Whoops, there I go not updating for months at a time again. Sorry guys! I've had a lot of back and forth inspiration issues with this particular story, however I started working on this the other day, then thanks to a not so friendly tropical storm causing a power outage, I suddenly had A LOT of time to work on it. Which is why this chapter pretty much doubles the word count so far. Future chapters will not be this long, and if I have to I'll cut them in half, but for now, I thought you guys deserved a big one for waiting :D I'm already well into the next chapter, so fingers crossed I get that up soon. My reading interests have switched from paranormal YA to trashy rich prep school kids YA, which may or may not affect the direction this story takes. You've been warned XD
Thank you WildeChild17, Eternal Nexus Warrior, Starling Cosmos, and GinMado for reviewing! Hope you're all doing well :)
I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade.
Magic.
The word still echoed around in Gin's brain, ever since Nero had said it the previous week, following her everywhere.
All of Ranmaru's cryptic helpful hints suddenly made sense. The Pink Dorm was also the psychic dorm. She was psychic. Therefore, she was in the Pink Dorm.
It was so bizarre. Gin had been hiding her powers for as long as she could remember, keeping them to herself as much as possible. It was her most well-kept secret. She'd had nightmares about what could happen if people found out. Now, she didn't have to stress over it. Everyone here had powers.
And those with psychic powers were highly revered, which explained just about everything, particularly why people were so nice to her. They respected her, and wanted her to like them. It was like a crazy game she'd been thrust into with no warning and she was stuck in the middle of the board with no explanation, and the next move was hers.
She cringed and turned down the hall. At least she'd tried to keep a low profile since arriving. She hadn't made too much of a fool out of herself so her reputation was intact. Having a reputation was weird enough; she'd always kind of slid under the radar at her old school. From what she'd gathered, very few people were born into psychic powers without it being a family trait, making her an anomaly.
Normally, she wouldn't have cared so much, but with all the politics around this place, Gin wanted to figure out how to fit in as fast as possible. Eating lunch with the others had become her new norm, which was especially helpful considering how much Nero seemed to know about everything. Avari appeared to know a fair amount, too, but the girl remained guarded no matter how friendly they all became.
Stella seemed just about as lost as her, though, and it was an odd comfort. She wasn't the only one going through this, even if they were approaching the situation from different angles. That, and Stella was nice. Gin was glad she'd met her.
And now, Gin was on her way to her second psychic practical class, nerves dancing. Yesterday's class had been interesting for sure, but there was more talking than doing, with only a brief chance to actually test their skills. The class was small, just the other four first years. Two of them had been incredible, already able to bend spoons with their telekinetic powers. Gin hadn't had much luck… yet. She'd reminded herself that this was totally new and unexpected for her. She was the outsider. It made sense her powers weren't as advanced as the rest. She wasn't the one who'd grown up knowing about this secret world.
Just as soon as she'd thought she'd figured the layout of the school, she'd lost it. The third week began, and with it, the new afternoon classes that focused on specializing in the students' areas of expertise. Most of those classes took place outside of the utterly massive main building that housed dorms, the dining hall, and a fair number of classrooms.
Gin's psychic practicals took place in the main building, but the class prior, a psychic history class she was finding absolutely fascinating, took place in "Konzern Hall." She wondered how Nero felt about one of the school buildings being named for his family, then realized Elite Academy was probably just like any other exclusive prep school: they had paid for it.
She couldn't fathom having that kind of money to donate to a school.
Gin was back in the main building now, rushing up to the fifth floor. The dorms were scattered amongst the second to fifth floors, with the cafeteria, classrooms, and assorted administrative offices on the first. Classrooms generally filled the "middle" areas where separate wings intersected. The classes seemed to become more specialized, matching with the dorms on corresponding floors the higher they were. There was an entire sixth floor, but Gin had no clue what it was dedicated to, though she suspected it might've been for upperclassmen. Teachers who stayed on campus lived in a different, adjacent building altogether, though one staff member stayed in each dorm to make sure students weren't misbehaving after hours.
Regardless, trying to get from Konzern Hall to the fifth floor of "Elite Hall" in a limited time window was not ideal. She found herself gasping for breath as she rounded the final staircase.
Gin stopped in her tracks. Up ahead, a boy was staring down at her, wearing the uniform of the White Dorm. Definitely an upperclassman with that smirk. Confidence like that rarely existed in freshmen, unless you were Nero.
The boy had large spiky green hair paired with pale icy blue eyes. Alluring as they were, the twin matching scars beneath them were what drew Gin's attention to him. The white outfit may have given the illusion the boy was an angel, although Gin got the feeling he was anything but.
It took Gin a moment to realize she was frozen where she stood, almost gawking at the boy.
Way to play it cool.
"S-sorry," she stammered, climbing the first few steps hoping to pass him with little issue.
Unfortunately, his eyes locked on hers.
He sized her up. "New girl, huh?"
Gin pulled her history text close to her chest. "Yeah," she admitted, knowing there was no point in lying. Anything she told him would probably reach the general public eventually. It'd reflect poorly on her if she started making things up. "I'm Gin."
"Kyoya." He seemed perpetually amused, like there was something about her he found oh-so-interesting.
"I'm 16," she offered, then instantly regretted it. Did this guy even care?
"Nice," he commented. "Be seeing you, Gin."
With that he passed her, heading further down the staircase.
"W-wait!" Gin called, surprising even herself. "Um, what's the White Dorm?"
