Chapter Two: Rachel and Gar
I have lived in a palace for most of my childhood. Therefore, I was familiar with places of high grandeur. But I was not prepared for...this. Once I fully observed the new surroundings, I realized this school was far from any training establishment I had been to.
When the car started moving through the massive gate, I noticed the two large cobblestoned pillars holding it up. On top of each post, a frozen stone figure was perched as if they were on guard at the entrance. These figures certainly did not look human. The creatures had wings, and long claws gripped the pillar's edge. I studied them as we drove by. Trying to identify what it was. A bat? No, the body-to-wing ratio was not correct. A monkey? No, monkeys did not have wings.
I gave up trying to catalog the creature when other scenery captured my attention. There were several buildings we passed constructed similarly to the two pillars we passed. All grey stone with large dark windows decorating them. My hopes for a more colorful school were in vain, for I felt like I had entered a grey-scale painting void of any color. Even though I would have preferred a livelier scene, I found these buildings darkly beautiful in their own way. Each building was like a mini castle connected by outdoor corridors with high archways.
We continued to drive up the road as I admired each building. I was fascinated by the architect and craftsmanship who took the time to build these structures. I was too busy studying the details of each building to notice the inhabitants walking around.
"Quite impressive, isn't it?" Miss Petrov said, and I jumped slightly. I was so enthralled by everything that I forgot she was there. "This estate was built centuries ago and was meant to be a college for scholars, but was abandoned until recently when the property was bought and refurbished to be turned into a boarding school."
"These buildings are beautiful," I admitted, "Everything looks like a work of art."
The car had finally stopped, and soon, my door was opened to allow me out. When I stepped outside, I watched groups of humans similar to my age pass by. They were all wearing the same uniforms. Only the boys wore pants instead of skirts. A few noticed my presence, but instead of greeting me, they would turn into their little huddle and start whispering, glancing back at me a few times when they did.
"Are you ready to see the dormitories?" Miss Petrov asked, and the silent driver had already walked past us with my bags.
I said nothing but nodded. I remembered that was what they called the sleeping quarters here for boarding schools. Suddenly, I was starting to feel nervous. I knew I was to have a 'roommate' as I read that somewhere in the information booklet that was sent with the school uniforms. I had never shared a sleeping space with anyone since the palace had enough rooms to house a whole village. I was unsure how to adjust to sharing that space with someone I had never met.
As I followed Miss Petrov through the grand outdoor corridors and into one of the buildings, I could feel all the pairs of eyes watching me as we walked through what I imagined to be the girls' dormitory building since everyone was now female. They were all evaluating the newcomer, judging if she would be a threat or ally to their social circle. At least, that was how I remembered it in the court of Tamaran.
I tried to ignore their stares as I focused on the interior of the dwelling we were in. Thankfully, there was enough to look at to keep me distracted. As we walked up wide marbled staircases, I discovered the numerous painted portraits and works of art hanging on the walls. We never had anything like this on Tamaran. Most of the corridor walls at the palace were barren with decoration. It was refreshing to see so many objects to be admired here. Though the corridors were vastly larger in Tamaran, this new place made my former home look almost dull.
After climbing several flights of stairs, we turned into a brightly lit hallway with one side lined with windows and the other with doors. We walked past a few doors until we stopped in front of one. Miss Petrov then pulled a key from one of the pockets inside her red jacket to hand to me.
"This will be your room for this school year," She said. "The underclassmen usually stay in this dormitory, but each year, you may be moved to the larger houses depending on your ranking with the school representatives."
"Ranking?" I asked. I did not remember reading about a ranking system in the information booklet. "What do you mean by that?"
Miss Petrov was about to open the door to my room, but then she stiffened. She paused momentarily as if struggling to find the right words and then said. "I think it would be best for the student representatives to explain their ranking system to you. But don't worry about that. I'm sure you will be great!"
Their ranking system? Student representations? Who exactly were they? There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but after observing Miss Petrov's strangely tense response, I could tell she did not want to discuss it further. It was undoubtedly odd behavior from someone who supposedly ran a school. It was almost as if she was afraid of these student representatives.
