NOTE: As some of my old readers know, this story was taken down due to copyright issues and is now being slowly put back up. I am in the process of editing and reposting all of my stories, which means that it will be a while before we get back to new content.

Author’s notes: Well, this story has been stewing in my brain for a long time now. I’m surprised that I am finally getting it written. However, there are a few things that I would like to clarify.

First of all, Eldermoor is an entirely fictional town that I came up with in my own sad little brain. So is Eldermoor Academy, quite obviously. However, the stories contained within are based on real events. All the main characters are based on real people. They have been disturbingly warped from who they really are, but it is inspired, at least, by those people. I have added some of my own plots, but the ones that may seem perhaps more outlandish are real. I couldn’t make up some of the crazy stuff that really happened, trust me. So if some of the storylines seem strange, it’s because I didn’t come up with them myself.

And quick warning here: discussion of sexual activities between minors. And I mean way minors. The ages at which some of the characters in this story had sex may seem disturbing to you, but like I said, they’re based on real people and events and that’s when these people really lost their virginity. It doesn’t seem weird to me anymore after hearing about it so many times, but I’m aware that to others, it may be a little disturbing.

Third of all, this story contains SLASH which means MALE/MALE relations, a.k.a. YAOI/SHOUNEN-AI. If you didn’t get that, it means this is about GAY PEOPLE. No one here can say they weren’t warned.

And though these characters are based on real people, they all belong to ME! Just thought I’d clarify.

The Eldermoor Chronicles

Book One

By: Chantrea Johari

Brown eyes took the marshy ground forlornly, a frown covering the angry face. The scenery whizzed by quickly as the car drove through the town, the boy’s face reflected clearly in the glass of the window, rain hitting the sides of the car. The wind blew fiercely, and the boy sighed.

Niall Parker sat back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. A fringe of messy, light-brown hair fell over his right eye, but he didn’t bother brushing it away as usual. Somehow, it didn’t seem worth the effort to take the time to look at the scenery of the rainy Eldermoor, Massachusetts, for a second longer. Niall had no idea why the place was given such a romantic name. It wasn’t a moor—it was a marsh. Moors were supposed to be beautiful, and this place was just dismal. And in the fifteen minutes since the car his father had ordered had entered the town, he had not seen a single elder tree. Maybe the name referred to old people, he thought, and not the trees.

He supposed that it was probably just the rain. It rarely rained in southern California, where he had grown up, even in February. And he had had a theme park less than a thirty minute drive from his house. Now, it appeared that all they had near his new place of residence was…well, the marsh. The rainy, mossy, ugly marsh. This was going to be torture.

He thought of complaining to his father again about the unfairness of their decision to send him here, but his father’s sharp words still rung in his ears.

He shook away the memory, trying to make the best of the situation. He was stuck in the sad little town of Eldermoor whether he liked it or not, possibly for the next four and a half years. His father had already proved to him that arguing would do very little good, even though the move meant leaving behind all he had ever known…and loved. He still remembered his boyfriend’s tear-filled honey-brown eyes staring down at him when he had broken the news of his move. The reminiscence was absolutely heartbreaking.

“We have arrived, Mr. Parker,” the driver said, breaking his reverie. It took him a moment to realize that the man was speaking to him. It still struck him as odd for a boy just past his fourteenth birthday to be referred to so formally. Having grown up in such an atmosphere, he would have thought he would be used to it, but it still caught him off guard each time.

“Thank you,” he replied automatically, watching the driver remove his luggage from the trunk and thanking the heavens that they had parked under an overhang and were not getting soaked in the downpour. Once all the bags had been unloaded and the driver tipped his hat respectfully and drove off, Niall looked up to survey the place he would be calling home from that point on.

Eldermoor Academy’s main building was made out of some drab stones in varying shades of grey, made more uninteresting by the hue the cloud-filled sky cast on it. There was very little that was noteworthy about the façade of the building to comment on, save for the plaque next to the front door. Not very interested but seeing nothing better to do, Niall leaned closer and read the plaque.

Niall rolled his eyes, finding the slogan irritating. He had never seen why every school felt the need to find some annoying ‘motivating’ saying. He knew that his other schools had each had one, but he had rarely known what it actually was. He knew that the Christian school he had just left had had one about God’s light guiding all people through life or some bullshit like that. He had never really bothered himself to care. It was hard to be religious and gay, hearing what all the people he went to school with said about homosexuality. He had hated it there.

