Trying to figure out where my room 206B was, I wandered through different hallways. Without realizing it, I knocked into someone.
“Argh, watch where you’re going,” a girl growled.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I guess I will have to start using glasses huh,” I snickered as I bent down next to her to pick up the books that fell down.
“Yeah, it’s okay.” She chuckled. “Hey, aren’t you Ariana, the new girl in my class.”
“Yep, um, sorry I didn’t get your name, I said to the girl who looked familiar in a way. Come to think of it, she partnered with me in defense class. “I was concentrating more on the dodge ball stuff,” I laughed out dryly, “Which sucked by the way, I added.”
She chuckled again, “come on, that was your first class, besides you’re Ariana, you know…the girl who can control…..”
“I know the four elements” I finished for her. I was so tired of hearing that all day.
“Right, I’m Kim by the way”
“Nice to meet you, Kim,” I smiled.
“So, what are you doing here? Researching?” she wondered.
“Actually, I don’t know where I am. I’m kind of lost.”
“Oh, weren’t you given a map?”
“I was, but I left it in my locker.”
“No offense, but that was dumb. When I first got here, I always got lost without my map.”
I laughed, “I know, I know, it was dumb.”
“So, where were you planning to go?” she asked.
“My room,” I sighed.
“What number is it?”
“206B”
“That’s awesome, we’re neighbors!” she shrieked enthusiastically.
“That’s great, just hope you’re not one of those girls that like to wake your neighbors up before 4am,” I grimaced thinking about when I had to live with my cousin and her very annoying neighbor.
As we headed towards our rooms, I got to know her a little more. She had shiny blond
hair, green eyes, and full pouty lips. If she wanted, she could surely be a model and you would think she was the obnoxious type without truly knowing her.
but she was actually very kind; even had a small nerdy side to her.
“This is it,” Kim gestured as we both stood outside my room.
“Thanks a lot, you’re a life saver.” I told her smiling.
“You’re welcome. You can eat lunch with my friends and me, if you want.”
“Sure, that’d be cool.”
******************************************
The cafeteria-oops, “dining hall,” was nice. It was nothing at all like EHS, my old school. The room was pleasant and warm, most of the tables already filled with eating and talking. As Kim and I entered, nearly every kid glanced up with obvious curiosity towards me. I took a deep breath, and held my head held high; might as well give them a clear view of my mark, which they all seemed to be staring at anyway.
Kim led me to the side of the room that held the typical cafeteria ladies serving food from behind buffet-style glass booth. Most of the kids were already eating, so the line was short as Kim and I got to
the food. My mouth began to water as I sniffed deeply; spaghetti with garlic. I
got a glass of tea from Kim, and then followed her to the table where two other
people were already talking animatedly as they ate. Of course, the conversation
totally stopped when I joined them, which didn’t seem to faze Kim at all.
As I slid into the booth opposite her she made introductions.
“Hey guys, meet my new room neighbor, Ariana. Ariana, this is
Shannon Brie,” she pointed to the ridiculously pretty black toned girl sitting on the other side of the table, “Shannon is the pretty one; she’s
funny, smart, and has more shoes and clothes than anybody I’ve ever known.”
“Hey, Ariana,” Shannon said nodding her head in my direction.
“This is Leo; he’s the genius among us,” Kim smirked. He had a smooth face that was totally zit free, and
dark brown, almost black, hair with chocolate colored eyes. He wasn’t what
people would call cute, but he was close to it.
Just as Leo was about to say what I presumed was hey, a girl with seriously long red hair rushed up and with a big huff slid herself and her tray into the booth beside Kim.
“Okay, please! Just, please! Did nobody,” she stared pointedly at Shannon, “think to bother to wake me the hell up?”
“I do believe I’m your roommate and not your momma,” Shannon yawned lazily.
“Don’t make me-”
Kim interrupted quickly, “Kells someone new is here. This is Ariana Duan. Ariana, this is Kelly Jules.”
“Hi,” I said through a mouthful of spaghetti as Kelly turned from glaring at Shannon towards me.
“So, Ariana, what’s up with your mark and the whole element stuff…are you like the chosen one meant to save all of us through her tremendous powers” she snickered rolling her eyes. Everyone at the table fell silent, shocked by Kelly’s question.
She looked around, “What don’t pretend that every last one of you isn’t wondering the same thing.”
