Chapter Text
Märchen is a quiet enough town, located somewhere in the east-coast of America. It's a town that borders on potential urban sprawl and rural farmland, with actual rural farmlands up north. Originally the town had started as a German settlement, its populations has diversified since America's many major immigration influxes and has become a "melting pot town", now boasting a population of over five thousand. It has two malls, a cinema, a hospital, two high schools, three middle schools, and some elementary schools sprinkled in some places. It had a lovely residential neighborhood, beautiful gardens, decent apartment complexes, and it just so happened to have at least one problem child.
Me, Blair A. Wolfe. And no, I'm not a girl, that name is unisex.
I'm what most people call a "bad egg", and if “bad egg” is a general title for asshole from where you’re from, I’m apparently on the worse end of the “bad egg” spectrum. And I won't lie, I've done somethings that I recognize as both being stupid and completely unnecessary. Beating up John Crier, breaking the windows of the Pugilist brothers’ butcher shop, and started smoking at fourteen. And lollygagging.
Also I'm the reincarnation of the literary figure; the Big Bad Wolf. You know, the one that eats pigs, eats children, eats grandmothers. That one.
I remember it all. Well, sort of. It's all a weird dreamy haze, and somehow it seems like I'm the only who remember this. You see Mächen isn't just a town that was once of German population, but most of its denizens are people who're once story book characters. You know, Grimm fairy tales, Hans Christen Andersen stories, hell even a few urban legends were mixed with the populace. It wasn't even subtle with the traits of the town’s people and which story they related too.
There's Hansel and Gretel, yeah that’s their actual names. They’re a pair of twin troublemakers who seem to routinely get lost from their father. There’s Humford Dumpling, the owner of Dim-Sum-Ting and a man who has always seems to have a broken limb of some kind. Likewise, I'm the aforementioned Big Bad Wolf, and I have a penchant for smoking and eating things related to pork.
Both of which I excel at. There are more things that make me “wolfish”, but my mind is too tired to really think of them all.
"Wolfe! Wolfe!" Some sort of shrill voice was trying to wake me up. I let out a whine as I tried to cover my ears. So, it might be the middle of the day, let me sleep.
"Mister Wolfe!” The jarring of my head and the booming voice made me topple out of my chair and lay sprawled on the classroom floor. Muffled snickers could be heard around me, but casting a general gaze shut them up fast. Yeah that’s amount of influence I have at.
In front of me stood the towering form of my English teacher, Mr. Woods. A large hulking man with a thick beard and large hands that made him a man many wouldn’t want to have on their bad side. As you can see, I wasn’t part of that faction.
“Is class over yet?” I asked without any hint of bashfulness at being caught sleeping in class. He glared silently, most would shit themselves at seeing that, but for me it was another Tuesday… Well actually it’s Thursday so it’s another Thursday.
“As much as I’d like to give you detention—”
“What’s stopped you before?”
“Principal Tatiana has asked for you in her office.” Mr. Woods seemed to smile at that statement and I paled at that mention. I get in trouble with a lot of teachers, a lot of students, a lot of people, but someone who terrifies me is Principle Tatiana. A woman who looks younger than she actually is, and that subject is hotly debated (emphasis on hotly), she’s been able to reduce grown mem to tears and easily tears apart any sort of PTA effort to undermine her own authority. She is the one person in all of Mächen I’ve tried to not piss off, and anyone who’s ever entered her office never exits the same person they entered.
Nervously I swallowed, but I played it off with a smirk as I picked myself up. I stood up and noted that I was eye to eye with the six feet seven inches tall Mr. Woods, making me equally one of the tallest guys in the school.
“So, should I leave my stuff here? Do you want to look through it to see if I got drugs, this time?” Mr. Wood’s expression soured even more before he growled lowly under his breath.
“Just do everyone a favor and leave Wolfe.” I didn’t fail to pick up that double entente that he meant. Regardless, I shouldered my bag and gave my teacher a finger saluted before walking out of the classroom backwards. Kicking the door open before slipping out and making my way through the hallways to the Principal’s office.
Already kids more dubious than myself, as rare as that may be, were skulking in abandoned classrooms and hallways doing things that I don’t but get associated with anyways. I did see a loose associate of mine, Stiles “Rumple” Sprung, swindling a few underclassmen of whatever cash they had with whatever product he had.
