Interspecies Academy of Peace

The Interspecies Academy of Peace is a boarding school established in order to achieve unity amongst the different species of the earth. It took many years for the idea to become a reality. There were too many conflicts concerning humans, vampires, werewolves, fairies, aquatic folk, dwarves, and elves. Most were afraid of the other species resulting in random wars over the simplest of reasons. A blood drinking vampire fed from a human official’s daughter, this resulted in the official sending assassins to a village and killing vampires who did not need blood to sustain themselves. A prideful werewolf got into an argument with an arrogant elf which led to the elf cursing the werewolf then getting torn to shreds by the werewolf’s pack mates. There was also a pair of fairies who were nearly drowned by a group of sea witches for eating all the fruit from a surface tree. Dwarves hated everybody equally since they were always teased for their height and stature, they easily got into fights regardless the species.

The endless feuds became tedious for many members of each species. Some were able to rise above the rest and interact with each other. Those relationships did not fare well since they were not accepted. Families were made and torn apart due to stubborn traditions. Some continued to fight while others gave up. As the years went on, more and more realized the pointlessness of the conflict. This led them to discuss the possibility of peace with their leaders. After constant arguing and too many settlements, an agreement was reached. The specie representatives settled to explore the prospects of all species harmoniously coexisting, but on small scale.

Thus, the academy was created. A place for a small percentage of each species to experience living amongst the collective races. This was considered an experiment and was to be intensely monitored. It was initially going to be a composite community, however each species affirmed that there needed to be education present in the environment. Along with peace they wished to be understood by the rest of the species. This enabled a curriculum to be set for the residents involved in the project. Classes and courses promoting awareness of the other species and other intelligence to lead to interspecies comradery amongst the variety.

It’s now the official opening of the academy. Many hold a hope for the success of the school while others hold a malice for the idea and silently plead for it to fail. The situation could go either way. It all just depends on the sincerity or hatred of the students and residents.

Declan read over the article. He still couldn’t believe that he was going to attend the academy. Sure, it was better than the other fates he could have faced, but the fear of the unknown tended to overwhelm him. When he arrived on campus, he couldn’t resist from taking in the architecture of the school. It was insanely lavish and made Declan remember how poor he truly is. He was brought out of his stupor when he was shoved multiple times. Some even grunted in annoyance and commented on the ‘dumb human’ as they snickered. 

With the help of a map, Declan navigated through the complex and confusing campus. The trek was comfortable under the shaded pathways – catered towards the vampire population – and the sound of rushing water from the canals – for the aquatic population – calmed Declan’s nerves. He hurried through the pathways as more beings sniffed him or glanced his way. He just focused on finding the residential buildings.  

Upon reaching his destination, Declan was initially confused as he ventured through the residential area. He expected a bunch of big dorm buildings with single or dual apartments like a normal boarding school. The structures looked more like houses than apartment buildings. They were all single-story houses with a good distance between them. Each was surrounded by a body of water connected by waterways that had underwater gates. As he passed a few houses he noticed a few differences. There were some with sealed body of waters while others were open. When he reached his assigned house, the body of water was sealed.

When he approached the front steps, they were transparent. Declan was afraid to take another step, thinking he would fall through. He stared down at the rushing water under the clear material.

“Don’t worry, if the steps are strong enough to hold me then you should be fine.” A strange voice reassured with a chuckle.

Declan was startled then quickly found the source of the voice. At the now open door, stood a young man who had looks and muscle mass that the underweight Declan could only dream of. Declan’s surprise then turned to fear as he tried to guess the species of the man standing in front of him. The man sniffed the air and pursed his lips in thought.

“Sorry if I scared you. You don’t need to be scared of the walkway or me, I can promise that.” The man spoke again, but with a softer tone.

Declan was skeptical, but he could hear and see the sincerity in the individual. He practically looked human, but even Declan knew that he was not. He swallowed hard before taking a deep breath.

“What are you?” Declan bluntly asked.

The man was unfazed by the question. He expected it along with the behavior.

“I’m a werewolf and my name is Grant.” Grant offered with a soft smile.

Declan was taken aback. He was standing in front of a werewolf, but nothing from the stories were coming true. The man even smiled; werewolves did not have harmless smiles in the stories humans told.

“I’m Declan, it should be obvious that I’m human.” Declan muttered his introduction.

