The Afterlife Academy: Valkyrie

Chapter 9

9

"Why— Why did I lie?" I stuttered, my face heating up in embarrassment. s**t.

"I know the West well. You’re not a noble. As a matter of fact, there's no Ylfings Clan at all," Flavia said, casually pricking the last potato off her plate and eating it. "Pass the sauce, Oda."

My ears burned and shame curled tightly around my heart. I'd never lied about my heritage or my mother. I never had any reason to be ashamed of where I came from. I shouldn't have pretended to be someone else just to fit in with these girls.

"I'm sorry." I shoved my chair back, standing up while not daring to look anyone in the eye. "I'll go now."

"Ylva, sit," Flavia commanded. The power in her voice was enough to have me obey. She probably wanted to berate me before I left and I couldn't even blame her. I deserved it.

"Tssk," Oda scoffed, clicking her tongue. "The catzel is out of the bag now."

"Be quiet," the blonde leader said, silencing her right-hand woman. "Ylva, I asked you a question. Why did you lie?"

Was she really expecting an answer? Should I lie again so I didn't lose face? Then again, what was the point? I was cast out anyway.

"I wanted to be cool, okay?" I fessed up, deciding it wasn't worth another lie. "I just wanted to sound cool and fit in. I'm not a noble, I'm not the heir to the West, and the only dusk wolf I've seen in my life is the old she-wolf of my mother. Also, I didn't make the potato salad. I made my Dragon roommate do it."

The girls gasped, whispering softly to each other in horror and shock.

But not Flavia. Her face didn't betray any emotion as she ate a single pea. "I see." She frowned, rippling her strong features into a fierce glare. "Very well. Pass the bean casserole."

Confused, I looked at the other girls before pointing at myself. "Me?"

"Yes. The beans are on your left. Pass them."

"Okay?" Was this a practical prank? Would my punishment come when I let my guard down? What was this? Pass the beans? That was it?

Carefully, I addressed the squad leader. "So... Should I go now?"

"Why? We're in the middle of dinner. There's more roast. Eat." To strengthen her point, she gestured to Freckles who plonked a big slice of pork on my plate.

Were they trying to poison me? Maybe food torture where they kept making me eat?

I lied, I schemed, and I got caught. Why weren't they getting mad? Why weren't they making my life miserable? Wasn't that the price I had to pay for scamming them?

Oda turned away from me and directed her attention to the other girls. "Did any of you have many classes this week?"

"No, most of our classes were cancelled," Freckles replied. She poured some more sauce on her beans and shrugged. "Holiday blues from the teachers?"

"Perhaps..." Flavia frowned, her expression clearly revealing she had some thoughts on it, yet she didn't divulge. "Dagmar, you're on dish duty today."

The girls chattered away about everything and nothing, not paying any attention to me. Waiting for the other shoe to drop, I passed the rest of the dinner in silence. Apart from some occasional glances in my direction, nobody made me feel unwelcome or out of place.

Was I still part of this group? What was going on? Couldn't they just tell me what was happening already?

Flavia mopped up the last of her pork and gravy with her piece of bread, neatly folded her knife and fork onto the plate, and rose from her seat. "Lovely dinner. Thank you for your attendance, my friends."

The girls copied their leader and I followed suit. I was already the odd duck out, I didn't want to draw more unnecessary attention to me.

"I'll see you girls after the weekend in class. Dagmar, please clear the table." The strong blonde turned towards me, her blue eyes flickering. "Ylva, a word."

Ah, there it was. The long-awaited doom, the rejection of me, the social disappointment I was trying so hard to avoid.

With a heavy heart, I followed Flavia towards the living area of her gigantic dorm room and sat down. This was going to hurt...

"Tell me, Ylva. What is our society based upon?" she asked, cracking her neck.

"Ummm... What do you mean?"

She clicked her tongue. "I'll tell you. Achievement. I don't care where you come from or who your parents are. It's not worth lying about. I'm interested in what you have to offer and what contributions you're going to make. I see potential in you."

"You do?"

The third-year nodded, unfolding her dark leathery wings that extended far beyond her muscled shoulders. "The only things that matter are where you're going and what you accomplish. I was born as the heir to the East, but that's a title I will only hold as long as I'm worthy. The only thing that matters is the power I wield and possess, not my heritage, not my parents, and not my name. So tell me, Ylva. What are your ambitions?"

I swallowed audibly, the knot in my stomach tightening. "I want to graduate so I can become a Valkyrie like no other. I... This may sound stupid, but I want to serve. Odin, warriors, the world."

"I see." She nodded to herself as she pulled a necklace over her head. "Here."

I held out my hand, surprised by the cold metal falling into my palm. "What is it?"

"It's a shard of a golden shield from the ceiling of Valhalla. It was given to me on my first visit beyond the gates by Odin himself. It reminds me of who I serve and why."

My breath hitched. "Wow..."

Flavia took the pendant from me and put it back on. "I knew my hunch about you was right. You're deeply and passionately motivated, the same way I am. Work hard, fight for your rightful place, and I think you'll go on to do great things."

She walked away, leaving me with potentially even more questions than before. Too worried to not outright ask, I called after her. "So am I still in?"

The blonde turned, a slight smirk playing on her face. "Monday, dining hall, lunchtime. Be there."

Relief washed over me as I gathered my things and exited Flavia's room. I was still in! Even after they discovered the stupid lies I told. I didn't know how that was possible, but I wasn't going to question it. This was amazing. Brilliant, even.

Being part of a squad like this would have great advantages for my journey and my career afterwards.

With my heart beating steadily in my chest, I descended from the third floor of the Valkyrie dormitory. I should probably go back to my room, but that meant spending time with Ryoko. Maybe not... I was too excited and I couldn't hide it.

Despite just coming back from dinner, I was still peckish. The stress of it all had prevented me from eating properly. Maybe if I rerouted to the kitchens, I could pick up some snacks and shave off time I had to spend with the Dragon this evening.

Hah. I hadn't been out on campus this late. The dark made everything look different than during the day. Did I usually enter the main building through this door? Were there always this many entrances? Which corridor lead to the dining hall again?

A little lost, I relied on my gut instinct to follow this hall wherever it would lead me. A couple of decorations on the wall seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember where I knew them from.

I passed a room that looked like a lecture hall. Aah, this was where I had Hagen's Nature Of Human Souls 101 earlier this week. Damn, I definitely took a wrong turn then. The dining hall was in a different part of the building.

I should hurry. Students weren't encouraged to be within the school during the weekends or this late after lectures.

Hushed voices sounded from around the corner and I quickly hid behind a row of lockers. I didn't want to get caught and have my first taste of whatever kind of punishment they dished out in the Academy.

From my dark corner, I recognised the two people entering the corridor. Brynhild and Hagen, two of my teachers.

"The timing is certainly unfortunate," Brynhild said, her voice lowered to a register that was clearly not meant for outsiders.

"We're working overtime, but there just aren't enough Reapers," Hagen replied.

The strong Valkyrie sighed. "We have more souls to collect than normal too."

"I wonder what's going on," my male teacher mused. "It worries me."

"Me too. We can't keep cancelling class either to deal with it."

"Agreed."

The two turned the corner, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I wasn't detected, which was good. However, their conversation was certainly cause for concern. There were more human deaths than usual? So many that our teachers didn't have time to teach class? That wasn't a good sign.

"I wonder who knows?" I muttered to myself, creeping out of my dark spot and hurrying the opposite way. All the way back to the dorms.

This news was certainly upsetting. If there were so many souls in need of assistance that the teachers needed to abandon their post, that was suspicious. Humans were dying at an accelerated rate. But why?