New York, January 2015

***

"Mr. Eigert, you called?"

A guy with fiery red hair peeked into the classroom.

"Yes," the man replied curtly, closing the new student's file and putting it aside. "You're coming with me to the gate to meet your roommate."

The man got up from his desk and headed for the door.

"A roommate?" the guy asked with a hint of disappointment as the man stepped into the corridor. "Please don't tell me it's another spoiled brat."

"I won't say anything. You'll see for yourself."

"Mr. Eigert!"

The shout from the first-year class leader made the man stop.

"Did you need something, Herder?" he asked the approaching student. "I don't have much time."

The guy paled a bit but gathered himself and said, "I want to collect the lecture schedule and the academic plan for next month. Have you approved it?"

"Not yet. It needs to be finalized. Go to my classroom and wait there. I'll be back soon."

"Then, maybe I can come back for it later?" the class leader asked hopefully, but under the strict gaze of the teacher, he paled even more.

"This won't take long," the man replied.

"But..."

"To the classroom, Herder! I don't have time to listen to your whining."

"Yes, sir," the class leader muttered under his breath and reluctantly entered the classroom.

The redhead openly chuckled at this.

"What amuses you, Joss?" the man asked, glancing at the guy walking beside him.

"The fact that everyone in our class is scared to death of you, even Irman," Joss replied with a broad smile.

"It doesn't seem like you're trembling with fear," the teacher smirked.

"Oh, I am! I tremble before your authority and admire your disciplinary methods."

Joss widened his eyes in feigned servility.

"Keep it up, clown," the man snorted and stepped outside. "And cover your head; it's not summer!"

"Yes, sir!" the guy pulled up his hoodie and, shivering from the bone-chilling wind, hid behind the teacher. "I hope he's already here."

"He is."

"Great," the guy said, chattering his teeth from the cold. "I don't want to freeze."

The man fully agreed with his student and quickened his pace.

However, when they entered the security room, there was no one at the registration desk.

"Where's the new student?" the teacher asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise as he addressed the guard.

The middle-aged but sturdy man pointed to the far corner of the waiting room and smirked. "Probably trying to slip through the wall and escape."

The teacher turned in the indicated direction and only then noticed his new charge, who was huddled in the farthest corner of the room, standing still as if he wanted to blend into the wall.

"Oh, gods! He's just a little mouse!" the redhead sniffled loudly and looked anxiously at the teacher. "They'll eat him alive here!"

"Make sure that doesn't happen," the man said and then called out to the new student, "Rikald Umino, come here."

The guy stepped into the light and pulled off his hat, revealing black hair, and looked warily at the teacher.

The man pressed his lips together. The guy didn't look his age. He was short, frail, with skinny shoulders and legs as thin as a girl's. His face was handsome but sullen. His eyes were hidden behind a long fringe, and his pale lips were pressed into a stubborn thin line.

"My name is Sadis Eigert," the man introduced himself, extending his hand, which the guy timidly shook. "I am the first-year mentor and, by extension, your teacher, friend, brother, father, and if needed, mother. With any questions, requests, puberty problems, or anything else, you should come directly to me. No liberties! This is your first and last warning; we are strict about this here. Understood?"

"Yes," the guy nodded, looking at the man fearfully.

"Yes, sir," Sadis corrected him. "Only that and nothing else. This is the main rule, and I strongly advise you to remember it."

"Yes, sir," the new guy sighed heavily as he said it, making Sadis smile involuntarily.

'This guy doesn't belong among this crowd. Then again, many here don't. It's a shame the parents don't realize it.'

"Don't be afraid, this isn't a maximum-security colony," the man said, patting Rikald on the shoulder. "If you behave well and stick to the simple rules, you can avoid many problems. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir," the guy obediently repeated and seemed to shrink even more.

"This is your roommate, Arrek Joss."

Sadis nodded at the redhead, who stepped forward with the enthusiasm of a true jester and gave the newcomer an absurd bow.

