Akira stood there, waiting patiently for her as she waved goodbye and closed the car door.
“Please wear this, Miss Nguyen,” he said, handing her a black face mask.
“Why?” she asked, putting it on anyway.
He ignored her question and handed her her duffel bag. He instructed her to follow him as he started to walk towards the school, still carrying her suitcase. She took one last fleeting glance at her uncle’s car before continuing after him. The ground underneath her was smooth, almost like walking on marble and she felt like she was floating as she continued after Akira.
“So, why does Suk Suk have to wear a mask and sunglasses? And why isn’t he going in?” she asked Akira, referring to her uncle by the name she called him while catching up to Akira. The three hundred and fifty-seven-year-old Gumiho was surprisingly quick for his age, even with an almost 100-pound suitcase of all her things.
“Your uncle is somewhat famous around here and it’s not good to attract attention to you on your first day,” Akira replied.
Daiyu examined him closely and noticed that his nostrils had flared slightly and his usual blood-red eye color had turned a slight shade darker, indicating that he was either lying to her or he wasn’t telling the whole truth. Her mentor, as she liked to call him, was very nonchalant and serious so it took her over a month to figure out all his facial expressions.
“What else?” she asked, smirking at being able to detect when he lied.
Akira rolled his eyes and said, “He also was involved in a fight with the principal and it’s quite awkward for him to be around them.”
Daiyu went pink and muttered a soft “Oh!”.
Akira shrugged and continued walking with Daiyu until they reached a side entrance of the castle. Placing Daiyu’s suitcase on the ground, he knocked on the door in a random pattern before a head stuck out of the side. Daiyu bit down a yelp. It was an old woman with a long, hooked, crooked nose and beady yellow eyes that matched the color of her misshapen teeth.
“Password?” she asked in a croaky voice, smiling very creepily in Daiyu’s direction, sending shivers up her spine.
“You old hag, there is no need for a password from me or this little orphan.” Akira suddenly raged at the woman.
Daiyu blinked and tried to keep a straight face. One half of her was laughing at her mentor and the other half had an urge to defend herself and yell at him for speaking that way to the old ugly lady.
Surprisingly, a cackle came out of the old woman’s mouth and her head went back in the door. The sound of chains and keys turning suddenly echoed from inside the door and sent even more chills down Daiyu’s spine. The door swung open to reveal a tall beautiful woman, about seven feet with long midnight blue hair, wearing a cloak that looked like it was made from stars. Her skin was a beautiful brown shade and her eyes shone like stars. Daiyu’s eyes widened and she swallowed, nervous to be in the presence of someone so beautiful.
“My dear Akira, it’s been too long since you last came here.” she laughed, her smile reaching up to her eyes.
Akira smiled and kissed her hand, carefully making sure not to touch her cloak.
“My apologies Miss Hala, I’ve been very busy attending to Mr. Kobayashi,” he said, standing up tall and flashing a smile at her.
“Oh, Jaden! How I’ve missed him.” Miss Hala laughed.
“Anyways, what brings you to the school?” she asked, still smiling.
Boy, she smiles a lot. Daiyu thought.
Her gaze suddenly traveled to Daiyu who blushed furiously as Miss Hala’s eyes widened at the sight of her. A look of recognition settled over her eyes, making Daiyu squirm in her place. The sounds of children, laughing, cicadas chirping, and crocodiles snapping faded into the background as Miss Hala’s gaze zoned in on her like a Hawk eyeing a mouse.
“This is Mr. Kobayashi’s niece,” Akira interjected.
Miss Hala looked over at Daiyu. Her eyes traveled to each feature, her brow deepening every time she looked at Daiyu’s features. Akira, noticing, leaned over to her and whispered something to her. Miss Hala gasped audibly.
“She looks just like him,” she said, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Who?” Daiyu asked.
Akira and Miss Hala exchanged looks before Miss Hala finally said in a stiff tone, “Well, without further ado, let me introduce you to the board!”
She quickly turned around and hurried inside, her heels making an echoing clack as she went down the hall.
Daiyu turned to Akira for an explanation, but he indicated for her to follow Miss Hala down the hall. She groaned internally but followed her nonetheless.
The hall was decorated inside with portraits of what looked like former villains. Each dated back almost a thousand years ago but as they continued down the hall to a set of double doors with ancient runes inscribed on them, she started recognizing the more recent ones, including ones that she and her old hero squad had put away in jail or killed. A guilty feeling squirmed in her stomach as she stared at the lively young faces of those she killed without thought. Finally, they reached the end of the ominous hallway.