They left the dining hall a short while later and were met by Ms. Glynnis in the main hall. She had a thick folder and a handful of keys.
“James.” She handed him a sheet of paper and then a silver key on a large brass ring. “This is your schedule for the rest of your stay here. Your days do not vary; this schedule pertains to every day from this until you leave, at the discretion of your sponsor.” She paused and looked at the front of the folder for a moment before returning her gaze to him. “You have no sponsor, I see, which is a bit of a problem for me, as I am not sure who will be meeting you for Conversion Training, but that is not for me to decide. Avery and Reid will have that settled.” Jay took what she said in stride, ignorant of several of the things she mentioned.
“The key is for a box you will find at the bottom of your armoire. You will be required to access this box daily and you will read and then sign the contract stating that you are here on your own free will. If you don’t sign each day, you don’t get access to food, education, or clothing. Sign it and replace it back in the box.” She met each of their eyes quickly and nodded once at Jay. “You will also use this box as a locker for any books you take away from the Library Study. You may take one at a time and when you are done with it, return it to the Library Study.”
She turned to the twins and looked down at her folder again. She handed them sheets of paper and keys, gave them a similar speech and moved on to Indie. Here, she paused.
“You’re Second.” Indie merely stared at her, clearly unsure of what she wanted him to say. “Your bond feels mutual, but they have you down as second. It’s not mutual?” Indie merely shook his head and shrugged. Ms. Glynnis returned the gesture and handed him his schedule and key. “Another matter for Reid to sort, I suppose.”
When she reached the youngest, she stopped and stared at him for so long that all five brothers started to fidget awkwardly. The entire time, the boy’s face kept changing expressions, as though he was answering unspoken questions. It dawned on Jay that he probably was, literally, answering Ms. Glynnis in an unspoken manner. He watched with interest as she nodded almost imperceptibly and then handed him a schedule. He thought he could feel a slight, gentle tug at his mind while they spoke in silence, but he wasn’t sure.
“You are clearly being sponsored by several members of the Council, but none of them have signed individually. You will not receive a key or a permanent schedule until you have been squared away better. This way, please.” She rounded crisply on her heels and led them into a room opposite the main hall from the dining room.
The double mahogany doors had a golden plaque that read “STUDY 1”, Jay noticed as the doors were unlocked and pushed open. The smell of old paper and leather hit him, and he groaned. He had always wanted to be in a place just like this. Dark leather chairs and heavy wooden tables were crammed into a masculine room lined floor to ceiling with shelves full of books. Near the window, two narrow, dark red brocade sofas faced each other, their ends capped with small round end tables. Facing the door was a large table with room for six leather trimmed chairs around it. Two smaller tables were around the larger one and a single square chair decked in shining leather and studded with gold boasted its own round side table, which held a tiny globe of the Earth.
“This is where you will do a lot of your work. But you will first have a briefing in Study Two.” She led them out and let the doors swing shut behind them. Jay heard the locks click and wondered when he would get a chance to go back into that magnificent room.
“Study Two is a lecture hall.” Ms. Glynnis said as she unlocked the doors. A similar smell wafted to Jay, that of leathery old furniture and the stale and distinct odor of old books. The room was indeed a lecture hall. It was lined down the middle with two rows of tables all facing the opposite wall to the door. On the first row of tables was a sheet of thick parchment-like paper and a gilded pen set neatly at each seat. Two huge, dark, glass-fronted cabinets book-ended a long desk at the front of the room. Behind the desk was a long, black chalkboard. Books lined the walls, just as in the previous room.
“Incredible,” Jay said reverentially.
“Yes, they said you were a bibliophile. None of the rest of you read?” Ms. Glynnis asked.
“I mean, we can read,” Toe bristled.
“We choose not to,” Two finished.
“That’s a relief, then. What about the Prime?” She turned to the littlest brother and waited for his answer.
“Me? Call me Rat, please, ma’am.” He looked uncomfortable, Jay noted.
“No. Your name is Alexander, but I prefer not to use it,” Ms. Glynnis replied, and the small boy blinked in surprise.
“In any case, ma’am, I can’t read hardly at all, but I’m learnin’ a little at school.” He shifted from foot to foot and wrung his hands.
“You will be taught many things before you leave the Initiative. Reading is fundamental to all aspects of your Conversion. I’m not even sure how you’re expected to sign your contract if you can’t read it yourself.” She turned away from him abruptly and headed to the front of the room. She gestured vaguely to the rows of tables. “Please take a seat in the front row. Again, you are all that is expected.”
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The brothers sat down in order of age, unintentionally, with Jay nearest the door. They squirmed uncomfortably in their hard, wooden chairs. The lights in the room were stark, not romantic like the other rooms, and Jay knew it was to keep sleep at bay during long sessions of learning. He had looked forward to similar setups when he went off to college.
Ms. Glynnis left the folder on the long desk at the front of the room and turned to the chalkboard. She picked up a silver chalk holder with a nub of white sticking out the end and wrote in a delicate scrawl.
