My stomach was growling so loud it's probably communicating with the animals around the school. I hadn't seen Nora since my first class, but she sent Leila to me with directions thankfully. I was stuck wondering how she remembered my schedule so easily.
Unfortunately, when it was time for lunch, I spent too much time asking the professor questions so when I left the classroom the halls were empty. My plan had been to follow the flow of students to the dining hall.
"Shit," I whisper, looking around. "You have any idea where to go?" I ask my silent snake. If I could really learn to talk to snakes like Madam Celeste said, then it would be very helpful at this moment.
Tink yawns on my shoulder and I sigh.
I start walking down the hall, turning corners hoping to see a student wandering the halls too. Eventually I look outside at the courtyard. A few students were eating lunch out there.
When I find a way outside I hesitantly approach a group of students, all of them beautiful girls with long hair and perfect skin.
"Hi," I clear my throat. They all stop talking to stare at me. "I'm a little lost. Could you point me towards the dining hall?"
One of the girls starts to smile, locking her bright yellow eyes with my dull green ones.
"Aw, you're lost?" Her voice was smooth, gentle. "Come here," she whispers, motioning me closer with a finger.
I wanted to tell her to just point, but I stepped closer, unable to look away.
"Sit with us," she smiles.
I nearly did until a familiar bat swooped down and started smacking her face with its wings. The distraction makes me blink and I shake my head as I step away. What the hell was that?
An arm links with mine and I find myself walking with Nora who tosses a glare at the girls.
"Sorry, sirens tend to try and hypnotize new kids from the human world," she apologizes.
"Sirens. That makes sense." I nod, realizing I barely had any control of myself near them.
"Lunch?"
"I might die if I don't get a cheeseburger right now," I complain.
Nora laughs, her arm still looped through mine.
•
During lunch Nora showed me around more, pointing out Madam Celeste's office then taking me upstairs to show me the showers near my room.
Only a few more classes and then dinner. For now, I was sitting at a table in my Powers & Precision class. By the name of it, I was interested. Of course, I didn't have any powers, but Madam Celeste said I could work on them.
A lynx cat hops up onto the table I sit at making me jolt. It comes closer to investigate me so I freeze.
"Please don't bite me," I whisper, and it sneezes, turning away to sit facing the front of the classroom.
A largely built guy sits next to me with the lynx, not even glancing at me. He seemed to have quite a bit of muscle, so I assumed he was a gargoyle. After observing other students all day I made mental notes on species differences.
Gargoyles had muscle, and most of them were guys. Fairies were mainly girls with colorful hair and eyes, plus the usual bitchy attitude. Vampires looked normal enough until I caught a glimpse of their teeth. They were all slender and pale too. At lunch I had my first encounter with sirens, so I made sure to avoid eye contact with the very beautiful people with musical voices.
"Quiet."
Everyone falls silent as Professor Elide enters the room. It was quite obvious he was a gargoyle from his looks. I didn't doubt he could probably chuck a school bus across a football field.
His blonde hair was brushed back from his square face, a pair of ice blue eyes deep set under dark eyebrows. He was the most attractive teacher I've ever had.
"Today-." Professor Elide stops, eyes landing on me.
My face turns red.
"Ah, right. New girl." He sighs, walking around to stand in front of my table. My hands start to sweat.
"What are you?" Professor Elide asks, leaning against the front of his desk and crossing his arms.
Again, I wanted to say, "please don't bite me." But I refrained simply because my mouth went dry.
"Well?" His deep voice turns hard.
"I'm-uh..." I swallow and glance around. Other than the guy sitting next to me with his head resting on his hand, the whole class was waiting for me to answer. "I'm a descendent of Medusa."
This silence was much heavier than when Professor Elide walked into the room. His eyes narrowed at me, then moved down my neck to where Tink was slithering down to the table.
"Interesting," he mutters. "What can you do?"
"Nothing..." Students laugh at my answer.
"Nothing at all?" Elide asks, face stone. It made me wonder if he knew how to smile.
"Um, reptiles find me a lot for some sort of help." I pick at my fingernails in my lap.
"Can you talk to them? Hear them?"
I shake my head and Elide stares a moment before letting out a scoff and moving away to face the rest of the class. My body sags as he leaves.
"Power is not power unless it is precise. Uncontrolled power is simply a disaster waiting to happen." The professor walks over to another table of students. "Fire."
The fairy in front of him with ginger hair lifts her hand, a ball of fire appearing over her palm.
"Control it. Keep it at your fingers," Elide instructs, watching intently.
The girl focuses, closes her hand, then opens it again, flames now at each fingertip. After a moment they flicker and her hold hand is on fire.
My eyes go wide but it doesn't seem to affect her at all.
"Practice," Elide walks away from the disappointed girl. "Is all it takes to reach your full potential."
As he walks around the room talking and testing the abilities of students, I stare at my hands. What could I possibly do? Madam Celeste seemed to believe I could develop abilities beyond reptiles simply being drawn to me. But how do you practice what you don't know how to do?
After about an hour Professor Elide dismisses the class and everyone stands to leave, some talking to him on the way out. I wait off to the side, not in the mood to try and push my way through them all.
"What's your name?" He asks me when I'm about to slip through the doorway.
I step back to face him. "Katie."
"Your real name."
Realizing what he meant, I reply, "I don't have one yet."
"Descendant of Medusa..." he says under his breath, scanning me up and down. My cheeks burn. "I'm sure Celeste will have one for you soon."
I nod, ready to bolt, but professor Elide tilts his chin up.
"I suggest extra lessons to learn more about your abilities. Come here Monday afternoon and I'll see what I can do."
With that, he turns away to go back to his desk. I leave the classroom with my brows furrowed.
"Here only a day and already trying to snake her way into Elide's pants." A snide voice snickers to my left.
My cheeks burn as Asena, the blue haired fairy, sends me grin. What a bitch.
"If you ever get the chance to bite her," I tell Tink. "Do it."