Wunderhein Academy: Book 1- Awakening

“Explain this again.” Aleksei frowned at the scatterings of flowers he was holding.

“I already told you- Dimi stop eating them” Kitten glared at the shark.

“Just checking them.” He removed the drool covered flowers from his mouth.

Boris was staring at the ones in his own hands as if they were the most beautiful things in the world.

Ivan had hardly moved since he had been given them.

Kitten rolled her eyes.

She didn’t know much about flowers. Her mama had always warned her certain ones had certain meanings. Kitten had never paid attention to it all. The ones she tried to remember were the few in Mama’s herb garden.

The Alpha Pack had pulled whatever they could sneak out of garden outside the medic ward.

It turned out her father liked his flowers.

“With a Pink Carnation, I remember thee, till days of damnation.” She muttered placing the stolen flower on the ground outside the Kidd teams’ dorms.

Boris went next.

“I feel stupid.” Dmitri grumbled although he followed suit. “What’s this for anyways.”

“Flowers are remembrances for those that are gone.” Kitten replied simply. “Usually it’s put on a grave but the island doesn’t have a graveyard.”

“That’s right; bodies are taken to the medic centre.” Boris replied, hopping nervously from one foot to the other. “I heard they take your insides out and put them in these jars…”

“Boris.” Aleksei growled at the youngster. “Those jars were in the horror movie I let you watch last month, not in the lab.”

“Well, it could be the lab.” Boris muttered, kicking the lab. “The docs all wear those lab dresses.”

“They wear different ones.” Aleksei shook his head. “They have black ones.”

“A black uniform?” Kitten and Boris gasped.

“Yeah. I guess it’s to protect their clothes from when they burn the bodies on the higher floor.”

“When did you see it captain?” Boris squeaked, moving slightly closer to Aleksei.

Aleksei glanced at Dmitri who shrugged in response. “Ya walked into that one.”

“Lexie?” Kitten whispered. “Have you been up there?”

“No.” He shook his head. “You’re supposed to sign in bodies at reception on the bottom floor and they send someone to collect it from the burn floor. I was signing my ex-Captain in years ago after I took over the Alpha Pack and one of them came down.”

“So it’s true?” Boris bounced around eagerly in delight at this piece of news. “You took out your own Captain?”

“Rule of the island.” Aleksei bent down and placed his handful of plants on the ground on the outskirts of the forest, ending the conversation.

Ivan stepped forward next, followed by Dmitri.

“Bye little guy.” Boris whispered placing his own plants on the small heap.

Kitten stepped forward.

“Goodbye Teddy.” She sniffed slipping to the ground before placing her own flowers with their crushed stems next to the others. “I’ll remember you. I promise. And all the times we played together and how we had to hunt for your bear…”

She blabbered on, wiping her eyes.

When she noticed the sun setting, she bolted up.

“Shoot.” She cried out running her hand under nose. “It’s nearly food time. Lexie will…”

“Lexie will what?” She jumped at her Captains’ voice.

“You’re still here?” She gasped, turning around and finding her teammates. Ivan was standing with his arms crossed. He’s lips muttered a soft ‘Amen’ that she barely heard before he opened his eyes, looking as if nothing had happened. Dmitri was playing with one of the flowers he had carried earlier, sticking it into his mouth and sucking it in a lazy manner that belied the alertness in his eyes as he kept scanning the area.

Aleksei had his thumbs hooked inside his pocket and was standing like the others, like a silent guard.

Boris was sitting in the middle of the three, his one leg bent so his foot was touching his knee. She recognized this as one of his warm-up poses that he did where he would stretch to touch his toes. It was one of many that she couldn’t do even though he kept encouraging her with it.

“Didn’t you want us to still be here?” Boris asked with confusion on his face, his head tilting slightly to one side.

Kitten blinked before smiling.

“No.” She whispered. “You’re all exactly who I wanted here.”

“Awesome.” Boris bolted up and ran to hug her before anyone could say anything. She smiled and rested her face against his, breathing in his rich earthy smell.

“Well isn’t this sweet.”

Kitten raised her head, finding one of the teens from the trail approaching her group with two goons behind him.

“The Falcon.” Boris whispered, letting her go.

“Wunderhein.” She heard Aleksei greet the other captain.

“Cassonov.”

“Wunder-brat.” Dmitri snorted in a form of a greeting.

