Housewarden!'"

"Yes, Housewarden!" said Ace and Deuce.

"Very well, then."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them," said Trey.

"Hmm. As vice housewarden, I trust you'll avoid any further indiscreet conversation. Now, as per rule 339... 'The post-meal beverage is to be lemon tea with two sugar cubes. Thus, I must go to acquire my sugar cubes. Farewell. Don't even get me started on their violation of running out of sugar cubes...!" With that, Riddle turned and walked away.

"Yeesh! That was terrifying," said Cater.

"That guy... has some serious issues," said Grim.

"He certainly is a character," I agreed.

"Hey, don't disrespect him!" said Deuce.

"Riddle managed to secure the housewarden title before the end of his very first week at school," said Trey. "I know he can come off a bit harsh, but he's not a bad guy. Everything he does, he does because he thinks it'll improve the dorm."

"Would a good guy go around putting collars on strangers' necks?" Grim grumbled.

"So what's this 'signature spell' he mentioned?" I asked.

"Hm?" said Cater. "You're curious about Riddle's signature spell?"

"That means, like... It's a spell that only he can cast, right?" said Deuce.

"I doubt he's the only person in the whole world..." said Trey. "But yes, a signature spell is a magical ability that is, generally speaking, unique to its user. You'll learn about them in class soon enough."

"Riddle's signature spell allows him to temporarily seal away the magic of another," Cater explained. "The spell is named... Off With Your Head!"

"Even the name is completely psycho!" Grim said.

"To a mage, losing the ability to use magic is about as painful as losing your head completely, which is why all of us at Heartslabyul House try hard not to violate Riddle's rules."

"And as long as you are following the rules, Riddle isn't so scary," said Trey.

"Speaking of which - are you still not gonna let me into the dorm until I buy a tart, Cater?" said Ace.

"Don't me, but... yeah," said Cater. "That's rule 53, so my hands are tied. Also, Riddle always looks forward to having the first slice of a tart. So, if you want him to forgive you, you had better bring a whole tart!"

Ace groaned. "What happened to 'we're all from the same dorm, let's try to get along?' Throw me a bone here!"

"That's one thing. This is another."

"A whole tart has gotta be pretty expensive," said Deuce.

Ace slouched back in his seat in defeat. "Seriously? I don't have that much money!"

"Then why not make one yourself?" Cater sugested. "Trey made those three tarts by hand, after all."

"Wow, that's amazing!" I said.

"You made those tarts, Trey?" said Ace. "That's incredible! That was like something you'd find at a bakery!"

Trey smiled slightly. "Heh. I appreciate that. We do have most of the stuff you'd need, but... I'm afraid I'll need something from you in return."

"You're gonna charge me to make it?! What kinda racket...?!"

"Nah, I wouldn't take money from a freshman! But Riddle wants a chestnut tart next, so I'm gonna need you to gather a ton of chestnuts."

"Like that's any less of a hassle. But... fine. How many do you need?"

"Well, it's for the unbirthday party, so... Probably two or three hundred?"

"Did you say HUNDRED?!" Deuce and Grim exclaimed.

"And they're all gonna need to be boiled, shelled, and pureed."

"Alright, I'm gonna head out," Grim said flatly.

"I'm leaving too," said Deuce.

Ace shot them both a look. "You heartless cowards!"

"Hold up!" said Cater. "Haven't you ever heard that food tastes better if you make it with your friends? This'll be a memory to treasure! It could even be your chance to make a splash as a cooking blogger!"

"Don't tell Riddle, but chestnut tarts are at their tastiest when eaten right out of the oven," Trey said. "And the only people who get to experience that culinary privilege are the ones who make it."

"Well, when you put it that way..." Grim grinned. "Come on, humans, let's do this!"

"You sure changed your tune quickly," I noted, "but I'm in too."

"I heard there's a whole bunch of chestnut trees in the woods behind the campus's botanical garden," said Trey.

"Cool," said Ace. "Plan made. Let's meet at the botanical garden after last period."

Grim pumped his paw into the air. "We're gonna be up to our ears in chestnuts!"

We headed over to the botanical garden. W realized we would need supplies to pick the chestnuts and headed inside the building to search for them. It was pretty large, so we split up, Grim with me. I felt something funny followed by a grunt as I walked along the trail.

"Feels like I just stepped on something..." I commented.

"Hey! You got some nerve steppin' on my tail and just walkin' away!" said a deep voice. I turned around to find myself face-to-face with a man with lion ears and a lion tale.

"Are you the groundskeeper?" said Grim. "Not sure you oughta be talkin' to students that way, pal."

"Ain't nothin' worse than bein' in the middle of a good nap and havin' some jerk step on your tail."

