Chapter 10 – Second Thoughts (William)
William sighed deeply, exhausted from the whole day's events.
After the incident in Veronica's classroom, he could practically feel strange looks from others on the back of his head, as if they were drilling through his helmet. A few others took it a step further, as he had to endure insults and harassment from some angry classmates, who blamed him for the five-page essay assignment.
After the professor's lesson concluded, they went into the dining hall for lunch. William had hoped to get a plate of food and eat in peace at a table in the corner. But as soon as he showed his skull-masked face, the Tyrogue from earlier tried to ambush him– William had to raise his plate as a shield against a flying tomato. The Quartermaster intervened, and led William to a private room where he could eat alone.
"How," William said to himself, "could someone be so upset, as to forego eating and instead use food as a weapon?"
Nonetheless, it was abundantly clear that the recruit class was upset with the circumstances, and that he bore at least a portion of the guilt.
Later on came additional training in the afternoon. Most of the recruits got to pick and choose what kind of activities they wanted to partake in. Of course, William was roped into a remedial course. That involved being alone in a small room with just a textbook, and written instructions on what to read from the professor, who appeared to be absent. It was rather dull, but William managed to learn a few things about the world around him.
The textbook covered mythology, telling stories of legendary mons, including Suicune, Raikou, and Entei, the three who supposedly founded this town. Then it explained Chronovania's government: led by an emperor and its council, established about two centuries ago, which to this day governs the continent from a capital city called Caldera. And the current emperor is a Charizard named Charlemagne, a dragon like all others of his line.
Once it was six o'clock everyone else was called back to the dining hall for dinner. But coincidentally, that was the time that detention began for William and the brothers. They were brought outside to tend to the grounds, the training field to be exact, with the resident groundskeeper. They were cutting grass, trimming hedges, fixing parts of the obstacle course, and so on.
While everyone else celebrated the end of their first day of training in the dining hall, William, Leon, and Jacob were outside, working under the hazy purple sky as dusk approached. William imagined that the other recruits were likely enjoying a buffet of delicious hot food, while he and the brothers endured work on a chilly, early-autumn evening. They were straining themselves to make everything look pristine, and this was only their first of many detentions.
William had taken a break, slumping against one of the trees. He set aside his bone club, then breathed in the scent of freshly cut grass, willing himself to relax. After how long the day had been, laying against the bark was like a vacation. Nearby, Leon and Jacob were helping the groundskeeper, a Scraggy named Aaron. They trimmed the east-side hedges and seemed to be enjoying each other's company, despite the circumstances.
"Don't worry, y'all get used to it," Aaron said. "And I gotta say, it's nice ter have help with this, once in a while."
"Nice to have you around too, Aaron," Leon replied. "I'm glad we're actually being productive about this, instead of writing on a board or something."
"What'd be the point of that anyway?" Jacob wondered aloud. "We already know how to write."
Leon shrugged. "Just to make it unfun, I guess."
"So how did y'all get in trouble?" Aaron asked. "Thought I heard ol' Veronica's pipes rattlin' the building when she had class."
"Yep," Leon confirmed. "She, well, got mad at the class. It got a little wild after she asked William a question…" He gave him a curious glance over the shoulder, as if inviting him to respond.
William wondered how he could contribute to the conversation. He imagined a few different ways he could comment on their situation, but each scenario he played out in his head ended the same; cold looks and harsh reminders that he was the reason why they were all there in the first place. So he just listened. Quietly.
"She seems a bit… prickly," Jacob noted.
"Tch, if by 'prickly,' you mean 'icy bitch,'" Aaron scoffed, much to Jacob's astonishment. "–Then yeah, I'd say she's the most prickly person walkin' in Wolfhaven."
William sighed in relief and felt a wave of empathy. He was put in an unfair situation. And it remained unclear if she even believed that he had lost, literally, almost all of his memory. Then again, did anyone? Well, Jacob certainly did, for obvious reasons. But it seemed that few others would.
"So, how long have you had this job?" Leon asked. "How'd you get to be the groundskeeper here?"