She cursed herself inwardly. That was a question for Nero! She may as well have put a sign above her head saying "Newbie." Psychic students were supposed to know this. Part of her already felt like a fraud, even though she was certain her powers were legit.
Kyoya still wore that amused smile. "Wind."
"Oh. Well… See you, Kyoya."
He laughed, and the sound seemed to carry, so free. "Catch you around, freshie."
The bell rang then and Gin hustled up the stairs, grateful the room she needed was the third one down. She grabbed a seat just as the teacher walked in.
The goal was for all of them to bend spoons today. Gin couldn't wait. The five students huddled up at the teacher's desk, each of them focusing.
The same two students as yesterday had stunning, immediate results. When the rest of them continued to struggle, the teacher sat them back in their chairs, and went over basics again, how to focus and clear their minds so they could get to work, too.
Gin diligently wrote down everything she could, highlighting anything extra important. She didn't dare let herself fall behind this early in the game.
Still, her mind wandered to Kyoya and she couldn't help but wonder what the wind dorm might be like. Not that she wanted to trade dorms; she was just so new to all this. She forced herself to focus on the task at hand.
Finally, it came time to try the spoons again.
By the time the bell rang, four out of five students had managed to bend the spoons simply through the power of their minds.
Gin was not one of them.
She slumped as she gathered up her things and left the classroom, though her teacher reassured her it was entirely normal to not catch on right away, even moreso because of her upbringing.
In other words, her parents were not magical. Naturally, she would be behind, but something about this felt different. Like her powers were abandoning her, despite the fact that after years of hiding them, Gin was certain they were there.
All the same, two days in, she was starting to feel like a dismal failure.
Daphne sat up perfectly straight as she took notes, eyes carefully trained on the board.
Other students may have been content to slowly ease into the semester, but Daphne was not one of them. They were already into week three! It was time for some serious learning to take place. Daphne was personally looking forward to more of her practicals, but she wanted to stay on top of things in her regular classes, too. She just couldn't wait to see how much she'd improved since the last year, thanks to her summer work.
Daphne was in a rare elective with Julian, though their seats were pretty much across the room from each other. This far along in their education, most of their classes were with their dorm mates as they started looking toward the future.
Julian answered the teacher's questions with ease, and Daphne smiled to herself. Of course he knew the answer. Julian excelled at everything. He was poised to graduate top of his class.
A familiar prickling began at the back of her neck, but Daphne hardly noticed. By now, she was more or less used to the feeling.
Daphne and her mother both specialized in the element of "ghost" or spirit, the one of the more commonly used terms these days. She'd inherited her skills from her mother. If a spirit was lingering nearby, Daphne knew about it more often than not. Elite Academy hosted a fair amount of paranormal energy, to the point where Daphne was unfazed whenever she sensed it. Just about every classroom seemed to have a spirit lingering. Considering the history behind the buildings, it wasn't terribly surprising.
She could've tried to make contact, though it was discouraged unless under supervision, but Daphne found sometimes it was best not to anyway. One never knew the exact reasons for their presence. It was easier to pretend she didn't know they existed, like the rest of the class.
The Amethyst Dorm hosted even less students than the famed psychic dorm, but it wasn't all that surprising. Simply put, when it came to connecting with the dead, there were plenty of frauds out there, but the ones with true talent were far and few between. People feared and respected them as Daphne had learned from her mother. Those in need sought them out, but most remained wary.
It didn't bother Daphne. She'd seen her mom in action, and frankly it excited her. There was so much waiting for her when she left Elite.
Until then, Daphne planned to do her best in her classes, so she'd be as prepared as possible the day she entered the "real world."
Their instructor finished up the lecture perfectly on time, just before students began packing up.
It had to be an art, Daphne mused. So many teachers she'd come across were just incapable of getting lessons done on time.
Much to her delight, no homework was assigned, other than reading the next chapter, which would give her plenty of time to focus on other things.
Whether other things meant her social life or her powers, she wasn't quite sure, but it was all about balance. She'd figure out a way to make it all equal out.
Julian caught up with her then; she hadn't even realized he was behind her, assuming like usual he was leading the pack.
"Hey, Julian," she said, keeping her tone friendly and even despite the butterflies jumping in her stomach. It was so infrequent the two of them had one-on-one time, even if it was just in passing to other classes.
"Daphne," he nodded.
She grasped for something to say. "Did you see the posters that have been going up lately?"
He tilted his head to the side. "Which ones?"
"The Welcome Back Dance ones. I guess it's that time already." The dance usually took place mid-October, once everyone was settled, adjusted well enough, and classes were going smoothly, so that students actually had time to think about it.
An early fall breeze filled the air, as though solidifying the statement. Cold weather would be here before they knew it.
"Indeed. Are you planning on going this year, Daphne?" Julian asked.
"Yes. I wouldn't miss it," she replied with a smile. It was true. The dance freshman year had been the reason she'd wound up in her current social circle. It was the first real event where students from different dorms had a chance to interact, which was how she'd met Sophie, and ultimately the others. Sophie had liked her dress so much she invited Daphne to hang out her friends, and the rest was history. It was hard for her not to look fondly upon the dance every year it came up.
"Excellent," Julian's face shone unexpectedly. Daphne noticed he was standing a little closer to her than usual, less space filling the gap between them.
With that they split off for their separate, specialized classes, her mind still on the dance.