"I am so sorry!" I said.

"You... I know you. You're that herbivore from orientation who couldn't use magic." He leaned in closer and sniffed me.

"I assure you, I bathe every day!" I said indignantly.

The man leaned back. "Huh. It's true. You don't smell of magic at all. Well, can't say it'd be much fun to hurt someone so helpless. Still gonna do it, though."

"I dunno what's up with this guy, but when he looks at me, it makes every follicle of fur stand on end..." Grim said, and I nodded in agreement.

"No one gets to stomp on my tail and just walk away without payin' the price. I'm in a bad mood on account of bein' woken up from my nap, too. That's gonna cost you a tooth."

A shiver ran down my spin. I held up my hands in defense. "Please! I don't have dental insurance!" If this was what this school was going to be like, I needed to find a martial arts class around here.

"Ona!" Grim snapped. "Cheese it!"

Suddenly, a shorter boy appeared. He also had animal ears, but I could not place the animal. "Leona!" he said. "There you are!"

The taller man glanced at him. "Heh?"

"I knew I'd find you here! We got after-school classes today, remember?"

Leona placed a hand on his head. "Ugh... And now I've got this guy on my tail..."

"Leona, you've already had to repeat one year. If you get held back again, we'll be in the same grade!"

"Oh, put a sock in it already. I'm tired of all yer yappin', Ruggie."

The short boy crossed his arms and frowned. "Look, you think I like always being on your case? C'mon, man. You act like it'd be hard for you. You could skate through life if you'd just TRY. Come on! Let's go already!"

"Hrmph..." Leona glared at me. "Next time you stink up my territory, there's gonna be a price to pay, herbivores!" He then left with Ruggie, and I could finally breathe.

"Myah!" Grim exclaimed. "I don't like the sound of that! What is up with this nutso?"

"Yeaaah, I don't think he's the groundskeeper.." I said.

"Yo, guys, we found baskets and tongs," Ace said as he jogged up to us with Deuce.

"What in the world happened to you two?" said Deuce.

"Oh, right, the chestnuts!" said Grim. "We gotta gather those chestnuts so I can get my tart on! We'll fill 'em in on the crazy groundskeeper while we forage."

We all moved outside and got to work collecting chestnuts. Ace and Deuce agreed the man we met was probably a student... a lazy collecting the nuts, we made our way to Heartslabyul dorm. Trey met us in the kitchen, and he instructed us to peel all the chestnuts. It sure took awhile!

After pureeing the chestnuts Trey realized he did not have enough cream. Deuce volunteered to pick some up at the school store. Trey gave him a list of additional items to buy, so Deuce asked me to join him to help carry everything back. I was curious about the store, so Grim and I set off with him. It turned out, the store really did have everything! We soon bought the items and walked out of the store.

"Hmph," Deuce said, glancing at me. "Ona, looks like you got the bag with all the cans. That must be heavy. Let me take that one. I've got a little trick for carrying heavy bags."

"There's a trick for that?" I said, allowing him to switch bags with me.

"Yeah. My mom always used to stock up at sales, and the bags would get ridiculously heavy. I was the only man in the house, so I got to do all the heavy lifting, and - Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to monopolize the conversation."

I smiled at him. I just gained a whole lot more respect for him. "Sounds like you took good care of your mom."

Deuce flushed. "No, it wasn't like that at all. The truth is, I - Owww!" He ran right into another student, smashing his bag of groceries.

"Myah!" Grim cried. "The eggs!"

"T-the carton of eggs is totally smashed! And now the bag's dripping egg good everywhere."

"Ouch!" said the guy he ran into. "Why don't you watch where you're - Hey! You're the jerks who broke the egg yolk on my carbonara!"

"I've had about enough of you punks," said his friend. "You need to learn your place!"

"You're the ones who darted out at us from around a corner!" Deuce retorted. "And you picked a fight with us at lunch over an egg that you were still totally able to eat! And now you've destroyed six of OUR eggs!"

"Yeah! He's right!" said Grim.

"So what?" said the first guy. "You sayin' that was our fault?"

"I am," Deuce said, glaring at him. "Please reimburse us for the eggs. And then apologize to the chickens."

I blinked. "Chickens...?"

"Ooh, look who's got his big boy pants on," said the second guy. "You sure are makin' a big deal outta some stupid eggs."

"What?" Deuce said angrily.

"They haven't even touched the ground, so they're still edible," said the first guy. "Quit whinin'."

"You should thank us for savin' ya the trouble of crackin' 'em!" said his friend. Then they both laughed.

"That ain't funny," Deuce said in a dark tone.

The first guy looked at him. "Huh?"