"Oh, it's been a fair while," Aaron mused. "A few years back I didn't have anywhere else ter go…!" He grunted as he yanked up a fuzzy weed. "But the headmaster offered me a job here. Housing too, in that cozy shack just on the edge of o' the grounds. Bless her heart!"
Nowhere else to go… Even though he was struggling with the consequences of lost memory, William at least had a backup plan: Andrew. Making his way to Cloudcroft like he had originally intended seemed much more appealing than staying in the Wolfhaven Guild. After all, there were no second chances for a first impression. There would be more scorn to endure and detentions to serve.
And how soon would William make any progress with recovering his past? What if he spends so much time with this nonsense that he misses an opportunity? What if the answers to his memory loss were still around, but not for much longer? Too many questions raced through his mind for him to answer, but he rounded back to what Aaron said, about having nowhere else to go…
"You alright, Will?" Jacob asked, pulling William out of his thoughts. The Charmander was kneeling in front of him, meeting his eyes. "You look ready to fall asleep!"
William sighed, looking down.
Jacob's humor left his expression as concern took its place. "What's wrong?"
"A few things, actually." William sat up straight. "For starters, detention is unpleasant."
"Oh, definitely," Jacob sat down next to him. His tail rested between them, offering William a pleasant warmth.
"I also feel bad," William continued, "for having you and Leon bear my burdens. All because I couldn't answer a question."
"Oh, don't worry about it!" Jacob patted him on the back. "We're friends, we stick up for each other! Besides, Leon and I would've gotten in trouble some other way anyway." He laughed cheerfully.
Jacob's joy coaxed a smile from William. For a fleeting moment, the stress from the day's events seemed to not matter anymore. But then William felt guilty because of what he was about to say.
"…Well, I'm also considering that, if things don't get better soon, I may just leave."
Jacob's smile immediately turned to shock. "But we only just got here!"
William averted his eyes. He knew Jacob would've been surprised, but his reaction still hit him hard. "I know, and I'm sorry. But look at how things have gone awry, and it's been only one day."
The Charmander's expression filled with even more worry. "But it can get better!" he pleaded. "We can tough it out!"
Somehow, Jacob's desperation was more draining than all the scorn William endured from strangers. "Perhaps we can. But I still feel that there are better ways for me to unearth my past. And me being here may inevitably put all of that on hold."
Just then, William noticed that Leon and Aaron walked over to them. Jacob's distress must have caught their attention. "What's up?" The Totodile asked.
William grabbed his bone club, using it to help push himself to his feet. Having a crowd surround him made him uncomfortable, though he stayed put.
"Will's saying he wants to leave!" Jacob remarked.
"He is?" Leon replied. His expression was unreadable. "You'd be going to stay with that Axew, right?"
"Andrew, yes," William clarified.
Leon's expression morphed, as if he was thinking things through before speaking. His gaze shifted between William and Jacob. After a few seconds, he addressed William.
"Well, you're right that it's been a tough first day."
"But he shouldn't leave so quickly!" Jacob insisted. "Things can get better here!"
"Yeah… That's also true. Neither of us can really say which one is better." Leon stared at the ground for a few seconds, then back to William. "You shouldn't feel like you need to stay here, that'll only make things worse. You can leave if you want, but you should make sure if that's really what you want, first."
William let his club rest at his side, raising a hand to his chin. What would be better: to stay with the guild, regardless of how difficult it is, or leave and meet up with Andrew? It was Jacob who convinced him to join the guild. It seemed almost funny, how just yesterday they were sitting in the canyon, and Jacob made it sound so glamorous. Yet so far there had been few upsides.
If he left for Cloudcroft to reunite with Andrew, that would certainly give him a clean slate. Though he would be leaving Jacob behind… Was it just a matter of trading one friend for another? Perhaps there was some benefit to staying with the guild that William was not yet aware of?