Who would Julian bring? Who would she bring? It was obvious who she wanted to go with, but Daphne knew from experience Julian usually brought a girl from his own dorm, or otherwise one with a good, reputable upbringing whose family was well known in high society. She couldn't exactly count on going with him when she didn't properly meet either of those criteria, though she was certain she could find another friend to bring, or even go stag if she really wanted. Not everyone would be bringing a date.
Then again, her thoughts wandered off, could she actually go with Julian? She didn't know for sure if he liked her that way, but… The conversation they'd had minutes earlier made her pause.
She'd been the one to mention the dance, but he'd asked if she was going, and had seemed pretty happy when she told him yes. And he'd gently brushed up against her when they said their good-byes, which may have seemed accidental, but then, perhaps it wasn't. This was Julian Konzern, not a random klutz. Every move he made was purposeful.
Daphne stopped dead in her tracks, half-wishing she could squeal with delight.
Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for her and Julian after all.
Avari kept her head propped up as best she could while the teacher droned on through the magical history lecture. She'd never been the best student, but ever since coming to the academy she'd found it harder and harder to care. Showing up to class, at least the ones that weren't practicals, was a daily struggle. She couldn't see the point.
Avari yawned. Even practical classes felt like a chore. The school couldn't even manage to get them an appropriate teacher, which said everything. There was no future for a person like her, cursed with the power of poison.
Avari grimaced. It was a curse. She should've been spending her days growing plants or learning to shoot vines from her wrists or something, not reading from an approved list of books written by people who had no clue what they were talking about, before being given the okay to actually practice. No one else had to read about how to get into the proper "mindset" before using their powers, except maybe the dark elementals. Most of their texts had long been locked up and restricted for similar reasons.
Avari slouched. It was no wonder they kept being shunned by society when they couldn't even receive a proper education to fit in.
A sizzling noise captured her attention. When she located the source of it, she looked down at her desk in horror.
A large, gooey purple blob had dripped from her fingers, turning her pencil into nothing. The blob oozed, slowly eating away at the wood desk.
"Shit," Avari muttered, using her free hand to cover the growing hole. This was how it always happened. Her powers would randomly manifest when she least expected it, leaving her to figure out how to clean up the quite literal mess. With her luck, the teacher would see and she'd get in massive trouble for misuse of power, even though it was totally against her will.
She casually glanced around, trying to see if anyone had noticed. She seemed good, except-
Two desks to her left, a boy with hair so white it made her own platinum hair look dirty blonde was staring at her. She expected him to recoil or look disgusted, but it almost looked like he was biting his lip. Holding back a smile. He wore a yellow uniform. A lightning dorm student.
Avari felt a rush of confusion and anger. Was he mocking her? Did he think she was a joke? Why was he not reacting the way she'd come to expect?
He winked.
Avari blinked and turned to face the front of the room, subtly waving her hand over the poison, willing it to disappear. Moment later, it had dissolved to nothing with a fizz and hiss, leaving only the hole in the desk, but there was nothing she could do about that.
Her focus was completely shattered for the rest of class. It was all she could do not to let her mind wander too much and not to let her powers creep out again. She kept coming back to the boy, trying to figure out what his deal was, if he knew something. She barely even noticed when the only other Purple dorm student in the class interrupted the lecture.
"But what about the Poison Resistance?" The boy's words came out like a hiss, a snake, and Avari involuntarily shuddered.
Most of the poison students were the same: quiet and miserable. A few of them however, were the reason the stereotypes persisted. Reiji was the textbook definition of a creepy poison user, to the point where even his own dorm mates went out of their way to avoid him. His eyes were always hidden by his two-tone blond and brown hair, with a weird pattern in the front that made it appear he had false eyes that were always watching. It was incredibly unnerving. Reiji was a first year like Avari, yet she got the feeling he knew much more than he ever let on.
Like the Poison Resistance. Everyone had heard of it, but no one ever actively talked about it.
Including, it seemed, their teacher. He pursed his lips. "While there have been attempts by certain elementals throughout the past several hundred years to stage a coup, none of them have ever been successful, and any groups often fell apart before they ever got off the ground. Unfortunately, we simply do not have time to talk about them with the syllabus full as it is."
Avari snorted, not that the teacher could hear from her seat in the back of the room. There had been rumors of the Poison Resistance forever. Whether or not it was real was unclear, though it wasn't terribly hard to believe. With the way they were treated, a bunch of poison elementals banning together to try to take over didn't seem so far-fetched.
Especially with freaks like Reiji around.
But, it wouldn't do well to dwell on such things in a history class, apparently. Avari folded her arms. The class was such a joke.
The bell finally rang and Avari quickly gathered up her things, eager to get to lunch. Lunch had fast become just about the only thing she cared about, since the school didn't care about her.
The lightning dorm boy was waiting by the door, and as she tried to brush past him, Avari realized he was waiting for her.
"Excuse me," she stuck her nose in the air, not wanting to engage. So she'd learned a few people didn't really care about dorms and social stigmas. Big deal. That didn't mean everyone felt that way. She wasn't about to listen to whatever he had to say about her accidental power slip-up.
"Hey."
She tossed her hair and picked up speed, deliberately ignoring him.
"There's classic Purple Dorm friendliness I've heard so much about."
Avari stopped in the middle of the grass, halfway between buildings. "What do you want?" She tried to sound as annoyed as possible, but he was cuter than she'd realized now that she got a full glimpse at him. Her tone faltered.
Damn Stella for not mentioning how unfairly attractive some of the boys in her dorm were. All the girl ever did was complain about the stupid color.
He stuck his hand out. "Ryuto."
