“Wakey wakey! It’s your first real day here!” yelled Dian as the others woke up. She handed Ella a light blue leather jacket.
“I’m sorry about the loss of your other jacket, so I had this one made for you. And in light blue too!” Dian said excitedly. Ella handed the jacket back to her.
“I’m good,” she said sleepily. Ella looked at the clock. It was five in the morning.
“Why are we awake this early?” she asked Dian.
“I wanted to make sure you guys were ready,” said Dian, pouting. “I know you don’t like being up this early, but I couldn’t sleep listening to Sahara snore.”
“I don’t snore,” said Sahara, now questioning herself if she snored or not.
“Okay but anyways I got your schedules from Oma. It seems like you guys have all the same classes, and they’re all with me! Cool, now I can introduce you to all my friends!”
“You have friends?” Phila asked, surprised. Sahara whacked her shoulder. “Ow!”
“So we have Orientation first, where you learn everything about why certain people get certain powers,” Dian explained. “Oh yay Oma’s in our potions class!”
“Wouldn’t we be in an easier level class if we just transferred here, though?” Ella asked.
“I’m not the best student, and as my punishment for killing, I mean electrocuting so many students I need to be placed in the easy classes because I’m not really sure how to control my power yet,” said Dian as if it was nothing.
“Um…” Sahara said as the three slowly backed away.
“Come on, it’s only at people I don’t like. And I like you guys,” Dian smiled. “Come on. Class is this way.” Together, the four of them walked down the hall to a room. They entered to find a giant TV, ping pong and pool tables, a massive fridge, and a huge leather couch.
“This is the classroom?” Phila asked incredulously.
“No, silly! It’s 5 a.m. We can have fun in the lounge first!” Dian grinned. She turned on the TV to show a video involving something about stages of rage, and laughed hysterically at it.
“One thing about training, is that everyone has it different,” said Dian. “But you guys have training at the same time as me, so that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Your sure that we will fit in?” asked Phila looking into the mirror fretting over her appearance. “Cmon guys, help me pick a look.”
“Hm, just do whatever,” said Dian. “Oo can you do me?” Phila changed into Dian.
“How do I look?” she asked her. Dian smiled.
“I could get used to this,” said Dian as Phila changed into her stereotypical teenager appearance.
“I think I’m getting used to my bracelet,” said Ella. She jumped into the air and flapped her wings. “I can stay up for a whole minute.” Dian looked away.
“That’s great!” said Sahara, ecstatic. A few more people came into the lounge
“Amethyst!” Dian said rushing over to the blue-haired girl. “We have new friends!” The girl, Amethyst, turned around and looked at them with her sea foam eyes.
“Is your hair really blue?” asked Phila. “Like naturally?”
“I wasn’t born like this, of course, but exposure to Co,” She paused. “Oh, Cobalt, for those confused, does that.” said Amethyst. “Oh, I never really introduced myself. I'm Amethyst. Like, the stone, you know? SiO2, if you prefer.”
“You seem pretty normal,” said Sahara. “What did you do to come here?”
"I showed up pretty early... I was only 9. Not a lot of people were here then, so I know all and see all, if that is an asset you need. My parents were alchemists, at the brink of discovering the philosopher's stone. Ironically, just as they found the secret to immortality, an explosion went off in their lab-- something to do with wiring. I was at school, but Crestfall's justice system, as you know, is heavily flawed. I was blamed for the explosion and jailed. It was then when I realized my power-- I melted the entire prison out of anger and ran. A fellow prisoner told me there were others like me, so I came here. I didn't want to be alone... I'm an atom, really, and I need to be in some molecule or family, always,” said Amethyst. “So, I guess you could say I'm the only one who came here willingly. That's also why my bracelet..." Dian shot a little spark at Amethyst.
“...Nevermind. So, you can fly?" Amethyst asked Ella. Ella fluttered her wings.
“Usually, my bracelet prohibits it. But I think it’s getting better,” said Ella, stroking her wings. Amethyst and Dian exchanged a look and then beckoned for them to sit down at a table.
“I’m can turn invisible,” said Sahara.
“Cool,” said Amethyst half heartedly. “ Typical Female. Not really a power, really, with Quantum mechanics, it can be created artificially.”
“Excuse me?” asked Sahara. “I thought my power was rare.”
