At school, I managed to stay awake through my first two classes solely because of the pain in my arm. Then lunch came, and dread distracted from the pain. Every day was the same when it came to choosing where to sit. Almost all of the talmes ate in the cafeteria, so there were never any empty tables with them. I didn't have any friends and didn't want to sit with strangers, so I usually tried to sit at an unoccupied table on the border between the talme and wizard sections. That had its hazards because if a wizard noticed me and was in a bad mood, they'd make my tray go flying or my drink splash all over me without even leaving their table. If I really wanted to avoid the wizards, I could've sat near the few cinems who stayed to eat here, but while they looked as pale and delicate as snowflakes, they were anything but.

Even though I definitely didn't want my new blouse soaked, I was in less of a mood to socialize with other talmes than usual, and I sat down at one of the border tables. Almost immediately, I saw one of the wizards had spotted me. I started eating as quickly as I could, hoping that she wouldn't actually do anything. Suddenly, my cup wobbled on its own, and I glanced up at the wizard. She had her wand out and was drawing a glowing blue rune in the air. I looked back at my cup just as the juice in it flew out at me. In a desperate attempt at not being soaked, I dove out of my chair. My tail scarves caught on something, and I heard them rip. The wizard girl and her table were laughing like I was the funniest thing they'd ever seen, but at least I wasn't drenched.

I pulled my tail covering off the nail it'd caught on and saw quite a bit of scale showing. Mother would kill me if I let anyone see it. There was a mini sewing kit in my purse, but trying to fix the rip while crouching under the table wouldn't end well. I stood, hiding my uncovered scales with a hand, and hurried away from the cafeteria. I found a bathroom and sat in the corner to sew. After stabbing my tail with the needle half a dozen times, I tore off the scarves and worked on them in my lap instead. I tried to sit on my tail to hide it, but that was so uncomfortable that I just decided to risk someone seeing it. I'd be done soon enough, anyway.

I'd almost finished with the rip when the bathroom door swung open. A brunette talme girl walked in and looked over at me, furry chestnut tail curled at her side. She was half a head shorter than me- definitely taller than the talme average- and with typical olive-toned skin and dark brown hair.

"I observed you were accosted by the female gravity wizard. Do you require assistance?" she asked. I stiffened as she looked at me, thinking she had to notice my tail. But she didn't say anything about it. She fingered the pendant on her necklace- a brown orb. It looked like it would be one of her Alabri, seeing as it matched her tail.

"No, I don't," I answered. She stood there for a second, fingers clasped as she looked at me with a curious expression on her face.

"Are you of the mutation class talmemus reptin?" she asked.

"I'm not in any class about mutations. And I'm fine. You can go now," I answered, starting to sew again. She either hadn't seen my tail or was polite enough not to say anything about it, but I still wanted to be left alone.

"I was referring to the varieties of physical mutations. The mutation class talmemus reptin indicates the presence of scales instead of fur or fine hair on a talme's tail," she explained. I jerked my head up at the mention of my tail. Mother never talked about it directly, like it was a dirty word.

"I guess I am, then. Please don't tell anyone," I asked, glancing down as I closed the rip. With my tail uncovered in front of someone who wasn't family, I almost felt naked.

"I won't," she assured me. I put away the needle and thread, then started wrapping my tail with the scarves. The girl came over and crouched in front of me while I did. She actually reached her hand out and touched the end of my tail before I jerked away. No one had ever touched my tail before, and I didn't like it.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I apologize," she replied, "I'm simply fascinated with your scales. Do your parents have them as well?"

"I was adopted by wizards, so I don't know," I answered, standing and heading for the door. She followed suit.

"Some say that mutations such as yours are common in paltors, though-" she started. Red flashed in front of my eyes. I spun around and pushed her against the wall.

"Did I offend you in some way?" she asked, seeming confused. I threw my hands up, trying to resist the urge to punch her in the face.

"What world are you living in where calling someone a half-blood is okay?" I shouted. She jerked like I'd actually hit her.

"I apologize profusely for giving you the idea that I believed you were of mixed blood," she insisted, "I was attempting to explain that, while some think that mutations are an indicator of one born of a cross-species relationship, I disagree and find no fault in someone with such mutations."

"Oh." I backed up a step and crossed my arms, embarrassed to no end.

"Perhaps we have 'started off with the wrong tail,' as the saying goes," she replied, brushing herself off. "My name is Tawny." She stepped towards me and held out her hand. I shook it.

"I'm Ella," I said, "and I'm sorry for pushing you. I've just had a bad couple of days."

"What ails you?" Tawny asked.

"I got in the middle of a fight at work, and the boss yelled at me. My arm still hurts from the fight, and I've got to do some heavy lifting at work after school," I answered. Recognition sparked in her eyes.

"I am employed at the dragon stable on the edge of town. Yesterday, we had such an incident there with two class 7 dragons. Are you, by any chance, the stable hand involved?" I nodded. Lying wouldn't do any good if she worked at the same place I did.

"I look forward to seeing you there, then," she added, then promptly left.