The Exchange Teacher - Welcome to Dyntril Academy

Maids and servants rushed through the wide corridor. Like the light-blue-haired maid who'd been waiting to get on their elevator, the other servants pushed carts loaded with covered plates and glasses. The smells of the various dinners fought with each other, and none of them stood out in particular.

"On your left!" a man yelled and buzzed past Yesenia. He came to a screeching halt in front of an elevator. She was impressed that he was able to stop so smoothly that the liquid in the cup didn't even slosh back and forth, let alone spill. The aroma of grilled fish followed him.

As the doors opened for the man, he checked that it was empty and pushed his trolley in. The doors closed, revealing a large X07 written on them.

Unlike up in the little waiting hall next to Master Gerenet's room, the elevator doors in the large corridor were easy to see. Here, they were painted white, and the walls were a dark brown color. The lights were bright and phased so that not a single person cast a shadow.

The next elevator they came to was marked X09. "Why the X?" she wondered out loud.

"It services all rooms ending in 09. That elevator is used for 309, 409, 509, all the way up to 809. Which is why you must be quick getting in and out."

Yesenia hadn't been expecting a response, but was pleased to have received it, even if it was still said in a cold voice. The warning yells and clattering of trolley wheels echoed around them as they continued down the underground hallway.

"Our timing is not good as it is dinner rush, but it cannot be helped. We cannot have you disturbing Master Gerenet or his talks with Miss Reianna."

As they approached the end of the hall, only a couple of maids remained, and they too disappeared into their elevators.

"You'll be in Room 314. Even numbers are across the hall." Head Maid Sophia pointed at the elevator marked X14. Putting her hand on Yesenia's lower back, the head maid steered her towards the proper elevator.

"Now, open up your interface and look for <Connections>."

Yesenia opened her interface. Her chest cramped up. Connection? Keh. Keh is 'k'. She scrolled through the top menu for anything that started with a 'k', but couldn't find anything.

"Umm…"

Before she could admit she couldn't find it, a maid with a dinner trolley came running up behind them. The smell of steak surrounded the woman and the trolley. Coming to a skidding stop, the white-faced, wide-eyed girl with slate-blue hair looked at the two people waiting in front of the elevator.

"Yani!"

"Language, Belinia."

"Head Maid Sophia! Please allow me to go first. I am already one minute late. Miss Banca will beat me if I am any more late!"

"'Later.'"

The slate-blue-haired maid bounced on the balls of her feet. "If I'm any later."

Head Maid Sophia nodded. Putting her arm in front of Yesenia, she eased the girl back so that Belinia could use the elevator first.

Pushing the trolley on, Belinia looked over her shoulder. "Thank you so much, Head Maid! I love your rose gold hair!" she said to Yesenia as the doors closed.

Yesenia brushed her hair against her neck and looked away, hiding her blush.

"You can't read, can you?"

Yesenia froze.

"I don't know why I expected you could. You're a camper, and Dafnea was your teacher."

Again, Yesenia's breath caught at the disrespect the head maid was showing to a teacher.

"It's a miracle you're still alive, honestly. You must have maxed out your luck stat."

"My what?"

Head Maid Sophia narrowed her eyes.

"...my what, ma'am?" Yesenia hoped that was the correction she was supposed to make.

She shook her head. "'Pardon, ma'am?' If you do not understand, that is what you should say."

"I see."

"'Understood, ma'am.'"

Yesenia sighed. "Understood, ma'am."

"You do not sigh."

Glancing at the elevator doors, Yesenia wished it would hurry up and come back. She no longer cared what a 'luck stat' was.

A thumb and a forefinger took hold of her chin, and her face was pulled back towards the head maid. It wasn't forceful, but neither was it light. "I am not Dafnea. Master Gerenet is not Dafnea. We both have our complete mental faculties. Master Gerenet wishes to save you. Do not throw away his goodwill."

Yesenia noticed how the maid listed herself for the first part, but not the second. "Understood, ma'am."

The hand fell from her face. "Now, back to the issue at hand: your illiteracy."

"My—pardon, ma'am?"

Head Maid Sophia's nod was short and crisp. "Your inability to read. I shall inform Master Gerenet."

Yesenia's stomach dropped. What if he heard that and changed his mind? "Please don't, ma'am!" Yesenia clasped her hands together. "I…I promise it won't get in the way of my work!"

"What do you mean? It is already in the way of your work. You cannot call the elevator."

"Can't you teach me?"

"I do not have time for that, Yesenia."

"Don't make him throw me out!" Yesenia shook her clasped hands.

