My thoughts abruptly stopped as we passed a threshold, and suddenly, I heard the unmistakable sound of things breaking, followed by shouting—loud, angry voices coming from one of the rooms up ahead.
"Uh-oh," Nyra muttered, her eyes wide as she put a hand over her mouth. She immediately stepped back and, with surprising speed, hid behind me.
Silas, surprisingly alert now, perked up. He glanced at Matilda, who had also paused mid-step, her gaze steady but unreadable.
The tension in the air was thick. I couldn't decide if it was more unsettling or oddly familiar—like this was just another day here. Either way, my stomach twisted into a knot. I wanted to ask what was going on, but something in Matilda's posture told me to hold back.
"How can you call yourself my brother when you do this?!" A voice shouted, followed by another round of crashes and more shouting—someone trying, and failing, to break up whatever mess was going on behind that door.
Well, I guess no matter the time or age, classroom fights always happen, huh?
...huh?
I felt a strange chill run down my spine as I glanced at Matilda. She was… smiling? No, not a smile—something darker, more knowing, like she was thoroughly entertained by whatever was happening just behind that door.
But why is she suddenly staring at me like that?
I could swear that smile on Matilda's face was the moment I knew something was about to go wrong. But what, exactly? I couldn't figure it out—not with how she hauled me up by my blazer, dragging me out of my thoughts.
Seriously?
I just got this fresh uniform, after all. The first one had been wrinkled beyond belief. And now here I was again—hauled up by Matilda. I was well aware of her strength, but I hadn't realized just how easily she could throw me like I weighed nothing at all.
"What—" I didn't get to finish my sentence before I was airborne.
One moment, we were near the door where it seemed like a fight was about to break out, and the next, I was sailing through that very room. My feet tangled, my body swirling around as I shouted, barely hearing my own voice over the chaos and shouts inside. I wasn't sure if the yelling was still part of the fight or if it was now aimed at me.
In my panic, I held my schoolbag up to my face, trying to shield myself from whatever I might crash into.
Thud.
Skreeeecchhhhh.
Thump.
Crash.
Clatter.
Oh god, I think I just killed someone. No—multiple someones.
The bag was still over my face, so I couldn't see much, but I could hear someone groaning just behind me, somebody is also practically sprawled over my feet. I hesitated, not daring to look, but the voice that came through was unmistakable.
"Damn it all, not my nose again…"
...Oh, is that?
"New man?" I blinked and lowered the bag, finally looking around. To my surprise, I met the wide, somewhat amused grin of Miro. He looked shocked at first but then flashed a smile, despite clearly wincing as he held his side. There was a desk chair by his feet, which must've been the one that hit him.
"You're in our class?" he asked, genuinely looking glad to see me.
As my gaze wandered, I spotted the other two guys from the gate, but they were currently on the floor as well. One of them, the guy in sunglasses—Kyan, was holding someone I didn't recognize, their bodies tangled awkwardly in the aftermath.
A few steps away from them, though, was someone I was now sure was not happy to see me again. He was holding his nose, his eyes full of hostility as he glared at me. Well, now I was sure it resembled fire more than liquid gold from before. His gaze was sharper, colder—like a flame that was about to burn out but still threatening to scorch anything that got too close. It was hard not to feel the weight of that stare, even from a distance.
I gulped. Well, this was off to a great start.
I couldn't decide whether to be more embarrassed or concerned about the damage I might've caused. I couldn't help but glance down, scanning the room for any evidence of what I'd just done. I was pretty sure I had at least tripped over half the class, but as long as no one had broken anything vital, I'd call that a win.
"Are you guys done?" Matilda's voice sliced through the chaos as she stepped into the classroom, followed by Nyra and Silas, whose eyes were wide as saucers, clearly stunned by the scene that had just unfold.
"I'm not!" The guy Kyan was holding onto scrambled, clearly struggling to get up. He was all but flailing on the floor, and the noise of it only made everything feel more chaotic.
A sigh echoed from the background. "That's enough, Kael. There's nothing Sig can do."
That voice... it was Roujan, wasn't it? He was with Miro and the others.
The other students hung back, staying near the desk chairs, but Roujan stood in front of them, unbothered.
"He can! How can he not?!" Kael snarled, his teeth bared in Roujan's direction, his frustration boiling over. His fists clenched, and his posture was all aggression.
Kyan, who was still crouched on the floor, suddenly wrapped an arm around Kael's neck, pulling him back just a little. "Calm down, you big mutt!" His tone was flat, but there was a touch of amusement in it, like he'd dealt with this kind of outburst before.
Before anything else could happen, I felt Matilda move past me, striding with purpose.
Then I heard it—the familiar, sharp slap—echoing through the room.
My eyes widened as I took in Kael's red cheek—way redder than Signos' nose.
Before I could process more, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Miro standing there, a grin spreading across his face.
"Hey, Reina, right?" he asked, his voice casual.
"Welcome to Lunar Year 1," Miro said with a grin, as he gestured towards the madness in the room. There were desk chairs pushed haphazardly, actual window glass shattered on the floor, and a student still wriggling beneath my feet in what looked like a wrestling match. The dorm monitor had just slapped someone, and the president, still glaring at me with a hand clutching his nosebridge, hadn't stopped giving me the coldest yet burning of stares.