The first thing I need to do is cover my mark. Asherah said that it's important, except they didn't give me anything to cover up with. They literally left me on my own and expect me to walk out of this room just as I am. Where anyone can take a peek at my cleavage and see a star there.
I glance at the giant student handbook and figure it's better than nothing. So, I hold it close to my chest as if I'm a diligent new student. Then I slide off the crystal table and walk over to the curtain.
When I peek through, I find a guy standing and staring at his phone just on the other side. He has bleach blond hair and warm pinkish skin. He's in a uniform, black slacks, a white button-up, and a purple sweater vest over it. On the arm sleeve is the symbol of a flame.
As if he could sense me staring, he turns to look at me. His eyes are the brightest amber eyes I have ever seen. He has thin lips that are turned down into a frown. His nose crinkles at the sight of me.
"Um, are you the person who's going to show me to my dorm?" I ask.
"Unfortunately, I saw you on the news. How someone like you wound up in this situation is beyond me. That is what I call irony. I'm Bastion, just follow me," he sighs.
"I'm Emery," I say, mostly because I don't know what else to say.
"I know," He quickens his step.
I didn't really expect to be given the grand tour but I would have appreciated some type of explanation on my surroundings. Like why are all the lights just glowing crystal lanterns? Is there a reason why the main color scheme is black and every dark color in existence? It's like they want people to think they are witches. Also, what is with the occasional freaky fake scenery?
Just like how I woke up to stars, certain hallways or open doorways we passed are like completely different worlds. I've already passed a cheery blossom forest, the middle of the ocean, and the top of a mountain. Just trying to wrap my head around what I am seeing is giving me a headache.
Bastion hasn't said a single word to me, he just stares straight ahead and keeps a quick pace. I wonder if this is how everyone here will treat me. It's not like I'm their biggest fan, but they aren't making it easy for me to see them as anything but what everyone says they are.
When we walk out of what I will call the main building, I find myself in some sort of courtyard for students to mingle and relax. Many students are lounging around in strange ways, one student is even just floating in midair like they were laying on the ground but in the air...
People are horsing around and using their powers to shock each other. A girl is using the water in the fountain as her helper, a water tentacle, that's the best way I can describe it, holds her paintbrushes for her as she paints the scenery.
People wave to Bastion but as their eyes catch me their hands sort of lingering in the air as they make faces at me.
I squeeze the book tighter to my chest.
Several dorm buildings come into view; we walk to the smallest one. It's made of bricks and has a black roof and white-rimmed windows. The door to the building is a deep purple color. Above it is the words, Ash Ruin Hall.
He opens the door and inside is a lobby. Couches, TVs, mini-fridges, and coffee tables. There is also a ping pong table and what looks like a gaming system set up with multiple consoles. Many girls are relaxing. Most watching some game show on TV. A couple are in a heated gaming match. A small group is just sitting in a circle with books in hand and drinks near them.
They all look at me when I walk in with Bastion.
"Hey, can someone help me out here? I got a newbie," Bastion said to the room.
"Is that so?" A girl steps out from what looks like a hidden kitchen area.
She has a deep golden-brown skin tone. Her hair is in long tight braids that fall just past her mid-back. They are blond and fade into white. She's pretty, but not standout pretty, just pretty. Her lips are average and covered in purple lipstick. She's in the uniform, a black skirt that goes to her knees, and a white button-up with a purple bow around her neck. The symbol on her shirt is a black circle with three points coming out of it.
"Hey Nissa, do you mind taking this for me," He shoves me closer to her.
"I have a name," I snap at him.
"Wait aren't you the girl from the news?" She raises her eyebrow which had a decent chunk missing from the middle of it.
If everyone wasn't giving me hateful looks before they sure are now. Thanks to her.
"She sure is, have fun," He pats me on the back before he leaves.
Nissa walks over to me and motions for me to walk in front of her.
I don't know what it is about her, but I already don't like her. There is no real reason for it. Sure, she's all attitude but that is to be expected considering I don't like them, and they don't like me. I just feel uncomfortable around her, she makes my skin crawl, and my hairs stand on edge. There is just this feeling in my gut that turned my stomach.
"Emery was it? I'm Nerissa," She leads me to the check-in room.
I don't respond to her.
She has me sign some papers and then hands me a key. Then we go up the stairs to the third floor. Many doors line the hall, but there is one in the back with a sign that said stay out above a skull with crossbones. Of course, she led me straight to that door.
"Here you are," She says with fake enthusiasm.
Then she knocks loudly on the door. There is no response, so I use my key to unlock the door. Inside a disaster waits. There's tape on the floor in the shape of a small box around my bed, all my stuff is in that small box. On the other side of the tape is a huge mess. Clothes scattered everywhere. Shoes, papers, and books, and what looks like a surgical kit.
Sitting on the bed is, her...
She still has on the same pants from yesterday. Her choppy unnaturally black hair is down, and she has headphones on. She has a wide jaw and is pretty boney-looking. She's the kind of girl who looks like she will steal your lunch money.
She is cutting herself and using her blood to write down something. I think I gag out loud.
"You've got to be kidding me, her?" I said out loud.
Nerissa laughs.
"Well if it isn't the epitome of stupidity," She takes her headphones off and glares at me.
"You're going to be my roommate?" I shook my head still trying to wrap my mind around how they put me in the same room as the witch that punched me in the face yesterday.
"Oh, because I'm obviously thrilled to see your face first thing every day. Your side is over there, talk to me and I'll re-blacken your eye," She forces a smile, her lip ring glinting in the light.
"Always a pleasure Dariyah," Nerissa chuckles before turning to leave.
"You're not going to leave me with her, are you?" I turn to stop her from leaving.
