Chapter Text
After the talk that she had with the Headmage, Key headed down towards the wings where the classrooms were. Today, if her resources were correct, there were at least three rooms that were preoccupied with active lessons. Although normally spread out, it seemed that the teachers who were present (some of whom were regulars during the normal school year while others were only part timers) had decided to coordinate with each other on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It wasn’t any of Key’s business (she was rendered a custodian after the Headmage had taken her in), but she did happen to talk to both student and teacher on the rare occasion they had come across her shadowing her seniors whenever they were assigned to working in the main campus buildings.
Today, Mr. Alastair and the other custodians didn’t need her. Despite the fact that she was quick to pick up on the routine and management of most of the spaces within the Night Raven College campus, it was quite clear that she wasn’t just a “custodian”. Some of the other custodians who were younger than the senior custodians, but were still at least half a decade older than her, had joked that she would be poached by the Headmage for administrative duties at the school. For them, it was quite obvious that she was quite the favorite.
Hmph.
The Old Crow’s first nestling, they called her. Hah, or worse, his little chick.
Emilio, one of the newest hires from a few years ago, had taken her aside and explained that they were only ribbing her when he suspected that she was getting put out by their combined teasing. It wasn’t often that there were female staff members, especially those who worked in the main building and as a custodian no less! There were at least three or four other women, but some of them decided to take summers off considering that most facilities were closed off due to their lack of need. There was also the librarian—Lady Fairchild—but she kept to herself in the library’s archives and was rarely seen outside.
(Zahur, another custodian who doubled as a gardener in the botanical gardens, often whispered that she was a witch who dabbled with blood magic. When Key asked him, Zahur could only shrug and mutter something in the language common to the locals of the Scalding Sands before throwing a broom at her (business end first) so she could start sweeping already).
There were a few more women who worked at the stables and at the botanical gardens, but Key was rarely assigned outside of the main campus building, the library, and the Hall of Mirrors. Sometimes, if the custodial crew were in dire need of help, she would accompany one or two to some of the smaller and inconspicuous structures like the school store and the tower that was fairly close to the stables, but had no discernible use.
(That was a lie. There was a use, but no one could make heads or tails of what its true purpose was).
So, if one were to include Key in the main roster of the skeleton crew that made up the population of NRC, it would be… At least a dozen or so.
During the school year, when all staff was expected to be on the premises at all times, the number was expected to quadruple, but it wouldn’t be impossible to say that the number wouldn’t dramatically increase.
And speaking of the school year…
Key didn’t know what was worse, the fact that she was stuck in a world that was far different to her own and that she was basically an outlier in terms of both knowledge and ability regarding magic or that she was stuck at a school. Out of all the places she could have been drawn to without consent, it had to be a school! Not that Key personally had anything against schools—or magical schools in particular unless she was thinking about a particular young adult series from back home—it just felt like there was something… cliché about this situation as a whole.
Aside from the Disney characters that were masquerading or were portrayed as figures that were meant to be lauded, Key thought that Night Raven College was familiar. Her memories, while not absent like she had explained to the Headmage and to her senior coworkers, were fuzzy and at times, it took a while for her to recall them. Yet, she could not deny that this—all of this—was reminiscent of something , she just didn’t know what.
As Key made her way towards the classrooms, she heard one of the doors open, the hinges groaning due to lack of lubrication. Within seconds, she whipped out her notebook and made a note underneath the to-do list that she updated every day that she would have to inform Mr. Alastair or whoever was in charge of this specific wing that they would need to check on the doors and oil them. As her pen scratched across the page, the figure of one of the students towered over her.
“Did you get that promotion?” There was a laugh in the student’s voice, a melodic melody that started high before falling down an octave a beat later. When Key looked up, because it seemed like everyone in this world had to be taller than her, she found the mischievous green eyes of a fox beastman looking down at her. Behind him, she could see the white and red tuft of his fluffy tail swinging back and forth, a teasing sort of joyfulness apparent in his expression and actions.
"I wouldn't call getting saddled with a babysitting job a promotion.” She raised her fist up, to which the fox beastman immediately obliged. Before she could make contact, though, the student quickly pulled his fist back. “Mr. Norton!”
Enraged at his antics that she should have been more than accustomed to over the past few months she had known him, Key tried to punch him, but only managed to graze his side before he completely sidestepped her.
There was laughter in his eyes. “You’ve gotten faster, Key! Although…” His grip tightened around her wrist and Key had to swallow down the retort that was itching to bubble out of her throat. “It’s Cameron, Little Bird! Ca-mer-on.” With each enunciation of the syllables of his name, he experimentally tugged her closer and closer to him until she was barely a hair’s breath away.