The smile of Grant’s face grew wider. It was nice to not see disgust on a human’s face, it reminded him of home. Grant encouraged Declan over the front steps. He explained that it was for their aquatic roommate to see who was approaching the door. When they got to the door, Declan followed Grant past the threshold. He saw the same kind of material was used on the floor. His footsteps hesitated as he looked around the natural blue floor, he was mesmerized.

“We can cover the floor if you are uncomfortable.” Grant offered.

“Nah, I just realized how pretty it was.” Declan admitted.

As he admired the piece of ocean underneath his feet, he noticed something peeking from behind some coral. There were fish flocking to it, making the presence more obvious. Declan’s eyes were fixated on the coral. Without thinking he waved at the coral, then a cloud of black engulfed the coral and surrounding area. Then a series of clicks and shrieks resonated through the house. Declan looked up with a puzzled expression.

“The glass is soundproof so they installed speakers so we could hear him. I’m not sure what kind of aquatic being he is, but I am guessing he is squid related from the ink.” Grant explained. “I’m not sure what his name is but his kind can be easily frightened by new things.” Grant added.

Declan was astonished. 

“How do you know all that?” He asked.

“The handbooks they give us in our rooms. Tells us the basics of the different species attending the academy. It was written by the species themselves, so they are all true.” Grant disclosed.

Declan was now intrigued. He was quick to find his room and the book that could finally tell him the truth. He did not want the lies of his kind to taint his behavior, especially since they could all kill him in a second. Declan was wrapped up in his room reading the handbook. Grant stayed in the social area as he contemplated which roommate to interact with. He could smell and see the malnourishment of Declan but felt like reaching out to the sea person again.

He walked over to the oversized tank that was an aquatic room. The glass was covered, instead of a door the aquatic being could enable a screen on their tank if they desired privacy. Grant walked to the desk that handled the speaker system for the house. It contained the sound board for the speakers, a microphone for the intercom system, and a telegraph to communicate with the ocean dweller. Grant pressed the intercom button for Declan’s room.

“Dinner’s at 5. There is a choice between the mess hall and eating here.” Grant announced.

There was silence before it dawned on Grant.

“I’m using the intercom, there should be a button on your bedside table or desk to answer back.” He mentioned.

Declan answered back shortly.

“I am good with cooking something here for myself.” Declan answered.

“I was thinking the same thing, I could cook if you are okay with that.” Grant proposed.

Declan agreed and thanked Grant for the offer. Grant then thought about what to make for dinner. Declan was not picky or allergic to anything so it was easier for Grant. After figuring out dinner, he turned to the Morse code chart. He formulated his sentence and sent it through the sound system.

“It’s Grant. Wondering what you are doing for dinner. Going to eat here.” Grant clicked.

He leaned back in the chair and looked at the code chart just in case he received a reply.

“Lake.” Chirped through the speaker.

“Okay.” Grant replied.

Unlike the majority of the academy residence, most of the aquatic folk were unable to live outside of an ocean environment. Their bodies are incapable of processing oxygen and can easily suffocate when their gills are dried out. Instead of a cafeteria, they had access to a lake with variety of sea prey to choose from. It was not surprising to Grant to hear that his unknown roommate preferred to eat there. He seemed afraid of the strange people and being around his own species would probably help his transition. Grant wished he could feel that way about other werewolves, but it just did not apply to him.

----

It was nearing 3 in the morning. A crashing noise shook the house. Then there was commotion that penetrated the bedroom walls. Declan woke up at the initial crash, but went back to sleep. Grant on the other hand couldn’t go back to sleep when the scent of vampire invaded his nose. It was too strong for a single person which unsettled Grant. His wolf was on high alert as he crept towards his door. He opened his door to smell three different vampire scents. The arguing abruptly stopped.

“Look you already woke your roommate.” A woman’s voice scolded.

“I don’t care.” A gruff voice grunted.

“You need to care, Treznor. Our clutch is supposed to set an example.” A deep voice lectured.

“Then you attend this stupid academy and room with a fish, mutt, and poisoned blood bag.” Treznor rebelled.

“Hush, you are going to fix this attitude. This is the best for everyone.” The deep voice directed with a sigh.

“Victor doesn’t think so.” Treznor grunted.

“Well he wanted you dead, so don’t think he knows best.” The deep voice reminded with a slight growl.

“I’m sorry about them. He was selected to represent our clutch, but he was being stubborn and needed to be dragged here.” The woman’s voice apologized.

