Thud.
"Ouch…" A soft groan escaped the young man's mouth, a reflexive reaction more than the sensation of any pain.
Amidst the woods bathed by the intense moonlight, a young man could be seen prowled on the dirt. His face resting on the grass.
"Let's get up…" John muttered, quickly acting to see himself out of his situation.
Pushing himself with his hands against the ground, the boy soon found himself standing up once again, now dusting himself off whilst taking a look at the sky.
Hung in the zenith of the sky was a moon almost completely bright, its light bathing the world with intensity as no clouds impeded its path.
Lowering his head, the young man put his arms forward, looking at his hands. He moved them slowly, with no apparent pattern. And instead of looking constantly at them, his eyes wandered around them.
"That is interesting…" He muttered, subtle glimpses of interest sparkling in his eyes.
Putting down his arms, John looked around himself. Finally noticing the environment he found himself in, as well as the sounds that reached his ears gradually increasing.
"Must be pretty late if the moon is set this high." He thought loudly, scratching the top of his head. "So, where should I go?" He asked himself, not knowing where to go.
But as if the world listened to his will, at that exact moment, the boy listened to an approaching sound.
…Vroom…
And as quickly as it closed near to his location, the sound scattered in the distance.
But having listened to it, the young man knew that was enough to know what path he should take.
Taking a few dozen steps out of the woods, John was welcomed by the sight of a dark road when passing through a full bush. The moon attempted its best to illuminate the paved road through the crowns of the trees surrounding it by the sides.
By the side of the road, the young man turned his head to the side. "That was easier than I expected." John muttered, taking a look at the road sign by his side. "I guess I have to thank me." A quiet laugh escaped the boy's lips, his focus on the sign.
"1.2 Miles following this direction. Okay." John muttered, turning his body to face the other direction of the road. "And half a mile to reach the town. Hm… For now, let's first head to the school."
Taking a step away from the guide sign, John bent up his knees, jumping up in the air.
And there he remained, hovering in the air, defying the gravity's will of pushing himself down. He was flying.
"I will never get tired of it."
…
Under the shaking shadows of the leaves, a young man crossed the distances. His figure hovering above the grass and bushes growing alongside the road.
Along the way he traversed, John opened his arms outwards. His palms opened, and he felt the wind slipping by the distance between his fingers alongside the cold breeze fluttering his hair
The young man hummed a tune while flying, indulging in the moment.
As John traversed more of the road, the number of trees alongside it thinned in numbers. More moonlight reached down to the ground, illuminating the space.
With the road becoming clearer and apparent, the young man noticed the same could be applied for his destination. In the distance, he spotted what he searched for.
There it is. He took a turn to the left. The maneuver permitted John to gaze at the entrance of his destination frontward.
The young man lifted his sight slightly, trying to take the entire building into sight. Much bigger than what I remember it to be in the TV series. John murmured internally, a little bit of interest – different from the interest he was already experiencing since the beginning – forming in his eyes.
As he still found himself a few hundred meters away from the entrance, John changed his direction. He took to the skies, losing some speed due to the sharp curve he took upwards.
A few dozen meters into the air, the boy now looked upon the building from above.
This is impressive… John thought, mildly astonished by the sight in front of him. It should be what? As big as three, maybe four soccer fields? He wondered in curiosity, taking a few mental measurements.
However, the boy didn't delay on that too much. As much as he could appreciate the school building now, he was more interested in what he could find inside.
Flying downwards, the boy approached the road again, flying towards the school's gates. Gates wide enough to have two box trucks passing through it at the same time, and still have enough space for a normal person to go along with.
Connected to the edge of the gates were adorned stone walls, stretching for hundreds of meters to both sides. They stopped before hitting the forest, which surrounded the school, before continuing extending to the back, enclosing the area.
As he approached the school gates, John lowered even more the height he was flying. In no time, his feet hit the gravely ground, sliding over it for a few steps before he completely halted a few steps in front of the gate.
Almost. John thought, looking at the space in front of him.
After his landing, the boy didn't immediately move. He stood there, watching with interest something he was sure no normal person could see.
Having his interest piqued, John raised his right hand in front of him and stretched out his index finger.
He observed with curiosity as ripples formed around his finger. Said ripples traveling across a structure not seen by normal eyes, a dome that covered the entire school.
In a few moments, the boy observed as the ripples lost strength, and disappeared completely.
"Interesting." John muttered in slight satisfaction, continuing his observation of the school.
He stepped closer to the gates, and observed through the spaces of a few inches wide between every metal bar. By the number of spaces, it was enough to give bypassers a glimpse at the entrance of this magnanimous school.