"Hang on, I've got somethin' so say!" Aaron spoke up, taking all of their attention. "A'right look, Will. I've been in yer spot before, and I get it. It ain't easy here, runnin' with the Wolves. Some days are rough, and sometimes it just plain sucks to be here. But lemme tell you; it's worth it in the end. Cuz here's the thing…"
The Scraggy's gaze wandered off. He wasn't looking at anything in particular, but his eyes seemed hazy and thoughtful. When he spoke again his tone was softer.
"I was a recruit, once. Came here with some folks from my hometown. Some were friends, we all dreamed big." He smiled. "Talked 'bout how we were gonna get strong, see the world, all those wonders. And, heh, meet a lotta nice girls. Y'all know what I'm sayin'?"
"…"
Aaron gave Leon a light punch on the shoulder. "He knows what I'm sayin'. Anyway, y'all can guess how that turned out. They passed training, formed a team together, an' graduated. These days they're out there, being dazzled by just about anythin' you can imagine in the wide world. I know it cuz sometimes they come back, share stories. But I'm still here, livin' by cuttin' grass so y'all can run around on it without gettin' lost in a corn maze. It's honest work, an' my life ain't bad by any stretch o' the word. It's just that…"
He looked down for a moment, then into William's eyes. "Here's the thing, Will. Yeah, you can quit now. You can quit any time. But once you do, yer shot at a second chance is slim to none 'round here. And even if you get luckier than me and got back in, you'd be without yer friends."
Leon and Jacob nodded together.
"You know what I'm sayin'? One bad day don't mean a bad life." Aaron finished,
The groundskeeper's words dawned on William's tired mind. He had sound reasoning, but…
"I understand your point," William said. "But it's not that simple."
"What izit, then? What's makin' things so tricky?"
William opened his mouth, but reconsidered. Most of the reactions to the 'I have memory loss' story have been discouraging. So he thought of either saying it a different way, or coming up with some other reason–
"He lost his memory," Jacob blurted it out for him. "He wants to find out who he is and where he came from."
Aaron recoiled. "No kiddin'?"
"It's true," Leon added. "And it's pretty thorough. He didn't know the answer to a question in class, and Jacob stood up for him. That's how we got detention… Sort of."
"Well damn, I wish y'all had said something sooner!" Aaron looked over his shoulder and mumbled to himself. "Course Veronica would punish for that. Bitch."
For the first time all day, William found himself chuckling a little. But jokes aside he felt elated; Leon did believe him after all. And so did Aaron, by the sound of it.
The Scraggy turned back to him. "Well listen, if ya wanna get a leg up then check out the library they got here. Plenty o' great reads there, you can get caught up on what you'll need fer classes."
"Oh yeah!" Jacob nodded. "That Bulbasaur said he'd meet us there and help us out!"
"An' who knows what other useful tidbits you might pick up while you look?" Aaron continued. "The guild's got a great collection, an' it stays open late fer members. That there's another good reason to stay."
Aaron made a good case. One bad day here didn't mean it was going to be bad the whole time. There were perks to staying with the guild; they just hadn't had time to take advantage of them yet. But more importantly, Leon and Jacob had his back. William had merely forgotten it amidst the stress.
He lifted up his bone club, grasping it beneath the bludgeon. "Okay, I'll stay a bit longer."
The rest of them cheered in response.
"I'm glad!" Jacob said.
"Me too," Leon agreed. "I just hope you don't regret it."
The group returned to tending the grounds. Among the remaining tasks were replacing some cracked crates on the obstacle course, trimming the hedges farthest from the building, and fishing out debris from the pool. After about fifteen minutes, Aaron spoke up.
"A'right, that's enough work done. The three o' ya oughta head back inside, and get-chur rations to make up fer dinner."
"Sounds good," Leon said as he carried a bag of pool debris. "We'll have to check out that library, too."
"What, we can't just eat the books?" Jacob joked.
"Eating books…?" William asked, tilting his head.
Leon tapped his temples. "Maybe if you find one made of gingerbread."
"Ooh!" Jacob brought his hands together. "They probably got one in the fairy-tale section!"
"Actually, one more thing," Aaron said. "Will, can I get a word with ya?"
