Who We Are Now: A Supernatural - Chapter 3: Chapter Three: Blackwood

Alex and Kia are loaded into a blue van with tinted windows and a divider between the front row and the others, which allows for some pretense of privacy.

“Sooo tell me, If the witch Angelica is the president of this academy”. Alex stretches his arms, leaning back on the seat and puts his head to the side. “Who’s the other guy with the ugly attitude?”.

Kia closes her eyes then sighs deeply. She opens her eyes and looks at Alex, noticing him staring back at her. She blushes lightly and clears her throat. ” Well.umm.Louis is a political guy, very important”. She whispers to Alex. “you don’t have to worry about him though. And Angelica is basically evil, but Blackwood’s definitely the best Academy for the supernatural in America.But hey at least you weren’t turned into a frog or something after they couldn’t compel you”.

Alex gawks and rubs his forehead. “Damn, I feel like I am dreaming or something. I still can’t believe magic exists. But would they really have done something like that though?”.

“If they didn’t believe you have control ability, so I’ll say yeah, they would’ve”. Kia laughs at the look at Alex’s face. “Anyway, Angelica’s terrible. Last year, my brother was half an hour late for curfew, and she put him on probation for two months!”. Find authorized novels in Wuxiaworld, faster updates, better experience, Please click <a href=”https:///book/who-we-are-now-a-supernatural_19022677605968105/chapter-three-blackwood_51065959464621125″>/book/who-we-are-now-a-supernatural_19022677605968105/chapter-three-blackwood_51065959464621125</a> for visiting.

Alex snickers, at the absurdity of it all. “I can’t believe you have a brother. I bet he’ll be as bossy as you. I mean one is already enough”. Kia groans and kicks his leg with her foot, earning a yelp from him. “Oh be quite. For your information my brother is the opposite”.

Alex waves off his hand. “Yeah.yeah. But I wanna know something though”. He pushes himself up, straightens himself and looks at her with a stoic expression. “You’re a demon?. Like in the lore. What kind are you?”.

Kia winces, shifting nervously and rubs her palms, avoiding his eyes. “Tha.that’s not important right now”. She coughs awkwardly and crosses her leg over the other. “But I’m kinda glad you’re coming to Blackwood instead of having your memories wiped”. Alex frowns at her, dodging his question then sighs, putting his head back, staring at the roof of the car.

Looks like Kia took the news that Alex will be going to Blackwood for Special Kids in stride, and for the rest of the ride she goes on and on about how great the academy will be. She’s incredibly friendly towards Alex, considering how she tried to have his memories taken away a few hours ago.

Soon enough the van pulls up into an old fashioned academy, with other buildings surrounding a courtyard. The academy upholds itself as the most prodigious institution within the out coast of Nightfall. Yet unrest of roots grows within the surface of the building. A storm brews in the hearts of many, but really what stirs within Alex’s?

Alex stretches his arms and looks at the building, studying it. ‘Honestly, why do they all think I’ll end up staying?’. He sighs and notices a movement of the corner of his eyes. Kia was fixing her hair into a ponytail, Alex stares for a few seconds and clears his throat, getting her attention.

“So why did you transfer from Los Coast anyway?”.

Kia looks a little annoyed that he has broken her from her stream of quietness, and her face darkens from the question. Alex notices and raises an eyebrow. She sighs deeply and turns her body towards him.

“I had some problems with my old academy and had to quit due to it after the second semester. But I’d rather not talk about it”.

There it is again. She’s dodging his question.

Alex knows that it’s going to be a problem sooner or later.He opens the door to the van and gets off. He doesn’t want to question her any farther, so for now he has to find a way to escape this place before it’s too late.

Few minutes ago Kia was sent to her dorm room once they got off, but Alex was brought to Angelica’s office, a large room with a view overlooking the main courtyard.

“Okay we’ll be enrolling you here at Blackwood Academy”. Angelica begins once Alex is seated, leaving no room for argument. Alex leans back in his seat and closes his eyes. “I figured as much, it’s already a pain sending me back to my old life since I’m trapped here now”. He comments dryly.