Sighing in resignation, Niall pushed open the front door to the building, picking up his bags as he went. He looked around the front hall taking in the sight of various bulletin boards with announcements and such on them. There were flyers for drama club and art club and other extracurriculars as well as a bulletin board entitled “Eldermoor Eagles: Soaring to Victory” dedicated entirely to sports. Niall rolled his eyes again. This school had to be the winner of the corniest slogan award. He gave the large statistics records a quick once over, looking at listings of specific players’ stats. He got only as far as the second name on the list—Alexander Blaire—before he decided he really didn’t care.

He then spotted a sign right next to the entrance with an arrow pointing right which said ‘Administration Office.’ He turned down the deserted corridor, making his way down the hall. The place was oddly silent and still, which made him slightly uneasy. Where were all the students?

After what seemed like an eternity, he reached a door marked as the headmaster’s office. He dropped his bags on the floor, jumping slightly as the noise echoed ominously off the empty corridors.

Tentatively, he knocked on the wooden door. There was silence for a few long moments before there was any response. “Come in,” a severe voice called.

Niall pushed the door open slowly to reveal a dark-skinned man with black hair and wire-rimmed glasses. The man looked up at him, pulling his glasses off as Niall walked inside and shut the door behind himself, eyes locked on the man behind the desk.

“Niall Parker, I presume?” At Niall’s quick nod, the man motioned for him to sit in the chair opposite him. “I am Headmaster Reyes. Welcome to Eldermoor Academy.”

“Thank you, sir,” Niall mumbled when the man didn’t continue, making it obvious that he expected a response. He was used to these severe, authoritative men; he had spent enough time at his two previous schools in the principal’s office. But this man seemed to exude an even more authoritative manner than he was used to—probably a side effect of being the headmaster of such a prestigious private school.

The headmaster seemed satisfied by his words and continued speaking. “Classes are held Monday through Friday from eight a.m. to four p.m. Breakfast is served at seven but is available until the first bell rings at five till eight. Lunch hour is from noon to one o’clock every day and dinner is served promptly at six p.m. Curfew is at ten o’clock each night and not a minute later. There is a bed check, so it would be unwise of you to even think of breaking it. Students caught breaking curfew will be punished accordingly. Students are not allowed off campus except on weekends and for excused circumstances. Is this understood?”

“Yes sir,” Niall replied, shifting nervously under the man’s imposing gaze.

“Good,” Headmaster Reyes replied. “Because there is a matter I would like to discuss with you. From you records, I can tell that you have had a series of disciplinary problems in your previous schools. I am telling you right now that that kind of behavior is not tolerated here. Any sign of that sort of disruptive conduct will be punished immediately. Do I make myself clear?”

Niall lowered his eyes in shame at the memories of his past transgressions being brought up in such a blatant manner. He knew, more than anything, how unforgivable his actions had been. His parents certainly wouldn’t let him forget it.

“I understand, sir,” Niall replied, keeping his eyes down.

“Good,” the older man repeated. “Now, you will be rooming in Cramer Hall. It’s the building to the right of this building; it’s clearly marked if you’re not sure which one it is. You’re in room twenty-nine.” He handed Niall a key. “Don’t lose this; getting new keys made is not something that we like to do. Such irresponsibility is greatly frowned upon.”

Niall nodded nervously, knowing this whole experience was going to be hell. He knew he didn’t belong here.

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Niall made his way through the corridors of Cramer Hall, wet from his trek through the rain outside. He just hoped that when he opened his bags, his clothes and his things wouldn’t be soaked. He especially feared for his laptop but, knowing that it was still in its carrying case, he wasn’t too worried. He wondered, too, if the rain was ever going to let up. If it rained the whole time he was here, he was sure he would kill himself. Of course, there were things like that that Californians said about the east coast: it was always cloudy and rainy and cold. He didn’t know what he would do if that was true.

He came across two boys running through the corridor. The boy ahead held a piece of paper out in front of him while the other yelled, “Hey, give that back!” and ran in hot pursuit. Niall flattened himself up against the wall to avoid the two running boys. Both were wearing the school uniforms that he had as of yet neglected to put on, but their jackets had been discarded. Niall wondered if they were required to wear their uniforms on weekends or if they had chosen to. He himself hated the prospect of wearing the same thing as everyone else. He hated to think of himself as just another mindless drone in a school of monotony.

