BLUD Volume 1, Chapter 4: The Wild Card

            CRASH!

            “INCOMING!!”

            All eyes darted upward towards one of the windows. Its glass shattered inward, surrounding the figure of a girl soaring in like a bird—arms out flapping and all. At first, everyone freaked out thinking they were under attack. Then the flying girl let out a laughing holler as she continued through the air, making the panic change to bewildered confusion. Her flight lasted until she was right above the auditorium stage where she dropped headfirst straight down from over a dozen meters in the air. The crowd’s panic returned at the sight, some calling out for someone to catch her.

            Three feet before hitting the ground, the girl next pulled out a pair of pistols and shot them downward. The momentum of her fall slowed with final shots followed by a forward flip and her landing perfectly right side up. Putting her pistols away, she swung her arms out and did jazz hands. Bright pink eyes and a crazed smile greeted the shocked audience. “TA-DA!!!!”

            Utter silence from the crowd greeted her. Some stared with wide eyes. Others had dropped jaws. A significant number were doing both.

            The girl paid them no more mind. Dropping her hands to her sides, she turned to face the older red-haired woman still holding the mic. “You must be the headmistress. Daisy Jynx at your service.” She, Daisy, gave a dramatic bow at the end of her introduction. Now that she was closer, her appearance became clearer. A long sleeveless blue dress with a torn skirt adorned her person. Wrapped around her middle was a black corset with small white frills on the top and bottom. A pair of simple black flats along with knee-length socks graced her feet. Atop her head of short brown hair was a blue witch’s hat tipped in white. Lastly were her eyes, a bright pink holding within them something less than sane.

            Headmistress Heartstone blinked twice and smiled. “And hello to you as well, Miss Jynx. However, despite your very entertaining entrance, we do have to continue with Orientation.”

            Daisy nodded. “Say no more. I wouldn’t miss your intro speech for the world.” She then ran for the edge of the stage and leapt off. “Onward!”

            Those up front panicked, thinking they would need to catch her. But just as some of them reached out to do so, she surprised them once again when she began soaring up to the rafters of the room. That caused the crowd to go silent a second time.

            Thankfully, a throat clearing had everyone’s attention returning to the stage. Heartstone made sure all the new students had turned their focus back to her before continuing with her speech. “Well, with that enthusiastic interruption, I can now say everybody is actually here.” A handful of chuckles echoed in the audience. “As I was saying, welcome new students to Beacon Academy. Each one of you has studied and trained to make it this far, whether that be in one of the primary combat schools or through other means. Each one of you has shown exemplary potential in becoming future hunters.

            “That said, know that this school is the next and final level in your training for such an arduous profession. Your resolve and skills will constantly be tested throughout the next four years. For some, these will only grow and strengthen, a sign of your success. For others, they may break under the strain, so this role in life may not be for you. No matter what, at the end of the day, you are all here to learn how to better protect the world we live in. Be ready.” The headmistress stepped away from the mic once her speech was finished, leaving the audience of first years in a mix of awed feelings and murmurs.

            The unknown faculty member from earlier stepped up to the mic next. “A riveting introduction to the new school year as always, Headmistress,” she complimented. “That said, all first-year students are to report to the ballroom tonight for rest. For any and all personal belongings you do not need for sleep, you may be assigned a temporary locker to keep them in until tomorrow. Have a good evening.”

■ ■ ■

            Sitting in her sleeping bag in a purple-lined orange robe, Bella pulled out her journal and a pencil and started writing. Recording the day was usual practice in her evening routine, one which helped immensely in processing her thoughts. And for her first day at Beacon, she could honestly say it was somewhat interesting. She especially noted meeting her cousin Paladina—that made at least one possible ally in her mission. Other than that, she also wrote what she observed of several students in the crowd at Orientation. This was mainly a list of who was fine and who should probably be avoided. It wasn’t a long list, but had room to grow longer as the school year progressed.

            Someone came up next to her right as she finished. Bella closed her journal and looked up to see it was her new acquaintance, Lily. The younger girl wore deep purple pajama pants, a long-sleeved black shirt, and black wooly socks. Strangely, she still wore both her mask and black gloves from earlier. Bella wanted to question why other kept them on but held off. It wasn’t her business.

            In a whispery voice Lily asked, “Is it o-okay if I sleep here?”

            Bella blinked then smiled. “Sure. Is something wrong though? Why so nervous?”

            “I…I don’t really know anyone else here,” was answered in an even quieter tone.

            “Oh. Well, that’s fine. I understand.” Bella scooted over some to give Lily space to set up her own sleeping bag. Once finished, the two gazed around the rest of the ballroom watching other people get ready for bed. “New places and people can be pretty nerve-wracking, huh?”

            “Yeah, especially people.” Lily hugged her pillow to her chest, still too tense to sleep herself. “That girl from earlier was terrifying.”

            Ah, yes. The girl with the witch get up. Daisy Jynx, Bella remembered. She made sure to put her at the top of her ‘avoid list.’ The tiger faunus refused to lie to herself about how disturbed she felt when seeing the crazed teenager fly onto the stage. All it told her was that this person was a wild card, someone whose actions and motives were unpredictable. That was not someone Bella could afford to get involved with or get on their bad side. It would only lead to more unnecessary problems.

To Be Continued