"Of course," William nodded, then addressed the brothers. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up with you."
"We'll save a spot at the table for you!" Jacob waved.
Aaron pulled William aside as Leon and Jacob headed back to the building.
"What would you like to discuss?" William asked.
"Just somethin' quick. Those two right there–" he pointed to the brothers as they walked through the door. "They're another good reason to stay. I mean, you got in trouble and they volunteered to go down with ya! You've got two good friends right there, Will. You ought to know just how great that kind o' loyalty is."
That was another good point. William had stuck his neck out for Jacob, when his pocket watch was stolen. And now he and Leon had done the same for him, setting aside their time and risking their reputations for his sake.
"I have to agree," William replied. "It's yet another thing I forgot, on account of my low mood."
"Yeah. When I saw ya moppin' over there by that tree it hit me. I know the feelin' too well. Just wanted to remind ya that not everyone is against ya. Trust me, I know. I've been there. They've got yer back, and you seem like a decent fella, so I got yer back, too."
"I appreciate that, Aaron."
"No problem." The Scraggy looked down and sheepishly kicked the ground. "…Jus' hope ya don't squander it, like I did."
William tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"…Nothin'," Aaron answered, shrugging. "Just be careful, 's all I'm sayin', alright Will?"
Though Aaron's sudden bashfulness piqued William's interest, he decided not to pry.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."
William found the library entrance near the main hall, on the west wing between the mail room and team dormitory. As he walked in he swept his gaze upwards. Tall bookshelves towered towards the ceiling, and the shelves spread out to every edge of the expansive library. They must have carried volumes on every subject of the known world. The only question was, where should he start looking? Where did the brothers go?
As he glanced around, his attention was drawn towards the library's chandeliers. Behind its candlelight, a silhouette spread its wings and swooped down to meet him. The avian had tan plumage, a beige-colored horn on their head, and serious-looking red eyes. She landed in front of William and tucked in her wings.
"Welcome to my library," the Noctowl greeted him. "Will you need any assistance?"
"Yes please," William replied. "My friends came in before me, a Totodile and a Charmander?"
"Right this way," the librarian said as she walked on, guiding William through the aisles of bookshelves.
All the while, he couldn't help but stare at the vast array of books this guild had under its roof. How long did it take them to build up such a collection? If he didn't have more pressing matters, he would've taken his time searching the library to its corners. Within a minute they arrived at a table near the center of the library. Leon and Jacob were there, sharing a rectangular table with a handful of other mons.
"Here they are," the librarian said. "The game club is meeting here. Please do be mindful of the others, and should you need any more assistance, my name is Minerva."
William nodded. "My thanks."
Jacob looked up at William and smiled as he approached. "Hi Will!" he said as Minerva returned to the chandeliers.
"Hi Jacob," William returned the greeting as he observed the table.
Jacob and Leon sat on the left side toward the middle, sharing a small stack of books, parchments, and inkwells with writing quills. On the end opposite from William, two others– a Zigzagoon and Fuecoco– sat across from each other, playing what looked like checkers. And nearby, an Ekans and a Clefairy stood and watched them play.
"Seems that Aaron was right about this place," William said as he sat down across from the brothers. "What have you found?"
"Lotsa history books," Jacob answered. "I don't see Chase, though. I hope we didn't miss him."
"We did find one last copy of this book, though," Leon added. He lifted up the book he and Jacob shared: The Founding and History of Wolfhaven. "I was kinda afraid they'd run out cuz… Well, you know."
"Every cloud has a silver lining," William said.
"Yeah," Leon agreed. "That's a good way to look at it. Anyway, I was just helping Jacob here write his essay."
"You didn't have to," Jacob murmured. "And you didn't have to give me half your snacks, either…"
"I just want to make sure you're alright, Jacob." Leon then turned back to William, pushing a burlap sack toward him. "We got some food from the night attendant at the front desk. I guess that's just part of detention. Picked yours up for you."
William peered inside the small sack, finding a trail mix of nuts, seeds, and dried berries. "Thank you."