"I said, THAT AIN'T FUNNY. You don't get to call my eggs stupid. You don't get to call ANY eggs stupid! Those eggs may not have gotten to be chicks, but they were gonna make some amazing tarts! Do you get it yet? DO YOU?!"

The second guy looked at him with wide eyes. "What is with this guy all of a sudden?!"

"You owe me six eggs. If ya ain't gonna pay me for em, then you're gettin' a bruise for each one!"

"Are you serious right now?!" the first guy exclaimed.

"Buckle up, jerks!"

Taken back, I slowly stepped away. "I think I'll sit this one out," I said. Grim also stood back with me while Deuce took care of the problem. In the end, he had the two delinquents running away in fear.

"Next time you eat an egg, you better apologize a hundred times, you buncha chumps!" Deuce shouted after them.

"D-deep breaths!"

"Whoooooa..." Grim said, staring at Deuce.

"Urk!" Deuce groaned, panting heavily.

"What's wrong?"

"I did it again, didn't I...? ARGH! I was dead-set on becoming an honor student this time, too!"

"Huh?"

"When I was in middle school, I was pretty wild. I cut school all the time and got in fights. I called my teachers names, hung out with bullies, bleached my hair... I blasted around tight curves on my Magic Wheel... I'd show off my magic to kids who couldn't use it yet... I was a total punk."

"So you were only a little more annoying than you are now?"

"That's hard for me to picture," I said.

"But one night, I saw my mom talking on the phone to my grandma," Deuce continued. "She was trying to hide from me, but I saw her, and I could tell she was in tears. She was saying how she must have been a horrible mom, and that maybe she never should have tried to raise me by herself. That had nothin' to do with it! She hadn't done anything wrong. It was all me. When the carriage came to take me to Night Raven College, she was so happy for me. I decided then and there that this time, I wouldn't do anything to make her cry. This time, I'd become an honor student - someone she could be proud of. And I already messed it all up!" He hung his head in shame.

"I mean, did ya, though?" said Grim. "Is putting up with jerks what honor students do?"

Deuce blinked. "Huh...?"

"Even I, Grim the Magnanimous, was ready to pound those losers into tuna paste! You just got to 'em first."

"Just make sure you don't overdo it," I said.

Deuce looked at us in astonishment. "You guys..."

"Even honor students get angry sometimes," I said. I was surprised more than anything, and it was sweet how he wanted to be better for his mom.

"Heh heh..." Deuce smiled. "I guess you're right! I just hope those chicks can rest in peace."

I gave him an odd look. "Those eggs weren't the type that hatch."

Deuce suddenly looked grief stricken. "Wha- WHAAAAAT?! Are you kidding me?!"

I blinked. "Yeah... We should probably get back to the dorm." And he muttered to himself all the way back to the kitchen.

"Ah, you're finally back!" Ace said as soon as we entered. "Took ya long enough."

"Let's get this tart-y started!" said Trey, and I let out a polite chuckle.

We proceeded to work on the tarts. It took a lot of work, but, eventually, they were complete. Everyone looked happy about it except Deuce, who stumbled out, "Fin...ished..."

Ace glanced at me. "Did something happen to him while you were shopping?"

"He's still in shock," I said. "Don't ask."

"For sixteen years, I was so sure..." Deuce mumbled.

"Yeah, whatever," said Ace. "I'm pretty beat. Making tarts sure takes it outta you."

"Hey fam!" Cater said, barging into the kitchen. "You look wrecked. Are the tarts done? Ooh, those look sooo cute! Lemme snap a quick pic for Magicam!" He immediately pulled out his phone.

"What, NOW you decide to show up?"

"I just came to see how hard my little newbs were working."

"It's tough work if you're not used to it," Trey said. "But there's no better cure for the ails of fatigue than something sweet from the oven! Help yourself to some of this tart."

We all grabbed a slice of the tart he held out for us. It tasted amazing! Then Cater asked Trey to use his signature spell, which made food taste like your favorite food. That made it even better! Perhaps I could get into this baking thing.

"So," said Ace, "when can I give one of these tarts to Riddle?"

"You'll have to wait until the unbirthday party," Trey said. "It's on Saturday."

Ace's face fell. "Aw man." He turned to me. "Ona, can I crash with you again? It doesn't sound like I'll be allowed back in my own dorm tonight."

"Again, seriously?" said Cater.

"It isn't right to keep mooching off of Ona, Ace," Deuce said, apparently over his traumatic experience.

"Yeah, it ain't!" said Grim. "If you wanna stay tonight, you gotta pay for the privilege! Ten cans of tuna!"

"What?!" Ace exclaimed. He lowered his head. "Guess I'm sleeping outside, then."

"Come on, Grim," I said. "Have a heart."