"You will live in the same room and be friends. If you don't get along, that's your problem. Relocation is not allowed here. Shake hands and march to the dormitory!"

The guys obediently sealed their alliance with a handshake and darted outside.

"Who brought him?" Sadis asked the guard.

"A taxi driver dropped him off at the gate."

"Was no one accompanying him?"

"No. He gave me his pass, and I immediately called for you."

"Damn!" the man snapped irritably. "His parents must have mush for brains, if not worse!"

"Well, the guy didn't seem unhappy," the guard smiled. "It looks like he wasn't very upset."

"Maybe," Sadis said distantly, signing his name to confirm he had received the newcomer. "Put his name in my personal log. I need to know who, when, and how often someone visits or picks him up, and so on."

"Are you worried he might have problems?" the guard asked.

"Problems will arise, I'm more than sure of it," Sadis replied grimly, looking at the guard. "The question is whether we can prevent them."

The guard nodded in understanding and made a note in the log to pass on Mr. Eigert's request to his shift replacements.

The teacher thanked the guard curtly and left the gatehouse.

***

Rika made his way to the academy on his own.

His mother woke him up at seven in the morning and warned him that he had half an hour to get ready. When he came downstairs, she gave him a short lecture on the rules of behavior at the academy and led him out of the house, where a taxi was already waiting for him.

Rika wanted to say goodbye to Etid, but his mother didn't allow it.

"The sooner you disappear from her life, the less harm you'll cause," Jennie said coldly. "And don't even think about calling her, or you'll both be punished."

These words angered Rika, but he chose to remain silent.

As long as he could remember, his mother had used him as a babysitter for his younger sister, and when Etid grew up and became independent, they decided to get rid of him.

This blatant injustice lodged like a dull needle in Rikald's heart. The resentment filled his thoughts, and the bitterness of his own uselessness and meaningless existence, which had haunted him throughout the trip, reappeared in his soul. And when the driver dropped him off at the beautiful wrought-iron gates, behind which was a vast yard and a tall, bright building, the guy felt a surge of panic.

The gates bore an intricately wrought sign: "St. Isaac's Academy," beneath which hung a cast bronze plaque with dates and a brief history of the institution. But the conflicting emotions tearing at Rika didn't allow him to focus on the text.

He stood hesitantly at the entrance to the gatehouse, a one-story white brick building, unable to press the doorbell. The urge to run away without looking back grew stronger by the minute. But Rika listened to reason and resisted the temptation to disappear into the nearby forest.

In winter, such a stunt could lead to big trouble. The city was far away, and the frost was so severe that his fingers cramped up. The wind mercilessly bit into any exposed skin and crept under his clothes, making him shiver with cold.

After hesitating a bit more at the gate, Rika took the enrollment documents out of his pocket and, wincing from the pain in his frozen fingers, pressed the doorbell.

There was a soft click from the door, and it opened slightly, followed by a distorted voice over the intercom inviting him in.

Rika pushed the door and timidly stepped over the threshold.

The room he entered was small but well-heated. His cheeks and nose immediately began to tingle, but he just coughed politely and approached the security guard sitting at the desk, who was watching him with interest.

"How can I help you?" the man asked.

Rika handed him the documents and stated his name.

The guard carefully examined the papers, checked them against the records in the computer, and said to the guy, "Wait a bit. Someone will come for you shortly. You can sit over there."

He pointed to several chairs by the wall, but Rika chose to stand in the corner, where he thought it was warmer.

The guard didn't comment on this and made a phone call to inform someone of Rika's arrival.

It was probably fifteen minutes before the door to the gatehouse opened, and two people entered the room.

The first was a stern-looking man in his early thirties. Tall, lean, dark-haired, with a neat, slicked-back hairstyle and cold gray eyes behind thin glasses. His severe face could be considered handsome if not for the off-putting expression of detachment that seemed permanently etched on it. His facial features were quite unusual: a thin nose, thin lips, narrow, almost Asian-like eyes, which, combined with high cheekbones, gave him an extraordinary allure. He was dressed in a black jacket, a gray T-shirt, and dark trousers. Over this, he wore a black winter coat lined with short light fur.