Before they could actually touch, however, Key kicked him in the shin.
Hard.
Normally, people who had been kicked in the shin would have been expected to fall down in agony, a rivulet of tears falling down their cheeks. However, the most Cameron could do was swallow down his groan, his teeth biting down onto his bottom lip.
“Uuuuuugggghhhh.” Was the only coherent thing Key could make out.
“Mr. Norton—” She broke free from his grasp without any trouble and watched with malicious pitilessness as the fox beastman tried to collect himself. “—I’d appreciate if you just… didn’t do that.”
He smiled, the sharpened canines faintly glinting in the early afternoon sunlight. “Will do.”
Together, they walked down the school’s cool corridors, the faint green flames floating in the sconces lighting their way. Eventually, they made their way down into the school courtyard and together, they sat on a bench that was slightly shadowed by an apple tree. Today, the apples were looking to be in good health.
Then again, Key supposed that it was probably due to the combined efforts of the gardeners and the fairies that made the fruits look so delightfully luscious.
“So, you’ll be busier than ever, huh?” Cameron draped his lanky body over the bench, his freckled face drifting into a facsimile of relaxation as he closed his eyes. “Sevens, I knew that the Headmage was out of touch when it came to other people, but it seems like he’s really got it out for you, huh? I almost feel sorry for you, Little Bird.”
Key rolled her eyes. “You have got to stop hanging out with Emilio.”
Cameron Norton wasn’t just a wayward student who found himself at Night Raven College taking summer classes. He was actually really smart and, if he was a normal student, he would have graduated in two years’ time. However, Cameron didn’t want to continue his tenure at the school for much longer, knowing that his situation as a scholarship student was tenuous at best. Sure, he had stellar grades and had a monthly allowance to take care of his needs, but his situation at home wasn’t ideal (his mother was often ill and lived alone) and his mental health wasn’t faring better due to his constant worry over his scholarship status and his mother’s chronic illnesses.
After having talked to his professors at Night Raven College and his mother back home, it was decided that Cameron would receive the last of his credits this summer so he can fulfill the requirements needed to attend the magic academy that was situated closer to his hometown. While not as prestigious, it still offered scholarships and there were plenty of alumni who lauded the effectiveness of the education promoted there.
When Key had asked about his thoughts concerning his leaving Night Raven College, he had said:
"Before you ask," Cameron muttered, "yes, I am giving up. I already talked to some of the profs for recommendation letters and stuff like that to make the process easier, but it's all the same: I'm giving up."
Now, normally, Cameron wasn't one to look so glum and doom and gloom. There had been a rabbit beastman who was often riled up by how easily he adapted to strenuous circumstances and had never seen him look so down. They were childhood rivals, those two, but Cameron couldn't deny that if that cute bunny would see him now, she would immediately hug him around the waist and give him a scolding for not taking care of himself. Sevens, it would be a miracle to see her again without feeling a sense of loss.
The fox beastman looked up to see his companion gazing at him in concern. Without even thinking about it, his lips curled up in a jocular smile, the beginning of a joke just about to materialize from years of repression about to leave his mouth. Before he could impress upon her the makings of a cool, possibly problematic "yo mama" joke, she said:
"I think you're brave for doing what you're doing."
Cameron blinked.
Foxes were wily, cunning creatures. Always willing to test the limits of authority, but never fully going all the way in terms of actually crossing any legal or ethical lines.
Brave? What a joke.
"I'm serious. You know your limits and that you're pushing yourself too hard here, you care about your mother, and you know that you can receive the same opportunities at that local school of yours." Key frowned when she saw that Cameron was ducking away, as if he was looking for a way out or to just run away from his embarrassment.
"It takes a lot to admit that some places simply aren't for you. If you're confident that you'll be happier somewhere else, even if you aren't granted the same scholarship benefits and prestige as you are here, then I wouldn't say anything about it."
She paused for a moment before the right corner of her lips curled up in a grin that Cameron usually associated with other foxes, or worse, cats.
"'Course, if someone does say something about it, just point me in their direction and I'll make sure that they're set straight."
"You're… you're less than five feet tall."
"I can take on anyone I put my mind to."
"You're less than five feet tall."
"And?"
Cameron sighed before launching himself right into Key's personal space and giving her the roughest noogie of her lifetime.
Brave, huh?
But that was a thought that Cameron would save for a rainy day.
