Shattered Calm
Prologue: The Relocation of Bramblewood's Academy
Bramblewood's Academy was an undercover place that taught special people. People who could make objects levitate or blend in with the background. No one really knows where it is, some might think it is in Italy or France, Spain or Germany. They only no that no one who searched for it had come back, until now. Explorer Aisling Von Sinch had searched for Bramblewood's Academy and come back . . . successfully! She located it in the eastern part of Massachusetts hidden in the sloping canopy of the woods. Explorer Von Sinch announced her discovery to the world. Bramblewood's Academy was relocated from when it was lost long ago. Explorer Von Sinch told fantastic stories of the fantastic things the people boarding Bramblewood's Academy. But doing so she set a colossal group of treasure hunters who thought that a bunch of magic people would be useful.
Part One
Bramblewood's Academy
Chapter 1
Messes: Syrup, Milk, Tests and Chance's Room
All Perri Winston and Chance Uglio liked to do was hate each other and play practical pranks on each other. Perri carried her lunch tray to Table 7 at Shady Hollow Middle School. She sat in between Celeste Carson and Chantal Jackson, her right-hand generals/best friends/bunk-mates. Celeste and Chantal were her generals in the war that had been going on at every year. Chance was the kind of person who Perri just really disliked, so Perri went to war with her. The pranks were always the headlines in Shady Hollow Buzz, the school newspaper. The rest of the kids in the the school always bought a copy every other day, I mean, some of the pranks were really exciting.
"Here's the list," said Celeste automatically as Perri neared. She gave her a slip of paper with the recipe for disaster and 'ingredients' that Perri would give Chance and her right-hand woman/best friends/bunk-mates, Jenessa and Jaylen's, room.
"The 'ingredients' are in my room, from Saturday's breakfast," Chantal added. She brushed a lock of her long brown hair out of her hazel eyes. Perri smiled and swiped her long, straight brown hair into a ponytail she tucked over her right shoulder.
"Then let's get this pre-party started." Perri took a plastic bag from her olive green backpack and slipped her lunch into it. "For a little bit of pizazz," she said, answering her friends questioning stares. Celeste and Chantal walked over to a table to stack theirs and Perri's tray while Perri went to her locker in the Seventh Wing, just outside of the Cafeteria. Celeste followed closely by Chantal joined her as Perri shut her locker.
"Got the keys," Perri whispered. She glanced at the, reading the number engraved on it that symbolized where Chance's level, the second the wing, the third the area, and the fourth was the hall, and the last number distinguished that room from all others. The actual number was carved into the wood of the door.
"Come on," Celeste said, heading in the direction of the Fourth Wing. Chantal and Perri ran to catch up with Celeste, who was running as well. Chantal squished her hands over her ear as the hollow echoing of the three girls' feet filled her ears like a roaring wave.
"Two-hundred ninety-six, two-hundred ninety-seven, two-hundred ninety-eight, two-hundred ninety-nine, three-hundred!" Perri said as she reached the second to last stair.
"I . . . Don't know . . . How . . . Chance can . . . Stand this," Celeste gasped, slumping against the dark-brown wall.
"I understand your pain, guys, but let's move on," Perri proposed, standing up and going through a hall marked 'Area 7'. She as lead into yet another room with halls branching off of it, this was called 'Lobby 7', the lobby for Area 7. She and her two friends walked through a hall with '5' engraved on it.
"44751, 44752, 44753, 44754 . . ." Chantal chanted, looking at the numbers, until she reached the last door, "44760." Perri slipped the metal key into the lock and pressed her ear against the door to hear a faint click. She nodded at her friends.
"We have access," Perri stated. Chance opened the door and Perri stepped in, fumbling through her plastic bag, bringing out bottles of Maple Syrup Super, Super Sticky. Celeste helped Perri on Chantal's back where she poured syrup over the fan directly over it.
"This is payback!" Perri grunted under her breath. Chance had soaked them with a stash of the maple syrup Perri was using. Then Celeste stole some and Perri intended to give Cnhhaer own medicine.
"Don't just stand there! Tap the door!" Chantal hissed at Celeste who scurried over to the plastic bag and pulled a large spool of course string. Perri rolled her eyes as she got down; those girls never stopped fighting. Chance took a few small water balloons from the bag but Perri stopped her.
"Don't do that. When it hits Chance the syrup will come off."
"True," Chance replied.
"I got the door tapped," called Celeste from the door. Celeste had strung some string from the door to the switch that turned the fan on, making it so that when the door was pushed from the outside the fan went on, spraying extra super sticky syrup.