There was a certain distance between the school gates and the entrance to the school building. Half-way through the distance, there was a fountain of water.
Two marble statues of female angels were erected, their wings recoiling on their backs. Water poured out from hornets they blew, cascading in opposite directions, falling down to the pond surrounding both statues.
From the gates, the paved road leading to the school continued. It circled around the fountain, stopping before the entrance, at this moment illuminated by a warmly welcoming light from the porch light hung over the double door.
I want to get closer. John thought, looking up at the gate's height. I can try.
The young man bent his knees once again, and pushed the sole of his feet against the ground.
Whoosh.
In an instant, the young man found himself three meters into the air, his feet just right above the gates.
Thud. He landed on the other side, almost falling forward due to the unbalance he suffered.
"Wow." Using his hands, the boy successfully regained his equilibrium, slowly raising to his feet.
Taking a look over his shoulder, John looked at the gates. A smile bloomed on his face. "This was cool as fuck" He muttered, looking forward and starting to walk.
Through quick and swift steps, the young man circled around the fountain. He looked to his surroundings, where he noticed a dozen or so cars parked around.
A Jaguar, cool. He glimpsed a rather luxurious car among the bunch, but didn't focus much on it.
Arriving at the entrance, John stepped up the small stone staircase before him, getting him to stand right before the door. The porch light weakly illuminated his figure.
Holding the silver knob, John twisted it and tried to push it open. But obviously, he failed.
Worth the attempt. He thought, releasing the knob.
However, the young man didn't get disappointed by it. Instead, a small smile formed on his lips.
Putting his hands together, John rubbed one against the other, taking deep breaths through the action. "Okay, okay. Let's do it."
While John's left hand retreated to his side, his right hand remained in the air. His fingers were stretched, while his wrist twisted.
Click(s)!
Hearing the sound of the lock opening, John's eyes glowed. "Holy shit, it worked!" A low cheer of joy escaped the boy's lips.
Holding onto the knob once again, John grinned when the door opened this time. "Slowly." He muttered, stepping into the building.
When inside, John closed the door behind him. Doing his best for not a single sound to escape from him.
Right after the door, a long wide corridor stretched, with a floor tiled in dark wood and lamps stuck on the walls – but none were lit up.
Taking a step into the darkness corridor, John was debating with himself if he should fly a few centimeters in the air to ensure he wouldn't make any noise. But then, he noticed something that caught his curiosity.
Class of 2019? He murmured internally, taking a step closer to the portrait attached on the wall.
On the portrait, John noticed there were few individuals present in it. Half a dozen only. But all of them were smiling, with a few having tears on the corner of their eyes.
Detaching his sight from the portrait, John's eyes hovered over the long wall, ignoring the darkness. Noticing there wasn't only one portrait, but many. And on both walls.
This was never shown in the show. John thought, walking deeper into the corridor. He gazed upon the portraits, noticing the differences.
At the end of the corridor, John noticed there wasn't a portrait to his left, only one to his right.
Class of 2029. The boy studied the picture, comparing it to the first one in the corridor.
In this last one, forty individuals were organized in what appeared to be some kind of garden. They were organized in two, the backline with all the males and the front line with all the female students. They all smiled broadly at the camera.
Then I guess this space here will be the portrait of this year's class. John thought, looking at the left wall of the hallway, at the last vacant space of the wall. So we are in 2030? I guess at the same time I traveled to another world, I traveled to the future. The boy grinned widely at the thought, resuming his walk.
A few more steps ahead and now John stood by a wider, bigger area.
Whistle… Mentally, the boy expressed his amazement about the room he walked in. He studied the place with curiosity.
Looking up, the boy's stare hovered over the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the crystals and metals adorning the objects giving an elegant touch to the architecture.
There were round tables of wood with chairs put around them on every corner of the room. Upholstered chairs and couches for anyone present to sit down and have a moment of comfort.
Shelves were placed nearby walls, with objects of decorative purpose and books placed on them, with portraits and frames painted by painters unknown to the boy also attached to the walls.
And by the end of the room, facing the entrance of the building, was a fireplace. Two armchairs were placed nearby it, distant enough to permit anyone to bathe in a harmless warmth coming from the fire.
Walking around the room, John had strange sentiments going through his mind. For despite it being his first time in this place, a nostalgic wave crashed his mind.
I think reality is finally hitting on me. John thought, walking around the room. He was appreciating every corner and detail of this place. From the furniture to the beautifully well-done wood work.
Hm? As he roamed around, John stopped by the entrance to another room. A certain feeling hitting him.
Stepping forward, standing beneath the open archway leading to this room, John looked ahead and his eyes widened at the sight.
