Professor Durney clears his throat before he speaks, “We have a new student today. This is Kay Sanders, a Halfling. Please give her a warm welcome to our academy.”

He claps, and the others follow his example.

I flush, my eyes trained on the floor, words escaping me as I stay silent.

I glance at Professor Durney as he gives me another smile, patting me comfortingly on the shoulder, and leaves me there alone in front of thirty or so Faeries.

I stand rigid, lowering my head, wishing I could just disappear. This is all so bizarre to me—I’ve never had to give awkward introductions of myself like this in front of a class before.

It’s even worse since I know nothing about this world.

“It’s nice to meet you.” I raise my head in surprise at the soft voice, finding myself meeting a pair of lovely pink irises.

The color catches me off guard for a moment, before I’m able to regain myself, offering a smile to match her timid one. 

“It’s nice to meet you.” I take a better look at her, despite her distractingly bright-colored eyes.

Her mint green hair is tied into a neat ponytail, her skin pale and unmarred, her cheeks naturally rosy.

She’s so pretty it makes me dull in comparison.

I find it strangely comforting to be in her presence though, like a long lost friend.

“I’m Rosalia Flor.” She looks down, pausing, before offering, “I’m a Nature Faery.” Her cheeks flush scarlet at that, her voice becoming quieter, almost a whisper.

I cock my head at her, a little puzzled by her behavior.

She seems to realize this, before she shyly adds, “It’s an Elemental power—which is the strongest…and well…” She trails off, not really explaining anything. I guess she doesn’t like bragging? 

I mutter a soft ‘oh,’ nodding at and feeling so grateful for her bravery to greet me.

At least there’s one person here who seems like I can be friends with; a person who treats me like me, and not the new ‘twenty-year-old Halfling who hasn’t shown signs of magic yet.’

The other students are watching my interaction with her, probably wondering if I’m approachable or not.

“Halfling.” A man jumps onto a desk, walking across the table tops to get to the front of the room, landing directly in front of me.

I jump back at the suddenness. I’ve never seen someone do that before—his shoes better be clean, because I don’t want a desk with his shoe print on it.

His hair is a dark navy blue, swept up sideways, making his bright blue eyes pop.

When he moves, his hair seems to change color, going to different gradients of blue, like waves. I suppose it’s not hard to guess what power he has.

He narrows his eyes on me, and his voice is almost mocking when he asks, “What are your powers?”

I blink, heat creeping up my neck as I feel the intense stares I’m getting. They’re intrigued. They’re waiting to put me into a category, a social rank, I bet.

The room is silent, as if holding its breath as the class waits for me to speak.

I contemplate if I should lie, though I would be in trouble later if I did. I’ve read enough stories to know how one lie turns into a million and can quickly roll out of control.

So finally I bite the inside of my cheeks and admit, “I don’t know.”

His eyes widen. “You…don’t know?” A sly grin appears on his face as he tilts his head at me. 

“I’ve heard of a Halfling who didn’t discover his powers until he was almost twenty-five, thousands of years ago. That was because his powers were so weak his body couldn’t physically produce any magic until it has matured considerably.”

His grin widens as he looks down on me. “I suppose that means you’re the same.”

I grit my teeth as I glare up at him—who is almost a head taller than me. My skin grows hot, anger bubbling in my stomach. How dare he assume things about me.

Rudely calling me a ‘Halfling’ as if that’s all I am. “My name is Kay Sanders, by the way. And I honestly don’t care about whether my powers are weak or strong.”

I spit at him, eyes glaring which obviously takes him by surprise. “News flash, I didn’t want to come here either.”

His eyes darkens, like a stormy sea. “Looks like you needs to be taught some manners.” 

“Wait, don’t—” Rosalia tries to stop him, but it falls on deaf ears.

“Shut up, Flor. Get out of my way.” He shoves her away, and for an awful moment, I fear for my life. 

His hair became almost black, his eyes now midnight blue. Power seems to pulse off of him, making me cower before him.

He takes a step towards me, forcing me back, and when I feel his powers spike, I squeeze my eyes tight, trembling. This is it. It’s all over for me.

“Cain F. Emlyn!” A female voice booms, rocking through the classroom and making goosebumps rise on my skin. “I thought I told you not to use magic unless permitted!”

The man—Cain, as the woman called him—flinches and backs away, his hair and eyes returning to their original color.

He seems sheepish as an older-looking woman storms towards him, her expression filled with disapproval. Her silvery grey hair is tied into a tight neat bun, slight wrinkles noticeable on her skin.

She glowers at him and he lowers his head, mumbling an apology.

She sighs, “I know you are an Elemental Faery, and you take great pride in your family, but using magic carelessly can be detrimental. I thought you would know better by now.” Cain says nothing, keeping his head low.

The woman sighs again before walking away, and only then does Cain lift his head. He turns to me with a scowl before he heads back to his seat.

“Don’t mind him.” Rosalia tells me, rubbing her arm where he pushed her. “He’s like that to everyone. He thinks no one is good enough for him.”

I mentally scoff, totally able to imagine him being a jerk to everyone. Some people just sit on their high horse with their nose glued to the sky.

“Ms. Flor, please go to your seat.” The woman says in a gentler tone, which Rosalia quickly nods to, giving me one last glance before she takes her seat.

I stand awkwardly, unsure where I should sit.

The woman terrifies me, especially since even Cain seemed scared of her.

She finally notices me, her maroon eyes widening as she looks at me. “And you are?”

“Kay.” My voice is quiet. “Kay Sanders.”

“Ah,” she nods. “Our new student. I’m Professor Sofronio. Go ahead and find a seat anywhere you like.” I hesitate, eyes wavering over to my seated classmates, searching for an empty seat.

I spot Rosalia to my left give me a tiny wave, pointing next to her where it’s empty. It’s a miracle! I rush over, plopping down into the wooden chair as I breathe out.

Finally, I can blend in with the crowd.