Hellebore
Anika Morningstar was a young woman, of the thirty-five springs that had seen her eyes, ten had been spent within Blight Academy, where she began teaching at all academic levels, except for preschool.
She taught introductory clinical psychology in college, ethics and mental health in high school, mental development in middle school, and occasional children's workshops for elementary school, and she was also often the middle school building counselor.
In general, she was well liked by the students, and quite well known as well, the kind of teacher you could trust with problems at home to turn in an assignment a little late, or who would let you sleep at your desk in her class when you looked tired.
But that wasn't what made her famous within Blight Academy.
There were... Rumors about Miss Anika.
Like the fact that whenever she carried an umbrella, sooner or later it would start raining, no matter how sunny the day was.
Or how some had sworn to see her talking to stray animals.
But there was one rumor in particular.
The most important one.
Because... It always turned out to be true.
And that is, for Professor Anika's classes, you always had to work in pairs, with a partner who would always be assigned by her.
The main rule was clear.
There were no changes.
And in ten years, she had never, under any circumstances, given in to changing the members of a pair.
Oddly enough, even though some started out on the wrong foot, or had complications at work, by the middle of the school year, they ended up working in harmony, even if they didn't get along at all.
But there was something VERY particular about the order of the couples.
Sometimes there were more, sometimes there were less, but always.
ALWAYS.
There was the triangle of fate.
That was what the students called the last three pairs that Miss Anika chose for any of her classes.
If it was your turn to be part of these last three, you had a guaranteed destiny.
Being part of the penultimate pair was a condemnation, somehow, even if the members were best friends, or got along very well throughout the school year, shortly before the end of the semester they would have a cruel and dramatic fight, it always happened, and there was always a scandal because of it.
Being part of the penultimate one was a promise, since the members of that team would end up performing an extraordinary and recognized accomplishment, and in general, they would end up establishing very strong bonds with each other, sometimes even becoming a couple.
But to be part of the last one...
It was a prophecy.
For if it was you who was to be part of the last pair announced by the teacher Anika.
You had found the love of your life.
The first ones, selected when Miss Anika gave her first class in the senior year of middle school, had been together for ten years, five of them happily married.
The teacher's classes had formed dozens of couples, and the docent rejoiced and announced every time she was invited to the celebration of a marriage.
So, the reaction of the 1A boys upon learning that the latest couple in the class would be the new girl, and the oh-so-famous Amity Blight, was understandable.
But that wasn't everything, oh no.
First of all, in ten years, not a single one of Amity's siblings or cousins had ever been part of the triangle of destiny.
Never had a Blight ever been chosen.
Second of all.
Never.
Ever.
The last couple had been made up of two same-sex people.
It was something unusual and unprecedented.
Some would say an aberration.
A Blight, the dean's youngest daughter no less, chosen for the last couple?
With a girl?
What a scandal!
"And that wraps up today's class!" concluded Miss Anika finally. "Oh! By the way, exchange your contact numbers with your partner, and tomorrow, spend an hour together, I want you to make a brief introduction of each other for the next class, it should include first and last names, family members, and any hobbies you practice. Now that's it, I'll see you next class!"
The students, still whispering, began to leave the classroom.
Time after time, curious eyes turned, some looked at Luz, most looked at Amity, completely unsettled in her seat.
She was quickly surrounded by her friends, who snatched each other' s words amidst questions, teasing, jokes and concern.
Amity ignored them, snapped out of her shock and practically ran to the teacher's desk.
Her friends followed her in single line.
Luz, cheerful yet confused, tried to go after her, only to be stopped by Willow, who pulled her by her arm.
"You'd better not go near her now."
"But the teacher said."
"You can do that later! Amity's going to yell at you if you go near her now."
"But..."
Willow grabbed Luz's backpack and started dragging her towards the door.
And damn!
The morning's fertilizer bags were definitely not light!
Luz decided it was best not to resist.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS MISS MORNINGSTAR!" Was the last thing she heard walking away from the classroom.
"Oh~ But, it's already done Miss Blight." Said the teacher sarcastically crossing her arms. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't raise your voice at me, Amity."