What a huge library. He thought, impressed by what was in his sight.
Dozens of shelves, all filled with books. Some worn out by time and the numerous hands that once held them. Others, freshly taken out of the plastic, a refreshing smell coming from them, just waiting for a mind wishing to discover new things or have a new adventure to pick it up.
At the center of the room, there was a space reserved for studying. It was accessible by a small staircase going down, separated by a fence made of wood beautifully carved with half a dozen tables on it.
Spread around the library were boxes of reinforced glass, with a variety of items and objects placed inside them.
I gotta take a look at these books. John thought, his eyes focused on a few books placed on certain bookshelves.
From these books, he could see them – wisps of Magic.
Twitch.
However, when the boy was about to step further into tbe library, his ear twitched ever so slightly.
Echos reached his hears, his mind recognizing tbe sound of approaching footsteps.
And what terrified him of these steps were they seemed to come his way.
Shit! Was the first thing John thought, panicking a little when he listened to the steps getting closer. What do I do? What do I do?!
Unfortunately, the young man didn't have much time to think over it, noticing something else. At the distance, he could see lights turning on.
I am done. He looked around the library, trying to find some way of hiding himself from whoever approached.
Then, when he looked up, he noticed how high the roof of the library was.
All the while, he listened to the footsteps getting closer. They are right about to get to the previous room.
He looked up. No, not high enough to stay hidden from someone's sight. John dismissed the idea from his mind. But then he looked at the archway of the entrance to the library and mentally nodded. That will do.
With a slight push out of the floor, John swiftly but quietly flew to the top of the entrance of the room, the perfect place he thought of hiding at the moment.
Just in time. He thought when noticing the three pairs of of steps reaching the Main Hall. One second more and they would have seen me.
When they get into the library, I sneak out of here through the entrance. John thought, calmly waiting for his opportunity while listening to the approaching group.
Just a little more and-! When he expected for the group to take a few more steps his way, enough to pass through the archway, a weak chill run down the young man's back when he listened to all three halting in their steps.
And there they stayed, for a few good seconds. A strange, very discomforting silence taking back the surroundings during this time.
That is, until a hoarse, aged voice traveled from the room, "Get out of there, boy. We know you are in there."
Listening to the voice, John's body totally petrified. He didn't have the courage to move a single muscle.
Only after a second of the voice echoing that John noticed something in it. It is… strangely familiar. He thought, ideas coming to his mind.
"We know you are hiding above the doorway." A new voice joined in. It was rough, but clear it came from someone younger than the previous person. "Get down nice and slowly and we don't need to act unwise."
How did they spot me? John thought, looking around the room. He tried to find anything that could have alerted them of his presence. Maybe it was the barrier arou- Mid-thought, the boy noticed something, expression immediately souring. It could be the cameras I didn't pay much attention to with the magic around.
On one corner of the library, at the top of the intersection between walls, camouflaged amidst the dark texture of the ceiling's architecture, John spotted it.
Seeing it, the boy couldn't help but let out a sigh. There must be a few at the entrance, obviously. I can thank my excitement for not noticing them and the magical energy everywhere clouding the electrical currents. Well, not like that would stop me from breaking in now that I think about it. John thought, letting gravity do its job.
Whilst falling, John spun his body, so he was facing all three figures when he landed on the floor.
They were all men, as expected by the boy when he listened to heavy footsteps. Of the three, one was relatively young and the two others seemed to be in the late middle-age.
"Hello…" John waved at them, forcing a smile.
"Good evening, young man." The seemingly oldest of the three spoke. He was a man of greasily hair and beard, but still having a few threads of golden brown amidst the gray and white. "May I request from you the reason for invading my school?"
Shit, what do I answer? "Ugh… it glowed?" John blurted out, expecting his answer would get him somewhere.
And surprisingly to him, all three had a small reaction to his words.
"Glowed, you say?" The leading man asked again.
"Yeah. I was passing by and saw it. Some kind of light forming a dome around the area…" John added, trying to make his lie more wholly to make it believable. "A little similar to what is coursing through their bodies." He pointed with his eyes to the two men by Alaric's side.
If before, the trio's reaction was mild at best, their expressions now had changed dramatically. For what they heard was certainly a surprise.
This is interesting. "See, you say." Said the eldest man.
John nodded. "Yeah."
"Ah, I see." At the confirmation, a certain light passed by the man's eyes, and he nodded in understanding. "May I ask your name?"
"It's John."
"Alaric Saltzman." The man presented himself. "Well, John, I guess it's your lucky day. I won't be pressing changes against you for invading my property." He said, calmly.
