004

Jaelen groaned as he sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes. His eyes widened as he spotted Azxel sitting in his bed calmly.

“Did you even get a night rest? Why are you sitting there like a statue?” he muttered, his voice still rough from sleep.

“I did,” Azxel said in a whisper. “A staff came earlier, banged on the door. She said when you are up and you take me to breakfast, you’ll lead me to the seamstress office to get my ...uniform. Isn't that old fashioned? Why do they put that on?”

Jaelen yawned, leaning back on his elbows. “Yeah, that’s very normal. Everyone wears the same thing here. It’s a safety school, so they use specific colour code so no one gets triggered.”

Azxel frowned a little. “Do people get triggered by colours?”

Jaelen nodded. “Some students have breakdowns over certain tones. So they just made it simple for everyone. You don't have to worry about that, you'll get used to everything here. It's just that it takes.. time.”

Jaelen pushed himself off the bed with a sigh and ran a hand through his messy hair. “I'll take a shower first and then, we'll grab breakfast before I lead you to the tailor, Is that ok?”

Azxel nodded once.

Jaelen grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom.

~~~~~

“So let's head to the cafeteria.”

Azxel followed him downstairs. Jaelen had already showered, his hair was slightly damp because he liked keeping his hair wet untill it got dry and he was wearing his normal uniform for the school. It was a weirdly checkered black and purple striped shirt and a purple lined trousers. He grabbed two trays and passed one to Azxel.

The cafeteria was a bit noisy as students murmured softly while eating. Jaelen leaned toward Azxel, he was beginning to get free with Azxel. After all Jaelen seems like a nice person.

Azxel ate silently. Jaelen filled him in briefly on the schedule they had for the day, the therapy sessions and the trainings. Azxel barely replied.

After breakfast, Jaelen led him toward the tailor’s office.

The woman office was tucked beside the art room. Inside, she sat behind a sewing machine, her glasses halfway down her nose.

“Are you the new boy the metron talked about?” she said before either of them spoke. “What's your name?”

“Azxel.”

She wrote it down and stood up approaching them. “Jaelen, Are you guys they same size?”

Jaelen shook his head. “He’s a little taller than me ma'am.”

The woman nodded and passed through them heading to the wardrobe she kept racks of uniforms. She pulled out a folded set and handed it over. “Try that on. The dressing room is over there.”

Azxel went into the small changing area and put it on. The shirt felt big and smelled new, but it fit perfectly. He stepped out, adjusting the collar.

Jaelen gave a small nod. “It looks fine and perfect on you. You’ll blend in right in now.”

Azxel looked at himself in the mirror beside the wall. The weird colour mix wasn’t something he would ever choose, but it didn’t look bad either. It just felt strange like he was wearing someone else’s life for a while.

The tailor handed him an extra set, folded neatly. “Keep it clean. Remember, laundry days are Tuesdays and Fridays.”

Jaelen thanked her, then nudged Azxel toward the door. “Come on. I’ll show you where the classrooms are and were we have our therapy sessions and brain exercises.”

Azxel followed silently, staring at the different students passing by to see if he was going to get a glimpse of the guy from last night.

“This is our therapy sessions class,” Jaelen said, pushing the door open. The room was simple, with chairs in a semi circle and a few tables along the walls. A staff member nodded at Jaelen as they entered.

Azxel stepped inside quietly, taking a seat near the back. He kept his eyes low, scanning the room for anything familiar or unusual.

“The staff here are strict and disciplined,” Jaelen whispered as he sat down beside him. “They expect participation, but don’t worry, they won't push you if you aren't ready.”

Azxel nodded, not saying anything.

After therapy, Jaelen led him down another hallway. “Next up is the brain exercises room. It’s like a gym but for memory and focus stuff. You’ll understand it.”

The room was filled with small stations like puzzles, screens, cube and the rest. Students were quietly moving from station to station but what attracted Azxel's attention was the cube.

“Just pick a station and follow the instructions,” Jaelen said. “No one bothers anyone here. It’s part of the rules.”

Azxel found an empty station and started. He concentrated on the instructions, moving pieces and following the prompts, tuning everything else out. Jaelen leaned against the wall, watching him with a smile.

When it was time to move on, Jaelen nodded. “Lunch break next. After that, we head to the classroom for the rest of the day.”

Azxel followed silently behind him. He was beginning to get used to the place.

Azxel picked at his food slowly, not really eating, just moving the spoon around as Jaelen chatted with a few students from the next table.

After a while, Jaelen turned to him. “Are you not hungry?”

“I’m fine,” Azxel simply replied.

Jaelen didn’t push it. He just nodded and went back to eating.

When they were done, they dropped off their trays and stepped into the hallway again.

“Hey,” Jaelen said, glancing at him. “You okay? You look… distracted.”

Azxel didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed down the hall where two staff members stood with a student between them. The boy’s wrists were cuffed, and yet he looked like he couldn’t care less.

He wasn’t in uniform like the others. Instead, he wore a black hoodie, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. From a distance, Azxel could tell he was smiling.

Jaelen stopped when he noticed Azxel wasn’t following. “What are you looking at —”

Before he could finish, the boy raised his head. His eyes met with Azxel.

Azxel froze, recognizing him instantly. That face and that smirk, It was definitely the same boy from last night.

The boy tilted his head slightly. He said something to one of the staff, then suddenly burst out laughing like he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

The male staff unlocked the cuffs. The moment they came off, the boy stretched his arms, rolled his wrists, and with a grin, he gave the man a heavy smack on his ass.

The woman hissed, “Enough, Sky!”

Sky.

Azxel’s mind repeated the name before he could register. He was the guy they had earned them about.

The woman looked worried. “He shouldn’t be out yet,” she muttered under her breath. “He hasn’t finished his correction program.”

The man replied flatly, “They said he’s done with rehab but obviously it doesn't help much. He broke the isolation room window again over and over and management are saying they can't keep repairing it, they pay us to correct them and so we do. I'm tired. Besides, his punishment is over.”

Azxel stood walked in closer, listening to them. Sky turned slightly, his eyes scanning the hallway until they locked with Azxel’s again. His lips curved into that same twisted smile, like he knew exactly what was going through Azxel’s head.

Then, without breaking eye contact, he mouthed a word. Azxel didn’t catch it, it was too quick but the meaning crawled into his thoughts anyway.

Jaelen tugged at his sleeve. “Azxel! Come on. Don’t stare at him for too long, you'll get hypnotized.”

Azxel blinked and turned back. “Is he the one?”

Jaelen frowned but still nodded.