Hawthorn Academy

Is the Counter a Pillow?

In the morning, I was awakened by the scent of bacon wafting to my nose from outside my closed door. Before I had time to think about why I could smell the bacon, I was out of bed and moving toward the threshold.

I swung the door open to find a fist in my face. My gaze landed upon that of an unfamiliar, startle person. It seemed like the guy was about to knock before I'd interrupted him.

"Oh, jeez. I'm sorry, I didn't know you were awake," he apologize. "I was just coming to tell you that breakfast is ready. We're having b-"

"Bacon? And..." I sniffed at the air, "pancakes? No, waffles. Oh, sorry."

"No, no, it's okay. Nice job on figuring that out. Oh, that reminds me. What creature are you?" the man asked casually.

"I'm human... Why?" I answered, somewhat skeptically.

"You can't be just human. No human can ever beat a creature, especially not Carl. He's a senior gladiator," he explained.

"Oh..." I trailed off. "Then I don't know what I am..."

"Okay, that's fine. We'll find out sooner or later. Do you want to come have breakfast?" the guy inquired.

"Sure. Why not? Oh! I just realized, I never caught your name," I exclaimed.

"Keith. Keith Pierce. Nice to meet you," he smiled, extending his hand out.

I returned the gesture, gripping his hand and giving it a firm shake. "Emily Devin. Same to you."

Keith turned tail and walked briskly down the hall, with me following hot on his heels. I bounded down the stairs, the scent of bacon and waffles growing stronger during the journey to the kitchen.

Keith led me to the island across from the stove where I saw Asher, wearing a 'Kiss the Cook' apron, making waffles and bacon. We sat at the counter, side by side, mouths watering at the pleasant aroma.

"Hey, Asher. I didn't know you could cook," I commented. He glanced over his shoulder, a small smirk gracing his lips.

Asher replied, "I'm just filling in for Bryce while he's out hunting," before turning back to his work.

I laid my head against the cold countertop in an attempt to wake myself up, if not sleep longer. The clatter of a plate being set down near my head prevented me from entering a sweet slumber.

"Bon appétit," Asher chuckled, shuffling over to the sink to wash the dirty pans and spatulas. I barely glanced at my food before scarfing it down. Keith turned his head to see my empty plate and chuckled.

"Hey, Asher, you don't know if we have to do initiation, do you?" Keith asked. I sat a little straighter at his comment.

"Initiation?" I questioned. Asher turned around and leaned against the countertop.

"Yeah. Normally the dorms of the Advanced Placement students have an initiation of some sorts. In Alpha Omega Epsilon we hold sparring matches and a welcoming party afterwards," he explained.

"Oh. Sounds interesting. You know, this all feels so surreal. Creatures and stuff? It all seems pretty far fetched. But I can't completely disregard it because I saw it with my own eyes, you know?" I began rambling.

Asher laughed. "You take it better than most human-raised people. Lots of people pass out or something."

"Right," I said absently. "So when will this initiation start?"

"Whenever Bryce says," Keith answered.

I nodded, "Alright..."

A plate landed gently in front of me, piled high with waffles and bacon. "Let's not worry about that right now though," Asher smiled softly at me.

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Hey guys, I'm sorry, I've been busy with school ending and writers block, you know? I know it's been a few months, but here is Chapter Four! A.R.~