Behind the man stood a tall guy about Rika's age. Handsome, with a mischievous smile on his freckled face and devils dancing in his bright green eyes. His copper-red hair, sticking out from under the hood of his hoodie, was in a terrible mess. His face looked sleepy and a bit puffy.

The man exchanged a few words with the guard and then looked back at the new student. Rika instinctively felt that he needed to be extremely careful and respectful with this person.

The subsequent events barely registered in Rikald's consciousness. He obediently approached the man when asked to come forward and timidly shook the firm hand that felt very hot to him. His heart was pounding like a frightened rabbit in his chest, and a constant buzzing in his ears hindered his perception of reality.

The red-haired guy standing behind the man looked at the newcomer with a slight smirk. Suddenly, Rika felt a strong wave of nausea.

He had thought he could easily adapt to the new environment, but it seemed he had been gravely mistaken.

After finishing his speech, the man introduced Rikald to his new roommate and made them shake hands. Then he ordered them to go to the dormitory.

Rika left the gatehouse on shaky legs, but he started to feel a bit better once he was outside.

Now he finally had a chance to take in the sight of the light-colored five-story building, which resembled a hospital, with its windows covered in bars. There was a large park with statues and fountains, which, of course, weren't operating at this time of year.

A narrow alley, lined with old trees and beautiful wrought-iron benches with wooden seats and backs, led to the main entrance.

The guys headed towards the academy building along this path. Arrek moved ahead, almost skipping, while Rika trailed behind, sneaking glances at his new roommate.

Arrek was quite a tall guy. His broad, well-developed shoulders and narrow hips revealed a sports enthusiast. And his grip was like iron. Rika could still feel the uncomfortable ache in his hand from the friendly handshake.

It was best not to quarrel with someone like that; it wouldn't end well. Of course, Rika didn't plan on provoking his roommate intentionally. But who knew what was on the redhead's mind and what kind of person he really was?

Perhaps, as soon as they were alone in their room behind a closed door, the guy would wipe off his friendly smile and start tyrannizing him, establishing his own rules and order.

Rika sighed heavily and slowed his pace. The residential academy no longer seemed like a good idea. On the contrary, remembering that physical punishments could be applied here, he froze as if he had hit an invisible wall.

The buzzing in his ears grew louder, and Rikald clenched his fists painfully, trying to overcome the fear that had gripped him.

"Hey, why did you stop there?"

Arrek didn't notice right away that the newcomer had fallen behind, almost reaching the building. He had already climbed the steps and even pulled the door open when he noticed in the glass reflection that the guy had stopped a few steps from the stairs, looking at the entrance in confusion.

"Hurry up! I don't want to spend the rest of the vacation in the infirmary."

"I'm coming."

Rika looked back, already regretting not running away when he had the chance. Taking a deep breath, he hurried towards the building, slipping on the snow.

Inside, it was warm and clean. The spacious, well-lit lobby was empty, and Rikald looked around with interest, examining the bulletin boards with various announcements and information for students. At the far wall, he noticed a shelf filled with sports trophies, adorned with medals. To the right, he saw an honor board with photos of students.

Overall, his new academy wasn't much different from the previous ones. Except it was bigger and neater. And you could live in it.

"Brr, it's freezing out there!"

Arrek shivered and pulled the hood off his head. Then he turned to the newcomer, who was standing in the middle of the hall, looking around at the interior decor.

"Mr. Eigert told me to give you a tour of the academy," he said, smiling broadly. "Where do you want to start?"

Rika shrugged and took a few steps towards him.

"Have classes started yet?" he asked the first thing that came to mind.

"They start in a pair of days," Arrek replied.

"What about lectures? I heard the program here is very difficult. And anyone who performs poorly is severely punished. Is that true?"

"Absolutely true," the guy nodded.

Rika's spirits sank. He wasn't stupid, but he often got distracted, lost in his thoughts, which caused his grades to suffer.