“Not exactly. All powers have about the same amount of members. But only the ones who can’t control their power get sent to the school. Invisibility isn’t that hard to control,” said Amethyst matter-of-factly.
“It is, too! Do you know how hard it is to stay visible when you’re embarrassed?” asked Sahara.
“Yeah, but you can’t hurt anyone. That’s the thing. None of you can really hurt anyone with your uncontrollable powers. I mean, Dian practically killed 10 people because she can’t control hers, and I melted a couple of government buildings,” said Amethyst.
“Amethyst, can I talk to you in the other room?” said Dian, leading Amethyst away. She whispered a couple words to her, and Amethyst came back.
“I’m sorry, we must have gotten off on the wrong note. I really dislike negative bonds, truly,” said Amethyst. “It’s just that I’ve been here for so long my opinions have become radioactive. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted,” stated Sahara. “Just don’t say invisibility isn’t hard to control, or I’ll smack you with a force field.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Amethyst smiled. “Don’t worry. If you want, I can help you control it-- I have a few sources who would be willing to help.”
“Hey Amethyst, did you scare them off yet?” said a girl with dark brown hair, coming over to meet them.
“That’s Amethyst’s friend Garnet, she’s a healer,” said Dian.
“Why didn’t you just say ‘our friend’, Dian?” asked Ella. "It seems like a weird way of wording it."
"Garnet doesn't necessarily like me," said Dian. "I only have two friends, and now you guys."
"Hi I'm Garnet," said Garnet. "I know it seems peculiar that both Amethyst and I are named after stones but bear with me."
"Sounds good to me," said Phila, her hair becoming a dark purple.
"Whoa! How'd you do that?" asked Garnet.
"Our immature sister is a shifter," said Sahara as Phila changed into an exact copy of Garnet. Garnet spoke.
Dian shrugged. “I… don’t know? She introduced us, I guess…”
Garnet nodded. “True. Anyway, Amethyst said that you guys are new. Welcome to Madame Myalo’s! Flight, invisibility and force fields, and shape shifting? Not bad. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing you a lot, your type seems to get into a bit of trouble.” She laughed. “Not that it’s a bad thing, that’s experience for me. I get that terrible bracelet off, too, which is a plus.”
Sahara paled. “Is your power torture or something? Are you going to punish us?”
Amethyst broke out into loud laughter while Garnet giggled politely. Phila noticed a pendant around Amethyst’s neck with a purple stone that glittered unnaturally, like there was something inside. It matched her floor-length ball gown, which for some reason didn’t seem unusual here.
Garnet interrupted her thoughts. “No, Sahara. I heal. I also cannot kill, but really, I think saving lives is a much more justifiable cause. Right, Amethyst?” She looked at the girl pointedly.
“Oh, fine, I guess. But you all do need to be able to fully control your powers, it’ll only help.”
Dian nodded. “I got it after four years, and it feels great! I no longer, umm, force my roommates to visit Garnet!”
Garnet sighed. “Yes, please refrain from doing that.”
Ella, who’d been quiet this whole time, said, “Do you know our names? I don’t like being classified by power… I’m Ella.”
Amethyst pointed at her bracelet. “It notifies us when we meet someone new. You may have heard beeps when you saw us?”
Sahara nodded. “Oh, yeah! I was wondering what those were.”
Amethyst smiled. “Simple wireless connection. The beeps are a way to tell the user that data is being transferred from one hard drive to another, all while we…” She noticed everyone was looking away. “Anyway, it tells us a lot about you. Like how Ella wants her hair was a tad lighter and with a highlight, yet doesn’t know I have the perfect compound to dye it that exact color.”
Ella stared at her bracelet and tapped it a few times. “Um…. let me try. You…” She squinted. “Got your powers through radioactivity?”
Amethyst nodded. “Exposure, like the hair.”
Sahara squinted too. “Let me try! Garnet… you got here only last year!”
Garnet nodded. “And your memory has been erased a few times.”
Sahara gasped. “It has? Well I wouldn’t know, would I?”
Ella stared at Dian. “Your birthday is in a month, and you want a new scarf with a pegasus on it…” She frowned. “You’re thinking of changing your room’s theme to that?”
Dian laughed. “Guilty. You don’t have a textbook for Potions.”
Ella frowned. “Oh, shoot, do I need one?”
Garnet nodded. “Yeah, but they have spares. After your assessment you can focus on more interesting topics. Like magical healing plants!”
