Zodiac Academy (Draft 1)

Chapter 1

“The First House quick to come to one’s aid,

Aries House remains fast and stands unafraid.”

-Aries House, Zodiac Mantras

    Manipulating fire should have been easy to learn. It wasn’t, not for Skylar, anyway. An unpleasant feeling stuck with her all day ever since she was summoned after class. Failure was not a frequent visitor, and if it came it never stayed long. Being required to confront it was even worse.

Skylar waited in a small office in the teacher’s wing. A lone desk sat in the corner with a tall-backed chair, everything neatly in place. A tall window filtered in dusty sunlight ― she would’ve turned on the light, but the bulb needed replacing. Everything about this room gave her therapist vibes, or a very sophisticated professor’s office.

She sat near the fireplace in a leather armchair, her foot tapping out nervous rhythms in the unsettling silence. She ended up playing with her shoulder-length hair, twisting it more than she probably should.

Skylar was a girl with a sun-freckled face and annoying black hair that tangles way too easily, paired with almond brown eyes that saw more than they let on. She wasn’t anything special, but that was alright, you didn’t need to stand out to be happy with yourself.

    “Miss Vu-Song?” Light flooded in from the doorway as a stern looking woman entered. It was Kostyk, one of the Academy’s fire manipulation mentors.

    She wasn’t sure if standing at the mentor’s arrival would increase her approval ratings. It would be preferable to stay on her good side. Or the less scary one. Skylar leapt to her feet, just in case. “Yes? Ma’am?”

    Amusement flashed across Kostyk’s sharp features, “Sit down, Vu-Song.” Obeying, she watched as the steely woman lit the fireplace with a flick of her hand. “Do you know why you’re here?” She asked, standing by the mantel to rearrange the decorative ornaments.

    “Uh―” Skylar began to speak, but was cut off with a heavy sigh from Kostyk.

    “You’re here because you’re falling behind in my class. Would you care to explain why? Any theories?”

    Skylar averted her gaze in silence. Getting straight to business, then.

    “I asked you a question, Miss Vu-Song,” Kostyk said, “I can’t be of help if you don’t tell me why you’re struggling. Is it because the lessons are too rigorous? Perhaps you simply lack motivation? Or maybe you don’t want to be here at all?”

    “What? No, I ― I want to be here, believe me―” Skylar stopped mid-sentence, distracted as her eyes flitted to the scarring on Kostyk’s neck, something she’d never noticed before; they resembled burn marks that ran up along her left cheek. If she remembered correctly, fire signs were immune to fire to a certain extent, so how did Kostyk come by those burns?

    “There’s no trouble with your other lessons at the Academy, and your work ethic earns you a pat on the back,” The firelight illuminated the heavy bags under her eyes. “So tell me why you’re not doing so well with your elemental course.” Kostyk occupied the other armchair, sighing as she sank into it.

    “I don’t know, maybe because controlling fire isn’t as easy as I thought? I can light a simple flame, sure, but when it comes to really working with it? I’m out of luck in that department.” Every other fire sign at Zodiac Academy had somewhat managed to progress beyond igniting a small candle. They got to do the fun stuff, like learning Mobility ― or redirecting the flames ― which was a skill necessary to perform the traditional fire dances (among other things). Skylar could barely sustain anything in the palm of her hand for longer than a minute.