Avari let it fall. "Avari," she responded coldly. "Now if you don't mind-"
"Nice job on the desk back there."
She glowered. He had to be mocking her, though his gold eyes danced mischievously.
"Thank you," she said coolly. She pointed at him. "Just keep your head down so the same thing doesn't happen to you." With that, she walked away, a dance in her step.
Behind her, Ryuto smiled.
Lucas stared at the tiny melting puddle of ice in front of him. It was hard to believe he'd created it out of nothing less than a minute ago.
Granted, it wasn't anything new to him, but it still amazed him. Four years of ice powers, yet somehow it felt like the first time every time.
He'd created bigger, more elaborate and dramatic things out of ice in the past- usually without trying, though. Back then, his powers only came in small bursts, either when he desperately needed them or at otherwise inconvenient times.
Today, they were starting out slow, to give everyone a chance to figure things out. For those who were already more advanced, like Lucas, this was a lesson in control. Making the small sculptures (even if they were really just blob-shaped) as his teacher was calling them was supposed to help them learn how to slowly use their powers then ramp it up, rather than just causing an icy explosion to take place by accident when things got out of hand.
Not that Lucas had ever done that, or anything.
There were only six students in the classroom, along with a few seniors who'd volunteered to help with the freshmen classes as part of an internship they could include on their college applications. The ice dorm wasn't particularly large, especially compared to the water dorm, which had double the students. The ice dorms and water dorms were closely related, however; most students were siblings, like Lucas and Wales. The two abilities were inherently linked, though Lucas could never do the things his brother did. Then again, Wales equally held no power over ice.
Starting off slow was a bit of a relief, despite the fact that Lucas's face gave nothing away. He was certain in no time they'd be stepping it up, but it was nice to ease in. Comfortable as he now was, a lot of this was still new to him. There was so much to absorb.
Lucas spent the next half hour creating more and more ice blobs, growing each one bigger than the next. Finally feeling like he knew what he was doing, and not having to go out of his way to hide it, was nice.
It shouldn't have been a surprise when he walked out of the classroom only to find Nero waiting for him.
Nero casually leaned up against the wall. "It's about time you showed up."
"I've been in class. Where you should've been," Lucas deadpanned.
"Nah, I don't think so." Nero snapped his fingers, and a flame burst forth, lingering just above his fingers before going out in a puff. "Teacher let me out early."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. He'd yet to hear of that happening, unless a student was sick, which Nero clearly was not. Nero may have been the type to skip class, but the afternoon practicals were the classes worth going to. It was the morning classes where sleeping in would've been preferable.
Nero shrugged, and what looked like a split-second flicker of sadness crossed his face. "She said I was progressing fantastically and could cut out early if I wanted while the others finished up."
Oh. Nero, similar to his brother, was blessed with an extraordinary amount of talent, something that teachers chalked up to the Konzern name, much to Nero's disdain. From what Lucas had heard through hushed whispers in the hall, Nero was nearly performing at a sophomore level already.
In other words, Nero was supremely ahead of his classmates, especially for this first week where things were moving incredibly slow. Lucas suspected the teacher didn't want Nero's natural aptitude to discourage any struggling students.
That, he supposed, could make things lonely for Nero. He didn't seem to have many friends in his own dorm, despite the fact that everyone clearly liked him. Nero fell more comfortably in with their misfit lunch crew.
"At least classes are over with." Brightness returned to Nero's shadowed face. "Let's check this place out!"
Lucas slung his bag over his shoulder, afraid to ask the question. "What do you mean?"
Nero was impatient. "There's so many places we haven't checked out yet! Think about all the buildings. This place is old. There's gotta be some secrets."
The idea was exciting, but Lucas wasn't sold. "They're gonna be closing up the academic halls soon. Let's just stay here." Here, as in the main building. Office hours were taking place, but within an hour they'd be over.
Nero pouted. "Oh, come on. Half those buildings are over a hundred years old! You're telling me you aren't even remotely interested? We can be in and out before anyone even notices!"
"We could check out Konzern Hall," Lucas said innocently.
Nero's face turned ugly. "As if. I couldn't care less what they're hiding in there."
Knowing how much it bothered Nero there was an entire building named for his family, it'd been a bit of a low blow, but it got Lucas's point across. He felt a bit bad, but it was the only way to do it.
Nero didn't dwell on it. "Fine, we can stay here. Let's check out the sixth floor."
Lucas agreed knowing there was no way out of it. He was kind of curious, and admittedly, he did like spending time with Nero. It was hard to believe his first friend had been someone so outgoing when Lucas was such the opposite. The sixth floor was rumored to be more administrative offices, but no one knew for sure other than the faculty. Supposedly, quite a few of them were just as unaware as the students. Getting caught would be bad, but at least they could get away with it. They were still new. It could look like an honest mistake.
Nero rationalized Lucas's thoughts. "No one has outright said it's off-limits. It's just implied."
With that, Lucas let him lead the way.
Ice practical classes took place on the second floor, same as their dorms. They quickly ditched their bags in their respective dorms, then met up at the grand staircase in the middle of the floor.
As they reached the fifth floor, home to poison, ghost, psychic, and dark students, Lucas felt a thrill of foreboding. He'd never been on this floor, and they were about to go even higher into more unknown territory.
They reached the sixth floor, which, much to Nero's disappointment, looked like any other floor. There was plush red carpeting along the halls, and gold trim and decorations all along the wall. It looked almost identical to the first floor.
Lucas looked for plaques near the doors, hoping to get an idea of what each room held, but there was nothing.