Because Cameron was a scholarship student, he had been drafted to take up odd jobs around the school. Sometimes, he would be a cashier for the school store, other times he would be a teacher’s assistant for some of the labs. Most of the time, though, the fox beastman preferred to help out the maintenance crew, even going as far as to volunteer on the weekends. If something happened to his scholarship status (at least before he made the decision to transfer to another school), he could at least count on the connections he made with the custodial crew to keep him afloat until graduation.
(It’s a good thing that Emilio and the others were well aware of how independent and self-serving the NRC students were because if he had known that Cameron didn’t think of them as friends… That would have broken his overly large heart).
Come the end of the summer, he would be off to a country far from the Isle of Sages so he could start building his life anew. For the most part, Key wasn't privy to much of Cameron’s plans for the future, but she did know that he wanted to advance his way into the world. The details were fuzzy, but he said he had a dream that he wanted to fulfill since he was young.
To be a person his mother would have been proud of.
“Don’t worry, by the time I get my transcript and pack my suitcase, I’ll be out of your hair and Emilio’s.”
Key chuckled, purposefully bumping her shoulder against Cameron’s bonier structure. Much to her annoyed delight, he pretended to keel over and rub his shoulder in what she could assume was distressed pain.
“Aghast! Somebody, call Dr. Park! I’ve been ruthlessly—” Sudden, explosive giggles filled the air as Key relentlessly tickled his sides. “Shoot! Come on! Birdie!”
“Okay, okay.” Key leaned against the wooden bars behind her back, her head tilted back to view the rays of early afternoon sunlight filtering through the leaves. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, yet she felt no pain as she focused on the sun floating in what she assumed was a blue, cloudless sky. “Hey, Mr. Norton.”
Key could hear him rolling his eyes before he rolled his shoulders and looked back at her with heartbreakingly familiar brotherly irritation that masked the barely present concern. “Yeah, Little Bird?”
Deep brown eyes stared deep into the sun. It seemed so dull compared to the world she had once known. “I’ll miss you when you’re gone.”
The young man, who she had met less than three months ago, and who, for the better part, spent most of his time teasing and playing around with her when he admittedly should have been studying, tensed up. Before he knew it, he was staring down at her, clinically tearing apart her intense gaze as she continued to stare up into the sun. And just as suddenly as he stared her down, did he finally breathe.
Carefully, he tilted her head down, muttering, “Didn’t your mother tell you not to stare directly into the sun? You’ll go blind.” He paused. “Blinder than you already are.”
Swatting at him, she replied, “There’s leaves blocking most of the sun, anyway.”
“Uh-huh. Is that why you got tears in your eyes?”
She hummed. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“Psshhhh! Nah, of course not. I gave you my personal email address, right? It’s not like I’ll miss you when I have to take the extra steps of pressing on my email app, composing a well-structured essay just to say hello, and then remembering to check my inbox pretty much every day just to know that you replied.”
Key shrugged. “I keep your mind sharp.”
“You could just get a Magicam account, ya know?”
“No.”
Eventually, both Key and her wily fox friend decided that they had enough resting in the shade of the apple tree. Once the sun gradually grew less powerful in its radiance, they headed away from the main school building and towards an area that most people, especially students, weren’t keen on entering.
When they first went out on these excursions together, they were newly assigned partners who were assigned to work on the ground floor of the school. Although expansive, Cameron was well versed in the art of Practical Magic (and had the grades and thesis to boot!) and he was more than well aware of both his limits and tricks to speed up the process. What should have been a full day’s work of mopping and dusting floors had been halved by their combined efforts. Because they had finished their work early, they had (after dropping off their cleaning carts in the nearest supply closet), decided to explore the school.
To be fair, it was Key who had asked for a more intimate look of the castle. She, of course, was well acquainted with the common areas like the cafeteria and the multitude of classrooms, but what about the lore behind the school? Were there any rooms without ghosts? What about the paintings? Could they move between paintings or were they stuck in one frame for eternity?
Cameron was leery answering those questions and often deflected or redirected her curiosity to other things that required more answers, but eventually he caved into her whining. He talked at length about some of the more popular forms of magic in layman’s terms, the history of the Isle of Sages, and everyday trivia that even people living under a rock should have known.
He had asked Emilio and Zahur about Key and her apparent lack of knowledge concerning the world, but the custodians only reiterated what they had been told by the Headmage and the Little Bird herself. It was confusing, perhaps even a little mystifying, but at the end of the day, Cameron decided that it wasn’t his place to pry.