Not that it would matter to me. "The catch is…"
"Well, my friend, I think we both know the other knows a little more about the world than normal people do, right?" Alaric said, putting his hand over his mouth to hold down a yawn. "So, how about I share it with you in the morning? As you can see, I am not in the best state to have a decent conversation." The man constantly resisted the heaviness from his eyelids. "Would you agree to spend the night in one of our guest rooms?"
He is being very receptive to me, despite my invasion. Though it's not strange considering his personality and wish to help out every young supernatural. John thought. I will have to adapt to the sudden progression of things. "Sure." John nodded, trailing his eyes to both men by Alaric's sides. "Are they…?"
"A little special, like you." Alaric confirmed.
"I see." John said.
Caressing his beard, Alaric thought deeply. The ability to see Magic… that's new. Is it some witch coven's ability or is he something else? Hmm… better not pry too much this early. Leave everything to be handled in a few hours.
"I will be happy to talk to you in the morning, John." Alaric smiled, turning to look at the man standing by his right side. "Jeremy, could you lead our guest to his room?" He asked, but his words were also a statement the young man would be spending the night here.
John, uncaring of Alaric's words, looked more attentively at the man by the side. So I guessed it right, he is Jeremy. His eyes also contained curiosity. Damn, this is so cool! They resemble the actors, but are different on their own. Or would it be the inverse considering the intricacies of things? A question mark surged in John's mind.
"Come with me." Jeremy said, finally moving from his position. To this point, ever since John jumped down from the ceiling, the man didn't move a muscle. "I will see you in the morning." He looked at Alaric and the other man before moving out, not waiting for John.
Seeing it, John quickly followed behind. "Good night." He said to the two men left behind.
"See you in the morning." Alaric waved at him.
…
"This will be your room for the night." Jeremy flipped a switch, and a light bulb hanging from the ceiling illuminated the entire room.
It's spacious enough. John thought, stepping into the guest room.
Within the four walls, there wasn't much but the necessary. A bed, a closet, a table with a few things on it and a door leading somewhere else.
Taking a look into the closet, finding a towel and some clothes and blankets, John heard Jeremy's voice coming from the door.
"There is everything you need here to pass the night. You also have access to the internet." Jeremy pointed at the computer over the table. "There is a bathroom as well with everything you need to take a shower and clean yourself up. Breakfast is ready by 07:30 AM, and you may call someone through the interphone if you ever need something." He moved his finger to point at the phone on the nightstand.
Taking a look at everything, John couldn't help but ask, "Everything is for me?"
"It is for guests." Jeremy replied.
"You know what I meant." John rebulked. "Just wondering why you are being so receptive to me, someone who broke into your school."
Listening to it, Jeremy nodded in understanding. "It is just Dr. Saltzman's way." He replied. "As you can see, this is a school for the supernatural, with him as principal. And you are a young man of supernatural nature who broke into it. In his eyes, he must be already treating you as one of our students."
Yeah, it matches Alaric's nature in Legacies. Quite the protective one. Thinks every supernatural under 21 is his responsibility. "I guess I can't fault him when thinking like that. But I still find it strange."
"Comprehensive." Jeremy agreed. "Think a little more next time when invading a school for the supernatural." He had a humorous expression.
"Fair enough." John said, sitting down on the bed. Comfy. "Hm… see you soon?"
"Have a good night." Jeremy flipped off the switch, letting the darkness consume the room before closing the door.
… Alone now, John looked into the darkness, listening to the footsteps going away.
Bump.
Letting himself fall on the bed, the young man couldn't help but let the warmth from the blankets welcome him.
Yeah, extremely comfortable. I could sleep here. John thought, letting his flip-flops fall off the bedside.
In contemplation of the idea, a wave of tiredness passed by the boy, his eyes feeling heavy and a yawn coming his way.
These last few hours were wild. I think I need to rest. John thought. He knew better than anyone that although his body was better and rested than ever, his mind was still suffering from the knowledge overloading it suffered.
Whilst debating if he should really sleep or take the next few hours to take a look into the internet, droplets of water fell down from the sky, their infinite echoes overlapping one another as thunder propagated across the skies every so while.
Yep, I am going to sleep. He decided.
…
"Anything?" Alaric questioned.
"Nothing. I stayed by the corner of the hallway for a minute, but no movement from the room. And I didn't feel a thing while walking or talking with him. Whatever he is, certainly not something the Mark urges for me to hunt." Jeremy replied, leaning on the wall.
Hearing it, Alaric also leaned back on his chair. "That's a good thing." The man nodded in acknowledgement. "And you?" Alaric looked at the other man in the room, sitting across the table.
