Chapter 2 Class X

"Class X is the last class on the top floor, good luck — you will need it there," the receptionist said, pointing towards the stairs.

I nodded, processing her words. "Okay, thank you so much."

She didn't respond. She was already back to tapping her phone.

I turned towards the stairs. The entry hall was not packed but had random students walking around, idle chatter and giggles floating between them.

I walked up the stairs, my mind in a relentless run.

Why did it have to get to this? I muttered under my breath.

If only my brother had not insisted on applying for the scholarship program to get into this hell. If only he had listened to me. My bitter regrets kept filling my head as I climbed. If only I could turn back time, I would have had him kill me first before he ever set his toenail in this sick place.

Every part of this building made me feel like crying. Every walk made me want to scream to the skies. What happened to him? He always came home with new injuries and every time he would say it was a normal thing at their school, that it was nothing, that he was fine, and then he would laugh about it.

I finally got to the top floor, slightly out of breath from the long flight of stairs. I walked with steady steps to the last class. Class X.

A class full of fugitives, criminals and students too dangerous to be controlled. But how dangerous could a bunch of high school students really be? It had to be an exaggeration of some incidents. Rumours are never true.

I got there. The white door was pristine, clean and locked. The place was oddly quiet for a class rumoured to be full of dangerous people. I opened it to an empty classroom.

Where is everybody? Do they all come late to school? Maybe they decided it was a holiday for Class X.

I walked to the last seat on the left at the corner and sat, placing my bag down.

What happened here? Who did Ruin mess with for him to disappear without a trace?

I looked around the empty class room.

Then I heard laughter and numerous footsteps approaching.

Students started filing in, the crowd loud. I could make out a few words from them.

"That was a good breakfast," one said.

"We should have made sure all of them had no limbs," another laughed.

"If only we could kill idiots like them."

"Wait until Steven hears about this, he will go for round two."

"Bruh, next time they try that shi—" the guy stopped talking. His eyes landed on me. "What the heck!!" he said, silver teeth gleaming as he pointed at me with a hand fitted with artificial silver claws.

"What are you doing here?" Another who looked identical to the first stepped forward. "We never thought there would ever be any new student after Ruin."

That name sent a twist into my guts. He just said my brother's name. I did not know how to feel about it. He might know what happened to him or maybe he didn't. Who knows he might even be the one that killed him.

"New student or not, it seems you don't know how things work around here," a extra tall and huge built bodybuilder said, walking towards me while holding a spiked bat. "You're in the wrong seat, kiddo, and if the owner—"

He didn't finish that sentence.

A slim boy entered among the last quiet ones to file in. He turned and looked at me. His eyes went bloodshot, his canines growing as his body began shifting, and then he lunged. Before I could understand what was happening he was already on top of me, his claws scratching my face. I shoved myself backwards, the chair falling with me so I could roll and try to avoid the nonstop attacks. He growled and beat his chest like a caged animal.

I took the chance to stand and dropped into a fighting stance. These people could have killed Ruin. Yeah. Now I am sure one of them did it.

He lunged again, only to be tripped by a black metallic rod. A calm voice followed it.

"Lone wolf, respect newcomers. She did not know what she was doing. It is only natural that we give her a second chance, and she is only a girl."

The holder of the rod stepped forward, rotating it in a slow, practised motion before planting it down and stopping, the carved handle at the top settling into his palm so it became a walking stick guiding him to the front of the room. He was dressed in a black suit and had deep brown chocolate skin. He removed his fedora and bowed.

"Sorry for the harm this little brouhaha may have caused. You should probably go get your face checked."

My hand instinctively reached up. I felt the blood dripping continuously from my cheek, though I was not feeling much of the pain because my wolf ability had already started healing part of it. But I was still hurt.

I took a deep breath. "I am okay."

I reached towards the corner again. The guy the gentleman had called Lone Wolf growled from the seat. He was sitting in it now, only then did I notice a circle drawn around the chair and the small space around it, cutting him off from the rest of the room.

"Do not cross the circle," he hissed.

I pulled my hand back, my patience wearing thin. What the heck is wrong with him.

"Throw the bag to me then?" I offered.

He picked it up and threw it. I caught it and turned to the gentleman, who was watching the exchange in a calm, unhurried way, leaning on his walking stick.

"Where can I sit then?" I asked him. He seemed the helpful one among the bunch.

"I would advise you to go to the principal and ask for a relocation," he said, tilting his head slightly as he studied me.

"That is not an option," I answered firmly, clutching my bag.

"Okay then. Before we assign you any seat, you have to do the class initiation." He straightened and smoothed his coat.

"The... what the fuck now?" I asked, not believing what I was hearing. What type of class is this? I already got accepted into the school, I already paid school fees. What is this nonsense?

"Class initiation," he repeated with a smile.

The whole class suddenly leaned in with interest. All except one sleeping head slumped at a seat near the back.

"What does it entail?" I asked. It couldn't be anything big. They were probably going to ask me to kiss some guy or jump into a pool. Just crazy high school students things.

"Nothing serious." He shrugged. "You are to give a Class A student one punch. That is all."