The Six Souls of Solum Island

Chapter Two

The fork made a harsh sound as Adelaide scraped it against the plate. She stopped playing with her food, dropping the fork onto the plate filled with leftovers. It was hard to eat, butterflies fluttering in her stomach left no room for digestion. Anticipation filled her mind and made it harder for her to taste what she was actually eating.

She turned her head away from the sunrays. Perhaps choosing a window seat wasn't the brightest idea, considering all seats surrounding the ship's dining ward were empty. The whole place was decorated to seem more like a restaurant instead of a wooden room with tables and booths. Adelaide, suppose it could be deemed one, had they hired actual chefs instead of just appointing one of the sailors who happened to be a decent cook. Though, thinking back at the amount of money she had wasted on the food, it was not decent enough.

Chatters from the booth in front of her grew louder, loud enough for her to decipher.

“I'm so excited, you have no idea," a blonde haired girl said to her friend.

“Same, I still can't believe they accepted my entrance essay though. I heard like they only accept 10 scholars,”her friend answered.

“I already knew I'd get in,”the blonde giggled.

With a sigh, Adelaide rested her head onto the booth. Those girls were scholars... like her. At least it was comforting to know that she wasn't the only one who took the last minute ship. Her ears perked up as the conversation between the two girls shifted. They were now talking about how exciting it will be to meet new people. It was an open topic, one that she could easily squeeze into. Besides, they looked inviting enough.

Burning with determination, she stood up. Better start now before she chickened out and recoil back into her introverted shell.

Due to her haste, she accidentally knocked her forearm on the edge of the table. Biting back a scream, she immediately sat back down. The slight impact from the table had caused her slowly healing arm to sting. It had been more than a week and the injury showed signs of healing. Thankfully, the ship had a first aid kit and she was able to tend to her wound before an infection occurred.

Her bandaged arm would draw in attention, the last thing she needed were questions about it. And so, she pulled back to her seat, playing with her leftovers once more.

The door creaked noisily as it opened.

Her eyes diverted to the entrance, observing the new-comer. There was much to look at, considering the boy by the door had all the impeccable features. Blonde slicked-back hair, prominent eyebrows making his icy blue eyes pop and a lean frame to complete the perfection.

Adelaide wasn't the only one enchanted by the stranger's looks, as the blonde girl and her friend were already fawning over him. Giggles from the other table snapped her out of her dream like state. Instead of focusing on his looks, she opted to scan his outfit instead. Wearing a brown coat whilst carrying a leather suitcase didn't suit the boy who looked to be just a few years older than herself.

There was something captivating about him, something that stretched beyond his blessed looks. Perhaps it was the way he carried himself confidently, not caring that every pair of eyes were trained on him. Possibly, it could be the air of mystery surrounding him, the kind enough to attract even the most aloof of all sorts. It felt like being in the presence of a King.

The boy made his way to the bartender, laying the peculiar suitcase in front of him. The bartender eyed the suitcase hungrily, reaching out to grab it. Before his hands could even come in contact with it, the boy pulled it away. “Not yet.” He said.

His voice hung in the air, causing everyone's ears to perk up. Adelaide could easily tell that they were trying to eavesdrop into the conversation as well.

“Of course,” the bartender said, slipping a piece of paper to the boy. He moved to grab the paper, his body strategically blocking everyone's view.

The exchange between them was short and in a blink of an eye, they were shaking hands, closing off the deal. The handsome boy turned, his eyes meeting hers causing her heart rate to stop momentarily. His piercing blue eyes shone as he stared at her, causing something within her to stir. It felt like the room was shifting, fading off from between them until it was only two of them left. Before she could regain herself, he broke eye contact and left.

Blinking furiously, she inhaled. She had been holding her breath during the short exchange between them, causing her mind to feel dizzy. From the corner of her eye, she saw a speck of black liquid oozing from the bartender’s index finger. Discretely, he moved his bloodied finger on the bar and the room fell silent. The two girls chatting animatedly shut their mouths in sync, their eyes widening. However, there was something different about their expressions, almost like they were asleep with their eyes open. Adelaide looked closer and just like that the girls continued chatting animatedly about each other as if nothing had happened.

She shook her head, the sea was playing tricks with her mind.