"Now let me show you your room and introduce you to..." Miss Petrov said but stopped mid-sentence when she could not open the door. She then muttered, "Of course."
She knocked on the door. "Miss Roth!" She called, "Are you in there?"
Miss Petrov leaned into the door as if listening to hear if there was movement on the other side of the door. "I believe your roommate may be out, but no matter! May I have your key for a moment?"
I handed Miss Petrov the key back as she opened the door and pushed it open to allow me in first. As I entered, I noticed that the room was dark. Almost void of any light besides a small waver of candlelight that disappeared almost as fast as I saw it. I immediately smelled smoke.
Miss Petrov must have found the light switch as I could see everything more clearly. There were two beds facing one another on each side of the room. One side of the room looked barren compared to the other, with only a small wardrobe and a furnished desk on either side of the bed. I noticed my bags were already placed next to the neatly prepared bed. That must have been my side of the room.
On the other side, the walls were more decorated with pictures of male singers with dark hair covering half their faces. I have read about 'rock bands' from the magazines Kom would bring in for her reading pleasure, and I wondered if these men were a part of one. I also noticed a painting of a single black bird on the wall, and I was curious about which of the numerous birds on this planet that one was.
"You know that having candles in the dormitories is against the school rules, Miss Roth," Miss Petrov spoke directly to the girl propped up by multiple pillows with a book across her lap.
"I study better by candlelight," The girl said in the most monotone voice I had ever heard. Her current expression matched the tone of her voice as well. "You do want me to do well on my exams, don't you, Miss Petrov?"
Miss Petrov sighed, strolled across the room to the curtains running from the ceiling to the floor, and swiftly opened them to reveal a large window resembling a door. Light beamed into the room, and I watched the girl in the bed flinch. I wondered if this girl had seen any sunlight at all, as her skin was so pale that it almost looked grey.
"Why?" Hissed the girl as she brought her arm over her face as if to block the sunlight from her eyes. Only there was no sunlight from the cloudy day for her to react this way.
"Oh, stop being so dramatic," Miss Petrov told her, then walked over to me to return the room key. "I want you to meet your new roommate, Miss Kory Anders. Miss Anders, this is Miss Rachel Roth."
Wanting to make a good first impression on my roommate, I extended my hand to Rachel to initiate the Earthly greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Rachel. I look forward to sharing my living space with you and getting to know you better." I said in my most charming and diplomatic manner.
Rachel did not move and said nothing. She looked at my hand and then back at me. Her velvety dark blue eyes were not blinking. "Yeah, sure." Was all she said, and then turned back to her book. Rejecting my handshake.
So much for making a good impression. This girl seemed to be interested in nothing other than the book she was reading, and I was currently keeping her from that.
Miss Petrov cleared her throat to break the uncomfortable silence. "Well, I'll let you two get to know each other better. I have some school business to attend to now. If you ever need anything, please feel free to visit me at my office anytime. Miss Roth will show you where that is when she gives you a school tour. Won't you, Miss Roth?"
Not pulling her attention away from her book, Rachel replied with a "Sure." Her voice remained as deadpan as possible.
"Right," Miss Petrov continued. I think she knew that was all she would get out of Rachel. "Once again, welcome to Titan Academy, Miss Anders. We are so happy that you are here!" She said and then left the room. Leaving me alone with Rachel Roth, who I believed was not as 'happy' for me to be there.
There was more uncomfortable silence as Rachel continued to read her book, acting as if I was not there. She certainly blended in with the overall dark theme of the school. Rachel was wearing the dark school uniform on top of her black bedding and a black area rug she must have chosen to decorate her room with. Even her hair, angling perfectly to her jawline, was black with a slight blueish tint.
"I like the pictures you have on your walls and your decoration choices," I said, attempting to initiate a conversation. "Are those boys in the pictures on the wall members of a band that you enjoy?"
Rachel let out an impatient sigh. "I know I'm supposed to show you around the school grounds, but I'm too busy studying right now." She said and returned to her book, which did not look like any of the textbooks we were studying from.
It was evident that she did not want to converse with me. If I had any chance of forming any bond with my roommate, I would have to respect her wishes...for now.
