Chapter 12 Begin to Understand Everything About This School
Evelyn's POV
"You did great," he said, deliberately avoiding eye contact, then fiddled with the tray in front of us, looking a bit flustered. Somehow, this reaction made me find him cute again.
I felt as if there was an extra touch of softness about him. "Thanks!"
Vicky's words comforted me. I had lost confidence in Ambrose and many things about this school, but in this moment, hope sparked again.
After the bell rang, Kane and I headed back to the dorm together.
Although we'd only known each other for a short time, because of all the time we spent together, we'd somehow developed an understanding in many situations.
On the way back to Starflume Tower, there were still plenty of stares and whispers surrounding us. But Kane and I had become immune to these things - showing no emotional reaction, just kept walking forward.
"Look, it's that freak from Phoenix Clan, and that's the freshman who's always following him around!"
"What is that freshman even doing?"
"I heard she even argued with Professor Johnson because of that Phoenix Clan freak!"
Kane and I could both hear these low curses and pointing fingers, but we didn't care. We didn't even show any reaction in our eyes. Sometimes I'd say something to him, as if we had an automatic shield around us, blocking out those unfriendly looks and words.
Kane's back was straight as a rod, his silver-white hair gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
We walked side by side. Maybe because we both had a companion now, this path didn't seem so hard to walk anymore.
To me, just having Kane standing there made me feel safe. Maybe because I'd never had many friends before, so now that I had him by my side, I finally had someone to walk with.
When we reached my room, Kane stopped at the door and looked at me. "Dinner together tonight?"
"Sure," I replied with a smile, seeing his slightly nervous expression. "Let's rest for a bit first, and I'll see you at dinner!"
Kane nodded, watching me enter the room before looking away.
I felt like even though Kane was still the same cold-faced, quiet guy, the occasional softness he showed was his true inner self.
Back in my room, I curled up on the soft sofa. Thinking there was still time, I took out my phone and video-called Arthur.
"Grandpa!"
"Evelyn, did you miss me? How was your day?" Arthur's kind face appeared on the screen with a smile, looking at me intently.
"Of course I missed you!" The afternoon class had put me in a good mood, so I proudly told Arthur, "The professor even praised me today!"
"Looks like my Evelyn is really suited for Thornwick Academy. Tell me, why did they praise you?" Arthur's smile grew bigger.
I told him about what happened with Vicky in the Magical Healing and First Aid 101 class. Arthur responded enthusiastically, "My granddaughter is just that amazing. Looks like I did the right thing signing you up. And you've made new friends at school too!"
"Yeah, Kane and I are really good friends." I nodded happily, Kane's image appearing in my mind.
"That's good. I'll meet this friend of yours this weekend. But since my granddaughter became friends with him, that proves he must be a good person. I hope you two keep this friendship going and help each other out."
"I will, Grandpa," I nodded, thinking that Kane and I would probably stay this close.
After chatting with Arthur for a bit more, I hung up. After my parents died, he was the one who raised me. People say he has a strange temper, but he really cares about me.
He was the one who signed me up for Thornwick Academy this time. Otherwise, I might never have met Kane or encountered this incredible magical world.
It was still early, so I thought I'd find an interesting book to pass the time. I got up and walked toward the bookshelf. A thick book slid out by itself, and I reached out to take it down.
This book had no title, not even any pattern or marking on the cover. I opened it curiously, wanting to see if there was any information about phoenixes.
Sure enough, there was still nothing about phoenixes. I gripped the pages, ready to give up. Then I accidentally found information about the Lycan Clan.
"Lycan Clan, magical creatures with extremely strong pack instincts. They depend heavily on the group and possess absolute loyalty, but this loyalty often comes with extreme exclusivity."
I suddenly remembered how I often saw Lycan Clan members in small groups around the academy, but rarely saw them getting too close to other creatures.
I kept reading.
"In werewolf social structure, the leader's will is absolute law. If the leader is kind, the pack will be harmonious; but if the leader is cruel or weak, the pack will develop extreme bullying behavior."
Reading this, my heart went cold.
I thought back to my first day here, when I saw three Lycan Clan boys in gray robes cornering Kane on the east side of the academy square. They were shoving him around, saying horrible things, while Kane just kept his head down, not saying a word.
Even though Kane had Phoenix Clan blood, his current form was a Magpie. Not just the Lycan Clan, even Ambrose was indifferent to his bullying, even looked down on him.
That's why the Lycan Clan could bully Kane so brazenly, with everyone around them just standing by.
Did Ambrose also know about the Lycan Clan's nature? Maybe he was deliberately part of it too.
I kept reading.
"Toward non-pack members, especially 'outsiders' who try to interfere in werewolf internal affairs, werewolves show strong hostility. They don't allow any 'outsider' to disrupt the pack's 'purity' and 'order.'"
So that's how it was. Every piece fit together. No wonder that when I showed up, those werewolves looked like they wanted to eat me alive. My attempt to intervene disrupted their 'order.'
In their eyes, not only was I an outsider sticking my nose where it didn't belong, I was challenging their 'order.'
I suddenly realized that maybe Kane had been silently enduring all this. He didn't defend himself or fight back. Besides his personality, it was also because he knew the Lycan Clan's rules-fighting back would only bring more harm.
And the Lycan Clan's nature was just like that-it wouldn't change.
I read a few more pages, then lost interest. I closed the book and lay back down on the sofa. I thought I was trying hard to protect Kane, but I forgot that he wasn't without the ability to protect himself - he just carried too much on his shoulders.
And what I understood about him was probably too superficial.