The Elixir

~Settling In

When she trains at her manor, she trains with weapons. Her trainor has never truly focused on conditioning, and now, climbing these monstrous steps, she wishes they had.

When she finally does reach the top of the steps, she sets her bags down and fetches her mirror, touching up her face. She refuses to show up in her dorm sweaty and dirty. She is a Bestel, and Bestels look the best. Always. No pun intended.

Laughter and voices reverberate in the airy stone hallway. Some doors are ajar, some fully open, and some closed. Girls flit in and out of different rooms. Vieva counts until she finds her room, then shoves the door open.

The two girls look up, startled, when Vieva plops her bags down. What she presumes to be her beauty bottles clink on the floor. Both girls' eyes widen when they see Vieva, who stares back imperiously.

The first girl, a petite blonde with light green eyes, ducks her head as Vieva studies her. Satisfaction curls in the pit of her stomach. Finally, someone who understands.

But her happiness is soon diminished when she realizes who the other girl is.

Xara Roffinnes. She has black hair and gray eyes, which rather suits her magic. They have a keen glint as she in turn looks Vieva over.

"I'm-"

"I don't want to know, and I don't particularly care." Vieva interrupts, brushing past them and into the bathroom. This being a three-bedroom dorm, there are two toilets, three sinks, and two showers. Vieva's eyes narrow as she beholds the loss of shelving compartments.

"This is it?"

"I suppose this must be a powder room, compared to what you're used to."

Vieva still fumes. "At least our powder rooms have shelves. Where am I supposed to keep my things?"

"We have dressers," pipes up the mouse-like girl. Vieva glares at her and she shrinks.

"I suppose for you two simpletons, this is considered grand."

"I have an idea," says Xara, snapping her fingers. "How about we all unpack, quietly?"

The blond nods and darts off. Vieva pins Xara with a piercing look. She hardly flinches.

"And I suppose you believe that now you're a Storm," Vieva practically spits the word. "You think you're so great, don't you?"

Something Vieva can't read flashes in Xara's dark eyes, something that makes her eyes brood.

"If I had the choice, I would gladly switch places." She says, with a dry laugh. "Being possessed by the Warlord isn't a walk in the park."

Vieva goes silent. Although she envies Xara's raw power, she doesn't envy what happened to the girl during the Summoning.

Vieva jostles past Xara. The willowy girl stumbles back a few steps as she goes. The blond, whom Vieva still hasn't gotten a name from, is humbly putting her folded clothes inside the ancient dresser. She doesn't look up when Vieva steps in front of her.

"What are you?"

"What?" she whispers, brushing long hair from her eyes. Vieva rolls her eyes.

"What mage are you?" she enunciates, as if speaking to a child. The girl's cheeks heat.

"Gaia."

Vieva snorts. "As expected. A thing like you couldn't be anything else."

The girl's eyes muddle with tears and she quickly looks away, quietly getting back to her clothes. Xara stomps past her, shooting Vieva a dirty look as she goes.

"That's not true, Lysabel, truly." Xara says gently. "Being a Gaia is wonderful. Gaias are the warden of the earth. They create. In a way, I almost envy you."

"Yeah, right." Vieva says under her breath. Xara unwisely chooses to ignore her, a motion that makes Vieva's blood rage.

"Really?" The blonde-Lysabel-sniffles.

"Really." Xara replies genuinely, a smile dawning on her face. Vieva fights the urge to gag. Xara helps Lysabel up. The girl smiles gracefully. "Now, come on. I can practically hear that dinner calling my name."

"Pig." Vieva whispers to Xara as she and Lysabel pass.

"Twit," comes her fast reply.

Vieva watches the two of them leave. If Xara had been rich, she might've even liked the girl. But no one, not even the last Storm, talks to Vieva like that and gets away with it. Not without punishment. 

>>AUTHOR'S NOTES:

hey guys, so sorry for the late update... last week was brutal for me. anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. i always have a ball of a time writing from Vieva's perspective.