"Very well," I said as I walked closer toward the tall window that was, in fact, a door that led to a small balcony outside. "I suppose I could find my way around without you. It seems like a nice cloudy day for a walk by myself anyway."
From the corner of my eye, I saw her glance at me momentarily and then quickly turned her attention back to her book before I noticed. So, she was the dark and mysterious type. I can work with that.
"Is that..." I motioned toward the book that I could barely see the title of. "A Book by Edgar Allen Poe?"
Rachel perked up a little. "You know of Edgar Allen Poe?" She asked with the slightest fluctuation in her voice, signifying she was surprised.
"Oh yes," I said, "I have read about all of his accomplishments in the horror genre from another book on some of the most renowned literature authors. I have wanted to read his work, but I could not find any of his books in the bookstores I have been to."
"This book is of his completed works. I could..." She hesitated. "I suppose I can let you borrow it when I'm done."
"I would like that," I said. At least I was able to find some common ground with her. But I was not going to push any further than that. Patience while forming relationships with potential allies was what my mother and father had taught me to do from a very young age. They had told me to be an influential and respected Queen. One must be charming but slow to listen and be observant of others' interests and personalities to relate to them and build their trust.
I would honor her preferences because Rachel seemed to like spending time alone. If I was sharing this space with her, I needed to respect her boundaries until she was more comfortable with me. I opened the doors to the small balcony, and a cool breeze instantly swept across my face. It was turning into autumn here, so that meant the temperatures were beginning to drop, and the days were getting shorter. It was nearing 5 o'clock, according to a clock tower that protruded from one of the buildings, and I could tell that day was slowly starting to darken.
I leaned against the balcony railing, resting my arms against it to survey the courtyard layout below. I watched students leave and enter the buildings that I could see. A couple of boys passed a ball around, and groups of girls lounged on the ground as they all spoke excitedly. I wondered if I could find a group of friends here with whom I could share those pleasant pastimes. That is, as long as these humans do not attempt to turn me into the Gordanians. But besides that. Would any of them accept me? Not only was I a newcomer, but I was an outworlder. An alien to them. Was my charms that my mother and father said I was blessed with going to be enough to make friends here?
I tried to push that thought aside, turning my attention to the trees swaying gracefully. I noticed a few clusters of leaves that turned a deep scarlet red, and soon, I assumed the rest of the leaves on all the other trees would turn that color. That would be a lovely contrast to all the grey and black hues this school seemed to pride itself on. While admiring the school's surroundings, I noticed a lavish-looking house beyond the courtyard clearing. I do not think the word house was how I should describe it. A mansion? I heard that was the term for a large house that predominately the wealthy lived in. If that building was living quarters for the students or facility members, I wondered who had the privilege to stay there.
"Hey..so," a voice came from behind me, and I was startled by the sudden presence of it. "I think I've studied enough for today. I guess I have some time to show you around."
I was surprised that Rachel wanted to talk to me so quickly. Perhaps my interest in reading subjects she had enjoyed had gained a little favor for me. I was relieved by that. Maybe now my first night here will be a little more pleasant.
I turned around to see Rachel in the doorway. She looked quite uncomfortable. "That would be wonderful!" I told her.
"Right, uh...you can follow me. We probably should get to it before it gets dark." She said and then left the doorframe for me to follow her.
We did not say much as we descended the stairs and through the corridors that led out of the dormitory. Rachel did not seem like a talker, and I wanted to respect that from her. I was pleased to have someone walking around the school grounds with me, so it was less apparent that I was the new student wandering around lost with no one to talk to.
"This is the underclassmen dorms," She finally spoke up as we walked past the building that housed our room. "Since we are first years, we are to live here for the year. And it happens to the furthest building from all the classrooms, so I recommend leaving early to get to your classes on time."
"I see," I said, "Thank you for that advice."
"Sure," Rachel said as we crossed the courtyard. The two boys passing a ball to one another stopped their actions when they noticed us walking by. I knew they were staring at me, but I tried my best not to notice them as I walked by Rachel's side. I heard one of them whistle and the other laugh.
