"Why the hell did you do that?" Kieran hissed at Reis.
"No way you're about to try and argue with me about this," Reis responded, rolling his eyes as the three of them turned a corridor.
"Reis, I need this club project done as soon as possible, and getting suspended is just gonna slow things down for everyone," Kieran said, clearly frustrated.
"Stop overreacting. They aren't gonna fucking suspend us," Reis shot back.
"You're one to talk about overreacting. You pushing Brandon for no reason whatsoever was a pretty damn big overreaction," Kieran snapped.
"I was just trying to match his energy! The guy's a hothead," Reis muttered as the group stood outside the principal's office.
"I saw him push you and—I was just trying to defend you," he stammered.
"I don't need you to defend me, Reis. You defending me was completely unnecessary, and now we're going to get in trouble—"
"Jesus Christ, can you stop being so worried?" Reis cut in.
"H-He's right," the boy said, pointing at Reis. "We shouldn't get suspended—Brandon initiated the attack, and we merely acted in self-defense."
"At most, we'd get after-school detention. So, I mean, if you really needed to finish your project, you'd have all the time you need then!" he added optimistically.
Reis glanced at him, then looked at Kieran, whose face wrinkled in frustration.
This caused Reis to grin. He turned his head the other way, trying to stifle a laugh, but couldn't contain it—several chuckles escaped. The boy noticed and blushed.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make fun of you—" he stammered. "I-I could help you if that happens. I'm pretty good with… urm…"
He paused.
"—What kind of club are you in, exactly?"
The door suddenly swung open.
Standing in the doorway was an awfully tall woman with long hair white as snow and opal-gray eyes, wearing an intricately detailed silk white dress, with the same symbol from before, the spade overlaying the circled serpent, appearing on the same hand as the man in white, tattooed onto her skin.
"May I help you…?" she asked, eyeing the brothers before turning her attention to the boy. Her gaze sharpened, and he looked away nervously.
"U-uh, yeah, we're looking for Mrs. Prescott," Kieran finally spoke.
The woman suddenly turned.
"Come in," she said, ducking slightly as she stepped back into the room.
"The day just started, and I've never been more confused in my fuckin' life," Reis muttered as he walked in. Kieran followed behind him with a sigh.
The boy hesitated. As he turned his head to glance down the hallway, he saw the man in white—a slight grin etched across his face—as he slowly walked the corridor. The lights above flickered with every step he took.
Startled, the boy quickly paced into the room and shut the door behind him.
"It's cold as shit in here…" Reis said, swearing louder than intended.
Kieran nudged him.
The room was old, its color noticeably faded. The musky, tangy scent of spent cigarettes clung to the air.
Kieran opened his mouth to speak, but the woman interrupted, walking over to the nearby desk.
"Before we begin, I would like to inform you that Mrs. Prescott has recently been relieved of her position here at Sydria High School," she said, taking a seat and turning the chair to face the three.
"I will be taking her title as principal of this school. My name is Chione Priscilla—but you may refer to me as Dr. Priscilla from here on out."
"Mrs. Prescott—quit?" Kieran asked.
Dr. Priscilla nodded.
"This is my first official day here, so I haven't yet had the courtesy of learning names. Please do feel free to inform me," she said.
"I'm Kieran," Kieran offered.
"Reis," said his brother.
The two brothers and Dr. Priscilla turned to look at the boy standing beside them, waiting for him to speak.
"E—Ezekiel..." he muttered.
The room grew quiet.
"...Right," she said, almost dismissively. "Well, what brings you here?"
"Well, a-about that," Kieran began. "We... didn't exactly come here by choice. You see—"
"We almost got into a fight with some manchild named Brandon Cole," Reis said firmly, arms folded.
"...Yeah," Kieran nodded, glancing at his brother before continuing. "Some guy wearing a suit told us to come here?"
"I see," Dr. Priscilla said, leaning back into her chair and placing a finger to her chin as if in deep thought. "Now, Brandon Cole is someone I am familiar with."
"I happen to be close friends with his parents. They're great people," she admitted.
"Well, the same can't be said for him. Dude's unhinged," Reis muttered.
Kieran nudged him—this time with more force.
"I understand if it may appear that way to you three, but I can assure you, he's a good kid... He just needs someone to..." She paused. "...Guide him in the right direction."
Dr. Priscilla sat up, resting her arms on the desk in front of her as she continued.
"However, any kind of altercation between students—whether physical or verbal—will not be tolerated under any circumstances."
Her voice was loud, and firm.
"You three are not excluded from that. Even if you weren't the aggressors, being involved at all places you within the bounds of school policy. And that means accountability still applies."
"B-but Ms. Priscilla—" Ezekiel began.
She raised a hand, cutting him off.
"That said, I'll issue you three a warning this once. I'd prefer not to begin my first day with a suspension on record."
Kieran's eyes widened.
"T-Thank you, Dr. Priscilla," he said, feeling relief wash over him as Priscilla offered a warm smile.
Reis glanced at Kieran, a faint 'I told you so' playing at the corners of his smug smirk.
A faint knocking came at the door, silencing the room once more.
"Come in," Dr. Priscilla said.
The door slowly creaked open, revealing the man in white. A smile was etched across his face as he stepped into the room at a deliberate pace.
"Good morning, gentlemen," he said, clearing his throat before continuing. "Last time we met, we weren't exactly under the proper circumstances to exchange formalities."
He put his hand behind his back.
"You may refer to me as Mr. Keizer. As of today, I will be the new dean of this school."
His tone was dry, surprisingly so for someone smiling so broadly.
"Ah, okay, Mr. Keizer, sir?" Reis raised his hand.
"Yes?" Keizer arched a brow.
