Chapter Text
Move in day, the busiest time of year for Aglionby Academy. The campus was abuzz with students, new and old, moving their belongings into various residences before the first years participated in Orientation Week. Of course, there were a few students who decided to live off campus. As far as Aglionby was concerned, as long as it didn’t interfere with their studies, it didn’t matter where students lived.
That was the case, of course, for three Aglionby students: Laila, Jean and Elodie. Laila and Jean had lived on Campus just a couple years before, but with the death of both his parents just a few months before school had started, Jean thought it was better for his sister to live with family rather than be forced to live with strangers.
“Are you two hungry?” Laila asked, leaning against the door that led to the living room.
Jean paused braiding Elodie’s hair in favour of looking up. “Lunch would be much appreciated, thank you.”
“Great, take out or a home cooked meal?” Laila said.
Jean’s face contorted into a scowl. “None of that American take out food, just carbs and transfats.”
Elodie pouted and crossed her arms. “I really wanted to try the Pizza your friends have been talking about.”
“No, you don't, Elodie, it’s nothing special,” Jean said.
“Oh, don’t worry Elodie, I’ll take you when Jean is in the middle of one of his all-nighters. It’ll be a girls night,” Laila laughed with a wink.
That brought a smile to Elodie’s face and she clapped with excitement. Meanwhile, Jean simply rolled his eyes and returned to braiding Elodie’s hair. Laila chuckled again as she made her way back to the kitchen to begin lunch.
~~
On the other side of town, Jeremy sat quietly in the living room as he mindlessly scrolled through his phone. Earlier that summer, he had been offered to move in with Laila, Jean and Elodie. He had politely declined, making up some excuse that with Bryson off at college and Annalise too busy with her own life, someone needed to get Noah and Joshua to school on time. Laila knew that was just code for him needing to protect the two younger siblings from the harsh expectations of the Wilshire family. But she wasn’t going to push it.
Eventually, he heard familiar footsteps rushing down the stairs and into the living room. He looked up from his phone and smiled as Noah and Joshua appeared in the doorway.
“Took you two long enough,” Jeremy teased.
“You know how long it takes to look this good?” Noah laughed, smoothing down the sleeves of his shirt. “Besides, we need to make a good first impression before we have to wear those awful uniforms.”
“Okay, okay, I admit, you both look pretty slick,” Jeremy replied. “Now, come on, let's head to campus to get you signed up for Orientation week.”
The three of them hadn’t even made it to the front hall before there were another set of footsteps coming down the stairs. Jeremy froze with his hand hovering over the key bowl. He already knew who was behind him without needing to turn.
“Jeremy, remember to sign up for Debate Club this week,” Mathilda said.
“Yes, mother,” Jeremy replied, his hands couldn’t grab his keys fast enough.
“Also, don’t forget, you have a meeting with the Dean of Arts for Harvard later this week, Jeremy,” Mathilda said.
Jeremy squeezed his car keys hard, the metal leaving an indent in the palm of his hand.
“Mother, I have two more years before needing to worry about that,” Jeremy replied.
“Jeremy, by the time Bryson was your age he had been admitted to Harvard on early acceptance,” Mathilda reminded.
Yes, and he’s now failing every class and close to academic probation, Jeremy thought to himself. He took a deep breath in and slowly counted back from ten. He smiled politely, reminding himself that he needed to remain cool if he was ever going to keep his brothers safe.
“Will there be anything else, Mother?” he asked.
“That will be all. Enjoy… Orientation Week, is it?” She smiled politely.
Jeremy couldn’t get out of the house fast enough. The three of them hopped into the car, the engine roaring to life. Before either Noah or Joshua could finish buckling up, the car was making its way towards campus.
~~
Cat stood silently at the window, her arms casually crossed over her chest. Move in day at Aglionby Academy. A bunch of rich kids who had nothing but time, and money, to spare. Cat was happy that neither her parents, nor her “Uncles” James Rheman and Adijan Bregović had convinced her to take the scholarship exams. Still, something good had come out of that school. The only students who she could stand were: Laila, Jeremy and Jean.
She had been working as a Page Librarian when the three of them came in one fateful day to get out of the rain. Jeremy had pulled out a Ouija board to commune with any spirits that were trapped in the library. Curious, she had decided to stick around after her shift was over.
“Cat?” the voice behind her sounded muffled. “Cat?”
She shook her head, clearing her mind of her brain fog. “Hmmm?” It was James.