He frowned. Maybe the floor was simply unused space.
Nero didn't seem convinced, peering into every open room they came across. He found a few classrooms that looked like they'd been used recently, including one office. The rest of the doors were locked tight.
Probably the strangest thing was the fact that they had yet to come across anyone else. In a school this large, even on a private floor, it was surprising, and a bit unnerving. Of course, it worked in their favor, but Lucas was still on edge.
Finally, they came to the last door in the hall. Nero had promised they'd go back downstairs after so they wouldn't risk getting caught any longer.
The door was a touch more ornate than the others. Nero's grin widened.
"Oh yeah. They are definitely hiding something behind that."
Lucas took a step back. "I can guarantee that one's locked," he said, dismissive.
Nero's eyes sparkled. "It's only locked if you don't know a way around it."
He examined the keyhole, motioning for Lucas to come closer. Nero tugged on the door. As predicted, it was locked.
Nero glanced at Lucas. "Think you can do it?"
Lucas stared at him, baffled. "Do what?"
Nero gestured toward the keyhole. "Get us in! Pick the lock!"
"How?"
"With an icicle!"
Lucas opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Nero was either completely out of his mind or a total genius.
"Just focus on making the shape," Nero coached, patiently this time.
Figuring he had nothing to lose, Lucas decided to give it a go. Slowly, he conjured up a long, pointy icicle as best he could without being able to see the shape required to unlock it. They held their breath as he tested it out. It didn't quite fit, but after pulling it back out and reexamining the icicle, Lucas had a better idea of what was needed. He went to work reshaping their makeshift tool.
Footsteps echoed down the hall. Nero's head shot up sharply.
"Hide!" he hissed, dragging Lucas down an adjacent hall as he dropped the icicle, where it shattered into dozens of tiny fractures. They pressed themselves up against the wall.
"Someone's been up here," a voice said. Whoever it was stopped right at the door, but they didn't dare risk peering around the corner trying to see who it was.
"Indeed," a second, flat male voice agreed. There was a pause.
"A water student."
Lucas flinched. They must have found what was left of the melting, abandoned icicle.
"Not quite," the second voice said. "Look closer. An ice student."
"What were they doing up here?"
"I don't know. But I intend to find out."
"I'll start a search to make sure all Cyan Dorm students are accounted for, sir."
"Excellent. They couldn't have gotten far; the water's still cold."
Lucas's heart beat rapidly in his chest and he felt frozen to the spot. Nero grabbed his hand and set off running. The two didn't stop until they found the nearest staircase, then dashed down it, toward the safety of the lower dorms.
Stella gripped her heavy books tightly as she headed toward her next class in an effort not to drop them, hair sticking up wildly in all directions. She sighed, and turned into the nearest bathroom.
She set down her large silver snakeskin tote bag and got to work trying to tame her tresses in the mirror.
It was useless. Ever since she'd really started using her lightning powers a few days ago, once she'd truly accepted them, her hair was impossible. Her body was just so oversaturated with static electricity, her poor hair suffered for it. That and her friends. She'd accidentally shocked both Avari and Gin the other day and more than a tickle. Fortunately, both were good sports about it. Though in Avari's case, it may have been because ten minutes earlier, she'd inadvertently burned a hole through Stella's bag when she picked it up. One of the straps was utterly useless now, melted away to nothing, the reason Stella carried most of her books. Avari had apologized profusely, but the damage was done and another bag was on the way.
At first, she'd struggled to come to terms with her powers, after Nero had told them about the school being magic and the "Intro to Lightning" class she'd taken day one of week three. She'd forgotten what the class was actually called, but that was the gist of it.
Her parents hadn't known. Supposedly, a family member a generation or two back may have had powers since they could skip, but Stella had no way of knowing. Eventually, she'd put the pieces together, and they made too much sense. It explained a number of occurrences from her childhood, why the fireworks she set off from her parents' shop always seemed to have a little extra sizzle, and why she tended to blow things up frequently in her chemistry class, though she had a natural proclivity for the science. She was unknowingly putting a little of her own energy into everything.
And of course, most importantly, it explained why Elite Academy had been so keen on getting her to come to the school.
So, rather than pull her hair out over it, she'd just decided to go with it. Her powers were there, and she couldn't ignore them. Learning how to live with them rather than fighting it or questioning was the obvious choice.
Stella turned on the faucet, wet her hands, and ran them through her hair. It seemed to help a little. Step one would be figuring out how to solve this problem, then she'd worry about how to use her powers. A few other kids in the dorm had sort of poofy hair, which she hadn't noticed before, but none like hers.
At least hanging out with Avari meant her hair didn't look too bizarre next to the other girl's teased locks. She almost blended, even if they both looked like overdressed rock stars when they stood next to each other with the wild hairdos.
There were worse things, Stella supposed as she pushed the bathroom door open and walked directly across the hall to her class.
She dropped into her seat, next to King, a Greek boy from the Red Dorm with a chronic inability to sit still.
She was about to sit through "social studies," which differed from history in that it focused on present events rather than the past. The biggest shock, pun intended, of coming here outside of magic was how different the general classes were. There was less emphasis on math and science, and more on society and the cultural workings of this secret world they inhabited.
Natural science would be less important when you could bend it to your will with just a snap of your fingers.
During her intro course, an upperclassman had come in to provide a demonstration. He'd sent a lightning bolt straight at a target, getting a perfect bullseye before the entire thing exploded from impact a second later. Stella had found it terrifying and inspiring. Would she really be able to do something like that once she'd completed her education? With the comparably tiny shocks she kept giving people, it hardly seemed possible.
