Emerald felt nauseous all over again, understanding why Dior's looking so bloody overjoyed in a maniac manner with that. Is that all I was to Saoirse? A mean for her to gain the most points in Alexandrini? Was that the real reason why she brought me to this maniac? But even not saying out loud, she knew the answer to that, and it broke her heart even further.
"It all counts on the finals," Dior said with a smug. "And you are a gold goose of points on that matter, dear changeling." She clapped her two hands together happy like a kid whose just got their hands in the biggest of the candies ever, as if she was sharing a moment with Emerald. "You will bring my daughter to the top of the scores in Alexandrini this year, and those fuckers will finally eat green dust."
Hah, now I feel like really murdering this woman. "Anyone I should be watchful of?" She swallowed her outburst.
And Dior seemed beyond satisfied with that, "Oh, yes. A few."
A knock came from the door and Emerald's eyes snapped there in pure wariness, and when Saoirse came inside with a tray in her hands and a smile that used to warm Emerald's heart when she thought they were friends for sure, it only made her want to strangle the redhead for deceiving her.
"I bought you some illness protection potion, it'll help!"
This disloyal bitch. "I don't need that."
"Yes, you do," Dior mocked. "Your body lacks nutrition, Emerald. Saoirse's potion will help, and it's something you should learn. She learned from me, so, have a taste so you will know how it is supposed to taste. Tell her the recipe, sweetheart."
"Ginger tea for healing, cinnamon sticks for cleansing, lemon slices for detoxification, cloves for protection, and honey for sweetness," she said.
And honey for sweetness. Emerald mocked bitterly in her mind.
"I was about to tell her about the people she should beware." Then Dior used magic to make the tray travel to Emerald's lap, and to unlock the cuffs on the wrists. "Drink up, there's a lot to do, we only have 4 days to make you look like you've been my apprentice for a year. You only blacked out for two hours, it's still August 11th, and the school years starts in August 15th for the kids from 18 years old and above. You. So, drink the potion, we don't have time for your tantrums, you can take care of your broken link in Alexandrini."
Saoirse nodded, sitting down with her mom in the couch. "If you wanna stay low profile, you will have to stay far away from the Order."
Hah, fuck, I should have brought Jade and Peridot with me. They would definitely bite Dior's ass I asked them. To think Dior has the same familiar as Saoirse, black widow spiders. I was never a fan of spiders, that much should have told me the outcome of this. "The Order?" She frowned, stretching her wrists now unbound, grabbing the pink mug and bringing to her lips, taking a sip. I hate pink, but unfortunately, this shit tastes good.
"They are a elite group within Alexandrini made of the strongest kids in there," Saoirse hissed annoyed. "I told you there were a group in the academy I was archenemies with, remember? It was them."
"Twin cats, monkey, big-ass rabbit, peacock, tiger, wolf, and fox."
The redhead nodded again, "Yes, those are their familiars. I usually call them by it because just saying their names makes me angry. They have been on my fucking toes since I was a damn kid. All around our age, 19-20-21, and all from the dragon's faction. I've always fell behind them, it's been infuriating. But with you there, I won't."
She must think I'mma fool, if she believes I'll be anywhere near her in Alexandrini. To hell I won't. Once my trust is broken, there's no coming back to it. "Names?"
"Simon Koletti Sisini, Kallias Castellanos Koletti, Davian Mawr Leventi, Rowan Kayserling Hrisoverghi, Briana Dixon Mantzari, Thalia Parmentier Nikolaidi, and Florence Mangjeol Savva," Dior chanted and the dislike in her face was undeniable. "Simon," she clenched her jaw, "is your father's direct pupil, the oldest of the bunch, turning 21 years old in the next Hunter's Moon," in October 9th, "and a red-golden wizard, son of that red bitch Gwyneth Fluellen Koletti with Andrey Kalmykov Sisini. He's the one you have to be the most careful about, he's the most ruthless wizard in there and both a blood-sucker and a mental wizard."
Gwyneth Koletti? She was my dad's best friend, I remember her a bit but faintly, she had red eyes and black hair, and she was taller than my mom. "Simon Koletti Sisini," she tasted the name in her tongue.
"He is the one with two black Chantilly-Tiffany cats as familiars," Saoirse scowled. "Alvin and Theodore. The dumbass based it in Alvin and the Chipmunks, hah," she clicked her tongue, "it's as ridiculous as him."
Emerald blinked, "Alvin and the Chipmunks? What's that?"
"It's a stupid saga of movies about singing squirrels," Dior mocked.
"Well, he doesn't sound that scary now," Emerald scoffed. "What about the rest. This Kallias name ends in Koletti, are they related?"
"Cousins," Saoirse said distasteful. "He's Mikhail's son."
Mikhail Koletti? She did her best not to show her surprised. He was mom's best friend, wasn't he? Also black haired, with red eyes, she called him Misha. I remember even more faintly. "Who's that?" She played dumb, taking another sip of Saoirse's illness protection potion.
"Mikhail Fluellen Koletti, Gwyneth's older brother by 2 years, and also part of the reds council, he was closer to Lalita rather than to your father but they are close regardless," Dior rolled her eyes. "His mom, Ana Marisol Castellanos was also a red, thus Kallias is a full-blooded red wizard."
