The Wolves in the Woods

The Day Seems So Bright

It was the possibility of darkness that made the day seem so bright.

— Stephen King

***

Ben and Amaia find time after school for an impromptu discussion and an upcoming date.

***

            "So, let me get this straight," Amaia said, rubbing her temples. Behind her, Diego was chewing on a bone she had scored at the pet supply store. "Lila literally ran into your homeroom classroom to hide." Ben nodded from the other side of Amaia's laptop screen during this video call. "Alya came in and somehow found out you broke Kim's wrist." Another node. "And instead of being reasonable and asking questions, she grabbed you by the collar and shook you like a can of salt?" Ben had to stifle a snort at that but otherwise nodded. "... she's very lucky I don't know where her place is." She cracked her knuckles. "Or else we'd be having a very interesting talk."

"Now now," Ben said, attempting to placate his girlfriend. "I think Miss Mendeleiev had it under control." He looked visibly nervous. "She did call her mother, after all."

"That still doesn't make it okay!" Amaia hissed. "Ben, what if she had actually hurt you?" Concern colored the look in her eyes. "If I had dislocated a bone, I know I'd be fine." Ben had to smile seeing how worried she looked. "I don't know if I'd ever forgive myself if you got hurt..."

"It's fine," Ben said. "I'm not that fragile myself." He added a wink while he flexed an invisible muscle. "We practice Pencak Silat together, remember?" Amaia sighed.

"I know..." she said. "Still, I can't believe she went after you because of me..."

"Amaia," Ben called. Amaia paused, eyes cast down. "It's not your fault they went after me." She looked up. "If anything, this tells us more about what's really going on, if they're going after students they don't like."

"..."

Amaia sat back in her chair, Diego coming to rest his paws against his mama. "I still don't get how it happened," she said, picking up her dog and laying him in her lap. "How does a group of seemingly nice kids turn into such monsters?" Diego whined and yipped, begging for his mama's attention.

"Well," Ben hummed. He nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Given the right circumstances, anyone can become a monster." Amaia was silent while she stroked her dog's head. "And from what you've told me, the circumstances are right there for the whole class."

An authority figure who had no problem letting the troublemakers run roughshod over everyone and punished the good students. Bullies who had free reign to terrorize everyone they see fit because there were no visible consequences in sight. Good students and teachers who were powerless to do anything, so they either gave up or got out. And the few sane students left were stuck in what is otherwise a hellhole of the school's making. Once Hawk Moth seized control of the city's emotions, all that pent-up resentment boiled over in the form of akumas. No wonder everything was so backward in that class.

"How did Marinette even survive this long..." Amaia wondered out loud.

"You've got me," Ben admitted. "Idon agreed to talk to the parents the next time he had a free day. Which shouldn't be too far off." Any earlier, they could assume something happened to his university. "... you doing okay?"

"... I will be," Amaia said. "Actually, now that I think of it, how was Lila?"

Ben shrugged. "She was silent the whole car ride back even though Marc and I were discussing The Lord of the Rings." Amaia snorted.