I will never forget the day we met - A Ty & Anush Fic (snippet)
Here is a snippet of my Ty and Anush fic! It's about their growing friendship (which may or may not evolve into something else...) at the Scholomance. The events are set after The Lost World. Shortly after Ty has received the Herondale heron shaped pendant from Kit (through Magnus), he gets wind of a certain letter from Tessa to Magnus which mentions a girlfriend...
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Anush hated Monday mornings at the Scholomance. Breakfast was taken, as it was every single day of the week, in the dining room, which looked like the inside of a cathedral, with a high ceiling, rough cold stones and narrow windows.
Every second Monday though, there was always a crowd gathering in the main hall, where a large black board had been hung next to the entrance of the dining room. On it, in thick white chalk, were inscribed the initials of the ten students who had distinguished themselves in the past fortnight. They were ranked, first to last, every two weeks.
It was the same show every time, Centurions huddled together and craning their necks eagerly, and Anush wondered why they even bothered checking. The initials for the first place had been consistently the same since the school year had started. TB. TB. TB. TB. For Tiberius Blackthorn.
Fighting for next ranks were Seela and Joshua. The Scholomance being more about brains than muscles, Seela usually landed the second place and Joshua the third. There she was, her dark ponytail bobbing, half smug half furious she had been beaten yet again by the youngest of them all.
Anush remembered his first day back at the Scholomance, after the end of the Cold Peace. Divya had introduced him to Seela and he had immediately found her pretty. She had an angular face with smooth golden skin and big dark eyes, framed by black silky hair. But she had barely spared him a glance, looking past him for any more interesting acquaintances. She had won several national chess championships and, Divya, always kind and helpful, had pointed Tiberius Blackthorn in the crowd. “You should play him. Diego told me he loves to play chess and he’s pretty good at it.” Seela had looked the Blackthorn boy up and down dubiously. He was standing awkwardly, looking like a frightened little bird next to his big brother Julian, who was clutching his sibling’s arm tightly, his blue-green eyes shooting daggers at the throng of admirers closing in on them. “That little boy over there? I play chess. I don’t babysit.” Anush had disliked her there and then.
Wall that served her right. Seela. Rhymes with karma, karma, karma.
Joshua, on the other hand, had always been a nice guy. Even now, he took his third position gracefully, flashing a smile of perfect white teeth against dark skin, like the younger version of Idris Elba that he was. A group of giggling girls were surrounding him, as usual. Not only was he a hunk, he also had amazing weapon skills. Some called him the “new Perfect Diego”. He was the guy who had it all. Still, even in combat, he was no match to TB, who had apparently received excellent training at the LA Institute.
Suck it up, bitches, Anush gloated, as he weaved past the legion of Centurions and joined the dining room. He started piling up food on his plate. He always had his biggest meal at breakfast because he hated the food they served at lunch and dinner time.
He had set himself a task that day and was eager to go through with his plan. When his plate was so full he could almost hide behind it, his gaze went directly to the far end corner of the room, where one could usually find Tiberius Blackthorn sitting alone, eating quietly, a book propped up in front of him.
And there he was, exactly where Anush had expected him to be.
He approached making deliberate noise, so as not to startle his prey. It worked. TB looked up, his fork frozen mid-air.
Up close, he looked fragile and delicate. Or maybe it was because Anush had witnessed him collapse a few days before and had brought him to the infirmary. He wondered if he had health issues, but that wasn’t the type of questions you asked when you were trying to make a new friend. And that’s exactly what he planned to do. TB seemed to be a nice guy, and Anush had taken care of his Carpathian Lynx after all, when the boy had been ill. The scratches he still bore on his arms were evidence of that.
But just as he opened his mouth to speak, he heard them. The mutters he was used to suffer behind his back. But this time was different. It was not only about him.
“Look. Joshi made his way to Blackthorn."
"Do you think he is going to apologize for what the Cohort did to his twin sister?"
"We all know they are responsible for her death. They could as well have been the ones wielding the sword.”
"Those bastards laughed at her funeral."
Anush froze. He had assumed Tiberius’ reserved demeanor was only shyness. Had he been mistaken? Was there something else?
The Blackthorn boy straightened up as if he was about to say something, but whatever it was, Anush never got to hear it.
He had already turned on his heel and fled the scene, his breathing uneasy.*
Everything changed two days later. The Centurions had been summoned to gather in the amphitheatre which also served as a training room. Anush sat on a bench, in the second row, his hands folded in his lap. The buzz of voices subsided as the martial arts instructor came to stand in front of the students and gestured for quiet. He was to make an announcement on behalf of Jia Penhallow, who was spending the week at the Los Angeles Institute for family reasons (apparently her daughter Aline and her wife Helen Blackthorn were contemplating adoption).
