The Order of Halos



Dead fire burns





I. The new kid

The black and white tiles seemingly continued forever beneath my feet. Except for the cracks, nothing changed. This place scared me, it was eerie. Grey walls so old the brick wall beneath showed at some points, or there were massive cracks running through them. The storm outside wasno t helping either. The rain bashed against the windows as if it wanted to break them, and the glass looked like it wouldno t withstand it for much longer. Aside from the occasional thunder and the sound of the rain and wind torturing the building, everything was strangely silent. I looked at my watch, and saw it was only ten in the evening. Not that late right? Then why wereno t there any people in the corridors and halls? The only living being I saw was the maid who would bring me to my room. Sometimes a door slammed shut in the distance, or I heard quick footsteps, but I never saw anyone else. Somehow this whole embedded panic in my mind, it was all just too strange for me to comprehend. Maybe it was because of everything that had happened the last few months. Tomorrow, tomorrow I wouldno t be this tired, tomorrow my feet wereno t dragged and my suitcase wouldno t be as heavy. It wasno t as if my suitcase was that stuffed; there were only two sets of clothes in it. Maybe the emptiness made it heavy, heavy of loss. Knowing that all I once had was reduced to those two sets of clothes. I had to regain everything with nothing, and I had no idea where to start, and even less of an idea how I would continue like this. I felt like breaking, breaking under the weight of nothing.
o For the time being, you have been put in this group. The members have been informed, they should be able to help you further, if you have any questions.o The maid gestured at the door. If I have any questions? I had thousands of questions, but I was sure the answers wouldno t come from the maid. She walked away after that sentence. Unsure what to do, I stared at the door. Strangely enough it looked perfect, as if it had been placed there this morning. The small golden plate nailed to it had the number 88 engraved in it. When I lifted my hand to turn the doorknob, I saw I was shaking. Maybe shivering too, everything felt cold. The kind of cold that grabs your heart and taunts it, until you find yourself thinking warmth will never return to your body. A deep breath had to get my confidence back. However, my confidence wasno t anywhere near this place, and therefore it couldno t be regained just by taking a deep breath. So I just tried to ignore the fear, and enter the room. I didno t feel like talking to anyone, more like sleeping and never waking up.
When I opened the door, a wave of light, sound and warmth nearly knocked me of my feet. Within the room a heavy debate was held, and I had no idea what it was about. It sounded like they were arguing about a fantasy videogame, and ito s not as if I have anything against videogames, ito s just that I dono t like it when people are yelling, or even talking loud. A bit shocked I stood in the doorway, not being noticed by anyone. All of a sudden a book flew to the other side of the room, and before I was really aware of it all kinds of items were thrown from one side to another. I was thunderstruck, and felt like running away from all the noise and things being turned into projectiles. Yet, I couldno t move, my legs refused to. I just stood there and stared at the books flying from left to right and vice versa. Ripped sheets of paper laid everywhere. Then I noticed something moving at me with a high velocity. Just in time I managed to duck and avoid getting hit by a book taking flying lessons. It was only then the people in the room noticed me. They just stared at me, both shocked and ashamed. Also, there was a bit of suspicion in their eyes.
o Who are you?o A girl asked, on a very cautious but also dangerous tone. Who am I? Hadno t the maid just said that they had been informed?
o Io ¦ Io ¦ My name is Vince.o I stuttered, completely staggered by her reaction and also a bit scared because of the gaze she gave me. As if I was some strange intruder.
o I didno t ask your name, I asked who you are.o The girl looked as if she was going to attack me, her eyes were also really strange, they were brightly purple. I just stared at the people in the room, confused, scared and without the slightest idea what to do.
o I am the new so ¦student.o I tried hard not to stutter, but the eyes of the girl pierced right through me. It was as if she would kill me if I only thought the wrong things.
o If youo re a new student, then why areno t we informed about you?o Not informed? But the maid had just said they were. What would happen if they threw me out? I had no idea where I could find anyone, the building was really big and the only one that I possibly could get help from had just walked away to somewhere unknown. Would I have to sleep on the floor if I couldno t find anyone? I had no idea what to say, and even if I had, I felt so uneasy it wouldno t be more than stuttering and thin air. A part of me felt like crying; I was in a strange place, far from home and I knew nobody. All I wanted to do was go home and forget everything.
o Actually, Pur,- o The boy standing next to her tried to say something, but as soon as he did the girl looked at him the same way she had been looking at me. For a moment the boy startled, even though he seemed to be a lot stronger than her. o We got a letter about a week ago that there would be a new student soon.o This time the girl seemed startled, but only for a split second. She still seemed angry, but it wasno t directed towards me anymore.
o Why doesno t anyone tell me anything?!o It was half a yell, half a complaint. She didno t wait for anyone to answer, but just walked over to a door at one side of the room. I figured that would be her bedroom.

The situation got kind of awkward after that. I got really scared, and normally Io m already a timid person. The others seemed to be a bit ashamed by what just had happened too.
o Sorry for that, Purple just doesno t trust people easy.o The boy who had spoken before said. Her name was strange, and it made me wonder if it was her real name. It could very well be a nickname, because of those purple eyes.
o It was just a misunderstanding.o I tried to laugh it off, even though I didno t feel comfortable at all. It probably was just a misunderstanding, but that murderous look in her eyes seemed to come right out of a horror movie and it wouldno t let go of me for the whole night.
The boy who had spoken in favour of me, was called Shane. He had short blonde hair, green eyes and was build rather sturdy. Somehow I already thought of him as reliable and loyal, only by the way he behaved. The other two people were a boy and a girl, named Dylan and Delilah, also, they were twins. The only way they differed was in gender. They had black hair and brown eyes, wore glasses and were slightly tanned. Also, they didno t look like they would participate in any dangerous activity, but rather sit aside and read a book. Maybe under different circumstances I wouldo ve talked to them for a while, but right now all I wanted to do was lie down and sleep. Even without Purple threatening me, I had been travelling the whole day. First I had taken a flight from Los Angeles to Montreal, then I took the train to the nearest station, and from there on it had been a one hour drive to the school. Why, from all places, I had to be transferred some 8.000 kilometres all the way to Canada was the biggest mystery of them all.



When I first got here, I had really expected to get a one by one room with the most rickety, cheap furniture possible. Reality was a bit different, and the room wouldno t suit a four star hotel bad. One wall was covered with bookcases and a wardrobe. There wereno t any books in the bookcases, but when I opened the wardrobe I did see there were three clean, folded uniforms in them. The room had two windows, and I figured I got a room somewhere in a corner of the building. The first window was straight in front of the door, and beneath it stood a bureau, complete with a stack of paper and a set of pens. There also was a pot with a single flower in it, unlike any flower I had seen. It appeared to have a tropical origin, to be made of gold and the petals were sharp and pointed like blades. The second window was on the right side of the room, and my bed also stood there. On the bed laid an envelop, without an address, only my name.