"Damn it—what was that?" someone groaned, rubbing his face and pinching the bridge of his nose beneath a black face mask. Yeah, he was definitely the one who just got smacked in the face. His dark hair was slightly messy from the impact, and he wore only the black button-up shirt, a red tie hanging loose, and matching black slacks of the uniform, looking like he just stepped out of a storm. The mask did nothing to hide the annoyance in his posture, his body tense as he stood, trying to shake off the collision.
Behind him, a guy wearing sunglasses massaged his shoulder, clearly unbothered by the chaos. "Don't know, Sig. An air attack?" He had a short ponytail, but his silver hair had more of a chestnut tint to it, catching the light as he moved. His black button-up shirt was tucked neatly under a gray blazer, but he wore it without a tie, giving off a laid-back vibe despite the situation. He gave a half-smirk, clearly more amused than concerned.
Someone chuckled—a third guy, crouching and holding his knee. His face was obscured by a mask too. He reached down, probably to pick up the incredibly effective airstrike weapon. "Kyan, why would anyone attack us with this?" This guy had brown hair with lighter highlights near his ears, and his uniform consisted of the black button-up shirt, the red tie undone, and a gray blazer.
My phone. My cracked-ass phone that was still blasting ['Move B*tch' by : Disturbing Tha Peace and Ludacris].
From somewhere behind them, another groan. "Someone help me up?"
The chuckling guy stepped over and hauled him to his feet. He must have gotten knocked down in the chaos, like a domino effect.
"Thanks, Miro," the guy who'd been helped up muttered.
"No prob, Roujan," Miro replied, tapping him on the shoulder. "Careful with your feet—you just got that fixed by that quack, remember?" The guy who had just gotten up had the longest dark curly hair, cascading over his shoulder more than any of the others. He was wearing the black button-up shirt with a tie but no gray blazer.
Skreeeecchhh
They all finally turned toward me—still sprawled on top of my suitcase. Oh, and this time? Yeah, that groaning noise wasn't the gate.
"Oh—oh gods!" someone exclaimed, rushing out from the gate. It was the person who must've opened it, hurrying over to me. Before I could react, they grabbed my arms and effortlessly pulled me to my feet.
It wasn't one of the four tall guys still standing there, staring at me with wide eyes. Now that I was finally on my feet, I noticed they were all tall, though their heights weren't as striking when standing next to each other. Well, at least I was pretty sure three of them were staring—the other one had sunglasses on… at night.
I blinked, taking in the one who helped me to my feet. Unlike the others, who were all wearing the same black-and-gray uniform as me—thankfully hiding the dust and grime I'd collected by now—this guy was dressed in a white button-up shirt, royal blue tie, and a gray blazer with blue linings, paired with gray slacks. It was like the opposite version of the uniform the rest of us were wearing. He looked different too—blonde, wavy hair, no mask, no sunglasses. Totally opposite vibe.
"Are you okay?" he asked, fussing over me. "We thought you'd arrive in the morning."
I was about to answer when—
"That's the human?"
My head snapped toward the first guy—the one who'd gotten smacked in the face by my… um… airstrike weapon aka my phone.
What did he just say?
"That's the new man—new student, yeah. That's her," the white-and-gray guy quickly corrected, waving his hand dismissively—and, wow, his fluffy hair kind of waved too. Was it just me, or was it glowing a little? Maybe it was just the way the fire light from the lanterns reflected off it, but still…
Speaking of the flames…
I finally glanced past the giant gate—and froze. Another endless road stretched out into the distance. Now I understood why I hadn't noticed them when I was busy punching the gate earlier. It was pitch-black beyond that point. The lamps that had flicked on were only outside the gate where I was. Inside? Nothing. Total darkness.
How the hell did these… four—no, five—people even walk here through that?
Somebody slid in beside me so quietly and suddenly that I flinched—it was like he'd already been there, but the breeze trailing after him arrived late. Like I felt him before the wind even caught up.
