March City: Land of the Gifted [Book 1 | Fantasy/Sci-fi | Complete]

Chapter 10: Fris's Warning

When the video switched off, the school bell rang. Ari could barely contain herself. The students around her shuffled their notes and typed on their tablets, moving at the pace of molten steel to prepare for the next lesson. She jumped out of her seat and rushed over to Fris's table by the door.

"Ari – class isn't dismissed yet!" cried Hine, the high-strung class monitor. Ari didn't give him a second look.

Fris jumped as Ari slammed the flat of her hands on her steel table. The other students in the class stared, curious.

"We need to talk," Ari said through gritted teeth.

Fris had looked relieved to see her in class that morning, although a few others did mutter their surprise that Ari had attended a non-compulsory class. But now, Fris looked almost scared to face her friend. She had dark circles under her eyes. Her red hair hung limp around her face. She looked like she hadn't slept in several days.

"What is it?" Even her voice was tired, devoid of her usual agitated energy.

"Ari – get back to your seat at once!" said Hine, moving in and touching her elbow. Ari wretched her arm back, glaring at him. He flinched, backing away. The spikes in his hair almost wilted.

"Get away from me," she snarled.

"But – the class –"

"To hell with it!" At that moment, she realised the entire class was staring, nosy for more drama. She turned to Fris, who eyed her wearily. "We need to talk. I won't ask again."

Fris got up without a sound. Her pod chair slid back into place. The lamp casting a light over her work space turned off. She slid her tablet into her bag and slung it over her shoulder, nodding at Hine, who was wringing his hands in anxiety.

"But – you can't!"

Ari ignored him. Grabbing Fris's arm in a steely clinch, she marched her out of the class. When the door slid shut quietly behind them, she could hear the class exploding into whispers and Hine's desperate, unsuccessful attempts to quell the chaos.

Fris didn't protest as Ari dragged her along the corridor, past the picturesque views of their school garden. Layered ferns and short trees punctuated alternate levels of the school building, giving a natural contrast to the steel and glass structure of the school. The aroma of freshly blossomed lilies wafted from overhead; no doubt they were the flowers of the month, decorating the rooftops. The corridor outside the classrooms was in a 'U' shape, giving a good view of the third floor garden five storeys below. Only the trickling of water could be heard; the sounds from nearby classrooms were almost entirely muffled by the thick, soundproof doors.

Ari dragged Fris to the lift, taking her to the roof. Sure enough, yellow lilies marked the outside of the roof, planted neatly to allow space for the benches and decorative statues in the middle. She waited for the lift door to close before letting go of Fris, who then rubbed her arm without a word.

"What's going on, Fris?"

"You were never one for the niceties," Fris said, chuckling without mirth. She sighed to herself, rubbing her arms through the sleeves. Ari hadn't noticed until that point, but Fris's clothes were rumpled, with dirt at the hems. Her boots were cuffed. This Fris was a far cry from the meticulous and reliable Fris Ari had known.

Something wasn't right with her friend, but Ari had bigger problems on her plate at that moment in time.

"Why did you tell me not to go into Area Nine?"

"Shh!" Fris's face blanched. She looked around. There was nobody there; all the students were in lessons and they had privacy for another half an hour at least. "Don't say it so loud!"