The auburn backed away slightly.
"Sorry." She said quickly. "But it's just..."
"Why did you pair her up with the new girl!?" Boscha asked harshly. "Why with a girl?!"
"You've never done this before!" A surprised Skara exclaimed.
The rest of the girls chorused in support.
The teacher stood up with a frown.
"Anyone who is not Amity Blight, leave immediately." She sentenced.
"But..." Skara interjected.
"Now!" She said in a louder tone.
The girls slowly retreated.
Except for Boscha.
The redhead stood there, challenging the teacher with her eyes.
"You can't do this!" she protested. "Don't you know who her father is?" The teacher looked at her with an arched eyebrow.
"I have nothing to discuss with you Boscha. You are dismissed."
"¡Or-"
The teacher looked at her with an arched eyebrow.
"I have nothing to discuss with you Boscha. You are dismissed."
"¡Or-"
"Stand down before I send you to detention." She sentenced.
Boscha clenched both her teeth and her fists, and turning around, walked out of the classroom.
"I'll wait for you outside Amity."
" You don't need to." Replied the auburn in a tired voice. "I still have stuff to do on campus, go home."
Boscha looked at her over her shoulder.
"Fine." She said closing the door behind her.
The teacher sighed.
"Okay Amity. what's the matter?"
Amity opened her mouth to rebut... And realized she had nothing to say.
She searched her mind a few moments for some excuse.
"She... I don't even like her! She's impulsive, irresponsible and reckless! I'm risking my grade! You know what my parents are like! You' re going to get me in trouble!"
"Oh, so you know her?"
"No... Not really, I gave her a tour of campus this morning on dean's orders, she made a mess, I left her alone for a second, she freed a horse and almost caused an accident."
The teacher arched her eyebrows in surprise, but regained her serious look quickly.
"Well, if you say she's so irresponsible, she could well learn something from you." Countered the teacher.
"What, you' re telling me I have to bear with her?" rebutted Amity angrily.
"No, I'm saying that in life you're not always going to work with people you like, and you must learn to tolerate them and work in harmony to give good results, it's not the first time you've worked with someone irresponsible, your grades have never dropped, you're an excellent leader and you've always gotten the best out of your classmates. You've never complained before, do you dislike this girl that much?"
The auburn was silent for a few moments, staring at the floor.
"Why did you pair me up with a girl?" Amity claimed with restrained anger.
The teacher looked at her with an arched eyebrow.
"You've never had a problem with that before."
"That's because I'd never been part of the last pair!"
" So what of it?" Questioned the teacher with a shrug.
"Oh, don't pretend you don't know, you know perfectly well what the problem is! I need you to change my partner!"
The teacher snorted.
"You want me to change your partner because of a gossip?" She told him in a mocking tone.
"You know it's not just a rumor! It's something that always happens, it hasn't failed once!"
"That has nothing to do with me." Replied the teacher, crossing her arms. "I don't do anything special."
" You've never picked a same-sex couple as your last! Why did you have to start with me?!" She complained feeling her eyes start to sting.
The teacher's gesture softened.
"Amity, I don't choose partners, I sign up names into an app that gives me random results, I have never planned anything." She told her turning the computer around to show the open App.
Amity observed her name and Luz's name making a pair next to a roulette wheel.
"Then you can change it, please change it for me!"
"Amity, you know the rules, no changes, I haven't made a change ever."
"But I can't be with a girl if we're the last couple! It's wrong! You know it's wrong!"
"Why would it be wrong for two girls to be a paired up for a school assignment?"
"Because the final pairs in your class always end up together Miss Anika! That's against school moral! And against my family's morals!"
The teacher tilted her head to the side, arched an eyebrow, and bent down to be level with the young girl.
"Amity... Do you like girls?" she asked in a soft tone.
The young lady blushed to the tips of her ears.
"OF COURSE NOT!" She replied with rather exaggerated volume.
The teacher jumped briefly and recoiled at the high-pitched tone.
She looked at her student for a moment, tilted her head again and sighed.
"So, then. What are you worried about? If you don't like girls. Why would you end up dating one?"
Amity's eyes widened.