Head Maid Sophia reached out and put her hand on top of Yesenia's. For the first time, her expression softened. "No. You never have to fear that."

Yesenia's heart calmed, but her mind still wouldn't let it go. She nodded, and Head Maid Sophia let go of her hands.

The sound of the elevator doors sliding open called Yesenia's attention to the elevator. The little moving room was empty; the other girl had not come back down again.

Following the head maid onto the elevator, Yesenia wondered if the girl had gotten in trouble for being late. Not that she really cared about the girl's well-being, she just wanted to get the idea of what sort of abuse to expect as a servant, and if it would be worse than the bullying she'd received as a student.

As the elevator took off, Yesenia's weight was pulled down. The head maid didn't say anything to her, and Yesenia had nothing to say to the head maid. Shortly after the strong pull down, there was a second, gentler pull from the elevator as it slowed down.

The doors opened up into a dimly lit, narrow corridor. Unlike the small corridor that was connected to Master Gerenet's room, this one branched off to the right and left at the far end from the elevator.

As in Master Gerenet's servants' hallway, there was a little cubby for towels and sheets, but it was empty.

"The servants' entrances to the bathroom and audience room are down that way," Head Maid Sophia explained.

Yesenia nodded.

"As they are both unoccupied, you may choose the room on the left or the right."

"Left, please."

Head Maid Sophia opened the door to the left of the elevator's entrance. She motioned for Yesenia to go in, and she did. The head maid followed her in, but didn't close the door.

The room inside was identical to her old room except for the fact that its lack of an occupant was glaring. A thin layer of dust coated everything in the still room. There were no sheets on the bed. The curtains were drawn closed. No personal effects littered the surfaces of the dresser, bedside table, or vanity.

"Tomorrow, once the tournament starts again, I will come and instruct you on your duties."

Yesenia jumped, being pulled out of her examination of her new, same-but-different room. "Yes, ma'am."

Head Maid Sophia stood in the servants' door for several seconds and stared at Yesenia. She nodded as if she had decided something in her mind, then closed the door.

What was that? Yesenia looked at the shut door as if it could explain the look the head maid had given her.

But it was a door, and Yesenia was alone.

Her roommate had been one of the first to die last year, so she was used to being alone, but the unlived-in feeling of her new room bothered her in a way that she couldn't understand. It made her feel lonely.

Walking over to the bed, she ran her hand across the bare mattress. Even the pillows lacked their covers. Going over to the closets, she opened them to find them empty. It was the same for the chest of drawers. Dust kicked into the air as she searched.

What am I supposed to do for sheets?

Not that she needed them. Over the past year, she'd gotten used to sleeping in a bed, but even the floor would be fine. All that mattered was that it wasn't outside. She hadn't been turned away.

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Yesenia. She loved her new name. It echoed in her mind. She was also going to be a maid. The realization hit her again. It made her happy. Not that she wouldn't have been happy as a hunter—anything was better than being a camper, but after watching ten of her classmates die over the past year from training accidents and tournaments to bullying, she was glad to be out of that world. She could survive as a maid.

Being a maid would put her mostly out of sight of the nobles. However, that didn't mean she trusted the altruism of the foreigner. He had an angle, a game, or something. Everyone did; she just hadn't figured his out yet. Once she'd gotten an idea of his endgame, she'd feel better. She'd be able to prepare herself for whatever he wanted from her. Until then, that uneasy feeling in her gut would never settle.

In the meantime, she still wanted sheets even if she didn't need them. Bed or floor, she'd gotten used to having a cover from the chill of the night.

After exhausting all the places they could be in her room, she headed into the audience room. The audience room also had a stale air to it, and the same dust coating the normally polished surfaces.

The tea station in the corner had no cups or pots. The only things left in the dorm suite were the furniture. The only possible place for sheets to be hidden was the tea station. Yesenia doubted there would be any in there, but she went to check it anyway.

She squatted down and inspected the empty cabinet when the suite door burst open. Two boys tumbled into the room, one with cadmium red hair, the other with lime green.

Yesenia froze, and her heart raced. Staying low, she scooted further forward so that the bulk of her body was hidden behind the cabinet doors.

The redhead pushed himself off the other boy. "You used too much force, Arion!"

"Jimny—"

"Speak noble, Arion," the first boy said as he smoothed out his clothes.

She knew that hair. She knew that voice.

"Picking locks needs force," the green-headed boy said.

"Not that…" Xav stopped talking. Yesenia still had her eyes peeking over the top of the cabinet door. The boy's green eyes stared into hers. "Islae?"

Jumping out from behind the cabinet, Yesenia ran over to her friend and wrapped him in a hug. She'd grown, and he still hadn't. She could put her chin on the top of his head.

