THE PIT

CHAPTER 9 - SECOND THOUGHTS

      Slamming my door shut behind me, I dove straight onto my bed and buried my head into the pillow.
Izra. How could you be so stupid? When are you going to learn?
I sat up in my bed and wiped my tears furiously with the rough end of my woollen cardigan.

Involuntarily I found my tongue seeking out the unmistakable orifice where my premolar should have been. I ran my tongue along the empty gum pocket, gentle at first, then harder, angrily.
Knockout smile.

It was one thing to make fun of it, but did he have to make me feel like he was befriending me first? I'd been through this throughout primary school and I wasn't prepared for more of the same here. I caught sight of myself in the mirror opposite my bed, and cringed. 
Snivelling over a boy. Don't be so pathetic.

A sudden series of beeps emitting from my jacket pocket made me jump. May!
I scrambled towards it and grabbed it.

Izra, guess what?
I got into Aedifico Academy, :D
It's really nice here, the room is lush
My roommate is cool, but she's no you :(
How's your academy? Any fit guys? If any of those Dominie try anything, let me know, I'll come kick their arses. -.-
Miss you
<3

I grinned, instantly feeling so much better, and laughed at the duck face selfie of her posing in a jumper identical to the one in my drawers, except with an AedificoAcademy logo.

Congrats May, glad you're doing good.
No roommate for me, but I like it that way.
I don't know yet...the classes sound awful, will have to wait and see.
Nope, nobody worth mentioning.
Miss you too

I gotta go, there's a party soon, going to see if I can score some booze, wish me luck ;)

Oh May...that's not a good idea

Yeah yeah.
I'll call you tomorrow, <3

Night

*********************

The following morning I'm awake before sunrise. long before the seven am alarm alerting us that breakfast was now being served in the mess hall.
According to the pamphlet I was supposed to wear the uniform provided, so I pulled on the sweater, and a pair of slim fit grey pleated trousers. There were shiny shoes too, so shiny I could see my own reflection in them, but nowhere in the pamphlet did it say I had to wear them, so I pulled on my comforting tatty leather boots instead.
I knocked on the door next to mine, and smiled when Leesi opened it.
"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to grab some breakfast together?"
I felt bad about leaving her yesterday, and for being snippy. If I was going to be comfortable here I needed to make friends, and Leesi seemed like the only person around here who cared to be friends with me.
She beamed, and nodded eagerly.

***

So are you looking forward to the lessons today?" asked Leesi, sipping honey sweetened green tea.
"Yes." I forced myself to say, and then proceeded to take a big bite of my peach, before she could question me further.

"Me too." She nodded, approvingly. "Freemans Law is faultless; my father always tells me stories from before the war. Connor Freeman saved us."
Her eyes glazed over in the same way that fathers do when he talks of Connor. It's sickening. I nodded, and murmured a few yes's, wary of the watchful eyes of the Dominie patrolling up and down the hall. Alexis isn't here, I noticed.
"And the matching ceremony. I can barely wait to be married; hopefully I'll be matched to someone decent. I'll have at least half a dozen kids and each of them shall become Dominie just like their father-"

I zoned out while she went on about the names she'd picked out for her hypothetical future children and found myself searching through the throngs of students for a familiar face, but he was nowhere to be found.