Chapter 01: The New Girl
Lina sighs and approaches her soon-to-be new school. After her mom and sister practically kicked her out of the house, she had to flee the city and go off on her own. Just thinking of her sister gives Lina the shivers.
She isn't exactly the fairest rose, but she still looks decent, with her long scarlet hair and ruby eyes. (She has a temper to match that fiery head of hers.) She's a bit on the short side, which disturbs her, but not freakishly so. In fact, some of the girls at her old school even used to look up to her for her beauty.
But that's beside the point.
Lina enters the doors and runs into a welcoming committee. A girl with short black hair and navy blue eyes, wearing a white blouse and blue capris, greets her excitably.
"Hello, you're the new student, correct?" she asks. Without waiting for an answer, she continues, "I'm Amelia Seyruun, president of the welcoming committee and also daughter of Phillionel Seyruun, the president of this country! And, judging from the description I got from Daddy, I would assume you are...Lina Inverse?"
"Er, yeah," Lina replies as the crowd parts so Amelia can guide her down the hall.
"Well, Miss Lina, as you know, this is Seyruun Academy, where only the top scholars are allowed to take classes," the hyperactive teen explains. "We have many well-taught teenagers here, and some of them have worked very hard to qualify. But first, let's lay down the ground rules. Hoods are not allowed up during school hours in the presence of the country's flag or anywhere else on school grounds. I can see that you don't have a hood, Miss Lina, and for that, I thank you."
"So why's he wearing a hood?" Lina asks, pointing towards a beige cloaked figure who has all but his eyes covered.
"Who, Zelgadis? He always walks around with a hood. We all know him, and the teachers never bother him about it." Amelia shrugs thoughtfully. "It's almost like everyone's scared of him." She smiles anyway. "Filia, the girl in charge of the school newspaper, always has all the latest gossip, so if you need anything, go to her. She's this really tall blonde with purple glasses, and she always has a mace. Unmistakable."
Lina nods slowly as Amelia continues to talk too fast for her own good. Suddenly the bell rings, and the young teen halts.
"Oh, no! Why am I always late?!" Amelia cries, dashing off. "Miss Lina, your locker number is 239, by the way. Your combination is 31, 21, 15." With that, Amelia vanishes into a classroom, and loud apologies are heard.
Lina shakes her head and puts all her things away in her locker. She then walks off into her first class, which is History.
Surprisingly, she finds both Filia and Zelgadis there. The teacher turns her head in Lina's direction and says, "Oh, class, this is Lina. She just transferred here from Zephilia. I'm sure you all know her, because after all, Amelia is very hyperactive."
There are some murmurs of agreement. Apparently, Amelia gets on everyone's nerves.
The only available seat is next to Zelgadis, which increases Lina's suspicions about him. Nevertheless, she sits over there and prepares her pencil to take notes.
"You're an odd one," a quiet baritone voice says.
Lina glances to her left and tilts her head in curiosity. Zelgadis is the one who spoke. "What do you mean?"
"Your aura."
She inhales sharply; only people with a capability to use magic can read auras, and nowadays those people are rare. Lina slips into the Astral Plane and glances at him again. His aura is enormous, almost filling up half the room, and blue-black.
Lina nods in his direction. "Yours is strange, too."
The short conversation ends at that, and she tries to focus on class. If Zelgadis can read auras, how many others can?
The hours 'til lunch pass rather uneventfully, aside from Lina hearing some distasteful gossip about her. She finds that Zelgadis is in each of her classes, which is mildly surprising. Maybe the school board is trying to see if she can get him to open up?
Lunch comes at last, and, after eating, Lina approaches Filia.
"Oh, hi, Lina," the blonde says, pushing her glasses up. (And true to form, a mace is hanging from her hip.)
"You've been talking about me?" Lina says calmly, trying to tone her anger down enough so she doesn't scare Filia.
"Well, of course. You are the new girl, after all. Who wouldn't expect me to spread gossip?"
Lina's eyes narrow. "Filia, I don't like Zelgadis, and he doesn't like me."
