I walked down the polished white marble floor, heading towards my classroom. Rows and rows of portraits of the royal family and their ancestors stretched endlessly across the white walls. Chandeliers cast shadows around me.

I had burned his card since it wasn't all that special; he was barely a three of hearts.

 I'm curious how he learned a job like this when he's so weak. All he could do was work in a store. He must have pulled some strings.

The cards are like a verification of who you are and the identification of your power, but if you lose them, then you're used as entertainment for the whole Kingdom. They make you dance, sing, take pleasure, or sell you organs if you have no use. The whole Kingdom looks down upon you, so keeping your cards safe is a very important thing.

I opened the oak door of my classroom, and my best friend, Jasper, leaned against the wall next to the window, admiring the view with his head turned.

He looked so cool right now. If the girls saw him from this view, I was sure he would be popular.

I chuckled to myself at that thought, earning a fearful glance from Jasper, though his expression was mildly hidden under his dark side-swept bangs and rectangular glasses. He was 5’9, a foot shorter than me, with some muscles but not too much since he wasn't all that great with combat fighting.

“Yo, you took forever! What did the principal say?” He asked, pushing off the wall and walking towards me. I crossed my arms and grinned at him.

“Well, Jasper, if I were you, I wouldn’t informally talk to your teacher,” Jasper scrunched up his face as if he had just gotten a taste of lemon.

“Never talk like that again. I’m getting PTSD from my old teacher,” I laughed at him.

“Now you’ll be picked on by the students for being a teacher as Junior since you were already being picked on for having such a pretty face,” he said, then winced once he realized what had just slipped out of his mouth.

“We should install a clock here to watch the time,” I said, ignoring what he had just said earlier.

“Seraiah, you know I didn’t mean that,” he said, but I smiled at him like I always do.

“Whatever, I don’t care,” I lied to my best friend. We stared at one another for a while, but the bell rang for us in loud volumes. Students came pouring in wearing their white button shirt, navy pants or a knee-length skirt, and a gold blazer with a heart pattern. The boys wore blue and white striped ties while the girls wore bows. Different and powerful weapons were strapped to their hips.

Rows and rows of wooden benches were in the back of the classroom, with the front open for any duels, two windows on the side of the room, a white tile floor, and many recessed lights across the ceiling. The banner of the Heart Kingdom stretched across the wall behind me, a big, crimson heart with a silver crown on top, with glittering swirls of gold surrounding it. 

I glanced at Jasper, who was still beside me, and I smirked at him, “Well, student, you’d better find a seat,” I teased him.

He rolled his eyes, “Yes, Professor Zyanya.” Jasper slowly strolled towards the steps of the benches, exaggeratingly taking the steps slowly, then he sat down in the front.