"This is stupid," you say, turning to look at Will and Romilly. "I thought St. Mary's was where all the diplomats and prime ministers came from. Haven't they taught you about respecting different cultures yet?"
You receive a pair of surprised and affronted looks from both St Mary's students, but you keep going. "It might surprise you, but not everyone's had an easy life up until now. Some of them have actually had a pretty difficult time, mostly thanks to people like us." You indicate yourself, Will, and Romilly. "So, you know, maybe try to be a little more sensitive to the experience of minority groups before showing up and acting like you own the place."
Silence follows your words, until Will coughs, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "Right," he says. "Well…maybe it would be better if we just left. We…can see where we're not wanted."
Before you can say anything else, the two St. Mary's students have turned away, walking quickly back towards their school.
After a moment, Sonia says, "Nice diplomacy, new kid. Now, maybe you climb down off your soapbox before you get altitude sickness."
Before you can say anything in response, the ground shudders under your feet, bucking wildly beneath you. You fall to your knees, your hands forming fists that grip the grass, trying desperately to stop yourself from being thrown to the ground. You open your mouth, not sure whether you want to shout or ask for help, when suddenly blackness descends over your eyes.
Blind, you stare about you, panic crawling up your throat. You're about to scream, past the point of pride now, when the darkness is replaced by a jumble of confused visions: you see flames, a tunnel below the earth, the sky fracturing and falling away. Each image flashes before you again, and again, and again, almost too fast for you to make them out.
And in your head, louder than anything you've ever heard before, are the shrieks. They go on and on, threatening to rip your brain apart as the howls echo and intermingle.
As you pitch forward, feeling your body hit the earth without seeing it, the world goes black once more.
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