A/N: Weird weirdness, I haven't done anything in so long. Anyway, are disclaimers still even a thing? Whatever, I own nothing.
Oh and I don't speak English natively, so sorry for weird phrasing at times.
On a shelf
And if we take all these things and we bury them fast and pray that they turn from seeds to roots and then grass…
If anything I've learned that first days do quite tend to suck.
Especially when you're transferring into senior year and are way behind in the curriculum.
Oh and before I forget to mention it, it's even worse when it's a double-curriculum school for mages.
Yes, mages.
Going into detail would be a waste, there's several thousands of years worth of history that's been drilled into my head but what really matters is that there's few of us, the humans know we exist, and like with any minority there are small clusters of humans that want us dead, and the rest just sort of ignores us.
As I gaze at the very modern, human looking –seriously, my mom would have a fit if she saw this architecture in a magic school- building, I sigh, Hello new life.
Here we're supposed to develop our powers and learn human stuff just in case one of us wants to live like one of them –yeah, like that happens more than once every millennia-.
I'm up to date with the human stuff- thankfully 'cause anything but chemistry is boring- but my magic theory sucks, that's not to say I can't put up a good fight, just that I'll warp energy around you perfectly and I'll still have no idea how my inner energy fluctuated to create that effect.
And that's basics, like freshman year basics.
I walk inside, feeling like a caged mouse all of a sudden.
One of the things I've always loved about myself is that I can tune the world out, so while I walk through the hallways of this place I manage not to notice any of the people that look at me.
New faces aren't common in our society.
Talking about faces, a few catch my attention when I get to the classroom, a few guys - at least there are some handsome men here- and this one peroxide blonde girl that looks at me like she wants to curse me with some pretty nasty fate –she looks fun to mess with-.
Our teacher is some gangly guy in a blue robe of the type that no one has ever worn since at least two hundred years ago, his name sounds like Freeze, I guess, I was distracted.
He presents me- by my rather horrible first name- and prompts me to greet the class myself, though I'd prefer to keep my contact to any of these beings to a minimum I'd rather not pique their interest with pretend shyness.
It's not like I won't be out of here as soon as I find a way to give my mother's spells the slip.
"My name's Aline Thropp, yes, that guy" I gesture towards the teacher "Called me Sarah, it's my first name. Call me Aline anyway" some blonde guy sitting on the first row grimaces at my tone and looks at me like he was just got handed a box with a rabid chinchilla in it – he's one of the ones I set my sights on no less- I smirk, guess I found the class rep.
"G-good Miss Thropp You can take a seat behind Nathaniel" The teacher stammers pointing at the blonde guy "He's our student council president, and will help you out while you get settled."
So he's the student council president? Close enough.
Mr Fsomething starts speaking; apparently we start Monday and Thursday mornings with magic history, which already has me thinking that I'll fall asleep more often than not. As I said before, I know a fair bit about history –my dad's a magic historian- and despite this –or maybe due to this, who knows- it bores me immensely.
True to my initial appreciation thirty minutes later I'm dozing off on my desk while side eyeing a cute guy with blue hair that's sitting two rows to my left, his pink eyes meet mine and he smiles, quickly scribbling something in a piece of paper and using a spell so it glides gently to my desk.
'Sup Aline, I'm Alexy
Having nothing to do I write back
Well Alexy, I'm awfully bored.
The note glides to him and I try to turn my attention to the board, apparently we are studying the peace treaties with humans and all subsequent reformations.
Which pretty much means boring bureaucracy without even the witch hunts to spice things up, and everything being numbered very specifically.
Yes, I am a slightly bitter person.
Something nudges me in the leg; I look down to find the note from Alexy.
Me too, I was about to doze off but my brother beat me to it, and we have this deal that one of us has to be awake in case the teachers ask something.
I raise an eyebrow, he's a talkative one. There's also a little drawing of what looks like a black haired Alexy beside the word brother.
And indeed, when I turn to the side I realize that on Alexy's other side is someone with a very similar haircut and his head buried in his arms.
So I take it I don't want to get caught sleeping?
The note gets back in record time.
It's not that big of a deal with Mr Faraize, but the rest will give you detention.
Well now I know the teacher's name.
And I guess detention here is not being locked up in a room while doing nothing.
