Taking Her Vikings

ᚴᛅᛒᛁᛏᚢᛚᛁ 2

ᚴᛅᛒᛁᛏᚢᛚᛁ 2

Sue didn't give us any time to properly look around our new home. Luckily, the room I was to share with Kaycee was bigger than the one I'd had for myself back at my mum's place. Our beds were on opposite ends of the room and a tall bookshelf acted as a screen for privacy. Two large wardrobes were close to the door. None of us had brought any clothes - we weren't allowed to take anything with us to TTA - so that meant they would either stay very empty or the Academy would provide us with enough things to fill them with.

There was nothing else in the room. No decoration, not even windows. I still didn't know where the Academy was located. All the walls were bare stone, no wallpaper or paint anywhere. It was kind of pretty and atmospheric, but also a little depressing. It didn't feel like a home, not like a place I was going to be comfortable in for the next few years. Not that I had a clue of how long our training would be. When signing up for TTA training, it's a commitment for life. All you know is that your family will be looked after and that you'll never want for anything. That's enough to make most people want to join. The world can be a hard place and TTA offers security that is hard to find in other professions.

"Hurry up, dinner's getting cold," Sue scolded, waiting outside the door with Maryam. "It's first come, first serve in the dining hall and you don't want to be last, trust me."

I gave my new room one last glance, then quickly followed our guide. She led us along a corridor that seemed to house more bedrooms like ours, and into a small common room. Plastic chairs were dotted around the area, all of them empty. Everyone else had to be at dinner. A couple of bookshelves lined the walls, one of them topped with a stack of board games. That was it. No television, no computers, not even a fireplace or radiators. TTA surely liked sparse interior design. I would miss my mum's soft sofa with its dozens of cushions and blankets. These plastic chairs looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"Whenever you're not in lessons, training or studying, you can spend time in the common room," Sue explained hurriedly. "Books have to stay in here. No taking them into bedrooms. You only go into your room to sleep."

"Why?" Kaycee interrupted. "What if we want some privacy?"

Sue laughed, not unkindly. "As a level one student, you don't have privacy. It's something you have to earn. Work hard, complete all your assignments as best as you can, and you'll slowly earn more privileges. The faster you learn, the more benefits you'll get."

Kaycee crossed her arms in front of her chest, obviously not pleased with that reply. She'd probably expected to get special treatment because of her uncle.

"The bathrooms are at the other end of the corridor we just came from. I'm sure you know how to use a shower?" Sue laughed. "Good, then let's get some food. I'm starving."

Compared to the other parts of the Academy, the dining hall had a completely different atmosphere. The sound of hundreds of people eating and chatting filled the air, together with the smell of a wild variety of dishes. There were painting and tapestries all over the stone walls, and the high ceiling was covered in what looked like fairy lights. It gave it a homely, friendly feel. For the first time, I thought that I might be able to make this my home.

Sue led us to a buffet at the very end of the hall.

"Choose whatever you want, but don't expect there to be enough left for second helpings," she said with a grin. "The good stuff disappears fast when you have two hundred students, teachers and agents all starving. You'll see soon that you're going to eat more here than you're used to. A side effect of your training."

"Do we have assigned seats?" Maryam asked and I followed her gaze, taking in the square tables filling the hall, each of them with four chairs. They were wooden chairs, looking much more comfortable than the plastic ones in our common room.

"No, sit wherever you like. Once you get to know people, I'm sure the usual cliques will form. It's part of Academy life." Sue snickered. "Will you find the way back to the common room after dinner?"

I nodded.

"Good. I'll see if I can procure some maps of the building. I know there are some, but I couldn't find any earlier today. That will make it easier for you to find your classrooms tomorrow."

Excitement bubbled up in me. Lessons. I'd learn how to be a time agent. Travel through time, meet people from the past, and save the present in the process. Not that I had any idea of how exactly that was done. But everyone knew that the TTA was responsible for helping us out of the last recession, and cure at least two major diseases. Somehow, they used the past to improve the present.