"No problem. We'll let you have the text book too, once we're done." Leon flipped a page. "…It might be a while, though."
"Take your time," William replied. He glanced over at the checkers game.
The Fuecoco lifted one of his tokens and moved it to the other end of the board. "Coróneme," he said.
"Coróneme?" William echoed as the Zigzagoon moved a couple pieces around. "What does that mean?"
"Oh, it means 'king me,'" the Zigzagoon answered. "See, Javier here–" he pointed at the Fuecoco, who waved at William. "–Isn't from Chronovania. He's from, what was it, Lanípaxi?"
"Si!" Javier confirmed.
"He's like an exchange student," the Clefairy added. "Here to learn about Chronovania and English."
Not only was it another land William didn't know about, but it seemed like there was another language, too. That likely meant that there were several more to remember. He glanced back at his textbook. "How late is the library open?" he wondered aloud.
"Oh, until like, 10 PM," said the Ekans. "You've got plenty of time to work on Veronica's esssssay."
"We heard about that," the Zigzagoon pitched in. "Don't let it get to you– Veronica's always hard on the recruits. You won't have to deal with her as much once you form a team, like us."
And as soon as it had arrived, the tension in William's shoulder subsided. "Well, that's good to hear, I suppose."
"Hey guys!"
He turned around to see who called out to them. From between an aisle of shelves, a Bulbasaur approached the table, balancing a book between his head and his bulb.
"Oh hey, Chase!" Jacob greeted. "I thought we missed you."
"Still here, just wandering." Chase grabbed the book with his vines and placed it onto the table. It was a copy of the same book Leon and Jacob had. "Need any help with that homework?"
"We're okay," Leon spoke before Jacob could. "Thanks anyway, though."
Chase's friendly demeanor was like a warm campfire, inviting William to relax. "I could use a study partner," he spoke up. "If you're willing."
Chase smiled at him. "Happy to help!" And he climbed into the empty seat next to William.
"I appreciate it." Suddenly William felt self-conscious again. "Though… I'm sorry that I caused this in the first place."
"Oh, it's fine!" Chase assured. "I don't think it was your fault. Five pages isn't that much, anyway."
William readied a quill, parchment, and inkwell to begin his essay. Chase flipped to the early pages. Minutes passed as William began summarizing the tale of the Legendary Beasts, the founding of the guild to protect the fledgling village that was Wolfhaven, and how said village gradually grew into a trading hub in southern Chronovania.
He managed to get halfway through his own essay, but his mind was wandering elsewhere. What about the places around Wolfhaven? How much was there to know about Chronovania? How did the rest of the world develop, especially since other places also had different languages?
"Chase, how much do you know about history?" William asked.
"I know plenty!" he beamed.
"Can you tell me about Chronovania, and the other provinces around it?"
"I sure could! What do you wanna know?"
William contemplated his answer. Where could they even begin? He didn't know enough about the world to pick a starting point. Perhaps it would be best to let Chase take the lead?
"As much as I can," William answered.
"That's a looot of ground to cover," Chase put his front paws together. "Well for starters, most settlements in and out of Chronovania popped up around the same time."
"The same time?" William repeated. "As in, they seemed to appear all at once?"
"Yep! About a thousand and five hundred years ago, give or take, when mons started working the land and farming for food. Like in Chronovania, some of the earliest settlements are Bethany, Amber Heights, and Harvest to name a few."
"Bethany?" Jacob spoke up. "That's where Leon and I are from!"
"Hey, cool!" Chase replied. "I'm from Amber Heights."
"So they began as agrarian villages?" William asked. Though in the back of his mind, he wondered where he knew the word 'agrarian' from.
"That's right!" Chase answered. "As time went on, some village populations leveled out. Other places kept growing, between an abundance of food and having new mons move in, and they turned into bigger towns and cities. Like Wolfhaven and Caldera."
"With Caldera being the capital," William recalled. "What about before then? Before the settlements?"
