Waking up bleary-eyed, Clementine blindly felt his night table for his phone, grabbing it and turning it on. Blinking the sleep from his eyes away, he squinted at the screen. 06:03. He groaned. Really? Rubbing his face, he thought about how he did not have to stand up for another hour but going back to sleep now would not do him any good, regardless of how tired he was. He would only be even more exhausted. Getting out of bed, he dragged his feet to the wardrobe to get ready for the day.
Over from the open window, the smell of food filled up his room and lungs; a smell consisting of a weird mix of spices, which he knew came from a neighbour. Why do they always do this so early in the morning. As unfailing as the rising sun, the smell of the neighbours’ breakfast made his stomach growl. Should I make something or go and see what the Mensa has, he wondered as he walked to the Kitchen. Catching the sight of Phil’s shoes on the shoe rack made Clementine’s decision for him.
The rays of the hot summer sun greeted him as he walked to the Mensa, he took the time to observe his surroundings. The stone path beneath his feet diverged and merged here and there, leading to and fro buildings and places of note all over the campus. A soft breeze ruffled bushes and the few trees that grew scattered over the mostly empty lawn, and as it brushed over the blades of grass, it created the illusion as if the lawn made waves like the ocean.
Noticing an increase in activities near the Dormitories reminded him that the start of the School Year was coming closer. Outside of the school year, those who decide to stay on campus over the holidays tend to be more active in the evening, preferring to sleep in most of the days.
Within the bustling masses of old and new students going in and out of the Dorms, he saw some new faces among semi-familiar ones.
This school, also known as the Benison, is a… unique school. Very unique. From what Clementine knows, roughly a dozen or so random people are sent invitations to attend the school and then are separated into two Groups: the Leery and the Chancy. Neither group is much different from the other; the only noticeable difference is that they are named differently, have a different coloured uniform, and the atmosphere between the students.
Truth be told, Clementine had been suspicious of the school and its whole “thing” since their letter arrived in the Mail. Not that he could have done much back then- or even now. As soon as he knew about the content of the letter, he just knew that Reuben would accept it. Clementine could kiss the thought of convincing his brother to reconsider goodbye the moment Reuben told him of the “Sibling Clause” with a sparkle in his eyes.
“Excuse me!” Halting midstep, he twisted around to look behind him at the speaker. The first thing he saw was hair. Quick to correct his mistake, he shifted his eyes downwards to meet the stranger’s. “Do you know where the Faculty is?” They asked cheerfully.
The stranger had a petite body, with pale skin nicely contrasting the blue eyes and blond hair. Their outfit consisted of jeans and, more notably, a warm grey, oversized pullover which seemed to swallow their arms whole and drown them in the fabric. A pullover in the summer sure was an odd thing- not that Clementine had any grounds to argue, with his ugly-coloured sweat jacket he was wearing. The clouds thankfully kept the sweating to a minimum.
Pursing his lips, he took a moment to answer.
“You must be one of the new students.” The stranger blinked, surprised.
“Is it that obvious?” They hid their mouth behind a sweater-paw as they giggled into it. Clementine awkwardly chuckled, rubbing his neck.
“Aside from the fact that I’ve never seen you around before and you’re asking me for directions?” He pointed behind them towards the dorms. “It seems like that the new students are moving in today, so I took a guess.”
The new student smiled sweetly. “Aren’t you a smart one!” Clementine smiled back, not sure how to answer that.
“Aw- Anyway!”, he stuttered and swallowed, “The Faculty isn’t exactly on my way but I can point you in the right direction. And I could show you a little bit around.”
They smiled brightly at him and nodded enthusiastically, walking beside him as he beaconed them to follow.
“So…,” they started, drawing his attention, looking at him with big eyes, “Where are we going?” Clementine had to press his lips tightly together.
“The Mensa,” he eventually answered. They tilted their head, short wavy hair bouncing with the motion. “Aw- Hmpf. I-it’s the cafeteria. In a sense, anyway. You will soon learn that in the Benison things run differently than your stereotypical schools.
