Belligerent (Vicara)

by B. N. Mauldin

  Eventually, the door to the bedroom opened and Ryan filled the space, blocking the entrance with his lanky frame. “Yeah?”

  Logan grinned and hoped his smile looked convincing. “I come bearing gifts,” he said and suddenly wished he had convinced someone else to handle the task in his place. Unfortunately, nobody else was any good with electronics - beyond the basics, of course.

  Ryan stared down at him, making their height difference seem even greater than it was. “What kind of gifts?”

  “Gadgets,” Logan replied and gestured that they should move into the room.

  Ryan hesitantly stepped backwards to where he was no longer blocking the doorway. “Come in.”

  Logan glanced around at the changes that had been made to the room. “I've never seen this space look so neat,” he said before he could help himself. He tended to ramble, and the more uncomfortable he was - the more he rambled.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, James was always kind of a mess. Walking chaos, really. There were always coveralls covered in grease stains tossed on the floor or random car parts spread around the room. Plus, he always had all those posters tacked up in a haphazard sort of random order. I don't think there was a single one that wasn't crooked.” Logan's breath caught as he realized that the room would probably never be James's room again, and he loudly cleared his throat to hide the choking noise that was trying to emerge from his chest.

  “Who's James?”

  Logan jerked from his thoughts. “Shifter didn't tell you? James was our transportation specialist before you,” he said, but the explanation didn't seem enough. James was their eighth, or he had been anyway.

  “Why isn't he still your transportation specialist?”

  Logan realized he had perhaps said too much. If Ryan hadn't been told about James then there was a reason for it. “I brought you a communicator,” Logan said, pulling a device from his backpack. “You'll need to keep it in your ear most of the time. They're completely waterproof, so don't worry about getting it wet.”

  Allowing the topic of James to slip, Ryan asked, “How does it work?”

  Logan exhaled in relief when Ryan accepted the change in conversation.

  “You place it in your ear. Tap once for listening mode. That leaves your line open for emergency calls from the others. Tap it twice in a row to talk to any of the rest of us. Tap it three times in a row to shut it off completely, though we almost never keep them completely turned off. It's too risky and you'll miss too many notices that way.”

  Ryan placed the device in his ear and tapped it once.

  Logan reached up to tap his own twice. “Ryan's now on the comm line with us,” he informed the others. Ryan gave him a surprised look, and Logan held up a finger. He set his own comm back to listening mode. “Just wait a moment,” he explained.

  As Logan expected, Clarisse was on the line almost immediately. “Hello, Ryan!” Her voice came through the comms clearly. “Don't forget to keep your comm in listening mode when you're getting hot and heavy with someone. Unless you're an exhibitionist of course.” She giggled at her own joke.

  One by one, the others began to chime in with a quick “hi” or some acknowledgment that they had heard them. Logan noticed that Mackenzie was the only one to remain silent.

  “That's the group,” Logan remarked with a smile. Ryan was not thrilled or amused in any way. Rather, he was exhausted. “Let's handle the rest of this stuff, so we won't be late to dinner. Clarisse and Eva are both excellent cooks.”

  Ryan shrugged. “I'm not really hungry.”

  Logan didn't believe that for a second and he watched the other boy from the corner of his eye as he produced his tablet.

  “I need to enter your band into the security system so that you can let yourself into the villa. Hold out your wrist.” Logan worked quickly to scan the band and program in Ryan's information, tapping briskly on the surface of the tablet. “All you have to do to get into the villa is hold your wrist up in front of the panel by the door and wait for it to scan.”

  “Thanks,” Ryan mumbled.

  “You need any help figuring out your schedule? I could show you where your classes are going to be or maybe answer any questions that you have.”

  “I'm good for now.”

  “Do you know where the dining room is?”

  Ryan nodded.