"Ignore them," I heard Rachel say as she quickened her speed, and I had to jog slightly to catch up with her. "The guys here are pigs. I'm just warning you now."
"They do not look like pigs to me," I said, wanting to keep the conversation flowing. "Do boys have the ability to transform into animals here?"
Rachel stopped and looked at me with a bewildered expression. Suddenly, I felt like a fool. She was not being literal. Another strange Earth phrase I was going to have to learn.
She considered me for a moment, and then her expression softened. "Oh, that's right," She said, "You're not from around here. Like, not from this planet, around here."
Did the students know what I was already? That would explain all the stares I have been receiving. For once, I was not sure what to say. I did not know how to redeem myself from that social blunder, but fortunately, Rachel must have noticed my embarrassment and decided to speak instead.
"It's cool," She shrugged, "I'm not really from around here either, so I guess that makes me a little alien as well."
That did help me feel a little better. "Really?" I asked, "Where are you from?"
I watched her shoulders slump slightly, and then she cast her eyes downward. "Far away from here," she said, "I don't like talking about my uh... hometown so much."
I could tell that this subject was bothering her, and I did not want her to run back to the room to lock herself in, so I said, "It is okay. You do not have to tell me where you are from. You can talk about your favorite books while you show me around if you would like."
That brought a small smile to Rachel's face. "Sure. That sounds great to me."
Rachel turned to take the lead in our new direction when I heard an excited voice approach us.
"Hey, Rae!" The voice said, and a small boy with peculiar green skin, green hair, and even green eyes rushed up to stand before us.
"I got us dinner!" He said and proudly displayed the large brown paper bag in his hand. "Oh, and did you hear about the new alien girl who arrived today? I heard she had tentacles for arms and large bug eyes that protrude from her face!"
Unless there was another 'alien girl' who happened to arrive at the school today, I was assuming he was talking about me. I was wondering if I should have been offended. My eyes might have been a little bigger than most humans here, but I had no idea what he meant by tentacles. It almost sounded like a disease.
"Uhhh," Rachel said nervously. She shifted her eyes from the boy to me, then back to the boy again. "Gar, this is Kory Anders, the new student who moved in today. She is also my roommate."
The boy's face went from green to red in an instant. Like some of the traffic lights in Miami. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" He said while rubbing the back of his neck. "I was not expecting you to look so...human!"
"Thank you?" I said. I am not sure why I responded with a question.
The boy then snapped back into attention and held his hand out. "It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Garfield Logan, but everyone calls me Gar."
I shook his hand cheerfully. This was quite the opposite greeting from what I had received from Rachel earlier, but each person might have their own way of greeting one another. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Gar. Rachel has been showing me around the school."
"Awesome!" He said while pumping his fist in the air. This boy was so animated. He reminded me of Ry in a way. "Can I join you two? I grabbed enough food for all of us to share. And it looks like it's going to be a nice evening for a little picnic!"
I watched Rachel smile slightly and then wondered how many people she had smiled in front of. "Sure. I wasn't in the mood to deal with everyone in the dining hall tonight anyway."
"Sweet!" Gar said, "Let's go to the river! I'll show you one of my favorite spots, Kory!"
And just like that, I had another friend. At least, I thought we were on our way to forming a friendship. I was not sure what the steps were to make friends here, but Rachel and Gar seemed friendly enough, even if they had very different ways of showing their friendliness.
We continued to pass several buildings, and Rachel and Gar pointed out each one to me and what classes I would most likely take in each one. And while we made our way to the river, I discovered that Gar was also a first-year, or freshman, as they explained, was the term used at the school. So that must have meant Rachel and Gar were the same age as me.
We found our destination after following long, windy dirt paths flowing from the school's set paths. The river was so peaceful, and I enjoyed listening to the gentle sound of the water lapping against the river bank. We then sat on a grassy patch of ground not too far away from the bank.
Gar took out the bag's contents and handed me and Rachel a wrapped bundle. Rachel unwrapped the bundle and revealed something that looked like a long sandwich. "Roast beef? Nice. Thanks for not bringing me tofu this time."
"Don't mention it!" Gar said proudly, "Luckily for me, they made a vegetarian option tonight! A nice eggplant and tomato sub!"