Alexy snickers at my note, I know I'm displaying my limited knowledge of magic schools, but it's not like I haven't been living among humans for a while, so why hide it?
It really depends, but no, if it was like that I could at least listen to music, but believe me; you don't want to help inventory the potions lab, or the manuscripts in the library.
The conversation ends up deviating into music-turns out Alexy and I have a few human bands in common- and eventually to just making little jokes at all of the old mages that just had to speak very pompously in official documents that Mr Faraize started reading aloud.
I do admit that my jokes were quite a bit more acidic than Alexy's, who seems like a genuinely sweet person even if I've technically not talked to him.
As class ends-finally- I find my ear being talked off by the energetic blue haired man, while his brother stands sleepily next to us.
Armin has Black hair and blue eyes and he is a little bit taller than his brother, aside from that they are identical.
He's also apparently big on human's games.
While I'm not much of a video game fan, I do have a thing for resident evil and we find ourselves chattering about that, so much that Alexy has to interrupt us so that we can show up to the next class –chemistry, which is frankly, a relief-.
The chemistry classroom is on the third floor of the building, we walk up the stairs while fumbling with our lab coats. Alexy chooses just that moment to bring up the worst question possible.
"Ali, you're Jonathan Thropp's daughter right?"
I freeze up, I do like my dad, but I hate talking about either side of my family. For that I have my reasons, but it's nearly impossible to avoid, since magic is only transmitted by paternal bloodline, so most last names are well known. I sigh, turning my head to the wall length window on the side of the stairs. "Yeah"
"Oh" Another thing about Alexy is, he's very perceptive, so he drops the topic "And say, are you any good at chemi-"
But Armin apparently is not as perceptive as his brother; he pauses his game and looks up at me with his bright blue eyes "So you are the one that- Ow Alex!"
Alexy regards him innocently, like his elbow didn't just connect with Armin's ribs "What? We both really need the help in organic chemistry"
Armin grumbles something inaudible, apparently getting the hint, he follows the conversation "I just blew the thing up once."
"Uh huh, that's why we need the help."
I smile "You tried to heat it with magic didn't you?"
Armin flushes "It's just so slow; I don't see how humans have so much patience"
"I'll lend you a hand next time then"
"Really?!" Alexy beams up at me and his brother smiles.
"Yeah chem's probably the only human subject that I like though, well that and lit, so you two can lend me a hand with the rest"
Armin smiles "Sure"
We arrive at the classroom, a bit behind schedule, and when we go in the teacher's already taking assistance, she glares at us thoroughly as we walk inside quietly, we quickly find some vacant seats at the back of the lab and I distantly I remember that I forgot to ask what they are taking their emphasis in.
Which also reminds me that I haven't chosen it yet.
Oh well, I have until twelve to turn that paperwork in.
The teacher finishes taking assistance and stares at me; she's a stern looking woman with short brown hair and eyes the color of a tropical sea.
"Very well Miss Tropp, considering your circumstances, I believe it won't be advantageous to have you seat so far back" She shoots a glare at Alexy and he looks at me apologetically, I'm pretty sure that she's more annoyed by who I'm sitting with than where "Since it's the first class of the year and partners haven't been chosen yet. I'm designating Mr Nathaniel as your lab partner. Trusting that he doesn't object"
Her gaze drifts to the blonde young man from history class, who is again sitting in first row "I don't mind ma'am"
Suddenly I think I'm developing a headache, by the look he gives me, I'm sure he is too.
I sit beside him, not bothering to talk as the teacher explains what we are doing today- every pair is supposed to choose a chemical compound off a list and make a little of it using molarity equations to determine efficiency-.
Nathaniel and I set out to work with wary gazes at one another.
"You haven't submitted your emphasis form yet right?"
Well, he just had to start with the wrong foot "Nope" I smile
This irritates him; just as I thought it would "Do you plan on turning it in?"
I smile wider, this one's fun to tease "May-be" he gets a little ted around the cheeks.
"So you probably don't know what to put in. Don't worry It's nor-"
At that, I laugh. Interrupting him I say "Or maybe I'm just a big procrastinator"
The red tint on his cheeks extends to his ears "That's just being irresponsible, don't you think?"