“We might be, but we are also polite enough not to ask or be rude about it,” Kim said.
“Oh please, spare me the holy act,” she shrugged off Kim’s protest turned back to me, “So, what’s up with it?”
I shifted uncomfortably, “I honestly don’t really understand the whole deal with the elements or whatever it is, but about the mark I was told that my mother marked me before she died.”
Everyone was still silent until Kelly said apologetically, “I’m so sorry; I tend to have a big mouth.”
“Don’t be. I’m sure you didn’t mean it in a bad way,” I said trying to cheer her up, “Besides it doesn’t matter; I never met her, I murmured.”
“I’m so sorry, Ariana,” Leo and Kim said in sync while Shannon squeezed my hand. Wow, I have really found actual friends on the first day!
****************************
I got dressed into my workout clothes and walked out to meet Avan at the gym.
I couldn’t believe it when Mr. Williams called me to tell me I was behind on the school’s work and that I needed to start training with Avan.
My muscles informed me they did not want to go through any more exercise today, so I suggested to Avan that maybe he should let me off this time.
He laughed and I was pretty sure it was at me and not with me.
“Why is that funny?”
“Because you’ve not gone anywhere and you’re already complaining.”
“Of course I was complaining, I’ve been training for like two hours now with just a five minutes break.”
“Why do we have to train now? Let me go to bed,” I whined.
“It was just an hour,” he crossed his arms and looked down at me. His earlier concern was gone, he was all business now.
Tough love.
“How do you feel right now? After all the training you’ve done so far?”
“I hurt like hell”
“Good, you’ll feel worse tomorrow”
“So?”
“So better to jump in now while you still feel not as bad.”
“What kind of logic is that?” I retorted.
But I didn’t argue anymore as he led me into the weight room. He shoved me the weights and told me the reps he wanted me to do, then he sprawled in a corner listening to God knows what as he put earphones in his ear, probably blocking any complaint I had. When I finished, I felt like collapsing. Every part of my body was literally paralyzed.
As I went back to my room. I rummaged through my clothes, pulling out a t-shirt to sleep in.
I said a tiny hey to my roommate Zoey, too tired to talk before I went to bed afterwards, I passed out before hitting the pillow and just as Avan predicted, I felt ten times worse when I woke up the next morning.
Lying there in bed, I reconsidered the perks of running away, then I remembered getting my ass kicked and figured the only way to prevent that from happening was to go endure some more of it this morning.
I was on the floor breathless as I looked at Avan's mouth move, whatever he was saying I couldn't hear as I was pretty much spaced out.
"Come on Ariana, one more and you're done for the day".
"I.can't.do.it.any.further"....I groaned forcing each word out.
"Alright, I'll let you finish early today, but tomorrow will be harder."
"Thanks", I held my hands out hoping he would help me up from my last fall to the ground but he just kept looking at me.
"Fine", I sighed using every last ounce of strength I had left to stand up.
I thought I saw a half smile but as always his face became serious almost immediately.
"Okay, we're done", he said walking out like that
Could this guy be any more cold?
I went back to my room."Hey", I said to my roommate; Zoey. Not waiting for her to reply, I took my towel and went to the bathroom for a quick bath.
"Hey did you know we get to go out once every Saturday of the month?" Zoey asked me when I got out from the bathroom
"Wow, really? And like do anything we want?"
"Yes", she said happily, you know what's so great about this Saturday?"
"What!" I said geared up
"There's also a dance coming up", she said eagerly. "I'm hoping Carson would go with me."
"The cute guy you introduced me to in 'element' class?"
"Yeah, we've been best friends since childhood, I couldn't imagine him liking me as anything other than his geeky friend talk less of asking me out", she said sadly.
"You know what you need?" I asked getting more and more excited.
"What", she asked absentmindedly
"You need a fashion intervention", I said trusting my specialty in fashion makeovers whilst grinning slyly.
"Come on Ariana, I'm not that bad.....or I'm...I?" She said with an expression of uncertainty on her face.
"Hmmhmm", I said with a look that said the last man on earth won't ask her out wearing those clothes.
"Gee, thanks", she said looking down once again.
"Hey, to be honest it's not that bad I know you're going to be hot beneath all those", I gestured to her clothes with my hand.
