Inarmorata

Part Two: Distance

Abbi labeled herself the black sheep on her sixteenth birthday. It was done. She distanced herself from her grandmother and mother, fearing that they would see the truth of her power. It was concentrated and dark. The fire she produced as a parlor trick was black. It filled the room with soot and sulfur smell, made the room stuffy and unbearably hot. Except to Abbi.

She'd lived with it. All the things she touched that were living, died. Red roses would shrivel to black and dark gray before dusting her palms and setting off into the wind as embers.

Abbi enrolled herself into the Robichaux's Academy the day after her birthday. She denied her mother's and Adona's protests for the distance of the school and the unknown terrors that could await her.

She promised she would be safe, call when she could and practice her great grandmother's incantations every chance she could. They were always in the back of her mind: the reversal of time, the healing of others, and the simple meal corrector.

But they were on a side track as she boarded the bus to New Orleans, already awaiting a new welcome from strangers that wouldn't judge her of her mother's family and the visions she carried.

Abbi forced herself to stay awake for the sake of arriving before sundown. That and she was fearing that the dark figures were getting closer in her visions. She didn't want to find out when they actually got to her.

**

She stood in front of the wrought-iron gates of her new home. The Robichaux Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies. She'd take it. At least here they could at least teach her something besides the dark parlor tricks and the confetti of death.

Abbi pushed open the gate and picked up her bags. She almost expected a welcoming squad or a something along the lines of it. But she kept on, cautiously walking up to the large white home at the end of a long sidewalk.

Her hand reached for the door knocker as the door was opened from the inside.

"Hello, and Welcome to the Robichaux Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies. My name is Cordelia Goode, the headmistress. You must be Abbadane. It is very nice to meet you." She held out her hand for Abbi to shake and Abbi took it.

Her regret was almost immediate, feeling her doubts leave her mind and trickle down her arm for Ms. Goode to absorb.

"I hope you find everything you're looking for here," she said without looking away from Abbi. "Come inside, I'm sure the girls will love to meet you."

Ms. Goode let go of her hand and let Abbi inside to take in the grand staircase and large foyer of the academy.

"My protege and assistant is Zoe, she will be your main teacher. I apologize that you've caught us at such an inconvenient time. But Zoe will show you to your room, hopefully introduce you to the other students."

Ablis turned to Cordelia as a girl she could only guess was Zoe appeared at the headmistress's side. In her hands was a rolled paper parchment.

"This came for you," she said, holding the parchment out to Cordelia.

She took it as a quiet boy emerged from the kitchen. Her brow raised as she followed his movements to her heavy luggage then carried it upstairs.

"That's just Mr. Spencer," Zoe said with a casual flick of the wrist. "Think of him as the houseboy of the academy."

Abbi nodded in return, wringing the strap of her overnight bag on her shoulder. Cordelia unrolled the parchment with her forefingers, lengthening the paper with the spread of her fingers as she skimmed it quickly.

"Where is Myrtle? We are requested by the headmasters of the Hawthorne School for Exceptional Young Men for some unexplained reason." Ms. Goode turned to Abbi and offered a polite smile, "See what I mean? Inconvenience."

Zoe excused herself to find Myrtle, mentioning that she was probably enjoying some theremin practice in the greenery.

Abbi smiled, wondering what the greenery looked like but remembering that she couldn't touch anything in it.

"I have an idea," Cordelia said, her hands clapping together startled Abbi to look at her. "Why don't you attend the council meeting with us? I was never able to sit down with you and learn your powers. I'd like to get that opportunity on the trip."

Abbadane grinned nervously. "What about the other students?"

"They can handle themselves. Truly, it'd be just a little field trip for us. You can learn of the council, meet the headmasters."

Abbadane opened her mouth, ready to argue that she shouldn't go, but Cordelia's expectant smile was too much to turn down. "Okay," she said.

"Wonderful, and if it's boring council arithmetic, I'm sure they'll excuse you." Cordelia turned to the fiery-haired woman entering the room. "Myrtle, look, our newest student. Her name is Abbadane and she will be attending our council meeting with the headmasters of Hawthorne."

"Oh, the poor dear. Your first day here and you're being subjected to meet the neanderthals of Hawthorne."

Cordelia bit out Myrtle's name with a scolding tone.

"What darling? It's true." The woman rested her hand on Abbi's shoulder. "You'll be bored to death with the meeting."

"I told her that it would be a good opportunity for us to get to know her."

"And you will be the utmost protected from those feral beasts of men."