Accepted

It's begun

"What took you guys so long?" Jeremy asked, shoving a chip in his mouth and chewing loudly.

I slid into a seat beside Zion as Star briefly retold the story of what had happened. I grabbed a blood bag, downing it quickly as I felt my energy become replenished. I grabbed a burger next, biting into it as the table went silent.

"Oreres is right. We have bigger things to worry about. Literally," Bonnie said.

"But if we only focus on the giants, we won't see an attack coming from another enemy. It could be anyone. They could be with us right now," Tom said, planting doubt.

I listened as they each chose a side, some agreeing with Oreres's stance and others saying we should be more cautious. I saw the appeal of both sides. After all, we had no idea who it could be. How could we watch our back if we didn't know who to watch out for?

"What do you think Saron?" Zion asked, turning to me. I looked away, knowing he'd see right through me if I tried to lie.

"Oreres is right. We should worry about the giants for now."

"Really?" Tom asked, surprised by my response.

"Maybe it's just a warning that we should watch our backs," I said, shrugging.

"Maybe," Zion said, frowning.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

"What is that?" Esat asked, grabbing the table for support.

My eyes widened and I shared a glance with Zion that let me know he was thinking the same.

"They're getting closer," he said.

"Students, stay calm. The giants are arriving and it's going to feel like an earthquake but they won't be able to breach the walls. We will all reconvene in a few hours."

"It's really happening," Joel said, wrapping his arm around Star who was beginning to shake.

I grabbed some fries and began stuffing them in my mouth.

"How can you eat at a time like this?" Bonnie asked, looking at me in shock.

"She stress eats, it's her way of dissociating," Star answered.

"No, I don't," I argued, putting down the fry I was about to pop in my mouth.

"You kinda do," Tom agreed, laughing.

"We'll be fine guys," Zion assured confidently. I looked at him, ready to call his bluff but he truly believed it. I saw it in his eyes.

"How does she expect us to relax when it feels like the Academy is going to come crashing down?!" Esat groaned, burying her head in her hands.

It wasn't just us, many of the students were beginning to get uneasy. People were arguing, some were crying, others had picked fights with one another. It was slowly becoming just as chaotic inside as it was outside.

As time passed, the Cafeteria got quieter. The rumbling and the shaking had gotten so bad, it was difficult to focus on anything else. Most were sitting or on the floor as it had become almost impossible for anyone to walk or fly without falling or losing balance. It felt like we were caught in the center of a storm that just kept getting worse.

Hours passed and nothing had changed. It was getting closer to the time Oreres had told us to regroup and I watched people attempt to get up and fall down.

"We should go," Zion said, motioning towards the door.

"How?" Jeremy asked, pointing at the students who were trying and failing to make it more than a few steps without collapsing.