"Why are your eyes closed? You blind or somethin'?"
"Reis!" Kieran muttered, shocked.
"Haha, no," Mr. Keizer chuckled. "I just have very sensitive eyes."
"Oh," Reis nodded, "So you are blind."
Keizer raised a finger as if preparing to respond, but Dr. Priscilla cut in.
"Keizer, what do you need?"
He snapped his fingers as if just remembering.
"Ah, right. Ms. Priscilla, there's something I need to discuss with you," he said, strolling over to her. He leaned down and whispered something directly into her ear.
Kieran and Reis watched in silence. After a moment, Dr. Priscilla's gaze flicked toward Ezekiel.
The boy stiffened.
Keizer straightened up and turned his face toward Ezekiel, his smile gone, replaced by a look of disappointment.
Reis and Kieran exchanged glances for what felt like the hundredth time, waiting for Dr. Priscilla to speak.
"I believe this concludes our meeting," she finally said, standing up. "It was nice meeting you, Kieran, Reis. You may head to class now."
Mr. Keizer stepped over to the door and pulled it open.
"...Ezekiel," Dr. Priscilla called.
The boy stood still in the corner, his head lowered.
"I'm afraid there's something else we must discuss. I'll need a bit more of your time. Please, take a seat."
Kieran's stomach tightened. Something felt wrong.
"...I understand, Ms. Priscilla," Ezekiel replied flatly, moving to sit in front of her desk.
Kieran opened his mouth to speak but was caught off guard by Reis nudging him. Reis shook his head and subtly gestured toward the door.
"You... have a good day, Dr. Priscilla," Kieran said quietly.
The brothers stepped out of the office, that strange sense of unease lingering around them like a fog.
Dr. Priscilla smiled as they exited, Mr. Keizer slowly closing the door behind them.
As they walked down the hall, Kieran glanced back one last time.
Ezekiel sat still, like a lifeless doll. Dr. Priscilla stood behind her desk, her eyes still locked on the boys, her smile frozen in place.
The door clicked shut.
**********
The cafeteria was buzzing like usual, students laughing, complaining about tests, swapping food they didn't want, it was loud, and somehow still boring.
Kieran sat at a table near the corner of the room, across from Reis, stirring the unidentifiable gray mush on his tray. Reis on the other hand was busy turning his chicken nuggets into some kind of architectural disaster.
"...You're supposed to eat that--not play with it," Kieran said, poking at his own tray, as if he were waiting for it to fight back.
"We eat first with our eyes," Reis replied, carefully balancing a pizza crust on top as if constructing a tower of sorts.
Kieran rolled his eyes before glancing around the cafeteria. Something felt...wrong, like it didn't belong here. It took him a while to figure out exactly what at first---then he noticed it. A new, large, sleek, screen mounted on the wall near the vending machines.
It was thin, pulsing with high-definition visuals. The screen flickered for a bit, then began playing a looped video.
"Orpheum Corporation: Expanding the Future Today."
The ad cut to dramatic shots of a towering skyscraper, futuristic buildings, clean sterile white labs full of scientists smiling. A clear, sophisticated voice played over the footage.
"Orpheum is proud to invest in the future, enabling the next generation through innovation, education, and community partnerships."
The commercial ended with the glowing ouroboros logo before its loop started over again.
"Since when the hell did we have that?" Kieran asked, dumbfounded.
"Have what?" Reis asked, eyes never leaving his food tower.
"That---whatever that is." Kieran motioned at the display.
"Oh, that," Reis calmly said in between bites. "I'm not sure, isn't that Orpheum's logo, though?" He shrugged. "They must've started sponsoring our school, I mean, that'd explain our new principal and dean clad in white."
Kieran's eyebrow raised, "Yeah, now that I think about it..." He began, "I saw a similar symbol on both Dean Keizer and Principal Priscilla---But there's had a spade on top of the circle." He said as Reis slowly nodded, pretending to listen.
"Why would a company like Orpheum care about sponsoring our school anyway? Don't they make, like, fucking----weapons or biotech or something?"
Reis laughed, "Maybe they're here to turn us into super soldiers or some shit. I mean, it's about time somebody saw my potential." He flexed dramatically before stuffing a soggy fry into his mouth.
Kieran gagged, before noticing a group of students passing their table, laughing. One of them--a rather wiry boy wearing a jacket too big for his size---pointed at the screen.
"Hey, you guys know those scholarships that Orpheum's been offering? My mom tried to sign me, but the forms were federal as hell. They were asking me for my DNA or something," He said, laughing nervously
"Yeah, my parents thought it was weird," Another student replied. "But my dad was just like, 'It's Orpheum. They're probably just trying to make sure you're not a criminal or something.'"
The conversation faded as the group walked off. Kieran glanced over at Reis, who was now trying to stack a napkin on top of his food tower.
"You don't think this is weird?"
"Don't think what's weird?" Reis asked without looking up.
"Orpheum being here," He waved a hand vaguely at the display, "Having shit like this set up this quick? It's like they've been planning this..." Kieran pauses, trying to find the right words to say,
"Uh, isn't that what businesses do?" Reis asked, the tower of food slowly leaning over the edge of the tray.
"That's not what I meant---"
"You're overthinking it, Kier, you should be happy, with Orpheum funding this school that means we'll be getting all kinds of new shit, new floors, better food----hell, they might even clean up that bathroom at the back of the school, the one with the tree coming out of one of the urinals,"
But Kieran wasn't so sure, he turned back to the ad display monitor, watching the ouroboros spin endlessly in its loop.
"And now for the final touch!" Reis smiled, raising a milk carton as he prepared to pour it over his leaning tower of pizza.
"...Dude, are you high?" Kieran asked, genuinely concerned.