Ch. 10

"Here's your schedule with all your classes."

I scan the list today it reads Block Schedule: Powers and Complexities, Calculus, Lunch, Elective.

"Any questions?" a small secretary asks.

"No I don't think so…" trailing off.

She struggles to keep a perky tone, "Well then hurry off to class I wouldn't want you to be late on your first day. Now if you'll excuse me I have to help clean up the office."

The office is still in a state of catastrophe from the mess Duncan and I made last night. The books are piled all over the floor desk plants and paper litter the walk way. Duncan and I had made more damage than I thought.

Exiting the building walking toward the school facilities, I review the list of classes trying to locate my first classroom. An arm slinks around my waist gripping me closer Duncan's voice rings, "Morning Sunshine where are you headed off too"

I shake out of his grip complaining, "Someone needs to tie a bell around your neck to stop you from prowling around from unsuspecting victims."

Duncan snatches the schedule out of my hand reading it he holds it out of my reach he says, "This is great we have your first class together.

Giving him an evil glare I snatch back my schedule I declare, "Oh joy."

"Don't be like that it'll be fun," he assures me.

Together we enter the building turning for one of the first classrooms in the corridor, no one is in the hallway except for us. Thinking out loud I say, "Dammit Duncan we better not be-."

The harsh familiar ripping of school bell rings through the hallway. Duncan interjects, "Late?"

Fuming I walk faster to the class room to not be later than I already am. Quickly shuffling inside I'm greeted by an audience of stares accompanied by an aggravated teacher sipping coffee at his desk. He greets me from his desk, "Miss. Summers I will dismiss your tardiness because it is your first day but do try to be punctual tomorrow."

"Sorry it won't happen again." I apologize quickly shuffling to the free desk in the back of the class."

The teacher remarks, "So what is your excuse today Mr. Michaels? You were attacked by ravenous unicorns? Slept in? Harassed by the lunch lady? "

With fake sincerity Duncan says, "Being the dedicated student I am sir, I witnessed poor lost Courtney wandering around the grounds of our lovely campus. So naturally being the proactive student I am, it was necessity to help her."

The teacher winces and sighs in frustration, "Very well sit down."

Everyone in the class giggles silently familiar with the routine of Duncan being late. Duncan takes a seat next to me and the speaker rips and buzzes emitting Chris Mclean's voice, "Good morning students before regular announcements, because some people couldn't not get attacked the school sponsors are pressuring me to implement some new rules. First off new weekday curfew for all grade levels they will be posted in the mess hall."

A few sighs are let out from the class but no one seems to be protesting. Chris starts again, "Second no leaving campus without special permit from the office signed off by a school official. Lastly all students that went to school in the human world are now required to attend school."

In unison the class lets out a groan I turn to Duncan who's cursing under his breath. "What's so bad about that?" I ask.

Duncan rolls his eyes at me he explains, "It's just more of a hassle more students to share everything with. Even worse our favorite fire elemental is going to be in attendance tomorrow."

"Jillian?"

"Indeed."

"Splendid."

"Wait, if all the attacks are happening on campus why would it be safer for all students to be trapped on campus? Wouldn't it make more sense to get better security measures or move the students out" I ask.

Duncan shrugs, "Chris doesn't care about the students he only cares about his reputation. He's more worried about parental complaints than any students getting hurt."

The teacher pipes up, "For those of you that do not know I am Professor Wong. Please take out a paper for notes we'll be starting a new lecture unit, discussing the powers of light and how they function."

At the end of the sentence the room is submersed in complete darkness I can't make out anyone or anything. A few boys let out fake screams of terror, the class sits together in suspended darkness unable to create our surroundings. I try to summon fire in my hand but not even a spark lights up the blanketed shadows that cascaded the classroom. Without the flames I can still feel the faint heartbeat of the fire I had summoned in my hand.

How come I can't see it? I close my hands snuffing out the fire.

In the front of the classroom the professor claps twice the lurid black plastered to the wall is ripped away and sucked into the teachers hand until it was smaller than a marble.

"Can any of you explain to me what happened?" the teacher inquires sitting on his desk.

A girl in the front answers, "You made it like super dark."

