Wow you're still reading? u amazing specimen u

jk read more pls ;-; I swear it only gets better! (isn't that what they all say? xd)

Ignis (3rd person now, idk why… pls ask the me three years ago sorry)

She gripped her katanas tightly, as if they were going to slip out of her hands any moment. It was all she could do as she tried to soothe the Grimm she was riding, its wings beating in synchronization with the wind. Activating some hidden mechanism, her katanas broke into pieces and curved, turning into a scythe like weapon. Using them, she hooked them around the Nevermore's wings, pulling on the left wing to swerve right.

Ignis Scorpio was a mutation. She used to be a normal girl, but her family sold her to Eclipse Laboratories, who experimented on her until she was no longer just a "normal" girl. The scientists in charge of the experiment exclaimed her to be somewhat of a success. But, she wasn't ready to be sent out into Grimm-infested forests yet, so they sent her to train in Sky Academy, and later to Atlas Academy. But, she was a mutation. And so, she existed, with the words embedded into her mind: she would never fit in.

Until she arrived arrived at Atlas for the last day of initiation. Until she saw Conor Ironwood, who didn't glance away in fear but looked at her straight in the eye, and smiled.

The heart that she didn't know she had, beat. It was a solid thump, but it was enough. Enough to tell her that maybe, she could be accepted. Maybe, she wasn't a monster like they all thought her to be.

She whirled her mount to the skies, her midnight hair streaming behind her, then dived straight toward the ground and eased out into an easy-going glide, searching for her team. And there they were.

The Nevermore roared and swooped toward them, the Grimm's long wings brushing the tips of the trees.

And then she saw it. She didn't know why she didn't see it coming, why she thought that she would be presentable to her team in any way. The fear that glinted in Conor's eyes made her throat constrict, and she felt so idiotic for thinking that he would congratulate her and make her heart beat again. She was just some stupid teenage girl thinking that she would ever belong.

His harpoon gun was pointed straight at her. Her breath caught in her chest.

And the girl with the shiny blue hair, the one who had looked at her like everyone else, kicked him in the shin, making his harpoon shoot into the trees below her.

Her Nevermore screamed again, this time landing on the ground with its wings spread open, as if showing off its glory and terror to the world.

The girl, who Ignis faintly remembered to have a name of Xaris, waved at her and grinned, her eyes dancing with light. "You, my friend, are awesome. Welcome to the team." She motioned to the other members of the team and leaped onto the Nevermore, her smile reaching from ear to ear. Conor shot Ignis an apologetic smile, and the other boy who looked at her like some interesting puzzle, nodded. Ignis, the girl who might not be a monster anymore, pulled up on the Nevermore's wings and they shot across the ravine.

And once in a long time, she smiled.

Conor

Conor groaned as he rubbed his bruised leg, slowly lowering himself onto the bed. His suitcase lied next to his feet, a single silver one with its handle still propped up. He combed a hand through his hair, the gel he sloppily put on this morning forming a crust hard to break through. Tai, his new teammate, had collapsed on the bed opposite to him and dozed off.

He checked the time on his watch, which was also silver. 5:48. After taking a breathtaking ride on the Nevermore with Ignis, their team was the talk of the school. Everyone called them the "Grimm riders," but it was Ignis who took all the attention. She was apparently known in Sky Academy for being top of the class, but that wasn't all. Ignis was also called "the Shadow" because she always stayed in the darkness, away from others and the like. When he first saw her, he felt an ominous presence- but he still managed to look her in the eye and smile.

The ceremony and tour had taken a bit too long, so they had a shorter break time for getting settled in the dorms. Despite Conor being the son of General Ironwood and knowing Atlas like the back of his hand, he was required as a student to take the tour, no 'but's allowed. So he did, was fawned over by thousands of girls and boys, and finally escaped all the attention into the peaceful room of his dorm. The girls, Ignis and Xaris, were situated next door, and a white door connected their rooms to each other. He was still unsure what to think of Ignis; Conor was intrigued yet terrified at the same time. Her eyes were terrifying… but there was a hidden beauty to her character.

His mind wandered to the other girl, the tech-savvy one with all the gadgets. She looked quite eccentric and seemed like a tomboy… his hand unconsciously touched the still bruised part of his shin. She was very strong too.

And Tai… was generally a chill guy. He had crazy accuracy with darts, and seemed to be the extremely flirty type. Conor was a little grateful to him for leading a lot of girls away from him, but other than that, he still had no idea what his roommate could do.