"Here," Perri offered a bottle of soap to Chantal instead. "Put this on the floor."
"Okay," Chantal said, accepting the bottle and she started to soak the floor with soap.
"Celeste, Chantal! I got the rest, okay? Go to the courtyard and turn left. There will be a window on your right, it's that one. Enjoy the show," Perri said, hurrying the girls out the door.
"Wait, Perri. How are you going to get to the lunchroom in time?" Celeste asked. Perri smiled and said nothing. Perri shut the door and extracted the rest of the materials out of her bag and grinned. Her legs suddenly moved at the speed of lightning and worked swiftly. When she was done Perri sprinted out of the room, picking up speed until she was an unnoticeable blur. Her vision kept up with her speed, and Perri smiled when she saw Chance. Perri moved quicker that ever and very precisely dropped the key into Chance's open bag.
Chapter 2
Power Play
"I don't know what to do with Pear-y and her sidekicks, okay!" Chance said for the thousandth time to Jenessa. She rounded the corner and strode down the hall until the last room. Chance fumbled through her bag and pulled out her key. Chance slipped it into the lock and pushed. Jaylen's mouth dropped open like an underfed dog staring at a piece of chicken. String was wound around the room, weaving intricately in and out of the roof beams like spiderwebs. Jenessa looked up just in time to see a huge bucket drop some thick golden-brown liquid on the three girls. Chance, thinking quickly, shut the door. The bucket snapped up but all of the liquid had fallen. The liquid soaked the trio, Chance in particular. Chance slipped on the floor and set a chain reaction by knocking Jenessa who then knocked Jaylen. As they slid across the floor Jaylen grabbed onto a string that hung from the ceiling, trying to slow her uncontrolled sliding, but failed when the string snapped. The three hit the wall with a gasp.
"Chance, I'm stuck," Jenessa pointed out, struggling against the sticky goo. Chance suddenly remembered her dignity and struggled against the substance. She, Chance Uglio, aka C-U, or, by Perri, Ugly-o, was glued to her own wall being pelted by freezing cold water balloons that either had more syrup in it or ice water with ice cubes. The water soon wore away the goo that stuck Chance, Jenessa and Jaylen to the wall. Chance peeled herself away from the wall, smoke was coming from her hair, literally. Momentarily Chance's hair caught on fire. Jenessa backed away as she always did when Chance's hair smoked. The other reason that Chance and Perri hated each other was pride. Ever since Bramblewood's Academy's location was revealed Chance and Perri felt open to use their powers, and then their hate became more then a game; a struggle to see who was better. Chance's eyes blazed like a blue diamond set on fire, if it was possible.
"That. Girl. Is. The. Utmost. Awful. Person. In. The. World!" Chance seethed, saying each word slowly and deliberately. Chnace marched to the other side of her dorm and pulled a T-shirt and a pair of pants. Chance then stomped into the plain bathroom and gave a short, high-pitched shriek. Her hair started to spark and Chance leaped away from the wooden rocking chair she was sitting on so that her hair which had flamed up would not cause a fire. When Chance's temper came to a halt, she felt her hair grow heavier as misture from the air gathered in it's strands. Chance hated her dirty-blond head. It broad casted her every emotion. Her power, as it is, was elements. She specialized in fire because her emotions were more compassionate. Water and earth only happened when she was sad, happy (wind happened often) or excited. No, Chance was a girl of action. she sat back down in the rocker and started to think, clouding up everything but her burning desire for revenge. Then it hit her. As she thought about it, then condensation disappeared and her hair grew fuzzy and green; moss. If Perri wanted to have a power play she got one. Why not put her power to use?
Chapter 3
Framed
Chance awoke to her alarm ringing like a siren. She slapped her hand on the snooze button and felt her excitement rise as well as her hair turning to moss. Power play, power play, power play . . . Those words echoed in her mind, constantly sounding and constantly pushing at the bearer's mind, as well . . .
Chance flipped her covers off, snapping her feet off the bed. She hopped over silently to the bathroom and locked the door. Chance turned the the cold water on and leaned over the sink to wash the dark circles from under her hallow eyes away. She then changed out of her white nightgown and slipped on a loose black shirt and striped leggings. Chance leaned even further and got her moss hair wet, but her hair absorbed it and now it looked silken smooth. She grabbed a tube of toothpaste and smeared some on the bristles of her toothbrush. As she massaged her teeth a knock sounded on the door.