  “You should come to dinner. I'm pretty sure you'll have a few people trying to drag you there if you don't,” Logan said, trying to joke. When Ryan continued to be mostly unresponsive, Logan took it as a sign that he should leave. “I'm gonna just head back to my room. I've got a new project I'm working on, and... Anyway, I'm two doors down if you get bored and want to hang.”

  Ryan was staring at the band on his wrist when Logan let himself out of the room. Stepping into the courtyard, Logan was startled to see Mackenzie seated on one of the benches, quietly staring off into space. When she noticed him, she tilted her head to the side. Logan shook his head. If she wanted to know, she could talk to the guy herself.

  *

  When Ryan didn't show up to dinner, Daylan appeared at his room to fetch him. The medic had a strict rule that everyone on the team be well fed so that he wouldn't have to deal with the effects of malnutrition in addition to broken bones, scrapes and punctures. Apparently, Daylan found treating his teammates for anything less than something life-threatening to be an annoyance.

  “Just make my life easy, man, and join us,” the medic said.

  Conceding, Ryan followed him to the dining room. He sat at the table with the others as they passed around food like they were some kind of family, and while he didn't want to eat at first, the food smelled and looked so amazing that he wasn't able to resist for very long. He quietly ate while everyone around him talked about classes, hobbies and even what broadcast shows they were watching.

  Ryan watched as Clarisse returned from retrieving the desserts once their plates were nearly cleared of jambalaya and salad. She seemed at ease in the villa, as if she weren't a prisoner but instead someone at their childhood home. It certainly seemed that Shifter kept her more informed than he did the others. Maybe she would know how to escape from the academy - but if she did know, why hadn't she left already? He watched her refill her tea cup, and a shimmer of pink emanated from her band, catching his attention.

  “How do you remove them?” he blurted out. Everyone turned to look at him.

  “Remove what?” Eva asked.

  “The bands. How do you take them off?”

  “You slice off your hand,” Kenichi said. “And you do it quickly before the sedative is injected into your bloodstream. Don't forget that your best chance is to cut above the band.”

  “Kenichi, no gory talk at the table please,” Eva requested while scooping a small portion of both cobblers onto her plate.

  “Hers is different,” Ryan gave a nod at Clarisse. “You're telling me she was just given a special band right off?”

  “Shifter paid for her to get a custom band at her last refitting since hers tend to last longer than the rest of ours,” Aria commented. “Actually, she's only had to have hers adjusted once.”

  “Why? Would you like a custom band as well? I'm sure Shifter would consider it if you asked nicely enough,” Clarisse said, though anyone could see she knew Ryan had no interest in such a thing.

  Ryan frowned. He was tired of them always changing the subject. “So none of you know how to get the bands off?”

  Everyone went quiet. “There's no way to get the bands off,” Mackenzie said firmly as she stood. “I need to be leaving.”

  “What about dessert?” Clarisse asked innocently.

  “I'll have some when I get back. If you don't mind saving some for me, that is,” Mackenzie said.

  “Where are you going?” Eva asked.

  “I have somewhere to be. Somewhere personal.” She glanced over at Clarisse, who mimed zipping her mouth shut. “I'll be back tomorrow.”

  “Shifter gave yo
u permission to go off campus?” Logan asked.

  “How else do you think I'm going?” Mackenzie said with an eye roll.

  “I'll go with you,” Eva said and stood as well.

  “Personal business,” Mackenzie reiterated. “You don't even have permission to go off campus.”

  “Shifter won't have a problem granting it if I tell him it's in the team's best interest.”

  “Even if he doesn't have a problem with it, you're not going to leave the rest of our team unguarded when all of the other students have returned, are you?”

  Eva appeared conflicted, as if she didn't know whether she should follow Mackenzie or stay with the rest of the team.

  It was Daylan who ended up being the voice of reason. “Eva should go with you. All the rest of us will remain here in the villa until the two of you return. Besides, I doubt anyone will try to break into the villa tonight when it's still summer break”

  “Don't jinx us!” Clarisse said, putting a slender finger to her lips.

  Daylan held up his hands in mock surrender and said, “My sincerest apologies.”

