by Eva Brandt
“So they’re like… symbiotes?” I sort of wanted to say ‘parasites’, but if alien organisms in Marvel comics didn’t like the phrasing, demonic beings might dislike it too.
“Something like that, yes,” Callum replied. “But don’t worry. As long as you don’t overuse any of the buildings, you’ll be fine. And considering your weak nature, it’s unlikely they’ll make use of you much.”
At least some good would come of the fact that I was a pathetic, meaningless human. The weird creatures with eyes larger than my whole head wouldn’t want to use me as a snack.
Just as I thought this, the path we were walking on morphed and mutated, and all of a sudden, the strange bricks turned into something that looked an awful lot like flesh. The ground parted and a strange root emerged from the dark depths. Before I could move a muscle, it swept me off my feet—literally—dangling me over the tree line as if I was nothing more than a puppet.
Shiro lunged at the thing, clawing its base in an attempt to free me. Callum just laughed, the asshole. “Look at that. You’ve only been here ten minutes and you’ve already made a friend.”
I squeaked in protest, torn between anger, embarrassment, and dread. As infuriated as I might’ve been over his behavior, I was more worried about Shiro getting himself hurt by the creature in his zeal to help me. All the swinging around was making me woozy, and while that alone wouldn’t suffice to trigger a seizure, I didn’t want to take any chances.
This wasn’t a fucking hentai anime, and I didn’t appreciate being manhandled by some weird, tentacle-looking plant.
Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to suffer the terrifying indignity for too long. Another male figure emerged from the forest. Due to the angle I was in, I couldn’t distinguish his features very well, but his sharp, deep voice echoed through the air like thunder. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Callum. I told you a million times to stop baiting the island. You might end up with some unfortunate surprises on your hands.”
Somewhere behind me, Callum scoffed. “I really wish you stopped blaming me for everything that goes wrong.”
“I’ll do that, when everything that goes wrong stops being your fault.” The new arrival snapped his fingers and the plant that had grabbed me set me down, none too gently. I landed gracelessly and ended up lying on the ground, wheezing, my clothes ruffled, and my hair a mess. But at least I was free and there had been no bad touching from the plant. That was the last thing I needed right now.
As Shiro bounded to my side to express his canine enthusiasm for my survival, I got a good look at my rescuer. Tall and dark-haired, he was glaring at me with jet-black eyes. Like Callum and Mikael, he was dressed in the leather pants-black shirt combo, but his was far more form-fitting, emphasizing the lines of his muscular form. “Alyssa Michaelis,” he said in a dark voice. “I advise you to not touch any of the island’s creatures again, or I’ll make you regret it.”
What the fuck? I hadn’t touched any of the creatures. I was the one who’d been wronged and attacked by the demonic plant.
The anger that had been simmering inside me finally exploded. For as long as I could remember, I’d never been a confrontational person. I preferred to keep my head down and ignore the people who wanted to make my life miserable.
From time to time, though, I found it impossible to back away from a fight. And today seemed like a particularly bad day. I didn’t want to cause trouble, but this was the fourth person I’d met so far that had expressed a dislike for my sheer existence. I’d had enough.
“Fuck you,” I told him without preamble. “Why don’t you get off your fucking high horse and start respecting other people?
“Your… friend tells me that you find it distasteful when people call you supernatural or paranormal. Well, that sucks, because I find it distasteful to be called a waste of space or inferior.”
The man opened his mouth, and I knew without being told that he’d point out all that was perfectly true. And maybe it was, for them, but that didn’t mean I had to allow it. “No,” I snapped at him before he could speak. “I’m done with this conversation. I don’t want to listen to any of your bullshit. I don’t want to play your games. Believe it or not, I don’t want to be here, but since I am, I won’t allow you to question it. I don’t care if you like it. I’m going to graduate from your stupid school and go on to live my life like I was supposed to before this ever became an issue. And until that happens, we’re going to do the sensible thing and ignore one another.”
