Chapter 5 Seven Heavenly Virtues
Walking back into the building with Quint, I sought the opportunity to inquire about his thoughts on the school's technology section.
"Hey, does this school have computers?"
He nodded. "You should see the number of computers and tech they have here; it's almost too much. Trust me; there is no worry about not being able to be a part of it."
That was a relief. I was concerned I wouldn't learn anything new or do anything hands-on with computers.
"You sure do like computers, huh?"
I had hoped he wouldn't think I was some weirdo for liking stuff like this; it was all I have ever gotten to do at home. Being able to take something apart, analyze it, understand what it did, and put it back together or into something new fascinated me so much.
"Yeah," was all I said back to him.
We walked a bit more in silence, neither of us wanting to make things awkward, but the absence of speaking only made it worse. I wanted to ask Quint what our next class was, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
"Come on, Carnite," the voice in my head screamed. "He is your first friend. Don't screw it up by being dumb and staying silent."
"So why are you attending this school?" I asked him, finally mustering up the courage.
"Well, I just wanted to—"
He was cut off from speaking once we heard shrieks and yelling coming from across the hallway.
"They're here! They're here!"
As soon as I heard the cries, my heart dropped. "What was that? Is everything ok?"
Quint looked at me and laughed. "Dude, it's fine. Those shrieks were nothing bad. Trust me; you would know if something bad were to happen here. Let's see what's going on. We have a bit of time until our next class starts."
Still, I had thought that the bell meant that our next class would begin. How much time did we have between lunch and then? This school was confusing in every way.
So Quint and I walked towards where everyone had huddled, just outside the school's entrance leading up to the gate located at the school grounds' very start.
"There are too many people here. How are we supposed to know what's going on?"
So many people were gathered together it felt like the entire school was here.
"Carnite, I found a good spot over here!" Quint yelled to me.
I dashed to where he was. It wasn't the best place, but it was good enough to see what was happening.
"So why is the entire school here?" I asked him.
"That's why," Quint answered, pointing towards the entrance.
Seven people were coming in from the front gate. Each of them looked intimidating in their way. I felt shivers going down my spine. Something in my head told me that they were important enough to cause a scene and that I should never get on their bad side, not that I would even try.
"Still, who are they?" I asked.
"How could you not know who they are?" he replied with a surprised tone.
I shrugged. I didn't have the means to hear anything that happened outside my home, so I didn’t know what went on in town.
"They are the Seven Heavenly Virtues, this country's Vanguards! I really can't believe you get to see them on our first day at school!" he said excitedly.
I remembered something about them while Grandpa and I walked around town, but nothing besides chitchat from passerby. Even though my brain told me not to, I wanted to find out if they came from this school; perhaps they were like the students I had already encountered here. Images from what had happened flashed in my head. It felt like it was gripping on my thoughts like it had nothing else in the world besides that one thought.
"Did they go to this place originally?" I reluctantly asked Quint. For some reason, I wanted to know if they were, it would allow me to be on more of a guard around them.
He didn't answer, probably unable to hear me with so many people around us talking at once. I dropped the question entirely. Maybe it was a sign not to ask it at all, but the question lingered in the back of my head.
Some group members noticed that they had admirers waving at them. Some waved back politely, although one stuck out like a sore thumb. The one leading the group was a tall, fairly built man wearing a hat. He had a massive smirk on his face, clearly enjoying the attention from so many people.
"Hey, hey!" he shouted towards us, waving with a huge motion. "How are y'all doin' today?"
It seemed like two other people from the group were arguing with one another. However, they immediately shifted their emotions and waved back once they noticed a crowd.
Even despite their title, they all seemed to be interesting in their own way with how they looked. From the two arguing, one had a 'T' shaped thing on his all-white attire, held a book with the same 'T' on it, and looked really old. The one next to him looked the complete opposite. She wore mostly all black and looked much younger than him.
A larger man behind them paid no attention to the two arguing or anyone around him. He was a giant compared to the old man and young woman. He had a mask or something over his face, covering his appearance. It was bright in color, its shape reminding me of a frog's mouth. Personally, it looked cute and also like something that could be threatening.
Next to him was another person who was also a giant next to the others. I had never seen a woman that muscular before. She wore one of those outfits that joggers wore.
A tall and lanky-looking elderly man was to the side. Even from afar, he felt like the most intimidating one. His hair and beard were gray and unkempt, nothing like Grandpa since he did his best to keep himself groomed.
There was another person, but he mainly walked to the group's side. Truthfully, he had no discernable features; he just seemed to be an ordinary man. He wore a suit with a tie, had dark brown skin, and long curly black hair. He appeared to be intentionally distancing himself from the group.
"Hey, Quint! Who are they?" I shouted in his ear so he could hear me.
"What?" he offered, eyes still glued to the Seven as they walked towards the school.
The one in the hat saw Quint trying to get his attention. He gave him a wave, making Quint quite happy. For some reason, this bothered me slightly.
"Who exactly are they?" I posed once more.
He didn't look at me but answered, "They are the heroic Vanguard Users who put their lives on the line to protect us from the Carnivores."
I looked at them as they walked by us into the school. "So they are the Vanguards I learned about in class today," I thought to myself. They certainly looked capable enough to fight something as terrifying as the Carnivores. I hadn't seen that many in my life, so I couldn't imagine how many there were in the zones.
The crowd gradually started to quiet down once the Vanguards went out of view into the building. Some followed the group while others went along with their business.
"Wow, to get to see them on the first day is like winning the lottery," Quint said, sighing with relief.
It felt like I was out of place since I had no reason to be excited about seeing them in person. Was I supposed to be happy? The thought bugged me since I couldn't decide.
Looking at Quint as we started to walk back inside the school, he still had a happy face. Seeing someone happy usually made me happy, as if emotions could spread, but this one was something I wanted to catch. I'd have to make sure to watch out for anything relating to the Seven Heavenly Virtues so that I could at least try to relate to Quint.
"Crap!" Quint exclaimed.
"What?" I asked him, not knowing the reason for his sudden shocked expression.
"The bell had already rung before we left the cafeteria! We don't have much time before our next class starts, and we spent it watching the Vanguards walk by!"
We started to run off; by we, I meant me. I just followed Quint; I had no idea what or where our next class was.
"When will I be able to learn about computers?!" the voice in my head screamed.
Chapter 5 - End
Edited by: Katepopa (Fiverr)