“Your phone’s ringing,” he said.
“Oh, thanks,” she replied. She took out her phone. “Hello?”
“Hey, how’s it going Kitty-Cat?” she heard the familiar voice of Laila.
Hearing Laila use the familiar nickname for her brought a small smile spread across her face. She pressed her shoulder casually against the wall.
“Shouldn’t you be at your precious school, Aglionby?” she asked.
Aglionby, a nickname that Cat used in return for Laila as a small joke between the two.
“Sure, but I wanted to see how you were doing,” Laila said.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, now get to class; don’t want to get a tardy on your record,” Cat replied.
Cat heard Laila laugh on the other end of the phone. “We’ll talk later, then.”
“Looking forward to it.” She heard the call drop on the other side before slipping her phone in her pocket.
~~
Jeremy and Jean met up at the school’s quad, their younger siblings trailing behind them like lost puppies. The school was full of excitement as the first years were herded into small groups for Frosh Week. Noah smiled and placed his hands confidently on his hips while Joshua wrung his hands nervously. Jeremy could tell that both boys were anxious about starting at a new school, especially at Aglionby where their parents were expecting so much of them. So, he wrapped his arms around their shoulders and smiled.
“You’ll be fine, boys, just smile and follow my lead,” Jeremy reassured them as he led them towards Freshman sign up.
Jean and his sister watched as the three of them joined the almost neverending line for sign-up. Elodie looked apprehensively up at her brother.
“Je suis nerveux,” she whispered.
“Tout ira bien,” he replied. “Je serai avec toi aussi longtemps que je le pourrai.”
She nodded as they joined the line just after Jeremy and his brothers.
It didn’t take long for all of them to make it through the line. Jeremy and Jean stood back as Joshua, Noah, and Elodie signed in and were placed into Orientation groups.
Jeremy smiled proudly. “They grow up so fast, don’t they?”
Jean rolled his eyes at Jeremy. Jeremy talked as if he was the parent and not his actual parents. Jean paused momentarily as he reflected that Jeremy actually might have raised the two younger siblings, knowing just how fucked up his parents were. Jean checked his watch.
“Come on, we best get to our posts,” Jean reminded.
“Oh shit, right,” Jeremy said, only now remembering that he had signed up to lead one of the Orientation Ice Breakers.
~~
Orientation was a blur of activities. When students weren’t participating in campus tours, they were playing various Orientation games, including: two truths and a lie, human bingo, charades and even four corners. By the end of the day, everyone–including student Orientation leaders–were exhausted and hungry. This made dinner the highlight of the day.
“God, I’m starving!” Jeremy said, while his stomach growled in agreement.
“Is there ever a time when you don’t think with your stomach?” Laila asked.
Jean and Jeremy both gave Laila the look that practically read: do you really want to know?
Laila pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know what? Don’t answer that.”
One by one the Freshman lined up to receive their meals–burgers, chips and salad–before settling into small groups for idle chit-chat. Jeremy, Jean and Laila met up once they had gotten their meals before wandering over to a small group of first years.
“Well, I would have to say that today was a success,” Laila said as she took a seat.
“Seeing as I only had two students wander off today, I agree,” Jeremy said, taking a seat between Noah and Joshua.
Jean remained silent as he sat beside his sister, but Jeremy and Laila could tell that he was overwhelmed and worn out.
~~
Dinner was soon done with and the students were able to have some well deserved downtime. Students mostly remained with their Orientation groups. A few ventured bravely to others and began to strike up conversations. And, as the sun set, the making of a bonfire began to be seen, creating excited buzz from the student body.
“Yeah, I remember our first year bonfire,” Laila said.
“Me too,” Jeremy laughed. “Started with some of the students sneaking in alcohol and ended with half the first years passed out drunk in the quad. Good times.”
Jean rolled his eyes. “For you maybe. But I was the one that had to half-drag you back to our dorm room.”
“Did that really happen?” Joshua asked, his eyes practically glinting with adoration.
“It sure-” Jeremy began.
Jean shot Jeremy a glare as he placed a protective arm around Elodie. Jeremy got the hint and sent back an apologetic glance.
“Don’t be such a spoil sport,” a voice said behind them.
They all turned to see Cody approaching with a smile on their face. Behind them followed the rest of their little gang: Pat, Ananya, Xavier and Min. Since the five of them were still only in their second year, leading Orientation wasn’t necessary for them. Still, it seemed that they wanted to contribute to the first year fun, especially since three of the new students were practically already part of their little group. In their arms, each of them carried large bags of what looked like snacks.