Mr. Wong rolls his eyes mumbling, "Yes I did but I did more than that."

His eyes shift around the room for a victim to ask; Wong's eyes lock with mine and he spits, "Courtney would you care to explain to the class what happened when I made it dark?"

"Well you didn't really make it dark… You retracted all of the light waves making the room appear dark. Thus making the objects in the room absorb all colors of the spectrum making it even darker."

Everyone stares at me in awe while the professor breaks out in a wide grin. "That is correct, you're very bright Miss Summers. You and I are going to get along swimmingly."

Duncan peers at me teasing, "Well look at you smarty pants."

"That's basic chemistry knowledge on how the light spectrum works."

Duncan returns to his paper instead of jotting down notes he doodles on his paper more skulls. Professor Wong continues to call on me earning me glares from the kiss ups in the front of the class. Wong talks with passion but like everything else it just drowns out into a noisy filter getting summated with a loudly ticking clock. I look back down at Duncan making the same trace marks over and over.

I whisper staring forward, "Why do you do that? Just draw the same skull over and over again."

Duncan cracks a smirk and whispers back, "Well for your information princess it's not the same skull over and over again. For example this on has a crack in it."

I look at the shattered skull centered on Duncan's notes. It was neatly sketched but overwhelmingly gory.

"You're a modern day Picasso Duncan."

"You mock me now but I've got pretty good art skills Sunshine I learned from Gwen she's one of the best."

"Well you should be taking notes not doodling," I insist.

Duncan sneers, "Why? Just like you said I could learn any of this bullshit at a real world high school chemistry class. This class is meant for us to find out how our powers work with science but when it comes down to it we're magic. There is no scientific reason they know why I can shoot fire out of my hands but I can. It doesn't matter."

Stunned at how correct he is, I leave him to his doodles. The lesson drags on in material I had already covered in school but I organize my notes to perfection. Dazed by my own boredom I count the amount of gray hairs on Professor Wong's hair twice. The bell rings startling me and everyone scatters out of the room.

I walk out and Duncan snatches the schedule from my hands again, he asks, "So what do you have next?"

"Calculus. Where is it?" I ask.

Duncan's eyes pop out of his head exclaiming, "Wow princess should have known a type a like you would be in that kind of math." Up the stairs first class on your left."

"Thanks, and the name's Courtney cretin," I retort.

"Oh I know," Duncan replies.

Before I could argue he slips into the crowd of students and disappears. I journey up the stairwell and arrive at the first classroom just like Duncan had said. The classroom is extremely clean it has a shining white gleam that almost made it blinding. There are only 10 students sitting all at different lab tables. I walk further into the class and I spy Noah in the back nose in a book as usual. My feet whir in excitement dashing to the back of the class to sit next to him. The table lets out a brief slam when I drop my hands and bag on the table staring at Noah.

"If you were any closer to me we would have our own special on the Discovery health channel about being Siamese twins," Noah drawls.

Embarrassed I back away slowly from Noah to my half of the desk, "So do you have it?" I demand.

Noah drops the book down to the lab table rolling his eyes, "It's after parent's weekend isn't it? Of course I have the information it would make me a bad business man if I didn't Courtney."

The book worm's voice drops down to a hushed tone, "You wanted information on why your dreams are so specific especially for when bad events happen."

Noah's eyes dart across the room staring at the other inhabitants of the class room, "First I did some regular definition hunting it seems to me that you have very under developed and elementary clairvoyant powers."

"And that means what exactly?"

Noah's eyes narrow is frustration, "I feel like I'm the only one who's ever read a book around here."

Noah's eyes narrow, "It means… that you have a very under developed power of seeing into the future that you can only access in your sleep."

"Are you serious?" I gasp.

"Yes."

"That's why it took so damn long, I had to do some digging through actual books on accounts of powers, types of powers, and related abilities. You're the fire special you're able to reach the highest caliber of your power which is lightning, which is normal. What's not normal is for you to have more than one power that's not related to your element. So I delved into some old accounts about older generation of specials. Variations of powers came up and different sub forms but not what I was looking for. So I decided might as well direct my search to the original Specials."