“That’ll be a little difficult,” Callum said, “considering the fact that we share a dorm.”
Of course we did, because that was just my luck. “I assure you that’s no obstacle. You’ll find that I’m very good at ignoring people I don’t like.
“Now, thanks for helping me through the transport point and all that. I’ll find my own way to the school from here.”
It was utter bullshit. I had no idea where I needed to go. But despite the attack of the plant, the path still cut straight through the forest, and there was no other road I could see. It was safe to say that, for now, I needed to follow it. And there would undoubtedly be more people coming soon. I could always wait for them.
When in doubt, follow the herd.
I grabbed my luggage once again, marveling at the fact that it was still in one piece despite my eventful meeting with the plant. Without another word, I started walking down the path. Shiro faithfully joined me. The two men didn’t.
“I should’ve done that much sooner,” I told him as soon as I was out of earshot. “Stick close. I don’t trust anything or anyone here.”
Shiro must’ve understood what I meant, because he started walking in front of me, occasionally stopping to sniff the ground. He seemed to be making sure no plant would emerge from beneath us to grab me. Looking at him, I immediately felt better. Yes, this whole day had sucked so far, but at least I had him and I wasn’t physically hurt.
I’d get by, somehow. I wouldn’t let these stupid assholes get the better of me. If I had to fulfill the contract my ancestor had signed, I’d do it, and I’d take advantage of it.
Abandon All Hope
It took me at least an hour to get to the dorms. By then, I had begun to believe that I was lost and should’ve stuck with Callum. But I was still too stubborn to swallow my pride and go back, so I persevered.
My determination paid off when I emerged into the demonic settlement that was supposed to be my home. It wasn’t a campus, per se. There were no gates and no building that looked like my image of a dorm. Instead, the whole place looked like some kind of village or resort.
Unlike the weird forest, the village was full of activity and alive with laughter, music, and violence. As I hesitantly sneaked through the street, I passed a couple that appeared to be engaged in a mating ritual. The woman looked as human as I did, but the male was demonic, his skin red-tinged, his forehead adorned with sharp horns. I could even catch a glimpse of a prehensile tail as it swept over the girl’s breasts.
The demon must’ve caught sight of me, because he looked up and smirked. His crimson eyes glinted with a secret, seductive knowledge. I didn’t wait to see what he’d say. I’d already had that experience with Callum. Instead, I rushed ahead, hoping I’d find a sign of some kind.
A small group of tiny demons swamped me before I could fulfill my self-appointed task. Their grey-skinned leader bared his fangs at me and observed me with sharp, luminous eyes. “You’re the human Sacrifice! Are you lost?”
“Err… Not exactly. I’m supposed to go to the dorms, but I’m not sure which way they are.”
“And your guide?” the strange creature asked.
“I ditched him because he was an asshole,” I admitted.
My reply triggered an explosion of laughter from the whole group. Three of the creatures starting swaying in a hypnotic mockery of a dance that made Shiro growl nervously. The creature who’d spoken didn’t seem put out by this. “Oh, I like you, human. You might provide us with some a
musement. Go straight ahead, then turn left three times. You’ll find the gate to the academy there.”
With that, he and his companions drifted away, leaving me to continue my journey on my own. I was very relieved. I doubted he’d given me the right directions, since turning left three times sort of meant I’d end up going around in circles. Still, I decided to try.
Nothing made sense in my life as of late, so why would this be any different?
As I made my way through the village, I passed several more eclectic groups. To my right, a satyr was playing the flute, entertaining a small crowd that clapped along whenever he finished a song. To my left, two skeletons were juggling with their own heads. A small herd of black horses stampeded past me, and I narrowly escaped finding my death underneath their hooves.
Then, two demons stumbled in my path, seeming completely intent on murdering one another. Nobody was trying to stop them. In fact, most people just kept doing whatever they wanted, ignoring the whole scene. I watched one of the creatures tear into his opponent’s wing and remembered Callum’s words. “There are no rules at The Academy of the Devil,” he had said. I began to realize just how true that was.