She ignores his remark and flips through her notes that were on her desk. “I think as much was explained to you, but magic is real. Demons, angels, witches, and all that crap you see on tv. What humans speak about as myths and legends are real people and creatures, hidden from human knowledge. And from agent cloude, Officer Michales, and Kia Rose accounts, it’s likely that you’re one of them”.

Alex opens his eyes and looks at her, staring back at him. She’s expecting a reaction from him, like she does from her other students. Alex puts his leg over his other leg and sighs deeply.

“Well. I’m screwed. Honestly I’m done being surprised at this point. My life has always been shitty, so what’s new?”.

Angelica studies him then crosses her leg, getting back on her notes. “It’s extremely dangerous to have untrained supernatural, so any legal work to keep you here will or will not be too difficult to deal with”. She continues, obviously wanting to get this over with. “And of course we have a financial aid office that can help with tuition”

“Tuition? You make it sound like I have the money for it”

Angelica ignores him again, continuing. “The first day of classes is on the first, which should give you time to get settled in and for us to rush a schedule for you. We’ll also want to gain more insight into your apparent powers, ideally discovering your abilities or what you are in the process”.

She organizes her notes and puts them away in her drawer. “So Mr. King?”. Angelica is clearly ordering rather than asking him to attend, his consent seems to be in deaf ears.

Alex straightens up and puts his hands behind his head. ‘Well, at least my life won’t be so boring after all, even though it will be a pain being annoyed by some people’. But of course Alex finds himself responding in the affirmative anyway, because it is an order which he hates being ordered around, and he doesn’t want to know what will happen to him if he resisted any further. Maybe what Kia mentioned before-turning into a frog. He shivers and notices Angelica waiting for his answer.

“Fine, I guess”.

She frowns deeply minutely. “I have paperwork to fill out regarding your enrollment, and I’ll send over any forms that you need to complete by the end of the week. As for your family, I’ll need to deal with the typical policies regarding contact between supernatural and human family members, but you should be able to communicate with them within the week”.

Alex scoffs and crosses his arms. “Last I checked I don’t remember having family”. Alex frowns, trying not remember his childhood.

Angelica pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes sharply. She seems to be thinking this through and Alex could tell by her body language. His eyes shift and she opens hers, seeming to refocus on the conversation. Her body start to glow bright red. What was that glow just now? Did he do that? Did she notice? What just happened? Alex frowns deeply, confused and hears Angelica getting onto a new topic like he wanted her to.

‘Did I do that?’

“I would recommend visiting Kerse for a uniform, clothes and buy enough things for the next few weeks” She looks him over, and even having been treated for his injuries, he’s still bruised, his clothes covered in dried blood. “Unless you’d prefer to wear that for the next month”. “You’ll also need to take a reality simulation assessment tomorrow so we’re able to better understand your abilities”. She glances at the clock on the wall. “Or later today, as the case may be. Now then, I do believe Kia Rose is eager to see you again”.

Alex stands up from the chair and shoves his hands in his pockets, towering over Angelica .

“Welcome to Blackwood Academy for Special Kids, Mr. King”.

Angelica was right, Kia did seem eager to see him, even though they were next to each other a few hours ago and she nearly ran him over when Alex exited the office. She’s bathed and dressed in pajama shorts and an oversized shirt, her hair still wet. Alex stares at her, observing her and tilts his head to the side as he knows she won’t stop bugging him.

“So what happened?! I swear I didn’t know Angelica would interrogate you alone! And no matter what she said to you, they haven’t turned people into frogs or other small creatures as a punishment in ages-”

Alex tries and cuts in before she gets too worked up. “Ki-”

Her eyes widened. Too late. “Oh my god. Please tell me you’ll still be attending here. She didn’t do anything to you, did she? I hope she didn’t decide to-”

Alex growls, his face getting red from annoyance. “KIA! SHUT UP AND LET ME SPEAK!”

Kia eyes widens and she steps back a little. She looks at him and notices he was rubbing his forehead, frowning. Kia was about to open her mouth again when he interrupted her.