His grip around her waist was tight. "I thought I saw you die. I knew it! I knew he would save you!"

"Hey Xav, Arion, you got it open…" The azure-haired girl stopped when she saw Yesenia and Xav hugging each other. The other boy, Arion, just stood there watching as well.

Xav broke off their embrace. "Hey, Cay, umm, this is—"

Grabbing his hand, Yesenia pulled him back into the room she'd chosen. His classmates just watched wide-eyed as she took him away and shut the door. As soon as it closed, she began to pat his arms, chest, and torso, just like she'd done when they were children in the camp.

She'd told him it was to make sure he wasn't hiding any cuts, but it wasn't for his sake; it was for hers. It calmed her, reassured her that he was whole and safe.

He pulled away from her. "You could have just asked. I'm fine."

She stared at him. It was Xav. Her Xav. He was fine. Despite her relief in seeing him unharmed, her chest tightened. "I'm sorry I never came to see if you made it in. I've…been busy."

"I never came to see you either, and I knew you were here. It's just…and then I saw what happened to you at the tournament." His eyes dropped to the ground.

"It is what it is."

His head stayed down, but he looked up at her, hooding his eyes. "But why are you here? Are you joining our class?"

Yesenia shook her head. "I'm supposed to become that man's servant. Though I still haven't figured out what his game is yet."

Xav's head snapped up. "He has no game." There was an edge to Xav's voice.

How could he still be so innocent? She stroked his cheek and smiled. "Everyone has a game."

Xav slapped her hand away. "What's your game then, Iz, huh?" His voice was hard.

"What's gotten into you? You know my game." Why was he attacking her over her questioning his teacher?

This time, he looked at her with pity.

Anger welled up inside of her. She looked for something to throw at him. She wanted to tear that look off his face. "Don't look at me like that!" She didn't yell, she shrieked.

He walked up to her and hugged her again. "It's okay, Iz."

She tried to push him away, but despite her being taller, he was stronger, and he held on. Outside the wall, they'd depended on each other. They'd been each other's only family. How could he pity her?

"Let go of me!"

At her words, Xav let her go. "You're safe now. Gerenet-Shr will make sure of it."

Yesenia sneered. "What's with all of you? Does he like, brainwash people?"

He shook his head.

"That's the only way I can see it!"

"Did you see the first-year's fight today?"

Her face flushed. Where his pity filled her with a flaming rage, this question filled her with a cold anger. He knew what had happened to her. "No, Xav. I didn't. Some Yani-loving Yani sliced my arm off and stabbed me."

"You look fine to me."

She opened her mouth, then closed it. She knew what he was getting at. His setup question and follow-up perfectly disarmed her anger. Had he always been this clever? But still, he had to see that there was no such thing as perfect.

"If he's so good at protecting you all, what about this room, huh? What happened to him?"

"We only have twenty-four kids in our class."

"Okay then, how many are left?"

"Twenty-four."

Yesenia froze. All of them were alive? Last year, by the time the first tournament ended, she'd watched five of her classmates die. "You're lying."

"We're going to have a celebratory dinner in that audience room tonight. You can count them all if you want."

The foreign man had fixed her. There wasn't even a scar where her arm had been reattached. It made sense; he could fix his class, too. In her mind, the black-haired man became even more suspicious. What does he want with all of these kids? "How badly injured were the fighters today?"

Xav held out his arms and spun around. "You already inspected one."

Her eyes went wide. "You fought?"

"Well…not so much 'fought' as 'didn't get hit.'"

She rushed over to him, but he held his hands up, stopping her. "You've already checked me once. I'm fine." He smiled.

Xav smiled. Her heart fluttered. She'd never seen something so beautiful.

Reaching up, she extended her hand until it touched his face. He didn't back away this time, and he let her trace her finger over a dimple she didn't know he had.

"Iz, you can tru—"

The servant's door flew open. Yesenia flipped around to face it. She kept herself between the red-headed boy and the door and raised her hands.

"You in this one, Maid Yesenia? Oh!" It was the slate-gray-haired maid from before. She carried an armful of sheets and towels. The right side of her face was red and swollen.

"I'm sorry, Mister. I didn't know you were speaking with Maid Yesenia. I'll come back later." Belinia reached for the door.

"No, it's okay. I'm done here anyway," Xav said as he reached his hand out, stopping the maid. He put his hand on Yesenia's shoulder. She looked at him and he whispered, "Yesenia? You're going to have to explain that."

Xav turned and left, leaving Yesenia with the maid. She watched him go. Xav! She felt lightheaded. She'd assumed he made it in, but could never confirm it.