It seemed to take forever to get to my destination, but I did manage to follow the instructions I’d been given by the tiny demon. The strangest thing was that I didn’t see the academy at all until I was in the right street—or better said, the third left street. At that moment, the noise coming from the village dissipated into nothing. The buildings morphed into tall, threatening monoliths and the clear horizon turned dark.
A set of gates engraved with the symbol of a devilish head loomed ahead of me. It was pretty terrifying, but I perked up at the sight anyway. “Finally, we’re getting somewhere,” I mumbled.
Shiro woofed in agreement. At this point, even he had gotten tired. We were more than willing to walk through the gates of hell—or those of The Academy of the Devil—as long as it meant getting a break from stumbling around in this chaos.
At the very top of the gates stood a familiar motto. Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’entrate. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Huh. I wondered if Dante had been a student of the school too. If I’d known that, I would’ve gotten Dante’s Inferno as an extra read for the summer. Maybe it would’ve given me an idea on what I was supposed to expect.
Then again, Dante hadn’t mentioned Hell being anything like a crazy resort where demons went wild and did whatever the hell they wanted, when they didn’t have classes.
I stared at the motto, and defiance rose inside me once again. “I won’t abandon hope,” I said, even if there was no one there to hear me. “This whole thing is only temporary. I’ll go back to my family and my life. In a few years, everyone here will be nothing more than a bad dream. I’ll never leave behind my humanity.”
As soon as I finished the sentence, the gates started to glow. The eyes of the demonic head lit up in an ominous red. A cold wind swept over me, sending shivers down my spine and making my skin tingle.
I wondered if my defiance of their motto would make the demons lash out against me. Maybe I should be taking an approach more similar to my past ones and start being discreet.
I needn’t have worried. Mere seconds later, the gates opened, inviting me inside. Like in the case of the office building, I couldn’t see anything beyond them, but in the end, it didn’t really matter.
I braced myself for what would undoubtedly be yet another unpleasant experience and stalked up to the academy entrance. Feeling like I was walking into the maw of a beast, I stepped through the gates—and into paradise.
* * *
When it came to hell and demonic creatures, there was one thing most humans in the world could agree on. The realms of darkness were dreary places that needed to be avoided at all costs.
I still sort of agreed with most of that, but at the same time, it was becoming obvious that I’d made some inaccurate assumptions. Where I’d expected to find fire and brimstone, there was only beauty. The courtyard of the academy was a lush haven, full of blooming flowers and fruit trees. The paths that snaked through the whole area didn’t have the weird, fleshy look I’d noticed in the road that had taken me here. The soft sound of a flowing river reached my ears, soothing my senses.
There were already countless people walking around, sitting on the grass, leaning against the trees, even napping. If I hadn’t known better, I could’ve sworn this was heaven.
But appearances could be deceiving and my Shiro let out a low growl, obviously unsettled. “It’s all right,” I told him. “We’ll be fine.”
Truth be told, despite my earlier defiant statement, I had no such certainty. I felt even less optimistic about it when one of the sleeping people woke up and decided to approach me.
It was, much to my dismay, Gemma. She’d swapped the sundress for a black gown that barely covered her breasts, but her demeanor was the same. “You sure took your time getting here,” she said without preamble. “What happened to Callum?”
“He ran into a friend and wanted to talk to him. I didn’t want to interrupt them, so I decided to come here on my own.”
“And you found your way through the forest alone?” she asked in disbelief. “How?”
I shrugged, although I was beginning to feel like maybe what I’d done wasn’t a good idea. “It wasn’t so difficult to follow a path, and once I was in the village, someone was kind enough to point me in the right direction.”
“Kind enough,” Gemma repeated. “No one here is really kind, Alyssa. You realize that, right?”
