Mornings at Reimel Aether Academy are my favorite. The classroom full of students in their gray uniforms focused on their assignment. The golden rays of sunlight that warm the wooden desks and chairs. The breeze that sneaks through a hole in the broken window, a constant reminder of our meister’s aetherial showcase on the first day of classes. These mornings are still a new part of my routine, but their peacefulness gives me some much needed comfort to get through the rest of the day.

A surge of heat washes over the room, and the group of students in the back erupt into screams. The red crystal formation sits on a desk, a tower of flames spewing from it and threatening to burn the ceiling. Today’s assignment is to control the aer within the fire crystals, which means someone is getting a failing grade.

It would be easier for me to ignore my panicking classmates and their mess, but this could be the perfect opportunity to finally make some friends. My feet carry me to the commotion. I nudge the blonde boy out of the way and hold my hands over the crystals. “P-please, be quiet. I need to focus.”

I reach out to the aer within the crystal. A jolt runs down my spine, proof that I have connected. A cacophony of screams and explosions assault my mind. “Back down, you have no power over me.”

The flames expand and lash out at me and the surrounding students. 

I kick the desk and shout in my mind, “Stop throwing a tantrum, you big baby! You think you’re hot stuff just because you’re made of fire? Go home, you’re just being a nuisance.”

With a whimper, the aer obeys my command and sucks the stream of fire back into the crystal. Silence blankets the room as all eyes fall on me.

The blonde boy approaches his newly scorched desk. “Wow, as expected of the duke’s daughter.”

I avert my gaze. “I didn’t do anything impressive. You can do it too if you just remember what we learned in class. Fire aer feeds on fear, so if it senses any bit of panic… well, you saw what happened. Try to stay calm next time and you’ll be fine.”

The blonde boy’s partner for the assignment, a pretty girl with her uniform shirt on backwards, rolls her eyes at me. “Just stay calm? You say it like it’s that easy. Not all of us are born as talented as you.”

“Born talented.” It doesn’t surprise me to hear they think that. After all, most people do. I wish it were true. My life would be so much easier if I had been born talented. I’m only able to do what I can because I started my studies a year before everyone else here. 

The leers from around the classroom tell me explaining would only make things worse, so I nod. “D-do your best next time.”

As I walk back to my desk to begin my own assignment, the girl says, “Looking down on us just because she’s nobility. She really pisses me off.”

Her words freeze me in place. Every bit of my being tells me to turn around and reprimand her for her slander, but I don’t have the courage to make a scene. Instead, I steel myself and return to my desk. 

This too has become a part of my daily routine. Despite my best efforts to be friendly, my classmates shun me. In a way, it probably is my fault. After all, my nerves got the better of me on the first day. I lost my words and ended up speaking like my parents do. Unfortunately, my introduction began with me calling my classmates peasants. I didn’t expect to make any friends when I enrolled here, but I wish I had been able to prove both myself and my father wrong.

A small woman with disheveled black hair approaches my desk. Even though she’s a meister, if she were to wear our uniform, it would be easy to mistake her for a student. She began working here this year and the workload has very clearly taken its toll on her. Most students affectionately call her, ‘The Nervous Wreck,’ rather than meister, much to her dismay.

“Miss Krehn, thank you for your help,” she says.

“Meister Gen, please. I’m a student like everyone else, so please call me Aliyah.”

“My apologies, Miss Krehn.” She bows and hits her forehead on my desk. Her face turns red as she recoils. “A-anyway, I wanted to let you know that you’re free to leave since you did even more than was required to complete the assignment. I don’t have anything left to teach for today. A-and our allocated lunch period is after this anyway, so…”

I like Meister Gen. She’s very sweet. However, the obvious difference in her treatment when it comes to me only furthers the rift between me and my classmates. For example, no student has been offered to leave class early, except for me. 

I’d like to turn her down, but it’s already too late. All eyes rest on me. My classmates' stares bore through me as their chatter circulates through the room. The pressure is too much. Even if I were to decline now, I wouldn’t be able to escape this feeling, this overwhelming force telling me that I’m not welcome here. My only respite is to accept Meister Gen’s offer.

With a nod, I grab my things and rush out. The stares follow me until I close the creaky door behind me and enter the hallways of the academy. I breathe a sigh of relief and head down the hall.