Noticing that his new roommate was getting discouraged, Arrek gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. If you don't slack off, you'll get the hang of it quickly," he said with a smile. "Come on, I'll show you around. Just don't lag behind and try to remember what I say."

Rika nodded uncertainly, and Arrek waved his hand towards the wide staircase.

"That's where we're headed," he said, but then turned aside, leading the newcomer down a long, bright corridor.

Rikald followed the guy, carefully examining the row of dark blue doors, which had plaques with the names of teachers and the subjects they taught.

"Actually, during holidays and weekends, students are not allowed to walk down these corridors," Arrek warned. "But today is an exception. I'm not going to draw you a map, after all."

He chuckled softly at his joke, but Rika didn't join in.

"This wing houses the humanities classrooms," Arrek continued. "History, foreign languages, philosophy, literature, and so on. The exact science classrooms are in the opposite wing. So, I don't think you'll get lost. Besides the main classes, there are plenty of clubs. You can choose any hobby you like, from knitting to rocket science. Do you have any hobbies?"

Rika thought for a moment.

He didn't really have any hobbies, but he didn't want to admit it.

"I've dabbled in... different things," he answered evasively. "But I haven't found anything interesting yet. How about you?"

"I like boxing," Arrek shrugged and glanced at Rika. "And I would suggest you join the martial arts club."

"I'm already pretty good at fighting if I need to," Rika said. "That's why I'm here. My mom thinks this academy can reform me."

Arrek suddenly stopped and squinted, looking intently at his new roommate.

"Pretty good, you say?" he smirked maliciously and, grabbing the guy by the elbow, pushed him against the wall. "And what, you think you can defend yourself?"

"Are you itching to find out?" Rika exhaled indignantly, thrown off by Arrek's sudden change. "Why are you getting physical?"

"Why?" the guy mocked, leaning in close to Rika. "This is an avademy for troubled boys. You know what that means, right? Besides... we need to keep our troublemaking in check somehow. And you fit the bill perfectly. Just scrawny and pretty enough, exactly what we need for our raging hormones."

"Back off!"

Rikald shoved Arrek in the chest, but it was as effective as trying to move a boulder.

The guy only swayed slightly. However, it seemed to excite him even more, and he pressed against Rika, pinning him to the wall and sliding his hands under his jacket.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Rikald shouted, hoping someone would hear him and come to help. "Let go. Get your hands off me!"

"And if I don't? What are you going to do?" Arrek sneered, abruptly sliding his knee between Rika's legs. "Scream all you want. It's vacation time, and like I said, no one walks these corridors. We're going to have a very long and very hot acquaintance. So don't struggle, and maybe I'll be gentle... though I doubt it. I like rough sex."

Rika froze, staring in shock at the guy who, without hesitation, pressed his thigh against him, immobilizing him.

His heart began to race, and a wave of nausea rose in his throat from the adrenaline flooding his veins.

"Let me go," he barely whispered, rising onto his tiptoes to relieve the pressure on his groin.

Then he grabbed Arrek's hands, trying to pull them down.

"Let me go, I don't want to..."

The terror reflected in Rika's eyes made Arrek sigh and loosen his grip a little.

"Definitely martial arts," he concluded seriously. "And you'd better join the club as soon as possible. Because 'I don't want to' is not an argument or a reason. No one here cares if you want to or not. But if you land a punch on someone looking to have fun, they'll understand a lot quicker."

Rika felt the heat of shame and an irrational fear of an unknown threat wash over him.

It seemed that Arrek wasn't planning to do anything indecent, but his insinuations scared Rika more than his advances.

"Let me go!" he demanded again and finally gained his freedom. "Are you out of your mind?"

Arrek didn't respond. He just raised an eyebrow and watched with a smile as Rika straightened his clothes and, without looking, tried to pick up his fallen bag from the floor.

"What's so funny? Do you enjoy scaring those who are weaker? Next time, I'll hit you, you'll see."

Arrek laughed and pretended to lunge at Rika. But the guy, noticing his movement, jumped to the side, using his bag as a shield.

