Chương 18: Chapter 17: And so the Little Pig Fought Back

Alice pushed open the classroom door and gasped. A skeleton stared right at her, its black empty sockets boring into her soul. It stood by the blackboard, arms dangling lifelessly against its pelvis. What in the name of— Evelyn let out a high-pitched yelp.

"Take your seat. He will be a part of our lesson." Father Orlando's voice resounded in her ears. Alice tilted her head, spotting Father Orlando sitting by his desk, his face a picture of focus and determination.

"Goodness, I might have just pissed myself," Marley murmured. Jack sighed in relief.

"Father, couldn't you have placed the skeleton in a less… less threatening spot?" Evelyn squeezed past Alice, covering her mouth.

"You've seen ghouls and specters. A skeleton should not frighten you," Father Orlando replied. Evelyn muttered something under her breath before hurrying to her seat. Alice followed after her, and so did Jack and Marley.

"Are you alright?" Alice glanced at Evelyn.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Evelyn nodded rapidly. Is she really? She seemed really scared. It wasn't that scary but… well, maybe she just doesn't like seeing skeletons. I doubt most people do.

"What's Father Orlando doing now?" Marley murmured.

"I have no idea," Jack said. The rest of the students trickled into the classroom, each one just as shocked and frightened as the last. When everyone settled in, Father Orlando stood up and twisted the skeleton's head so that it was facing the class.

"He did that on purpose…" Evelyn bit her lower lip. Orlando cleared his throat and stepped in front of the class.

"As most of you are still struggling, I have come up with another method." He rested his hand on the skeleton's shoulder.

"Maybe imagination isn't enough. If you know the inner workings of the body, then you should be able to easily guide your spirituality into your eyes." Ah, that's what Father taught me. But why a skeleton? I don't see any nerves.

"The soul is in the center of your chest, right underneath this bone." Orlando twisted the skeleton to its side and trailed his finger up its spine.

"Now imagine your spirituality going up your spine, until it reaches the back of your cranium." Oh… but wouldn't nerves be more effective? Bones are so thick and weirdly shaped sometimes. A boy raised his hand.

"And after that, Father?" Orlando grabbed a chalk from the table and began drawing the side view of a human head on the blackboard. He drew the throat, the spinal cord, and a large nerve connecting the center of the brain to the back of an eyeball.

"Your spirituality goes into your spinal cord, and into your brain. When it reaches your brain, you will guide it down the optic nerve, and then into your eyes." Jack nodded in understanding.

"I think I get it."

"You do?" Marley said. Alice glared at Jack. Really? He understood it when Father Orlando explained it, but it went right over his head when I did. Evelyn stretched out her arms, not even bothering to listen.

"Let us begin. Hopefully we see some improvement on your part," Orlando said. Without blinking, Alice willed her spirituality through her nerves and activated her sight. The world turned black and white. Evelyn was looking down, murmuring as she counted the frills of her dress. Alice nearly sighed, right before she noticed the faint orange spark in Evelyn's eyes. She actually tried it. Alice cast her gaze on the other children. Their boisterous souls swelled up inside them, leaking from their eyes and nostrils.

A few began opening their eyes, their faces twisting in a mixture of pain and amazement for a few seconds, before closing them again. Near the left side, there was a particular group of boys who were staring wide-eyed into the world of the dead. One had red hair, three had black, and the fifth was blond. Apart from their efforts, they seemed ordinary, ugly even. Alice switched her gaze to Marley.

The boy was sweating like a live pig being cooked beneath a flame, veins were bulging from the flab of his cheeks, and his face was all scrunched up. She would have chuckled, if not for the pulsating white light emanating from his chest. Among the souls she had seen, it was the largest thus far, exceeding even hers and Evelyn's. Marley's eyes flew wide open and the light surged out in sparks. He recoiled and winced, rubbing his eyes in pain.

"Are you alright?" Alice released her spirituality and deactivated her sight.

"Fine… I'm fine…" Marley murmured, his eyes burning a tad red and his lips swollen. He raised his hand, and with a muffled voice he said, "Can I go to the bathroom, Father Orlando?"

"You may," Orlando said. Marley rose to his feet and shambled out of the row. As he hobbled down the main aisle, the red-haired boy snickered.

"Damn pig can hardly walk." The other lads beside him chuckled. They may have whispered, or hushed, but Alice heard them clear as day. Surely, Marley did too. Well… they're not wrong. But they ought to keep those things to themselves. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Marley gritted his teeth as he walked out of the classroom. Once more, Alice reactivated her eyes and stared at Jack to her right.

The boy was furrowing his brows, an ethereal blue glow seeping out of his closed eyelids. His chest rose and fell, and his fingers gripped the edge of his table. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and gasped.

"By the Lady… I did it. That was easier than before." Jack's eyes crinkled into a smile as he looked about in amazement. Evelyn beamed a smile at him.

"Finally! Congratulations." Jack closed his eyes again, and with a grunt he released his spirituality. He breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off his brow. After a good while, Marley pushed open the classroom door and returned to his seat. His eyes were still a light red, but he wasn't quite as pale as before.

"You're using too much spirituality. Try using less," Alice said.

"I don't know how to control it. It just… goes," Marley murmured, closing his eyes once again to practice. Alice shrugged and leaned into her seat. I should have brought the book with me. The hour came and went. After Jack, the rest of the children followed, peering into the world of the dead for at least five seconds or more. Most sighed in relief, others grinned in celebration. However, some struggled on, their faces flushed red and their eyes burning up whenever they opened them. Among them was Marley.

"Damn it… I need to rest." Marley shook his head as he rubbed his eyes one last time.

"You'll get it, don't worry," Jack said. Orlando knocked on the blackboard, his voice resounding throughout the classroom.