"She's your roommate now. Might as well get used to her," Then she flips her braids and saunters off.
I slowly walk over to "my side" and look at my bed. On it is a weeks' worth of uniforms, my class schedule, as well as a pair of shoes. How they knew my size to the exact inch is beyond me.
In the restroom, I'm greeted with more tape. Tape on the sink where only a tiny sliver of the sink counter space belonged to me. Tape in the shower, Tape on the sink cabinet, and even tape around the toilet indicating the trash can was off-limits to me.
I just sigh and roll my eyes. Of course, it's my luck that I get stuck with one of the witches that were messing with me yesterday. The one who punched me no less. When I glance in the mirror I'm surprised, not because I look horrible, because I do, but because my black eye is gone. Completely gone. Like I never had one to begin with. What happened to it? I'll add that to the list of freaky that I've seen since I've been here.
I wash my face and run my fingers through my hair. Then I put on the uniform, mostly because I have nothing else to wear. They gave me three skirts and 4 pairs of pants. I picked a skirt to put over the black leggings I was already wearing. My shirt was different from all the ones I've seen, instead of the white button-up mine is black. On the sleeve is the symbol of the white star, just like the one on my chest. I had to button it all the way up.
Optionally I was given two purple sweater vests, a purple tie, a purple ribbon, and a purple blazer. I'm already warm, so I put on the tie because the idea of putting on the sweater vest made me want to rip the whole ugly outfit in half.
When I walk out of the restroom Dariyah, as I found out her name is, has her arm in the air and is dripping blood into what looks like an ink bottle. She looks up at me, we both made a face.
"What are you doing?" I couldn't help myself.
"I'm a blood caster, I'm doing my homework," She squeezes her arm to make the blood gush out faster.
I gag again.
She did a double-take as if finally seeing my uniform. She makes a face that says something between surprise and amusement. Shaking her head to herself.
I sit on the bed, which to my surprise is pretty comfortable. It is only then that I take in the room as a whole. It smells like a hospital, stale and sterile. The walls are covered in band posters and hand-drawn art, which looks like it was done in blood. The wooden floor could not be made out under all the mess.
I pull out my phone, it has about 30% left. I have no waiting text, no missed calls, no notifications. Myself stares back at me from my screen saver which is a picture of me, Beth, and Darius. My orange hair was long then, my blue eyes with hazel flecks sparkle in happiness, my face lighted by a smile. I let my hand drift to my hair which is now only neck length.
I wish I hadn't cut it.
My stomach growling brought me back to reality. I look over to Dariyah, she's cleaning up and wrapping her arm. On her shirt is the red drop symbol which I guess means blood.
"Where's the cafeteria?" I ask
She looks up to me, a scowl on her face. Her overuse of dark eye shadow makes her look like an angry raccoon. She kicks her legs over the side of the bed, her combat boots clucking against the bed frame.
"They are going to eat you alive," She slides off her bed and pops her back.
"I think I can handle myself," I mutter.
I get up, getting ready to follow her. She cocks her head to the side and smiles at me, a sarcastic kind of smile. Then she walks over to me until we are chest to chest.
"Want to test that theory?" She towers over me.
I wish I wasn't so short.
She acts like she's about to hit me again and I flinch away. She snorts in amusement.
"Let me put this to you clearly, if you so much as utter the word witch in your sleep you are dead. You look at me wrong, guess what, you're dead. You say something under your breath you're dead. You touch my stuff, you move my stuff, you so much as cross this line, what do you think?"
"Dead. Got it."
"Good, glad we had this talk," She pats my head and then walks out.
I wait a good five minutes before I walk out, stepping carefully over her stuff. When I walk downstairs to the lounge the TV was on the local news and my face was plastered on the screen. Many girls crowd around; one girl raised it up.
The video plays of the witches coming into the school to "choose" me. Then the video from last night plays of me at the movies. It was recorded by someone's phone. You can see me calling Dariyah and her friend a witch and saying she is abusing her power, then she punched me in the face. People had to hold her back, I was knocked on my butt.
"Emery Ellison is not available to talk to us, but many speculate that the Casters are harassing her as some sort of retaliation for speaking out. The headmaster of Belmore has refused to comment. What do think Barry?" The news anchor asks her partner.
"It's spine chilling Maria many parents are concerned that this could happen to their child. Some are even calling this a terroristic attack. I mean school is a place you think your child will be safe. Is this going to happen to everyone who tries to speak out? It has certainly put everyone on edge. Many are wondering, what else can they get away with?"
"That poor girl," Maria shook her head.
"When we come back..."
I try to sneak behind the crowd before they realize I'm in the room, but my foot caught on something and I fall face-first to the ground. I look up to see what tripped me and Dariyah stares down at me with a wicked smirk on her lips. Next to her is her same witch friend from yesterday.
She is drop-dead gorgeous. Someone who could be a model or a celebrity. Sharp cheekbones, slim and curvy, not to mention her stunning dark blue eyes. Her light skin is like porcelain, flawless, and almost glowing. Her lips are big and pouty. Her hair is long and black, draped over her shoulder, and falling to her stomach. How someone as pretty as her is friends with Dariyah is beyond me.
I notice her uniform is different from the usual, like mine. She has on a black skirt, pink knee-high sock, a black button-up, and a pink tie. There is a pink band on each of her short shirt sleeves. Over her right breast is the symbol of what looked like a brain.
She smirks at me and rests her elbow on Dariyah's shoulder.
I get back to my feet.
Everyone is staring at me with looks of disgust.
'Dead' Dariyah mouths.
I gulp and my heart beats wildly in my chest. Someone turns the TV off. The girls mumble under their breath about me. I dust myself off and quickly make my exit.
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