Stella pulled out the essay she'd written hastily last night. Admittedly, while her roommate was out the other day, she'd spent a little time trying to conjure up her own powers when she was supposed to be working on it. It was so hard not to take the opportunity when she had total privacy.
King's face fell when he saw her paper. "Wait! That was due today? Aw!"
Stella turned to face him, slight confusion on her face. "Um, yeah? Haven't you been here all week?" The paper had been brought up at least once every class.
He still looked worried. "I guess I just-"
Without warning, a fireball exploded from his hand and headed straight for her. Stella shrieked and ducked while King looked on in horror. A second later, it was over, the fire doused by a friendly nearby water student.
Stella raised her head, shaking water from her drenched hair. At least it would lie flat now.
The only remains of the incident were a scorch mark on her desk- and her charred essay.
King was instantly apologetic while Stella stared vacantly. What was with all her stuff getting destroyed lately?
"It-it's okay," Stella said, dazed, getting up from her seat. "I can go print another-"
Just then, the bell rang, and their teacher swept into the room.
"Sit down, Miss Celatum," she ordered.
"But-"
"Sit," she repeated, then addressed the rest of the class. "Please come hand in your essays."
Stella gulped. She joined the others, headed for the desk. "I just need to go to my dorm so I can reprint-"
"I don't want to hear excuses, Miss Celatum. Do you have the essay or not?"
Stella's shoulders slumped. "I don't."
The other students tried to come to her rescue, even King, who fully took responsibility for the whole thing, but their teacher was not having it.
"Sorry, Stella," she said. "You and King will serve detention with me today during lunch for not having your papers done on time."
King whispered "sorry" and Stella's mood dropped even lower. Lunch was right after class, and one of the things she looked forward to most. She hated to think about the antics she'd miss out on, from Nero's wild stories, to the cynicism of Lucas and Avari, and Gin's sweet innocence that made her feel not so alone.
An hour later, the bell rang again. Stella and King were instructed to stay in the room while everyone else left, including their teacher, who'd be back once she got her lunch.
It was hard not to sulk. Stella doodled in the margins of the notebook she hadn't bothered to put away.
King turned to her, cerulean blue eyes wide as he launched into another apology.
She held up her hand to stop him. "It's fine," she said with a small smile. "My essay was kind bad anyway. At least I'll have time to redo it tonight."
"If you say so," King said. "I really am sorry. I've always had trouble controlling my powers, ever since I was little. People kind of avoided me because of it."
"Oh," Stella was instantly empathetic. "Well, I never knew about my powers until recently. It's all been such an adjustment. I can kind of use them, but I feel so behind sometimes. I don't feel like I've got all that much control either." She pointed to her hair, which had dried since she'd been soaked and was already sticking up again.
She and King shared a warm moment of understanding, and Stella was, much to her own surprise, about to ask him if he wanted to join her and the others for dinner later when the teacher walked back in and demanded silence.
As Stella put her notebook away, she began to wonder if getting her paper blown up and detention weren't the worst thing in the world after all.
My power does not control me. Aurora copied the sentence into her notebook as soon as her teacher spoke it. She was in her last class of the day, a darkness practical.
There were only five other students in the room with her, and they all looked like they wanted out equally as bad as she did. Juniors and seniors took combined classes since the Black Dorm was so small. At least they didn't have it as bad as the Purple Dorm kids; there were only eight of them in the entire school, so they took all their practicals together, from beginners to advanced. From what Aurora had heard, those kids didn't do much practicing anyway.
The black dorm wasn't much bigger though: they boasted all of twelve students. Still, it was nice to officially be an upperclassman in the higher-level courses.
My power does not control me. That had been the big focus last year, their mantra. Sophomore year was when dark students really started to struggle with their abilities. As one of the seniors had told Aurora last year, it was hard to reach for the light when your whole body constantly screamed against it. The girl had disappeared that same day, and no one had ever seen her again.
Aurora forced herself to focus on happier things, or at least the task at hand. They were taking a break for the moment to use their powers.
The problem with darkness was that it constantly demanded to be let out. As far as Aurora knew, none of the other elements could relate in the slightest. Fortunately, their instructor shared their power, so she actually knew what she was talking about.
Tendrils of blackness slipped from Aurora's fingers. The school probably would've preferred dark students didn't use their powers, but that simply was not an option. They had to. All the same, the school did their best to keep it under control.
Aurora felt instant relief as the energy left her body. Darkness could be used to drive a person mad, however, it could also drive the user mad just as easily. Of all the elements, it was the true double-edged sword. There was a reason dark students had carte blanche to leave classrooms whenever necessary. If they couldn't let their power out, it was going to find a way out whether the student wanted it to or not and it was best not to let it happen in front of the unsuspecting. For that reason, Black Dorm students were the only ones who had practicals both in the morning and afternoon.
It still wasn't enough, Aurora lamented. She and the others were constantly going back to their dorms between classes. At least she now had a dorm room entirely to herself. It was so much easier to let loose when no one was around, even if that person understood completely.
Aurora moved her hands around and the tendrils grew bigger, dancing with her movements. Five minutes later, they were brought back together for more notes.
