Fall of the Guild

As I stare out the window of my mother’s SUV as we speed down the road, I watch as the sun rays break through the tree line. “Mom, why do I have to leave?” I think but the words, but they never form in the back of my throat, so I never get the answer I so desperately need. Where are my manners? My name is James Arthur Morris, I am a part of the black sheep side of the family, or as my grandmother used to say “the screwups”. It is true for the most part, my father, the rebel son of one of the richest families in Adders Ville. I will just say we never fit into the pack, the tribe, or as I used to say the cult. My father is the eldest son of four, he was expected to take over the family business, but he was too weak, and unfortunately, he decided to become an alcoholic and spill family secrets to one too many people. He became unreliable and they had to take him out for the security of the family. No, that was a bad choice of words, “take him out”, means out to the farm, he was sent for rehabilitation, his mind needed to be corrected. Before he forgets the blood oath he took. Me? Where am I going? Well, that is the fun of it, I am being send to boarding school, where curiosity dies and loyalty strives, as my nana says. She thinks I am a screwup, I must prove my worth, I must show I am better than my father. Or I will never get my rightful place at the head of the guild. I am not a proud man, boy, teen? 18 is such an awkward age am I a teen am I grown up, what am I? Okay but yes, I am not proud, I am prideful, but humility is the most important part of our craft. My family has been running a business, our business here in Adders Ville for over 200 years, and in all honesty, I still do not know what we do. But I was promised on the first full moon after my 19 birthday that will all change. That is in 9 months, for now I must go for my final year of school. The last time me and my mother are taking the drive up the last time the sun will touch my face over these hills, while I am in this black and blue uniform. But that is a good thing. It is a four hour drive I have become so accustomed to. Saying goodbye to my family for nine out of the twelve months of the year. I am used to it by now, the only problem I have been at this boarding school for eleven years going to my twelfth and I still do not have friends. Which is sad I know, but it is the reality I live with, and this year I am going to change it all, who am I kidding, I am still myself, and nobody likes me. I dose off as I stare over the countryside. It must have been hours later because my mother woke me up when we entered the familiar gate of Barton prep. The gate house built to make a statement. We drive down the paved road to the Wilfred house, named after John Wilfred the founder of this great school, and it will be my house for the next nine months, along with all the other seniors. My mother parks the car, shut off the engine, reaches into her purse and gives me a stack of cash, I never counted it because I know before I can even use it the next supply will arrive. “James, don’t worry about your father, enjoy the year” she says as a tear rolls down her face, I take my hush money, kiss her on her head, “I will enjoy the year mom, love you”. I get out the car open the trunk and get out my things. I am a minimalist, so I do not have a lot, but as if ordered two grade eights appears to take my bags to my room, “James Morris, room 309” I tell them. I wave my mother off as she speeds off on the paved road we just came in on. I stare over the grass division between the male and female section of the residence, and there is see this blond girl getting out the car with her father, I do not recognize her she must be new. “Hello, Mrs. Morris, nice to make your acquaintance.” A different grade eight boy silently stands next to me, I look at him confused, he stares at me through his long blonde hair that has fallen over his eyes. Confused I ask, “Can I help you?”. With a weird form of confidence he replies, “Yes, Mr. Morris I have been ordered to escort you to your room. I will also be your personal grade eight this year.” One must love the hierarchy that this boarding school has where to humiliate the grade eights they become a slave to make sure the humility that a Barton man must strive for is engraved into their core, by being forced into a mentorship program . “First of all, call me Mr. Morris again and I will cut your tongue out, I am James, secondly when I see you, you have to look neat, you have combed your hair, and did no one ever teach you how to properly tie a tie?”. Yes, I know I was being a d**k, but he is a trust fund baby and if I do not scare him now, he will eat me up by lunch. I walk up to him, untie his tie, I refold it, they way my mother taught me, the way I can look as neat as my father once did. “This is how things are going to work between you and me, you make no problems for me, and I will insure you have none, I am going to be your greatest ally, or your worst enemy. You listen to me and only out of all the seniors. If somebody gives you trouble, give me a name and your problems will disappear. What do I ask in return? Well, that is the easy part. Each morning you will wake me at exactly 5:30 am, not a second sooner nor later, you will stand there, coffee in hand, are you a jogger?” he looks confused he doesn’t know if he is supposed to respond, with his previous confidence being stripped out of him he responds with a faint voice “I... I am not.” “You are now, as I don’t like excessing alone, you will join me, problem with that?” “N… no sir” “I told you I am not a sir, walk with me to my room, would you?”