Biding Time

"You want me to stay? Are you crazy?!" I yelled with a gaping mouth, throwing my arms ridiculously in the air. "No! Send me back!"

"My apologies but we can't do that." The man calmly sipped his tea prepared by the headmaster.

"Can't do?! If you could bring me here, you can bring me back!" I promised Jane…

He sighed, setting down his cup on the table. "And here I thought we could have a proper conversation," he said, regrettably.

"*Proper?*" I raised my voice out of ridiculousness. "What part is proper when you kidnap me?"

"Well, isn't that a privilege?" He reasoned with a smile. "A normal kidnapper wouldn't usually give the hostage a chance to talk. I know our first impressions weren't the best—"

I cut him off, "Actually the worst."

"—however, you might want to hear our reasons first and we can agree into some sort of in-between."

He just ignored what I said.

Fine! Let's hear it out. It's not like they're gonna easily return me if I keep saying no. Who knows, they might even kill me since I don't have a use anymore.

Right, I should be more careful since this is their world.

Taking my silence as a hint, he continued. "As you can see, nevulas found a way to escape to another world. Those nevulas—yes, that thing you encountered in that alley." He must have noticed my disoriented expression. "And unfortunately, their next target was your world. This wouldn't have escalated to an alarming issue if it weren't for the fact that your kind couldn't see them. It's not just that," he sighed as he buried his horn in his palm in distress, "your kind has weak tolerance so they are susceptible to the nevulas' auras. This caused that widespread 'virus' in your world."

He summarized, "Your people are defenseless."

"I don't see the need to kidnap me though." I frowned.

His eyes, cast down on the tea, lifted to meet me. I still can't get myself used to their eldritch eyes. It kinda freaked me out a bit.

"We tried to limit their growing numbers in your world but our hunters are limited. And as it turns out, we can't go around with our..." He paused, trying to put a good wording in— "appearances. As well as our abilities. Learning about their- your people, it seems the things such as us were regarded as unreal and nothing short of fictional."

I let him continue.

"I'm not quite sure what sets the situation different as before but, it is as if they weren't supposed to see what we do. It's a new phenomenon and with my short time experiencing the new world, your people are not one to trifle with. They do not believe what they do not see."

He paused again, this time, with more bathed breath. "Until you came along."

I cut him off by abruptly standing up. I don't wanna hear this bullshit right now. IN FACT, I don't even wanna be part of it.

"How about an offer, in the honor of my name, we will grant you any of your desires as long as it is within validity," he added.

My palms smacked the table and I looked him square in the eye; my teeth clashed together. "Then I want to go home."

The rough scrape of sand counted our silence inside the large hourglass behind the headmaster's desk. Then he sighed again.

"I wouldn't want for it to reach to that but you're leaving us with no room for negotiation." He shook his head in disappointment. "I'll have to ask you again. Will you cooperate?"

The tone of his voice darkened. There was a glint behind his wise eyes. Something that only appeared now. He's not fucking around. Cooperation, my ass. That's just forced consent! To hell I will allow them to look down on me.

I've had my fair share of threats like this. If I was that special as he says, then they can't hurt me that easily. Ha, what's the worst thing they can do?

I opened my mouth to repeat my answer but he quickly added, "Ah, yes, why not this?" He leaned back, his wings spreading behind him as he laced his fingers. His smile added wrinkles under his eyes. "We'll guarantee your little friend's safety in the new world. Enticing, isn't it?"

I choked on my words. My fists coiled, glaring directly at him. They know about Jane. They know about her.

"Of course, there will be also added benefits. We'll help her get into a proper family that could provide her anything. Education, food, daily necessities," he counted it off.

Fuck. They really did me some background check, huh? Damn this stupid world. In the end, I still have to accept.

I breathed in slowly, releasing the tension from my muscles before opening my eyes. At least, with this, Jane secured a future. That was one worry off my list.

"Fine. I'll accept." He smiled. "But only for Jane! If I hear anything that happened to her, this fist will be meeting your chin, got it?"

He lightly laughed. "I am glad we reached some sort of agreement." With a contented smile, he stood up and fixed the crease on his shirt. He gave me a pat before leaving.

I kept my composure until the last minute. The moment the door closed, my body turned numb as I realized what sort of situation I am in. It was only me and the deafening snark of silence at my actions.

~~

"Welcome, my child," Headmaster Vlord greeted me when he entered the room with a warm aura. His large palms patted my shoulders as the smile under his beard formed wrinkles under his eyes.

I'm not in the mood. The option wasn't offered to me on a silver platter, they forcefully shoved it in my mouth!

I glared at the headmaster before sharply turning to the door. I left without any clear thoughts of where to go or where I'm at; I just wanted to get out of there. All I felt was heat; the heat of fury. I punched whatever thing was nearby me. And an unfortunate tree that just happened to be there was the subject of my anger.

"Hoy!"

I was startled when there was a tiny squeak. I immediately took a few steps backward and looked around. There was only me... and the tree. And a few other trees.

Did the tree just talk?

I stared at it with raised brows, surprised and shocked, but also curious. Oh right, I'm in another world. What if the trees do talk?

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said to it dumbly, still in a daze.

"Up here, you ugly nevula!" It was really a tiny voice, a high-pitch squeak.

I looked up and saw little things floating up in the air. No, not things, they look like fairies! Tiny fairies!