Ah, don’t you just love American public educational institutions? Or at least the one’s that aren’t actually funded properly.
I made it to the faculty area of the school building, waving hello to the desk ladies; Miss Peasblossoms, Moth, Cobweb, and Mustardseed. They allow me to not get marked absent if I happen help them out with a bit of their issues.
Then there was Vice Principal Oberon, a man who I honestly found myself in favorable opinion with. He seemed to not fit in with the whole school thing, always wearing three-piece suits and having this feeling of superiority amongst everyone else. He was also the stuff of… Certain dreams for some of the girls in the school, well if you like older men with graying beards he isn’t a bad catch.
However, there were some nasty rumors between him and Principal Titania.
Speaking of her, I eventually stopped in front of her door. The script of her name written in an old English font in gold, the opaque window on giving me a blurry image of her and someone else. Oh God, I hope it’s not a cop.
I opened the door after taking a breath. If I’m end up getting arrested again I – No, I’m letting it happen this time. They’ll have to drag me kicking and biting before I get arrested again.
"Ah Mister Wolfe, good of you to finally join us." Principle Tatiana greeted when I opened the door. Don't know how or why, by something about her irked me. Perhaps it's because she's supposed to really old but doesn’t look it, or that she always looks at me like she knows me, like really knows me. Which is bullshit, I hoard my secrets like Rumple hoards money.
Her piercing gaze wasn't what had me confused (which I was grateful for), but instead it was the pair of boots, or for better clarification worn hiking boots, that were propped on her desk. Following the legs of the feet of the boots, I saw blue skinny jeans and red sweatshirt tied around a slim waist. Then a white graphic tee spelling, "the Outside Red" in, what you would expect, red was what covered the torso.
"Yo buddy, eyes are up here." A haughty voice crashed through my thoughts like a freight train. Looking up I saw large brown eyes glaring at me accusingly. Long black hair with a bold assortment of red streaks and highlights diverted my attention before I took a sniff of the air. I nearly retched at the smell, apples. I hate apples more than I hate everything else.
"Not much to look at sweet heart." I responded as I coughed into my hand, the residual smell of my last smoke on my hand hopefully being enough to help me clear my head. Her eyes narrowed and soon we were poised in a silent and deadly battle of pride via stare down, neither one of us wanted back down. However, you could see how it was getting awkward what with the Principle in the room glaring at the both of us as we glared at the other.
"Mister Blair Wolfe, meet Miss Robyn Bridle. She’s a transfer from Mayberry County." Principle Tatiana said cutting our duel short. I gave her a scrutinizing look.
"The farming community up north?" Principal Tatiana nodded her head as I took another cautious sniff of her once more. Though the smell of apples was still nauseating, I also got a woodland aroma from her. Acorns, maple trees, and even some lake water. Did she literally live in the forest or something?
"You'll be acting as Ms. Bridle's guide around the school as the other Office Aids are indisposed of now." Well that's bad. How am I, the school's social pariah and resident delinquent, as well as the reincarnate of the "Big Bad Wolf", supposed to show some one around this hovel of broken dreams and anxiety attacks. “Don’t bother making up any excuse to get out of this Mister Wolfe, we both known you spend more time sleeping in Mr. Wood’s class than at your own home.”
Shit, she got me there. Robyn however picked up that fact rather quick as she turned to me once more.
"Seriously? He’s the last resort? I’d rather get lost than be lead by this wannabe gangsters.” She shot at me. I bristled at her words, I am not a wannabe. Other want to be me.
"Does a country hick like you even know about civilization? Or are buildings and concrete too advance from trees and dirt?” I growled. Queue the glare down once more.
"That's enough you two." Principal Tatiana's voice held cold furry that stopped both of us as we snapped back to face her. A predatory smile spread on her face before she continued, "I expect you to fulfill your assigned duties Mister Wolfe, to the letter without any further incident.” I nodded stiffly, not trusting my voice after she spoke in such a way. "And you still owe that favor in freshman year, so I'm cashing in." I growled lowly and lowered my eyes, the other reason I don't really trust our dear Principal, she's just as underhanded as the rest of us.
