Fast forward to lunchtime and Zane went from being overwhelmed by curriculum to the layout. Andronicus was like a miniature city with its own public transit and fast food chain. The only reason phones were allowed was because no one would get anywhere without a navigation app.

“Ugh… school’s a lot harder than I remember,” he grumbled as he rubbed his eyes into his skull.

He picked a place he recognized for food and searched for a place to sit. He didn’t know anyone personally, but he wasn’t about to be the guy who eats in solitude, you know the one. Nelson wasn’t anywhere to be seen, either busy or more likely eating with his club, so Zane would have to pick a group and wing it.

This was the perfect opportunity to pick what kind of crowd he would roll with for the rest of high school, incidentally influencing the type of person he’d become. He picked a table full of friendly, studious looking faces. “Hey, do you mind if I sit here?”

The table quieted and they shared glances. “S-Sorry, we’re saving that seat for someone,” one of them replied.

“Alright. See you around.”

The students at the next table over had their books out and studied while they ate. Zane wasn’t accustomed to hanging around nerds, but he could stand to pick up some good study habits; and what better way than by surrounding himself with them?

He introduced himself cordially, but they glanced amongst themselves nervously. “We, uh… were just about to relocate to the library.”

If the next table didn’t work, he’d settle with eating somewhere alone.

“Hey, buddy. Is it alright if I eat here?”

The students watched him uncertainly, almost skittishly. Zane could take a hint and proceeded to excuse himself, but he recognized one of the guys and pulled him aside.

“You were in my room this morning. Why is everyone avoiding me?”

They guy looked around as if he were being watched. “It’s nothing personal, guy, but people are saying weird things about you.”

“Things? What kind of things? Which people?”

“I don’t know, but people from the fencing team were looking for you all morning. It probably has something to do with that.”

“Come on, that can’t be the only reason.”

The guy shook his head. “Sorry buddy. Wish I could help.”

“You could let me sit at the table!” but he had already returned to his friends.

Defeat. Not a conventional loss, but that’s about what Zane was feeling when he relegated himself to eating in the hallway.

“Don’t worry, Zane. Don’t worry,” he consoled himself. “You’re not here to be popular, you’re here to attend school and be a good student. But shit! Why’s the whole school so scared of the fencing team? Is that Felicia girl really such a big deal? What did Nelson call her? One of the heads of Andronicus? If there are more like her, we are going to have some serious problems.”

The hall was otherwise empty, the general area spontaneously cleared when Zane sat down, dealing no small amount of damage to his self-esteem, but it vacated entirely when two students approached the stairs where Zane was eating.

One was a guy, finely groomed and confident, the other a girl with meticulously styled hair and just enough makeup to mark her appearance without overdoing it. Both had swords at their sides.

Zane noticed them almost immediately, since everyone left as they passed, but he didn’t acknowledge their presence until they were standing over him.

“What do you want?”

“We happen to be looking for someone,” the guy suavely replied.

“I don’t want any trouble,” Zane said cautiously.

“The last thing we want is trouble,” the girl said disingenuously. “Unfortunately, it seems a massive amount of trouble has been made for us. Isn’t that right, Adrien?”

“Correct, Millicent. In fact, we are looking for the troublemaker responsible for our grievances.”

“If you want the one responsible for your problems, try looking for the one who kidnapped me. None of this would have happened if she just minded her own business.”

“No one may tell Lady Belafonte to ‘mind her own business,’” Adrien stated, air-quoting mockingly as his gaze became as sharp as his blade and tone as cold as steel.

“It seems like someone decided a lot of arbitrary things around here. BUT, I am not here to cause problems, so unless you’ve got some official reason to harass me, kindly leave me alone.”

“Oh, but we aren’t here on official business,” Millicent eloquently stated.

“Then what are you here for?”

“To invite you to the roof.”

He might have had nothing better to do, but Zane immediately regretted humoring them.

It was a taller building. Tall enough that the roof wasn’t immediately visible from any nearby windows. Exercise mats were stacked against the wall with a radio weighing them down so they weren’t blown away. A table awaited them, but there were no chairs or lunch, as much as he hoped there would. A suspiciously sword shaped case was prepared.

“I suddenly don’t want to be here,” Zane muttered.

“It’s too late for that,” Millicent stated as she shut and locked the door behind them.

“You see, I am Adrien Capella, vice-captain of the fencing team,” Adrien explained.

“And I am Millicent Liana, the fencing team’s favored closer, second only to Lady Belafonte herself. We take our orders directly from her. We are… lieutenants of sorts. Her most trusted enforcers.”

“This school has a hit squad now?” Zane muttered.

“You caused Lady Belafonte a considerable degree of grief and humiliation,” answered Adrien. “We are here to return the favor.”

“So, you two lured me to seclusion with the threat of a good time so you can beat me up for giving your princess trouble? Honestly, I’m a little surprised. My opinion of the students here was dropping until now.”

“Don’t take us for thugs,” Millicent spat as she strolled up to Zane, opposite Adrien. “We are going to ensure you see a hospital room before your next class, but don’t think we need to resort to cheap tricks to do it.”

Adrien opened the case on the table and neatly laid out its contents: a long, narrow rapier ending in a point, a near identical rapier with a thicker blade, and a narrow rapier with a single blade running its entire length.

