Who Are These People?

Aria

There is a group of students at the table adjacent to where I am sitting. They are five in total. Three boys and two girls. It is easy to see that the two pairs are couples and the way they are close is almost adorable. The guy without a partner keeps staring at me.

Then I choke on the next thing he says.

"But she is human guys!"

The moment he says that I choke on my soda and he clamps his mouth. Without a second thought, he comes to me and offers me a bottle of water. I take it and mumble a small thank you. Just like that, the whole group shifts to where I am sitting.

The pretty girl with auburn hair is the first to break the silence.

"Hello dear, my name is Stacey, and this is my boyfriend James. That there is my best friend Millie and her boyfriend Gabe. And this gentle giant who just gave you water is our good friend Ben. Do you mind if we sit with you?"

I think I like this girl, she has quite a radiant smile. So I nod and welcome them.

"Nice meeting you guys. I am Aria Crescent De Andrade. You can join me if you so desire."

I try not to sound over-excited because that is how I feel. Ever since I remember, no one ever offered to befriend me. I guess a new place has its advantages. The crew makes themselves comfortable and I am glad there is no awkwardness at all.

It does not take me long to note that Stacey is the talkative one of the lot. She makes it a point to fill me in on the affairs of the school. Through her, I get to know that they do at least, two sessions of physical training per week. It sounds as if this school is keen on keeping everyone fit.

"Why do you guys have to have that sort of activity twice a week?"

I inquire, just so that I gather more information. At the same time, I try not to let my excitement show. This time, Ben takes over and explains. I take it, he loves these sessions from how he explains with a smile.

"Well, Aria is it?"

I nod in affirmation and he continues talking.

"You see, our school is surrounded by the forest and that is a danger on its own. So the board of directors of the school, saw it fit for us to be able to fight. We learn mostly defensive skills and a bit of offensive here and there. Maybe you do not know, but almost everyone in this school comes from a considerably rich family. So I could say, we are not safe if we don't know how to protect ourselves."

I just stare at Ben incredulously. This guy is crazy! I lose to the laughter I have been holding in and burst out laughing. Everyone else, including the same Ben, joins in. I can feel that we are going to be good friends for a very long time.

"For real Aria. We are targeted by some very deranged people. You never know when they will strike. We like to secretly call them hunters."

Stacey explains but all I get is more confusion. So, I voice out my opinion.

"So you guys are saying there is a possibility of an invasion at this school? This is a big school and you are all rich. Then you should never have a shortage of security."

Then Stacey's boyfriend James, chips in with a solemn expression on his face.

"Come on guys, no need to scare our new friend. The reason we have to learn to fight has nothing to do with their wild and far-fetched reasons, Aria. Alph-, I mean, Mr. Reynolds thought that it is good to be able to protect ourselves.

There is no threat of a kidnapper's invasion or anything these two said. You are from the other side of the world and you know how many young people are targeted by human traffickers. So this is mandatory for us to be able to stand up for ourselves in case of danger. There is no need to fear. Even if we are surrounded by the forest, there is no threat lurking in those woods, Aria. Rest assured."

What James says makes a lot of sense to me. I also have done all martial arts I had access to, just to protect my mum and me. Not because I anticipated an ambush.

"Thank you guys for welcoming me. I also know a bit about martial arts. I look forward to learning more. All of you guys look quite fit. I must say this is the first school I have seen almost every student looking as fit as fiddles."

"Well, you are in luck because training is today. Let us go change. If you did not bring any gym wear, I can give you mine. We are about the same built."

The quiet and reserved Millie offers, all this while snuggling in her boyfriend's embrace. I secretly admire their closeness but I don't think I will ever be able to accommodate a guy in my heart.

"Thank you, Millie but I carried mine."

I decline her offer with a smile and the six of us head out of the cafeteria.

After we change our clothes, we head for the open fields. That is queer because I thought we would be doing that in the gymnasium. The students are split into three groups according to their age.

Thirteen and fourteen years olds fight against each other. Then Fifteen and sixteen years groups and my group which is the seventeen and eighteen years group. It does make things a lot easier. However, my smile is wiped off when I see who our trainer is. It is none other than the principal himself.