"Fine." I replied sourly. Turning to Robin I gave her a big fake smile that visibly unnerved her. "Are you ready to be shown the halls and rooms of JJ public high school?” I said that with as much fake optimism as I could put, mirroring my voice from this really annoying cheerleader whose locker was next to mine. I really don’t know who had the worse luck, me or her.
I opened the door before holding it open for her with that same wild smile that showed teeth that seemed a little too pointed for most people’s liking. She wordlessly grabbed her bag, some black messenger with a lot of random drawings on them, and walked out. She mouthed, “creep” under her breath as she passed me, too which I resisted myself from tripping her on the way out. Before I closed the door behind me, Principal Titania said one thing that made me sour the rest of the day.
“By the way Wolfe, it seems that he’s still in critical condition.” She totally deserved getting her door slammed.
"What kind of name is Blair, isn't that for girls?" Robyn questioned as we walked out of the faculty offices. I glared at her.
"Isn't Robyn a name for birds?" I shot back and her eyes narrowed. I really didn’t want to have another glare off, so I quickly changed the direction of this conversation. "Let me see your schedule." She quirked an eye before she held her back close to her chest. Before I knew it, I growled tiredly and said, "It would be quicker if I saw what your classes were before showing you around, less work for me and an easier time for you to memorize where they are."
Robyn’s eyes widened before she relaxed her guard and rummaging through her bag. Pulling a folded white sheet of paper from her back pocket she handed it to me. Unfolding it I quickly scanned her classes.
"Let's see... Woods... Toad... Tin... What the hell? Why is your schedule the exact same as mine?" I shouted suddenly. Her eyes widened and I felt my head start to hurt. I really needed a smoke after thsi. Rubbing my forehead, I sighed. "The Principal, of course..."
"You have to be kidding me." Robin took her paper back and began to scan the list. I leaned back on lockers and pulled a cigarette from the inside of my jacket, it had a small pocket that most didn’t notice unless I splayed out the insides. It was a little bent but I didn't care, nicotine is still nicotine. Lighting it I took a drag of cancer probabilities before exhaling. Much better.
"What is wrong with this school?" She ranted to herself while I was having my little smoke break. I raised an eyebrow at her.
"A lot of things, most aren’t actually my fault." I replied as she looked up at me.
“Most?” she parroted.
“Nobody’s perfect.” I snubbed the cigarette under my shoe before looking back up at her. "Mr. Wood’s is your English and he’s in room 103. Mr. Toad is the Anatomy teacher of 210, don't mention his weight." I continued listing off the teacher’s and the rooms and we walked through the halls, pointing the class’ rooms out once we passed them by.
"Finally here’s Mr-"
"Wait, you're in cooking?" Oh come on, of all the things I said, she finlly put together that I was in cooking! It’s the only class I can actually relax in and the teacher, Miss Ginger, actually likes me!
"Yes, got a problem with it? And as far as Miss Ginger says, I'm a damn good cook too. Especially when it comes to dishes involving pork." I scoffed glaring at her even more. She just frowned before sighing. I snubbed the cigarette on a locker and stamped it out.
"Now before I was interrupted, this is your fourth period class. For Thursdays it’ll be your first class, but that’s cause the school arranges the schedules so Wednesday and Thursday split the first and last three classes up." I yawned before looking at a nearby clock. It was almost the end of class anyways; Anatomy and Math being my next two classses. Looking back, I saw Robyn writing notes down in a little red journal. "Listen, I'm going to be frank with you." She stopped taking her notes and looked up at me. "This school... It's bizarre and weird, and most of the students here are basket cases. The town ain’t much better, and once people hear you’re from the sticks, they’re gonna try to mess with you hard."
"What and you’re different?" she replied defensively. A low growl resonated from my throat and her superior grin vanished.
"No, try the other end of the spectrum. People like Jaque, Cyan, and Ramona are like tiny children compared to what I can do. However they make it an EFFORT to cause problems with others. I just want to get through with the rest of my life in peace." And with that, I left her. She had this weird forlorn and pitying look in her eyes but I was almost too far away to see it. Almost. Passing her a solitary glance I turned back around and made it to my spot on the school’s rooftop. It was fenced in so there wouldn’t be another incident. Leaning against a wall, I let the sun begin to make my mind go hazy from warmth before shutting my eyes. Hopefully I’ll actually get some sleep this time.