After all, he had his own life struggles to deal with.
Key, on the other hand, didn’t have too much of an opinion on Cameron in the beginning, but eventually, they gained some common ground through well timed quips and jokes. Despite what misgivings he might have had about her (“ Seriously? I gotta babysit the newbie? ”) from the start, he quickly realized that she was fun to tease and surprisingly, fun to teach as well.
But there were always questions lingering at the back of his brain that he couldn’t shake off no matter how much he wanted to get rid of them.
For example—
Why was she always fascinated by casual displays of magic?
Why was she so nosy?
And this was the most concerning—and by that, he meant that he would rather not understand why he felt certain things when he thought relatively hard on this—why did she always look so… sad? Lost?
He never asked, and he simply didn’t have the courage to look further than the surface, but—
“Has anyone ever told you that this is a lost cause?” The wily fox peered through the rusted, wrought iron gate, his bright green eyes narrowed in boredom, his lips curled in a half-hearted sneer. Although the gate had a lock and chain affixed to it, giving off the impression that the property beyond was not passable, the lock hung open and the chain itself was in a similar state of disrepair as the rest of the landscape.
As Cameron gazed through the bars, he—like everyone else in Night Raven College—found himself fixated on the old, dilapidated building that sat atop a hill. Like the gate itself, the building was horribly aged and even from a distance, seemed to emit a foul air of stagnation and decay.
It was definitely not a place anyone would want to visit, no matter how bored they may seem.
Like most other Night Raven College students, Cameron had once been mystified by the abandoned building in the midst of the prestigious educational grounds. Of course, there were a number of other buildings who were just as deserving of the same mystified shock and awe from any first years. One of the other structures that came to mind was the tower that was within the same area as the riding stables. The tower itself was old, almost as dilapidated looking as the abandoned building here, but for some odd reason, it reeked of old potions and strong magic. There had been dares and hazing rituals in the past (before some of the professors from a couple decades back had put a stop to that practice) that included going into the tower and seeing how far up you could walk up the winding staircase inside before going mad.
The dilapidated building, dubbed the ‘Ramshackle Dorm’ as some of his seniors had called it, was rumored to house a festering pit of evil spirits. Apparently, there were at least a dozen poltergeists screaming into the dead of night, using their unholy powers to shake the earth and cause debilitating misfortune. Those who wanted to graffiti the walls or explore the tainted halls were effectively cursed.
Back in his first two weeks as a first year, some of the older students had taken him aside and had asked him—baited him, more like—to go to the back of the gated dormitory and retrieve a few herbs meant for… illicit potion making. Already versed in the art of knowing when someone older, stronger, and wilier than him was taking advantage of his much smaller stature, Cameron had declined and had hightailed it out of that situation by feigning to hear the footsteps of a teacher passing by.
(It was by pure luck that the seniors bullying him weren’t beastmen and if they were, they were of a species that didn’t have as good a hearing as his).
Ever since that day, Cameron had decided to keep to himself. His dormmates weren’t too bad, but there were a few that got on his nerves. One of them tried to coerce him into a few shady “business deals” wherein Cameron wouldn’t have to worry about his scholarship. Now, Cameron was all for side hustles and tricky maneuvering ways up the ladder. However, that didn’t mean he liked the underclassman weirdo who made it his mission to make everyone’s business his business. All of Cameron’s fur stood on end, especially when his esteemed “coworkers” happened to be within earshot.
And you know what was worse?
It was the fact that Cameron’s feelings weren’t unfounded. As soon as the first semester examinations were over, at least two hundred students were missing aspects of their magic or some of their prized possessions.
Again, no judgment, but Cameron was glad to have kept his distance.
“Look,” Key muttered as she pushed the gate open, flinching slightly at the grating sound that greeted her ears. “I know it’s a fixer upper—”
“Setting fire to the place would be a better alternative to whatever you think you’re doing.”
“—but—” Key said, completely ignoring what he muttered under his breath “—considering that I’m going to have my hands full what with being part of the cleaning crew, a secretary, and a side helper for Dr. Park—”
“Dr. Park got you too?” Cameron affixed her with a look that bordered on exasperated and bemused. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you were a masochist. Good thing Professor Crewel ain’t around or he would have sunk his claws into you as well.”
“Is he a beastman too?”
“Worse.” Cameron idly kicked at the door that led straight into the old dormitory, much to Key’s consternation. “He used to be Housewarden of Pomefiore.”
As Key tried to stifle the giggles escaping her throat, the door into the world’s dankest building ever creaked open.
Showtime.