Zodiac Academy: The Awakening(72)
Darcy was waiting on the bench, already dressed for class and I muttered a quick hello to her as I tried to catch my breath after my run to get here.
The Earth class uniform was deep green and consisted of a pair of skintight shorts and a vest decorated with the symbol for Earth. The thick heat of the cave was the obvious reason for the thin outfit and I moved towards the exit to discover what this class would entail.
“Freshmen, gather around!” a soft voice called and I moved towards the girls at the far end of the locker room, craning my neck to get a look at our Professor. She was a short woman with a brown pixie cut and wide eyes which made her seem almost fragile, like a child. “I’m Professor Rockford and I’ll be instructing you on the use of your Earth Element. For today’s class I’m not going to set you up with any specific work. I just want you to explore the cavern and let your magic do whatever comes most naturally. I’ll be observing and assessing but there’s no right or wrong way to wield the power of Earth. By its very nature, our magic grows like a budding plant, so the best way to learn to wield it is to go with the flow. So head on out when you’re ready and let’s see what you’ve got.” She smiled encouragingly as she opened the door and I fell in at the back of the group of girls as they made their way into the classroom.
A huge cavern opened up above my head as I stepped out and I couldn’t help but stare up at the vaulted ceiling in amazement. Intricate patterns had been carved into every inch of the stone and soft green and yellow orbs of light hung all around the space.
More caverns and tunnels led away from the huge central chamber and I noticed lines of precious metals and gemstones sparkling along the rough walls.
“Wow,” Darcy breathed beside me and I turned to her with a grin of my own.
“These people might all be crazy but they sure do know how to make school interesting,” I said as we started walking towards the other side of the cave beneath the glow of green lights.
“Holy biscuits! Your majesties!” Geraldine’s voice caught my ear and I suppressed a sigh as I turned to face her. She was flanked by six of her A.S.S members who were all giving us that creepy doe-eyed look that they reserved just for us.
As a group they all bowed their heads and I exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Darcy.
“We keep asking you not to do that,” Darcy muttered.
“We only want to show our respect to the two true Heirs,” Geraldine said proudly, puffing out her chest. Her eyes were rimmed with dark eyeliner which looked suspiciously similar to the way I did mine, though she’d gone a little too heavy on it. And she’d coupled it with a pale pink shade of lipstick like the kind Darcy favoured which didn’t really match up.
“Well as your rightful rulers or whatever, we’re asking you to stop it,” I said firmly, glancing about to see how many people had witnessed their little act of devotion.
A few girls were muttering to each other on the far side of the cavern and shooting glances our way but luckily no one else seemed to be paying us much attention.
“I’m so sorry if we’ve displeased you, your maj-”
“Don’t call me that,” I snapped before Geraldine could finish her sentence. I was a foster kid from the rougher part of town. I’d never even had dreams of being a princess like the other little girls who put on Cinderella dresses and plastic tiaras as they pranced around the local mall. My dreams had always contained a lot more grease and oil and an open road leading me to freedom. Even as a little kid I’d been more interested in watching Speedway races than Disney cartoons.
“Right. Sorry your... Tory,” she said, lowering her head like I’d whipped her. I knew she was only trying to be nice but I didn’t want a fan club.
I glanced at Darcy for help; she was always the more diplomatic one. My mouth ran away from me with all the speed of an ill mannered gazelle. I tended to speak first and think later and I was getting the feeling that brash wasn't the best approach for our fan club.
“We just don’t want to be seen any differently to the rest of you,” Darcy explained, saving me. “We aren’t looking for any followers.”
“Oh.” Geraldine’s face dropped and for a moment I was worried she might burst into tears. Darcy caved to that slapped puppy look and hastily offered an olive branch.
“But maybe we could try being friends?” Darcy said with a warm smile.
If a kid woke up on Christmas Day and found out that Santa had brought them their own personal Disney World resort complete with actual real-life talking bunnies, their face wouldn’t have lit up as brightly as Geraldine’s did with that suggestion.
“I would be boundlessly honoured to even be considered as a candidate for your friendship!” she gushed, rushing forward to embrace my sister. Darcy patted her on the back a little awkwardly and I failed to stifle a laugh.
“Perfect,” I said through a grin. “Now that we’re all friends, I’m just going to go for a little explore.”
I backed out of the circle as the rest of the group pressed forward to join the hugathon and smirked at Darcy as she remained trapped in the centre of it. She rolled her eyes at me but her face was set with amusement so I knew I’d be forgiven for abandoning her to the masses.
I crossed the cavern and let my magic simmer to the surface of my skin, trying to do as Professor Rockford had suggested and give it the chance to pick what it wanted to become.