He stopped in front of room twenty-nine, taking the key he had been given out of his pocket. He slid the key into the lock, pushing it open and pulling his bags in behind him. He surveyed the room carefully, taking in the place that he would be living, for an indeterminable amount of time. There were two twin beds directly in front of him. Each bed had a night stand on one side, and the shared nightstand in the middle had a phone on it, presumably so it could be used by both boys. There was a desk off to his left, though it didn’t have much on it and two dressers on the wall by the door he had just entered. The closet was on his right, as was a door leading to what Niall presumed was the bathroom.

He glanced around the room again for his roommate, but there was no one else inside. Shrugging to himself, he figured that the other boy must be out somewhere. He had hoped to meet the guy he was going to be rooming with, but he supposed that it could wait until later. He just hoped that his roommate was at least tolerable, for nothing else in this place seemed to be.

Niall unpacked his things carefully, placing some of the things on the side of the room that looked unoccupied. He found the bureau across from the undisturbed bed to be empty, so he put all of his clothing inside it. He set his laptop on top of the single desk in the room, finding its top unoccupied.

Unpacking didn’t take long, as he didn’t have many things he had been able to bring with him. However, upon finishing, he found himself considerably bored, though he wasn’t sure what he could do to alleviate that condition… Exploring the school seemed out of the question, as he didn’t fancy the idea of going back out into the rain. He could always explore his dormitory building, but from what he had seen, it had just been rows of doors leading to other rooms—wholly uninteresting. There was always the chance that he’d run into someone to talk to, but he wasn’t feeling particularly social and he would have hated for his bad mood to chase away potential friends that early. He would hate to sabotage himself after less than an hour at the school.

Niall looked around the room mischievously. Maybe he could just take a look at his new roommate’s things to see what the other boy was like. He wouldn’t touch anything if he didn’t have to, of course, but he had to admit, he was curious. It was the person he was going to be living with, after all, so he figured he should know something about the other boy.

With a small chuckle to himself, he moved to sit on the room’s other bed, picking up the thick book sitting on the nightstand. It was Tolstoy’s War and Peace. There was a bookmark about halfway through the more than thousand-page volume.

Niall gawked. Supposing that his roommate was the same age as him, that meant that an eighth grader was reading War and Peace. He must have been a genius or something. The only person he had ever heard talking about reading the whole book was his grandfather and it sounded dull to him. The fact that someone so young could even understand the book was astounding to him.

Niall rolled his eyes after a second. Of course he was roomed with the brainy guy. As if he didn’t get enough of the brain thing from his boyfriend, William, back home. The boy seemed to be a natural at everything, never failing at anything he tried. Oh well, at least he might be able to ask the guy to help him with his homework. Or maybe…to do his homework for him. Niall sniggered.

Intrigued, he opened the drawer by the other boy’s bedside to find it also filled with books. Inside lay titles by authors from Oscar Wilde to William Shakespeare to Charles Dickens to Jane Austen, as well as a rather weighty copy of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables. There was a copy of the Dante’s Divine Comedy and Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Not only did this guy seem to read a lot, but he read all the books that Niall’s father had been insisting for years were classics and would be extremely edifying. Niall had always just rolled his eyes at his father, insisting that no one actually read those books anymore. He was glad that his father was not there to see him proven wrong. His new roommate would be exactly the son Niall’s father had always wanted—the perfect son. Niall almost gagged at the thought of his father’s reaction to meet someone like this boy. Niall would never hear the end of it.

Niall opened the next drawer, finding an assortment of things inside. The first thing he noticed was a knee brace. Frowning, Niall picked it up, studying it. Maybe the guy had a sports injury or something. Niall wondered what sport his roommate might play. He himself played hockey, and the fact that the school had had a hockey team was one of the only things he had seen as a positive aspect of moving to the boarding school.

He shifted around a few contents of the drawer, looking for something else interesting. At first, it looked like nothing, but his hand came to rest on a small box in the back. Niall pulled it toward him, intrigued. He smiled amusedly upon seeing what it was. It was a box of condoms.

Well, he thought to himself, at least he knew it was possible to get sex at that school. Perhaps not the type of sex that he wanted, but it did seem an interesting prospect. Niall forcibly reminded himself that that was not an option for him. He would not sacrifice the relationship he’d been in for over a year just because his parents had forced him to move. He and William had agreed that they wouldn’t let the distance get to them.

