“Here, use both your fingers.” came Anita’s softened, sweet as honey voice.

“Like this?” asked Ferain, making a motion with her thumb and index finger. The result was a combined twang from the steel strings she plucked. The noise that emanated from the wooden guitar in her hands caused her to wince slightly, mostly due to the unexpectedly loud volume.

Anita giggled and held her own guitar in a proper playing position. “No, like this.” She strummed them individually, but they were so close that they almost sounded like one note. The melody was soft instead of Ferain’s loud, strained type of sound. Anita gave her an expecting glance which prompted Fera to try again. She didn’t use as much force this time, and instead, lightly struck the strings one at a time, just as her partner did. “There you go. Now we’ll try this. Take your left hand and try to touch these strings here. Make sure your fingers are on the same frets as mine.”

“Okay.” Fera said nervously, trying to copy Anita’s hand position. “How’s this?” asked Fera.

“Close. Here, shift your left hand a bit more behind the neck, it will give you a little more reach. Good. This is a G Major chord, one of the basics. Now you strum these strings and…” Anita strummed her guitar and out came a beautiful sound that Fera then attempted to replicate. “There you go!” Anita said happily, while giving a quiet round of applause. “You’re a natural. We’ll have you playing songs in a matter of days.”

“You said that last time.” Fera said with a short laugh. She gave another soft strum while smiling. “I never asked, why do you like music so much? What got you into it?”

Anita looked down at her guitar and gave such a loving, nostalgic smile, and instantly, it made Fera’s heart glow with warmth. Her partner softly ran her hand along the wooden frame of the instrument as if it was her child, or something of equal importance and value.

“When I was younger, I never really liked listening to music. My ‘friends’ would always talk about the latest songs and whatnot, but I never really cared. The only music I really listened to was in Regi’s car whenever he was driving me around, or whatever was playing in the malls and stuff while shopping. One day though, I was walking through a shopping plaza with Regi and we passed by this old man playing a guitar in the middle of it. People were stopped all around him, giving him money and just listening. I still remember it so well, I could play it right now.” Anita’s fingers shifted to the strings and frets that filled her memory. “It was so… lonely, but it was beautiful at the same time. It instantly struck a nerve in me that nothing ever had before. I felt… I felt like he understood me, and that I understood myself, you know? Like, I didn’t realize what loneliness felt like until he played that song, and I didn’t know that what I felt all the time was loneliness until I heard it.”

Anita paused and plucked a string, letting out a beautiful, somber hum. “It put my entire mess of feelings into a clear picture for me. In a way, it also made me feel a bit better about everything. Music, Ferain, is so… expressive. It’s so limitless and… and it can just make you feel things that you didn’t know existed before. It can make a lonely child feel loved, and it can give a grieving person some sort of comfort. It can cheer you up or it can bring you down. It can make you want to dance or it can help you sleep. There is so much that music can do, and when I saw him playing that song, I… I realized that there was nothing else in this world that I wanted to do more. I love fighting, and I love singing, and I adore dancing. Really, I love everything I’ve put time into over the course of my life, but… Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever come close to how I feel about playing this guitar. No other feeling compares to when I’m touching it. The way the strings feel against my fingers, the way the melody hits my ears… It makes me feel… complete… and in a way that nothing else does.”

“Not even me?” asked Ferain.

“I love you, Ferain. I love you so much… but no. The sad truth is a simple no. Please, don’t let it hurt your feelings, but… you and this instrument are entirely different sensations to me. When we kiss or when we touch, I feel like electricity is running through my veins, and not your electricity, but a strange, loving sort of electricity. But with my guitar, with my music, it’s… it’s almost indescribable. It’s so important to me that I don’t think I’d be me without it. I hope that’s okay with you.”

“It is. I understand it completely. It’s how I always felt about books, to some extent. Not even writing them, but reading them. I could hardly ever leave my house so the most experiences I got from the world weren’t really from this world at all. Flipping through those pages, they would take me to all of these fascinating places that I would never have been able to experience otherwise. It allowed me to live a different life, be a different person, and actually see what it was like to live in general. So, I completely understand where you’re coming from. I think I love you more than any of the books I read, but still, I won’t hold it against you. I think I’m okay with coming in second to your guitar.”