"His familiar is the little black and white monkey, Yoda," Saoirse laid it down to her, understanding she needs to beware the Circle before she heads into Alexandrini. "Based on a famous creature from Star Wars. Another saga of movies, though this one is based in space wars and some shit."
No idea about it, but Yoda sounds awesome. "And Davian?"
Both tensed at the mention of him, and that only made her curious about it. "Davian Mawr Leventi," Dior said through clenched teeth, "is a green-white," and little statement was enough for Emerald to know there was some beef between them. "The son of Meghan Keaveney Mawr, that green backstabbing bitching witch, with the white wizard Virgilio Andreotti Leventi, who sided with the reds during the last war."
Would you look at that? She sounds personally bitter. Interesting. "Is he the one with the big-ass rabbit as a familiar?"
"Thor is the name of that black beast," Saoirse scoffed.
"Okay, I've heard about this Thor. God of Thunder from the Norse mythology, right?" She pretended to be agreeable, and both ate it up. "I read about it in a book when I was 13," she turned her attention back to the drink.
"Then there's Rowan Kayserling Hrisoverghi, having the peacock Apollo as his familiar, after the God of Sun in Greek mythology," Saoirse added. "You know that one too?" Emerald nodded, unbothered.
"Rowan is the oldest son of A'isha Shilmani Kayserling and Saint George Hrisoverghi, she's a blue, he's a red. Her family sided with the reds in the war too, another disloyal piece of shit who abandoned our side after the reds finally answered to the war call," Dior hissed. "The blue witches are the ones with the biggest ocean affinity, as you must know."
"I know that much of the basics, Dior," Emerald cocked an eyebrow at her with scrutiny. "I am not that unaware!" I did get raised by my parents until I was 7 years old, my memory may be faint, but I remember the damn basics, come on, it's getting more and more offensive in here.
"Mom," Saoirse groaned, then clenched her jaw and turned to her now ex-friend again. "Now the three girls. Briana Dixon Mantzari, is the one with a tiger as familiar, named Cinderella."
"I know Cinderella!" Emerald snapped her fingers. "Poor girl who got a fairy godmother that helped her go from wronged maid to Princess. The blonde Princess with the blue dress, who has the singing rats, and the whole pumpkin turns into carriage, right?"
"Yes," Saoirse giggled softly, but Emerald didn't share the joy like she used to. "Well, she's a red-black witch. Her father is the red Vaughn Watson Mantzari and her mom was the black witch Chloe Atkins Dixon. Then there's Thalia Parmentier Nikolaidi, the one with Twilight, the black winter wolf as her familiar, which she named after the annoying romance saga of movies about wolves and vampires, of the same name, Twilight. Daughter of the black witch Rébecca D'Arras Parmentier with the white wizard Jean-Noël Nikolaidi, she's a white-black witch."
"I never heard about this Twilight either," she finished the potion.
Dior broke her silence, "You will, at one time, all girls do, it's that type of girly movie about two boys fighting for a stupid girl who doesn't know who to choose."
"If she doesn't know who to choose, she is the problem and doesn't deserve any of them," she said matter-of-factly. "Not my cup of tea."
"Well, that's first," Dior mocked. "Regardless, the last girl is the dark blue haired, Florence Mangjeol Savva. Her hair color aside, she a purple-golden witch, whose hair is actually brownish copper, and she has a brownish copper fox called Kira, for whatever reason. She's the daughter of that slutty golden witch Mangjeol Hyun-a, who goes by the name Heaven Mangjeol, with the womanizer jerk of my time Henrikh-Vahagn Aronyan Savva, a purple wizard, who also sided with the reds in the war."
Hah, I want to know what these people have to say about teen Dior if she's so bloody bitter about all of them. I doubt she was the cool girl. If anything, she has the air of a damn bully. Emerald grabbed her tray and set aside. "Got it. Now, how do I know who's who?"
"The uniforms correspond to our nature, and to our strongest nature if you are a hybrid. The blacks' are entirely black having a obsidian raven as their crest, the goldens' are black with golden details having a gold lion as their crest, the reds' are black with red details having a ruby fox as their crest, the whites' are black with white details having a moonstone polar bear as their crest, the blues' are black with blue details having a sapphire whale as their crest, the purples' are black with purple details having a amethyst scorpion as their crest, and our uniform is black with green details having a emerald snake in our crest," Saoirse grinned. "You will fit perfectly."
Dior clapped her hands, excited again, "Yes. Saoirse told me you are bonded to two emerald green serpents. Ain't that fate?"
Hah, it's more like a bad joke. Two serpents that despise your ass. "Totally," she mocked sarcastically. "Feels like I got dropped in Slytherin."
Saoirse's eyes widened, "You know Harry Potter?"
Emerald's cheeks burned, "I thought it was a book about real-world magic when I was a kid, roaming around humans as I was running away. But it's nothing like it. It was a cool book when I was a kid though."
"Awesome, Em," Saoirse giggled but got Emerald's cold glare back with no sign of warmth. "Won't you forgive me, Em?"