Feeling as if he had snooped enough, Niall looked up at the clock to see that it was just a couple of minutes before six. He remembered Headmaster Reyes telling him that dinner would be served “promptly at six”, so he quickly slipped into his school uniform, which consisted of a white button-up t-shirt, navy blue slacks and a matching jacket with the school’s crest on it. He slipped the tie on quickly, cursing. He hated ties.

He made his way quickly to toward the main building, in which he knew the cafeteria and all the classrooms were, thankful that the rain had finally let up. He saw a couple of similarly dressed students running toward the building as well; the girls in skirts instead of the slacks the boys wore.

Niall entered the cafeteria, nervously hoping that he could find someone to sit with. He still hadn’t met any of the other students, and especially none of his own age. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he glanced around, looking for an empty seat at a table that looked slightly less than hostile.

Before he could spot anything, however, he felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned. An auburn-haired boy, taller than him by at least three inches looked back at him through green eyes. Freckles covered the boy’s cheeks, and he had a very boyish smile on his face. “You’re the new guy, right?”

“Umm...yeah. Am I that obvious?” Niall asked good-naturedly, trying to laugh at himself. He knew that he must have looked like a fish out of water.

“Just a little bit,” the boy assured him. “Not much happens here, though, so you’re big news. Rumors have been flying around like crazy. It’s not often we get a new student in February.”

“Yeah, I guess not,” Niall said noncommittally, hoping the still-nameless boy wouldn’t ask what had gotten him there. He didn’t need a bad reputation before he even really started school at Eldermoor Academy.

“My name’s Owen, by the way,” the green-eyed boy said, offering Niall his hand. “C’mon and sit with me. I’ll introduce you to some of my friends.”

“I’m Niall,” Niall replied, following the other boy.

Owen led him over to a table where three other boys sat in a group, talking. “Hey guys,” he said in greeting, taking a seat and motioning for Niall to do the same. Niall quickly followed suit. “This is the new guy, Niall. Niall, this is Keith—” he motioned to a freckly blond boy with ice-blue eyes, and wire-framed glasses “—Donovan—” he said, indicating the boy with long dark hair half covering his face and equally dark eyes “—and Jesse.” The last boy he pointed to had chestnut brown hair and brown eyes.

They all mumbled a quick hello before Keith went back to eating and Jesse pulled Donovan over to look at something in what looked to Niall like a geography textbook, opened up to a map of England and western Europe. Donovan nodded quickly and Jesse looked back up at Niall.

“So, what room are you in?” he asked curiously.

“Twenty-nine, in Cramer Hall.”

“Yeah, so are we,” Jesse said, taking a bite out of his food. “We’re in Cramer Hall, I mean, not room twenty-nine—well, obviously. All eighth grade boys are in Cramer Hall.”

“You’re all eighth graders?” Niall asked.

“We are,” Owen answered for him. “But this idiot over here in ninth grade.” He motioned to Donovan. The dark haired boy glared at him through long locks but said nothing. “Forgive Don; he doesn’t talk a lot.”

“So, who’s your roommate?” Jesse asked, not bothering to fully chew his food before speaking.

“I dunno. He wasn’t there when I got in,” Niall answered. “All I really know about him is that he reads a lot. The room was littered with books.”

“Wait, you’re in twenty-nine, right?” Keith asked, putting his fork down delicately before speaking.

“Yeah.”

“Hey Owen, isn’t that Hartwell’s room?”

Owen shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Who?” Niall asked, curious to know more about his roommate.

“Lucas Hartwell,” Keith answered. “It sounds like him at any rate. He’s the smartest guy in the grade, at least, if not the whole school. He’s here on an academic scholarship. He’s really quiet, but he seems nice enough. I don’t really know him. He pretty much keeps to himself.”

Jesse shook his head, chewing his food quickly. “No, I always see him with Adrian Van Horn,” Jesse said, spitting out the name as if it left an acrid taste in his mouth. Niall felt very out of his depth in the conversation.

“Who’s Adrian Van Horn?”

“The biggest asshole I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet. Lucas does seem nice, but hanging out with that guy, I’m not too sure about him. I know that Lucas Hartwell is your roommate, Niall, but I’d suggest that you not get yourself mixed up with Adrian. He’s bad news. He never follows any rules, and everyone says that he’s into drugs and shit. He’s done a lot of bad things in his time here.”