"Back off, I said! I can't get into fights. If they kick me out of this academy, I'll end up on the streets."

"That's more like it," Arrek praised, still chuckling. "But seriously, don't be afraid to fight back. They won't expel you from this academy for a fight. You'll get a few lashes with the pointer, spend some time in a disciplinary cell, and then return to your studies. Just stick close to me and trust no one. It's for the best."

Rika was breathing heavily, struggling with the urge to punch the smug, grinning face. However, recent experience suggested that it was better not to mess with Arrek.

"I definitely won't be trusting you," he exhaled, lowering his bag and relaxing a bit. "What the hell were you trying to do? Or is this your way of recruiting for the martial arts club?"

"It's a way to see how ready you are for studying here," Arrek corrected the guy's assumption. "If something happens to you in the first few days, I'll be in trouble too. So, come on, don't sulk, and let's go. I'll show you our love nest."

"Screw you," Rika snapped, without thinking about the double meaning of his words.

But when Arrek laughed cheerfully in response, Rika blushed.

"Still, I don't understand," Rikald said, following his roommate, who was leading him to the other end of the corridor. "What could happen to me?"

Arrek shrugged.

"Anything," he replied vaguely. But when Rika frowned at him, he explained: "You could get beaten up, humiliated, forced to do things you don't like or want to do. And yes, you could get raped. You see, this is a boarding school. You go home only on weekends, and even then not always, but hormones are raging. But those are the worst-case scenarios. So, don't worry too much."

Rika felt a chill in his heart and gripped his bag tighter.

Easy for him to say, "don't worry." It would be nice to know how to do that after everything that had happened.

He was about to ask Arrek if people often got raped at this academy, but the guy suddenly stopped near the geography classroom and pressed his ear to the door, listening to some suspicious noise.

Rika also froze, examining the elongated plaque that bore the subject's name and the teacher's name.

It turned out that Sadis Eigert was not only the first-year mentor but also the geography teacher. This did not please Rika at all.

Geography was easier for him than many other classes. But now he seriously considered dropping it.

Suddenly, a terrible crash came from behind the door, making the walls seem to shake.

Rikald immediately moved closer to Arrek and asked in a lowered voice:

"What's happening in there?"

"Just what we needed!" Arrek exclaimed, jumping away from the door as if it had burned him, and grabbing the newcomer by the elbow. "Let's get out of here. We don't belong here."

"But there..." Rika started to say but fell silent when a loud, pained scream came from behind the door.

Arrek wanted to leave quickly, but Rika stubbornly looked at him and pulled his arm free from the firm grip.

"What if someone needs help in there?" he said reproachfully and grabbed the handle.

"You really shouldn't go in there," Arrek warned, moving towards the guy to drag him away, but it was too late.

Rika yanked the door open and froze on the threshold, jaw dropping as he took in the overturned desks, shattered flower pots, broken plants, a chair stuck in the window frame, and two students breathing heavily in opposite corners of the room. One, dark-haired and wearing glasses with broken lenses, was sitting on the floor under a bookcase, wiping blood from a split lip with the sleeve of his white shirt. Around him lay heavy encyclopedic atlases, maps, and several small globes. All these had tumbled from the shelves when he crashed into them back-first. The guy winced in pain but wore a hard, insolent grin that made Rikald's back sweat.

The other, blond and dressed in a black uniform with the academy emblem and a dark T-shirt with a deep neckline, stood gripping a broken chair leg. The rage emanating from him was almost tangible, and his face was contorted with anger.

Arrek involuntarily peeked into the classroom and whistled.

"Herder, I'm really going to miss you," he said with genuine sadness in his voice, imagining with horror what awaited the guy in the near future.

"Get the hell out of here!" the blond shouted.

His gaze, full of uncontrolled aggression, promised Arrek a severe beating if he disobeyed.

The newcomer flinched amusingly, but Arrek was too preoccupied to notice. He pushed Rika behind him and asked:

"Irman, have you completely lost it? Sadis will be back soon, and then you..."