“Good, because it’s not going anywhere.” Anita said, grinning. She lightly strummed all six strings then set the instrument down. “Come on, we have to get to school. Just another week until November. Then, once we get through exams, we can relax and think about that festival. I’m excited about all of the things the Planning Committee is going to come up with this year, though it might be a bit boring without Mamane and Tianna. They seemed to go all out with decorating and putting things together.”

“I’m sure the other members can do just as well. Besides, it wasn’t just those two anyway. There were a bunch of people that are still here.”

“That’s right. I guess you would know, wouldn't you? You served that detention with them last year.”

“Don’t remind me of that.” Fera groaned, remembering the reason she was sentenced to said detention. “I’m not exactly proud of it. You said we have to go, right?” Fera slid out of the bed and stretched her arms into the air. “Better get moving.”

“Yeah.” Anita agreed as she too left her bed.

As they arrived at the academy a short time later, Ferain didn’t fail to notice Itani walking through the grounds with his new favorite walking at his side. Amara Hill, with her long hair of sunlight, looked back as if feeling Ferain’s gaze on her back. As their eyes met, Amara’s painted red lips curved into a mischievous grin, and it was met with a dark, furious glower.

“I don’t like her.” Anita murmured.

“Neither do I.” Fera agreed, fighting back some of the hatred that was threatening to spill out. She sighed in resignation and shrugged her shoulders. “She’s here to stay though, so there’s no helping it. Really, she hasn’t been too bad. Mostly, she’s pretty quiet.”

“That look on her face makes it seem like she sees herself as better than us.”

“She does, and with good reason.” said Ferain. “She’s a top-tier student in the Eagle Nation, or, that’s what Itani told us. Don’t really know why she came here though. If she was getting more out of her old school, why transfer here?”

“Maybe she was the worst over there so coming here makes her feel better about herself.” suggested Anita, though Fera could tell she wasn’t really being serious.

“If that’s the case, it’s a bit concerning.” Fera said, grinning. “Well, I guess I’ll find out more in a bit. I should probably get to the gym.”

“See you at lunch, then,” said Anita, before kissing Ferain on the cheek.

“Yep.”

Fera watched her partner walk away before heading for the gym. The class was more of what she expected. Itani had more of her classmates fight each other, since thanks to Marrow’s help, they decided that forcing her to fight Amara to get them away from Itani wasn’t exactly fair. She wanted to help, but it was better this way. Really, as Fera sat in silence and watched the other students training, she actually thought they had it easy by comparison to what she went through. The fact that Itani was once again keeping his word was a bit bittersweet, but she was glad either way. Amara was in her usual spot, sitting separate from the other students as she analyzed every match.

As the halfway point through the morning classes came, Fera gathered her belongings and left the bleachers in order to start her trip to Guji’s office. Typically, this was met without any resistance. Itani gave her a disapproving examination every time, but this was always ignorable. What wasn’t so avoidable was when Amara suddenly met her near the doors of the gym as she was leaving.

“Can I help you?” Fera asked in a growl while reaching for the door handle.

Amara gave a subtle tilt of her head and an innocent, naive sort of expression. “I was just wanting to walk with you for a moment. Seven has told me a lot about you. I think we can be pretty good friends if we give it a chance. Do you mind?” she asked, stepping through the door that Ferain opened before she had the chance herself.

“A bit. I do have somewhere to be.” Fera replied, shoving past her. “And as for our potential friendship, I’d rather not think about it. I have enough friends right now, I’m not looking for more.”

“No, maybe not. But… I imagine that I’m a different sort of friend. I just might be one friend you’re going to regret turning down.”

“Then we have a disagreement already.” said Ferain, stopping and turning to face Amara with a bone-chilling expression on her scarred face. “I don’t really care what you imagine or what you want. We are not friends, and I don’t think we ever can be. As for whatever Itani told you, you can keep that to yourself as well. I’m done with him and I don’t want anything to do with you.”