A few hours later, the captain announced their arrival and everyone rushed out of their cabins. Eager faces spilled the deck as they pushed past each other to get a glimpse of the Island. Adelaide too was ecstatic to greet her new home for the whole year. Grumbling, she fought the urge to push past an elderly couple that blocked her view.

Once they were gone, the newfound sight left her breathless. It was captivating with high green mountains rising higher than skyscrapers. Trees covered the whole land, only exposing sand on its ends. The huge Island was looked more majestic in real life compared to the brochures she spent years admiring. She had never seen so much green before!

Straining her eyes, she tried to soak up the image. She wanted to permanently engrave the scenery before her into her brain. Due to her awestruck state, she hadn't even realized they arrived until sailors rushed pass her. They lowered the anchor and fastened a rope around a sturdy wood by the dock. Everyone hurried down the boat with Adelaide trailing behind them. She had no idea where she would go next. Her letter didn't particularly specify what she was supposed to do once she arrived to the Island.

Adelaide walked nervously on the pier, trying to figure out who to ask for directions. It was when panic began sinking in that her eyes laid on a signboard with her messily name written on it.

A gentle tap on her shoulder caused her to jump and she quickly turned to face the intruder.

“You must be Adelaide!”

Confused, she stared mutely at the rather short stranger.

“Yeah,” she answered.

At that, his eyes immediately lit up like a child on a Christmas day. “Holy molly, I finally got it right!”

Taken aback, she asked,“I do not mean to come off as rude, but who are you?”

His grin widen at her question, "Johnson Fredrick at your service. Do feel free to call me John, everyone else does but it’s up to you really. Just don't refer to me in your odd young slangs like Johnny or something.”

“I see…how do you know who I am?”

With the question in the air, the man – John – let out a sheepish laugh. “Well, you see, the academy assigned me to pick you up. Unfortunately, your description was rather...scarce. So, I've said that same exact greeting to eight girls and a boy so far. In my defense, the boy had a rather astonishing resemblance to that of a female.”

Unable to contain herself, she let out a giggle. As she stared at the man who couldn't be more than a decade older than her, another question sparked up, “Why did the academy send you?”

“Why? Because I'm their best professor...though, they haven't officially admitted it. They will some day.”

Dumfounded, she looked at the lanky man before her in a new light. She was positive the qualifications to be a professor in Remlyn Academy were high. A man in floral printed shirt, worn out khakis and cheap looking glasses didn' exactly fit into the high qualifications she had in mind. Heck, he couldn't even differentiate between a man and a woman!

Nevertheless, she held out a hand to her future professor, "Pleasure to be of acquaintance, sir.”

“Ah, acquaintance,”he muttered, shaking her hand firmly.

A moment of silence lingered in the air before she decided to break it, “Where to now, professor?”

“Aww, you kids are always so well behaved early in the year. No need for the formalities when you're around me. Feel free to call me as you please, Adelaide,”he said to her, acting like they've known each other for a long time.

“Of course, Johnny," she grinned.

“John,”he corrected.

“Johnny.”

Narrowing his eyes, he said,"Right then, follow me.”

With the weight of her bags in her hands, she tried to keep up with man. For someone with short legs, he sure had a fast stride and a talent of dodging the many people that passed.

It felt like hours of walking as she felt the merciless heat of the Island. After being exposed to winter for three months, she was not accustomed to the sudden change of temperature. Thankfully, she chose to wear a normal t-shirt today instead of her usual long sleeved ones. Although the change of weather delighted her, the heavy sweat that came after did not. She just hoped that she'll get used to having summer a whole year long.

“Here we are!”

They came to an abrupt halt, causing her to almost smack into John in the process. After walking for so long, she was almost convinced that his car was parked all the way on the other end of the Island.

Considering the long silent walk spent trying to keep up with John, she had spent most of it envisioning how his car was going to look like. Looking at his boy-ish hair and the way he talked, she assumed he would get a car suited for a teenager. Maybe a cool truck or an SUV, but what greeted her instead threw her speculations out the window.

Parked poorly in front of them was a beat up vehicle that looked like it belonged in the 90's. The paint surrounding it was peeling off dramatically. Its tires did not look alike with one another. One of the review mirror looked like it just got smashed and the doors were decorated with various scratches.