"Hey, Herder!" the second guy interrupted, drawing Irman's attention. "I'm starting to get jealous."

"Shut up, freak!"

Irman was shaking with rage. He took a few steps toward his victim, barely restraining himself from throwing the chair at him. He warned:

"One more word and you're dead!"

"Oh! What a sweetheart you are!" the guy with glasses taunted. "Come on, come to me, I've missed you so much these past few days..."

"Irman, don't!" Arrek shouted, already preparing to rush to the guy to stop him, but someone pushed him aside with such force that he almost fell.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Sadis's voice echoed not only through the classroom but seemed to reverberate throughout the entire academy building. "Have you completely lost your minds, you little bastards?!"

Rika instinctively steadied Arrek by the elbow to keep him from collapsing onto the broken furniture and then quickly hid behind him, not wanting to draw the attention of the enraged curator.

The man cast a furious glance around the room, then looked at Irman intently and asked, without even thinking of raising his voice again:

"Herder, how do you plan to pay for all this destruction? Your father has cut off funding for your mischief. There's not a cent left in your account."

Upon hearing this, Irman dropped the chair and glared at Sadis with wild eyes. His face turned pale, and his lips pressed into a thin, straight line.

The teacher's arrival wiped the smug and mocking expression off the guy with glasses' face, but unlike Irman, there was no fear in his eyes. He stood up, straightened his pants and his shirt, which was torn in several places, then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a bank card.

"Wow! It's intact," the guy surprised without a hint of irony, and limped over to the teacher's desk. " This should be enough to cover all the damage," he said, placing the card on the desk and keeping his gaze fixed on the teacher.

Sadis also glanced at the card, and his lips twisted into a contemptuous smirk.

He pulled a short metal pointer from his belt and with a quick flick of his wrist, the famed "disciplinary tool" of the academy extended significantly.

Touching the tip of the pointer to the plastic card, the man pushed it towards the battered sophomore with the words:

"Put that away immediately. And leave the classroom. I will deal with you later. As for you, Herder, stay. I will initiate a disciplinary process since words don't seem to work on you."

"Teacher..." Irman paled even more and took a step back, staring in horror at the pointer. "I will compensate for everything..."

Sadis nodded, agreeing with his words.

"Of course, you will," he said with a smile, then turned to the other two students and looked at them sternly.

"Joss, Umino, out!"

Arrek obediently nodded and dragged Rika with him. But the guy was so shocked that he could barely move his legs, becoming an involuntary witness to the teacher raising the pointer and striking Irman several times on the back. The class leader screamed in pain and collapsed onto a desk. It seemed the blow was so strong that he simply couldn't stay on his feet.

"Take the money and leave him alone!" the guy with glasses rushed to the teacher and grabbed his hand, which was raised for another strike.

But Sadis, without looking, pushed him aside and then brought the pointer down on Irman's back again.

"Why are you standing there?!" Arrek snapped and forcibly dragged Rika down the corridor, muttering as they went: "I told him... damn it!"

"What... was... that?" Rika asked, breathless from the overwhelming emotions, not even trying to break free.

The unpleasant image of the physical punishment of a student was still vivid in his mind.

"A disciplinary process," Arrek replied grimly, heading towards the staircase leading to the dormitory. "And I'll let you in on a secret, that's not the worst punishment."

Rika felt his legs go weak.

What kind of academy is this? It feels more like a prison where the guards have no qualms about using physical violence.

"Arrek, I don't want to study here," Rika said, his voice trembling with tension. "I want to go home."

"I'm sorry," Arrek replied with sincere sympathy, "but only your parents can take you out of this academy. And since they sent you here, it means you must have really pissed them off. So I wouldn't count on their favor if I were you."

Rika sighed heavily. Arrek was absolutely right. His mother would be thrilled if he got beaten with the pointer and locked up without food or sleep. She would never agree to take him out of this academy.

This meant he was stuck here for a long three years, and he would have to adapt to the dangerous environment and strict rules.

Thank you for reading our story!
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