Grant felt her eyes on him. He met her eyes to see soulless orbs circling with energy. Grant assumed she fed on an emotion instead of blood. She held no threat in her glance, but that did not calm Grant’s wolf. His wolf, Vossler continued to stir with anxiety at the possible threat the moody vampire posed.

“You are going to behave Treznor. If you step out of line in any way I will personally see to your punishment.” The deep voice vampire promised with a seething voice.

Treznor huffed before stomping to his bedroom. The vampire with a deep voice let out a sigh as Treznor slammed his bedroom door.

“I apologize in advance for his attitude. He was turned during a war. He doesn’t believe the species can exist together without killing each other. We will leave our contact information, just call us if his tantrums get bad. I am Octavian and she is Xaverie.” Octavian introduces himself.

Grant was baffled by their personalities. They acted like parents but did not appear older than Grant. Then he felt a sense of peace settle over himself. Vossler couldn’t fight it no matter how much he tried, he receded to the back of their mind.

“Thank your wolf for the meal.” Xaverie expressed her gratitude with a smile.

Grant tensed. It was something about vampires that always habitually bothered him and Vossler. However, in this case his anxiety failed to build up, this never happened before.

“She is an anxiety feeder.” Octavian clarified.

Grant recalled the data he read about vampires from the handbook. There were some vampires that did not need blood as sustenance. Instead, there were some who absorbed emotions as well as some who consumed souls. It made sense to Grant that he was not feeling anxious anymore, but it did not make the individual more trustworthy than her moody counterpart.

“Nice to know.” Grant replied.

“We will take our leave. We apologize from disrupting your slumber.” Xaverie excused.

Grant nodded his head as he watched the couple leave.

----

The next few days were uneventful. Declan was on his way back to the house. He just finished his morning courses and was excited for the lunch Grant promised to make. Declan was baffled by Grant’s friendly and relaxed personality. Then he found out that Grant was raised by a human who used to be a supernatural hunter. Grant told him the story over breakfast and by the time they were finished Declan could feel a lighter atmosphere with Grant. He was relieved that at least one of his roommates were not going to kill him.

He approached his front door while readying his key. Then there was a loud thud and crash that came from inside. Declan quickly unlocked the door and ran in to see Treznor pinning Grant down. The living room was in shambles and scattered with broken furniture pieces. The floor was cracked as well as the aquatic room window. Declan had a strong feeling to stop the fight, but failed to move. Then his attention was brought back to the feuding duo when he heard a deep rumble of a growl. He watched as Grant roughly threw Treznor against the tank wall. The crack got bigger. Then the cover was lifted revealing their fourth roommate looking at the glass with confusion.

Before the aquatic being could assess what was happening, Grant charged into Treznor after shifting into his wolf. The glass fractured under the force before breaking. Declan ran to open the door just in case it flooded while Grant and Treznor got washed away by the escaping water. When the rushing water stopped Declan ran to a coughing Grant and Treznor. Then he heard desperate gasps making him turn to the broken and empty tank. He saw his fourth housemate struggling to breathe.

Declan quickly rushed over the broken glass and into the tank. He tried to touch the shaking sea being. His skin was slimy to the touch and his tentacles and arms were flailing as his body seized. Though his body was deprived of the sea water his gills needed the boy was reaching for the gated hole with water occasionally coming through.

“How do I open the gate to the underwater way?!” Declan yelled out.

He expected Grant to look in the house manual, but then he heard the crunching of sea plants. Grant came up behind him and went straight to the grate. While Grant pulled at the gate, Declan took off his shoes and filled them with water which needed to get to the boy’s gills. After Grant successfully jerked the gate free, Declan helped their roommate to the hole. Before Grant could help Declan lower their housemate into the hole, Declan lost his footing and fell into the water with their aquatic roommate.

Declan was immediately caught by the current and thrown against a wall. He struggled to keep his eyes open but he forced them. He watched as the boy was taking in as much water into his gills as he could. As he started to feel his lungs begging for air he was met with the brightest gray eyes he had ever seen. Declan felt his consciousness abandoning him. Then he was suddenly able to breath as Grant encouraged him to take deep and slow breathes.

----

The evening came. Declan was resting in his room and Amari, their aquatic roommate was taking temporary residence in the open area under the living room floor. Treznor and Grant were punished for fighting and endangering the lives of their roommates. They were then forced to clean the mess together and hear an annoying lecture about interspecies relationships.

Though the four individuals were different in every way imaginable, they had a single thought in common. They did not believe living together was going to be the best or safest experience.