Mass release: 10/25
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She smiled brightly, "Oh, are you professor Grayson Qin? I heard a lot about you. In fact, you're the one I wanted to meet the most in here. Thank you, being like this kept me alive so far."
"So, since you ran away, did you lie about being in an orphanage?"
Oh? He's interested in me? Good. "Again, Dior lied, not me. Yes, it was a lie, though I was indeed hosted by some families, but it never… worked out," dead. Dior's right, death follows me.
She clenched her jaw tense.
"Let's say I was too much of a freak in their eyes to be accepted. So, I kept running, until Australia. Everything I said about that was true." My father can't know it's me just because of this. No one can. I'm safe as long as they don't see my eyes or I don't bleed. "Being nasty and rudely sarcastic was a shield I got along the way. I never… got the luxury of settling down and trying to know what it feels to be alive for a bit. I'm a mess and I need a lot of therapy," she chuckled anxiously. "I am tired of running, of just… surviving. My anger issues makes being liked hard too."
"And you're a green witch, right?" The professor asked wolfishly.
"According to Dior, yes!" She played safe.
"What? You've never seen your blood?" Simon asked suspicious.
She clenched her jaw, and again, glared at him, "As a woman, I do happen to menstruate, so the answer to your stupid question would be yes. I have seen my blood before, it's normal to my kin. Not that you would get what I mean, mixed freak," I am so full of shit. "I can't wait to see it your blood is red or golden!' I'm already screwed either way.
"So, your blood is green?" Grayson asked and she just nodded.
If I don't say a word, they won't be able to tell I'm lying. "Yours?"
The professor gasped with her audacity, "I'm a green-red, so I'd say mine is greenish. What? You're gonna call me a mixed freak too?"
"Freak? Nope. Singing squirrel here is a freak. You're awesome!"
"No need to kiss my ass, it won't help you in my classes!"
"I'm a prodigy, professor Qin. I don't need to kiss your ass to go well in your class," she grinned condescendingly. "I'm confident."
"I hate confident kids," he countered. "Your arrogance is huge."
"I'm not confident out of arrogance, professor. I'm confident out of skills, because I'm confident in my talent. You shouldn't underestimate me, if you don't wanna end up biting your own tongue. Unless you like the lil metallic taste of it, I wouldn't recommend," she said softly, no arrogance in her voice. "Groundless confidence is annoying, I know, but mine is not groundless in the slightest. Oh, by the way, how didn't I get cut by the lil crystal shards, if they shattered so close to me?" She turned to Dior.
She clicked her tongue, "Your magic protected you with a shield."
Her eyes widened, "Damn, that's a thing?"
"Yes," Dior rolled her eyes.
"Why didn't it activate before?" Em gasped. "How annoying."
"It only activates in front of actual life-threatening danger," Lord Rhys. "Those crystal shards aren't the common type. They were crafted by a star witch and a death wizard after all, their bloods were used in the very foundation of the crystals. Not just their blood, but also the blood of a soul witch, another kin that was wiped out together with the star and death kins."
Ah, now that makes sense. It must have been because of this soul witch, since the other two wouldn't harm me. Though it would, yes, cut me. "Ah, I see. I still think I've been to other real life-threatening situations, and that this shield is biased," could it be useless to family? I mean my dad did almost fucking kill me back then, and he would have, had I not ran.
"Ugh," the headmaster passed a hand over his hair. "Hah, I never thought I would find a kid more infuriating that Simon, Gerhard, and Dior. My head is killing me."
"More infuriating than Dior?" She gasped absolutely offended. "I highly doubt that. I wouldn't know about the others, but she's unbearable."
"Hey, I'm your master!" Dior growled.
"Even more unbearable," Emerald scoffed and turned to Lord Rhys. "I could sell you some tea potion that will make your headache disappear. Ask Dior, my potions are the best there are."
"Not now. I have a reputation, Em!" Dior gasped.
"That I'm about to screw up," she chuckled. "I'm better than you."
"Is that so?" Grayson Qin purred. "That's not hard though."
"Professor," Dior's groaned.
"I ain't risking my life by drinking anything you make," Lord Rhys mocked, going back to his seat. "In fact, let's get over with this, I don't want to see your annoying face anytime now."
When he sat down, sighing, with a snap of his left fingers, a magical panel appeared above his head.