While technically Madam Dafnea was in charge of 2-E, an actual daffodil would have been more effective than the daffodil-haired woman. In her stead, supplementary teachers had rotated in and out to teach Yesenia's class. Their first year, Viscountess Ulivia had been in charge for the most part, and they'd had decent time on the training ground. The second year, Baronetess Alestra had been in charge. With the dance-obsessed baronetess teaching them, Yesenia had spent the entire first month in the ballroom, learning to dance. Again.

Since she'd never been out to the training grounds, she hadn't run into Xav there, and Yesenia had been too much of a coward to come to the first-year's dorm.

"Hey, puppy-love."

Yesenia turned to the other maid. Puppy love? She scowled. "Ew. He's like my little brother."

Belinia rolled her eyes.

"Thank you for bringing me sheets."

Once Xav left, the smile fell off Belinia's face. She dropped the linens on the ground. "Look, you're like, the only person here I don't have to be nice to. Those are yours."

The girl walked over to Yesenia's bed and fell across it. "My face is killing me."

Yesenia picked up her sheets and towels. "She hit you?"

Turning her head to look at Yesenia, Belinia's words were muffled as she half spoke into the mattress. "Yeah. Called me in as soon as I arrived."

Belinia rolled and pulled herself up to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm just the runner, but it's my fault that the chef messes up and has to recook a dish?"

Yesenia looked at the girl and wondered why she was still in her room. "Umm, I'm sorry about that. Thanks again for the sheets."

"I was excited that I was being assigned the daughter of a duke. I thought it might mean that I was about to move up or something. But nope."

Oh. One of those. Hugging her sheets and towels to her chest, Yesenia stepped back and leaned against the wall. The girl wouldn't be leaving until she'd finished telling Yesenia her life story.

"Day one!" Belinia held up her index finger. "Day one, her personal maid calls me in to quote 'let me know how things are when serving Madam Banca.' The girl hasn't even graduated, and they're using that title. I'm surprised they didn't just call her Duchess already!"

Yesenia nodded.

Holding the edge of the bed, Belinia kicked her legs out as she talked. They thunked back against the frame. Thunk-thunk. Thunk-thunk. "Of course, her Yani-loving cook never admits his fault, and it's always on me."

When will she leave?

Thunk-thunk. "Ugh. I never even saw the face of the viscount's son last year. Why'd he have to go and die?" Thunk-thunk.

Yelenia shrugged.

"Anyway. How did you snag a student's room?" Thunk-thunk.

"Umm, Head Maid Sophia said there's no more room in the servants' quarters."

The girl's legs stopped. "So you're a new hire? At this time?"

Yesenia nodded.

Belinia's eyes went wide, then she flinched and put her hand on her cheek. "Ouch."

Setting the linens down on the dresser, Yesenia pulled up her interface: three down to her inventory and five over for the ointment. She didn't want to waste it, but she felt that if she gave it to the girl, she would leave. If needed, she could get Xav to steal some more. "Here."

Belinia looked at the jar in Yesenia's extended hand. "What's that?"

"Pain ointment."

"Where…how…?"

"Do you want it or not?"

The slate-gray-haired maid jumped off the bed and rushed over to Yesenia. She didn't take the ointment; rather, she grabbed Yesenia's wrist with both hands to prevent the other girl from taking it back. Belinia stared at the jar.

Yesenia took one of Belinia's hands off her wrist and placed the jar in it. "It's yours now."

"I can't!"

"You can."

The girl's face flushed. She looked down at the ground and was actually silent for a second. When she looked up, her eyes glistened, but no tears came out. "Thank you! I'm sorry I was such a Yani earlier."

Yesenia shook her head. "I'm going to put the sheets on my bed."

"Do you want some help?"

"No. I'm good. You can go back to your duties."

Belinia's face fell. "Thank you, Maid Yesenia. Is it…is it too late to be friends?"

The last thing Yesenia wanted was for this chatterbox of a girl to feel comfortable coming around her. She couldn't see a use for her. "Thank you for the sheets."

"Thank you for the ointment." Belinia took one last look back at Yesenia before nodding and leaving through the servants' door.

At last, she was alone again. Only it wasn't silent. Boisterous, muffled voices leaked in through the door leading to the audience room. She couldn't make out the words, but she could make out the feelings: Laughter. Joy. Happiness. They fought to force their way through her closed door.

Xav's smile flitted across her mind. Was that his laugh just now? Does he laugh now?

Her heart felt light. As long as Xav could live in that, she'd be willing to put up with whatever Master Gerenet's game was. Even if it left her alone.