Chapter 2: Battle of Wills
And that's when he saw her for the first time...
It wasn't love at first sight. In fact, Jag felt slightly revolted by how she looked. Still, Jag found it impossible to look away. Perhaps it was the air of invincibility that hummed all around her, but he doubted it. The girl was... unique was too kind a word. She wore the uniform, but only just. Not that her clothes were a couple sizes to small for her, like Aelma's were, but the regulation jacket sprung from her over stuffed, black messenger bag, and her neck tie was missing entirely. Her sleeves were rolled up to make way for the bangles and bracelets that adorned her arm from wrist to elbow. Unlike everyone else, she wore black military boots and also unlike the other girls, no stockings. Black seemed to be her color of choice. It was the same color as her untamable hair which stood out in stark contrast to her naturally pale, unsmiling features. She walked with both indifference and determination. In one hand, she carried her tray, in the other, a skateboard. Her companion, who Jag noticed slightly belatedly, dwarfed the petite girl with his height which was, most definitely, over 6 foot 2", Jag's own commanding height. The guy seemed less of a friend and more of a bodyguard, with his eyes mysteriously hidden by his shaggy brown hair that was so long it reached to nearly the tip of his nose.
"Hey, Jaina; hey, Lowie," Jacen called as the two approached their table. Jag did a double take. No, it couldn't be. The girl approaching them with an onyx stud in her nose and loops up and down her ears could not be Jaina Solo. This gothic/skater or whatever she was trying to pull off could not be the smiling girl in sundresses with elaborate hair-do's and professionally done make-up that graced the covers of magazines and newspapers and was often shown on television with her family. This... thing could not be the sister of kind hearted Jacen and cool, calm, and collected Anikan. His shock was cut short by her sharp address to him.
"Who the hell are you?" Jag was sure storms in Antarctica were less harsh than her voice.
Jacen tried to restrain her. "Jaya, don't worry, this is a friend of mine-"
"Jag Fel." There had been a challenge in her voice, and Jag Fel always rose to a challenge - this time, literally. At his height of over six feet, he felt he would easily be able to stare down her diminutive figure which could not be more than 5'6". But she looked up at him and locked eyes with fierce determination.
Suddenly it occurred to Jag that he was... shrinking - for lack of a better word - under her cold, calculated gaze. Within a few minutes of meeting glares, he was at her eye level; then slowly, it became apparent that she was the one staring him down with her hard brown eyes. Unable to stand it any longer, Jag had to look away from her hateful, destructive stare. When he did so, he finally noticed his surroundings. No one ate; no one moved; no one talked; event the teachers sat in silence, watching the battle of wills.
"Sit down." Jag followed the acrimonious command without thought. He looked up at her now towering figure. She smirked in triumph but with no pleasure in her eyes, before taking her seat beside Zekk. Jag shaking turned around in his seat to face the rest of the table. No one moved; everyone stared. Jag looked at Jacen, his new found friend, for help from his malicious sister, but Jacen refused to meet his pleading eyes.
He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to look. Jaina took a bite from her meal. En masse, the rest of the table and cafeteria began to eat, slowly turning back to their previous conversations.
"Oh, and by the way," Jag once again looked at the frightening young woman who looked at him with an imperious glare and spoke with complete seriousness, "You will address me as Goddess."