Jackie frowned, Caden’s energy immediately grating against the more sluggish melancholy of his own demeanor. He flinched when he took his brother’s hand as if it were his own, driven even more uncomfortable by the suddenness of it all. As he warily watched the two, he allowed himself to walk a little slower, shoving his hands deep into his pockets as he hovered behind them, hoping they wouldn’t get into any sort of trouble.
Jesse allowed himself to be pulled along, but he was too busy glancing around in every direction, trying to take in the sights of the Academy, to really listen. When he sensed that Caden had taken the smallest breath, he turned to look at him, fixing a big smile on him. “You talk a lot,” he announced breezily. “I wanna see where they put the guns, can we go there first?”
“Hahah, yeah a lot of people say that,” Caden said, grinning like he was proud of the fact. “My dad always says ‘you never wanted to talk at all when you were little! Now we can’t get you to shut up!’.” He laughed and pulled Jesse off in a new direction. “The guns are this way. Mine’s the coolest! My dad bought it for me. I have five but the other four are at home.”
He stopped suddenly and turned to Jackie, remembering he was with them. “You don’t have to follow us,” he said, then turned back to Jesse. “Do you have any guns yet? It’s okay if you don’t, the school provides them but you can bring your own from home too.”
The shooting range was accompanied by a large adjacent building marked “ARSENAL”. Two dracs lounged against the bolted metallic door with bored looks on their faces. “I’m doing a tour, let us in,” Caden said.
“Fuck off hobbit,” one of them scoffed. Neither adjusted their position, unintimidated by the preteens and their scrawny chaperone.
“Uhm, you do know who I’m giving the tour to right?” Caden sneered. He looked to Jesse, suddenly smug, and pointed to him. “Jesse Dereleth. Ring any bells?”
“O-Oh,” the other drac said, eyes wide. “Y-You don’t mean?”
“Yeah,” Caden said with an imperial lift of his chin. “That Dereleth.”
“Wow,” they looked at each other, silent for several moments, then both cracked smiles and snorted. “Yeah I don’t care,” the second drac said. “You’re not getting in here without one of your superiors.”
Caden frowned and challenged them with an intense gaze which they easily countered. After a tense moment he sighed and grabbed Jesse’s hand again. “Fine. Come on Jesse.” As soon as he pulled the other boy away he could hear the dracs talking distractedly to one another. “Come on.” He strode off around the long side of the building and scanned the horizon. “Coast is clear,” he hummed, crouching by a grate set into the wall. “Lucky for you I know another way in.” He pulled a knife from his pocket and flicked it open, beginning to work on the screws on the vent’s frame.
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