Cealeste Academy || BL

Chapter Three || Control

Later that night, William explored almost every corner of the school. After all, he had a lot to think about after meeting Bruce.

In the end, he had decided which option he preferred. He was going to learn how to control his shifting.

Learning how to swim seemed like the easier option. After all, he was a shark. It should come naturally to him. But even if he did learn how to swim. He wouldn't be as fast as he was with his tail. He had trained his entire life to be as fast as he possibly could. He'd have to start all over again.

To control his powers was one of the reasons he joined the school as well. But now he had an even better reason.

After he had finished his rounds through the school, he eventually ended up outside. When he was eating his dinner in the school cafeteria, he spotted a door leading to the back of the school. He went outside and after seeing a sign leading to the beach. He moved on his own and followed it.

After making his way through a thick forest, he eventually ended up on the sand. Here, he had been standing for the last ten minutes. I'm just staring out at the sun, watching how it set.

"Right." He took in a deep breath. "You can do this." He was really trying to hype himself up and go into the water. But his feet wouldn't move. He knew what was going to happen if he did. He'd turn, and he'd be stuck like that for who knows how long, waiting to dry again before he could go back to his room.

But if he wanted to learn how to shift before he had to sign up for the swim team, he had to do it fast.

He could do this. If he wanted to, he could shift, right? He's done it before. Why wouldn't he be able to do it now?

He took another deep breath and started walking toward the ocean, slowly quicking his pace. He was about to reach the water when a voice made him stop.

"Ah- oh jeez, that's cold -" he turned to look at what it was. A few meters into the ocean was another man. Standing about knee-deep in the ocean. He had rolled up his pants so as not to get them wet. Back on the beach were a pair of boots in a shoulder bag, William assumed they were his.

He continued to stare at the stranger when he finally noticed him. "Oh hey!" He smiled. "Come on in, the water's great," he yelled.

William let out a laugh, taking a few steps back onto the beach and walking over to the man. "I just heard you yell about how cold the water is!"

The stranger turned around and walked back onto the beach. "It's fine once you get used to it -" he smiled. Obviously lying.

As he got closer, William got a better look at him. He was a little shorter than him. With short black hair, if the light hit it just right, it appeared almost blue. The most surprising thing was the feathers around his face, covering his ears.

"You looked like you were going to go in, though?" He added once he had reached William. "I was, but it's better if I didn't, actually..." He said.

"Why not? You looked like you really wanted to go in there. The stranger sat down and started to put his boots back on. "Well, I always want to go into the ocean. But It's better if I didn't right now. It's already late... and cold." William explained, sitting down as well.

"Did the school give you a curfew?" He joked, leaning back.

"That too, but -" williams stopped himself.

"But?"

William let out an awkward laugh before changing the subject. "I- It's nothing - why did you want to go into the ocean?" He asked.

The stranger shrugged. "I don't know. It just looked like fun, but the water is really cold -" he turned to the ocean.

"Well, yeah, it's almost dark -" William added. At this point, the sun had completely set. Making the beach look completely dark, aside from the moonlight.

"You didn't seem too worried about running in before." The stranger turned to look at william. "Well, the temperature wasn't what I was worried about." William let out a laugh. "What I'm worried about is not being able to turn back." He said under his breath.

The stranger stayed silent for a second. "Yeah... you're going to have to explain that a bit more." He said.

"Right -" William laughed. "I'm a tiger shark - or at least, part tiger shark?" He said, not sure of himself. "I see- but that still doesn't explain why you didn't go in," the stranger said back.

William stayed quiet. "Never mind- " He said. "What are you doing out here this late?" He changed the subject again.

"I was just walking home, thought I'd take the scenic route." He sat up, looking out to the ocean. "You go to Caeleste too?" William asked. The stranger shook his head. "No, I don't, I can't afford that -'' he laughed.

"Then where do you live? Isn't the nearest village at least a thirty minute walk?"

"I actually live close to the school," he explained. "With one of the janitors, I help him out sometimes, and he lets me live with him."

"What about your family?" William asked curiously.

Suddenly, he got silent, avoiding eye contact and staring out to the ocean with a sad look in his eyes. There was clearly a story there.

He got up and grabbed his bag, flinging it back over his shoulder. "I think it's time we head back. You have a curfew after all," he joked, looking down at William.

Willaim stared up at him for a bit before getting up himself. "Yeah, sure."

"By the way- I never got your name," the stranger asked.

"Oh- right, um. My name is William." He introduced himself. The man held out his hand, "Korbin." He said.

William took it a little hesitantly.

He turned around and started walking back. "Maybe we'll see each other again." He turned to William, walking backward for a bit. "Maybe next time, we can go into the water together..." he smirked.

William felt his face turn red. What the hell, that sounded... It's really nice, actually. He kept staring at Korbin until he disappeared into the darkness.

William suddenly came back to his senses. What the hell was with that reaction. He quickly turned around and started making his way back to his room, feeling his face burn.

It shouldn't sound that good. It's just someone asking to go swimming together. He was a shark. Swimming was what he'd been doing all his life. He's heard that question many times before. Why did this feel so different?

It wasn't long before he got back to his room. He took a deep breath, trying not to make it obvious what was going through his head. But when he walked in, all his efforts failed.

The last thing he needed now was to walk in on his roommates, making out on the bed. But that was exactly what happened. He closed the door behind him and made eye contact. His face turned even more red than he thought possible.

"Are you good, bro?" Zodes asked, worried. William nodded awkwardly. "Yeah -" he lied. They kept staring at him until William turned away and headed to the bathroom.

He took a deep breath, walking over to the mirror. He was bright red. He let out a sigh as he stared at his reflection.

"Good job... you've only been here for a couple of hours, and you already managed to get a crush-" he said to himself. "The only thing he asked was to go swimming together. Why the hell did I react that much to such a simple question."

He turned on the faucet, splashing some water in his face, "Calm down, it's fine. Maybe you won't even see him again -" he tried. But that made him feel worse.

He decided to take a shower. He was already in the bathroom at this point. And his roommates clearly didn't need him to be anywhere near them right now.

Before he knew it, he felt better again. When he was fully dry, he made his way back into the room. Silvae and Zodes were just talking at this point, looking up at him when he entered.

He looked over confused, "aren't you supposed to go to your own room?" He asked, looking over at Zodes. "I am in my own room -" he laughed. William let out a sigh. It somehow hadn't fully set in that they actually were, both his roommates. He was just joking before...

"Are you kidding me -"