Niall shrugged, not seeing the big deal. He had grown up on the outskirts of Los Angeles, where everyone was into “drugs and shit”. It didn’t seem like something big to him, but he guessed to the people in this school, it was. “Is Lucas in here?” Niall questioned, interested in knowing what his roommate looked like.

Owen scanned the room quickly. “Nope, doesn’t look like it. I hardly ever see them at mealtimes. I wonder if they ever eat.”

“No, the person who doesn’t eat is Brad Collins—he’s not at meal times either. I swear, he’s so small, I sometimes doubt he’s in our grade. Isn’t he friends with Adrian too?”

They all shrugged, but Donovan looked a bit perturbed by the question. “Do you have your schedule with you, Niall?” Owen asked. Niall nodded, sliding the paper out of his pocket and looking it over.

“Hmm…you have science and English with me. It looks like you have history with Jesse and Keith,” he said.

Niall sighed, relieved. At least there would be someone he knew in a couple of his classes. “That’s cool,” Niall said simply. “What’re the teachers like?”

And the boys got into a conversation about the school, explaining things to Niall. He was so wrapped up in finding out about his new school that he forgot completely about the roommate he had yet to meet.

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Niall made his way quickly back to his room, glancing at his watch every so often. He had stayed talking to Owen in his room for so long that he hadn’t noticed how close it had come to curfew. The last thing he wanted was to get in trouble for breaking curfew his first night at Eldermoor, so he hurried quickly back to his room, which thankfully wasn’t very far from Owen’s. He had only closed the door behind him at about five till ten.

He looked once again around the empty dorm room. Still, his roommate wasn’t there. If he didn’t get back within a few minutes, he would get in trouble for being out past curfew. Smart and defiant—how funny, Niall thought. He sat down on his bed, taking off his jacket and loosening his tie. He was already beginning to detest those uniforms.

He watched the clock as curfew approached, not sure what else to do with himself. He kept his eyes on it until it was a minute before ten o’clock, marveling at the fact that his roommate was still conspicuously absent. After a moment, the door unlocked and a boy that looked about eighteen poked his head in. “Bed check time. Where’s your roommate?” the guy asked.

Niall was about to answer when another body pushed past the guy in the doorway’s. The guy checking the rooms looked at the clock. It was twenty-three seconds before ten. “You just made it, Hartwell. I’ll be so happy to get you on curfew violation one of these days.”

The boy that entered at least had the decency to look sheepish as the other guy closed the door. Niall finally got a good look at his roommate.

The boy who stood in the doorway had blond hair that was extremely disheveled and blue eyes. He was skinny and stood a little taller that Niall himself, who was only a few inches over five feet and slightly small for his age—at least height-wise. Lucas’s breathing was slightly labored, as if he had been running. His jacket was nowhere in sight and his shirt was slightly askew; some of the buttons were buttoned in the wrong holes. His tie lay crooked around his neck, untied. Even slightly tousled, the boy standing across from him was attractive.

“Hey,” Niall said, standing and extending his hand. “I’m Niall, your new roommate.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” Lucas said, absently shaking Niall’s hand. “Lucas Hartwell. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“Umm…I’m going to get in the shower,” Lucas said simply, and disappeared into the bathroom. Niall recognized the necessity. The blond boy had smelled unmistakably of sex, as if his untidy appearance had not hinted at it enough.

Niall sighed, lying down on his bed. The thought of what Lucas had quite obviously been doing made him miss William, his boyfriend back in California, even more than he already had. He wasn’t sure that their relationship would be able to stand the test of distance, but he hadn’t been willing to give it up.

He wondered if Lucas would be uncomfortable sharing a room with him because he was gay. In fact, he wondered if the guys he had met today would still want to be his friends if they knew. He had told almost no one before, so he didn’t know of anyone’s reactions. But it made a lot of straight guys uncomfortable because they automatically assumed that because he was gay, he was attracted to them. But no matter how many people he had told that they should be less conceited and not everyone wanted them, there were ten more who were convinced that he was some sort of a pervert.

He sighed again, deciding that he wouldn’t tell any of them—at least not yet. He couldn’t stand the prospect of breaking up friendships not yet fully formed.

Niall closed his eyes despondently. He missed his life back in California—the one that his parents had forced him to leave behind without a backward glance. The time he had spent at Eldermoor Academy so far did not make the next few months look promising at all.