"What are you doing?!" The voice would have been cute if it weren't for her angered tone.

"Ha?" I stared at them dumbly.

"Get out, ugly monster!" she yelled. "Out!" I snapped out of my thoughts when a pebble hit me in the middle of the forehead. I yelped and touched the part where it hit it. Oh, it wasn't a pebble; it looked like nuts?

"Kick her out!"

"We'll bury you, tree wrecker!"

"Don't come back!"

"Stay out!"

Other little voices joined in and soon enough, I found myself being rained down by more nuts while I ran with hands over my head to protect myself.

"Serves you right!" They yelled after me when I got too far away seeking shelter.

I collapsed on the grass bed, hair in a frenzy and out of breath, my jaws hanging, too dumbstruck. What just happened? They were tiny little beings but they had no proper form. I could only hear the buzz of their wings. And they threw nuts at me?

"There you are!"

I jumped out of my skin when I didn't notice someone approaching me. Veronica threw her whole body to hug me while Sebastian was walking after her.

"Our classes got cancelled. They said there was a problem," she said, almost too enthusiastically. "So we'll be able to spend the rest of the day with you!" She squealed as she cupped her cheeks excitedly, "I'm so glad you joined us! What if we became classmates?" She gasped, eyes sparkling. "I'm so exciteeeed!"

"There was an idiot who angered the belmys," Sebastian shrugged with the usual smile on his face.

The other twin saw my confused expression, so she elaborated, "They're the ones who provide us ingredients in our alchemy class. But they were mad, so the staff was trying to fix it. And you know how they get when they're mad."

Surely, I do. I rolled my eyes.

"Like I said, there's an idiot who broke the Sacred Rules of the Eldritch Beings." Then he turned to me. "Surely, that wasn't you?"

"Are you saying I'm stupid?"

The corner of his lips quirked mockingly. If only I could punch him in the face...

"Let's continue the tour!" She exclaimed, her hands circling tight on my wrists as they took me to who-knows-where.

~~

Nooooo! I can't take it anymore!

"But we haven't shown you the training grounds yet!" Veronica was trying so hard to pull me off the pillar that I latched on like a desperate leech.

"My legs are killing me!"

"But we- have- to- show- you- the-academy!" she vehemently tugged at every pause while Sebastian was giving me a stinky eye.

"Tired already? Then you won't even last a day here."

Is he calling me weak?

"Look who you're talking to, sassy child. I bet my ass you won't beat me in arm wrestling with that noodle arms of yours." I smirked as I flexed my biceps.

"You're the thinner one-!"

The other twin hastily intervened though. "If you still have energy to fight then you still have energy to walk. Let's go!"

There was one thing I noticed that bothered me though and the two never really mentioned anything about it. It's not the gray sky, it's not the dark withered forest that creeps beyond outside the academy grounds, it's not how the twins have a little sprout of hair on top that forms a heart when they stood side-by-side.

There's something that lurks beyond the borders. They're watching behind the shadows.

The darkness would often create a mirage of smoking red eyes that would vanish as soon as I blink. When we were walking near the borders, I felt thousands of eyes on me.

The twins seem to be unperturbed somehow even when I asked them about it. Veronica would lightly shrug it off with a laugh as if I was joking with them.

"We're not really afraid of ghosts, you know?"

That's not the point! But anyway…

"That ends the tour!"

"Finally, we can go now," Sebastian exclaimed.

"Good work, you two," someone said out of the blue. I suddenly turned to match off a man standing behind me.

"You!" I uttered with disdain.

"Did you enjoy the tour?"

What is he even doing here? "Aren't you supposed to be my tour guide before you abandoned me? What are you doing here?"

Unfazed, he handed them a little trinket which I don't know what for before they waved their goodbyes—well, only Veronica. "Good luck on your first day!" she shouted before I could even protest, and they zoomed off.

Seriously? Were they working with him?

"They're my younger subordinates. Relationship: employer and employee. No questions need to further ask," he replied monotonously, walking up to me. Then he stopped and bent down to my height. "I'll repeat it again, did you enjoy the tour?"

Why does he act like a robot? He's weird.

"No?"

"No?" he cocked his head.

I pointed at the outskirts where the border of the dark withered forest lies. "I feel that someone's always watching me. But it turns out to be you!" I swished my finger in his direction. "You're watching us all the time, weren't you?"

He hummed in apprehension. "Sharp. Inductive. Or perhaps instinctive. Might need to further observe," he noted to himself before engaging me. "Yes."

So he was responsible for that creepy goosebumps I feel all time. I crossed my arms and asked, "where?"

"In the trees within the academy grounds. Though it is very hard to see in broad daylight."

"Aha! I knew it!" I smirked at him.

"I saw you took interest in the forest. It's better for you to stop now. It won't be an escape." He walked past me. "It's endless trees until you hit the edge of this realm where you'll fall and die."

I snorted. "Fall and die?" What fucking Simbad world-building are they telling me? "Like what, the land and water just magically cut off and you'll fall to an bottomless space?"

"And die, yes." Then he added, mostly speaking to himself again, "Well-versed in world structures despite being new… or highly imaginative. The sarcastic remark proves to lean more on the second possibility. Needs further observation. Humans are quiet an interesting specie."

Dude… he's weird. Why did I have to get stuck with him?

But still, there's a gnawing feeling that somehow, I knew, it wasn't just him watching us. There was something else… inside that forest.

Calling.