1: Introdutions
Bloor's Acadamy is probably the dullest place in the world. That is, if you're not endowed. If you are endowed, however, you may have one heckuva time. Not to say it's necesarilly fun, just interesting. There are three main things to learn, and they aren't the arts. They are to pick your side, and don't let the other side know where your loyalties actually lie; try not to get into trouble, it will cost you; and, for the love of Pete, don't go into the Ruin, especially after dark, unless you can defend yourself against the beast.
Olivia put down her pencil. She was bored, since History class is very dull. She looked at her watch. Almost two. Only another ten minuets to go. She looked down at what she had written, and smiled to herself. This will be something to show everyone, she thought to herself. Making the Guide to Bloor's Acadamy was probably the most ingenious thing she had done all year. It was going to have sections for new students, ingenious or endowed, as well as the veterans of the Acadamy. She hoped it would keep more students on their side and not the side of the Bloors.
"Olivia, can you please read for us the next paragraph?" the teacher asked from the front of the room.
"Oh, sure," Olivia said, snapping out of her reverie, and facing the page. Pleased ring, bell. Get me out of this boring class and down to drama. In the middle of Olivia reading, the bell rang. Olivia sighed a sigh of relief, and grabbed her things. She darted out the door as fast as she could, and hurried down the hallway to the Purple Coatroom.
As Olivia headed down the hall, she spotted her friend, Emma. She walked up to her.
"Hey, Em. Where are you going next?" Olivia asked, tapping Emma on the shoulder.
"Science. Hey, how is work coming on the Guide?" Emma had heard about the Guide before school.
"Good. I got a huge chunk done during History class.You want to borrow it? I'm going to drama so I won't need it." Olivia pulled the pieces of loose-leaf paper and offered them to Emma.
"Sure. I'm sure I'll get my test done pretty quickly. I mean, it's only over tectonic plates and stuff," Emma said, taking the pieces of paper.
"Well, I'll see you later, Em." Olivia walked off.
"See ya," Emma replied. She walked down the halls to her science class. She didn't mind science, Mr. Halverson was pretty funny, but she'd rather be doing art then taking a science test. At least she had the Guide to look forward to. She made it to science just in time to not be late, and she slid into her spot. But instead of the chair being empty, since no one sat there, there was a strange girl about fourteen, with short, black hair, deep brown-black eyes, like a dog's, a tank top that cut off so her stomach showed, low-riding jeans, and a purple cape held around the girl with a small, paw-shapped, silver pin with a sappire-colored gem in the center. The qualities that made the girl so strange, however, was the fact that she had two large, dog-like ears, with fur and everything, black wings with white tips that were barely visible under her cape, and a black tail with a white tip that wrapped around the girl's calfs and ancles several times. She stared straight ahead.
"Hello, my name's Emma. What's yours?" Emma asked the girl. The girl tuned to Emma, her deep eyes checking her over.
"I am Econara. It means 'Dark Air Wolf' in the Hidden Language, or so my mom said," she said, slowly and thoughfully.
"It's nice to meet you, Econara. I'm sure my friend's will love to meet you," Emma said, smiling sweetly.
"Are you inviting me to eat with you or something?" Econara asked.
"Yeah. Would you like to?"
"Sure. Do you know what the test is about? I'm kinda nervous," Econara wispered, as the teacher had begun to speak.
"Tectonic plates and the inside of the planet and stuff. Not to hard if you've heard of it before," Emma wispered back.
"Emma, would you like a zero on the test?" Mr. Halverson asked from the front.
"No. I was just helping Econara a bit. She wanted to know what the test was about," Emma replied in ernest. The teacher looked skeptical.
"No, really. I just asked if she knew what was on the test," Econara seconded Emma.
"Fine. Just no more talking during the test." Mr. Halverson started passing out tests, with about sixty-some questions each. The two girls managed to make it through the rest of the class with no more trouble, since Carter managed to make so much trouble that he had to go talk to the teacher out in the hall, and got a zero on his test as well. After class, both girls got up and streached, then collected their things.
"Well, that was officially boring," Econara said, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. "Where's dinner at? This schedual said I have to go there next."
"Everyone has to go dinner. I can show you the way," Emma said, then stopped.
"What is it?" Econara asked, since something was obviously wrong.
"You're in the drama department, right?" Emma asked. Econara nodded. "Well, I'm in the art department," she wiggled her green cape, "and I have a different coatroom."
"Oh. Well, can I just dump my stuff off with you? Or can you show me to my coatroom-thingy?" Econara asked.
"Yeah, I know where the purple coat room is. I can show you, then if my friend Olivia is there, she can show you where the cafiteria is," Emma said, heading off in one direction. Econara followed, all the while kids were staring a her.
"Does everyone always stare when someone different walks by?" she asked as kids skittered out of the way.