"Why don't you go and stay at Ona's dorm too, Deuce, so you can keep an eye on him?" Trey said. "As vice housewarden, I can issue you a sleepover pass."

"That would make me feel better." After hearing about his relationship with his mother, I knew Deuce would be more of a gentleman than Ace. My dad told me that, usually, how a man treats his mother is how he will treat other women in his life.

"That's our Trey," said Cater, "always spoiling the newbs. What fun for you. Ooh, maybe I'll come too! What do you say, Ona?" He grinned at me, and I took a large step away from him.

"No pass for you," said Trey.

Cater frowned. "Aww. Sad trumpet... Womp womp wooomp."

Trey shook his head and turned to me. "Sorry to dump them all on you, Ona. It will only be for a few days."

"It's no problem," I said. With that, we all walked out. I knew I was in for a long night.

Living with Ace and Deuce turned out not to be too bad. After helping them clean out a room, we stayed up playing card games. I slept well that night. My second day of school turned out better than my first. My classes were still relatively boring, but at least Grim did not get into any fights or try to run away again.

I decided to stop by the library after school was out. My friends did not want to join me, so Grim led them back to our dorm. I hoped that was not a mistake. I grabbed a book about Night Raven College and took a seat. I hoped this would give me a better idea about my new surroundings.

I did not get past the first page, for right there was a map of Sage's Island, the location of Night Raven College. Why did no one tell me I was on an island?! The meant there was a beach and possible surfing. I scanned the map for anything I missed. I saw a beach, but it was far away from the school. Too far away to get there without transportation. Plus, I was not allowed to leave the school without permission.

I did notice that the college sat on a large hill next to the coast. I could not tell how far up it was from the shore, but maybe I could find a way to climb down. I missed the ocean so much that even looking at the ocean would make me feel better. So, I returned the book and set off to the area behind the school.

I traversed through trees before reaching a clearing. A stopped at the edge of the cliff and peered down. My heart sunk. The ocean had to be at least a mile down, and there was no way I could climb the rocks. Even the water looked like merely a giant blue blob. I let out a sigh of defeat. So close and yet so far. I felt a sudden aching for home and my family. I wanted to go back.

"What do you think you're doing?" said a voice behind me.

I would have jumped in fright if I did not manage to control myself after remembering I was standing on the edge of a cliff. Instead, I slowly turned around. My heart leapt into my throat. The boy with the teal hair who caught my attention the previous day stood less than a foot away from me. The look on his face was a cross between menacing and bored. I swallowed hard. "I, uh..." From this close, I could tell his left eye was olive-green. On his right ear he wore an earring made up of three teal diamonds. Beautiful.

"If you're going to jump, just do it already."

"I - I don't want to jump. I just wish I could get down there... to the ocean... I grew up next to the water, and I miss it... a lot."

"I could help you get down there if you want." The boy smirked and took a step closer, a wild look in his eyes.

I knew I should be afraid, but I also knew acting on fear would get me nowhere. So, I made the most logical decision. I acted like his suggestion was completely normal. "No, that's alright. It would not do much that much good anyway. What I really want to do is surf. Even if I could get down there, I don't have a board to go surfing."

"What's surfing?"

My heart dropped. Did they not have surfing in this world? No, I couldn't believe that. They probably just did not have it in the land he hailed from. "It's really great. You stand on this long, thin board and ride large waves across the water and to the shore."

"You dare challenge the forces of the ocean?"

"Uh, yeah. It's quite a rush."

The boy's face broke out into a grin. "That sounds fun! You have to teach me!"

It took me a moment to recover from the whiplash caused by his sudden change in demeanor. "Sure. Just as soon as I get a new board." Maybe the school store could order one for me?

"You promise?"

"Yeah, I promise. But you need to find your own board."

"Okay." Appearing delighted, the boy let me pass and move away from the cliff. "Hey, you're the magic-less girl who disrupted orientation."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, that's me."

Facing me once more, the boy smirked. "You were staring at me yesterday."

I flushed. "I, uh... You were staring at me too!"

The boy smiled, and I noticed his teeth were especially sharp. "I know."

Well, that was an unhelpful comment. "So... I'm Ona."

The boy's smile fell. "Hmm... I'm bored. I'll talk to you some other time." He walked passed me.

I watched him leave, startled. "What?"

He stopped and turned his head. His eyes fell on my shell necklace I insisted on wearing instead of my uniform tie. "You like shells."

"Uh... yeah..."

He tossed me something, and I caught it instinctively. "I brought this from home."

I opened my hands and gasped. It was a beautiful, perfect, golden angular triton shell. I admired it for a long moment before looking up. The boy was gone. I had not even gotten his name. But he had said he wanted to talk to me again, right? I curled my fingers over the shell and smiled.