“Until now, we have tested you individually. We have identified – you have uncovered or confirmed – your strengths and weaknesses. From now on, you will be working in pairs. Starting tomorrow and until the end of the year. This means you share points… and rank.”
A chatter erupted in the room. Grades, and above all rank was everything at the Scholomance. They were all elite, but who wouldn’t want to be the elite of the elite? Depending on your rank, you belonged – or not – to the Primi Ordines. The First Order. The Holy Grail. Amen.
All eyes flickered to the slender figure of Tiberius Blackthorn, who was lounging on a bench at the far end of the room, totally oblivious of his surroundings. He was playing with a silvery item in his hand, turning it this way and that. Anush realized he seemed much happier than usual, his pale face alight.
The instructor called names randomly and, one after the other, the students filled in the name of the fellow Centurion they would be pairing with until the end of the year. There were heated discussions, tears shed. It was a big deal. The only one who seemed unconcerned was Tiberius Blackthorn. Of course. He didn’t care who he would be partnered with. He just had to say the word, and anyone would crawl – vows of eternal friendship broken in the blink of an eye – and stand next to him. First place. A spot in the Primi Ordines without breaking a sweat.
Anush needed to be strategic. TB was not even an option. Who else? Anush was not nearly as strong as Joshua or as clever as Seela, and they would probably pick someone who mastered another subject. He needed to find someone like him. Not excellent, but not mediocre either. Too bad they didn’t teach music at the Scholomance.
Why not Liam? He sat next to him in Faerie studies, and they had made small talk several times before the class started. He wasn’t particularly bright or skilled, where Centurions where concerned. They had all been top of their classes at their Institutes or at the Academy, but that was the Scholomance.
When the instructor called “JOSHI,” Anush moved to stand before Liam. His palms were sweaty.
“Liam,” Anush asked, his mouth dry. “Want to pair up?”
Liam looked at him with undisguised contempt. It almost shocked him. What had he done to deserve it?
“Hmmm, I’ll pass. I don’t really want to pair up with a coward.”
“WHAT?”
“Well, you were with the Cohort, weren’t you? Then you fled from a battle, and they made you do the chores.”
Most of the students around paused in their babbling and… either snickered or stared at Anush in disgust. His gaze moved automatically to Tiberius. He wasn’t looking their way, but he seemed to have suddenly stilled, as if he was listening in.
“I changed sides! I fought in the battle of the Imperishable Fields!”
“Yeah, you betrayed them for the winning side! How brave of you!” Bursts of laughter filled the room.
“We weren’t winning then! Where were you while I was risking my life? Still sucking your mother’s tits?”
“QUIET!” The instructor ordered. They all fell silent – Centurions were obedient that way – though Liam still had a smirk on his face. “So, who’s going to pair up with Joshi?”
A terrible, humiliating silence ensued, but it was fortunately of short duration.
“I am.”
The words had not been shouted, but the quiet, deep voice that uttered them commanded attention.
Every face turned toward the far end corner of the room. Anush realized with a jolt that Tiberius was now standing. He was no longer playing with the object in his hand. He had tied it around his neck. He wore two chains now, one slightly longer than the other.
A chorus of angry voices erupted. What the hell? Why is he doing this? Why would a Blackthorn pair up with a yellow-belly and a double-crosser who used to be Cohort?
“Joshi and Blackthorn,” the instructor barked as he scribbled on his notepad.
And that’s how it all started.*
****
To be continued.
Tagging @gabtapia and @amchara :)
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soundtrack of your life tag!
tagged by @wonderlustlucas <3
rules set your music on shuffle & write down the songs you get for each of the 13 scenes!
title song kid in love - shawn mendes accurate
waking up scene shore - daniela andrade
falling in love scene isn't she lovely - stevie wonder
first date scene sunday morning - maroon 5 ahem jOsHuA(?)
fight scene shadow man - noname ft. phoelix, smino, & saba
tragic death scene end of the road - boyz II men
mental breakdown ruthless - the marías
serious monologue white ferrari - frank ocean ohf
flashback you're it - gabe bondoc AWEH
driving scene wait a minute - willow
kiss scene new drug - sunset rollercoaster
party scene youth - troye sivan tb
ending scene greatest love of all - whitney houston ABSOLUTELY SOLID END
this was super fun! i kinda love it,,, thank u for tagging me!
i'll tag @leefe-lix @mcsoobway n @fanficsrlife
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