Blackthorn - Top Secret Villain School-Chapter 32: A Name In The Hat

A week passed without much incident from the time D and Scarlett shared together. The two were now on their way to the courtyard in front of the Student Union. Almost every student had come to the quad that day, for it was Trial Initiation day.

Word around the campus was spreading about the literature club of all clubs taking part in the Thorn Trials this year. D didn’t know how the information had got out, but it had. As he and Scarlett got closer and closer to the inner sanctum of the quad, students began backing away from D and cheering as he approached.

People, these people, were really cheering for him and Scarlett? He smiled to them and waved back, gave a few high fives along the way. Scarlett ignored the cheers, and pretended like they weren’t surrounded by a couple hundred of their classmates and peers.

Val had told them to be at the quad at exactly 3:30, and so far D couldn’t see why. Was it to be swarmed by the insane number of people out in the middle of the campus?

As D kept walking through he saw a large stage as people slowly gave him more space. On the stage were a few faces he recognized and some he did not. There was his club, minus Val, and another group of students sat up there in rather plane looking chairs. Next to them was Clea and what he assumed were members of the Student Security Committee. He gave them a scowl.

The thrumming roar of the crowd got louder and louder as they approached. Finally exploding when they both began walking up the stage and sat in the chairs next to their friends.

As they both sat down the crowd’s cheering waned and Clea waltzed up to the podium in the center of the stage. Each clack of her high heels against the wood of the stage sent a shiver of anxiety down D’s spine.

She was wearing her white battle uniform, the same one she’d had on the night they’d met each other for the first time...D tried to push down the truly unpleasant memory, as she brought a finger to the mic and tapped it.

"Hello, Blackthorn University students. Today we are gathered to see off the start of a new set of challenges that will be undertaken by a select special few among us." She raised a long slender arm in the direction of the literature club and the crowd began cheering.

She lowered it and instantly it stopped.

"As some of the more experienced among you know, The Thorn Trials are a series of watchable exams that these students have chosen to undertake..." She stumbled over her words for a moment and her eyes shot side long at D. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Ahem...and now to reveal what each of these challenges will be, please welcome to the stage my good friend Leo Pyore!"

After saying this she walked back over to her seat and a tall and slim man with fair skin and fiery orange and blonde hair took center stage.

"Alright Blackthorn, HOW ARE WE DOING TODAY?!"

The crowd erupted into an earsplitting amalgamation of cheers, hollers, and chants.

"Alright, alright! Sounds like you’re all doing good. Y’all ready to hear what we’ve got cooking up or nah?"

Again the crowd erupted, this time with the sound of a couple hundred people shouting ’Yes’.

"Sounds good! For the first trial, sadly we’ve got something a little bit boring. A...mandatory comprehensive exam over what it means to be a villain!"

The crowd erupted significantly less this time, but still loud enough to the point it began to piss D off.

"For our second, much more exciting, trial we have our infamous 1v1 pit fights!!" Leo pointed to one of the screens atop the stage’s stand and the large flatscreen TV played supposed highlights from last years games.

D crooned his neck to the side to attempt to get a view of the screens that sat above their heads, but had no luck in catching anything useful. The crowd went silent as it watched the blood pumping showcase of one of last years trials.

"And for our next and final trial, this was something yours truly helped to come up with. A team heist exercise!! Our team of challengers will be tasked with stealing a precious, mock, totem from inside of a steely inescapable fortress!!"

Once again, the crowd erupted into cheering, D couldn’t believe these people were his classmates...

"With the announcements over it is time to turn our attention to our challengers, lets ask one of them how they feel about these upcoming trials in the coming three days. Hmmm...let’s go with you in the dress."

Leo pointed to Roxanne who was in one of her trademark frilly gowns, not unlike what D saw her in first all those weeks ago on the plane transport.

Leo grabbed the microphone and walked over to Roxanne putting it right up to her face.

"How do you feel about the absolutely death defying trials you’re going to be taking on miss...?"

"Roxanne, just Roxanne. I feel like we’ll all do our best to pass and the people sitting next to me have put in some really hard work and they will do whatever it takes."

"And there you have it folks, It seems our challengers are revving to go, really chomping at the bit to get these games- er I mean challenges started!" Leo walked back over to his seat and sat down, a smug look of self admiration on his face as he blew kisses out towards the crowd.

Clea walked back up to the stand and the energy of the crowd instantly changed from that of adoring fans to silent school children getting scolded by their teacher.

"All that is left is for each member of the challenge group to state their name and say they want to participate in the trials, please each member come forth one at a time."

D felt an elbow hit him in the side as all of his friends looked to him to be the first one to step up. He could feel his legs shaking with anxiety and adrenaline as he stood and walked over to the podium. He gripped the sides of it in a death lock with his fingers as he looked out to the crowd and said.

"I, Derrick Cross Jr. will take part in the trial."

With the reveal of his real name to the entire school, plus his official admittance to the Thorn Trials the crowd exploded...