She hadn't thought about that.
"Just as you say, I've never picked a couple with two people of the same sex at the end, and while I'm not in favor of encouraging all the absurd rumors, it could very well be that the circumstances are different, clearly they're not going to end up together if you don't even like girls.
"What if she likes girls?" the auburn continued to rebut.
"It doesn´t matter that much, if you don't like girls, she can't force you into anything."
"She's... Weird, I'm uncomfortable around her." Amity could feel her stomach tighten at the false confession.
The teacher approached again.
"Amity, did she do something to you?" she asked cautiously. "Was she aggressive with you?"
"No!" she faltered. "Uh... Not really... I was actually the one who yelled at her... I just... I don't know, she gives me a bad feeling."
The teacher sighed again.
"Look Amity, if you ever have a problem with Luz, feel free to talk to me, and we'll work it out in conversation. " Then she folded her arms. "In ten years, I've never seen a problem that can't be solved with communication, that's why I've never made changes. If Luz comes in any way to assault or threaten you, then I will do something about it, but if you have no real reason besides what you've already told me, I'm not going to change your partner."
The teacher's words were blunt, and Amity found no more excuses to rebut.
"Can I help you with anything else?" The teacher asked in a soft voice.
"No." Amity said after an awkward pause.
It was then that the teacher noticed the crystallized look on the fifteen-year-old's face.
She leaned in again and, being one of the few people Amity allowed to be touched, laid a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"Amity, I know you very well, you are a brave and competent girl who never flinches from a challenge, I know you will be able to handle this, and don't worry about the pairing order, no one can force you into anything. For now give Luz a chance, okay?"
The young woman sighed.
"Okay."
"Well, if you have no more doubts, I'll see you on Wednesday, don't forget your homework for tomorrow."
"Yes Miss Morningstar."
With those last words, Amity grabbed her backpack and left the classroom.
The teacher watched the door close and turned to her laptop, closing the application.
"This semester is going to be very interesting." She said thinking out loud.
While Amity was chatting with Professor Anika, Luz had been dragged by Willow to the lockers.
"Willow!" She exclaimed at last when the black-haired girl finally slowed down at her locker. "What's going on?"
"Uh..." began her companion, scratching her cheek." It's kind of hard to explain, see, the thing with Miss Morningstar's class is that-"
Willow's words were interrupted by her cell phone ringing, recognizing her sister's personalized tone, the black-haired girl excused herself and answered immediately.
"Hello, Wionna, what happened?"
"We're outside catarina, you need to come out, now."
"Don't call me that." Replied the young woman between her teeth. "What do you mean go out now, what for? We're still on school time."
"And, you saying it like that means you already got out of class, so get out. Now.
I'll explain when you get there. "Wionna, I'm in the middle of something important!"
"This is much more important, if you're not at Judas' door in 30 seconds I'm coming for you, and I'm going to carry you, it's your call Catarina."
"Don't call me-"
But her sister had already hung up.
"Ugh! When she gets like that it's a bummer!" she hurried to open her locker. "I'm so sorry Luz, she's serious, I'll explain everything early tomorrow morning!"
The black-haired girl quickly grabbed her backpack, and almost ran to the exit.
"See you tomorrow Luz!" she shouted as she walked away.
"See you tomorrow..." Half-heartedly replied the brunette, as she watched her friend walk away.
To say she was confused was an understatement.
But it seemed she had no choice but to wait.
It wasn't like she could be asked by anyone else.
It was still half an hour before Lola would come by to pick her up.
Then she remembered she still had to have her physical... And she had no idea where the nurse's office was.
She looked around, looking for some kind of sign, but found nothing.
The corridors were empty, as the rest of the groups were still in classes.
Luz sighed.
She would have to wait until the end of classes to ask for directions.
She walked a few steps to put her things in the locker.
And she saw a nun turn the corner down the hallway.
Maybe she wouldn't have to wait.
Luz hurried her belongings into the locker, picked up the folder Amity had given her that morning, and approached the nun.
"Uh... Ma'am? Sister?" she asked hesitantly trying to get the nun's attention.
The woman stopped and turned to face Luz.