Filia rolls her eyes. "Please, Lina. Zelgadis hasn't talked to anyone in...forever, aside from Gourry and that piece of garbage, Xellos, and that's only because Zel takes pity on Gourry for his stupidity and Xellos teases him to no end. I would know, because I dated him in seventh grade, two years ago." Her brow creases. "He used to be one of the most popular kids in school because of how easily everyone could get along with him, even if he was a little shy. It took forever to get him to ask me out. But anyway, Zelgadis used to hang out with everyone until one day he didn't come to school. And he had never missed a single day of school in his entire life, so everyone was surprised. He called me after school and said he was breaking up with me. He sounded terrible, so I asked what was wrong. He never replied; he simply hung up. Then, last year, he started covering his face up and wearing different clothes. No one knows what happened, not even me. I tried to contact his parents, but Zelgadis always picked up and said they weren't home." Filia sighs, but then retains to her usual self as Lina sits down next to her with a concerned look. "Anyway, Lina, he rarely talks to anyone, and he never talks to the new girl on the first day she comes. So that's why I started that rumor. I think he likes you, Lina."
Filia seems to pause for a second before frowning and adding, "And Lina, you should be careful. Too many people around here can read auras. Be sure to hide yours well."
Lina nods as they both stand up from the table and begin to leave the lunch room. Already, Amelia, a raven-haired girl named Sylphiel, and Zelgadis have all warned her about it. She knows that she should be careful, but why stress over it? Why is everyone so worried for her?
Lina, for the second time today, slips her vision into the Astral Plane and glances down at herself, gasping.
Her aura is golden with black splotches, and surprisingly, almost as large as Zelgadis'; compared to Filia's, which is rather small and blue, Lina looks like a magical genius. She'd say she is, but she really isn't that great of a sorceress. She has only gleaned a few spells from textbooks so far, such as Fireball and Elmekia Lance. Other than that, she didn't have enough time or resources before leaving her home town, Zephilia, to study the other spells.
These thoughts only took up a few seconds as Lina whispers breathlessly, "Whoa. I knew I had a lot of firepower, but..."
Filia agrees, "You're special, Lina. No one like you has been here ever since the battle between Shabranigdo and Ceipheed, almost 5,000 years ago. That's when the Lord of Nightmares came as an ordinary girl to this school."
"Wait..." Lina's eyes widen enough to pop out of their sockets. "You were there?"
"I believe so. We were good friends before she realized her destiny. She stood in that very spot once, and I should know. I have a photographic memory."
"Filia...how old are you?"
"Um...five-thousand eighteen, why?"
"And you went out with a teenager?"
Filia blushes. "Well, you've gotta stay young somehow, right? The only person my age around here is that stalker, Xellos."
Lina frowns. "But you dated a thirteen year old."
"Lina, we're done with this conversation..." Filia glances away.
"Filia! You dated a teenager! You're, like, five-hundred times his age!"
"Lina, we are done with this conversation!"
"Oh, yes, Filia, you are. I just started a new one." A man with purple hair says calmly, walking up behind her and smiling.
"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU STUPID PIECE OF RAW GARBAGE! I DO NOT LIKE YOU!" Filia screams, filling the whole cafeteria with her yelling.
Sylphiel cheers, "Yay, Filia! Beat the heck out of Xellos!" as Filia picks up her mace and begins to hit Xellos across the face with it. The purple-haired stalker simply smiles through it, though he does wince a few times.
"Is this a daily routine or something?" Lina asks Amelia, who is busy sweatdropping.
"Yeah, Filia often beats Xellos up. And everyone knows he's powerful, but he never lays a finger on her. He simply goes off to the emergency room and appears unscathed the next day," the president's daughter replies. "He has a similar relationship with Zelgadis, but Zel has never been seen physically harming anyone. All he ever does is simply whisper a few words, and suddenly Xellos is being carted to the emergency room. In fact, Filia, Xellos and Zelgadis are the three main reasons we even did construction for an emergency room."
Lina rubs her temples, sighing. "The second I get home, I'm going to bed."
"Miss Lina, do you even have a home yet?" Amelia asks innocently.
The redhead then slaps the very temple she was rubbing. "No, I guess I'll have to play 'roomies' with someone."
"Well, I hear that Filia, Mister Gourry, and Zelgadis all have their own homes, but Filia often wakes up at three a.m. to smack Xellos in the face, and Mister Gourry wakes up even earlier to practice swordplay. So..."
"I am not asking Zelgadis if I can stay with him, you hear me?!" Lina growls, grabbing Amelia by the shirt collar and shaking her until the bell rings.