"Huh? Then what is your emphasis Mr president?" I say while weighing the carbon " Have you had it picked out since forever?"
He passes me a vat with hydrochloric acid "My emphasis is in Runes. I chose it last year"
"Ah, that suits you." I put the vat over the burner and look at him.
Noticing that I'm trying to avoid the issue, he speaks up again"Not turning that in delays everybody else's paperwork"
"Which I'm sure you are responsible for."
He nods, slightly startled, I pull out the form from my bag and brusquely scribble in the vacant space for the emphasis.
I don't have very marked preferences, but I do know that I'm not going to be training in either foresight or nature magic.
Defense is not quite to my calling either, and decryption packs too much history for me to ever be able to like it, so do runes.
I'm not much of a healer either- though I do know some stuff about it- I'm neither empathic nor self sacrificing.
That still leaves me with quite a few options. I could go for combat, compound magic- which is said to be very hard- in depth study of two elements, transformative spells or potion making.
Eventually I go for the Elements- fire and air- it just about makes sense, I still get to do combat and maybe compound down the road, and the career options down the road are more varied.
Nathaniel is still watching me wide eyed when I hand the form to him with a flourish "Here you go Mr President, as you asked. You'll spare me the trip to the student council room won't you?"
He gets even redder "I must remind you that I'm not here to serve you" his voice is rougher "Even if you are a Thro-"
I interrupt him again, this time with a lower voice "It's just a favor for your fellow classmate don't you think?"
He raises a golden eyebrow. "Then shouldn't you ask accordingly?"
"Well then, please take this to the student council room for me?" the annoyed tinge in my voice is evident, but it doesn't seem to bother him
"Alright, Miss Thropp" I grimace at being called by my last name.
"Oh and could you pull out the vat? It's just about done evaporating"
I giggle as I watch him fumble with the tongs, he manages to not break the crystal contraption and I turn off the burner.
Revenge.
On the back of the classroom two consecutive explosions are heard.
We turn around, as I had expected, one is Alexy and Armin's. The other belongs to an eastern looking girl and the blonde that gave me the evil eye in history.
"Amber" Nathaniel dashes to her, though she's very much alright. People not wearing protective spells can't come into the lab –literally, there's a barrier around it that detects the spells and won't allow you to enter unprotected, Alexy helped me with mine as we were coming in-.
The blonde girl- Amber apparently- however, starts crying.
Nathaniel lifts her up and asks the teacher id he can take her to the infirmary.
The woman rolls her eyes, clearly not buying into the –very fake- tears "Leave her and be back in five minutes"
Huh, I wonder if they're from a powerful family, for all of her stern demeanor, she gave in surprisingly easily.
As Nathaniel carries the blonde girl outside, I could swear that she gives me a very malicious look.
Someone comes up behind me, a girl with very pretty long white hair; she scoffs "That witch… Well, you know what I mean" She smiles, golden eyes crinkling "I'm Rosalya, and don't worry, she's just his sister. "
I look at her with a mild expression "Oh" I smile "Then I pity him. I'm Aline, you weren't in history, were you?"
The girl giggles coyly, pushing her hair over one shoulder "I stayed the night at my boyfriend's and overslept, I guess"
Isn't she sincere? Still, she's not dull and I find myself actually enjoying the budding conversation. With a grunt I answer "Might take a page out of your book, next time" I give her a knowing look "in the oversleeping I mean"
"I just don't see why we have to know history" Her laugh is like wind chimes.
"Just my thoughts" I came into this school just a few hours ago planning to be as antisocial as possible, but maybe it won't be too bad if I make one or two friends like this. "So, what does your boyfriend do?"
"He's a designer of clothes. With magic of course." She seems pretty proud of him "Say, I'll take you to the shop one of these days if-"
"Rosa-" Someone else comes up to us, he is a tall man with black and with hair and yellow and green eyes.
They look alike, even the regal air around them manages to be similar, although he is wearing Victorian styled clothing- and pulling it off, even with his uncommon hair colors, not to talk about his eyes- while she 's dressed more normally.
"Oh, is this your brother?"
