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Wyll's father doesn't say a word on the drive to the new school. He doesn't have to; Wyll knows how much weight this new opportunity holds. After what happened as his last school, Wyll is all too ready for a fresh start and chance to be a normal teen again.
As Ulder pulls up to drop Wyll off, his breathing changes slightly. Wyll turns, ready to accept whatever disappointment his father is about to express.
"Try not to get kicked out?"
It's much gentler and kinder than he was expecting. Maybe this is a new leaf for both of them.
"I promise."
Wyll sits in the principal's office. He's doing his best to keep calm, but his heart is racing. The principal, Ms. Fountainhead, is reading over his records.
"Wyll Ravenguard, sophomore, last at Citadel High in Baldur's Gate. Interesting record, and quite a career already," the woman says, as she sits and rips up the paper. "Welcome to Sunnydale. A clean slate, Wyll, that's what you get here. What's past is past. We're not interested in what is says on a piece of paper, even if it says--"
She glances down at one of the shreds of paper and her eyebrows rocket up.
"Whoa," she mutters.
"Ms. Fountainhead, I know my transcripts are a little... colorful, but--"
"We're not here to care about your past... but, uh, do you think colorful is the right word? Not dismal? Arson-like?"
"It wasn't that bad!"
"You burned down the gym," she retorts, slowing trying to tape the papers back together.
"I did, I really did," Wyll says. "But you're not seeing the bigger picture, I mean that gym was full of dev-- asbestos."
"Wyll, don't worry. Any other school they might say 'watch your step', or 'we'll be watching you'... But, that's just not the way here. We want to service your needs, and help you to respect our needs. And if your needs and our needs don't mesh... " Ms. Fountainhead leaves the sentence hanging as she puts the taped-up transcript back into his folder.
" If you'll look at the map on page 63 you can trace the spread of the disease into Rome, and then north... " the teacher drones on. Wyll is not interested in the Black Death, but he is trying to be a better student. Which would usually mean looking at the map on page 63 but he does not have the textbook yet. He looks around, hoping that someone will help him.
A girl next to him, with a beautiful outfit offers to share her book with him. They get through the rest of the class. Once the bell rings, the girl stands up and offers her hand to him.
"I'm Minthara."
"I'm Wyll," he says, shaking her hand.
"If you're looking for a textbook of your own, there's probably a few in the library," she says.
"That would make sense. Where is it?"
"Here, I'll show you," Minthara says and the pair walks into the hall. "So you're from Baldur's Gate, right?"
"Yeah."
"I would kill to live in Baldur's Gate, it's much more metropolitan than this hellhole," she says, and then beings to ask Wyll questions about life in the Gate. He smiles and nods, but his thoughts are stuck on hellhole. Sunnydale is a new start, he doesn't need to worry about demons and devils and the Blood War here.
"Are you planning to join in any clubs?" she asks.
"I like to fence--"
"Perfect! I am the vice captain of the team, I can't wait to introduce you to the rest. Thank goodness you understand the best sport!"
As they walk passed the water fountain, Minthara holds her hand up to stop. A boy is drinking from it but quickly pauses when he sees the duo.
"Astarion, nice shirt. Did your step-dad pick it out for you?"
Astarion blushes and nods.
"No wonder everyone is begging you to date them. Are you done?"
He looks at the water fountain and darts away. Wyll once would have joined in with the jabs and jeers, but no longer. Right now, he feels like following the boy, Astarion, to apologize. I'm really killing this whole new leaf thing.
"If you want to fit in here, you have to know your losers and who's cool," Minthara says, as they resume their walk to the library. "I can show you the cool ones tonight, at the Bronze."
"The who?"
"The Bronze. It's the only club worth going to around here, even if they let just anybody in," she says. "I'll see you tonight and then you can tell me everything there is to know about you!"
Minthara leaves with a wave and walks to catch up with some other girl. Wyll is too far away to hear the gossip, but can tell that's their activity.
Looking around, the library seems empty.
"Hello? Anyone here?" Wyll asks.
No response. There's a cage on the side that Wyll wonders about. He notices a newspaper on the counter, with a picture that has been circled. It's a story about some local missing teens. The words "arson" and "ax-marks" jump out at him, but Wyll does not read the article. He is not getting involved. If he doesn't know what's happening, there no way he has to then be responsible for stopping it.
Someone taps his shoulder. Wyll spins around and sees a kindly-looking older man.
"Anybody's here!"
