sit down,” he insisted, quiet and calm.
I raised my eyebrows at him.
“It doesn’t look like they’re interested in us,” he mused. “Not yet at least.”
Amazed, I refocused on the Kohler twins and found them moving through the lunch line, neither one addressing us any longer. They now appeared to be normal students interested in nothing more than their choices between black or refried beans.
Eran took my tray – before I dropped it – and led me to a vacant table near an exit door. Considering it led to the outside and into the rain, I figured it was probably locked but with Eran’s strength he could push through it at any time if we should need it.
“It wouldn’t be good to leave right now,” he was explaining, setting our trays on the table. Luckily, no one else seemed to want this particular table as it was in the far corner and beneath a broken light fixture. That gave Eran and me more privacy. “It’ll make us look unprepared and we don’t want to appear that way. I can handle them should they attempt anything. They’re not very skilled in the art of fighting so they can be easily overcome.”
I was trying to process all that he was telling me but having difficulty with it. My hands were still shaking.
He paused and his voice grew soft, warm. “Magdalene, are you all right? If not, we can leave-“
“No…no.” I drew in a deep breath, settling myself. “This is good practice…to calm my nerves.”
He watched me steadily, not quite believing what I said. “It’s your call. We can go any time you want.”
I shook my head, taking a second to pause in the Kohler twin’s direction. They’d taken a seat at a table close by, on the route out of the cafeteria, and were now sneaking peeks at us too.
“How…” I shuddered and refocused myself. I was determined to control these nerves better than they controlled me. “How do we know them?”
Eran was taking a sip of his soda and trying to appear at ease. He swallowed before answering. “They found us during the Germanic Peasant Wars or rather we found them,” said Eran matter-of-factly. “They were drawn to the strife the peasants were encountering to prey on the defenseless. We thwarted them and they retaliated – though not well. I’m not certain, but I wouldn’t doubt that they still hold a grudge regarding it.”
“Well…how did they prey on them?” I persisted, my food remaining untouched, mostly because I was still battling my nerves.
“They entered the wars under the pretext that they sided with the peasants and would then take the lives of the peasants while no one else was present, blaming their murders on their adversaries.”
“Hmmm…” I said, thoughtfully. I shook it off and added, “How did we find out they were murdering the peasants?”
Eran lifted his eyebrows. “Through you.”
“Me?” I asked, stunned.
He shrugged as if it wasn’t surprising. “Yes…Well, actually, through your messages. You delivered a message from one of the dead notifying us to what they were doing. That message instigated the only manhunt for someone from the same side of the battlefield in the history of those wars.” Almost without a break, Eran added, “We should eat or it’ll appear odd.”
Following his own suggestion, he took a bite of his sandwich and grimaced. “This is the food they serve in school nowadays? It’s…It’s…”
“Atrocious, or was horrid the word you were looking for?”
“Both,” he said, chewing slowly. “It’s no wonder dropout rates are a concern.” He shook his head.
We nibbled at our food from that point on until nearly the end of the lunch hour. Conversation was limited to superficial topics such as whether we’d been burdened with homework already and when our first exam would be. The Kohler twins barely ate as well, I noticed. They were probably having the same reaction to the food as Eran but they did remain in their seats and continued their surveillance of us.
When the
I raised my eyebrows at him.
“It doesn’t look like they’re interested in us,” he mused. “Not yet at least.”
Amazed, I refocused on the Kohler twins and found them moving through the lunch line, neither one addressing us any longer. They now appeared to be normal students interested in nothing more than their choices between black or refried beans.
Eran took my tray – before I dropped it – and led me to a vacant table near an exit door. Considering it led to the outside and into the rain, I figured it was probably locked but with Eran’s strength he could push through it at any time if we should need it.
“It wouldn’t be good to leave right now,” he was explaining, setting our trays on the table. Luckily, no one else seemed to want this particular table as it was in the far corner and beneath a broken light fixture. That gave Eran and me more privacy. “It’ll make us look unprepared and we don’t want to appear that way. I can handle them should they attempt anything. They’re not very skilled in the art of fighting so they can be easily overcome.”
I was trying to process all that he was telling me but having difficulty with it. My hands were still shaking.
He paused and his voice grew soft, warm. “Magdalene, are you all right? If not, we can leave-“
“No…no.” I drew in a deep breath, settling myself. “This is good practice…to calm my nerves.”
He watched me steadily, not quite believing what I said. “It’s your call. We can go any time you want.”
I shook my head, taking a second to pause in the Kohler twin’s direction. They’d taken a seat at a table close by, on the route out of the cafeteria, and were now sneaking peeks at us too.
“How…” I shuddered and refocused myself. I was determined to control these nerves better than they controlled me. “How do we know them?”
Eran was taking a sip of his soda and trying to appear at ease. He swallowed before answering. “They found us during the Germanic Peasant Wars or rather we found them,” said Eran matter-of-factly. “They were drawn to the strife the peasants were encountering to prey on the defenseless. We thwarted them and they retaliated – though not well. I’m not certain, but I wouldn’t doubt that they still hold a grudge regarding it.”
“Well…how did they prey on them?” I persisted, my food remaining untouched, mostly because I was still battling my nerves.
“They entered the wars under the pretext that they sided with the peasants and would then take the lives of the peasants while no one else was present, blaming their murders on their adversaries.”
“Hmmm…” I said, thoughtfully. I shook it off and added, “How did we find out they were murdering the peasants?”
Eran lifted his eyebrows. “Through you.”
“Me?” I asked, stunned.
He shrugged as if it wasn’t surprising. “Yes…Well, actually, through your messages. You delivered a message from one of the dead notifying us to what they were doing. That message instigated the only manhunt for someone from the same side of the battlefield in the history of those wars.” Almost without a break, Eran added, “We should eat or it’ll appear odd.”
Following his own suggestion, he took a bite of his sandwich and grimaced. “This is the food they serve in school nowadays? It’s…It’s…”
“Atrocious, or was horrid the word you were looking for?”
“Both,” he said, chewing slowly. “It’s no wonder dropout rates are a concern.” He shook his head.
We nibbled at our food from that point on until nearly the end of the lunch hour. Conversation was limited to superficial topics such as whether we’d been burdened with homework already and when our first exam would be. The Kohler twins barely ate as well, I noticed. They were probably having the same reaction to the food as Eran but they did remain in their seats and continued their surveillance of us.
When the
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