My mouth sits aghast the flurry of information that Noah was pouring out of his mouth. He continues quietly, "The original female fire Special was clairvoyant she said that she was able to control her power in the house in which the elementals are home."

"What does that mean?"

Noah remarks, "Honestly… I don't know. I translated it from an old obscure Spanish dialect that couldn't be found on any modern language book. So that's all I got."

"That can't be it!" I exclaim.

Noah yawns, "You're right that's not it you're power is super rare and dangerous. If someone found out you might be as good as dead. Keep it under wraps. Secrets are as good as gold and since you can only access it in your sleep the least amount of people to know the better."

I open my mouth to speak and the door is swung open by a petite Filipina woman with large curly hair her arms filled with papers and bags. She totters to her desk dropping everything she announces, "Hello class I am Professor Sevilla and due to the influx of students I have been in and out of meetings all morning. So because of the new students I would like to assess all your skills and the level you are at in regard to math. So we're going to be taking a quiz."

The rest of the class moans in agony Professor Sevilla says, "Don't worry students this will not be going into the grade book merely a practice test."

She raises her hands allowing a rose ambience to glitter from her hand, with a flex of her fingers the papers go flying landing precisely in front of each student. I stare down at the paper it's completely blank. Professor Sevilla sits down at her desk and sings out, "Begin the exam."

At the command of her words the equations reveal themselves. The professor reclines in her desk snacking on a pastry from her bag. The problems look vaguely familiar we were just barely covering the material before I had to leave the school. I take out my graphing calculator plugging in the portions of the problem.

After the first few problems my eyebrows are knit together, I glance over at Noah whose nose deep into a book. Further down I see his hand scrawling out full work for each problem.

Oh yeah Super Genius

Time ticks by at a slugs pace every person in class hesitates with worried pencil strokes.

"Times up!" Sevilla announces.

The red glow from her hand retracts all of the tests neatly piling them upon her desk. "Ok class free time as of now and remember to grab a home work sheet on the way out."

"I have another question for you."

Noah wags a lazy finger in my face, "Uh uh no freebies it's bad for business. Give me what I want and I'll give you what you need."

I chew on my thumb nail pensively. What kind of information do I have that he doesn't?

"Duncan's mom calls him Dunky bear and ever since he was little when he talks to girls he gets really nervous and his hands get really sweaty." I blurt.

Noah snorts out, "Not the type of information I normally go after but it should suffice."

Noah leans over on to the desk face on his hand cooing, "So what do you want to know?"

"In my last dream it was different it was clearer than any of the others. Right before this hooded person subdued me a smoky red pyramid appeared in the sky".

Noah arms become stiff rails and his eyes bulge out of their sockets. He takes a deep breath bringing himself back to an uneasy calm demeanor he grabs me by my collar dragging me closer to the desk he asks, "Did the pyramid rotate perfectly and did your attacker wear that same symbol?"

"Yeah."

Noah looks nauseous, on the verge vomiting unconvincingly he says, "This is very dangerous information keep up your defenses up and I will give you more information later."

"But who is it?"

"For your sake I hope you don't have to find out," he trails off.

"That's not good enough. What's coming?" I demand.

Three loud chimes signal the end of class and the students start clearing out. I turn back to Noah who is staring at me too intense for comfort he commands, "Go to lunch and forget the last few things I've told you."

Noah grabs his supplies and stuffs them into a back pack. I slam my hand on the table I insist, "Well that's not good enough."

"It has to be."

Noah says nothing more and strolls out of the classroom without another word. Following his suit I grab my stuff and head out of class, the hallways are almost completely barren.

Noah's words wrap around my throat choking me, I could potentially have another power. I'm clairvoyant and I can't even tell anyone. My stomach rumbles with a burning pain, I walk faster to the lunch room for food.

In the lunch room shouts, giggles, and general chatter scatter at each table. Worried with my thoughts my stomach lets out a frustrated gurgle of indigestion, at the buffet I fill my plate with a bowl of soup and crackers. At the end of the line I stare into my options of tables, every table has their own group already filled to capacity. I've never been in the cafeteria while it was filled only at odd hours of the day and this time I have no one to sit with.