“You say that now,” said Amara, leaning against the closed doors and holding up her hand to examine her black-painted nails. “I’ll let you be, then, but before that, I have a quick question. Why don’t you want to fight me? Are you afraid of me?”

“No.” Fera responded without a moment of hesitation. “I’m afraid of quite a few things, but you’re not one of my fears, and neither is Itani.” Ferain’s eyes glowed bright yellow, which apparently amused Amara, as she smiled at the sight.

“I would’ve liked you to prove it, but I guess the rest of the class has spoken, haven’t they. That’s okay, Prodigy, I’ll get that fight one way or another. It might have to wait until next term, but it’ll happen.”

“You seem pretty confident about that.”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“I am, but didn’t you have to be somewhere? You don’t have enough time to listen to all of the reasons for my confidence. Best run along now. I’ll see you later, Fera.”

Fera quietly growled as she turned and started walking back to the main school building. She knew that it wasn’t smart to let Amara get under her skin, but it was a difficult thing to avoid. There was something about her that Fera couldn’t deal with. Maybe it was paranoia caused by Kiko that made her distrust this girl so much, but she had a sneaking suspicion that she was up to something. Her position at Freerider Academy had to be better than it was here. She knew the people there, she already had a high rank, and it was her home on top of everything else. It didn’t make any sense to come this far just to go to a worse school. This didn’t even take her instant connection with Itani into consideration. She actually seemed to admire the man, or at the very least, didn’t hate him. Then again, there was a brief time where he was actually a comfort for Ferain, but that was still after months of training under him. Amara’s quick relationship was suspicious, to say the least.

“Friends.” Fera spat, glaring over her shoulder with glowing irises, watching the closed doors as if Amara was still standing there, mocking her with those round emerald eyes and snide grin.

She shook her head and tried her best to calm down before arriving at Guji’s office. It wouldn’t be a good start to their lessons if she was in a foul mood, mostly because she’d noticed Guji’s own attitude changing slightly in recent days. She wasn’t certain, but she felt like he wasn’t getting enough rest, and that he was in a similar mood to her own on a daily basis. If she showed up and was visibly enraged, it would only serve to worsen his demeanor. Of course, Ferain knew that it was mostly due to her recent injuries from Itani. She had told him to ignore it, but the look in his eyes when he saw her in the nurse’s office even frightened her.

Honestly, she was surprised that Guji didn’t go and fight Itani right then and there, because she was afraid he would. After regaining her cool, she reached the doors to her father’s office on the fourth floor of the academy and pushed them open. Guji was alone at his desk, some files laid out in front of him. He only seemed to notice her when the doors behind her clicked shut, intentionally occurring louder than normal in order to get his attention. She didn’t like sneaking up on him whenever he was distracted by something. It felt rude, in her opinion.

For the lesson, she mostly listened to Guji talk about his duties as headmaster, and even heard some old stories about his time as a student. It was a pleasant time, but like all good things, it came to an end. Near the end of her time in the office, the doors burst open as if shoved from the other side. Ferain flinched but Guji didn’t move a single muscle, even when an imposing older man walked through the opening. He had a thicker build than her father, and seemed slightly older as well. His black hair had a familiar sheen to it and even the dark amethyst eyes he possessed reminded her of a recently acquired friend. He was dressed in a dark suit that looked to be much more expensive than Guji’s, and possibly more than Anita’s best pair of boots back at home. Overall, he had the look of a stern, distinguished figure with plenty of wealth, and a strong desire to flaunt it.

“Ah, Mr. Emming,” said Guji. “I was expecting you, but still, it surprises me to see you.” said Guji, clasping his hands atop his desk and leaning slightly forward in his seat. The name he mentioned confirmed Ferain’s suspicions as to who this man was.

“Raven’s father.” she muttered, eyeing the older figure with venom behind her narrowed, furious eyes.

“I don’t see why you’d be surprised, Mr. Hakamura. Is it often that people set appointments with you and leave you waiting?”

“No, but I must admit, coming all the way out here to pick up your daughter when there’s only a few weeks of school left is a tad baffling. For someone in your position, it seems like a rather large waste of time and effort.”