“I am not a spoil sport,” Jean said. “I am a role model.”
“Okay Mr. Role Model,” Cody joked, making the first years chuckle. “Ay starting off strong. Now gather round children, we’re about to start the real fun.”
Excitedly, Elodie, Joshua and Noah took a seat with Cody and his gang. Jeremy and Laila soon joined with Jean trailing behind them. Snacks were soon passed out and opened. Elodie gulped half a soda back with enthusiasm and placed it beside her, while Joshua and Noah demolished a bag of chips in one go.
“Alright, everyone got what they need? Everyone settled?” Cody asked. There were no complaints. “Good, cause I’m about to start the best part of the night. The scary stories.”
Noah rolled his eyes. “You can try and scare me, but I ain’t scared of nothing.”
“I’ll remember that,” Jeremy smirked.
“Shut up!” Noah replied.
“What I’m about to tell you is a story that goes back to some of the earliest years of Aglionby,” Cody said in their most eerie voice.
“Is this real, or a legend?” Elodie asked.
“Oh it’s a real legend,” Cody replied. They watched as Jean rolled his eyes and mockingly placed a hand over his heart. “Hurtful.”
“You’ll get over it,” Jean said.
“You know me too well, Jean.” Cody smiled and turned back to the small group. “Let’s get started…”
His hand disappeared deep inside his bag and he pulled out a large flashlight. Cody lit it under their face, the shadows eating away at his features, leaving his eyes obscured, the lower half of his face glowing in a menacing light.
“As all of you know, Aglionby was founded in the early 1900s and wasn’t always the co-ed Utopia that we have today. Up until recently, the school primarily catered to young men as a pre-Ivy league school,” Cody began. “When it was still just an all boys school, the buildings you see today weren’t around. In fact, Welch Hall was built over top of one of the older buildings, Mackenzie Hall. Now, Mackenzie Hall was interesting. Apparently, the building had a series of maze like halls that one could easily get lost in. In fact, many first year students disappeared in those very halls, but that’s a different story.”
Elodie clasped onto her brother’s arm and gulped while Joshua and Noah stiffened. Cody smiled slyly.
“An unusual cold spell hit Henrietta once in November back in 1920. Schools, and businesses, had to close early due to freezing pipes and doors being iced shut. If it hadn’t been for the boiler in the basement, the school would have been plunged into the same cold that affected the rest of the town. One tragic day, the boiler suddenly burst, the wood from the building almost instantly catching fire. It didn’t take long before the lower halls were engulfed in flames. The building was evacuated and the Fire Department was called, but not before the fire took the lives of three students and a staff member. Some say that the fire was a freak accident. Others say that one of the students who died had been insulted y staff and started the fire intentionally,” Cody said. “Either way, the rest of the term had to be taught at City Hall while, what we call Welch Hall, was built. They still say that weird things happen at the school. The old bell goes off, phantom images of students in clothing from the 1920s, shadowy figures wandering the halls…waiting to take first year students down to the burnt halls of Mackenzie hall,” he said eerily.
One could cut the tension with a knife as Cody glanced at Elodie, Joshua and Noah. “Will one of you be taken?”
Before anyone could respond, a masked figure jumped from behind the group of students. “BOO!”
Elodie screamed and buried her face in Jean’s chest. Noah and Joshua clasped each other as they screamed. From behind them, Pat pulled off his black ski mask and high-fived Cody. The two of them were laughing meniacally.
“The look on your faces,” Pat laughed. “Priceless.”
Jeremy, Jean and Laila scowled as they glared at Cody and Pat.
“Not cool guys,” Laila said.
“It was just a bit of fun,” Cody said.
“At the expense of the first years? Come on guys,” Jeremy commented.
“Okay, okay, our bad, we won’t do it again,” Cody said.
~~
The bonfire died out and slowly the students began to make their way back to their dorms. Laila, Jean, Jeremy, Elodie, Joshua and Noah left the crowd of students and made their way to the parking lot. Elodie held firmly onto Jean’s arm as they walked. Jean didn’t seem to mind.
She looked up at her brother. “Was all that true?”
“What?” Jean asked.
“The stuff that Cody said about the school building burning down and weird things happening,” she replied.
“Not at all, ma petite fleur, Cody and Pat were just being dumbasses,” Jean said. “Everything will be fine.”
The six of them said their goodbyes before slipping into their cars and driving home.