"Alright, what do I have to do for this, she emphasized with her fingers, fashion intervention."
"Leave it all to me", I winked.
In the few days I had spent in the strange new school, I had gotten pretty close with my new friends: Kim, Shannon, Leo, Kelly and Zoey. Although Kelly could get on your last nerve you just couldn't help but love her all the same. My training sections with Avan were getting better and better although I still thought he was a cold jerk and a major pain in the ass.
I wanted to be through with the arduous physical trainings and get on with the magic lessons, I mean isn't that why I'm in a school named school of 'magic' in the first place? All he kept saying was I was weak or I wasn't strong enough, blah, blah.leave it to him to point that out.
"But in love,love,love You gotta act like a woman and think like a man Now I'm gonna keep it realer with you now than I ever been we should........."
"Gosh Ariana, you're killing my ear buds" Zoey shouted cutting me short from singing one of my favorite songs that was playing on the radio; think by like a man by Jennifer Hudson.
"Oh come on, Zoey lighten up", I giggled.
It was Saturday morning; Zoey and I were going to the mall. It was my first pint of freedom since I came to the school so I was probably over excited.
I couldn't believe it, we were all given an allowance of $4000 each Saturday we were allowed to go out plus an appointed car we could use to drive into town. It couldn't get better than that could it.
I smiled to myself as I was thinking of how much fun I was going to have with Zoey today.
We entered one of the shops in the mall. "Hey, is this okay?" Zoey brought a pair of pants for me to see.
"No way Zoey, those are granny pants," I snickered. "Now this is good", I showed her an elegant strapless blue gown.
"Um, I'm not really sure about this."
Shush, just go test it and try these two also, I smirked.
When she came out, it was like the gown was made for her, she looked so beautiful I was so surprised.
"Wow, I adore it. Thank you so much" she hugged me impulsively.
"You're welcome" I said through choked breadth.
After we finished with everything, we started going back to the car, we literally couldn't move, our hands were packed with so many bags.
As we were walking my body suddenly grew colder and colder it was already getting unbearable, I immediately dropped all the bags to the ground. I couldn't talk and my screams were barely audible. From the corner of my eye I could see that Zoey was also in the same situation as I was.
We were being dragged back by an invisible force. I could feel someone's hands on my neck except I couldn't see anyone else apart from Zoey.
Arrrgh magic was so confusing.
"Ariana run", someone yelled from a distance
I was dazed by Avan! As I was about to tell him I couldn't move, lots of ice blades flew my way and I couldn't help but jump on impulse.
"See? You could move", he said.
"Son of a bitch", I shrieked, "that could have killed me", I said breathlessly.
"It didn't", he smirked. God I completely forgot about Zoey. "Zoey?", I shouted, looking around for her.
"I'm right here", she said panting." Thank God", I said relieved.
I rolled my eyes, a strangled cry came out from behind me, and I looked to see where the sound came from.
I saw a young woman; she had an obvious mark on her, the shape of an X, probably in her 20s. She was bleeding badly from her stomach where the ice blades had pierced.
"Who is that?" I asked Avan
"One of Dehazrious subordinate". He said getting all serious again.
"Oh", I said realization hitting me.
"I'm I in danger?" I asked getting a little scared.
He sighed, "Probably" We should go now."
"Sure" Zoey said" oh we shouldn’t forget everything we worked for today, she reminded me."
"Oh, the bags” I said running back to take them.
"Damn, I’m so tired” I said as we got to the door of our room. We couldn't even open the door, our hands were already full.
When Zoey finally opened the door, she rushed to the bed and practically collapsed on it.
As I was about to enter the room, Avan stopped me holding me a little by the waist
"Avan", I said feeling the heat radiating from his hands
"Just wanted to let you know that you're safe and no matter what I will stay with you.” He said softly .The look in his eyes were so tender I thought I was going to melt from it. I’d never seen him like that before.
"Thank you Avan", I said smiling.
Abruptly his expression changed back to its usual self. He cleared his throat removing his hand from my waist.
After a few seconds of oddly comfortable silence, I said "So um I guess I would see you later then".
He nodded putting his hands in his pocket walking away.
"Ooooh what's up with you and Mr. Hottie?"
"Nothing" I said way too quickly, my face turning red like I had something to hide in the first place.
"If you say so” she winked at me as she went to take a shower.