Golden sunlight crept into the room through the small wooden window, casting warm lines on the cold stone floor. The rays touched Theo's face, who had been awake for quite some time.
The room was simple, containing a wooden bed covered with a faded cream-colored blanket, and a small old wooden wardrobe beside the window. On the nearby table, the clothes Frederick had given him the night before were carefully placed. Theo wore those clothes: a clean white shirt, gray pants, a brown jacket, and brown leather shoes, along with a small dark-colored tie that completed his formal appearance.
He stood in front of the room's only mirror, gazing at his reflection. He looked like a student ready for his first day, despite the anxiety hiding behind his gray eyes. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, then left the room.
"Ahhh!"
As soon as he stepped out, he bumped into someone he hadn't seen coming and fell to the ground after losing his balance.
"Are you okay?"
Theo looked up, a bit surprised, and saw a boy with shiny blond hair, medium height, and friendly features, who was extending a hand toward him.
Theo grabbed his hand and quickly got up, then said apologetically, "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I was in a hurry."
The boy laughed a little and said, "It's alright. But what makes you run this early? Are you new here? I haven't seen you in the dorms before."
Theo replied while brushing some dust off his pants, "Yes, I'm new. I arrived just yesterday, and I might not find my class easily… I don't want to be late on my first day, so I was trying to hurry."
The boy extended his hand with a smile: "I'm Rick. Nice to meet you. I can show you your class. How about we go together?"
Theo looked at him for a moment. Rick seemed friendly and well-intentioned. He saw no reason to refuse, so he shook his hand and said with a shy smile, "Thank you, I'd appreciate that. It's an honor to meet you, Rick. I'm Theodore—you can call me Theo."
Rick nodded and said, "Nice to meet you, Theo. Let's go. I might be able to show you some places on the way; it'll be useful for you."
They walked together down the long corridor leading to the main section of the building. The walls were covered with old pictures and banners bearing the academy's emblems. The floor was smooth and cold under their feet, and the place was still relatively quiet at this early hour.
After a few moments of awkward silence, Theo began to feel a bit tense. He wasn't naturally social and found it difficult to start conversations.
But Rick broke the silence and asked with a kind smile, "Is this your first time away from home, Theo?"
Theo was a bit surprised by the question, then scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Yes, it's my first time… but how did you know? Does it show that much?"
Rick chuckled lightly and looked at him playfully: "You seemed very nervous, even compared to new students. It was kind of obvious."
"Oh…" Theo smiled shyly and looked away, then continued walking beside him.
Along the way, they exchanged some brief conversations. Rick told him about the general atmosphere in the academy, about some teachers the students preferred to avoid, and about meal times in the cafeteria. The classrooms weren't very far from the student dorms, so they soon arrived at the classroom building.
Inside, some students were moving through the hallways, carrying their notebooks and bags. Some still looked half asleep, while others seemed active and ready for the day.
Rick began pointing out some important spots inside the building: "Here's the library… and over there is the cafeteria. Their food is not bad."
Theo nodded appreciatively, then heard Rick suddenly say, as if he had just remembered something:
"Oh… I forgot to ask. What's your class number?"
Theo replied simply, "Class A-5."
Rick paused for a moment and said, "A-5? It must be on the second floor…"
Then suddenly, he stopped walking, his pace slowed until he stood still, looking at Theo in surprise.
Theo noticed and turned to him, asking, "Is there a problem?"
Rick stepped closer and said in a confused tone, "Can you repeat your class number? Maybe I didn't hear it right."
Theo replied, feeling a bit nervous, "A-5."
Rick's facial expression changed quickly, and he said in a relatively loud voice as he stepped closer, "Are you serious? Why didn't you tell me that from the start?"
Theo took a step back, surprised by his reaction, and asked, "What's the matter? Is there something special about this class?"
Rick's eyes widened as he said, "Of course there is! Do you know who studies in that class? Marks and Mance Winsh… the royal family's sons! Come with me to the cafeteria, I'll explain everything."
Rick rushed toward the cafeteria, and Theo followed with hesitant steps. Questions were swirling in his mind:
"Didn't Frederick say I might never meet them? Maybe he didn't know… but why does this feel like a problem? As long as I stay away from them, everything should be fine, right?"
When they arrived, they entered the cafeteria, which was nearly empty at that time of morning. They chose a table near the window and sat down.
Rick sighed and said, "You know who Marks and Mance Winsh are, right?"
Theo nodded in confirmation.
Rick looked at him seriously and said, "First, you must not try to talk to them or even think about befriending them. When they arrived at the academy, it caused a huge stir, and everyone tried to talk to them, but they ignored everyone. Even the Count himself came to visit them, but they treated him with no special attention, and he left disappointed."
Then he added in a sharper tone, "Especially Mance… I heard he hit some students who annoyed him. He wasn't joking. They were just trying to talk to him, but he lost his temper."
Theo replied calmly, "I wasn't planning to approach them anyway. I'll stay away as much as possible."
Rick hesitated for a moment, then said in a low tone, "There's a rumor that Mance beat a boy in the training ground until he couldn't bear the pain anymore and left the academy. And another rumor says he caused a teacher to resign. It might not be true, but I'm telling you just because… it's possible you were sent to replace that boy. But don't worry, it's just a guess."
Theo sat frozen in his seat, trying to absorb all that information. He couldn't speak. All he could think was:
"This can't be… I just want to spend my time here peacefully… Why does trouble seem to follow me?!"