“Lux Initiative: The Bonded Five, Day One.” She underlined it carefully and put the date underneath. Then she dusted her hands off and left the room, without another word.
The brothers sat in silence for a few minutes before Jay could hold it in no longer.
“Ain’t this amazing?” He looked down the long table at the rest and grinned like a fool. The only brother who met his eyes with any sort of excitement akin to his own was the littlest.
“I wish I knew what she were askin’ me when she said things like ‘prime’ and ‘bond’,” lamented the small boy. “I feel so dumb.”
“We’re going to find out today so don’t worry,” Indie reassured him. He looked up the table to Jay. “You think we’ll be split up?” The elder brother sighed in annoyance.
“Why does that matter? We’re all here together. If they want me and you off in a room doin’ somethin’ while Rat does another, what the fuck do I care?” Indie’s eyes were huge and looking past him. Jay turned around to find a very stern, fuming man staring down his wide nose at him.
“Your language is unacceptable, and you will receive one warning before I reprimand you,” came a quiet, angry voice. “This is your one warning.” His hand whipped out and slapped Jay across the cheek. First shock, then rage built up inside him and he stood to defend himself. The last time he had been slapped by a stranger, he had nearly been arrested for beating the man half to death.
“Sit down, James. Your anger is what got you here, but it is also what will get you into trouble. Avery wanted you but I don’t have any sentiments one way or another. I’m not kind but I am fair. Learn the rules, stick to them, and you won’t be in any trouble.” The man strode toward the front of the room and picked up the chalk. He wrote his name on the board under the date that Ms. Glynnis had scrawled, then turned to face the stunned, mute group of brothers. Jay sat with an audible plop into his wooden chair. He was stunned into silence.
“I am Mr. Reid, Co-Administrator of The Lux Initiative, which was founded by Avery and the rest of the Council to assist mundane humans with the Conversion into Nightbound. While that probably doesn’t mean much to you now, please do note that this is a prestigious and very old establishment, the very roots of which date back to England around 1560.” Jay could barely take in anything that the man said with his cheek still stinging from the abuse he had unjustly received. Memories of his father and mother slapping him for coming home late, for talking back, for not washing the dishes ran across his mind. He didn’t leave his home behind, where he was treated simultaneously like a child and a meal ticket, to be treated like an animal to be trained with whips.
“Every person here has some degree of arcane talent, which is why you are here. My notes say that you are a bonded set. This means that somehow, you all share a common pool of power and are connected by blood. In this case, you’re brothers. Not all bonded groups are siblings, however, as the bond can be forged.” Jay could not focus. The things the man said were meaningless as his anger at his mistreatment fomented into a bubbling rage. He thought of hopping over the table and decking the man and striding out of the building, never looking back. Mr. Reid paused and locked eyes with Jay.
“I am also gifted with a great deal of talent, James, and your vitriolic thoughts are unhidden currently. You will first learn to silence your mind, then temper your anger. Your sponsor is Avery, which means during the day I am your sponsor. A sponsor means I have control over your rewards…” He made a note in the folder on the desk in front of him then looked up again. “And your punishments.” Mr. Reid looked up to the twins and back to the folder.
“Joseph and Benjamin.” He frowned. “Avery again.” Another note was scribbled into the folder. “Indiana, Avery.” Again, he took note and then looked up a final time.
“You’re a special case, Alexander. You are suspected to be the Prime in the bond you share with your brothers. That means that you’re the reason you’re bound together and need to be treated very…delicately. We assume that your natural talent for the arcane has allowed you to tap into the well that you share with your siblings. Why they have yet to access this font is my job to find out.” Mr. Reid looked at the boy for a period, and Jay recognized the silent exchange this time.
“Sometimes,” the boy said aloud. “But I think I’ve gotten a lot better in the last few days.” Mr. Reid nodded. They conversed in silence again and the boy nodded this time and then stopped him.
“No, I slept with Indie so I don’t know.” Mr. Reid clucked his tongue and then blinked a few times. The boy blushed and squirmed.
“I’m only five, sir. I ain’t never…no.” Mr. Reid gave him a cold but understanding smile.
“Some boys are different.”
“What my brothers think and what I think are different. I feel…” The boy glanced down at Jay. “I feel weird when they think like that.” Jay wondered what the boy could be talking with Mr. Reid about and wished he could be privy to their conversation. Annoyance with a good streak of anger washed over him.
“Alright, you’re not being pressured into admitting anything. I’m merely getting a feel for your mind and how it works, what might be fitting for a reward or punishment, that’s all.” Mr. Reid continued to stare at the boy. Finally, Jay’s littlest brother broke eye contact, blushing.
Mr. Reid cleared his throat and moved on. “You’re being sponsored by the entire Council, which is an unprecedented occurrence. They all cannot possibly guide you so they will vote on an appointed sponsor. I will take your brothers separately and give them their briefing while I ask that you wait in Study One, next door.” He pointed to the door and waited for the boy to get up. “Now, please.”
“Yes, sir.” The boy stood and made his way to the double door, only stopping long enough to shoot a glance at Indie before disappearing behind the twin slabs of mahogany.