Next week they'd be trying out some new tricks, ones that would be a refresher for seniors but still necessary to go over again. Aurora was excited that she'd simply be learning another outlet for her powers to sneak out through. Usually, her results were a little explosive when it came time to unleash, but she was hopeful she could better control them with some upper-level skills. Unfortunately, she rarely had the time to let her power slowly seep out the way she did in class and naturally that being the most inconvenient way was the best way to do it. After the nine o'clock curfew, things tended to be a bit easier. No one expected her to be anywhere.
After jotting down some skills to practice for homework, which either had to be done in their wing exclusively or in the designated dark classroom, the teacher let them use another five minutes to release their energy. After that, barely five minutes remained.
Aurora smiled. She never had a reason to complain when it came to getting out early.
It didn't take long to catch up with Sophie, whose class on the second floor was just letting out in tandem with the bell.
"Hey," Sophie greeted her with a smile. "How'd classes go?"
Aurora gave a vague shrug. "Oh, you know. The usual."
Sophie looked curious. "One of these days you're going to have to tell me what constitutes as 'usual' in a dark class."
Aurora let out a small giggle. "I assure you, it's not as exciting as you think."
Wales came out of the classroom, wrapping his arm around Sophie's waist, and the three of them headed toward dinner. Sophie stopped suddenly next to the hall that led to the Blue Dorm wing.
"I want to drop my bag off," she explained. "These books are killing me."
"I should stop at my dorm, too," Aurora realized. She'd been in Sophie's dorm a few times, but not all that often.
"Are you sure? You can always come with us." Sophie's eyes were sincere. "You did just come from the fifth floor."
Aurora thought about it, deciding she'd rather climb the stairs all over again. It was true that students were allowed to go to different dorms provided someone who belonged to the dorm hosted them, and they were back by curfew, but Aurora wasn't in the mood. Most of the Blue Dorm students had gotten used to seeing her in their halls over the years, but a few would still gawk. It didn't help that Black Dorm students almost exclusively wore full black ensembles with occasional gray accents; they had to, because the standard white dress shirt conflicted with the uniform of the White Dorm students, who were required to wear mostly white, along with silver accents. Neither could wear the color of the other, or it would make it almost impossible to tell the students apart from a superficial standpoint, the entire point of the uniforms in the first place.
"No, I'll be fine," Aurora said, not wanting to trouble Sophie. "I'll see you in a few minutes." Besides, it would give her a chance to let out a little of the storm that was already building inside, meaning she could hang out later after dinner than usual.
She watched, with slight envy, as Sophie and Wales walked hand in hand toward the dining hall.
Powers aside, Sophie seemed to have it all figured out in a way Aurora just didn't, not that she ever begrudged her friend for it. Aurora was a much more passive person, but she still wondered.
If she ever stepped outside her comfort zone, might she be able to find someone like Sophie had Wales? The two were just about the cutest couple on campus. Aurora didn't want that exactly, especially not the attention that came with it, but it did give her pause. Could there be someone out there for her, who would look at her the same way?
Several students stepped aside to give her clearance. Aurora's delicate features turned down. There was her answer.
That was the thing about being a dark student: people tended to stay out of your way. More often than not, dark users went "bad" and no one wanted to cross them for fear of what the future might bring. It wasn't their fault, but no one else could understand. It scared them. To the rest, they may as well have been monsters.
It wasn't an option when the power demanded to be let out. It was going to get out, one way or another no matter who was there to bear witness. The only alternative was to go absolutely insane and lose any sense of who you had once been as it consumed you. Sometimes, even among the most practiced, the most disciplined, it still happened anyway. It was a force beyond comprehension, even of the users themselves.
My power does not control me.
Ranmaru waved to Gin as he passed her on the way back to the dorm, glad to see the girl seemed to have finally figured the school out. She occasionally would eat breakfast with him, Hikaru, and the others, but more often than not she spent her time with her own friend group now. That was good; she'd found her place.
Week three was finally coming to a close, and with it, dinner.
Hikaru noticed his anticipation. "You're excited, aren't you?"
Ranmaru blushed. "That obvious?"
For once, he'd been restless all throughout dinner, wishing it would end.
Tonight was a night he'd been waiting for a long time, ever since he'd first witnessed the event freshman year. At the start of every school year, at the end of the third week, senior students would sneak out to clearing behind the school after midnight and have a little competition to show off their powers. It was an old, old tradition, and Ranmaru wouldn't have been surprised if teachers knew it took place. After all, practically half the school left the building once underclassmen got wind of it. It was hard to believe that the faculty was unaware of something that big. Some of them had probably even taken part of it when they were younger. The fact that it wasn't an official school-sanctioned event made it all the more exhilarating. He'd been fortunate enough to be invited to watch his first year, when a friendly senior suggested he tag along to the exclusive event. He'd remembered that excitement ever since.
He'd mentioned it to Gin, as a way of paying back the senior who had helped him back in the day. She'd seemed delighted, and had later told him Nero was well aware of it, and she'd see him later with her group.
"You're coming, right?" he asked Hikaru.
"Of course!" Her eyes had a strong determination that broke through her bright smile. "There's no way I'm missing this. Now that I finally have a chance to perform?"
There was no official "prize" for a winner of the competition, but the students and the dorms that did the best guaranteed a sense of respect that would carry them through the school year. Somehow, the "wins" seemed to carry out beyond the academy, when those students would get accepted into the best colleges and jobs even before graduation.
Whether or not the teachers knew, word definitely got around.
Five hours later, Ranmaru flicked the lights back on in his single and quickly put his uniform back on. He stepped out of the dorm the same moment Julian came out of his next door. Julian nodded curtly, and together the two headed off, the three other psychic students flanking behind them. It was an unwritten rule that seniors had to arrive at the field before anyone else.
