The Sun and Moon Academy

Chapter 2.1

The ornate gate of the Sun and Moon Academy was a towering fifty or so feet of wrought iron with the usual spiky features up top. It had a slightly different motif, featuring an intricate work of stars other than the usual floral. Just like every other Victorian gate, it had statues protruding on either side. Instead of the usual gargoyles, it had a sculpture of an angel holding a trumpet on the right and a horned demon on the left side. It's seemingly very fitting for a boarding school that accepts creatures with both angelic and demonic blood. The visible dents and the missing parts, along with the presence of moss from both sculptures, meant it had witnessed many different eras. Surely, it might have survived many battles in its wake.

April Rose paused instantly just as she recognized two policemen right in front of the towering gate of the school. One of them was having a conversation with a suspiciously large woman, whom April believed to be a resident of the academy. Curiously wondering what the conversation was all about, April Rose managed to tiptoe all the way behind the police car, hoping to eavesdrop and gather a bit of information.

"This is utterly unacceptable. Why is it that whenever someone goes missing in this godforsaken city, the Sun and Moon Academy is always at fault?" the large woman behind the gates was obviously fuming over the presence of the police authority.

"Look, Mrs. Foxglove—" The policeman was just about to respond, but he was cut off in a blink of an eye.

"It's Miss Foxglove, Chief Donaldson. You, the very same person, have been here countless times before, and yet you couldn't get my name right. How imbecile could you be?"

"My deep apologies, Miss Foxglove. Look, I'm just doing my job in order to keep the city safe. This is nothing personal against you or this school," Chief Donaldson replied.

"Exactly! I'm just doing my job as this school's headmistress the very same way as you, Donaldson. I have eyes and ears all around the school, and I'm going to tell you, no one has anything to do with this missing person."

"Alright then. Thank you very much for your honesty, Miss Foxglove."

"You are very much welcome, chief. I promise, whenever I hear or see things regarding this missing person, I'm going to give you a call right away."

"Thank you; I'm going to hold you on that. Have a good day, Miss Foxglove. I'm very sorry for causing such an inconvenience."

"You too! And please, Chief Donaldson, I'm truly and madly getting tired of this. Please do tell the mayor to quit sending spies to this place."

"I will try my best."

April Rose quickly moved away from the police car just as the two policemen got inside, having no other business left. Miss Foxglove stayed and watched with sharp eyes until the policemen drove away and vanished before eventually turning her back around.

"Miss Foxglove, wait!" April Rose screamed out, rushing towards the metal gate. Her scream wasn't loud and shrilling but it was more than enough to capture Miss Foxglove's attention.

The large woman stopped walking as soon as she heard the scream. Slowly, she turned around, throwing such a suspicious glare over at April Rose. "I'm sorry, I just overheard that policeman calling you by your name. I didn't mean to pry."

"And who are you?" the tall woman raised an eyebrow as she gradually took a step back towards the gate. April Rose had never seen someone like Miss Foxglove, and she was immediately taken aback by how unbelievably tall and large the woman walking straight towards her was.

Miss Foxglove was a formidable seven-foot-tall woman of a stately, commanding presence. For a woman, she's incredibly one of a kind even from April's innocent perspective. She had broad shoulders and thicker limbs, and yet still, there was a visible balance of femininity in her. Miss Foxglove's ginger hair was impeccably styled into a tidy bun, giving such a clear view of the beautiful features of her face. No one can deny the fact that she's such a unique character, possessing both a man and a woman's features.

"H-hi." April Rose was shaking on the inside, caused by Miss Foxglove's intimidating presence. "I believe you are the headmistress?" April had to look all the way up since she's two feet shorter than the titan.

"You haven't answered my question yet, young lady." Glaring down, Miss Foxglove ignored April's query.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry. My name's April Rose Darlington. I-I came all the way from Wolverhampton, and I came here to study at your school."

"Well, April Rose, I applaud your efforts in coming all the way here. Wolverhampton is such a faraway place. However, I'm afraid I cannot accept such a request. We are already three months into the semester, dear. You're awfully late. Plus, we are already full. You should come back next year, and I might consider taking you in," Miss Foxglove said, conveying authority within her deeply measured voice.

"Please, Miss Foxglove!" utterly distraught, April Rose begged, fully aware that there's nothing waiting for her back home other than the fact that she's a clear-shot detriment to her family. "This is the only place that I know. I--I don't have anywhere else to go at this point. If you cannot take me as a student, I'm afraid I'm going to have to apply for a job. I'm a hardworking person, and I... I'm willing to take whatever, Miss Foxglove. I'm totally fine with brushing the toilet. I'm a decent cook. Perhaps I can do some gardening too. Name it!" fully aware of the fact that she can't go back home, April pleaded, her throat was blowing up fumes of desperation. However, the expression painted on the headmistress's face was stiff and stern. Clear as day, the headmistress does not have any intentions of letting the poor runaway she wolf into the academy.

Miss Foxglove turned around, having nothing else to say to the pleading April Rose. "I'm terribly sorry, dear. I can't accept you or anyone right now. I'm sure there's plenty of space in the heart of the city for you."

"No, please, Miss Foxglove!" the she wolf shook her head, eventually remembering her late father. "M-my father used to attend here. T-Thelonious, his name's Thelonious Darlington. You might know him!" the desperation gritting in April's voice was almost palpable.

"Thelonious?" Miss Foxglove murmured under her breath. She hasn't heard someone mention that name in over a decade, and certainly, it made her remember things she shouldn't be remembering. "Thelonious is your father?" Foxglove turned back around for the second time, and this time, she's thoroughly enthralled by the idea that Thelonious' daughter is standing right in front of her.

April nodded. "Yes, h-he was my father. He didn't live that much long for me to get to know him, but—"

"You have his green eyes." Meticulously inspecting the young lady's striking emerald eyes, Foxglove murmured almost inaudibly. It's been over a decade since she last saw them, and yet still, she's very much familiar with those emerald green eyes that appeared exactly like the eyes of the person she once knew.

"W-what?"

Foxglove immediately cleared her throat, recomposing herself. This was not the time for her to reminisce about the past. "I believe we do still have one last slot for you." With her powerful arms, Foxglove easily pulled the gate open, creating just enough space to let April Rose in. "Come on in, dear, please!"

"T-thank you very much, Miss Foxglove." April Rose breathed out once she had let herself inside. It is such a huge relief for her that even up to this time, the name of his late father has been helping her get through things.

"We don't really have any room left for another werewolf like you, but I can arrange a few things. Follow me!"