“Cassonov’s pet.” The corner of Wunderhein’s lip twitched upwards. “You should put him on a leash Cassonov. I heard some animals go feral if they are not tamed properly.”

Dmitri growled.

“Easy Dmitri.” Aleksei muttered before turning back to Wunderhein. “My team is busy at the moment.”

“I noticed.” Wunderhein gestured with his hand, and the goons with him stepped away.

“Shall I assume it’s with improved training, Cassonov?”

“We’re busy.” Aleksei repeated firmly.

Kitten looked from Wunderhein to Aleksei, back to Wunderhein again. It felt like they were having some kind of battle that she didn’t know the rules to.

“Very well then I shall go.” Wunderhein steepled his hands, the same way he had at the council meeting. This time he looked at her, his cold eyes studying her carefully. “I have brought word from the council regarding the Meat-Bag as well as a proposal.”

“The council?” Kitten squeaked, covering her mouth at Aleksei’s glance in her direction.

“Ya running errand boy now Wunder-smuck?” Dmitri chuckled.

“Please don’t come near me.” Wunderhein pulled a face, lifting his nose slightly. “Your odor is rather unpleasant.”

“Why I outta...” Dmitri snarled. Ivan grabbed him and flung him over his shoulder.

Aleksei nodded to one side. “Kitten and I will join you in a minute.”

Without further word, Ivan walked off with Dmitri in tow, cursing. Boris looked Kitten and gave her a reassuring smile before running off.

“You were saying?” Aleksei continued once they were alone.

“The council has decided it would be in the best interest of everyone to drop the investigation.”

“So you bribed them.”

“Gifts are not bribes,” Wunderhein replied calmly. “The council thanks both you and your Meat-Bag for your time and patience during this investigation.”

“Sure you do.” Kitten glanced at Aleksei, noting the hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Is there anything else?”

“Yes, after consideration, it has been decided that your Meat-Bag will not receive its cuts for surviving the Enlightenment.”

“Understood.”

“On a more personal note.” Wunderhein turned to Kitten. It took her by surprise since she had been ignored the entire conversation. “Perhaps you should consider your future with a team that will help you survive to be here.”

“Huh.” Kitten turned to Aleksei and found him staring at Wunderhein, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. Pure rage was written on his face. She looked back to Wunderhein who was ignoring Aleksei. “Me?”

“Of course you. You have talent that is being wasted here. My team has resources that would help you flourish during your training. You would also gain your name back quicker, unlike if you stayed with any of the lower ranked teams.”

Kitten halted for a moment, going over his words. Leave the Alpha pack? Did she really have that option? Finally, she smiled at Wunderhein. “Thanks, but I already have a team.”

“I see.” Wunderhein slowly nodded. “Very well then, should you ever change your mind, you are always welcome by me.”

“Thanks.” Kitten straightened before saluting. “Sir.”

Wunderhein went silent for a moment. “Everyone has underestimated you, Cassonov.”

“Why would you think that?” Aleksei’s voice sounded hoarse. A slight growl tinted the edges.

“They still think your team is a joke. They have not seen the loyalty of your team-mates.” Wunderhein took Kitten’s hand and kissed the top of it. “Until we meet again, Kitten.”

Kitten stared at him in surprise that he knew her name. Before she could ask him, Wunderhein turned and walked away, summoning his guards to join him.

“You can put your hand down now.” Aleksei’s comment made Kitten’s face go red. She quickly shoved her hands deep inside her pocket, for a moment startled when she touched the bracelet Tom had given her.

She forgot she still had it. She wrapped her hands around it as she felt Aleksei watching her and became even more flustered.

“You didn’t go with him?”

“I thought about it.” She admitted, kicking the ground. “It would be nice to get my name back, only I kinda like the one I have now.”

“Right.”

Kitten looked up and found Aleksei trying to hide a smirk.

“Don’t be like that.” She yelled, pushing him before she could stop herself. He countered the move easily, grabbing her arm before she could touch him and twisting it behind her back.

“Everyone calls you that now.” Aleksei pressed her arm slightly higher, making her wince from the pain. “You’re famous in this place little Kitten. Haven’t you realized that yet? The only girl on the island.”

“But you said I wasn’t a girl.” She hissed. “You said it only mattered that I was a Meat-Bag.”

Kitten found her arm free. She turned around and discovered Aleksei watching her.

“Is that all you want to be? Just some Meat-Bag?”