Within half an hour, the clearing was packed. Roughly seventy seniors stood opposite the field from close to hundred or so underclassmen. Ranmaru wondered how many more were still coming.
The only dorm not competing was the poison dorm; as far as Ranmaru knew, there were only two seniors there anyway. He looked across the field and was surprised to see there was one Purple Dorm student in attendance. It was the girl Gin hung out with, Avari. Considering she seemed to be about the only member of her dorm who socialized, it shouldn't have been too much of a shock.
Because of the large number of seniors clamoring for a spot, the dorms went in groups. Some choreographed whole routines, others did their own thing, usually with one or two students drawing the most attention.
Julian walked to the center of the field, the unofficially elected speaker. The field fell silent. His footsteps echoed across the grass.
"Welcome!" Julian spoke loudly and authoritatively. His mere presence commanded the rapt attention of everyone, captivating them. "Welcome to another school year at Elite Academy. For some of us, this will be our last year. Our last chance to prove ourselves. Therefore, let us now leave our mark forevermore on the academy!" He quickly introduced each group in the order they would perform.
With that, he walked off to rejoin the Pink Dorm seniors. The water dorm rushed to fill his place.
The water elementals were always a sight to behold, setting the stage for everything to come with wave after wave. Every move they made was perfectly calculated, yet so graceful it seemed entirely organic. They were true naturals.
The water dorm was followed by the fire dorm, who always awed with controlled flames that seemed as though they might break free any minute, then the plant dorm. The plant users were equally incredible to watch. They shot vines from their hands, then grew the grass and flowers around the clearing six feet, earning excited gasps from the crowd.
A chill settled in the air. Ranmaru's heart leapt. The ice elementals were up next. Namely, Hikaru.
She burst on the scene, freezing the newly grown grass until it was completely consumed. She blew on them, frosty breath, and they shattered on impact. The other seniors were doing well, but it was obvious Hikaru was the one to watch.
Once nothing remained of the once lush surroundings, Ranmaru couldn't take his eyes off her as she danced around the stage. Ice shot from her fingertips, creating a frozen layer above the ground. She used it as a rink, spinning around, with little icicles circling around her. Finally, she finished with a bang, the ice droplets around her shooting forward and exploding spectacularly upon impact with an ice sculpture someone else had created, sending sparkling, glittering crystals all the way down.
Ranmaru barely had time to absorb it all before he was up. They went in order based on number of students per dorm, meaning psychic immediately followed ice.
With so many eyes on him, it was nerve-wracking, but Ranmaru kept it together. Psychic students were always expected to put on a spectacular show. The pressure was on even more after watching Hikaru.
Embracing his telekinetic abilities, Ranmaru decided to start off slow. Mentally, he picked up a stick, spinning it in the air. When he saw Julian doing the same thing, it gave him an idea.
He moved his stick over toward Julian's and tapped it experimentally. Julian eyed him, then caught on.
They stood directly across from each other, enacting a duel with the two branches. Ranmaru did his best to fight off Julian, much to the crowd's fevered enjoyment. A moment later, Ranmaru defeated him, destroying the stick and sending it flying off into the woods. Nodding his approval, Julian went to work on his next signature move, making it appear that gravity had shifted.
He needed something good to follow up with, but he was running out of time. He had a few rocks rotating around him in different directions, but he wasn't the only one doing that. There had to be something better.
His eyes landed on Hikaru, who was staring back at him with a big smile, and inspiration struck. It would be extremely hard to do, but if he could pull it off even for a few seconds, it would be incredibly impressive. He just wished he'd had a chance to clear it with Hikaru first.
Moving a live being with its own will was difficult to begin with. Raising Hikaru into the air was even harder.
As he focused, he heard her gasp with surprise, which drew the eyes of others to her. Sweat poured off him, but he refused to be distracted. A moment later, she hovered just above the crowd, everyone looking at her.
Before he had a chance to slip up, he gently lowered her back down, her smile even larger than before, if that were possible. He breathed a sigh of relief, glad she'd been okay with it. Plenty of people were staring at him now. He'd made the impression he wanted to as he rushed back toward the seniors' half of the clearing with the rest of his group.
Ranmaru was still catching his breath as he watched the earth students grow giant pillars of stone before his eyes. Klaus, one of Julian's closest friends, demanded attention. Klaus slammed two enormous rocks together as Ranmaru observed, awestruck. Before he knew it, they were done, and powerful bolts of lightning struck the ground, devastating the pillars into nothing.
The lightning elementals had got things all set up for the wind users following them. They created a storm that followed the bright flashes, mini tornadoes spinning everywhere in all directions, stopping inches from the crowd. Ghost took the stage after that, taking advantage of the remaining winds and making them eerie, using spirit energy to create an ominous, exciting atmosphere. From there steel took over, pulling together amazing metallic creations from nothing. Lastly, dark closed up the night, the grand finale plunging the area into nothing but blackness. It was a bit unsettling, but the thrill of excitement and contagious energy overpowered any negative emotions.
When the clearing lightened up, moon shining down gloriously upon them all, the underclassmen exploded into applause and shrieks of delight. The plant elementals quickly regrew the surrounding grass, beautifying the area and leaving no trace that a large gathering, let alone one so enthralling, had ever taken place there.
Julian reintroduced each group of seniors to further approval from the crowd. Ranmaru smiled, feeling on top of the world, taking it all in. The cheering seemed endless.
The night was done, but the year had only just begun.