5:56. Four more minutes until everyone had to report to the cafeteria for dinner. The time for this was mandatory; it was the first dinner everyone would have together and was set as a "make friends" period.

He sighed, a little too loudly. Tai stirred and mumbled something incomprehensible, then fell asleep again. Conor felt bad for needing to wake the poor dude up, but he didn't feel like they needed to be scolded at, especially in their first day.

"Tai. Wake up," Conor murmured, gently shaking the boy's shoulder.

The gentle sleeping creature jolted and jumped up, locking Conor into a headlock.

"Dude! Chill! It's just me!" He choked out.

The vice-like grip released him. "Ugh, sorry. Had a nightmare."

"What type of nightmare were you having?" Conor readjusted his neck, frowning.

Tai shook his head and smiled. "Don't worry about it. We should start heading out."

Conor decided to let Tai's… overreaction slide. "They're starting some announcement at around 6:15, so we should get going."

Tai nodded and followed him out the door.

The popular boy tried to get his food, surrounded by a smothering circle of fans. All he wanted was the beef stew, but it was too crowded. So, he stuck with the salad, politely excused himself from his fans, and set off to find his team.

It wasn't hard to find them. They sat in the corner of the room, with everyone sitting a mile away. Ignis was famous for her Grimm-riding antics, but everyone was terrified by her. He could see why.

Her dark red cloak, her piercing orange eyes… and the way she held herself- why, she could definitely play out the part of some lethal assassin, especially with those frightening katanas.

He heard a loud laugh coming from the corner of the room. Tai was snorting up milk, and Xaris was- was…

She was sitting cross-legged on the table, wiggling ghostly fingers at Ignis and Tai. He didn't fail to notice the amusing fire dancing around Ignis' eyes, as if she was smiling behind the handkerchief she wore that covered most of her face. He neared their table, eager to hear what story Xaris had to offer that made Tai look like he had a white nosebleed.

"...and so, that concludes the story of Sally the Grimm witch. OoooOOoohh, you better watch out-out-out!" Xaris let her voice fade, as if telling the last parts of a ghost story.

Conor slipped into the table and grinned at them. "I think it's still a bit early to be telling Grimmfest stories," he commented.

Xaris shot him a look of disgust. "I was just recounting the story of Sally, whose predicament just so happened to align with Ignis." She jumped off the table and took her seat next to Ignis.

Tai spoke, breaking the silence. "We should play a team ice-breaker game. Like, truth-or-dare or something."

Xaris nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. Who's going first?"

"Ignis. Truth or dare?" Tai grinned at her.

She shrunk into her hood. "Truth," she whispered so softly the others could barely hear.

"What type of guy do you like?"

Conor choked on the lettuce he was chewing. So did Ignis, who had pushed her mask down to eat.

Xaris just smirked. "Wow. Bold. I like it."

Ignis was a light shade of pink and retreated to the shadows of her hood. "Um… I don't… really know…"

Tai leaned back into his chair. "Fair enough." He grinned until all his pearly whites shone. "It was worth a try."

Conor coughed loudly. "When you guys are done flirting, you can come and rejoin

the game." He turned to Xaris. "Truth or dare?"

Tai snickered. "Are you gonna start up your flirting antics too? Looks like you can get any girl you want here."

" I will seriously murder you-"

"Dare." Xaris picked at her nails and flashed her teeth.

Conor turned back towards her. "I dare you to torture the guy over here."

Her eyes light up maliciously. "Ooh, I like that one." She swiped at the air and a screen was projected into the air. Typing some numbers into it, she hit a button and the screen collapsed.

"What did you do?" Tai frowned at her, brows furrowed.

"I just sent your scroll number to all the single ladies out there."

Tai's eyes widened as his scroll started beeping with notifications.

Xaris just grinned. "Did you know that he's runner up of Conor's popularity? They say it's his good looks, or that flirty aura around him that causes all the ladies to swoon." She winked at Tai, eyes sparkling with amusement.

He flicked his wrist and darts shot out, pinning Xaris' T-shirt to the chair. "Ohohoh, I can tell it's going to be a great year with you."

Xaris rolled her eyes. "I know you secretly enjoy all the attention."

Conor laughed heartily, enjoying the little feud. The new friends began to talk about other topics, ranging from Xaris' pet dog Steve to Conor's irrational fear of woodpeckers. It was a fun time, and, after eating, the team moved their lively conversation to the dorms. And throughout it all, whenever Conor glanced at Ignis, he could only notice one thing.

That she had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.