“No.” Kitten shook her head. “I want to be like all of you. I want to get my cuts but I want a proper animal name. I want to be a real fighter for Alpha pack. This is my family. I don’t want another team.”

“Don’t let Dmitri hear you use the ‘F’ word.” Aleksei sighed as he warned her, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “He doesn’t do ‘family’.”

“It’s want we are, isn’t it?”

“Who knows?” Aleksei shrugged. “I never really thought of it.”

“Are you serious?” Kitten’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

“It’s honestly easier trying to think of you all like a team that I need to keep alive than a family.” Aleksei looked at her. “It’s what this place is about isn’t it?”

“You idiot.” She was about to try and push him again but noticed he was already observing her moves so just crossed her arms instead. “Family are supposed to watch out for one another, like how we do.”

“Stop reading too much into things. Speaking of reading things, I have something for you.” Aleksei dug into his pocket with one hand before reaching out and grabbing her hand, holding her palm up with his other. His hand felt strange. Calloused and padded. Kitten wanted to turn it over to look at them but whatever he was digging for in his pocket, he had found and was now dropping in her hand.

She blinked as she examined the object in awe.

“It’s called a compass.” Aleksei spoke as she continued to examine the object.

“It keeps facing you.” She noted, turning the object around over and over. Her face lit up in pure delight. “Lexie look at this! I move it but it keeps pointing at you! It knows how to find you!”

“Actually it’s pointing North.” He told her with a soft smile. “A compass always points North so if you ever get lost it will help you find your way back to us.”

“You mean like if I go missing again?” She spun it around a few more times, watching it with interest as it returned to the same place. “It’ll bring me home.”

“Something like that. I thought it would be a good gift since you still manage to get lost on the grounds”

“Hold on,” She halted playing with the compass and looked up at him in confusion. “What do you mean gift? We’re not all getting one?”

“Relax, the others understand.” He answered quickly. “This is the Trick-Token I owe you from the other day.”

“What’s a Trick-Token?” Her brow furrowed. “To trick me? Should I have one for you?”

“You don’t have to give me anything. It’s the token I owe you for taking me in the other day after I passed out by your room.” He explained patiently. “The rule is anyone who is a Trick-shot owes the person that helped them a token as repayment for taking care of them.”

“Hold on, I didn’t look after you because I wanted something.” She frowned. “And you even said if someone else found you first then it might not have ended well. Would you still have given them a gift?”

“Yes.” He replied matter-of-factly. “The rules go more about that you were taken inside out of harm’s way from outside. It doesn’t cover what happens after that.”

“That’s a stupid rule.” She looked at the compass before shoving it into his chest. “I don’t want it. You weren’t my whatever-trick.”

Aleksei sighed.

“Do me a favour. Just keep it.” He rolled her fingers over it. “I trust you. I know you didn’t do anything to me. That’s why I want to give something to you more than anyone to say thank you.”

She opened her mouth then shut it again.

“I’m just giving it back. One day when I can figure out a rule that lets me.”

“I look forward to seeing that happening.” Aleksei smiled before slipping his hands into his pockets and walking away from her to join the others.

“I’m not kidding Lexie.” She yelled after him. “I’m gonna give this back.”

He didn’t respond, this time making a point of talking to Dmitri and ignoring her.

Kitten growled and checked the object again. It was still pointing North. To all her friends.

“Dumb family.” She muttered, slipping the object into her pocket before running to join them.

She was only a few steps away when Dmitri spotted her coming.

“Shark attack!” He yelled out, jumping towards her and prodding her on her shoulder before bolting. “Ya it.”

“Huh? What the...” She watched in disbelief as the group scattered. She could hear Boris giggling as he ran at a speed that she could only dream of running. “Did everyone lose their mind?”

“Come on Kitten.” Aleksei taunted from the spot he was standing. “Come get us.”

Kitten was tempted again to ask if they had gone crazy when it hit her like a bolt of lightning.

“Their trying to make me smile.” She whispered. “They’re used to people dying. They don’t know how to handle people being sad when it happens.”

Kitten wasn’t sure if she wanted to run after her team-mates. She could just turn the other direction and walk away.

Only Aleksei wouldn’t do something if it meant hurting her. None of them would. She knew that much.

It felt strange that she wasn’t alone now.

Kitten took a step forward and another until she found herself running after them.

Her new family.