  “Are frequent break-ins a problem around here?” Ryan asked, but nobody paid his question any attention.

  Logan finished swallowing a mouthful of cobbler. “I upgraded the security system earlier this summer, so there'll be no getting in or out without one of our bands.”

  Eva relaxed at his assurance. “I'll go with you, Mac. Just let me grab my overnight bag and call Shifter for a campus leave.”

  Mackenzie seemed a little frustrated about the escort, but didn’t make any further protests. It was a little quieter after the two girls left though neither one had been necessarily loud. Eight teenagers together tended to create its own din. Daylan volunteered himself and Kenichi to handle the cleanup while Aria and Logan disappeared to their rooms to work on their projects.

  Ryan was about to return to his own room when Clarisse tapped him on the shoulder. “You don't have to hide out in your room if you don't want. Most of us are night owls, so don't worry about waking any of us up if you want to wander around the villa at night.”

  He shrugged. “I'm kinda tired, so I might not do much wandering around tonight.”

  “Oh! Okay. If I don't see you before morning, we usually have brunch around ten on the days we don't have classes. If you get hungry before then, there's plenty of snack food in the kitchen. I sometimes bake at night too, so... Don’t be bashful about snagging any cookies or other sweets you see cooling on the counter.”

  “Thanks,” Ryan said. “I'll remember that.”

  Before he finished turning to leave, the comms squawked to life.

  Kenichi, I have something I need you to test. Please meet me in the courtyard. Despite his polite way of phrasing it, there was no hiding the excitement in Logan's voice.

  What kind of test? Kenichi didn't seem quite as thrilled.

  One that has you up in the air.

  Yeah, okay. Guess I could do that. That time Kenichi did sound a bit more interested. Within only a short amount of time, Kenichi was running past, towards the courtyard. Daylan was only a few steps behind him but traveling much more slowly.

  “Be careful,” Clarisse called out after them. She then turned to Ryan. “If you wanted to join them, you could. There's nothing left to do here except take care of this tea tray, and I'm the only one qualified to do that,” she said with a laugh.

  “Not sure I’ve said ‘thanks’ yet,” Ryan said. “You've been really great since I've gotten here.”

  She winked. “And you still haven’t said it.”

  He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Seriously. Thanks for showing me around.”

  Clarisse's smile softened. “You're welcome,” she said as she lifted the tray and turned towards the kitchen. “I've got some work I need to be doing myself. Have a good night, and don't forget what I said about it being just fine if you wanted to explore.”

  Chapter 7

  On the first day of classes Ryan dragged himself out of bed, showered and dressed in the school uniform. Still in somewhat of a daze, he stared at himself in the mirror for a few moments. It was a huge difference from his normal look of t-shirts and jeans. Black slacks, a black button up shirt, a grey double-breasted blazer with Proserpine's emblem on the right arm, and a green tie. He felt like he was suffocating. How could all of this be his life now?

  When he joined the others for breakfast, he saw that they all wore matching uniforms, except that their ties were the color of their own specialties. Most of the girls wore black skirts in place of slacks, with knee high, grey socks. Clarisse had chosen black tights and Mackenzie opted for slacks instead of a skirt.

  “Must you break the dress code on the first day?” Mackenzie asked Clarisse while giving a pointed nod to the girl’s glittery, purple shoes.

  “I managed to convince them that the shoes weren't breaking the dress code,” Clarisse said.

  Mackenzie raised an eyebrow, shrugged and said, “Of course you did. And you, Kenichi?”

  Kenichi's blue tie was loose, and he sported black, fingerless gloves. The rest of his uniform was already in a disheveled state, and his combat boots seemed out of place with the formal clothing.

  “Isn't it too early for one of your lectures?” he asked while clutching a mug of tea.

  “That uniform looks nice on you,” Clarisse told Ryan, effectively preventing Mackenzie and Kenichi from getting into an argument.

  “Thanks,” Ryan said, not knowing what else to say.