I wanted to ask what eggplant and tofu were because those were very new food items for me. But my mouth was full of the bits of the sub I was devouring. I realized I had not eaten anything since I was on the train, and my stomachs were so grateful for the subsidence I provided them.
We spent several moments enjoying our food until Rachel spoke up. "Hold on. Where did you get this food?"
Gar suddenly looked guilty and turned away from Rachel as he answered. However, his response was barely comprehensible as he spoke with a mouth of food.
"Gar," Rachel scolded, "You didn't steal this from the Elites' kitchen, did you?"
"What?" Gar laughed nervously, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know you are already on thin ice with them." She told him, "You think it's wise to continue sneaking into their quarters to steal their food?"
"It's technically everybody's food," Gar said bitterly, "They just take all the good stuff and then give us their scraps. I'm sure Victor and Wally eat half the food before it gets to the rest of the students."
I swallowed my food quickly to ask, "Who are the Elites?"
Gar made a sound of disgust. "They are supposed to be our student representatives. But they don't represent the student's best interests. They only serve their own. They pretty much run the school. Or they think they run the school anyway."
"Oh," I said, starting not to like the sound of these Elites. "Miss Petrov mentioned something about them earlier today but did not want to go into much detail on them."
"Yeah, probably because she knows that they are trying to run her out of the school," Gar said, "Apparently, they all started here just this year, even though they are in varying upperclassmen grades. But as soon as they showed up, they basically took over the school and made up all sorts of stupid rules and disciplines to 'better' our education. But really, these rules were set in place so that they could bully the underclassmen around and get to live a life of luxury in the campus mansions. While the rest of us have to be packed in cramped dorm rooms. Even the older students who were not a part of the Elite's clique were kicked out of the upperclassmen housing. You could imagine that pissed a lot of them off."
I had assumed that 'pissed' was another word for anger on Earth. And after Gar explained the bizarre housing situation, I also felt pissed for the older students. "But who gave them the authority to do such a thing?" I asked, "I did not think students could have that power."
"On this planet," Gar said, "Money is power. And if you have enough of it, you can pay off anyone to convince them to let you do anything. And I have a feeling the new 'school sponsor' was the one to pay off the faculty to let his son and his buddies be in charge."
"Bruce Wayne?" I asked. Suddenly remembering how Miss Petrov talked about the sponsor investing in his son's education. Now, it was all starting to make sense to me.
"Bingo!" Gar said, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you have heard of him already. He's probably the most well-known billionaire playboy tyrant around these parts. And now his son is following his footsteps since he's our student president and the leader of the Elites."
I have read that a president here is almost the equivalent of a King or Queen or someone over the welfare of a large group of people. Considering that this billionaire's son sounded like he was not doing what was best for his people, maybe I could overthrow him. "Who is your student president? I want to speak with him."
"Dick Grayson," He spat out the name as if he just tasted some intolerable food. "But good luck trying to talk to him. He doesn't speak to anyone unless you're one of his Elites or he's telling you how awful of a fighter you are. Of course, I don't think I have ever seen him in combat with anyone, so I'm unsure if he has the right to make those calls.
"Dick Grayson," I repeated the name to myself. "He has a different surname to his father's."
"He's adopted," Rachel said. This was the first thing she had said since the beginning of this particular subject. "His parents died when he was young, and Bruce Wayne took him in shortly after his parent's death."
She did not say anything after that. She seemed to know more but did not want to share more details. I could see the hurt on her face as she talked about him.
"Oh right, I keep forgetting," Gar said, "Rachel knew Dick before Titan Academy, and she had a crush on him." That last part sounded like a tease. Even though I had no idea what 'had a crush' on someone meant, it sounded painful.
"Ew, no!" Rachel wrinkled her nose, "Sure, I admit that Dick is good-looking, but spoiled womanizing rich boys don't really do it for me."
I noticed a slight look of satisfaction on Gar's face after Rachel said that. "You got that right about the womanizing part." Gar said, "Like father, like son. I heard Dick has slept with so many women that his body count could rival his dad's."
"I don't think he has slept with that many women." Rachel corrected Gar, "But Dick certainly has a reputation."