“Yeah, I thought so.” They trailed off, looking at their surroundings. A wide, expansive lawn, with some trees and a handful of big buildings spaced out from one another. “It’s almost like I’m on the campus of a University or something. That happens to be in the middle of nowhere.”
“Well, the Benison is… something, alright. Your guess isn’t too far off. Some classes they offer definitely could fit in a University.”
Stopping in front of one of the buildings, he gestured to it. “This is the Mensa. You can eat here whenever you don’t feel like cooking for yourself. If you do want to cook or bake,” he pointed towards an attached building to the Mensa, standing slightly behind it and easy to overlook from most angles, “you can go to the ‘Food’ Storage and get some to take back to your dorm or flat. It is kinda like a supermarket and a warehouse combined. Though, you don’t have to pay for anything since the school provides it to us for free. But students are expected to eat in the cafeteria within school hours, though it isn’t mandatory. Mostly, it’s to prevent tardiness and believe me,” he leaned closer and theatrically whispered, “you don’t wanna make a fool of yourself having to sprint from the dorms all the way to your class. They are literally on the opposite sides of the campus.”
He leaned back and pointed towards a path splitting off next to the Food Storage Building that disappeared behind it and into the grove of trees. “If you follow this path past the trees, go right at the intersection and the first building you’ll see is the Faculty. You can’t miss it.”
“Thank you!” They said their goodbyes and Clementine watched as the stranger disappeared into the trees.
Once they were gone, he took a moment to collect himself, heaving a sigh of relief as the excess energy drained out of him. After taking a minute to calm down, he entered the Mensa.
Inside, he saw a couple students sitting either alone or huddled in small groups, a sleepy atmosphere hung over the hall, keeping conversations at a low volume. Appreciative of the calm mood, he leisurely walked to the meal counter. His face pulled into a grimace when he saw the options on the menu. While the food was not bad- the lunch was quite good!-, the breakfast menu was terrible. It’s why most students chose to make their own breakfast, as the Mensa’s was just dreadful.
Scrunching his nose, he grabbed a tray and a bowl. At the cutlery, he hesitated. Hand moving to and fro, mulling over his choice, he eventually sighed, deciding that it was too early for impulse control, and grabbed a small spoon instead of a regular-sized one.
Picking the lesser evil, he took his poison of choice and sat down in a quiet corner. Lukewarm milk and bland cereal, my beloved. You haven’t given me indigestion yet.
Chewing on stale flakes, Clementine let his tired mind wander.
School starts soon, so many old and some new students will return over the week. The Campus of the Benison was comically big, yet- in Clementine’s first year living here- he never had seen that many students attending at once. Not that it matters. They put the students into the classes according to their intellectual level, so there is not a great need for more students. Although some classes are pretty small.
Finishing his meagre “breakfast”, he brought his tray with the bowl and small (so small!!!) spoon away. Wonder what group they got sorted into. His steps faltered for a second.
Clementine never even got the other student’s name. Goodness, I don’t even know what gender they are. Pushing down a groan, he could just imagine Reuben chastising him about proper introductions and his manners. Throwing that thought through an imaginary window, he walked through the door connecting the Mensa and F-StoBu (Food Storage Building). He had something to pick up first.
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Walking between the shelves, he grabbed what he needed. Separated in small paper bags, he had meat, berries, seeds, and vegetables. Checking his selection for today, he took a brisk walk into the forest closest to the F-StoBu, the one bordering the west of the campus. The campus was in the middle of a forest, but there was something specific in the west he wanted to visit today.
Leaves danced in the wind between the beams of sunshine that shone through the blanket roof of the trees. The sound of leaves crunching and stones shifting beneath his feet permeated the air as he followed the beaten-down, overgrown path deeper into the woods. Weaving between the bushes and wildflowers, he tried carefully to stay as silent as possible. The summer might be almost over but Clementine wanted to take the little time he had left before school to do this, before schoolwork ate up all of his time. And before he had to deal with them.