. We both start walking in the direction of Wilfred house, “where did they put the grade eighths this year?” he hesitates to answer “ Please don’t be scared of me, that was all an act, I meant what I said but I am not a d**k” he looks shocked that I knew he thought I was a d**k “We are in, I actually forgot the name” “I take it you are new here?” “Yes, me and my sister were sent here for the first time” “Let me guess your sister has blond hair and is a senior as well?” “Yes, how did you know?” Finally, I can get the identity of my, I would say love at first sight, but I just creeped on her across the lawn so let us just say the mystery girl will be a lot less of a mystery. “What is her name?” “Charlotte” “And you are Noah? Don’t look so surprised I knew who you were before I even met you” we walk down the long dark corridor of Wilfred house in silence, I think I might have over done the scaring him part. We get to my room, and I invite him in, somebody must unpack my bags! “Wait the seniors get a private room?” he asked confused “No not all, why?” “There is another bed in here” “So I will have a roommate it seem, I will find out who he is later, for now unpack my bags, make my bed, and restock my minifridge with water an Mountain Dew” I reach in my pocket and get $200 and give it to him, he looks shocked and scared as if he has never seen a single $100 dollar note much less two. “I believe that should be enough, if it is keep the change, and if it’s not just come find me and I will give you more.” I walk out the room, I need to go find my future wife before these life sucking maggots get to her. As I walk through the corridor back to the front door, I see the faces of founders and important people scattered across the walls, as I meander forwards, I softly drag my hand across the brick wall, I have always found comfort in the texture of the bricks. How do I introduce myself after scaring, the crap, out of her brother what do I even say? “Hey, my name is James, and I am the d**k that terrorized your brother.” It is such douche thing to say. I reach the lawn and I start looking for her, there is only thousands of girls here, how hard will it be to find her? I walk for what across the lawn, and there in the windowsill I see her! Is she reading?  Now how do I get her attention? How do I convince her to come down and talk to me? I hear the crunch of the pebbles that cover the parking lot under my feet, then it hit me, I will break her window and be suspended for breaking and not entering? Okay I will just through lightly. And not break the window. I stand outside her window, fully committed to throwing rocks at her window when she looks out and sees me, act normal, James act normal, wave, James wave at her! I awkwardly wave and signal for her to come down. She disappears so I walk to the front door. After feeling like I was dying for centuries she finally appeared out of the front door. “Hey, I am James, are you Charlotte by any chance?” s**t, she looks confused, yes officer, I see how I look like a total creep, “I am?”, “Okay, good, Noah is my grade eight, and I wanted to introduce myself before the maggots of this place got to you.” “They already did…James” is she mocking me? What has she heard? “s**t, what did they say about me?” I took too long, why did I tie his tie? “I am just messing with you, you are the first person who has talked to me since my dad has dropped me off, other than my grade eight of course.” “Well do you want a tour?” she nods yes, and we start walking, I tell her about the history about this place and the founder and after boring her for 45 minutes I took her to my favourite place on campus the library, no I am not a nerd, our library has section just for old music records and she needs to know the best part about Barton. “Wait why does the school have such a great collection?” she asked shocked, “I asked my dad to donate it? No, don’t look at me like that, I am not a rich boy that gets whatever I want, I just wanted this to have a place to escape to and have freedom in a place like this.” I walk closer to her “Still sounds like a rich boy thing to do… you really don’t like this place?” “With time you grow used to it, but I never grew fond of it” In my lover boy haze, I completely forgot that we had a meeting in the hall to attend, I look at my watch and ask her if she would like to walk together, or if I should leave and she will come in five minutes. “No, that would be suspicious.” “I know let’s get them gossiping early this year.” “You really don’t like them huh?” “No, I don’t” we made small talk, and, in the hall, I explained to her where the senior girls had to sit, and finally it was time for the most dreaded part of my day. The dean of Barton stood up proudly, and the hall grew silent, “My dear students welcome to hell!”