“Beautiful, isn't she?”John said, when he caught her staring at his car – if it could be considered a car – for longer than necessary.

Knowing how bad she was at lying, she settled for nodding.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Hop in.”

She blinked. For a car to get that many scratches must mean that John was involved in many accidents. After a short internal battle, she concluded that rejecting his generous offer to drive her to their next destination would be considered as rude. And the last thing she needed as a scholar was to get on a professor's bad side. So, sucking up a mouthful of courage, she went into the vehicle of death.

Once inside, she immediately fastened her safety belt while he started the engine. She didn't fancy dying on her first day here.

“Okay, kiddo, hang on tight. Martha likes to go fast.”

Wordlessly she stared at her professor before concluding that Martha was the name of this death machine. She had a professor who named his car, how lovely.

As he backed his car from the empty driveway, she couldn't help but ask, “Why did you park so far?”

“The parking is free here,”he answered with a shrug, carefully backing his car as if there were other cars present.

After spending an eternity to reverse, he drove off. That is, if it could be considered as such. There was barely any acceleration to the car. Honestly it appeared as though the clouds above her were drifting faster than them. It was then it dawned to her why John's car received so many scratches. Cars were probably hoping to knock him out of the road. She probably would do the same if she were driving behind him.

Not long later, Adelaide's patience wore thin,"Johnny, do you reckon that you can make Martha move a little quicker?”

“Oh child, if I were to make Martha move any faster, we might get fined for speeding.”

Glancing at the other cars overtaking theirs, she highly doubted that John's worries were valid. Nonetheless, she remained quiet, trying to be more optimistic. Because of their agonizingly slow pace, she was able to observe her surroundings.

So far, she had only seen trees towering above her, conveniently providing shade from the glaring sun. The path ahead was narrow, only the size of two cars wide. Surrounding the road was the forest floor, blanketed with decaying leaves, branches, barks and stems, covering the soil from view.

“So tell me Adelaide, are you nervous after being accepted into one of the most beautiful schools in the world corrupted by rich snobs?”John asked, turning his head towards her.

“I suppose…" she trailed off awkwardly. Truth to be told, she was beyond nervous. Bile was slowly rising up her throat ever since she left the ship. Or perhaps it was just another case of sea-sickness due to her lack of travelling experience.

“Well, I would love to reassure you, but unfortunately, I have nothing pleasing to say about the academy,”John's words made her head buzzed. Noticing her pale state, he continued,“I could give you a rundown about the rules if you'd like.”

She couldn't help but notice her professor's habit of starting every sentence with the word 'well'. Regardless, she nodded.

“So, as you may or may not know, Remlyn Academy provides a dormitory for all scholars. But since you arrived rather late, the whole building is full. Not to worry though, you'll be staying in one of the cabins.” He paused to let it all sink in, "There are 14 cabins in total, and no we did not name the cabins because we lack in creativity; instead we call them by their numbers. You'll be situated in Cabin 14, which, lucky for you, is under my care.”

“Oh. How many students would there be in a single cabin?" She had a slight fear that the cabins would serve like a sorority since if there's one thing she's bad in, it was blending in with a group of people. Much less, live with them.

“About five…no wait, seven. Wait, that's not right, six perhaps? I don't know, you'll see when we get there,”John murmured, sounding frustrated at his inability to remember the amount of students under his care.

“I see. Will the-"

Adelaide's question was cut off when John asked, "Any questions?”

“Yes, is there a-"

“No questions? Great,”he chirped, interrupting her sentence before turning back to focus on the path ahead.

Tight lipped, she decided to swallow back her question. John did come off as a bit rude, but for some reason, it didn't really bother her. He was more playful than he was professional, which made it easier for her to be around him.

It was quiet in the car after that, with hard-metal music blaring in the background. Although those kinds of music for a high ranked professor could raise eyebrows, Adelaide was strangely not surprised. To top it off, she could smell roses floating in the car, adding to her theory that John might be a little bipolar. Hard-metal and rose scented car perfumes? Not a common duo.

Almost half an hour passed and she had almost drifted into a slumber before the car finally jerked to a stop. Anxiously, she peeled her eyes open.

“Time to meet your cabinmates, kiddo!”