This is a lot like home.

Without a sound I step into the battle ground of strewn high school dreams and slaughtered ambitions. None of the groups look inviting fully submerged in their conversations.

A voice breaks me out of my silent terror shouting, "Hey Courtney over here."

My eyes jet over to the table where Gwen is standing waving her hand to signal my attention. With hurried feet I scamper over to Gwen at the table sitting with her are Bridgette, Geoff, Sierra, Duncan, and a few others.

I sit down in between Bridgette and Duncan across Gwen and the others. Duncan remarks, "We'd thought you never get here. I figured you were lost without me."

"Don't flatter yourself I was just busy talking to someone."

"Whatever you tell yourself to get through the night, Duncan says cockily.

"So how was the first day back at school?" Gwen asks.

I rub my head in clockwise circle I grumble out, "About as fun as I remember people bumping into each other, obnoxious teenagers and homework. It's a real party."

Gwen giggles, "Well at least the food is better."

"Gotta agree with you there."

The group continues with their pleasantries shooting tales about my day. I continues to sip my soup enjoying the friendly environment. My stomach keeps lurching at what Noah had told me. Duncan places his arm around my shoulders and I jump in shock. Duncan's eyebrow's hop up in curiosity, "What's got you spooked?"

"Oh just thinking about all of the stuff I have to do today."

Duncan peers at me with disbelief but accepts my answer.

"How was your other class?" I ask eager to change the subject.

Duncan whines, "About as lame as usual the teacher wanted to give me detention for no reason."

Gwen sneers, "Somehow I am sure he had a reason."

"Not even that teacher is out to get me I'm telling you. Your doubt of my character wounds me." Duncan chokes out for dramatic effect falling out of his seat onto my shoulders.

"Cry me a river…."

In the midst of Duncan and Gwen's laughing a boy with shaggy long black hair and emerald green eyes. He plops down next to Gwen placing his arm around her shoulders loosely. Gwen's eyes beam when they look into his eyes they were sucked into their own little world orbiting around us.

Gwen introduces me, "Courtney this is Trent my boyfriend I was telling you about."

My lips flatten into a straight line at the surprise of the word boyfriend and returns to normal. Trent holds out my hand for me to shake and I do the same. "Nice to meet you Trent."

Trent's eyebrows jump in surprise at the word meet his melodic voice sings, "We've already met before Courtney the night of Mclean's party outside of his office."

A faint memory of Trent's face flashes to my mind from the night of the party.

"Oh yeah now I remember. You're one of the elementals right?"

"Yeah I'm the air one without the cool birthmark," he muses charmingly.

Trent's gaze shifts over to Duncan who is staring back coldly. He loses the whimsical air of his voice and says tightly, "Hello Duncan."

Duncan slurs, "Elvis."

The two's names get shoved out of their mouths like cotton.

Gwen chimes. "Shit."

"What?" I ask.

"I'm already late I was supposed to be setting up for my art class next period," Gwen sighs.

"I never found a model for the class and that ruins my entire lesson. And today is the day that I'm getting reviewed for the teacher lesson. If I fail this my entire art class gets take away from me."

Gwen eyes light up and she leans over the table and shouts, "Courtney could you model for me."

"I mean I guess. It's not nude right?"

Duncan interjects crossing his arms, "No way nude or not her elective is power practice and she could use all the help she can get. I have to train her no cutting into my practice time."

"Wait you're actually scolding me for skipping class?" I ask skeptically.

"Yeah when the class is actually important Princess," Duncan explains.

I lock eyes with Gwen standing across the table she shoots her eyes to the door and then back to me. Catching her signal I slowly I grasp my bag and bolt toward the door. Gwen follows after me in a heavy dash sprinting away from the table. Duncan shouts from the table, "Where do you think you're going?"

Gwen calls back, "Thanks for being so understanding Duncan we'll see you later.

We run out of the cafeteria down the grass back to the main building. Panting we trot up the stairs to the art studio, Gwen pulls out a key card and opens the door. Inside a dozen art stools and easels sit surrounding a white stage and a teacher's desk.

"So what kind of modeling and I going to be doing? Definitely not nude right?"