“Of course. But for whatever reason, your dean wants me here. So, at least for now, I’m assuming no one will be inclined to physically harm me.” Or so I hoped. I didn’t know enough about the dean to make an adequate guess.
Everything here was so strange and unexpected, from the promiscuous people, to the hentai-like plants waiting to ambush passers-by. The dean would likely be similar.
“You’re not wrong about that, but it’s not something you should rely on,” Gemma warned me. “The dean’s goodwill tends to run out very quickly.”
“Most good things do,” I offered. “You don’t have to be a student in this place to know that.”
Gemma nodded, and her hostility seemed to diminish somewhat. “True. Anyway, you should come with me. I have your uniform ready and everything. You’re a little more… well-endowed than I expected, but that works perfectly.” She actually winked at me. “I’ll make sure you’ll be as popular as I am.”
The mere idea that she wanted me to be popular was so outrageous that I was momentarily rendered mute. And then, Gemma did something far worse. She made a grab for my chest and clutched my breasts.
My mind went blank. There had been times when people had tried to fondle me, mostly in public means of transportation. It had never been so overt, shameless, and out of the blue. “Yes, indeed,” Gemma said, her hands sweeping over my chest and rubbing my nipples through the material of my shirt. “This will work out nice—”
The latter word died in a pained yelp as Shiro tackled her. Gemma went down in a rush of black fabric, golden hair and pale limbs, with Shiro on top of her.
I’d never seen Shiro so infuriated in my life. It would probably be a good idea to keep him from murdering her on the spot. He wasn’t a violent dog, but he was protective of me, and the trip had agitated him. Maybe I should’ve put on his muzzle, after all. The information I had on the academy had frightened me, so I’d deemed it safer for me to allow him to go without it. I now realized that we could get in trouble if he did harm a student.
“Shiro, down, boy! Let her go.”
I grabbed his collar and physically dragged him off Gemma. It was too late to leave her unscathed. Her dress was half-torn and deep scratches lined her belly. She’d tried to use her arms to protect her face and throat, and it had worked, but he’d still done damage.
“Are you all right?” I asked her, holding onto my still restless Shiro. I should’ve apologized, b
ut the words didn’t come, not when my dog’s actions had been warranted.
I half-expected Gemma to use the attack against me in some way. Instead, she shot to her feet and clapped her hands, looking as joyful as a child on Christmas morning. “Never better! Your familiar is quite temperamental, isn’t he? Well done in keeping him tame. How did you manage to summon him?”
She was presuming Shiro was a supernatural creature. I didn’t bother correcting her. “We more or less found one another.”
The explanation sounded a little too vague for my liking, but it seemed to make sense to Gemma. She nodded, all the while brushing her dress clean of dust and taming her wild curls. “I’m so jealous. It’s difficult to find such a great familiar, you know. Only a handful of people at the academy have one, and their companions are often uncooperative.”
I wondered if that was why Mikael had been looking at Shiro so weirdly earlier. Was he unaccustomed to seeing people with familiars? I hoped it wouldn’t be an issue, because I didn’t want anyone to harm Shiro out of spite or envy. “Well, Shiro’s always been special,” I replied. “I’m just glad I could take him along.”
“You’ll be happy to learn that here at the academy, familiars are highly valued. So you don’t have to worry about that.” Gemma frowned down at the cuts on her arms and, under my very eyes, they started to heal. “It’s a good thing we have to go to the dorms, though. I’ll need a change of clothes too. Come on. We should hurry. It’s getting late and we can’t miss your first dinner.”
She had taken the whole thing in stride. In fact, she’d completely disregarded the whole incident, beyond focusing on the practicalities. I’d never been happier that this place was, in the end, demonic. In the human world, Shiro and I wouldn’t have gotten away with something like that. Technically, Gemma had been the one to attack me first, but the fondling had been mild compared to a dog mauling. I let the issue go too, although I made a mental note to talk to her in the future if she invaded my personal space again.