"How might I be of assistance?" the man asks.
"I was looking for some, well, books. Suppose that usually why people are in the library. I'm new."
"Mr. Ravenguard?"
"Good call! Guess I'm the only new kid this year?"
"I'm Gale. The librarian. I was told you were coming," he said, his voice shifting from a pleasant one to serious. He dashes behind the checkout counter.
"Great, then I need--"
"Oh, I know what you are after," he says with a grin. He pull out a large book and sets it on the counter. DEVILS AND DEMONES is emblazoned on the front.
"No, that's not what I'm looking for," Wyll says, wearily. Why did this librarian show him that title?
Gale looks confused and Wyll does not want to have this conversation. As Gale bends down to put the book away, Wyll takes the opportunity to slip away.
Wyll gets to the end of the school day with no more surprise devil or demon mentions. Minthara waves him down.
"Looks like there will not be any fencing tryouts after school today," Minthara says. "Some dead guy was stuffed in Dror's locker."
"What?" Wyll asked.
"Some dead guy was stuffed in Dror's locker!"
"Dead."
"Totally dead. Way dead."
"How did he die?" Wyll asks, his heart sinking
"Morbid much? I didn't ask!"
"Thank you for detailed information," Wyll says. She doesn't seem to pick up on his sarcasm.
Wyll darts towards the gym. A locked door is easy enough for him to break when no one is looking. He pulls back the sheet on the body and sees the cauterized ax marks. The body reeks of sulfur.
Wyll runs to the library.
"Okay, what's the sitch?"
"Sorry?" Gale's voice replies from the stacks. He steps into the light.
"You heard about the dead guy, right?"
"Yes, I have heard the news that a student has died and was found in a gym locker," Gale says, as if that is a normal sentence to say.
"Oddest thing, I noticed that it smelled like sulfur. And the wounds were burnt."
"I was afraid of this..."
"I wasn't! This was my first day! I was afraid that I'd be behind in classes, that I wouldn't make any friends, that everyone would look at me as some kind of freak! I didn't think there would be demons here," he says, before adding, "And I don't care."
"Then why are you here, Wyll?"
"I -- I don't know."
"You have no idea what's going on, do you? You think it's mere chance that you are here? That boy is only the beginning."
"Why can't you people leave me alone?"
"Because you accepted your duty as the Blade! Into each generation, a Blade is born--"
"The chosen one, who can defeat the devils, the demons, and the plans they have made, the only one who can lead the Black Parade, yada yada," Wyll says, trying to leave Gale's site.
"The Blade of the Frontiers! It is a noble calling, one that you ought to be proud, nay, eager to accept."
"Maybe update the name, Sunnydale isn't exactly the wild lands of the roaring 1800s, which I can only assume is when you're from."
"I do not understand your attitude, Wyll! The title might be anachronistic but you have accepted your duty, you've killed them before--"
"Why don't you kill them?"
"I-I'm a Watcher, not a blade. I haven't the skill. I am here to train you, to prepare you--"
"Prepares me for what? For getting kicked out of school? For losing all of my friends? For having to spend all of my time fighting for my life and never getting to tell anyone because I might endanger them? Go ahead! Prepare me," Wyll bites back, raising his voice.
Wyll got home safe from school, no thanks to his watcher. He even managed to get his father to okay him going out to the Bronze, glad to hear that Wyll was making friends.
As he walks to the club, Wyll thinks someone is following him. He jumps and grabs onto a pole and holds himself straight up. When the stalker walks past, he flips down and holds his rapier out.
"Oi, put that away before someone gets hurt," the woman says. She is tall, muscular, and displaying a shit-eating grin. Her strong, handsome features are contrasted by the tiny pink dress she has on.
"Oh, you're the Blade! I thought you'd be bigger," she says, flexing.
"What do you want?"
"Same as you, keeping this place free from evil."
"Who are you?"
"A friend, who wants you to stay as far away from any Mizoras or Zariels that you come across," she says, and the disappears into the shadows.
Wyll just wants to be a silly teen, worried about school and who likes who. Everywhere he walks, he's reminded that he's not the same as others. When he was told he was the Blade, he didn't, couldn't, understand what all it entailed. Now that he knew, Wyll wishes desperately for it to be someone else's destiny.
Although, that attractive woman had certainly improved his night. Maybe the Bronze wouldn't be so bad, maybe he could continue making friends.
It's a new leaf that he refuses to let burn.