Tʜᴇ Uɴʀɪɢʜᴛᴇᴏᴜs discussion

Ella led Layla from the infirmary to the courtyard, which was bustling with other students and even a couple of teachers. Along the way, she pointed out a few portraits and plaques on the walls to Layla, telling her about the students, teachers and other assassins they were made to commemorate. Besides being legend-worthy, all of them were similar in one way. They were all lying in their graves. They were all...dead.

When they reached the courtyard, Ella turned to Layla with a small smile, "As I said, it can get a little "intense" some days. Some students just don't know how to end an argument. Or, they just don't think lightning can kill them." She stopped and thought about elaborating. She decided that Layla deserved to know. "On stormy days, a bunch of students, mostly guys, just run into the rain and start sparring because...it's fun, I guess. Fighting in the rain is much different." Ella let out a chuckle, remembering how the "tradition" started. "You know, you're free to drop by on rainy days and watch. Just don't get dragged into it," she said before pointing at a stone bench, which stood at the edge of the courtyard. "Here," she murmured, turning and sitting down on one side of the bench, patting the spot beside her, she gestured for Layla to sit next to her.

Looking up at the sky which was dotted with clouds, Ella sighed. Then, out of a sudden, as if she suddenly thought of something, her face lit up with a smile. "Hey, before any questions, listen to this," she said, turning to Layla. "These are two jokes from the early students and as a student of Ymira, you ought to know them. But to be honest, they're kind of stupid." She laughed a little and then cleared her throat, ready to begin. "This one is for dirty boys, but even if you aren't one you can probably guess the usual answer. Anyway. What's something that starts with a 'S', is one syllable and you must have everyday?"

"Ha, it's okay. That just proves you don't have a dirty mind like some boys do," Ella said with a reassuring smile. "The answer is sleeves. The school's dress code says we all need sleeves, you know. Unless it's time for informal wear." Ella's smile widened. But when she continued to the second joke, a slight frown took over her face. "This joke was made by Ickens. It's a little offensive to the Yus, but we know how to take a joke. Besides, Ickens and Booths are always clawing at each others' necks that they hardly even remember we're here."

She paused for a while, thinking about Layla. They hadn't told each other their divisions yet, but Ella could place a bet. Ickens. But she wouldn't take the risk. "I'm not saying all Ickens and Booths are like that, though. Just the majority. Same goes for Yus, some aren't really happy that they aren't noticed enough. So be careful with this joke, okay?" She gave Layla a smile which said she trusted her and then continued, "So here's the thing Ickens say when they're boasting about being better than Yus. Icken kill Yu. It's a pun, actually. It can kill you? Get it?" Ella chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it's pretty lame. But you can't expect assassins to have wonderful killer instincts and a brilliant sense of humor at the same time. Those students were probably high when they thought of those anyway."

"Okay. So that's the two really stupid jokes of Ymira Academy. Time for the questions. You've got anything you want to know?" Ella asked, cocking her head to the side a little to study Layla's expression. It was a habit of hers when she asked or asked for questions.

"Specific people you should be aware of?" Ella repeated, rubbing her chin as she thought over it for a moment. "Hmm, well, here are some names you should remember," she whispered, making sure absolutely no one would be able to eavesdrop on them without them noticing first, "Sicarius Einar Arawn - Sica. Eden Valentina Lafayette. Darryl Lancaster - Dare. Nadia Jade Mathus. Vendetta Cecelia Strazio - oh you know, Detta. They're either mysterious or deadly when angered. I'll acknowledge the fact that everyone in this school is deadly, but I find that these students are considered more dangerous because they will make you regret every sorry mistake you make. Take Detta for example. You saw it for yourself. She beat Jeff into a bloody pulp just because he accidentally spilled a drop of orange juice on her shirt. They're more dangerous ones like her and Eden, people who would only take what they want to hear from you.

Then there's Sica. Sica is somebody who is mysterious. Somebody you probably won't ever figure out. And the fact that he can kill you easily makes him all the more dangerous. It'd be hard to get to know him too, since he's so detached and all, so I'd advise you to stay clear of him.

Now there's Dare and Nadia. I know Dare personally but Nadia...not so much. But I know she's a tricky one. She's clever, cunning and mysterious too. It's hard to guess what type of person she is. While Darryl on the other hand is another story. Everybody knows Darryl is hopelessly addicted to things like drugs and alcohol. Everybody knows he's both a sadist and masochist. But everybody knows he's dangerous too. You'll never find out his motive and most of the time you can never guess his next move - especially when he's drunk, you'll blow your mind trying to figure him out then. Both Booths are intelligent and can deceive like it's no big business. So it'd take you a lot of wit to outsmart them both.

Okay, now that I've given you their names, promise me two things. Minimize unnecessary contact with them and...don't ever tell them what I said about them. They'll probably kill me for that."

"Well," Ella said quietly, "Detta grew up in a home where she got punished for every little mistake she made, so she was influenced by it. I know she shouldn't be taking it out on other people, but think about it. Detta, who doesn't know anything but violence, changing to become kinder in a school training us to kill? It's a little too much to ask. Besides, Detta will only change when she sees the need to. Two years in this school and nobody has ever forced her to change. Some teachers have even taught her to use her anger as an advantage." Ella understood why people were frustrated and angry at Detta, but she knew why Detta was that way too. Hate didn't seem to bother Detta anymore. It fueled her.