Chase rested his head in his paws. "Hmm, kinda hard to say. Proper recorded history didn't start until about five centuries ago. Before that most of our history's just in the dark."
So, most of society began as farming villages one-thousand and five-hundred years ago, according to the history books. Monkind has made progress since then, developing towns and cities, and the time before that is shrouded in mystery.
William stared at the empty bottom-half of his parchment, wondering.
"So before the villages, was the world just populated with ferals?" he asked.
"That's a matter of debate, actually!" Chase replied. "Since there's not much to go on back then, scholars go back 'n' forth with theories. Some point to legendary mons, and others say we just evolved– not like the usual way, but that we all got smarter somehow."
So in place of history, there were theories. Numerous possibilities. William stared down at the book he shared with Chase. A single book covering the history of one town wouldn't nearly be enough.
"If you wanna know more," Chase said, reading William's intent, "you might wanna check out some books." The Bulbasaur turned his head toward one of the non-fiction aisles.
William glanced at the shelves, too. The gears in his head began to turn. "Where would I even begin?"
"I can help you pick!" Chase offered.
"I'd like that," William smiled. "Thank you."
The two left their seats and wandered over, scanning the titles on the spines of each book.
"Here's some good ones," Chase said as he reached for the shelves with his vines.
The Tapestry of Mon History was the first he handed over to William. Then he grabbed Legendary Beings and their Cultural Impact. Meanwhile, William leaned down for a copy of The Rise of the Dragon Empire.
A few minutes later they returned to the table, with William holding six tomes, balancing his bone club atop the stack of books.
"Hey Will!" Jacob greeted, though William couldn't see him past his own books. "We just–"
William set down his new reading list with a thump!
"Whoa," Jacob breathed.
"Don't you think that's a bit… much?" Leon asked.
"This is a reasonable start," William answered. "There's much that I need to learn. Every piece of knowledge is a valuable asset and I intend to be as rich as everyone else, and then some."
"That's the spirit!" Chase nodded.
"Well good luck with that," Leon said. "Just don't forget to sleep."
"And apparently, I'm a good pillow," Jacob remarked.
The brothers chuckled together before William could ask for context.
"Oh yeah, we just finished!" the Charmander added.
"Yeah, so you can have this." Leon handed over the Wolfhaven History book. "Good luck on your essay."
"We'll be next door if you need help!" Jacob offered.
William nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, both of you. I think I'll head back to my room for now."
"Alright, if you're sure," Leon said.
Jacob opened his pocket watch.
Pop.
"We got thirty minutes until the library closes. Let's stick around and play some games with these guys." He pointed over at the others, still playing checkers.
Click.
"Count me in!" Chase announced. He glanced at William. "You're all set, right?"
"Yes. Thanks again, Chase."
"No problem!"
"Maybe next time you can stay and play, Will?" Jacob offered. "I'd like to show you how to play Mosaic!"
Leon chuckled. "You'll think he'll still have room in his head after all that studying?"
William blinked at Leon, pondering his words before realizing he was joking. "If I need more headspace, I could just take this helmet off." He tapped the skull covering his face.
"Oh yeah, then you can give it to Leon!" Jacob said. "It'd look good on him!"
"Wait, what," Leon deadpanned before contagious laughter went all around the table. Everyone calmed themselves, not wanting to draw the librarian's attention.
"I'll take you up on that offer," William nodded to Jacob. "Once we're done with training."
"Awesome!" Jacob smiled. "Have a good night!"
"See you later," Leon waved.
William left Chase and the brothers as they claimed seats for the next checkers game. Though the day had been rough, between Aaron, the brothers, and Chase, things already seemed to be getting better. And this library! He'd surely be coming back to it often. He lifted his bookstack and navigated his way to the library's main desk, where Minerva had swooped down to meet him.
"Sounds like you and your friends have been enjoying yourselves," said the Noctowl.
"We have," William answered. "I apologize if we've been too loud."
"Ah, it's no trouble. And I see you've found some light reading," she said with a smirk.
William smiled back. "I may need a few bookmarks to go with this."