The nun was short, at least a head shorter than Luz, plump and middle-aged, wore thick-framed glasses and looked adorable.
"Yes my child, what do you need?" She asked curiously.
"I need to go to the nurse's office." Luz replied. "But I don't know where it is, could you please help me?"
"Sure!" She said with a smile. "I'll be glad to take you, just follow me."
The young woman smiled and walked after the nun.
"You must be new." Started the nun with intent to chat. "I've never seen you on campus before."
"Oh, right." Luz confirmed starting again to talk about her arrival in the country and the institution.
"Nice to meet you Luz." Said the woman upon hearing the story. "I am Sister Hildegard Jane..."
Luz's eyes widened at such a name.
"But you can call me Sister Hildy." She finished with a beaming smile. "I'm the religious counselor for High School students, I'm sure I'll be giving you religion classes soon. Oh! Here we are."
After walking down a few hallways, they had finally arrived at the nurse's office.
"Thank you very much Sister Hildy." Thanked the Dominican with a smile.
"Nice to meet you Luz, if you have any questions and see me around, don't hesitate to ask me."
"Thank you!"
"Have a good day." She waved goodbye as the nun walked down the hallway.
Luz knocked on the nurse's door.
"Come in." Said a rather familiar voice.
Oh no.
The young Dominican girl opened the door and entered the white room.
The nurse's station was neat, and quite large, with 5 stretchers laid out for the students.
At the attending desk was none other than Camila Noceda.
Luz's mother.
"Mija!" The woman exclaimed with a smile. "What are you doing here, are you feeling sick? School's not out yet."
"Hola mami." Luz greeted self-consciously. "The teacher let us out early from the last class, uh... this morning I was told I had to come in for a physical test. What are you doing here, I thought you had your office in a different building?"
Camila got up from her desk and walked over to her daughter.
"Oh I do, it's just that I was checking the lounges in each building to make some changes, and the nurse on duty hadn't had time to go out on her break because she had so many records to check in, so I offered to help her while she went out."
"Oh..." Luz mused. "So should I come back later or...?"
"Ay mija, no seas tonta!" Camila said with a chuckle. "I can perfectly do your physical examination in a few minutes, come on in, in fact it will be faster if I do it."
"Oh, ok." Said Luz coming in slowly.
"Sit on the stretcher mija." Camila indicated smiling.
"How do you feel about this school?" Asked the mother wrapping her daughter's left arm in a Velcro strap.
"It's huge!" Luz replied as the strap on her arm inflated." I don't think I've ever been to a school this big before.
"Yes it is big." Continued Camila with a smile as she tapped a small hammer on Luz's knees. "All right, stand up."
"So, how was your first day?" she asked as she measured her hips.
"Great!" Replied the girl quickly with a strangled voice.
Camila raised her eyebrows pulling herself upright to face her daughter.
"Mija? What happened?" She asked her with a worried gesture.
"Nothing!" Her daughter replied hastily, raising her hands in front of her. "Nothing happened!
Camila arched an eyebrow in disbelief.
Luz lowered her hands.
"Nothing... Serious." She said at last scratching the back of her neck.
Camila sighed.
"We'll talk about it at home." She said as she measured her waist. "Now, let's go to the weighing scale."
Luz followed Camila to the electronic scale, which automatically measured and weighed her.
Camila smiled warmly.
"You're already 5'7", a little more and you'll be as tall as me, you'll probably end up being as tall as your sister." She looked at the data again. "You also gained a few pounds."
Luz gasped softly, making Camila let out a soft laugh.
"It's normal mija, you can't get taller without gaining weight." Camila walked to the desk still smiling. "You're growing up."
Luz smiled following her mom, sitting down in front of the desk.
Camila silently noted Luz's results in her file.
"Is that all mami?" the teenager asked, in confusion.
"Well, I don't need to ask you anything that comes in the file, because they are things I already know, like your blood type or your allergies, that's why I told you it would be quicker if I did it."
The room was silent again for a few seconds as Camila continued to write down.
"I think I made a couple of friends..." Luz said breaking the silence.
Camila stopped noting immediately, and looked at her daughter with astonished eyes.