They both laugh, and the man's laugh while obviously deeper is also similar to hers, joyous, and lightly metallic "In a sense, you could say so" She looks at him "He's my boyfriend's brother"
"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss, I am known as Lysander Galvan"
Well, even his speech is a little classical, though that's not a bad thing, having him use slang while dressed like that would probably be far weirder "My name's Aline" I smile at him, he is quite interesting "I'm taking a wild guess that you also overslept"
He smiles "Rather, I forgot about the class. I was writing" He blushes a little "Rosa reminded me that we had to come when she woke up"
"You did peg me as a writer"
Rosa leans into his shoulder "Oh he is, and he also sings and composes and-" A red faced Lysander claps a hand over Rosalya's mouth, he stares at me.
"It is not much…"
Oh, interesting. Apparently that my senior year won't be quite as boring as I'd thought, even as just friends, most of the people I've met seem quite amusing.
"I'd like to hear that" I lift my grey eyes to his bi-colored ones "If it won't bother you"
"A friend and I have a band, maybe we'll have a gig at some point."
As I am about to answer, Nathaniel comes back into the room, and the teacher announces that she will begin checking over our results on five minutes.
Lysander and Rosa hurry back to their table, and Nathaniel comes closer, I sneak a glance at him as I bend over to start on the written part of the assignment.
"Was that your girlfriend or something?" I like messing with people, I always have, and for some reason Nathaniel is such a delicious prey.
He stops in his tracks and shudders, probably imagining it "No, gods no, she's my sister"
"Ah, ok" I smirk "I figured since you offered to take her outside when she obviously wasn't hurt…"
He shoots a disturbed glance at me and I push the paper and pen towards him with the first two equations solved. Rubbing his temples he bends down and reads my results "Well, you're good at this. And please don't give me any more disturbing mental images."
The laugh that bubbles up my throat has no sarcasm, which is a feat in itself. "Ah Nat, you're fun to mess with" I laugh a bit more "And thanks I guess, I actually like chemistry"
I can sense the disbelief coming from him "Please don't call me that"
My laughter turns into a smirk "Nat?"
He just stares at me, like he expects me to apologize or retract, and for a moment it's almost like he'll retort in an annoyed fashion but he seems to think it over and decides for another strategy "Yes, that exactly." And I swear there's a glint in his eye then- like the light in my cats' eyes when he's about to do something evil- "Sarah"
A vein pops in my forehead, fucking name. "Don't call me that."
He smiles malevolently.
Kitty has claws… So much more fun to play with.
The teacher comes by our table, she looks more than a little pissed off, apparently more than one pair used magic to help things along.
She's got a mean revealing spell.
Suddenly I'm glad that chemistry is my one good subject.
"Lets see Miss Thropp, Mr Stanbury" She chants the magic revealing spell, obviously it comes out negative. While she checks our results my mind is piecing the puzzle together, I was right about Nathaniel's family, they're both powerful and pretty much ancient.
That also explains why his sister has an air of being a total miscreant. Thankfully he isn't like her or I'd be stuck with being very annoyed in the one class I actually want to take.
Out of the window the day is shrouded in thin grey clouds, it probably won't rain, but we're not in for a sunny afternoon either. I wonder if elemental practice is done outdoors…
The teacher's voice snaps me out of my daydream. "Well done" She seems surprised, but I guess that's better that it'd be if I got her to hate me so early in the semester. "This was just a preliminary test however, I assure you I'll keep on challenging you in both of my classes"
As she moves past us I scoot over and whisper to Nathaniel "What else does she dictate?
His eyes are clearly chiding me for not bothering to read my schedule "Potions"
"Oh"
After she fails at least half the class, she lets us go. I have recess next, though Armin and Alexy bolt out of the room to attend beast studies, and Nathaniel excuses himself hurriedly, muttering something about paperwork.
I find myself exiting the room with Rosa and Lysander, who share the early recess hour – well, Lysander does, I'm not that sure about Rosa-.
"What are you guys doing your emphasis in?" Mostly I ask out of curiosity, though there's also the fact that I'm probably going to have to talk to even more new people.
"I'm doing Foresight, and Lys is in Compound magic" Rosalya says "Though I'm just going to work with Leigh when I graduate, there wasn't an emphasis in fashion."
Whoa, Lysander must be pretty dedicated though, as far as I've heard compound magic is one of the hardest Emphases, it mixes runes with transformative spells and usually nature energy, it can be amazingly powerful, but amazingly difficult to control.