Kaycee pushed past me and rushed towards the vegetarian part of the buffet. Maryam followed her, but I was drawn towards the scent of curry and spices. It was a table at the very end of the long row, and most of the bowls and platters were still full. Three large pots of curry, a covered plate of naan bread, a basket filled with poppadoms and, were those pakora? Oh my goodness, I was in heaven. I'd always loved Indian food and now, I could eat as much as I wanted. I took a plate from a stack and heaved as much food on it as it could carry. I certainly wasn't going to starve at the Academy.

I looked around for a place to sit. Most tables were full or only had one empty place, so it was clear that I wasn't going to be able to sit with Maryam and Kaycee. Sue had disappeared, probably sitting with her friends and colleagues. I hadn't figured out yet if she was a senior student or a member of the Academy staff.

The closest table was occupied by only one man. His broad back was turned towards me. It seemed as good a place as any to sit. If I wanted to be part of TTA, I would have to get to know people.

"Is it okay if I join you?" I asked, carefully balancing my overfull plate. It was getting hot at the edges.

"Go ahead," the man said in a deep voice that carried a slight accent. "That's what chairs are for. To sit on."

I frowned at his strange manner but sat down and took some cutlery from a holder in the centre of the table.

I ate several mouthfuls before realising that I hadn't introduced myself or even properly looked at the man. I wasn't usually this impolite, but porting and all the excitement of being in a new place had made me hungry.

He was staring at me. Not in a friendly, interested way, but in an intense and scrutinising way that made a shiver run down my back.

"You're hungry," he observed, his gaze never leaving my face. Since he obviously didn't see anything wrong with staring at me like a zoo animal, I returned the favour. He was older than me, maybe in his early thirties. His eyes were the colour of azure waters, the kind of tropical water that I'd only seen on television. They were guarded by thick eyebrows, just as blond as his hair and beard. The beard was well-trimmed with not a single hair out of place; it was obvious that he took great care of keeping it that way. His hair was close to shoulder-length and a lot messier than his beard. Like he hadn't combed it in days.

"Like what you see?"

His lips curved into a taunting smile. Not unfriendly, just mocking.

"I'm not sure yet," I replied with a blank expression. I was good at those. Keeping others in the dark about what I was feeling. "Are you one of the teachers?"

He nodded. "And you're a newbie. Only newbies sit on my table. By tomorrow, you'll be somewhere else."

"Why?"

"Because by then, you'll know who I am," he said mysteriously. "But for now, I'm going to enjoy your company. What's your name?"

What a strange man. His plate was empty, so he didn't have to stay here. The dining hall was slowly getting quieter as more and more people left. It seemed he really wanted to have a conversation.

"Lainie. What's yours?"

"Hjalmar. Most people can't pronounce it properly."

"Hjalmar," I repeated, trying to make it sound as rough as he'd said it, although I couldn’t copy his accent. "Is that a Scandinavian name?"

"It's an ancient word," he replied, staring at me intently. "Do you speak any foreign languages?"

I frowned at his abrupt change of topic. "Some French, but it's a couple of years ago since I last spoke any. I've probably forgotten most of it." I took a bite of naan bread, but made sure to keep my eyes fixed on him. He was playing some kind of game, and I sure was going to match him. I was competitive like that.

"Your pronunciation was excellent. Were you good at your French lessons?"

I shrugged. "Not top of the class but I found it quite easy to learn the language. I never had to read over new vocabulary more than once or twice before I could remember the words."

"Good. That will help you in my class."

"Your class?" I couldn't help but sound surprised. I'd known he was a teacher, but I hadn't really expected him to be mine. He didn't seem like the kind of teacher you had at the very beginning of your training. Not with the intense way he was looking at me, like he could see into my mind.

"Have you not checked your timetable yet?"

I shook my head. "I haven't been given one."

He chuckled. "Tomorrow at ten in the morning. Although by then, you'll probably have heard the rumours, now that people have seen you sit at my table. Don't let that influence you from learning as much as you can in my class."

His eyes had turned a little sad. It sounded like people usually avoided him. It couldn't just be because of his strange manner. Well, if he was right, I was going to find out soon.

I turned around and looked at the people at the neighbouring tables. Some of them were openly staring at me. Or at Hjalmar, it was hard to tell. Had I managed to get myself a reputation just by sitting at his table? What a way to start.

"Ten a.m. Don't be late."

He got up, his chair screeching over the stone floor. He left without another glance, but dozens of stares followed him.