Ella smiled back approvingly. "I'm glad to see you're not afraid," she said, nodding, "a lot of other students before you wanted to go back home after hearing about so many dangerous people in the same building as they are." She laughed a little at that. "Now, the students aren't the only people you should beware of. Teachers have tricks up their sleeves too. You don't know when they'll suddenly throw a bomb in the class and force you to try kill the rest of your classmates. You've got to be fast on your feet and quick up here," Ella tapped the side of her head. "I heard about what happened in Mr. Coben's class today. That's an example of unwelcome surprises you have to deal with. Teachers aren't afraid of us killing each other, you know. They might even force us to."

"No worries, I don't blame you for getting mad at her," Ella said gently, giving Layla an reassuring smile. "And you're right, we all have pasts that impact us. But sometimes, when you've got enough on your plate, don't let someone else's troubles become yours."

Ella let the both of them walk in silence for a moment before she said, "You know, you don't have to keep avoiding people. You can make people avoid you once you've got a reputation up. Be tough, ace your classes and win every fight - even if it means you lose in your opponent's eyes. Those are ways to build an image for yourself and you won't have to worry about people picking a fight with you anymore. Be careful to stick to the school codes, though. Breaking any of those would result in severe punishment." Ella wanted to add that she'd seen what happened to a couple of students who dared to blatantly break the rules. It wasn't a pretty thing, so she decided not to mention it.

"Classes? It depends on the day and your Division. Right now, though..." Ella dug into her bag and fished out a crumpled paper booklet from under her bottles and vials. She handed the booklet over to Layla and in it was printed the weekly timetable for different Divisions. "Some of the senior Booths have just finished lessons, so that means the junior and freshmen Booths are at classes now. All Ickens, except some freshmen who need remedial, are at their free period. Yu sophomores are at their free period too, the rest are at lessons. Of course, there are students who skip their classes because "they don't need them"." She paused for a long moment before asking Layla, "Say, we haven't told each other our Divisions yet. I'm from Yu, you?"

"Another disadvantage for them, huh?" Ella grinned at Layla, "It's interesting you see it that way. You've got a really different head than most quiet kids I know. They think getting targeted is a disadvantage to themselves, or simply just troublesome."

She watched as Layla scanned the booklet. She didn't know if Layla was having difficulty reading the faded letters or was still confused with the whole school system. Ella didn't ask her, though, she just offered to get Layla a new one from the administration office later. She was heading there anyway, before Detta beat Jeff up into a bloody pulp and tossed him into the pond and Ella had to bring Jeff to the infirmary with Layla. One of the reasons why Ella knew so many people was because teachers liked to ask her to help out at the offices.

"Ickens, huh?" Ella repeated, sighing a little. "Detta's in Ickens, as you can already guess. Eden and Sicar too. Sicar's in your year, Eden is a Senior and Detta's a sophomore like me. There are other Seniors like Amira, Aiden, Maurelia and Hollis. And your blades teacher would be Pearl Gang. She looks Chinese and is Chinese, but she sounds exactly like a British, accent and everything. And she's like you, really. She's quiet and collected, but extremely dangerous with knives. Rumor says she sucks at Math, but like I said, it's just a rumor."

"Well, that's one thing. But when they keep trying to pick on you, thinking they're tough enough, don't you think it'd be troublesome to keep chasing them off?" Ella shrugged, "Kind of like mosquitoes who won't stop bugging you, you know? But I have to admit, kicking their ass and seeing their shocked faces would make my day." She grinned jokingly.

"Oh, there's talk about Aidie," Ella said, clearly excited about rumors and gossip. "You know, Aiden and Sadie? Aiden is a senior from Ickens and Sadie's a senior from Booth. Some say they're getting together, but some others doubt that. Personally, I'm all for them getting together, so as long as they don't openly show their affection - it's against the school code, you know. This school may be full of assassins, but teenagers got to ship," she giggled. There were many girls like her in Ymira, secretly pairing fellow students and even teachers up. Most of the time, however, they just stuck to TV characters and celebrities. They didn't want to be killed if somebody wasn't happy with their "ships".

But as she giggled, she could see the flash of worry in Layla's eyes. Tons of people wouldn't have noticed it, but she did. Ella knew how to read body language and immediately guess - most of the time correctly, of course, Ella took pride in that - what the person was thinking. Was Layla wondering if she would fit in? Was she worried that if she didn't keep updated on the activities of the school, she would be left behind? In the harsh reality, yes she would be. Anybody who couldn't keep up, anybody who fell behind and couldn't pick up their pace, anybody who was different in a way the school wasn't made to accept, they would all be ignored - or worse, eliminated.

Ella patted Layla's shoulder gently, a gesture to show that she would help Layla out whenever she needed it. If there was no empty table in a room full of people, Ella would stand to give her her seat. If there was no one to talk to, Ella would give her company. If the days were rough and dark, Ella would shine the light and lead the way, taking every hit and every shove. Ella would be there, because she knew what it felt like to be alone. Maybe they were isolated for different reasons, maybe they were under completely different circumstances, but Ella knew what it felt like to have no one.

Ella didn't change the subject, she didn't alter the mood, she let the conversation flow. It felt good to have someone to share simple things with, especially after being stressed out so much for the past few days with tests and books and memorizing work. "Drama? No, not yet. But I'm betting that this year, things are gonna be different. There's just that feel right here" - she pointed to where her gut was - "you know? People are coming, and some of those people don't mean good news." While she sounded dead serious, her eyes gleamed with excitement.