"That would be all for today. Rest. For tomorrow we will try again." Evelyn stood up and stretched out her arms.

"Finally, I'm starving." Marley patted his belly.

"I could say the same."

"Come on, Alice, let's go," Evelyn said. Alice quietly nodded and followed the three into the dining hall. They grabbed their metal trays and lined up in rows of four for the counter. Today's breakfast was a blend of smoked pork with rice, alongside a slice of white bread. When they got their fill, they sat down at one of the corner tables and began eating. Marley devoured the bread with a few bites.

"It's bloody hard, you know. It goes into my eyes, but it hurts."

"You should try not eating breakfast. It's easier to control it when you're hungry," Jack said. Marley glanced at his plate, falling into thought for a few seconds.

"Maybe… but that's a decision for tomorrow me." He grabbed his spoon and fork and began wolfing down his meal like a man starved for seven days and seven nights. He gulped, he chewed, and he gulped again, every squelch of his mouth echoing out. As Alice slowly ate her breakfast, she spotted the five boys from earlier laughing nearby. The red-haired boy grabbed a piece of bread, taking a massive bite as his eyes comically widened.

They sniggered and they giggled, the words pig, cow, and buffoon escaping from their mouths.

"You think I could get seconds?" Marley leaned forward, his plate completely empty. Jack looked back at the counter.

"I think there's some bread left." Marley licked his lips, and he walked over to the counter with tray in hand. He spoke to the old ghoul, and soon he came walking back with another piece of white bread.

"His mother should be a damn pig too. How big do you have to be to—" Marley slammed the tray into the red-haired boy's head, smashing it against him.

"What the hell?!" Jack widened his eyes. Two other boys lunged at Marley, punching him in the face. Marley stumbled back and grabbed another tray from a table, smashing it into one of the boys' sides.

"Stop it!" Evelyn stood up and yelled. The red-haired boy stood up.

"Shut up, bitch!" He gritted his teeth and approached. Why is he coming here? Alice grabbed a small knife off the table, hiding it behind her back.

"What in heaven's name is going on?!" Orlando burst into the dining hall and yelled. The room went silent, and the boys froze in place, staring right at the black-robed priest. But Marley struck the blond boy's chin, knocking him out with one swing.

"Help us, Father! This crazy pig attacked us!" the red-haired boy said.

"Marley!" Orlando yelled, as a long luminescent purple arm burst out of his back. It shimmered, its skin sloshing in waves as though it were partly immaterial. Marley turned back, his face twisting in fear mixed with a sudden realization.

"F… Father…"

"All five of you, in my office, now," Orlando said.

"Martin's knocked out, Father," the red-haired boy said.

"Ghoul! Take this child to the clinic," Orlando yelled. One of the ghouls emerged from the kitchen and carried the unconscious boy in its arms.

"The rest of you, come with me." Orlando gritted his teeth. The five boys grudgingly followed Orlando out of the room. Marley looked back at Jack with a half-satisfied look on his face. Jack murmured, "Crazy bastard…" When they left, the room broke into a few hushed whispers and murmurs. Alice herself grabbed the spare piece of bread off the table before anyone could notice, stuffing it inside her coat.

"I didn't think he'd do it," Alice said.

"By the Lady, he fought off four of them by himself," Evelyn said.

"Scary…" Jack murmured.

"To think I told him to stop eating breakfast." The three of them quickly finished their meals, placing their used trays and plates back on the counter. The rest of the children followed suit.

"Should we wait for him?" Evelyn raised her brows.

"They're probably in Orlando's office," Alice said.

"Then let's go there," Jack said. And so, they went back, passing by the old classroom and stopping right in front of the long wooden door. They waited there, and despite her enhanced hearing, Alice couldn't hear a word, much less a whimper coming from the other side of the door. I heard Orlando's voice the other day… now it's all quiet.

"Think he's going to get kicked out?" Jack said.

"Would they even do that?" Evelyn frowned.

"Probably not," Jack said again. A few minutes passed, then five, then a dozen. Then the door swung open and a bruised, purple, auburn-haired boy stepped out. Following him were his two other friends. They stared at Jack and Evelyn as they walked by, animosity brewing in their eyes.

"What's with them? Not like we're the ones that beat them," Alice said. Finally, Marley emerged from the room, a light bruise on his left cheek.

"Oh… you're here." He murmured, closing the door behind him.

"Of course we are, stupid. Why on earth did you do that?" Evelyn said.

"He insulted my mother. I had to." Marley rubbed the back of his head.

"No. I meant why there. You could have waited for him when he was alone," Evelyn sighed. Marley chuckled softly.

"Maybe… but I couldn't let it slide." I should probably be careful around him. I don't want him rushing at me.

"So what's gonna happen now? Did Father Orlando…" Marley shook his head.

"No, nothing's gonna happen."

"What? You're not getting punished?" Evelyn frowned.

"I had a stern talking-to, but that's all. Those boys have it worse, honestly. They have to clean the toilets for a week," Marley said.

"Why?" Alice said.

"I'm a noble. Marley von Austig," Marley said. A noble? Aren't nobles supposed to be handsome and fit? Evelyn and Jack's eyes widened in shock.

"Not only did they insult me, but they insulted my mother. A double offense that not even the most gracious Father Orlando can ignore."

"You're a noble?" Evelyn said.

"Well… it does make sense… considering your—" Jack tapped her shoulder, silencing her.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"I thought it was obvious; besides, I didn't really have a reason to." Marley shrugged.

"So what now?"

"By the Lady… we're going to the usual. You coming or not?" Jack said.

"Obviously I'm coming," Marley replied.

"What about you, Alice?" Evelyn raised her brows.

"I don't see why not." Alice shrugged. And so, the four of them walked back down the hallway, going somewhere else in this holy hall.