Gwen laughs, "No I tried that freshman year but apparently Chris found my theme of objectified male nudity to be too radical for the schools image and inappropriate."

Gwen tosses me a white gown with a golden tassels tying it together. "Get to stripping," she commands.

I take off my top and start to slip it off in the midst of my undressing I ask, "So how long have you and Trent been dating?"

The shirt slides off my face and I can see Gwen zipping around the classroom restocking the class room with brushes and pencils. She drawls out, "About three or years or so and that's the problem."

"What could be the problem with that?" I ask slipping the gown over me.

"My parents they fear my relationship with Trent has become too serious. They're dead set on me marrying Cody if I don't the whole business deal with his parents is done. Only reason we don't have to keep our relationship on the dl is because Cody's still in the hospital," Gwen answers.

"It's kind of hard not to hate them sometimes," Gwen mumbles.

Gwen quits her buzzing around the room to examine my ensemble. She saunters over to me sitting at the stool in front of me she says, "You almost look like a Goddess."

My cheeks burn at the compliment, I ask, "Almost?"

Gwen reaches into her satchel and grabs a golden laurel wreath crown. Standing close to me she delicately sets the crown in my hair guiding all the fly aways from my face.

She kisses the hair dramatically, "You have the makings of a real Goddess Summers."

"No wonder Duncan has such eyes for you, and I wouldn't blame him either."

I sneer, "Very funny."

"I'm serious he looks at you the way all girls want to be looked at," she whispers.

We sit in silence staring at each other Gwen' stare is so intense it makes my spine shiver. I ask, "So what's Duncan's deal with Trent?"

Gwen huffs, "Duncan and I dated a bit, no biggie. Duncan's over it he just thinks Trent is corny which he is.

Gwen glances at the clock and gasps, "They are going to be here in two minutes you need to get in position on stage."

She slips her fingers into mine guiding me into a reclining chair. As she grazes my skin cold shiver ripples down my spine. Gwen goes back to zipping round the room she maneuvers around the desks with ease replenishing the class with supplies. A bell rings in the class and an avalanche of students bursts into the class filling the seats. A stout moon face woman sits in the back of the class scribbling on a clip board.

Gwen announces, "Hey everybody after weeks of conceptualizing, tracing, and drawing we're going to begin practice for our final. In any medium you would like create our model Courtney."

She glances over gesturing to me she says, "Art is different for everyone especially since a lot of you are beginners and are trying to develop your own styles. So with that in mind everyone get to work"

The students work glimpsing at me and attacking their canvas with brushes. Sinking into the chair I try to relax, Gwen only grins as she flies from student to student catching glimpses of my face walking around the class. After an hour in the same position my back starts to cramp up and my foot has fallen asleep from lack of movement. Ignoring the discomfort my mind starts drifting off to what Noah had said and what he didn't say.

"Go and forget the last few things I just told you."

The words burn like a brand on my skin but instead of burning flesh my skin just continues to crawl. Gwen walks to the stage and pauses in front of me "Thank you everyone for all the work that you have put into your portrait but we are out of time for today. Go drop off your brushes wash and return them to their spots."

The student return their utensils and the plump woman with the clip board converses with Gwen. They both smile and the lady finishes scrawling final comments. Slowly I unstick myself from the couch stretching my arms and legs. Gwen skips over to me whispering, "Courtney we did it I got outstanding marks." Her smile is plastered to all portions of the room it makes me smile as well, "It was all you. Good Job."

The classroom is cleared out and returned to its original state. Gwen grabs one of the canvases a watercolor of me pictures me strewn upon the couch somberly. She chuckles, "You're a true piece of art Summers."

She gets out her key card to lock the door and I ask, "What about the gown?"

She shrugs, "Keep it for a while you make it look art. Give it back to me later."

She faces me grinning breathily she says, "Thanks for everything."

"You too," I say too quickly.

A.N

So this chapter was supposed to be out last week but I was having crazy writer's block so here it is. Hey guys so… chapter 10 I don't have much to say about it. This is one of those chapters to get a transition for the next chapter.

If you're new I hope you like the story, if you've been here for a while hope you're still digging it.

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Constructive criticism is always nice!