Stopping next to a wild berry bush, there was a hole, hidden from view by branches and leaves. Taking one of the bags, he emptied its contents on the floor before the bush and took a step back, hiding behind the trunk of a tree standing a little bit away.
It took a few minutes of waiting until he got what he came here for. His feet had started to hurt and his limps were stiff but his patience paid off. Slowly, a head peeked out of the whole, and then another and another and another, et cetera, et cetera. One by one, small lanky bodies slunk out of the hole, investigating the food, tentatively sniffing and licking it. Deeming it safe, one began to eat which prompted the others to also eat, nibbling away.
Olive eyes were locked on the scene, enchanted by it. Their small furry bodies, how they moved and ate, their small faces! His cheeks hurt from the broad smile nearly splitting his face apart. He held his breath, afraid that he might unwittingly scare the ferrets off. They contentedly ate away, when one of the ferrets suddenly leaned back and sneezed. Caught by surprise, Clementine did not notice his sharp intake of hair and when his mouth opened before he knew to stop it-
“Awww!”
Startled by the noise, the ferrets abandoned the meat and scampered back into their hole, all the little noodles disappearing from view within mere seconds.
Eyes wide, he slabbed a hand over his mouth, mentally cursing himself out. Not again, he lamented in dismay. Usually, he could suppress this ‘reaction’ of his better. Was it because I had to stifle it earlier? Frustrated with himself and disappointed that he scared off the ferrets, he stalked away, mood dampened and shoulders slumped. He should probably keep this from Reuben. He would just hound Clementine about ‘it’ and how he actively sought things out that evoked ‘it’. In the privacy of the trees, he rolled his eyes.
Continuing his round, he carefully watches his reactions when observing the other animals. Feeding them by giving them a little food now and again, and then observing them, was a guilty pleasure of Clementine’s. He knew he probably should not do this- which is why he does it so sparingly- but he just had a big thing for stuff that was cute. His brother described it as his “greatest weakness” which Clementine felt a little offended by (even if it was true). It is not his fault that cute things were just so irresistible! Be it animals like ferrets, or objects like small spoons- He saw, he aww!
His… well, he has taken to simply referring to them as his ‘reactions’ (in quotations), for lack of a better word. His involuntary reactions used to embarrass him a lot- like with the class’ pet hamster in kindergarten, he cooed at Mr Stache every time he saw him, much to his teacher’s chagrin while his classmates found it hilarious. Nowadays, he has come to accept it and stopped being embarrassed by it as much. He eventually learned to suppress it and stop cooing at inappropriate times with Reuben’s help, who was exasperated by this at the best of times.
Thus far, he has not had any incidents in any classes, mainly because there was not anything remotely cute on campus. The style and aesthetic of the Benison of 19th-century Europe made sure of that. It starved him of cuteness and his brother flat out refused to let anything, that could even be remotely called “kinda cute” into their flat. He just had no sympathy for his little brother’s needs, woe is me! Pfff-
That actually made him laugh a little.
Going back to the topic, this deprivation was what drove Clementine to search for anything that could fill that hole in his Life. People and extinguished paintings just did not do it for him. Usually, he had to amend, unfortunately. Thinking of the Stranger from earlier this morning, he remembered how close he was to cooing at them multiple times. And while gushing over the clothes of people was fine, doing it over the person themselves? It had never happened before and it was just awkward and a line he was not sure if he wanted to cross.
Watching the birds fly away- luring and observing birds was always unreliable if it worked-, Clementine crumpled the last paper bag up and stuffed it into his pocket, beginning his trek back out of the forest. Leaving the protective shade of the trees, the midday sun beat down on him, feeling as if there was a thick layer of pure heat on top of him. He pulled his hood up to protect his skin from the sun and hurried to his flat. To keep his brother in the dark means that he has to be back before he asks questions. And to avoid having to lie, Clementine was on a tight schedule.