“Look just give me some time to think this through, please. I need to be alone at the moment”.

She looked surprised not because he shouted, but because his voice sounded softer, softer than when she met him. She didn’t think he could do that. She nods her head and looks down at her feet. “Okay, Alex. See you around. Hopefully”.

Kia walks away quickly, leaving him standing alone in the hall outside Angelica’s office. Maybe he shouldn’t have ditched her but now he needs time to adjust to this new environment. Of course he has to find someone to show him where his room is later. Alex sighs and shoves his hands in his pocket, turning the opposite side of where Kia went.

As he was walking he heard a voice behind him. “Hey, watch it!”. He turns to see a guy with dark skin and close-cropped hair, next to him is a girl with similar coloring and long, curly hair. Her brown eyes seem to bore into Alex’s soul, trying to ferret out his secrets.

Alex stares back at her emotionless, which the girl makes a face looking away from him. For a second the girl seems to change and bows a little.

“You must be the one Kia found. I’m very sorry for my behavior seconds ago”. The girl lifts her head up and smiles at Alex. “I’m Cassy Monore. It’s very nice to meet you”.

The boy next to her looks at her with confusion and tilts his head. “Uh Cassy. Are you alright?”.

Cassy ignores him and keeps her eyes on Alex. Alex rolls his eyes and pulls out a cigarette, lighting it up. He puffs it then smirks. “Well then, this is interesting. No one has ever bowed to me before”. He laughs a little and turns to the boy. “And you are?”.

The boy was about to say something when Cassy cuts in. “This is my brother, Cyrus Monore”.

Alex hums and puts out the cigarette, flicking it in the garage bin near him. “Hmm, well, I’m Alex King”.

“A pleasure to meet you Alex. I take it you just arrived here today?”. Says Cassy as she was smiling lightly.

Alex notices and groans. “Stop. Stop smiling like that”. His eyes shifts and Cassy seems to snap out of it, even Cyrus. Alex knew at this point he could make people obey him and honestly he was loving it every second.

“Kia Rose brought me. It’s a long ass story though so I’m not going to get into it. But apparently on the witch’s demand, I’m going to attend here now. Shit’s annoying as fuck”.

Cassy and Cyrus look at eachother, communicating telepathically. “That must suck. Do you want us to help you find your room?. I have a meeting with President Angelica, but I’m sure Cyrus would be pleased to take you”.

The scowl on Cyurs’ face shows just how pleased he would be. Alex rubs his shoulder and closes his eyes, feeling the stiffness. He rolls his shoulders and opens his eyes, his eyes focusing on the twins. “Heh, yeah no, screw you both. I still have something to do”.

Cyrus scowls again, but Cassy just smiles. “It was lovely meeting you, Alex. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other throughout the year”.

Alex groans and pulls out another cigarette. He lights it up and watches the twins walk away. “Shit, this place is filled with annoying ass people. At least there isn’t anyone I know that goes here”. He cracks up, laughing, then decides to ask students passing by for directions to Arcana Hall, once there he gets the help from a half-slept RA, bringing him to his suite. Room number 601.

The common room for Alex’s suite has three couches, a coffee table, and a flat screen tv on one of the walls. There are a few doors leading off to another room. The clock above the door he has come through says its twelve in the morning.

Alex manages to make his way into the particular room, but pauses when he notices someone passed out on one of the couches. Wait did he end up in the same suite as Kia?. his feelings toward the girl aside, maybe she’d led him to the realization that his whole life was a lie.

He’s not so sure what the worst part is, that the world has changed or that somehow he’s losing his damn mind. He’s not who he was when he woke up in the so-called hospital this morning. Hell he can barely even remember when was the last time he slept quietly in a real bed. And now when he looks at himself in the mirror, he doesn’t even recognize the person staring back at him. Sure he has the same tan skin. It’s still familiar, despite how in some places blood colors the typical of his fiery red hair. But something has changed in his icy steel-gary eyes. It reminds them of his abusive adopted father. He hates looking at them. The color seems harsher now. He has seen so much in them. Death. ****, Betrayal. Abandonment. That’s the only reason Alex doesn’t want to get close to anyone. In the end they always seem to abandon him or worse, hurt him, like his parents did.

