Page 27 of Trivium

Zeina watched the first-year tours from the roof of a building in the Defender Village. It was a great vantage point, and she was quite proud to have found it so quickly. While eavesdropping, she learned some of the students’ and professors’ names, and because she was so high up, she could see most of the school grounds and old Jarrah town. Still, she couldn’t see beyond the wall.

From a distance, she watched as three Defenders climbed a ladder that led to an enclave at the top of the wall. They threw buckets of whatever passed for Hydra feed over its edge and descended back down the ladder as quickly as they came. On the other side, the Hydra roared in response, their beaks snapping.

Tales of the Academy’s Hydra were legendary. For a long time, she didn’t even believe the Academy housed Hydra, let alone that the creatures posed any real threat. So, when she heard them bellow, curiosity got the better of her, and she had to see them for herself.

After the Defenders were long gone, the sun dipped below the mountains and the Glowbugs surfaced, Zeina climbed up the steel ladder to the top of the wall. It was a long climb, and even though Zeina was comfortable with heights, the journey still set her nerves on edge. Once at the top, she clung to the walls of the small enclave for safety. The Defenders had left multiple buckets laying around and the smell of rotting flesh was potent. What or who the skin once belonged to, she wasn’t sure. She covered her nose to shield from the foul smell.

The view was incredible, unlike anything Zeina had seen in her life, and she took a shuddering breath. The vast forest beyond the wall spread as far as the eye could see, and below her in a giant iron enclosure on the other side of the wall lay three Hydra.

Sleeping. They were sleeping.

All curled up in a pile, their long-spiked tails and multiple heads intertwined, resting on shoulders and torsos, their skin covered in a pattern of navy and seafoam scales. They looked so peaceful. And even though, logically speaking, she knew they were deadly, her heart still ached a little, seeing them caged like that.

Even as the last of the light melted from the sky, she remained there. Sitting with her back to stone, she watched the Gala. As the night progressed, the laughter and screams of students and faculty grew louder. It was quite a beautiful sight, really. The candles made the colorful flowers of the courtyard glow like lanterns, and she soaked in the joyful energy of the crowd.

She was used to being on the outside of parties, birthdays, and celebrations. She never let herself imagine what it would be like to go to one, because it never felt possible. But tonight, she let her mind wonder. She pictured herself in a deep red gown with pink accents and jewelry up her arms. She’d place beading in her hair, carefully, like the girls her age did, and she would pin the sides to frame her face. She imagined herself talking with a group of fellow students. “It’s a nice night,” she would say, and someone would reply, “It’s beautiful.”

She lived in this alternate universe, one where she was accepted—welcomed, even—until she felt sleepy and the last of the candles burned out.

The Hydras had awoken and started wailing, signaling feeding time. Hurriedly, she climbed back down the wall as quickly as she could to avoid the Defenders who would soon come with fresh buckets of rotted carcass. As she made her way back across campus, reality hit. The cool night air sent a shiver across her arms, and she rubbed them to rid of her goosebumps. Time to look for a place to sleep.

18

LOVELEENA

The sun was still rising when Loveleena entered the mess hall for breakfast the following morning. By the time she made it through the crowd at last night’s Gala, Ren had disappeared.

She couldn’t find him, so instead she caught Ahmina as she was walking back to the dorms and asked if she could borrow some toiletries. Ahmina just seemed like one of those people who would have packed extras of things, and when she handed over an entire, fully stocked toiletries kit including a toothbrush, toothpaste, a brush, soap, lip tint, and hair ties, Loveleena almost hugged her. But Ahmina looked so fidgety she decided against the embrace. Instead, she promised herself that if Ahmina ever needed anything, she would help her in return.

With her newfound toiletries in hand, she swung by uniform storage and grabbed a few extra-large shirts to sleep in. She only had one pair of underwear and socks, which she planned to wash each night with soap until she could get more. Unfortunately, her plan didn’t go as well as she hoped, and she walked into breakfast with slightly damp socks and underwear.

The mess hall was packed with bleary-eyed students running on only a few hours of sleep. Like walking corpses, they lined up to get fresh bread and morning stew from the cooks. Despite looking haggard, they all buzzed with excitement.

Zeroing in on the cook at the front of the food line, Loveleena marched straight for the plump, soft woman, cutting off several students in the process. “Good morning!” she said brightly. “Could I place a special order?”

The woman scowled. “Special order for what?”

“Well, I’ve heard the stew is terrible.” She bit her lip, realizing she was speaking to one of the cooks who made it. “I’d love a baguette with fresh cheese and tera.”

The woman cackled—actually cackled—in her face. “This isn’t a noble feast, girl. Get in line.”

Begrudgingly, Loveleena lined up with the other students, and when the cook finally plopped a giant spoonful of stew into her bowl, she laughed again, as if remembering an old joke.

Scanning the room, Loveleena looked for a group who might welcome her as a friend, and spotted Serena, her Trivium graduate lead, sitting with three others. She slid in beside them, her bowl hitting the table with a thud.

“Hey, Serena, right?”

Serena nodded. “Hi, have we met?”

“Oh, no, not exactly. I’m in Professor Barrow’s Trivium.”

“Ohhh.” Realization spread on Serena’s face. “Right, yes.”

The girl next to Serena interrupted with a wave to their left. “First years are over there.” Her bowl was empty, and she pressed a mug of freshly brewed coffee to her lips.

“You guys actually eat this stuff?” Loveleena picked up a spoon full and smelled it, her nose scrunching at the awful stench.

“First years over there,” the woman repeated, annoyed.