Life at the Academy
Chapter 4
I stared at the shiny metal appendage in fascination. It was very different from Silver's mechanical arm. This one was shaped exactly like a regular human arm. There were no visible gears or switch-out tools. It looked like a normal arm, except for the fact that it was metal and silver.
She noticed me staring at it and quickly reached for her Academy jacket at the end of her bed.
"No, don't hide it. I'm sorry, it's just-" I started.
"Yeah yeah, I've heard it all before: you didn't realize you were staring, you were caught off guard, you've never seen anything like it," Angela said dejectedly, not looking me in the eye.
"Actually, I have," I admitted.
She looked up at me, obviously surprised. Cyborgs really weren't all that common. I sat next to her on the bed and gave her a smile. She kept a guarded expression, but didn't move away.
"I have a friend, well, he's more like a father to me really, and he's a cyborg. His right eye, arm, and leg are made of metal. The only reason I was staring is because your arm looks much different from his. Yours looks more like an actual arm than his does, and he has a lot of interchangeable tools and you can see all the gears when he moves," I explained.
She was staring at me and listening intently. I took the opportunity to study the emotions in her eyes. I could see that her pain was still fresh.
"It was a recent accident, wasn't it?" I asked.
She nodded before answering me.
"Three months ago. I'm still not used to it," she admitted.
"Don't worry. You'll get used to that arm in no time," I assured her, giving her a smile.
"It's… not just my arm," she sighed.
I looked her up and down, checking to see if I had missed something. But the rest of her body appeared intact and organic. She pulled off her blouse, leaving her in just an open-backed tank top. She turned around to reveal that the mechanics continued over her shoulder and that a metal plate covered half her back. That's when I truly understood her pain.
"You lost your wing," I whispered.
She bit her lip and nodded, tears forming in her eyes. I had an overwhelming urge to hug this girl, but I didn't know her very well and I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, so I held myself back.
"So you'll never be able to fly again?" I asked.
"I don't know. They gave me a mechanical wing, but it's really hard to coordinate with my other wing, and none of my friends wanted to help me after the accident," she explained.
"Why not?" I asked.
"It's a taboo for an Angelici not to be able to fly, so they shunned me since I couldn't figure out how to work my new wing," Angela explained.
"Well, they weren't real friends then. And I think I know someone who might be able to help you. I'll introduce you to him sometime. He's an Angelici too, and he's really nice. I'm sure he would be happy to help you," I offered.
"You would do that for me?" she asked, just a hint of disbelief in her voice.
"Of course. I'll introduce you soon, but right now, I have to get ready for the first day of classes tomorrow. And you guys should too. You're gonna need a lot of paper and some folders. Teachers love it when you take notes and organize things in folders," I informed the three new students. The other two girls had been hanging back near the door, giving me and Angela some space, but they moved towards their desks when I addressed them all.
I stood up to leave so I could spend some time with my best friends and roommates when Angela spoke again.
"Raphaelle!" she called.
I turned around to look at her as I held the door open. She grinned at me, revealing the angelic smile so prominent in her species.
"Thanks," she finished.
"Anytime," I smiled back at her and walked out the door, gently closing it behind me.
As I crossed the short distance to my room, I noticed some girls whom I had never seen before but appeared to be my age opening the door to one of the rooms across the hall. One of them caught me staring at them, so I gave her a friendly smile and a wave. She just looked me up and down, as if appraising me, and entered her room with the other two girls, slamming the door shut behind her. Weird, I thought to myself. But I just shrugged it off and entered my own room.
Once I had safely shut the door behind me, I let Morph out of my pocket and he explored and examined the various things around the room.
"So what are we doing tonight?" Nerita asked.
"What are you talking about?" Jennifer questioned.
"What? You think we're just gonna turn in early on the first day back of school? We haven't seen each other in forever! A sleepover party is the perfect way to catch up on stuff!" she explained.
"I don't know. What do you think, Raphaelle?" Jennifer asked.
"Hmm," I thought it over for a second. "Okay. We can have a slumber party. But I want to invite the three girls from next door over. They're first years, but I've gotten to know some of them, and they could really use some fun and make some new friends," I answered.
"Alright. We'll invite them," Nerita agreed.
"If we're going to have a proper slumber party, we're gonna need to buy some food and drinks," Jennifer stated.
"Yes! A trip into town! Let's do it!" Nerita exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly.
"You guys go ahead. I'm gonna get all my school stuff ready for tomorrow," I said.
"You haven't changed a bit. Is there anything you want us to get for you in town?" Jennifer asked.
"Umm, yeah. Pick up some vanilla and cookies n' cream ice cream to put in the mini-freezer, please," I requested. The mini-fridge wasn't like one you would see in a college dorm back on Earth in my universe. It was bigger, had lots of wires and pipes sticking out of the back and sides, and looked very steampunk. But it did what it was made for, and all rooms came standard with one.
"Kay, see ya later," they said, heading out the door with their purses.
After preparing my backpack for the next day and looking over my schedule, I took a nap, since I knew I wouldn't be getting much sleep that night.
A few hours later, Jennifer and Nerita came back in with food, soda, chips, candy, and a couple of party games.
"It took you guys 3 hours just to get all that?" I asked.
"No, Nerita kept running into boutiques and gushing over all the clothes and shoes," Jennifer replied, rolling her eyes.
"Hey! Shoes are always worth it!" Nerita defended.
"Then how come you didn't buy any?" Jennifer refuted.
"Because I was scoping them out now so I know what to look for when they go on sale. I never buy shoes at full price if I can help it," she answered.
Jennifer and I both rolled our eyes and suppressed our giggles while Nerita just stood there glaring at us with her hands on her hips.
"I'm gonna go invite the girls next door over," I said, slipping out of the room before a glare fest could ensue.
I walked over to room 18 and knocked. Iris answered the door.
"Hey. I wanted to invite you guys to a slumber party we're having tonight. It's just in our room and you're all invited," I said.
"Cool. Do we need to bring anything?" Iris asked.
"Nope. Just come in your pjs and show up at nine," I replied.
"Kay, see you then," she said.
"See ya," I echoed.
Later that night, I changed into my light blue nightgown and got the room ready for the party. I set the food and drinks up on the desks and spread pillows and blankets out across the open space on our floor. Nerita was wearing a purple tank top with a little pink squid on it and matching shorts with a repeating pattern of the same little squid, while Jennifer wore long light blue pajama pants with a cloud print and a matching button up top.
At nine o'clock sharp, we heard a knock at the door, signaling that our guests had arrived. We opened the door, letting the girls in, and the party began.