Regardless of his feelings to the world itself, the only thing left to deal with. Only thing he can deal with is Kia.

Alex stares at himself more in the mirror, squinting his eyes. “Eh, honestly I would blame her for dragging me here but I’m indifferent towards her. I’ll see how this goes.for now”.

He sighs and walks passed the person sleeping on the couch and heads to a random bed. Laying down, he takes off his bloody shirt and throws it on the floor. He looked around the room, it was big and could fit into ten people at once. He sighs and decides to take a shower before getting knocked out.

At some ungodly hour in the morning, Alex’s RA knocks loudly and persistently enough on the common room door to wake him up. “Alex? I’m here to take you to the simulation room. You just need to complete placement assessments so you can be assigned your classes for the semester”. Alex groans and rolls off the bed and heads to open the door. He glares at the RA, towering over them as he leans on the door and they yelp, backing away from his gaze.

“What the hell do you want? Can’t you see I’m trying to sleep?”. He growls.

The RA looks down at their feet. “W-well President Angelica has instructed that you show up at the simulation room”.

Alex scoffs and crosses his arm. “You can tell the witch to wait. Since she seems to be just sitting at her desk. Seriously though why the hell do I have to take this simulation?”.

The RA looks up at him, meeting his gaze. “They have to figure out what powers or species you are. Your species will determine your powers and a lot of other things about you. For example, Kia Rose is a succubus, meaning that she can fly, get into your dreams, enslave you with a kiss, also she needs sexual desires when she needs to feed”.

Alex listens in, rubbing his chin then smirks. “Well, that’s interesting to hear. So she’s a succubus”.

The RA clears their throat getting his attention back. “I think we should get moving before Angelica gets angry”. Alex sighs and excuses himself to change into cleaner clothes.

It took ten minutes to walk to the simulation room, all metal and high-tech and complicated. Once there, Alex is greeted by a man already seated in front of what you can guess is the main control panel. Standing next to him is a student who almost resembles a statue, tall and pale and very still.

“Hello, you must be the one president Angelica told me about. I’m professor Angelo, and this is my student assistant Shawn Michaels, who you’ll be taking the simulation with”.

Alex nods at the both of them and leans against the wall. “S’up I’m Alex King”.

Professor Angelo adjusts his glasses and nods back at him. “Nice to meet you Mr. King. Now, has anyone explained to you how the simulation works, Mr. King?”.

Alex thinks then shakes his head. “No, not that I remember. I think the witch was explaining it but honestly I wasn’t paying attention”.

Professor Angelo sighs, adjusting his glasses again. “Well, the reality simulation combines magic and technology to give an illusion of an alternate reality to a person. They can act out an infinite number of scenarios, only limited by the simulation controller’s abilities and the technology available. The simulator at Blackwood Academy is one of the best in the world”.

Alex listens in and crosses his arms, closing his eyes and hums a bit. “May I ask you a couple of questions, professor?”. He opens his eyes and walks to a chair, sitting down, crossing his leg over the other. “What is this used for in this school anyway?”.

The professor hums and answers his questions with care. “Various teachers use it for class and exams throughout the school year. It enables training for students that would be lethal in real life. We had to stop letting students use it during their time after some.unsavory programs that were downloaded”.

Alex snickers and tilts the chair back, leaning back, putting his hands behind his head. “Unsavory, he says. Okay for my second question. Which classes do “I” have to take for it?”.

“Sophomores in my nature classes and students in professor Levi’s classes tend to use it very often, and Professor Michael uses it for students in his archery and rogues class as well. Some teachers also use it for the practical portions of their final examinations”.

Alex hums, nodding his head.. “Real question is. Is it safe though? I’m not about to put my life on the line for something so stupid”.

Professor Angelo stares at him and adjusts his glasses. “Of course, it’s safe. Otherwise we wouldn’t be using it for other reasons. Paralysis and protection spells are used to ensure the subject does not severely injure himself or others while in the simulation. Any injuries gained in the simulation will feel realistic, but will not carry into the real world”.

