Heirs Unapparant | A Miraculous Origin Story

Chapter 18: By the Bell (بالجرس)

"Try to look natural, man. You're stiffer than a scarecrow on a garden stake," Milo hissed out of the corner of his mouth as yet another group of female upperclassmen passed them with increased looks of interest.

"I can't help it!" Nicholas complained, turning over his schedule and his map of the campus for the fifth time. "Milo, have you seen our classes? Now, why does a major in art need biology as a prerequisite? There's no science in art! None whatsoever!"

"Well, what are you asking me for? I'm here for a degree in engineering. I don't know the first thing about art," Milo fired back, groaning and fixing his sunglasses as the high-pitched sound of laughter came from the nosey batch of teenage girls directly behind them. "And why are the girls here so creepy?" he added as an afterthought, making sure to lower his voice to the point where only Nicholas could hear him. Just.

There had been no photography class offered as a major. He was still rather bitter about that.

Nicholas shrugged, disinterested and overly perplexed. "They probably sense the model in you," he replied, skimming through the brochure they'd received upon entry to the grounds again. "Even with our fake new identities, you still give off that vibe, you know?"

Milo wrinkled his nose. "I have a vibe?"

"Yeah, dude. Trust me. It's kind of hard to miss." He was actually surprised no one had recognized the teen wonder as of yet. Perhaps, he pondered, Milo had been away from the spotlight just long enough that no one would be the wiser to put two and two together. Plus, he looked a whole lot different now; longer hair tied up messily in a half-convincing bun, a more distinguished jaw-line, he was hardly the gangly teenager Nicholas remembered him as.

And, he supposed, he was sure he didn't look anything like he had before either.

"How much further is it to the admissions office?" Milo inquired, leaning over his friend's shoulder to try and read the miniature map as they passed under a series of oak trees where a number of sophomores and seniors had gathered around a series of booths and stands in the attempt to draw interest to their various clubs. "This whole place is making me a little uncomfortable."

"Which part?" Nicholas asked, feeling much the same. "All of the people or the fact that we are here to actually learn something?"

"Both," Milo said darkly and they both laughed, some of the stress relieved from their forms.

They passed several of the pre-set tables and shyly ducked away from the massive crowds of students enjoying the sunny plaza and warm summer afternoon. The temperature was a lofty sixty-seven degrees (which, for a college nestled near one of New York's largest bays, that was exceptionally warm) and the day had turned out to be more pleasant than either of them had thought. From their position in the plaza, they could see the outline of the looming infrastructure that was to be the main base of their studies. By the ominous way the sun's shadow was cast, plus the large prismed clock face embedded into one of the towers, it was easy enough to assume the festivities would be lingering for at least another hour, and the two boys still needed to check in and find their dorms. Rikard could be calling them later that evening to make sure everything had run as smoothly as planned and to verify that their false names and diplomas had withstood the strict legal systems.

"It's just over there," Nicholas went on to answer the blond's initial question, pointing to a smaller building residing behind the main "hall". "Though I think getting there is going to prove a tad bit more difficult than I'd thought."

Milo scowled. "Define 'a tad'."

Nicholas gestured with a hand to the bustling main drag of vendors, excited students, and equally excited professors all out and about and mingling in the main path, making it virtually impossible to continue down the graveled walkway without having to pass through the middle of the festivities.