We walk out into the courtyard and sit at the foot of a tree. There are magic grown flowers everywhere, every human flower type in colors that humans can't produce and even some purely magic plants growing like parasites on the upper branches of the tree –though those are heavily poisonous, eh, the school healer must have the antidote, or they'd have probably removed them-.
The slight cold prickling at my arms and the scenery give me an Idea though.
I turn towards Lysander and Rosalya, who've been quietly conversing while I daydreamed –I'm still not fully convinced they're not siblings though- "Say, do you guys mind if I smoke?"
Rosa's nose scrunches up "Well, no. Just do it downwind"
Lysander just looks at me "I don't mind, one of my friends is always doing it"
"Oh, thanks" I sit a little more to the right, just in the way of the wind and light one up.
Yes, it is a pretty nasty habit. I'm not quitting anyway.
Close by an engine roars to a stop, Lysander's smile widens. "Speak of the devil"
I perk up a bit, smoking buddies do not quite grow on trees, also, if this is also the same friend who is in the band he could prove to be interesting. "Your friend?"
But by the time I ask there is someone behind me already, I can feel the presence without even having to focus.
Lysander stands and shakes the man's hand, and I turn around to look at him. Slightly shorter than Lysander but with broader shoulders, the man standing above me has bright red hair, probably dyed –takes one to know one I guess- and charcoal grey eyes. He dresses the most like a human that I've seen today, in leather and band t-shirts.
"Who's the little girl?" And there goes a good first impression.
Rosa and I rise to our feet; she salutes him with a peck on the cheek while I stand aside with my head tilted to one sight and a burning cigarette.
Finally he turns to look at me, I smirk "Who are you calling a little girl?" I can feel his eyes drift to my chest, and if I wasn't already so used to it, I'd have probably made some snarky comment about it. But that would be admitting that he got to me and I can already tell that he's the teasing kind, so that's a no.
"I guess not." Well having big breasts is good, for once, though I'm not sure how good it can be considered in this particular situation
We're both quiet then, looks like he's not gonna bother asking for my name "I'm Aline"
"Castiel Rowe" He frowns-and it's another great household name, do all kids from elite families attend here?-"You on our next class? Aline Nolastname"
I don't even know what my next class is; hurriedly I pull my schedule out of my jacket's inner pocket. "It's Aline Thropp, and I guess I am if you all have decryption and ancient languages."
"'t's go then" He says gruffly, lighting a cigarette of his own with the flick of a finger, it emanates a surprising quantity of smoke which starts curling around all of us.
High affinity to fire huh?
The four of us step towards the school building.
We are in time for class, and for this one, there's not much to say, Half an hour in finds both me and Castiel asleep from all of the history, even though languages are kind of cool.
Then comes enchantments, which, frankly is awesome but has the creepiest professor I've ever seen, she's a middle aged woman whose sole presence makes all go stiff and quiet in our chairs.
The day goes by quickly, I have lunch with Armin and Alexy when Rosa announces that she's going to Leigh's –her boyfriend, apparently- and Lysander and Castiel have some stuff to do off campus.
I have Philosophy next –human, again- In which I am apparently alone –well Castiel's on the list but he never showed up- and thus I spend it drawing the other students in my notebook.
By three I'm dead tired though it's not like I've done much, but I'm not accustomed to being awake in the mornings so maybe it's that.
I still have to go to Emphasis though, and I can't say that I'd like to skip because I'm really curious as to what my classmates can do.
Draining the last of a coffee cup, I walk into the building where we have emphasis, it's newer and even more modern looking than the main, with an air of majesty to its sinuous curves that speaks volumes of the architect, and many traces of magic left by the hundreds of people that train in it day by day.
Elementals Is done on the terrace. Rosalya warned me that they do a bit of an initiation test.
Hah, bring it on.
And if the sky opened up and started pouring rain, like it knew that it was time to start things over again...
Why am I starting a series?
This is the byproduct of too much coffee and lack of sleep, as well as a hyperactive imagination.
The rating will change at some point.
There will be a pairing, though with whom? Even I don't know
Seriously I don't
I hope it wasn't too OOC
Oh and Alexy is gay in this story, Aline's just taking a while to catch up
Thanks for reading ~