" You did?" she asked excitedly. "What are their names?"
"Willow, she's a girl from my class, and Gus, he's from class B, and he's younger than us."
"Ay que bueno mija!" Camila exclaimed with joy. "See, I told you, you were going to fit right in!"
Luz smiled enthusiastically.
"Yes! I like them a lot! We ate together and all my classmates received me very well!"
"Que alegría mija!" Said Camila getting up to wrap her youngest daughter in a tight hug. " We have to celebrate! I'm going to cook your favorite tonight!"
Luz reciprocated the hug calmly.
She knew that what worried her mother most was that she would make new friends.
Now she just had to keep them.
The clock on the desk beeped twice.
"Oh..." Camilla said releasing her daughter. "It's fifteen to three, Christine shouldn't take long to get back now."
"Ay, ya me voy mami! Lola was supposed to pick me up at 3."
" You go mija, I'll see you tonight, te amo."
"Me too mami!" Luz and her mother exchanged a brief kiss on the cheek, only for the young girl to leave with hurried steps and her backpack bouncing on her back.
The young Dominican girl walked to the door of the building.
Her sister was very punctual and got annoyed when she was kept waiting.
When she reached the door, she opened it quickly and walked down the steps to the entrance.
And came upon Amity sitting on the pillar at the end of the banister reading the same black-covered book she had seen her read throughout the day.
She looked around, and seeing no sign of her sister, decided to try her luck one more time.
"Amity?" the brunette said hesitantly.
The auburn looked up in surprise, and the golden eyes gazed in awe for a moment.
Wow...
Ugh! Enough with that!
"Oh, there you are." Said the auburn regaining her composure and stowing the book in the bag hanging over her waist. "I've been waiting for you.
Luz's eyes sparkled eagerly.
"Really?!" She said smiling enthusiastically.
Amity frowned.
"Yes Luz, unfortunately I'm stuck with you." She told her with annoyance. "Miss Morningstar refused to change partners for me."
Luz's enthusiasm faded quickly.
"Ah... Right, that." She replied as she fiddled with the button on her coat uncomfortably. "So... Why were you waiting for me?"
Amity walked closer to Luz.
"We have to meet tomorrow." She told her monotonously. "I take school work very seriously, so, if you're going to work with me, you have to keep up. Got it?"
Luz nodded her head.
"Good, we'll meet tomorrow in the meadow during first recess and also at lunch, we'll keep to the time Miss Morningstar requested, and then I won't have to see you after school."
Luz shrank back a little.
Amity's words were quite cruel.
The auburn held out her hand, handing her a pink piece of paper.
Luz took it carefully and opened it to read it.
555 **** ***
AmityBeLight
Luz looked back at the auburn curiously.
"That's my phone and email." Explained the dean's daughter neutrally. "Text and send me an email, I'll get back to you... As soon as my father gives my phone back."
Amity's words were loaded with venom, and Luz shrunk more on herself.
"Now listen well Luz, we are not friends, nor do I want to be your friend, you are a troublemaker and that's the last thing I need." She told her sternly. "So, like I told you before, don't talk to me unless it's absolutely necessary."
The auburn took a step back, but Luz was quick to grab her forearm.
"Amity, wait!" she said in a pleading voice. "Please..."
The auburn shook her arm quickly.
"What did I just told you?!" She cried out trying not to raise her voice.
" It is absolutely necessary, I swear it!"
Amity looked at her warily, and after a few moments, she sighed and folded her arms.
"You have five minutes." She told her in a curt tone.
Luz took a step forward, almost invading Amity's space.
"I want to apologize to you for what happened this morning, it was a really stupid thing to do on my part, and I promise you that something like that will never happen again... Uh... I..." Luz began to fiddle with her hands awkwardly, avoiding the auburn's gaze. "I've never been very good at making friends, people usually distance themselves from me soon after meeting me, I have a hard time talking to people because sometimes I had difficulties understanding their boundaries and ended up annoying them, I... Uh..."
Luz took a deep breath and raised her face to look Amity in the eyes.
