Wings of Fire as Humans: Jade Preparatory Academy

Chapter Eighteen: Clay Landslide

A/N: I feel obligated to put an authors' note here. Um, thank you for 1.4K reads? Yeah, that's what I'll say!

 (I am sincerely grateful, though). 

Clay Landslide stood with his friends on the other side of Jade Preparatory Academy's security, waiting. What for, he couldn't necessarily tell. He knew they were waiting for their friends to come through, and then they'd take them up to the dorms and show them around. But the number of Kypselis passing by wasn't lessening, and Cricket had already come through. Turtle had taken her up, as he was the only one of their friends in her grade already here. But the rest of them - Clay, Peril, Tsunami, Riptide, and Starflight - were stuck standing at the entrance, waiting. 

Clay's stomach rumbled, earning an eyeroll from Starflight and a sigh from Tsunami. Riptide didn't react. Meanwhile, Peril's cheeks were doing something odd that involved turning red. 

"I'm hungry," Clay said. 

"We know," Tsunami informed him. "But we don't have any food, sooooo." 

"Complaining won't do you any good," Starflight added. "I'd suggest you go out and buy something, but then you'd have to pass through this line, and that would be a process."

"It's stupid that we have to go through this security every time we leave campus," Peril grumbled. "What do they expect us to do, bring in dynamite and blow up the school?" 

"Queen Wasp is paranoid," Tsunami agreed. 

Starflight hushed her. "This isn't a safe conversation to have here. Or anywhere, really. Did you notice how our rooms are bugged?" 

Everyone, including Clay, turned to him in shock. "What?"

Starflight sighed. "Don't be so loud about it. The whole school's bugged. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire city is bugged." 

"It is," Cricket confirmed, coming up beside them with Turtle trailing her. "But we should wait to talk about this." 

Starflight nodded eagerly as Clay, Peril, Tsunami, Riptide, and Turtle exchanged a glance. "We'll tell you more later," he added, and Cricket nodded emphatically. They exchanged a "we're nerds and we know more than you" look. 

Clay didn't fight them. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know more about the room being bugged. But it looked like his friends did. Peril was looking at Starflight with an expression that Clay had seen on her face before - only it was never directed at him. Usually, it was directed at her mother, Kestrel, or Tsunami or Glory, as those were the three people who got on Peril's nerves the most. 

Clay stepped closer to her, for a reason he couldn't quite pick out. Her face relaxed, then tightened. 

"Are you okay?" Clay asked her. 

She gave him a look he couldn't quite decipher. "I'm fine." 

He scrunched up his nose and examined her. "Are you sure?" 

"Yes!" Peril gave him a look that was still mostly undecipherable, but Clay thought he saw a pinch of annoyance in her gaze. "I'm sure, Clay." 

"Lynx!" Tsunami exclaimed, turning toward their Glacee friend as she hurried toward them. She was alone, which probably meant that her father hadn't been able to come with her. Even though the races with higher status had more opportunities and in some cases even more rights, Glacees, Noctus, and even Kypselis didn't always have more money than people at lower status. Lynx's family was considered poor for a Glacee - but they had what was considered a normal income for Ramils, Segaras, and Zeruas. 

Tsunami hugged Lynx. "Do you know where the others are?" she asked. 

Lynx shook her head and set down her bags. She had three - a suitcase, a duffle bag, and a backpack. "I know Winter's somewhere behind me. So is everyone else." 

"Let's go up," Cricket suggested, taking Lynx's duffle bag. "You're in my room. Or my dorm. I think you'll be in the other room. I bet Sundew and Willow are going to bunk with me." 

"Probably," Lynx agreed, picking up her other bags and following Cricket down a hallway. Peril and Tsunami went with them, leaving only the boys in the hallway to continue to greet their friends. 

Clay sighed. Waiting was fun - sometimes. But right now, this was not one of those times - even though he loved his friends. 

Sometimes, they were just exhausting.