  “Are you ready for classes?” Aria asked.

  Ryan shrugged and took a seat at the table. “Do I have a choice either way?”

  No one commented, and breakfast continued quietly. Ryan had learned the day before that no one was really a morning person and they were all content to sit and eat while only occasionally asking for someone to pass something or clarifying an issue about their schedules. Ryan glanced at the rest of the group's ties and tried to remember the sorting system. He figured it would be helpful in the future. Mackenzie's was silver, Daylan's was white, Aria's was red, Logan's was orange and Eva's was yellow. He doubted he would have any trouble remembering Clarisse's purple shoes or the new blue streak in Kenichi's hair.

  After breakfast, they all walked to class together. Fifth years and up had general classes for the first three hours Monday through Thursday, while the younger students were all in their specialty classes. It was Ryan's first time seeing other students, and he was unsettled to see the ten year old students huddled into groups of eight trying to figure out who went to what building. Most of the older students passed by them without even a second glance. Apparently helping others wasn't encouraged at Proserpine.

  “Who looks after them?” he asked.

  “They take care of themselves,” Mackenzie said, “as we all did.”

  “As we all did,” Clarisse remarked in a quiet, mocking tone. She shot Mackenzie a look that Ryan didn't understand. “Oh, they can't figure out the maze!”

  Mackenzie shook her head. “We aren’t helping the first years again. They need to learn for themselves.”

  “But they'll be late for class.”

  “And if we help them, we'll be late for class,” Mackenzie said flatly. “The informants should have been smart enough to find out the path beforehand, and the strategists should be able to figure it out on their own.”

  Clarisse wrinkled her nose at her leader’s decision, but she didn't protest further.

  Before heading separate ways to their classes, the group entered the packed, main building. General classes seemed to be randomly sorted with students from every specialty. Math, literature, history and fine arts were the only classes that every student was required to take once they were fifth years, and only forty-five minutes every day was dedicated to each subject.

  His first class was literature, which covered works from the Victorian period to the Modern. Eva and Kenichi shared the class with him. Both took seats on either side of him
and stared blankly ahead as they waited for class to begin. Everyone else in the classroom decided to stare at him.

  “Why are they looking at me?” he whispered.

  “You’re new,” Eva said pulling up their textbook on her tablet.

  A boy seated near them, who had been blatantly eavesdropping on their conversation, smirked. “She’s right. We can't be blamed though. It’s just such a very rare thing to see a fifth year replacement. Actually it’s extremely rare to see any replacements coming in to the academy after the first year.”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Ryan noticed Kenichi’s grip on his tablet tighten ever so slightly. The other student, whom Ryan noticed wore an orange tie, continued speaking either oblivious to Kenichi’s growing anger or uncaring of it.

  “After all, it’s only the most reckless or incompetent teams that need a replacement, and who after their first year here would be dumb enough to do something that would result in the death or permanent maiming of one of their members.” The boy’s eyes glinted with a perverse pleasure. “Other than Shifter’s mutts, anyway.”

  Eva lunged across Ryan to grab hold of Kenichi’s arm just as the retrieval specialist was about to leap from his chair.

  “Mackenzie will have your head join her bust collection if you get into a fight on the first day of class,” she warned in that soft tone of hers.

  Kenichi released a soft hiss under his breath as if he were biting back a number of threats. After a few tense moments, he slid back into his seat and Eva released her hold on his arm.

  In an even lower tone, where only Ryan and Kenichi could hear her, she whispered, “Will you sit there nicely or do I need to ask Ryan to switch seats with me?”

  “I’ll play nice,” Kenichi muttered.

  “Looks like your team has finally tamed you,” the obnoxious student said to Kenichi. “Or is it that your team is so incompetent that only your combat specialist is allowed to fight any battles any longer?”

  “Henry, if you insist on taunting Kenichi, I will be tempted to demonstrate to our newest teammate here how to properly cut out someone’s tongue out,” Eva said.