Fortnight Field Academy

Chapter 14

It was four in the morning as Drew and I sat cross legged on the living floor amongst the plethora of pillows and blankets from last night's slumber party. Maggie modeled her first- day- of- school outfit for us. She wore a long, pretty green dress with black flats. Her curly blonde hair sat neatly around her face and neck. Her eyes were wide and alert, despite being awake this early. Three and a half hours of sleep really did wonders when you were a changeling. "Well?" she asked.

"Maggie, you look adorable. I swear everybody will love you," Drew cooed.

"Yeah," I added. "Your day will be just as amazing as you are."

Maggie's blush deepened. "You guys sound like a greeting card. But thanks."

The three of us hugged goodbye like we'd never see each other again. "Well I guess you're next," Drew teased after Maggie left.

"Ugh, don't remind me." We both sprawled out on the living room floor again. "I still have a few hours before my first class and I really don't want to think about school right now."

Drew shifted positions, then smiled. "Same. So what should we do with our last few moments as free women?"

That was a good question. How should I spend this brief time of normalcy before I'd be treated like some side project? It took less than a minute for me to make my choice. "I want to eat. And sleep. And watch some T.V."

Drew was already busy calculating. I had to admit, that evil little head of hers worked fast. "First, we'll take a thirty minute power nap. Then, you can learn how to make an incredible breakfast straight from the master. And finally, we can throw on a couple of episodes of the fourth season of American Horror Story."

"Really? You want me, a dragon half – breed, to watch Freak Show today of all days?" I questioned skeptically.

"Okay, okay, I see your point." She paused to build a minor detour in her plans. "How to Get Away With Murder then?"

"Sounds great."

She closed her eyes and fell asleep right then and there. I stumbled to the bedroom and laid on the naked mattress.

The events that followed flew by in a flash. It took me almost ten minutes to wake up Drew, the deepest sleeper in the world. After taking turns showering, Drew instructed me on how to make amazing cheesy scrambled eggs, pancakes (from scratch), and a healthy fruit smoothie, which actually turned out pretty good. As we ate, we watched our show, from the beginning, on Netflix. All too soon, my alarm clock screeched, telling me that it was time to get ready for school.

I sighed obstreperously. "It's your time to shine, rock star," Drew uttered.

Putting my pride on hold, I turned to Drew and said, "I really want to look good today, and I need your help to do that. It's not that I'm shallow or anything, I just... want to make a good first impression, you know?"

She instantly jumped to her feet with a kind, non- judgmental expression. "Say no more. I'm here for you, Nix."

Drew started by picking out a simple, yet flattering outfit: a light turquoise, school appropriate tank top with the American flag on it, dark blue skinny jeans (that made me look like I actually have a butt), and black Vans with blue around the edges. Then, she went to my hair. It was actually behaving nicely today, so all I had to do was put on a black, lacey headband to keep the poofy curls out of my face. Now, there was only one more thing I needed. Makeup.

"Here's the thing," Drew confessed, "I don't really wear makeup or practice it a lot. But don't worry," she continued quickly, "I've seen Maggie do it a hundred times and we always have YouTube to help." That little pit of jealousy began bubbling my stomach. Of course Drew wouldn't need makeup to look good. She was just so perfect.

I pushed those feelings aside, reminding myself that she was assisting me here. "Okay," I said. "But please don't make me look bad."

"Wouldn't dream of it," she said, a little too confidently for someone with minimal experience.

"And hurry, too. Class starts in half an hour and I still have to find my way there.

Drew expeditiously launched into her work, brushing my face with all kinds of powders, rubbing stuff on my eyelids, and applying a healthy amount of mascara to my lashes. At last, she released me to check out the finishing product.

To my surprise, I truly looked breath taking. My skin was deceptively flawless. My cheeks displayed a diminutive amount of pink amongst my brown skin. My lips were shiny and red, but not in a way that made me look like a whore. As for my eyes... well they were stunning. Not overly dramatic, but definitely hard to miss. They appeared as if they could both seduce and intimidate someone with a single glance. "Whoa," I whispered to my reflection.

"You like?" Drew asked, grinning ear to ear at her masterpiece.

I couldn't even think to reply for more than a heartbeat. "I look... whoa," I lamely repeated.

"Yeah you do! Now go out there and kill them, stud."

"Thank you so much, Drew. See you in Latin. We can walk to Human Studies together, okay?" I told her.

"Sounds like a plan, Stan. Bye." She twinkled her fingers for a wave.

"Oh wait, I almost forgot to ask you what time your first class is. I was sort of curious about that."

"Nine- thirty. So I'm gonna stay here and watch me some more Netflix. Now stop stalling and get out of here. You're going to be late."