Chapter 71 - What The...
Both Owen and Theo were staring their eyes out for a moment.
Finally, Adrian cleared his throat.
"Let’s get both of you registered," he said. "After that, you can tour the campus all you want."
The two of them snapped out of it immediately and nodded once.
Adrian smiled slightly and turned around, clearly expecting them to follow.
A small, golf cart-like vehicle was already waiting for them nearby.
Without saying anything, Adrian stepped into the front seat.
Theo and Owen exchanged a glance before following.
After a few seconds, the vehicle began moving.
It drove away slowly from the landing strip, carrying them over broad, shiny paths deeper into the campus.
Along the way, Theo and Owen took in as much of their surroundings as possible.
"This place is ridiculous..." Owen muttered under his breath.
Theo nodded slowly, his gaze locked in front of him.
"Agreed..." he mumbled.
The ride didn’t take long at all.
Yet, it had been enough for them to realize just how different this place was.
Students walked everywhere, though most stood around in groups.
Not to mention, all of them looked... rich.
’It’s bad enough you can tell just from looking at them.’
Though they all wore the campus’s clothes, the expensive accessories, coupled with a strange amount of confidence, made it obvious they came from completely different backgrounds.
Theo let out a quiet sigh, no longer looking at any of them.
’I can already imagine how this is going to go.’
The two of them stood out like sore thumbs.
Especially considering they were both still in their regular clothes.
Finally, the vehicle came to a complete stop in front of one of the larger buildings.
Adrian didn’t say anything, already walking toward the entrance.
"Let’s go," Theo said, elbowing Owen, who was still looking around.
Owen snapped out of it, climbing out of the cart immediately.
The two of them followed Adrian inside, stepping foot into a massive hallway.
Massive, tall pillars lined the sides, while banners hung high above, marking different sections of the building. The floor was made from a kind of marble and polished to perfection.
’Just when you think it can’t get more extravagant,’ Theo thought, his eyes widening for a moment.
That moment only lasted for a few seconds.
People that walked past them chuckled, some even lingering while pointing.
’Right.’
Theo snapped out of it immediately, his gaze returning in front of him.
’That’s how it’s going to be.’
While he had been prepared for this and wasn’t really that bothered, Owen was a completely different story.
His brows were already furrowed, shooting glares at everyone who even glanced at him.
Just then, Adrian came to a halt in front of them.
"You two stay here for a moment," he said. "I need to get the registration figured out."
Before either of them could respond, he pushed open a door and stepped inside.
A large glass window sat in the wall past where Adrian had just entered, a single golden sign hung above it with the words Reception written on it.
Silence fell between them for a moment.
Owen leaned against the wall, still glancing around the place.
"Where the hell did we end up, man?" he muttered. "All these rich assholes everywhere..."
Theo leaned against the wall too, though a small smile formed on his face.
"I don’t want to say it," he said, turning slightly toward Owen. "But I warned you."
Owen turned to him with a completely deadpanned expression.
"Yeah, yeah."
Just as he opened his mouth to retort, footsteps echoed out.
A single boy, seemingly only a year older than them, stopped beside Owen.
"Good evening," he said politely.
Owen blinked, confused.
"Uh... hello?"
The boy gave a small nod and took a step forward.
"Take this," he said.
Before Owen could react, something was pressed into his hands.
As he glanced down, he noticed a thick wad of cash.
"You look like you need it more than me," the boy said, nodding politely again. "Make sure you share it though."
With that, he turned around and walked away.
Owen stood frozen.
His mouth slowly fell open, his gaze shifting between the cash and the boy.
"...What?"
Even Theo didn’t know what to say.
For a second, he watched the boy’s back before he turned a corner and disappeared.
"Did... that just happen?" Owen asked, turning to him.
Theo nodded slowly.
"Seems like it..."
Only a single question entered his mind.
How rich did someone have to be to think that was normal?
Owen looked back at the money again, flipping through it quickly.
"There’s... what..." he muttered, raising an eyebrow. "Five thousand bucks in here?"
Before Theo could respond, a burst of laughter echoed through the hallway.
A group of five stood a short distance away, already lined up in front of the reception.
They weren’t even trying to be quiet.
"He actually took it," one of them said, letting out another laugh.
"Told you," another added, a hint of disgust on his face. "Where’d they even pick these beggars up?"
"Right," a girl pitched in, nodding. "It was only five thousand too. This all just looks sad."
Owen’s grip on the money tightened immediately, clearly getting frustrated.
Theo narrowed his eyes, staring at the group too.
’Seems like they’re in the same year as us.’
He quietly took in all their faces before taking a step forward.
"Relax," he said calmly. "That’s just what they want."
Owen clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed, but didn’t move any further.
The group continued chuckling for a few seconds before turning their attention back to the reception, as if they had already lost interest.
Theo watched them for a moment longer before the door finally opened up again.
Adrian stepped out of the room, his gaze briefly moving between the two of them before settling.
"You’re both registered now," he said.
He reached into his coat and pulled out two small badges, handing one to each of them.
"You can come back tomorrow. It’s already late, and you’ll be able to pick a private teacher and get your accounts started then."