"I felt very comfortable with you, I really liked you a lot and talking to you is easy, I promise I will be more careful, especially when I'm with you, and although I would really like to, we don't have to be friends, but we could at least get along so... Could you forgive me?"
The young Dominican stretched out her hand in request for pardon.
Amity looked at her hand for a few moments, then returned her gaze to Luz's face.
And she pondered over the brunette's words, the sincerity and vulnerability of her speech were hard to ignore, and that face...
Ugh!
Rejecting her felt like kicking a puppy.
And Amity wanted to reject her.
She really wanted to.
Luz meant trouble, and that was the last thing she needed.
But... She couldn't ignore that, as Luz herself had said, talking to her had been easy.
Amity Blight did not forgive.
Amity Blight did not give second chances.
Losing her hopeful expression, Luz slowly lowered her hand.
And the disappointment on the brunette's face, stung her heart.
For the love of God... I'm sure I'm going to regret this.
The auburn sighed.
"I guess it wasn't entirely your fault, I still don't know you that well and I shouldn't have left you alone, besides... There were no serious consequences, and my father is always looking for any excuse to take my phone away from me so... I guess I shouldn't take it that far either."
Luz's face lit up with a smile.
A lovely smile.
Amity frowned.
"But you have to be more careful! Someone could have gotten badly hurt!"
But Luz's smile now seemed unwavering.
"I promise!" The brunette exclaimed, giving a brief little jump. "No more runaway horses!"
Amity couldn't help the soft snort that escaped her lips.
And Luz's smile seemed to widen even more.
"So... You forgive me?" the Dominican asked, extending her hand again.
Amity inhaled deeply, sighed.
And lightly shook Luz's hand.
"I forgive you."
"So..." She continued in a sing-song voice. "About being friends...?"
Amity gave her an annoyed look.
"Don't push it."
Luz snorted.
"Okay, but I had to try."
"Eh Bichita!" was heard a few feet away.
Luz and Amity turned to see Lola giving them a sly smile.
"Let's go, I'm double-parked!" the older girl said, still smiling.
"I have to go now!" Luz said announcing the obvious.
She lightly pulled the auburn's hand, placed her opposite hand on her shoulder, leaned over and gave her a brief kiss on her cheek.
"See you tomorrow Amity!"
And without further ado, she ran to meet her sister.
Stunned by the sudden action, Amity was speechless, and could only manage to touch her cheek.
"Pero mira eso!" She heard the Noceda sisters as they walked away. "Va un día y ya tiene´ novia"
"No es mi novia!" claimed Luz with an angry tone.
"Y ese besito?" asked Lola, mockingly.
"na´mas me despedí!"
As they walked away, the conversation became unintelligible.
Not that Amity could understand them anyway.
A moment later, the building bell rang, signaling three o'clock in the afternoon, and, consequently, the end of classes.
A few seconds later, bustle could be heard in the halls of Judas, and some students began to file out the door.
Amity snapped out of her stupor and turned around to enter the building, intending to get to her locker.
On the brief walk, she couldn't help but think about how strange Luz was, and how much she stood out compared to the environment she was used to.
It was concerning to know that he would now have to constantly deal with her.
In a few minutes she reached her locker, quickly put in the combination, opened the door and began placing her books on top.
It was the first day, so other than the exercise assigned by Miss Morningstar, there was no more homework.
As she closed the locker, a flash of yellow caught her eye.
She reached out to grab the intrusive object at the bottom of her locker.
As she pulled it out, she could tell it was some candy, wrapped in a flashy yellow wrapper with red accents, right in the center, the typography announced that the product was called Bon o bon.
A brand Amity did not know.
On top of the treat was a purple post it, the auburn quickly picked it up and read the brief inscription on it.
"I´m Sowwy :c
I hope this
Will make your
day a little better.
Luz."
Underneath the note, there was a small doodle of a sad little face with giant glowing eyes.
Again, Amity couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.
It seemed to be a new bad habit.
The dean's daughter closed her locker and put the treat in a small compartment of her bag.
The note too.
Maybe...working with Luz wouldn't be so bad.
With quiet steps, she headed for the Judas exit.
...
How on earth did she open my locker?!