All these new phrases were coming at me so fast that I could barely keep up with what they were talking about. "Pardon me," I chipped in, "What is so bad about sharing a bed with women?"
"Awww," Gar said endearingly, "She's so cute and innocent. Can we keep her, Rae?"
Rachel glared at him and then turned to me. "When we say 'sleeping' with someone, it means to have sex, or I guess intercourse is the technical word you may be familiar with."
"Oh!" I could feel myself reddening, "Sleeping with someone means to mate?"
"Yeeeah," Rachel said, shifting back and forth on her knees and looking uncomfortable again. "We don't call it mating here for humans. And its purpose here is not always to reproduce. But if I were you, I would probably stay away from Dick since uh..." She paused to look at me up and down. "You're kind of his type, and you seem too nice of a person to be taken advantage of,"
I was not sure what she meant by that, but I was not interested in mating with this tyrant of a boy. It was quite the opposite. I wanted to stop him from taking advantage of everybody else.
"Better yet, it's probably best to avoid any of the Elites. If you stay out of their way and follow their rules, there will be no trouble." Gar advised.
"Says the one who always likes to sneak into the Elites' house to steal food." Rachel pointed out.
"As long as I don't get caught by them, I'm in the clear!" Gar said.
"How were you able to get into their quarters without getting noticed?" I asked curiously.
"It's quite genius," Gar said cooly. "I turn into a fly, make my way through one of the open doors or windows, and hang out on a china cabinet in the kitchen until no one is around, and then I change back, grab what I can, and then make my way out the back door before anybody notices."
"I wouldn't say that's genius," Rachel said, "I would say that's dumb luck."
I blinked. Trying to process what I just heard or if what I heard was correct. "You turned into a what?" I asked.
"Oh, that's my superpower," Gar smiled smugly, "I can turn into any animal or insect I want. At least, almost any animal, that is."
"Really?" I said incredulously, "So you can turn into a...hmm, let me think." I tried to think about all the different Earth animals I have read about in books. "Can you turn into a dog?"
I blinked once, and then a green dog with floppy ears wagged his tail happily in front of me.
"Amazing!" I gasped, "What about a rabbit?"
The dog shrunk into a small green rabbit and hopped around where Rachel and I were sitting on the ground.
"A cat?" I called next, and then the rabbit formed into a green cat and rubbed his head against our knees. I heard him purr when he reached Rachel's. I noticed she had blushed slightly.
Gar had then turned back to being a human and grinned from ear to ear. "I know the cat form is Rae's favorite."
"No, it's not!" Rachel barked at him defensively. Her face was still blushing.
I watched the two of them throw insults at one another and then wondered if this was what it was like to have friends on this planet. Even though they called each other absurd names, it was all playful. They were free to be who they were to one another without worrying about saying the right words to the right people. Or act a certain way in the public eye because everyone expects you to be the perfect prodigy at every moment. I admired Rachel and Gar greatly for this.
We were so caught up in getting to know each other that we did not notice how dark it had become. It was only when Rachel pointed out the glowing lamps on the school grounds that we decided it was getting late and we should retreat back to the dormitories.
Gar walked with Rachel and me to the girls' dormitories while teaching me some of the 'dirty jokes' he had heard throughout his young years. He had to explain most of them to me since I did not quite understand the humor, and for some of them, I wish I did not ask because they were pretty graphic and made me blush. Rachel stayed silent for most of our walk, but I could not help but notice the slight smile that I think she was trying to conceal from us.
"Well, this is your stop, ladies," Gar said as we entered the girls' dormitories. "It was awesome getting to know you, Kory! I can finally say I'm friends with an alien from outer space!"
"You want to be my friend?" I asked, shocked that someone on Earth would want to befriend me so quickly.
"Of course I do!" He said, "You seem really cool! And Rae thinks so, too. Otherwise, she wouldn't go out of her way to leave the room to be seen with another person." Gar gently punched her on the arm. Rachel said nothing but responded with another blush and rolled her eyes at him.
"Good night, ladies!" He said with a bow, and then I watched him jog away.
Perhaps staying at this school would not be so bad after all.
