3/31/18

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Cursed

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Graduation

….…..

December 31, 2008

Today is the day. After tonight, I'll finally be a member of the HIVE Academy, and I'll leave the Junior HIVE behind forever. Last night, I was sad. Tonight, I'm excited.

While the events of last night were… concerning to say the least, I haven't had time to feel nervous. Today's schedule has been packed so tightly that I barely had time to breathe. Our lunch break lasted five minutes! However, I welcomed the distraction. Otherwise, I would've spent all day worrying about everything and constantly overthinking every single minor decision. And since I needed a distraction, it's a good thing that it's been an enjoyable one. We took a tour of the HIVE Academy, unpacked our bags, picked our classes, tested the new training equipment…

And it all lead to this moment.

Backstage, I stand squished between my classmates, anxiously awaiting the start of the graduation ceremony. The auditorium is packed with HIVE agents, and rumors of appearances from past graduates have been circulating all day. I'm wearing my new costume for the first time, and it feels so weird to wear a color that isn't yellow. Wearing the sapphire necklace comforts me, reassuring me that even though everything is changing the world will still be all right.

My class isn't the only one graduating tonight. We share the cramped backstage room with the HIVE Academy's graduating class, who will go on to be full HIVE agents. We stare at them in awe, eavesdropping on their plans for the future and memories of being our age. I can't help but envy them. After tonight, they get to go out into the real world. No longer will they be cramped up in school all day. While the students at the HIVE Academy get to go on more field trips and missions than the Junior HIVE does, it just doesn't feel like enough. I just want to go outside more than once a month. I love the HIVE, but I feel like a caged bird. The feeling is only amplified by the tight quarters.

I wiggle my way out of our huddle, retreating to the single unoccupied corner. While it's still cramped over here, at the very least I have a bit of wiggle room. Leaning against the wall, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can't believe I made it. When I was younger, it never seemed possible that this day would come, but here it is.

And I still don't have a name.

Panic overtakes me, and I have to force myself to stay calm. Charmer. I can use Charmer. I hate the name, absolutely loathe it, but it's better than Lucky. I don't want to be Charmer, but then again if I had what I really wanted the only graduation I would be preparing for would be middle school graduation. Life is full of disappointments, especially for me. That doesn't mean I have to like it though.

"Hello, Mallory," Angela sneers.

Confused, I turn my head and see my rival standing next to me in her full, hideous glory. What's she doing here? She isn't graduating. Even if she did get randomly bumped up to a Level H, she's still wearing the Junior HIVE uniform. So how did she even get in? Junior HIVE's aren't even allowed to see the graduation ceremony.

"Angela," I say dryly, making sure to throw in a glare.

Angela tosses her perfect blonde curls. "I was just coming to wish you luck. Not that it means much for you."

"Clearly, since I have to see your ugly face again," I scoff.

Angela glares. "You may think your funny, but the truth will show itself eventually. You're nothing but a pathetic, lousy jinx. That's why no one likes you! Not your parents, not Roy, not Jade..."

"I'll show you a jinx!" I snap, shoving her to the floor as purple energy surges through my veins.

With a shriek, Angela falls to the ground. Her hair sizzles, crinkling up and burning. Horrified, she reaches up to touch her hair, and with a sickening crunch the lock she grabbed breaks off.

"You'll pay for this!" she shrieks, running out of the room.

Everyone's staring at me now. Even the older students gaze judgmentally. But Baran and Mikron rush to my side, ready to defend me if need be. And while the three of us aren't much, no one is in the mood to pick a fight anyways. It feels weird having people who are willing to stand up for me. After being alone for so long, I've gotten used to standing up for myself.

"You okay Mallory?" Baran asks.

I nod my head. "It's fine. I'm just ready to get away from that freak."

Oh how I dread this time next year, when Angela will graduate as well. Then I'll have to deal with her crap for another three years, which I am so not looking forward to.

The sound of our school anthem playing over the speakers enters the room, and we all scramble to take our places in line. Us younger students are in front, saving the older graduates for last. After all, they're the main event tonight. We're just the opening act.

Within our section of the line, we're organized by alphabetical order. This puts Baran at the very front of the line, with several students separating him from me. Mikron, thankfully, is immediately behind me, which brings me some comfort. I can't imagine how stressed out Baran must be. It took him so long to get to this point, and now that he's finally here he has to go first.

The Headmistress begins her speech, thanking the audience for being here. I feel like jumping up and down in anticipation, but doing so would make me seem immature. After tonight, I'll technically be a HIVE Agent, due to how the HIVE functions. While the Junior HIVE Academy has levels A through H, the HIVE Academy starts you off as an official Level 1 HIVE Agent. Upon graduation, you become a Level 5 Agent, and depending on how well you perform on the field you can continue climbing the ladder until you're at Level 10. If I ever want to reach such a coveted position, I need to compose myself.

The speech is long, as well as dry, but I force myself to focus on every word that leaves her mouth. The Headmistress is our leader- our master- and she deserves respect. It's amazing to think that she spends so much of her time teaching lowly children like us. I can only hope to become a fraction of how great she is someday.

"And now, to announce our graduating members of the Junior HIVE Academy. Will our first graduate enter the stage?"

Baran disappears from sight, joining Headmistress on the stage.

"Tell us your name."

"Mammoth."

The crowd chants his name, and then dies down. She asks for the next graduate, who follows Mammoth's lead. The line inches forward, and my heartbeat increases. In an instant, or perhaps a lifetime, it is my turn.

I take a deep breath, and on trembling legs I climb the stairs. Dazzling lights blind me as I enter the stage. The faces of HIVE agents stare up at me from the audience. I turn to Headmistress, giving her my badge as we rehearsed. She trades it for a new one, and places it in my hand. It feels cold against my palm, and a shiver runs through my veins.

"Tell us your name."

Nervously, I stare into the audience once more. From the back of the room, Angela stares back at me. Her words echo in my mind, and my throat feels too tight to speak.

You're nothing but a pathetic, lousy jinx.

I close my eyes, and take a deep breath. I lift my head and lock eyes with Angela. A smirk dances on my lips, and my doubts are replaced with confidence.

"Jinx. My name is Jinx."

…..

Hi again! Well, I think I finally have an update schedule again, so that's something. If all goes according to plan, this should be updated every other Saturday. Obviously it may not work as well as I think it will, so no promises, but hopefully I can make it work. My hope is that eventually I'll be able to update all my fics once or twice a week like I used to, but I need to start small so I can work up to that.

Also, I have a new story posted, for anyone who's interested. It's another Teen Titans fic, set after the end of Things Change. I've wanted to write it for a while now, since it's going to set up everything for the other fics in this series. It's worth noting that it's set in the same continuity as this fic, so there will be spoilers, but I feel like it's all obvious things regarding Jinx's fate. Anyways, it would mean a lot to me if you wanted to check it out :)

Quote of the day!

"For Beatrice- My love for you shall live forever. You, however, did not." -Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events

May the odds be ever in your favor,

Spectrobes Princess