"Only if they know that you're endowed," Emma said, then added, "And they're not used to you."
"Well, they're definately not used to this," Econara gestured with her tail, "And they probably never will be."
"Hey, Emma, who's your friend?" Olivia asked, running up.
"This is Econara. She's a new kid," Emma said, stopping. Econara stopped, too.
"I'm Olivia." She noticed Econara's cape, saying, "You're in drama, too?"
"Yup."
"Cool."
"I was just showing her to the coatroom," Emma said, "but if you've got it, I need to go to mine."
"Okay," Olivia said, guiding the new girl to the coatroom. Inside were so many props and costumes that it was hard to know what was what.
"So this is it?" Econara asked, looking pleased at all the clutter.
"Yup. Are you gonna drop your books off and I'll show you where the cafiteria is," Olivia said, setting her books in the corner.
"Sweet. Let's go," Econara said, dropping her books by Olivia's and walking away with her new friend.
When they made it to the cafiteria, they grabbed their food from a random cook, and Olivia walked over to a group of kids, and Econara followed.
"Hey everybody. This is Econara," Olivia said, sitting down with her tray.
"Hello, I'm Gabriel," one of the kids said.
"Lysander."
"Tancred."
"Fidelio."
"Billy."
"Charlie."
"Nice to meet you guys, I'm sure," Econara said, connecting names to faces, and hoping the connections would stay.
Just then, one of the people at the head table stood up. He was tall and forboding, his sharp eyes scanning the students. As he stood, the room fell silent. "Students," the man said, his voice just as forboding as he was, "we have two more endowed students joining us today. Miss Zeffro and Mr. Cardim, please, stand up." Econara stood up, along with a boy across the room. His hair was in a ponytail down to the small of his back on the outside of his green cape, and his hazel eyes scanned across the student body just like the man at the front. His eyes came to rest on Econara. She already knew she didn't like him, but suppressed a snarl, something that she had inheireted from wolf ancestry. The man at the front began talking again. "After you are done eating, you will go to the King's Room to do your homework," he said calmly.
"Oh great. More freaks," a voice called out. It was Carter. He high-fived the kid sitting next to him.
"Mister Kerr, would you like a detention? And how about your brother, Witney?" the man asked.
Both boys shut up, bowed their heads and said in unison, "No, sir."
"That's what I thought. You two know what you are supposed to do. Disperse!" He clapped his hands, and the other students got up and left through the different doorways.
"Well, that was embarassing," Econara said, stepping through the door with Olivia. "Do you know where the King's Room is?"
"I know where it is, but I don't work there. It's for the endowed," Olivia said.
"Okay, I keep hearing the word 'endowed', and I have no frigging clue what it's supposed to mean," she said.
"It means you have weird abilities and stuff," Olivia said, grabbing her things from the coatroom, Econara followed suit.
"Oh, thanks," she said sarcastically, "I feel so much better." Olivia shrugged. The two girls walked down the hall, when someone called for them from behind. It was two of the boys that had sat at their table, Lysander and Tancred.
"Hello, Econara," the one with the unkempt yellow hair, Tancred, said cordially.
"Hello."
"Can you guys take Econara to the King's Room? I have to get to class soon, or I'm gonna be late," Olivia asked.
"Sure," Lysander said.
"Thanks."
"No prob."
The trio set off, and about halfway to the King's Room, Tancred asked, "Hey, Econara, where are you from?"
"I used to live in America, in Bar Harbor, Maine, but then my Mom decided to move to England to get away from my dad. She thinks he's a bad influence," Econara explained.
"Well, over here, things aren't much better," Lysander said.
"My mom likes it better here than in America. Psh, I liked it there better. No funny accents." She paused, then added, "No offense to you guys, of course."
"None taken," Tancred said.
"Cool. Is this the place?" Econara asked.
"Yes, it is. Now get inside," a voice said from behind. All three students wipped around to see a tall boy with long hair and deep, black eyes.
"Yes, Manfred," Tancred said, his cheery demeanor gone, and a much more hostile one took its place.
"And what is that?" Manfred asked, looking at a laptop Econara was carrying.
"My laptop. What's it to ya?" she asked defiantly. Manfred's brow dropped into an angry stare, and his eyes started to shine with a light all their own. Econara continiued to look into his eyes, anger growing in her eyes, and a snarl starting to form on her lips. After a few seconds, Manfred's face broke into an expression of confusion. "Can we go now? I don't want to be late," Econara said in a bored tone.
"Yes, but don't cause anymore trubble, or it's detention for you, Zeffro," he said, storming into the King's Room.
Econara smiled to herself. Phase one, complete, she thought to herself, walking into the King's Room and settling down to do her homework on her computer.
AN: I don't own any one except my own characters. Tell me what you thought! Flames are always welcome if they help improve my writing. ;)