“Hmph.” scoffed the dark-haired man. “The end of term here brings with it celebrations, yes? Some festival that you waste money on to celebrate another year spent? I’d rather my daughter not have the privilege of attending. She doesn’t deserve it. Better punishment to allow her to get close before stripping it away from her.”

Guji gave him an amused sort of grin. “I see that you are flagrantly open about your disapproval and treatment of your child.”

“There’s no need to hide it. She is mine, Hakamura.” Fera growled and started to rise from her seat but with a quick sideways look from Guji, she snorted and sat back down. If the man noticed her move, he didn’t show it. Instead, he continued with his serious business-like stare in the direction of her father. “So, since you know why I’m here, I imagine that you’re going to comply soon. I don’t have a lot of time to waste. I need to get back by tomorrow morning, if not tonight, and Kitari is going to need a short time to pack.”

“Pack?” Fera asked, unable to keep herself quiet any longer.

The older man turned his head and his piercing purple eyes locked with hers. “Pack, yes. She’s going to be sent to study abroad with a friend of mine. A change in scenery and a more watchful handler will do the girl good. She won’t get away with this failure any longer.”

“She–”

“Ferain.” Guji snapped, cutting her short. Fera glared at the pair of them, getting close to losing what was left of her control and tolerance.

That was when Mr. Emming held up his hand in Guji’s direction. “No, Hakamura, I want to hear what the child has to say.” He examined her face closely with his piercing, narrow eyes and seemed to take note of the scar on her right cheek. How could he not? It was such a noticeable blemish, she could hardly avoid staring at it every time she was in front of a mirror. It would undoubtedly catch the eyes of any stranger she came across. “You have a problem with how I raise my children, girl?”

“With that, and other things.” Ferain growled, rising to her feet.

As much as she was trying to hold her anger back, and she was fighting a very harsh battle within herself to contain it, she was losing. Her eyes began to glow brightly as small blue and white arcs of energy cracked sporadically around her. They seemed to dance in time with the recollections of the stories Kitari had confined in her recently. They were hard to hear, and she had little to offer in the way of comfort to help ease her new friend’s pain, but she did share in the hatred with every word that was spoken.

“I know you beat them. I know all about your punishments whenever they fail to live up to your impossible expectations. I know that Kitari was afraid for her life when she fought me in the Advancement Tests.”

“Ah, so you’re responsible for my daughter’s underwhelming performance.” came Emming, turning his attention next to Guji. “We’ll be having a word about that, Hakamura, you can be sure of that. A second-year fighting my first-year daughter. Tsk, I thought you were better than that. It’s no wonder you made her look like a fool.”

“She wasn’t!” Fera howled, hitting a fist against her desk, burning and cracking the wooden surface. “She was strong and she was brave for trying.”

“Ferain, that’s–” hissed Guji, rising from his own seat now.

“No!” Fera yelled. Her most menacing glare found Emming’s face. “I will not let you lay a finger on her again. She doesn’t want to go with you, and if you try to force her, you’ll have to deal with me.”

The man’s face twisted into some sort of grin, though it was slight and almost seemed false, like it was meant to hide something. “This is your play, Hakamura? Do you let all of your students get so feral? It’s no wonder Raven resorted to something so ghastly as assaulting this young… woman. Here I thought it was my own failing, but now I see that it was yours. I will be discussing this with the board. As for you, girl, your little light show means nothing to me. You do realize who my daughters are, yes? Rhetorical question, I know you know. With that being the case, I’m surprised that after seeing what both of them can do, you would think I'm afraid of you. I will admit, while they have their shortcomings and they are both disobedient rats that need to be disciplined, they are powerful in their own ways. Your sparks and puffs of smoke are not going to deter me from retrieving my daughter. Besides, it was one of my children that gave you that scar. You would just forgive her, yeah? You would ask that she be spared proper punishment for what she did to you?”