"Oh, no! I'm late again!"
Lina sweatdrops.
The fiery redhead sighs quietly. She is, once again, sitting next to Zelgadis, in eighth hour. She has gotten quite desperate, as she is going back on that promise to Amelia, but since the teacher has ordered utter silence, Lina is resorting to a note.
Can I stay at your place while I'm searching for an apartment?
Lina passes the note successfully, and, after reading it, Zelgadis glances at her, obviously surprised. He stares for a moment before writing a reply in neat cursive.
Only if you don't mind.
Mind...what?
Seeing my face around every morning. It's what scared the teachers.
Now Lina stares at him in surprise. Really? she writes.
Not this teacher, though. I'm pretty sure she's a cannibal.
You're kidding.
Does she look like I'm kidding?
Lina looks at the teacher, who is eyeing a particularly fat student hungrily.
Okay, you have a point. But what's so bad about your face? You look fine to me.
Meet me near the cafeteria in fifteen minutes.
The second Lina finishes reading it, the bell rings and Zelgadis picks up his books and leaves the room. She smiles. The great Lina Inverse is about to discover why everyone is so afraid of Zelgadis, why he's always covered up. Lina smirks smugly. And on my first day, too.
Zelgadis checks his watch for the tenth time and frowns. Fifteen 'til four. Lina's late.
He grumbles, "She wanted to meet me here, the least she could do is..."
"Hey, Zelgadis! Sorry I'm late; I couldn't get my locker open." Lina waves to him from the far end of the hall. No one else is there. They left long ago.
"Fine, but next time, I'll leave without you."
"Aw, don't be such a killjoy! Where's your sense of humor?"
"I lost it a couple years ago. Now hurry up." Zelgadis leads her into the school parking lot, where there's a dark silver car sitting in a reserved parking space. He presses a button on the door and said doors open upwards automatically. "We have a thirty minute drive to my house," he says, then adding, "Normally, I would've been home by now..."
Lina sticks her lower lip out. "Well, excuuuse me, princess. It's my first day."
Did she seriously just call me a princess?
"Whatever. Come on, we don't have all day. I have a life, you know."
"Really? Based on what Filia and Amelia said, you don't seem to have a life..."
Zelgadis stiffens at mention of Filia. How much has that crazy blonde shared with her? I hope she didn't...
Lina smirks, "Ooh, sore spot, huh? Should I just pretend Filia doesn't exist, your Royal Highness?"
"Will you please shut up? I'm driving here, and your endless chatter doesn't help matters." So help me, if I have to stay in an enclosed space with her for more than forty-five minutes, I. Will. Go. CRAZY!
Lina smiles and says, "Hey, Zelgadis? Why is the sky blue?"
"It was something about blue and red air molecules. I've got a book on it, and the sooner you stop talking the sooner we get home, which means you can figure it out yourself. Are you going to ask why the ocean is blue, too?"
"No, that's a silly question!" Lina says idly, instead asking, "Why is your hand blue?"
Zelgadis stiffens and shoots a glare at her, silencing the redhead immediately. Lina doesn't want to be on the receiving end of one of those spells of his. After a split second when she was sure they would crash, Zelgadis begins glaring at the road instead.
"Lucky for you," he says quietly, "I don't like violence."
"Yeah..." Lina whispers back. "Lucky me..."
As the two reach an old, abandoned road, Zelgadis finally says, "Feel free to look around the house, but the closed doors are all off-limits. I'll know if you open them, as I put a ward on each of them to keep invaders from getting in." He smirks at her disappointed expression. "If you think I'm hiding something, you are correct. It took a long time to obtain most of the objects in those rooms, and I would prefer you not touch or go anywhere near them." He glances at her for a split second as they turn onto a gravelly driveway. "I'm being perfectly honest with you, Lina. I'm not stupid. You could probably see through a lie as if it were transparent."
"How would you know that?" the redhead asks indignantly. "For all you know, I may be terrible at telling whether someone lies or not."
"No, it's in your nature, Lina." His reply shocks both of them.
How did I...?
How did he...?
They glance at each other and frown just as Zelgadis parks the car and stops it.
Strange...I feel as if I've known her forever...
Lina stares at him thoughtfully for a few moments. I feel like I've known him forever...