"Settle down guys. Now, I understand that we have a new student in our midst. Miss De Andrade, I suggest you take a seat and watch for today."

Weird. Why is the principal talking as if he is just getting to know about my existence? Come to think of it, there are a lot of things I find odd at this school. There is a way they address each other that they do not want me to know. I intend to find out but I will be patient.

There have been a lot of slip-ups and quick cover-ups since morning. The principal introduced himself to Henna and me as Alp then he cut it off. Redhead also said the same thing and covered up. Who exactly are these people? Are they some sort of a cult? And why is Mr. Reynolds pretending not to have met me?

"Principal Reynolds, I will only watch the first two rounds. It is enough for me to know the routine. In the third round, you have to let me fight. I cannot sit out the whole session. I could not do it even if it's to save my life."

I all but mumble the last statement not wanting him to hear it. But guess what, he hears me and guffaws while clutching his belly.

"I must say, you are quite the interesting one Miss De Andrade. So you love fighting so much that you cannot sit still even if your life is at stake?"

I whip my head towards him. I know I spoke to him walking away and the last statement was just a mumble. How did he hear me?

"Oh I heard you, Miss, and I assure you everyone here heard you as well. You were not as discreet as you thought. Anyway, I am Warr, ( cough, cough) I am Levi Reynolds. Alp(cough cough), Acting principal Reynolds's twin brother. That is why we had not met. I hope that clears your confusion."

No wonder I was wondering why he looked a tad bit bigger than I recall. So these two are twins huh? I decide to ignore the awkward cover-up cough. He was about to say something that I am not meant to know. I have plenty of time to figure it out.

The most important thing that has made my keenness grow is what Ben said in the cafeteria. What did he mean by that statement; "but she is human? Are they not human? Is this alien territory? Crazy! They are perfectly human. The only plausible explanation is that they are all members of some secret cult.

On second thought, I don't think I want to be mixed up in their cult. I am here for school and whatever benefits come along with that. Therefore, I make a mental note to let them be. I will not pry and whatever I learn, I will let it be.

The first fight is between two girls, whose names I did not catch because I was deep in my thoughts. It is an interesting one indeed. They both do not hold back and fight like true enemies. It takes about five minutes before the dark-haired chick with eccentric-looking eyes emerges as the winner.

Next, is Ben against another equally sturdy guy with blonde hair. He looks mean and I feel that there must be scores to settle between the two of them. The way they keep circling each other is almost animalistic. I swear I see a pure animalistic snarl on the blonde's face. But what Mr. Reynolds says next, deepens my confusion.

"Sawyer! I said no shifting! Behave yourself pup or you will get it from me!"

Do I even understand what Levi means? No. Absolute confusion is all I get. What does he mean by that? And why would he call such a big boy a pup? It makes no sense to me. Maybe that is his way of showing them how much lesser fighters they are. If he thinks I am a weakling, he has a shock coming his way.

Ben and the Sawyer guy start their round. It is intense and I can almost feel the waves of hate oozing out of the Sawyer dude. It takes me a little while before I connect the dots. He must be Redhead's brother. The resemblance is uncanny. Maybe they are twins but that is less likely. Maybe Reddy is his younger sister.

Genius! I am a genius. The guy must have seen or heard what happened in the hallway. So that is why he is angry with Ben. He is mad because Ben and his crew befriended me, the girl who got his sister in trouble.

I lift my head in time to see Sawyer being held in a chokehold by Ben. He looks as if he is about to pass out. Ben lets him go and like the coward he is, he attacks from the back. I do not know what gets into me, but I suddenly spring up and dash forward.

Everything happens in slow motion. Reddy's brother suddenly looks hairier than before and almost wild, like a rabid dog. As he springs up about to lunge on Ben, I hit him on the back of the head with my elbow and he crumbles down. I knocked him out but I know he is not dead.

Before I get a chance to look at him, James and Gabe throw their jackets on him and carry him away. Mr. Reynolds turns to me his expression stern.

"Thank you, Miss De Andrade. That boy is always so aggressive and impulsive. We might have had a more devastating outcome had you not come through."