Alex perks his lips, squinting his eyes at him. “Alright then. How do you get out of a simulation?”.

“Typically the controller, a professor, is the only one able to override a program manually. If a virus or other malware is detected the simulation will shut off automatically. In the past, underclassmen have been able to use their own powers to escape from simulations, but this is very rare”.

“I think I heard the witch talking about simulation 4504 to someone. What is it?”.

Professor Angelo pauses for a moment before replying. “Well, normally we don’t allow freshmen to complete 4 simulations, but since president Angelica insisted, i think you’ll do just fine”.

Alex narrows his eyes at him as he notices that he hasn’t answered his question truthfully. He rubs his chin, thinking. “Okay goggles, last question”. His eyes shift to the boy, Shawn Michaels, then the professor. “Why are stiffness and I going in together?”.

Shawn Michaels frowns at the nickname and looks at the professor. Professor Angelo sighs and taps on the notepad he has in his hands. “Simulations can be run for any number of people, but 4 programs are usually run in pairs”. The professor turns to the tall boy then Alex. “Shawn, Alex, go through the door over there and follow the stairs to the simulation room. I’ll be able to communicate with you once you’re there and run the simulation”.

Following professor Angelo’s instructions, Alex finds himself getting up from the chair and walks in a dome-shaped metal room. He glances back, but the door disappears behind him, leaving the entire wall uniform except for a clear glass section near the top.

Angelo’s voice comes in over the loudspeaker. “Shawn, Alex, are you two ready to begin the simulation?”. Alex stands there, looking around the room. “Yeah, no. not at all”.

“I’m certain you’ll do just fine, Mr. King”.

The walls of the room dissolve around Alex, and he finds himself in a field. The sky is clear, the sun beats down on his head. Somewhere in the distance a bird caws.

Alex looks on, taking in the screen and lets out a breath. “Woah, No fucking way”.

It’s all so real. Maybe it’s real. It seems real. The tall grass that brushes against his legs, the trees in the distance. What’s even more realistic, though, is the bird man flying down towards him, with wings combined with his arms, a beak on his face, and feathers covering his body. And, of course, the talons aimed directly at him and Shawn.

Alex thinks fast and dodges to the side. He somehow manages to stumble to the side, but the birdman shifts direction to fly towards Alex, his claws scratch against his shoulder before Shawn manages to send the birdman flying with a hand gesture.

The man falls to the ground in a heap, cawing weakly.

“Do try not to get yourself killed, Alex”. Shawn says softly, Alex barely hearing.

Alex scoffs, the blood dripping from his shoulder which he ignores. “Oh piss off, I didn’t think that brid brain will come after me. Shit though, I felt that attack”. He groans and looks at his shoulder then clicks his tongue.

Seeing his shoulder, Shawn frowns then looks at the birdman unconscious. “Come on, we need to move. Harpies are commonly found in flocks, and given that this is a four program, different harpies will keep attacking us, if we’re not careful”.

Alex rolls his shoulder around, the pain passing through his body. “Well ain’t that a bitch. Until when though?”. Shawn Michaels moves to the side, rolling his neck. “Until one of us dies”.

“Ah shit”.

Time is meaningless in the simulation, for all Alex knows, a minute or day could have passed. The scenery doesn’t change, ever, the same clear sky and hot sun and high grass and cawing harpies are a pain in his ass.

Shawn Michaels does the same trick from before making each harpy fall unconscious whenever he sees him. He isn’t able to get all of them though, and the magic he uses is clearly taking its toll on him. Alex was fighting them physically, since he doesn’t seem to know what kind of powers he possess yet. Shawn picks them off at a distance, Alex fights any that comes at him. It seems to work rather well as a system.

But eventually he can’t seem to keep up anymore since there’s more of them, and suddenly he’s surrounded. Alex growls, his arm bruised and the pain on his shoulder getting worse. “Shit”. “Alex, watch out!”. Shawn yells. The last thing Alex sees is a dozen harpies going straight for his throat.