I have been under the indentured servitude to the Fullerton family for about 1 month. Compared to how it could be for a slave, my time has been pleasant. Iesha has been very helpful in adjusting; we're technically "married" by Daelee but agreed to sleep in separate rooms. Rose adjusted better due to a life of only knowing enslavement, but admitted to me she felt claustrophobic about being in a smaller space compared to the colosseum. Rose and I managed to find somebody to connect to during our stay.
Greta the groundskeeper, a slave who has worked here for about 10 years, is a Dryad. Because they work so close together, she and Rose developed a quick friendship.
I, as bizarre as it sounds, have made a small connection to my owner, Mandevilla. I was cautious when we first met, but after seeing how kind and casual she acts, I grew to respect her. So far, my main responsibility has been guarding her when she goes out, which reminds me of what today is.
Waking up to the alarm clock, I got cleaned up and dressed in a cheap suit with no tie and sneakers. Then, I ran to the main house.
"Morning." Rose greeted me, preparing the family's breakfast.
"Good morning." I greeted back while I went up the stairs to Mandy's room. I knocked on the door. "Mandy?" I eased open the door, finding her still asleep. "It's time to get up."
"Five more minutes." She yawned while turning to her side.
"Okay." I knew how to motivate her. "You'll just be late for school."
"SCHOOL!?" She sat up, shocked. "It's the first day!" While she darted to the bathroom, I was left to set out her clothes for the day.
Because of her skin and hair, she was very fond of pink. I picked out a soft pink sundress, embroidered denim jacket, black tights, and her new black kitten heels. After setting her clothes, I checked her backpack and purse to make sure everything was there, finishing just in time for her to run in wrapped in a towel.
"Get out!" She ordered, rushing instead of angry.
"As you wish." I left for the kitchen but the youngest Fullerton woke up.
"Aiden, why is Mandy making noise?" She rubbed the sand out of her eyes.
"First day of school," I told her as I carried her back to her room. "You don't start for another hour. Get a little more sleep and Rose will come to wake you soon."
"Thank you, Addy." She drifted off.
Our morning was hectic, but I was able to get Mandy awake, eat breakfast, and ready for school with time to spare.
Right now, we're standing on the street corner waiting for her school bus. With the extra time, she told me how excited she was and I learned some new things about the school system. A 'Fey' school year is equal to four human years, there are six-day school weeks, at most 1-2 standard classes a day, and 11 months a year.
Pulling up, the school bus stopped and the door opened to reveal an older man with red hue skin and a mustache.
We sat in the middle with Mandy against the window. From the moment I sat down, I noticed that the other people on the bus were staring at me.
"Mandy, is it alright for me to sit here?" I asked her, worried I might be breaking a rule.
"It's not that. Minors aren't typically given slaves, so to see one attending to a minor is an unusual occurrence." She explained.
The crowd got used to me and the bus continued its route. Half an hour passed as the bus approached the Kenley Valley High School. It was a spectacular sight; there had to be dozens of buildings with some of the recognizable features being the Main building, a sports field, library, and horse ranch. If I needed to explain the principle of architecture, I would say Postmodern ala, Jorn Utzon, with some Edwardian influences.
When we got off the bus at the main building, Mandy pulled me along out of my gaze at all the people in 80s aesthetic clothing. She brought me inside the sleek building to the administration office. There, a satyr woman with curly, grey hair was at the front desk.
"How may I help you?" She asked in a disinterested voice.
"My name is Mandevilla Fullerton, I'm coming to collect my schedule and student handbook because I was sick on orientation day," Mandy explained.
The administrative assistant pulled out a manila envelope. "Here are all your papers, have a pleasant day."
We left and Mandy pulled out her schedule while I took a look at the handbook.
"Monday, Intro to Algebra. Tuesday, Language studies. Wednesday, Ethics. Thursday, Intro to Physical Science. Friday, Business Administration. Saturday, Comparative Writing. That should be my first semester." Mandy listed off her schedule.
"Business Administration? In High School?" I don't think my school offered that as a class. We continued walking while I flipped through the handbook. "This school has a lot of unusual classes. Magical theory; Automotive Customization; Game Theory? I didn't even know that concept existed until college."
"Well, we do have a lot of time compared to your familiar school." Mandy reminded me.
Our first stop was at her locker. I put away any materials she wouldn't need today, then I found the surprise appearance of Mandy's friends. They were good friends to her but a little callous.
