Restricted
- Locked due to inactivity on Jul 15, '20 3:54am
Thread Topic: Restricted
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The clock’s tick, tock echoed loudly as time went by. Throughout much of the dorm building, it was utterly quiet and deserted. Moonlight shone through the windows, illuminating the empty hallways. If someone were to drop a pin, they’d hear it clatter against the wooden floor.
But, if someone were to make their way down a particular hallway, they’d hear occasional noises that broke the silence. For, at the end of this hallway, there was a room tightly packed, full of a dozen rowdy young men.
These boys did not seem to care for the rules of being silent by eight o’clock. No; it was well past their bedtime- it was already one in the morning. They were fully aware of the consequences that would befall them if they were caught in the act. But the threat of punishment didn’t stop them from occasionally shoving each other, shouting and laughing, making no attempts to quiet themselves down (save for the silence spell they had cast rather lamely a few hours prior).
The leader of the group was sprawled across one of the two beds, a glass of some unknown liquid in his hand. The liquid shone with a vibrancy that no mortal drink would ever have. He didn’t seem too phased by this, however; every now and then he’d raise the cup to his mouth and tilt it, letting the substance slide past his lips and down his throat.
A boy to his right that was seated on the floor made some snarky remark about one of the teachers. This was enough to make the leader choke on his drink; he sat up, coughing harshly while simultaneously laughing. This caused the entire group to erupt into laughter, their hands clutching their bellies as they struggled to calm down.
James was the only one in the group not laughing. There was a hint of a smile on his face, but he was more focused on the boy who was choking. His muscles untensed only when the boy finally took a gasp of air, slamming his hand onto his knee and groaning.
“f---,” Renjin said, blinking a few times and glancing at the drink. “You idiots almost killed me there.”
“Oh, you baby,” the boy on the floor piped up, reaching up to slap Renjin’s leg. “You should have known better than to try to drink during our s--- talk session.”
“It’s true!” Another boy from across the room piped up. “Daichi’s absolutely hilarious. It’s your own damn fault, Renny boy.” -
A chorus of agreement echoed throughout the remaining boys. James frowned, looking away from Renjin and the others. They are such idiots, he thought to himself. Always arguing about the stupidest things while doing the dumbest things possible. He wondered how he’d ended up here tonight, rather than safely tucked in bed in his own dorm room.
“What’s that face for, Jamie bear?” Someone asked. At this, the other boys all turned to face Jamie, who was sitting at Renjin’s desk and wasn’t close to anybody.
“Huh?” James squeaked. He didn’t realize he was making a face, and yet- he could feel his muscles shifting from a frown into a look of shock. s---.
“I said, what was the face for? You look constipated, dude.” The boy pointed a thick finger at him. “You should get a drink.”
“I think not.” James spun around in the desk chair so his back was facing the others. “I’m quite content with my sparkling water.”
The boy squinted at the back of his head and glanced at the others, giving them a look that read, ‘Is this guy serious?’ A few awkward grunts echoed through the room before conversation picked back up again.
Daichi pulled himself up from the floor, moving to sit beside Renjin. He leaned in to the other boy, lowering his voice significantly.
“Remind me again why that guy is here?” Daichi asked, nodding discreetly in James’ direction.
“He’s a friend of mine,” Renjin replied, taking a swig of the drink. It was almost gone now, though it still shined as bright as the night sky.
“Yeah, okay, how?”
“He’s helped me master spells a few times.” Renjin finished off the drink, leaning over to set the cup on the nearby nightstand. “Anyone willing to save my a-- like that is a friend in my book.” -
Daichi shook his head, turning to face Renjin completely. Renjin could tell by the look on his friend’s face that he was about to ramble. He braced himself for the worst, not in the mood to deal with any complaining.
“Me and some of the guys overheard a rumor that his family might be one of the founders. Actually, there’s also a rumor going around that he’s bribed all of his teachers. And it makes a load of sense, Ren. Haven’t you noticed that the guy never has any markings on him? The teachers never give him those stupid looks that they give us, either.. They act like he’s a perfect student. But nobody’s that talented at magic. He’s obviously getting help. Aren’t you worried he’ll run off and tattle about this little party? Or maybe he’ll bribe them to give us extra beatings next time, just because it’s funny to him to see all of us suffering while he gets a free ri--”
“That’s enough, Daichi.” Renjin stared coldly at his friend.
Daichi stared back, his jaw tensing up as his face twisted into a look of frustration. When Renjin didn’t continue, he raised his voice in an attempt to make a point.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” He hissed. “You could be putting us in danger, man. And for what? Some guy who bailed you out of flunking a test?”
“Nobody is in danger,” Renjin sighed, moving a hand to his head. He began to rub his forehead, obviously equally upset. “James has talent, whether or not you’d like to recognize it. I’m not worried. And if you want to discuss danger, well.. Us meeting here tonight was already dangerous. I don’t see you blaming yourself for coming.”
Daichi stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with anger. Some of the others glanced in their direction, but figured it was just another argument between the two boys and looked away.