More people were out and about now, walking, chatting with each other, and sunbathing on the grass, some even having a picnic. He thinks that he might even see some of the Staff mulling about. The campus would only become busier as the first-day approaches. Soon, even the flats will fill up with other siblings.
Compared to the dorms, the flats are for siblings (or close relatives) to live together while attending. A flat is bigger than a dorm since there lives more than one person. Even if the siblings are sorted into different groups, like in the case of Clementine and his brother. However, siblings can always request to be moved into a dorm. And cousins can ask to be moved to a flat.
As long as the students in question are relatives, the staff rarely see a reason to refuse.
He stumbled as a familiar voice called out, “Clementine, hi!”, and turned around. Coming out of the flats and smiling brightly was Phil’s sister. Long straight brown hair swayed behind her as she looked up at him with dark brown eyes, matching her smooth, golden brown skin. If he had to say what one upside to the start of the school year is, it would be seeing her again.
“Mandi!” He embraced her, squeezing her tightly before releasing her. “It’s good to see you back. I hope that your time home was okay.” He looked her over, noticing how her skin darkened by a few shades since he last saw her.”
Mandi laughed, pushing a strand behind her ear. “Good to see you too! Portugal was great as always, I wish you could’ve been there. You would’ve loved it.” She hooked her arm into his and pulled him, away from the flats. “C’mon! I wanna catch up with you.” Her ever-sharp nails dug into his skin, urging him to follow.
The saying old habits die hard came to mind as he hid his wince behind a smile. Mandi had often forgotten about her nails, but he was not one to fault her for it. She always said how easy it was to forget their length.
As Clementine let Mandi drag him, a thought from last night resurfaced.
“Wait,” he attempted to stop walking but Mandi continued to pull him. “Mandi, wait!”
Finally stopping, she turned and gave him a confused look. “What is it?”
“I just- Did you talk with your brother since arriving?” He asked, forcing a smile on his face.
She frowned. “Geeze, where is this coming from.” Letting go of his aching arm, she put her hands on her hips. “Phil wasn’t home. Like always. So I went to look for you so we could catch up.”
His smile fell, alongside his heart. “The last time I saw him, he was still in my flat with my brother.”
She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “‘Course he was.” Mandi then glared at him. “What is this even about. Are you trying to get rid of me?”
He immediately shook his head. “T-that’s not what I-”
The fierce glare melted into a sad one as she hugged herself. “I just came back and you’re already trying to avoid me…”
“I’m not-” He sighed. “ I’m sorry. I’m not trying to avoid you. I just thought… nothing.” His shoulders slumped and looked away from Mandi. “Sorry, I ruined the mood again.”
She relaxed, a soft smile gracing her lips. “I forgive you. I’m more tired from travelling than I thought, so, sorry for getting mad at you.”
He returned her smile awkwardly. “It’s okay.”
“Do you still wanna hang out?” She looked down and fidgeted with her dress. “I can understand if you don’t wanna.”
He didn’t think when he said, “No, I’m fine.”
Her face shined brightly like a star. “Great!” She pounced on him and held his arm in the same vice grip as before. Leading the way, she pursed her lips into a pout. “Besides, I don’t want my brother to ruin our day. You should’ve known better not to bring him up. “
He just nodded, letting her do all the talking.
With Amanda Barnett, no conversation was ever boring. And, overlooking her mood swings, she has always been someone Clementine could count on. Her cheerful attitude could brighten anyone’s day, especially Clementine’s. However, she has very little patience, so he was not surprised that she got so annoyed at Phil.
He will tell her later. Probably. Much later. Phil and Mandi’s relationship has been strained for some time now; it was for that reason that he bit his tongue. Telling her meant he could ask her to help him protect their brothers, but it was not his secret to share, nor did he think it was a good moment. He will just let Phil tell Mandi himself.
Until then, he will spend time with his dear friend, he thought as his stomach has yet to untwist itself.