Fortnight Field Academy

Chapter 5

Luckily, since we were closest to the door, my little group was one of the first to leave.

After wandering around for a while, we found ourselves in the science wing. There were five classrooms on either side of the hallway. An Oracle, dressed in elegant blue, sat in front of each one. Drew and Maggie promptly abandoned me. They must have been just as enthusiastic as me. I made my way to the first desk on the right. The woman shot me a genuine smile.

She exhibited the appearance of any basic Oracle- blonde hair, blue eyes, and a lanky build. She was probably twenty- five, give or take a few years, and wore a long, strapless, dark blue gown that reminded me of a prom dress.

Her grin widened as I settled in the chair across from her. "Hi! I'm Carey. You must be Phoenix Saephan. I sensed you might be coming."

I chuckled nervously. "Actually, I just go by Nix."

"Alright Nix," she put extra emphasis on my name. "Shall we get started?" I nodded. "Okay, so just relax and keep your eyes open. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and when I use my gifts, I can see into yours."

A couple of students began to form a line a civil distance behind me. I grew a little uneasy. What was taking so long? Was something wrong? Sometimes Oracles couldn't see people's futures... because they don't have one.

Eventually, she broke away and spoke to the other kids. "Would you guys mind seeing a different Oracle?" They looked confused, but respected her wishes.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Don't fret. I do see something. It's a crescent moon."

My heart was racing. "What does that mean?"

"This specific moon represents vampires. If it were full, it would be werewolves."

Vampire. I could live with that. It wasn't glamorous, but my dad was one. Despite the many adult vamps around here, it would be nice to have the background knowledge and support from my father. From the look of Carey's face, however, there was something she wasn't telling me. She didn't look 100% confident. "What?" I asked.

"Well, as you know, Alii DNA can have trouble choosing what it wants to be. Sometimes, when this happens, it decided to be two species simultaneously. These people are called-"

"Half- breeds," I finished.

"Yes. The half- breeds have the abilities of both species, so they are basically twice as powerful as everybody else. It really depends on which two breeds you are, though."

"So you're saying I'm a half breed?" Cool. Of course I'd have to work twice as hard as the other kids, but at least I'd have more capabilities. "So what's the other part?"

She hesitated. "Well, I'm having a little trouble with that. I saw a bright red fire. Normally, when I see fire, I think of an element wielder, but usually it's accompanied by wind, earth, and water. And this ember was just so... pure. I've never seen anything like it before. I'm gonna go find Daria for a second opinion. Sit tight. I'll be right back."

Well I wasn't worried before. Now what? Half of me is some obscure creature professionals haven't seen.

The second she left, Drew and Maggie were at my side. "What's taking so long? Is everything okay?" Maggie's voice was heavy with concern.

For a moment, I considered lying. Would they treat me differently when they found out? I didn't want to be judged for something I couldn't control. The last thing I needed right now was my roommates acting weirdly around me...

... which is exactly how I was behaving towards Drew.

Sure, she's extremely pretty, but she couldn't help that. She hasn't given me a reason not to trust her yet and I've been purposely avoiding her. God, what a hypocrite. I've been doing precisely to her what I don't want done to me. I'm no better than the girls that've hurt me before.

"I'm sorry I've been a little... distant around you," I told her.

"Hey, don't worry about it. Just tell us what's going on with you. You're scaring us."

It was then I realized I could trust them. Sure, we'd only met a few hours ago, but some friendships are instantaneous, right? Plus, we were going to be roommates all year, so it was best not to start out with secrets. "Carey, my Oracle said she saw two different things. One was a vampire and she didn't recognize the other." They both stared like wide- eyed deer in headlights, so I continued. "She just went to go find Daria."

It was Drew who broke the silence between them. "I don't know much about this kind of stuff, but I do know one thing- this place has a bad- ass reputation. That's one of the reasons my parents let me come here alone. They pay the teachers a pretty steep salary to be here. I'm sure they'll help you with everything, even if they don't quite understand it themselves."

Wow. She actually managed to help assuage some of the fear building up inside me.

"Plus, you have us," Maggie added. Drew nodded in agreement.

"But enough about me. What about you guys? Did you find out what you are?" They were both holding what looked like worn out textbooks in their hands.

Maggie's entire demeanor changed. Her expression went from upset to animated in a heartbeat. "Oh guys, you'll never believe it! I'm a fairy! My Oracle told me that one of the fairies characteristics is a strong connection to plants. With enough practice, I might actually be able to make flowers grow!" It was so cute watching her get all shaky with excitement. "What about you, Drew?"

Drew smirked. "Witch. Go figure." The three of us shared a laugh. The moment only lasted a minute though, before we were interrupted.

Carey, Daria and Goodman entered the hallway side by side. "They look like a time lapse gone wrong," Drew commented under her breath. It took everything I had to choke back a smile.

"Ms. Morales, Ms. Monroe, would you mind leaving us alone with Ms. Saephan?" Wordlessly, they scurried away.