“This is the kid’s first party. And not only is it his first party, but it’s his first time breaking the rules,” Renjin explained, not looking directly at Daichi. “If you find his nervousness threatening, then perhaps you should leave. I wouldn’t want you to feel like you’re going to get extra lashings simply because he’s here.”
At this, Daichi whipped around and stormed out of the room, nearly stepping on some of the other boys as he headed for the door. Many of them had to awkwardly throw themselves off to the side to avoid being crushed under his heel. Silence broke out through the room as he roughly grabbed onto the door handle and flung the door open. -
Luckily, despite his anger, Daichi knew better than to slam the door shut. He carefully tugged it close behind himself. Almost immediately after hearing the soft click as the door closed, the chatter resumed. The boys would not let anything damper their mood that night.
Renjin stood from the bed, staring across the room at James. The other boy still had his back to everyone; it looked like he was hyperfixated on the wall. Renjin closed his eyes and sighed. Don’t let me be wrong about this guy, he thought to himself.
He opened his eyes and made his way over to James, carefully weaving through the other guys that were scattered across the room. As he got closer, James finally turned in the chair, looking rather reluctantly up at Renjin.
“You enjoying yourself?” Renjin asked, giving James an awkward smile.
“Sure,” James replied, grabbing his cup of sparkling water and raising it in Renjin’s direction. Renjin noticed that it was still full, totally untouched.
“The other guys aren’t out to get you, you know.” Renjin brushed a few books to the side before hoisting himself up onto the desk. He looked down at James, giving him a little grin. “They don’t bite unless they’re provoked.”
James bit his lower lip, slowly lowering the cup and setting it aside. “That’s… Not really reassuring.”
“Whaaat? I think it’s extremely reassuring, personally!” Renjin put a hand over his heart. “I wish I had been given fair warning of their behavior. They’re insane.”
“What does that make you?” James arched an eyebrow, putting his chin in a hand and leaning his elbow against the desk.
Renjin slowly lowered his hand, pondering the question. It’d be a lie if he said he wasn’t crazy, and yet… “I’m like you, obviously.”
“Like me?” James squinted at him. “And what am I, exactly?”
“Smart.”
“And?”
“And?” Renjin echoed, confused. “There’s more to you than your intelligence?”
“Thanks,” James muttered, looking away. -
“I’m kidding. I’m sure there’s much more to you than meets the eye. I just... Wouldn’t know. This is my first time seeing you outside of class.” Renjin gently nudged James with the back of his hand, trying to ease the tension.
James didn’t respond. Renjin studied his face, trying to figure out what kind of a mood the other boy was in. His other friends were rather vocal, too easy to read; if they were upset, you’d know it. But it was harder for him to read James. He was always so composed.
And, as Daichi had pointed out, James was always on good terms with the teachers at the school. His skin had no signs of distress; no bruises or welts or cuts anywhere. It was rather unusual, even for the students who had several successes before their occasional slip ups. Renjin might even argue that James was the only one of his… Kind.
“Are you scared?” Renjin finally spoke up, not wanting to let himself doubt this poor soul.
“Scared of what, your friends? No.” James still refused to look at him.
“No. I meant getting caught. Are you nervous that someone is going to crash the party and punish us?”
James finally glanced at Renjin out of the corner of his eye. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before finally speaking up. “Actually, I--”
“Renjin!” A voice interrupted James. Both James and Renjin turned around to look at the culprit. -
“What is it?” Renjin asked, slightly moody. “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something?”
“Sorry,” the boy apologized, though something about his tone indicated that he wasn’t actually sorry. “We were discussing something, and I really think you should hear the idea that Walter came up with.”
Renjin looked at James, giving him an apologetic smile. James shrugged, turning the chair around so he could properly look at the boy.
“Go on,” James said, leaning forward. “I want to hear it too.”
The boy took a few steps back so James could look at Walter, who was currently being crowded around by two other guys. Walter glanced up, realizing that Renjin and James were staring at him expectantly. He ushered the boys aside and speed walked over to them.
“Did he explain anything?” Walter asked, looking rather excited. “Or do I need to explain it all?”
“I have no f---ing clue what’s going on,” Renjin said, giving Walter a look. “Please explain.”
“So I overheard some of the guys in the corner talkin’-- you know, as they do-- but they said an idea that really struck me. You know me. Always lookin’ for something wild to do, somethin’ fresh to get in trouble for--”
“Walter,” Renjin said, reaching out to grab onto his shoulders and lightly shake him. “Cut to the chase. You’re interrupting my lovely chat with James.”
“Right!” Walter exclaimed. He seemed to vibrate in Renjin’s hold, unable to contain his sheer excitement. “I’m thinkin’ we should cancel the party early and get a small group of guys to head down to the basement.”
“Why would anyone want to do that?” James asked, making a face. “It’s a basement… There’s nothing special about a basement.”
“Actually,” Walter retorted, “There is. It’s where the restricted area is located. You know. The restricted area. The one all’a the teachers tell us not to go near? I’m thinkin’ it’s time we pry that baby open and take a looksie!”
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