Phila sighed. “Is that class required?”
Dian grinned. “No. We get electives that match our powers starting next year. Don’t worry, you won’t have to endure that.”
Garnet broke in. “It is an amazing class! So many amazing plants…”
“Personally, plants aren’t my thing. I tend to vaporize them,” sighed Amethyst. ”But I get where you’re coming from. Potions , that’ll be great.”
“I think I’d be best at something else,” said Ella. “Do they offer anything like PE here?”
“That’s what power training is for. You guys have that class with Dian, but will be broken up into groups: Passive, Agility, Defense, Psychic, Stealth, and Offense,” said Garnet. “I’m in Passive, and Dian and Amethyst are in Offense. Phila, you would be in stealth, and Sahara would probably be in either Stealth or Defense, depending on the activity.”
“And I’m guessing I’m in Agility?” asked Ella.
“Most likely. You have speed and flying,” said Amethyst. “And don’t worry, the bracelets don’t work in the training room.”
“Why do I even have a bracelet? Mine does nothing,” said Phila.
“Well, it prohibits you from leaving campus, tracks your motions, and provides information for who you are. But for the rest of us, it traps us,” said Dian, not looking at Amethyst.
“Ok, so after Orientation, we have Power Training, then we have Potions,” said Sahara looking at her schedule.
“Wait, you have Power Training second?” Garnet looked at Amethyst with a concerned expression. “Looks like they’ll meet the Divas.”
“We already did,” said Phila. “They wanted me to join them, but that was before I poured pudding on Frida’s head.”
“Well, looks like your next four years here are going to be at the bottom of the popularity pyramid,” joked Garnet.
“Oh come on, they’re not that bad,” said Amethyst.
“Well looks like someone has never been abused by them,” Garnet tilted her head towards Dian. “Trust me, I’ve tended to Dian’s frequent frostbite.”
“I’ve been here for long enough for them to know to leave me alone. And let’s just call their monthly hair color change a… mutual agreement. I’m glad they don’t ask about the ingredients, they’re glad their hair is,” Amethyst changed her voice’s pitch. “‘Fabulously cool’, as they say.”
“Looks like someone wants to be a diva,” joked Ella.
Amethyst winked. “I like my resources, but I would never give up my molecule of lovable misfits such as yourselves. Speaking of, Sahara, should I talk to my fellow halogen about your training?”
“You should probably see what game we’re playing today,” said Garnet. “She could either be defensive with force fields or stealth with invisibility.”
“Either way, lack of full control is… not complementary. Remember Xavier?”
Ella shrieked. “Wait, there are boys here?”
“Duh, but we have separated dorms. They live on the other side of the building. And sometimes separate classes. But same lunch times,” said Dian.
Garnet blushed. “But dating, on the other hand, is not forbidden. Like the two other winged kids. They’re dating, so don’t get your hopes up for a boy with wings Ella.”
Dian looked hopefully at the door. “Maybe one day he’ll notice me…”
Ella nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I only fall for every third guy I see, and I’ve made a few exceptions to fourth!”
“Let me guess. The Divas all have hot boyfriends that we will all be jealous of?” grumbled Phila.
“How’d you guess! They’re all dating fire dudes,” said Dian. Phila sighed. She didn’t mean that kind of hot.
“Ironic.” Amethyst nodded.
“Won’t they melt their girlfriends?” asked Sahara.
“Oh, it happens quite often. I have to treat their burns, and believe me, their skin is ice cold. Not to mention it, fire people are said to have really warm personalities and spicy breath. But how would I know, I’ve only dated two,” said Garnet.
Ella swooned. “I can’t wait to meet someone… And date him… and marry him… and have his babies…”
Sahara hit her shoulder. “I bet all the guys here are douchey.”
Garnet smiled. “Actually, they’re not. Like this one laser-eyed guy…”
“How many boyfriends have you had, Garnet?” asked Phila.
“Only 4, two fire guys, a water guy, a wall climber, and I have my eye on someone else,” said Garnet, blushing.
“Hey, I know you all think you’re noble gases, but that won’t excuse you missing class. C’mon, Garnet, Phila, you’re in my orientation group. The rest of you follow Dian. Be active, come on.”
Phila whispered to Garnet. “I’m betting she’s amazing at potions?”
Garnet laughed. “You have no idea.”