"He smells human." The man leaned back on the chair. "Which is strange; we saw him get down the doorway. He didn't bend his knees taking a nine-feet fall. That is not something a supernatural without physical enhancement can do."
"I thought the same." Alaric agreed, nodding. "But according to Jeremy, he is neither a vampire or has some immortal nature. Nor is he a werewolf, correct? That leaves few options available."
"We are losing track of the main aspect he showed."
"Right, the fact he apparently can see magic." Jeremy followed, "Do you think he means that? 'See' magic? I have never heard of it before."
"He said so. And I hoped you would know more. You are the one among us who traveled the most the past few years. I personally never heard of it." Alaric trailed his gaze. "Any ideas, Jackson?"
"None either. Never heard of something similar in any Pack I've been to." Jackson, the sun-skinned man of highest stature among the three and the most prominent physically, added his words.
"Then we can only guess for now he is versed in magic, right? I mean, I can't think of any other way he threw himself in the air and got stuck to the wall like that." Jeremy said. "Unless… you know, he can fly." He added, but the man himself seemed doubtful of his own words.
And after his words, a short silence lingered between the three men, looking at each other.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jackson took a look at Alaric.
"This certainly is a strange circumstance. Normally, it's us who go seek them. Rarely does someone seek for us. I don't see a reason to not reach out. The young man has shown to be cooperative, hasn't he?
The werewolf, Jackson, sighed in relief. "Thanks to God." He muttered.
Seeing the man's reaction, Alaric's expression changed. "I got to thank you for waking me up, Jack. You did the right thing." His tone had deepened.
"I know how you are, Dr. Saltzman. I knew you would want to deal with it." Jackson grinned in response, throwing his head backwards.
However, when doing so, Jackson for a moment bathed in the striking moonlight invading the room through the window. The corner of his eyes twitched for a second.
Alaric and Jeremy, both perceived it.
"The Full Moon is approaching… How are you dealing with it?" Alaric questioned.
"Doing good." Jackson moved forward, escaping the moonlight. "I can go through the day easily, but the Giants lose one game and I want to throw my bed out of the window."
"I think humans do that too, not only werewolves." Jeremy chuckled.
"Fair enough." Jackson laughed as well.
The three men laughed together, and when their laughter scattered into the wind, they enjoyed a moment of silence once again.
Tapping his five fingers in sequence on the table, Alaric got the other two's attention.
"For tonight, I believe this will be all. Tomorrow morning, before breakfast, I will have words with our guest and learn a little more. The environment will be more prone for him to answer my questions. For now, let's return to our rooms."
Resting both hands on the chair's arms, Alaric pushed himself back from the table before rising to his feet.
Following his actions, Jackson also rose to his feet while Jeremy had been standing up all this time.
All three left the room and walked together for a little more than a minute before all three stood in a hallway in another section of the school.
"See you two in a few hours." Alaric parted ways with both men.
"Good night, Alaric."
"Good night, Dr. Saltzman."
In no time, across the hallway, the sound of three doors opening reverberated. And right after, the sound of them closing echoed.
In his own room, Alaric moved slowly, approaching his bed and sitting on it. Taking a look to the nightstand, he reached out for his phone, which was charging on top of it.
Unplugging the charger, he typed the access code and quickly pressed on the middle of the screen, opening up his message app, revealing his latest conversations.
School Staff… Lizzie… Josie… Caroline… Finding the conversation he was looking for, he pressed on it. The action revealed a long conversation, the most recent message being from not long ago.
Not taking long to think of what he should say, Alaric started to press the letters on screen, writing a text for the woman in the contact's picture on top of the screen.
After more than two minutes writing, Alaric just needed to press the send button and the message would be delivered. But a moment of hesitation consumed him for what he was about to do.
Screw it, it can't give more faux hope to us than we already have. He pressed the button.
Seeing the message was successfully delivered and the contact received it but still did not read, Alaric waited for three minutes before putting down the phone.
Lying down on his bed, Alaric covered himself with his blanket and put his head to rest on the comfortable pillow of cotton. "Tomorrow will be a long day." He muttered, the call of a world of dreams reaching him as his consciousness slowly faded into the depths of his mind.
… Somewhere Unknown.
"Argh!!!" A defying screech stormed out, with blood followed along the scream.
Bang!
The source of the scream halted her actions, laying motionless on the pond of blood from the red rivers coming from her eyes and mouth.
"This bitch has gone crazy." A grumpy, extremely irritated voice echoed in the darkened environment.
Touching the walls of his face, his fingers soaked on the blood cascading from his ears.
"What the hell happened here?" Blurted the man, incredulous at the sight.