Adrien drew and flourished his sword. “One on one, choose your weapon.”

“In the unlikely event Adrien loses, you will duel me,” Millicent explained. “As if a ruffian like you needs any goading, if you somehow win against both of us, you may consider yourself exonerated.”

Zane stared at the swords laid out before him but kept his hands in his pockets. “I’m not going to fight you.”

“You faced Rebecca unarmed in a classroom! I am offering you a fair fight! You should be thankful I’m still willing to extend such a courtesy.”

“I would barely call it a fight, and she brought it on herself. I know better.” He turned around and strolled for the exit. “If I get in a real fight or put anyone in the hospital, I’ll get expelled. But more importantly, I don’t want to. I just want to go to school, no drama, no problems. Your fencing team clearly has issues, but that’s none of my business, and I’d rather keep it that way– BITCH!”

As Zane strolled by, Millicent drew her rapier and stabbed Zane in the calf with one quick motion. He stumbled and caught himself, more surprised than hurt.

“I said, you aren’t walking off this roof… unless you defeat each of us in a duel,” she declared over Zane’s mewling, dropping the key to the door in her cleavage. “Face us or continue walking. Either way, you’ll be carried through that door.”

“Are you crazy?” Zane apprehensively shouted at the top of his lungs. “This is my only pair of uniform pants! You asshole!”

Millicent and Adrien cast each other a confused glance.

“I just stabbed you in the calf.”

“Oh really? What gave it away? The hole in my fucking leg or the blood getting all over MY BRAND. NEW. PANTS!”

“Maybe now you will face us like a man,” Adrien suggested, doing his best to keep up his haughty façade.

“Get bent! I’m not here to play your little game! Geez, this is going to stain! I hope one of you plans on paying for these!”

Millicent suddenly started laughing. “Oh, what a shame. On the bright side, this will be over quickly, but I was hoping for a challenge.”

“What’s so funny?” Adrien asked.

“You’re freaking me out,” Zane added, more suspicious than anxious.

“He’s all talk,” Millicent casually replied, taking the time to come down from her laughing fit. “Despite the reputation, for all his big talk and bravado, when confronted, he folds like wet paper.”

“Of course, it all makes sense!” Adrien amusedly replied.

“The hell are you talking about?” Zane demanded.

“We have been running around campus chasing this fool, but barring the instance when Rebecca cornered him, he has only ever run away and hidden! Even then, she is unranked and rather talentless.”

“Yeah, sure I’m a bitch, whatever,” Zane gruffly shrugged his mounting agitation. “Can I go now?”

“I’m afraid not. Your whole image may be nothing more than a façade, but your reputation is very real. What’s more, you angered Lady Belafonte. By defeating you, we will gain her favor and make you an example of what happens to defiant troublemakers! Choose. Your. Weapon.”

It was clear. These two would not let him leave without a fight. Zane sighed. He approached the table, looking one hundred and ten percent done with their shit.

“Your skin will get all wrinkly if you get stressed like this,” Mauri remarked with an apathetic grin, turned sideways as she rested on the table.

Felicia continued to pace the room in an uncharacteristic fluster.

“Is this boy really that bad? Maybe you should bring in another head?”

“That won’t be necessary,” Felicia fervently replied. “I don’t know how he fooled the president, but I’m no longer convinced Zane Ashford is the threat she believes him to be. But he has proven adept at making himself a thorn in my side. The longer he evades disciplinary action, the worse the heads’ image in the eyes of the student body. Particularly mine.”

“Too bad someone had to go and provoke him… If he’d been left alone like the president said… none of this might have ever happened….” She turned to her other side so she still faced Felicia as she passed.

“That doesn’t matter now. Whether or not he’s done something wrong, the whole campus knows I am after him. If I were to call off the search without following through, it would appear as if I’m letting him go.”

“It wouldn’t look good for the rest of us either… I suppose.”

“No, it would not. Troublemakers and delinquents, I can handle. Merely destroying their ego and threatening them with proper discipline is enough to put them in line, but defiance for defiance’s sake is more difficult to snuff out.”

“It’s hard making someone follow the rules when they aren’t afraid of consequences… If he did something bad enough, we could just expel him… Didn’t he fight that one girl from your team?”

“Whatever he did was horrible enough that Rebecca is unwilling to say anything about it. Without her testimony nor any visible marks, there isn’t enough evidence to expel him.”

“That would be worse than letting him get away…”

“Just you wait. The instant he shows his face I will show him what the Belafontes are capable of.”

“Hmm… it might not be a good idea to do it in public… This isn’t exactly sanctioned… Who knows what the other heads would say…”

Felicia stopped pacing. “I am sure the others know everything by now. The fact I have not suffered the president’s wrath indicates her faith in my judgement, or an opportunity to make amends. However, for the sake of my reputation and position, it is in my best interest to resolve the situation before I see her again.”

A member of the fencing team suddenly burst into the room. “Lady Belafonte!”

“What is the meaning of this interruption?”

“It’s Adrien and Millicent! They’ve been sent to the nurse’s office!”

Felicia burst in, horrified to find her best fencers unconscious or sobbing on the cots, Adrien with a bloody nose and black eye and Millicent’s cheeks swollen like she recently harbored a mouthful of bees. If her blood was boiling before, now she was on fire.