"Ohhhh! Geeeez!"
Duck stopped running, causing hallway traffic.
She had forgotten to bring her books with her while she went to her singing class. Turning around and apologizing to the kids she'd bumped into, she pushed her way through the sea of people, which only slowed her down more as she headed back to her studio.
When she turned the corner, she stopped running altogether.
Mytho stood, surrounded by dozens of squealing girls inviting him into their clubs.
She watched him in a amusement as he was careful to speak to every single girl, letting them down gently. There were no tears, but really excited girls that had even had the chance to talk to him.
Hmm.. he's something else.
Mytho stopped talking to Cherie about his interest in the Acting Classes at the Academy when he spotted Duck not far down the hallway.
When Duck realized he had spotted her, she waved. Mytho then pushed his way passed the girls, holding an armful of books. Duck felt her heart flutter when she realized they were all her books.
And he's my herooooo!
She ran to him, meeting him halfway. They stopped when they were standing meters apart. Duck wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him all over his face for saving her precious passing period time.
"Duck.." Mytho smiled softly.
"Yes, Mytho?" she asked, her eyes wide and shining.
Mytho's smile disappeared and he replaced it with a glare as he hit her head with a dicitonary.
"How could someone be so focused on going to class that they forget everything they're supposed to take with them?! You idiot!"
Duck rubbed her head and glared at him, "We don't get to wander around like you do, Mytho! And I'm not an idiot, I'm just... half responsible."
"Half responsible? You're not responsible at all! Do you even think?"
Duck laughed, "Sometimes, I guess!"
Something made her shiver and goosebumps rise on her arms. She glanced behind Mytho to see warning glares on the faces of Mytho's fangirls.
"Ehh?" she took a cautious step back.
Mytho glanced out of the corner of his eye at the girls and smirked.
"Heh. Don't misunderstand, girls. Why would you be jealous of a girl who doesn't even have a relationship with me?"
Duck snatched her books from Mytho and hit him in his head with her English book.
"Jerk. Thanks for grabbing my books, but I would never want to date you, either!" with that, she turned on her heel and stormed off.
Mytho smiled softly before turning back to his crowd of fans.
}{
"So, Duck, did you get to see any of the Ravenwings?"
Lillie stopped her last minute studying and glanced at her strawberry haired friend, who was currently staring off into space. Duck sat next to the window, staring out at it as if in deep thought.
Judging by the blush in her cheeks, Lillie could tell something was definitely up.
Lillie reached over and pinched one of Duck's reddened cheeks and watched her reaction.
"Ow! Lillie, why did you...?"
Lillie narrowed her eyes, "I asked you a question... but maybe the sky is more interesting..?"
Duck blinked, "I... I'm sorry, I didn't even know you said anything."
"Alright. Who is it?"
Duck frowned, "Who is what?"
"The person you keep thinking about. Is it your grandmother? I'm sure she misses you back at the cottage... no wait, you look like you're thinking about a boy or something."
Duck reached up to touch her burning red cheek. "I.. I'm not thinking about a boy, what, are you kidding? I told you and Pike this morning that I..."
"... yeah, but the Ravenwings are here. I wouldn't even expect you to not notice them. Which one is it? You know, me and Pike are starting a fan club for Fakir! Oh, he so handsome and mysterious! You have to join us, but you'll have to battle us for the spot as Club president, unfortunately. I'm not going easy on you, either.. whether you want to settle this outside or in the classroom, I don't really..."
"Lillie."
"Ahem, um, sorry... You know I'm crazy about battles, they're just wonderful..."
Duck felt her cheeks burn again.
She had been thinking about a boy, but of course she wouldn't dare mention it to Lillie, she would misunderstand and do something like... like writing a love letter for her.
Something about Mytho Ravenwing had gotten Duck's full attention.
She just... couldn't stop thinking about him.
}{
Rue sighed, listening to the unusually cheery Principal explain the quickest routes to her classes.
The 18 year old flipped her curly raven hair and scanned the halls with her blood red eyes. Annoyed she hadn't been able to smell the pure heart within the school as quickly as her cousin had, she decided to hurry and find it before him.
Oh, Uncle would be so proud to find out she'd found the pure heart first!
Maybe he would even give me the Raven throne instead.
Smiling at the thought of ruling over all of the black feathered bird demons as a queen, Rue shook her head. It wasn't exactly something she'd always wished for, but it would have been nice.
Maybe then she'd get all of the attention from the only man she'd known to replace her father. Sure, her uncle had raised her along with all of her cousins, but it was annoying how everything was focused on Mytho.
She could say she envied him, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it. He was much stronger than her, and a rightful heir by blood...
But in the Demon World, Rue was just a girl that lived in the palace. Not once had she been able to prove her strength.
Everyday, she'd either practice her magic alone, or ask her kind, older cousin Fakir if he could help her wield a sword in battle when she wasn't powerful enough to use her dark magic.
And just when a battle began, and Rue was ready to fight and snatch all the glory, Mytho would have destroyed their enemy before she could even raise her arm.
Even though Mytho was always the strongest one who saved (or rather ruined) the day, Rue wouldn't give up.
This time, she would step in before he would.
"Well... let's see... ah, yes. For 5th block, you will have Mr. Cat in the dancing studio. Before that, you'll have gym. You might get there easier if you avoid..."
Rue bit back a gasp as she and the principal passed by one of the classroom doors.
She stiffened and stood still, letting the principal continue his rambling as he bounced happily down the hallway.
She had finally caught the scent.
It was beautiful... the metallic smell of healthy blood …. the fragrance of a cherry blossom... and the scent of...
….a Swan's heart...?
Rue frowned slightly. There was definitely no mistaking it. This was the pure heart of a swan.
Turning slowly to peek into the rectangular glass window in the door, Rue scanned the classroom for someone who might have been the person with a pure heart.
Her eyes fell on a small, young girl with strawberry curls cascading down her back and eyes bluer than the sky or the sea. Her skin, paler than anyone else with the similar tone of a swan in human form, shimmered from the sun peeking through the window she sat next to.
That's her.
Just to make sure, Rue used her raven vision to stare inside of her chest. Inside, she saw the girl's heart, a dazzling, blooming white rose with a single black petal in the very middle.
It was strange, but Rue had never seen many swan hearts before, so she wasn't sure if it looked correct.
However, a raven heart should have been a rose with black petals...
Shaking it off, Rue turned to call toward the principal.
"Excuse me! This block is over in 8 minutes, correct?"