“I have, and I will continue to do it again and again.” Fera replied. “I don’t like Raven, not nearly as much as I adore Kitari, but that doesn’t mean that I want her beaten until she can barely stand. You go too far, and it’s sickening. A father shouldn’t treat their child like that, and with you, it’s to the point where you don't deserve them.”

“That’s not for you to decide,” said Mr. Emming, putting a final note on this, in his mind, petty and worthless waste of breath.

“Step outside.” Guji said to her, now in a much lower and darkened tone of voice. “As for you, Mr. Emming, we will continue this in private. I apologize for her attitude and disrespect.”

“Not like you were showing much more than your pet, but nevermind that.” said Mr. Emming, fixing his suit and ignoring Ferain now altogether.

She gave a final hit against her desk before scooping up her bag and walking out. She spent several minutes out in the hall, sitting with her back against the wall just beside the doors. There were only a few more minutes before the bell for the lunch break rang, but she was adamant on not moving an inch, even if it did. She needed to know what was going to happen to Kitari, because if Mr. Emming had his way and was about to take her away from the school, Ferain, despite Guji’s wishes, would interfere. That was a hill she would die on, no matter the consequences. She promised to help Kitari, and she had her own personal involvement with it thanks to Tobi’s actions all those years ago. She would not let another father ruin their child’s life, not anymore.

As she was pondering how to go about ruining his plans, Mr. Emming came storming out of the office like an upset child… like she had done just minutes before. He didn’t give her a single look as he continued to the steps, adjusting the tie of his suit and breathing heavily as he radiated an atmosphere of rage. Guji was the next to step out, his hands stuffed in his pockets and a slightly amused expression crossing his features.

“Another lesson you need to learn, Ferain,” he started. “You need to understand that anger does not always solve a problem. For wielders, it can be a powerful tool, but it can also be our undoing if we let it control us.” He looked down at her as she gazed upward, both of them finding each other’s nearly identical eyes. “I know your feelings on the matter, and I know you’ve become connected with his youngest daughter, but you need to learn to control yourself.”

“What is happening with Kitari?” she asked, practically ignoring what he was saying. She didn’t mean to be so rude or impatient, but Kitari’s fate had priority at the moment, even above lessons and morals.

“She will be remaining here unless she desires otherwise.”

“You turned him down?”

“I turned him down.” Guji confirmed. “He might be her father, but while here, she is under my protection and is my responsibility. I can’t just go giving my students away without their consent. Now, if he contacts her and she agrees to meet up with him, that will be on her shoulders. It will be up to them to settle this. It is not my place, and it is not yours either.”

“I was just trying to help.” Ferain murmured.

“And in doing so, you in fact made things worse. This is not a reprimand, and I am neither mad or disappointed. I want you to take this as a lesson learned.”

“He’s just a guy, and a terrible one at that. How could that make anything worse?”

“Mr. Emming has a lot of sway, and he has a lot of friends that are high in government, including the new governor himself. Trust me when I tell you, Ferain, he can do so much more than you expect. Now, because of your interruptions, instead of having a pouting man that didn’t get his way, we have a spiteful enemy that is going to seek revenge for his wounded pride. He’s used to abusing people your age, not taking threats from them.”

“I didn’t think–”

“You didn’t, no.” Guji interrupted. “Ferain, this is probably the most important lesson I can ever teach you. You need to remain calm. You need to think, and not let the anger in you gauge your actions. It’s an old proverb that says the pen is mightier than the sword. Sometimes, it’s words that win wars, not violence. You are a smart child, Ferain, and while you are powerful physically, I feel that sometimes you don’t give your mental strength enough credit. So, I will say this again. Take this as a lesson learned. I can handle whatever he or the board has to throw at me, but you… you are an entirely different story.”

“I understand.” said Ferain.

“For your sake, I hope you do. Everything has a rippling effect, Ferain. One decision now can bring about unexpected consequences years down the line. This little spat between you and him, it might one day cause you just as much misfortune as a silenced tongue could’ve brought about the opposite. But, that’s enough lecturing for now. You heard my words, you have your answers about your friend, and I believe now it is time for lunch. Go on, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.” Ferain said softly, giving a slight bow of her head before leaving him by his office doors.