Smithy, an eladrin with orangish-red skin and hair, was shorter than me by half a foot but was noticeably athletic. Lianas had violet skin with hair a shade darker, and was about 2-3 inches taller than Mandy, who is about a foot shorter than me. They hurried over to Mandy and had a group hug.
"You guys excited for this?" Mandy asked.
"You know it!" Lianas spewed confidence. "We are not High Schoolers! Say goodbye to those meek little kids from before, and hello to the new us."
"Speaking of new, did you hear about Azalea, the Junior? She started the new year off by showing her baby around." Smithy gossiped. "Talk about making a statement."
In the first month, I've been here, Mandy and I had a little time to talk about Kenley Valley. Apparently, students in Freshman and above are encouraged to have sex with multiple partners because eladrin have the lowest conception rates of any fey. Also, the rarity of an eladrin baby makes "how many kids do you have?" an indication of social respect. They continued talking about gossip going around, meanwhile, I continued reading the handbook and learned some interesting features of this school.
With most students having one class a day, the school offers a variety of extracurriculars such as sports, research clubs, community outreach, and even bizarre skills such as gambling. And because students are being prepared to essentially run the Paganish Realm, the status and prestige you have or obtain here influence your place after graduation.
Crap, Bowling for Soup was right.
"What's this about a dungeon island?" I read out loud, curious about the concept.
"You don't know?" Smithy looked at me like I was crazy. "The dungeon island is the biggest economic market of the Valley. Some companies specialize in dungeon diving, some companies that handle large-scale resource extraction, equipment sales, sponsorships, you can't believe it."
"I see." Similar to Animalia way, dungeons serve an essential role here.
"That's not even the craziest." Lianas continued. "Rumor has it, any party that gets through all the floors will have any wish granted by the Dungeon Master. If you want to have your own country, go anywhere in the world, meet a god, anything can be wished for."
Smithy agreed. "True, but in the centuries this place has existed, nobody has ever done it. The dungeon is a test of strength, skill, intelligence, courage, and in all that time, nobody has gotten past level 5."
From what they said, beating the dungeon was impossible, but in my opinion, so is getting freedom, and I've already dedicated myself to returning to my friends. It looks like I'm going dungeon crawling again.
Mandy got finished with her class of the day, and now we're having lunch in the cafeteria. And if you hadn't figured it out by now, the food here is in a whole different league from regular school food.
"That was a fun class." Mandy said as she ate in front of me. "What extracurricular do you think I should take? Horticulture sounds fun, but Mother had hoped I'd join Business Magnets of Tomorrow. What do you think?"
I sat in front of her, unable to look into her eyes as I had some water. "Mandy... I've been meaning to ask, can you take me to the dungeon island?"
"The island?" She was confused by my sudden plea. "I guess Smithy's story inspired you. I don't know, I don't really have any useful skills for that. Maybe I should try the Handicraft club?" She continued eating.
Without her approval, I would never be able to go. "Please, I need to go. I... it's just really... important."
"Why?" She was still puzzled.
My seal hurt me if I didn't comply. "I... I want... the wish."
"The wish... the rumor? That's just Smithy being suspicious. That rumor has been around for years." She laughed. "Besides, what could you want that only the wish would give you?"
If she learned, it would cause a lot of problems. I tried to keep myself from talking, but the force of the seal tormented me. After remaining silent for a minute, Mandy placed a worried hand on mine.
"I..." The magic was forcing my mouth to move. "I want... freedom."
"Freedom?" She paused, several minutes going by without her talking.
This is horrible. I was too relaxed, I don't have the luxury of trust in my situation.
"Aiden." She spoke, my heart stopped in fear. "Why do you want freedom?"
No seal, I just wanted her to know. "I'm trying to get back to my comrades, my friends, my family... my wives, Lanie and Rana."
Another pause went. "Mother told me that at the Colosseum, you were given a chance to leave, but you didn't. Why?"
"I would have but... another slave was captured with me. He had a wife and children. I stayed behind to find another way so his kids wouldn't be forced to grow up without their father." I was digging my grave deeper.
She stared at me, a mix of sadness and frustration. She took a deep breath and spoke. "We can go after class the next day."
What? "What?" This couldn't be happening. She was... helping me.
"We'll go tomorrow. I promise I'll help you get back home."
