---Indigo---
As we walked back to the academy, I quietly told the others of Reyna's warning. "We shouldn't tell the teachers what the Elders told us back there, at least not yet. Just give them a vague explanation." When they asked us what the Elders said to us, we replied that they had told us about the prophecy in great detail and explained to us what it meant. Though they seemed a bit perplexed and doubtful, the teachers accepted our story.
The next day, word spread around about us like wildfire. Everywhere I went, people were huddled in groups, whispering and pointing. If I thought I was well known before, I was totally famous now. A younger girl even asked me for my autograph. Uncomfortable with all the attention everyone was suddenly throwing my way, I quickly signed her notebook and hurried away. People who never knew me came up and talked to me. When I ate lunch with Rachel and Ashley and Katherine, loud whispered floated around.
"Wow, look, it's one of the chosen ones."
"Dude, I can practically see an aura around her."
"She's so cool; I wonder if she'd accept if I asked her out?"
If I had it bad, Katherine had it harder. Word had gotten around that she was the one who killed the Evil. People were suddenly noticing her. Stories were told, and soon the latest version was the Katherine had singlehandedly strangled the Evil without a weapon. Katherine was naturally shy, so she felt even more uncomfortable with the attention. All of us suddenly became celebrities. But among the fame there was fear; you could feel it under all the admiration. Wherever we walked, people would give us a wide berth. Once I came up behind a group of my classmates, and when I said hi, they leapt a good three feet up into the air and quickly backed against the wall. It wasn't like I was brandishing a sword at them, sheesh.
Our classes were changed. We all took advanced sword-fighting class and studied the ancient scrolls about Evils. Ashley studied spells as Katherine practiced with her sword constantly. I pored over battle strategies and studied ancient battles while Rachel studied healing and herbs beside me. Within a month, Katherine could defeat our fencing teacher blindfolded. Ashley had memorized all the spells in the books and cast them at will. I knew all the details of the ancient battles like the back of my hand and apply the strategies in hypothetical real-life scenarios with a ninety-eight percent chance of victory. Rachel was the best medic in the area for miles around.
The guys tried their luck with the elements. It turned out that while Lucian could manage small flames in the palms of his hands and Aaron could knock people down with a gust of wind, Jason was the true elemental master. He could reverse the flow of a river, reshape mountains in a matter of seconds, walk through fire unharmed, and summon lightning. And that was just a few of the tricks he showed us. It was freakishly cool, but also kind of frightening. He seemed to be the most powerful of us all. I couldn't help but secretly wonder if Jason would be one of the three in the prophecy. Together, we seemed unstoppable. Now I could see why Faramond told the Elders to train us well. With the wrong loyalties, the world would be doomed.
The days passed without anything unusual happening. I kept an eye out for an omen like Elder Thomas said, but nothing happened. I even read about the different omens that could possibly happen. Some books mentioned birds. Others mentioned an unexplained astronomical or weather event. But our days were as smooth as could be.
When my parents got word of what had happened, they were on me like hawks circling prey the moment I walked through the door.
"Indigo, What exactly happened?!" my father exclaimed, waving a letter in my face.
"Elders Reyna and Gideon came to talk to us, Indigo. Two of the Elders came to our humble house and talked to us about you. That is not normal," said my mother with wide eyes. She gripped my hands with her cold hands. "What happened, Indigo?"
I told them everything, from the ink-gushing incident during English class to the attack of the transforming Evil to the meeting with the Elders. I hesitated when it got to what the Elders actually told us. Elder Reyna warned me not to tell just anyone what I had heard in that room. But these were my parents. Surely I could trust them?
I led my parents into the study. We locked the door and closed the blinds. Father muttered a spell—something similar to the anti-eavesdropping spell that Elder Thomas cast. It was then that I told my parents about the other parts to the prophecy, parts that no one but the Elders had known for hundreds of years. They were shocked at first, but recovered quickly. Both of them had been through a lot of this prophecy-quest things when they were young, so I guess you can say they had valuable experience when it came to stuff like this.
"Indigo..." my mother started, but my father cut her off.
"This is a very honorable thing, but also very dangerous," my father said gravely. "Our Indigo is one of the prophesied seven…that's amazing! But as your parents, we worry about you and what's to come."
"Yes," agreed my mother. She looked at me anxiously. "I don't know when this quest will start, but as soon as you seven are sent into the big wide world we might never see you again. The Evils might sweep through here and destroy the whole village while you guys are gone. Our entire family would be torn apart by this."
"I know," I said sadly. "I never wanted fame or glory. I never wanted to be part of the prophecy. It just happened to be me."
"Listen to me, Indigo." My mother crouched down so she was at my eye level. Her honey-colored eyes looked deep into mine. "We can't be any more proud of you, Indigo. We really are. This is the greatest prophecy that's ever been said, and you're one of the chosen ones. You're going to be part of the seven who has special powers and magic running in your blood. You should be proud of who you are, Indigo. It's going to be dangerous, but you'll grow to love it." She smiled up at my father.
"Yes, your mother is right," he said to me. "When we were young and reckless, your mother and I had our share of quests and save-the-day missions. Dangerous, yes, but once the adventure was over, we both missed the thrill of running in the forests and fighting with our friends. In a way, it was fun. My point is, Indigo" my father crouched next to my mother, and both looked at me. "don't be afraid. We have taught you well. You are ready for this. You really are. And no matter what happens, we are so, so proud of you."
At that moment, I felt a surge of confidence. My parents believed in me. They believed that I would bring honor to the family name. A descendant of Clay is one of the chosen seven of the famous Rosewood Prophecy. Despite my earlier fears, I smiled with anticipation. I am ready.