"This yours?" he asked, holding out my phone.
It was the guy who'd picked it up earlier—the one who'd helped the guy who got knocked to his feet. I glanced at my poor, cracked phone, which was somehow still managing to blast [ Crank That by Soulja Boy.]
I snatched it back immediately and jabbed the pause button.
And just like that, the whole atmosphere shifted, the mood dropping from awkwardly chaotic to something… heavier.
Was it too late to start the music back up again?
"Thanks. And, uh… sorry about the…" I trailed off, glancing toward the others still lingering behind the gate—except for the two now beside me. "Air attack?"
The guy beside me—Miro, I remembered—chuckled softly. Before I could say more, the white-and-gray guy gently pinched my sleeve between his fingers, tugging me slightly toward him.
"Alright, I got this, Miro," he said lightly. "Thanks for guiding me out."
I blinked down at his hand on my sleeve, then looked up at him properly. His ocean blue-tinged eyes caught the lamplight just right—warm but… there was something else there. Something that wasn't just as welcoming.
"Got it…" Miro replied with another soft chuckle. I turned my head quickly to look back at him. Even with the mask, I could tell he was smiling—his cheekbones were high and sharp, and his eyes crinkled in clear amusement as he added, "No need to go all gung-ho about the new man."
Miro stepped back then, and my eyes widened in alarm. "Hey—!" I thought for sure he was about to trip over my suitcase, but he just shuffled smoothly out of the way, somehow dodging it effortlessly, like he'd already mapped out exactly where it was.
I hadn't even realized that the rest of his group had started walking back down the dark, endless road beyond the gate.
Miro waved a lazy hand. "Well then…"
President white-and-gray glanced up from where he was straightening my suitcase, frowning.
"You guys better attend your classes, I'll tell Matilda on you!"
My gaze followed the group, my curiosity spiking again. I don't know why, but… how could they even see where they were going? The lamps weren't lit on that side of the gate at all—it was pitch black down that road.
And then—my eyes met his.
Wasn't he the one who'd gotten smacked in the face by my flying phone? After all, he was still holding his mask over his nose, but his eyes...
They weren't like Miro's amused, easygoing gaze. They weren't like the others, who looked back with little more than idle curiosity.
No. His eyes... they told something else entirely. It felt off...
How could his eyes reflect the tinge of gold from the fire when there's nothing but darkness on his side?
"I'm sorry you had to wait for us to come get you."
I blinked, snapping back to—uh, the president? President white-and-gray guy?
"Uh… well, I did get here pretty late, so…" I shrugged, but my eyes drifted back to where those guys had walked off. They were long gone now, but weirdly, the road they'd disappeared down… still hadn't lit up.
"Still," he sighed, "I should've come sooner. The feast ran too long, and I can't exactly go wandering around the school at night without a buddy, so…" He trailed off with a shrug, already tugging my suitcase along for me.
I blinked at him, confused by what he said, but just accepted it as we passed through the giant gate.
And then—I felt it.
As soon as I stepped inside, a weird warmth settled over me. It was a total contrast to the bone-deep cold I'd felt earlier when I'd been alone. My eyes darted to the lamps—they were lighting up one by one as he walked ahead, casting a steady glow down the road.
He paused at a corner and clicked something on the silver gate behind us. He blinked over his shoulder at me, like suddenly remembering something. "Oh—uh, it's for protection, yeah. The nights are… kinda dangerous. And I'm not exactly a Lunar student, so…"
My frown deepened. That… didn't explain much. But before I could ask anything else, my stomach growled—loudly—right as the gates finished closing behind us.
We both froze.
His eyes went wide. "Oh man, sorry—I've been talking way too much. Here, hang on, I've got a candy bar!" He rummaged through his blue line gray blazer and pulled one out, holding it toward me with a sheepish smile.
I almost cried on the spot.
But just as my fingers were about to brush the wrapper—just as I thought, finally, something is going right—
Somehow…
I messed up. Again.