"1500 points to Saoirse Geadasach of the Snakes, 1200 points to the Snake House, 1000 points to Emerald Dimitriadi of the Snakes, 500 to Alexandra Gregory and 900 points to Cheryl Cadwaladr of the Foxes, 500 to Solène Bachelet and 800 points to Florence Savva of the Scorpions, 500 to Barnabé Emmanuelli and 780 points for Rowan Hrisoverghi of the Whales, 500 to Ewelina Kov and 760 points to Briana Mantzari of the Ravens, 500 to Aislin Caomhánach and 740 points to Thalia Nikolaidi of the Bears, 500 to Mihangel Cadogan and 720 points to Jeffrey Lee-Bowen of the Lions. 300 to Alistair Blevins and 680 points to Davian Leventi of the Snakes, 300 to Maya Sankaramanchi and 650 points to Eva Solari of the Lions, and lastly, in the 10th place of the 200 new kids, 300 to Anna Di Invernizzi and 600 points to Louis Damiani of the Lions!" The older brown witch with a Fox crest on spoke, on the headmaster's right, loud and clear.
"That's Florentine Brockhaus, the vice-headmaster," Dior told her.
Ignoring her, Emerald faced the magical panel.
1st Snake House – 4680 points
2nd Lion House – 3070 points
3rd Fox House – 1400 points
4th Scorpion House – 1300 points
5th Whale House – 1280 points
6th Raven House – 1260 points
7th Bear House – 1240 points
That means Dior's faction is with 7260 points and dad's with 5730. The Dragons are 1530 points ahead of the Phoenixes. Now I get why they were so crazy with getting me here for those points. Emerald side-eyed her ex-friend who seemed to be near crying with happiness. Especially when a part of those points were from members of the opposing faction's members. In fact, Saoirse is the only one real member of the Dragons who got the points thanks to me, all the others are actually from the Phoenixes.
"As always, the points turn to 0 again when the new school year starts and the first competition for points is on the shoulders of the 18-19 year olds. For the first time in 15 years, the Snakes got the upper hand," the headmaster announced. "Taking the Lions from a of a 11-years legendary winning streak. Consider your this the start of your new school year. For the new kids brought in through the competition, you will be taken to your dorms in an hour. As for the top 7, you were granted the luxury of residing in the only single dorms vacant in your respective house."
Yes. Fuck yes. It worked! She let out a sigh of relief.
"Emerald of the Snakes, Mihangel of the Lions, Alexandra of the Foxes, Solène of the Scorpions, Barnabé of the Whales, Ewelina of the Ravens, and Aislin of the Bears. You will also gain a week free of classes, just to settle down comfortably in your new dorms. Keep in mind that this is a privilege you got thanks to the aid of the students who got you here. As for the house students and the other new kids, your classes start tomorrow morning. Today, the party is on the Snake House."
Aid? Aid my ass. More like betrayed and manipulated than aided.
"Thank you," Saoirse mouthed to her before speaking to anyone else, before she was hugged by her mother and burst out in joyful tears, and before a wave of kids in black and green uniforms surrounded her and picked her up from the ground, throwing her up and catching her. With only a handful greens away.
And after a minute, a hoard of kinds in black and purple, and black and blue uniforms joined, all from the Dragon faction. All overjoyed with this unexpected and needed victory over the Phoenixes. Though all the whites, so-called neutrals, opted for staying with the houses part of the Phoenix faction, which didn't pass unnoticed by Emerald.
Why did she thank me? Damn it, Saoirse. She felt her strength and confidence shaking and tears welling up in her eyes, so she braced her arms and slowly stepped away from her ex-friend's spotlight, which cost them their friendship. I feel sick. I need to stay away from here. Before my dad or any of the kids I pissed come at me. Her eyes searched the corners of the huge room, until she spotted Bhat, the giant wizard she met before.
His eyes spot her coming to him, and sat down on his heels to be closer to her, given their huge height difference that made her look like a lil kid near him. "Quite the show you made there, Em," he giggled.
Swallowing her sadness, she allowed herself to smile, "I'm a bit chaotic, and out of place," she chuckled anxiously. "Do you know where my new dorm is, Bhat?"
A nod, "I know every place in here, above the mountain, little Em. Do you want me to take you there? Don't you want to party with Saoirse?"
His words caused a sting of pain in her heart, that fought against, "Oh? No. We… there's no we anymore," she chuckled brokenly. "She was very on the whole the-ends-justify-the-means thing to get those dumb points thanks to me. In the end of the day, our priorities were misaligned. She was mine, hers were… points."