Tuesday, October 01
Xerena was in high spirits when she got up the next morning. She’d slept well, she mastered the cord and pulley contraption by her bed, and she felt confident she could stand up to the meanies.
Then something truly wonderful happened. Her Ignis uniform arrived moments before she dressed for the day. She gasped in delight at the sight of the knee-length pleated skirt, short-sleeved shirt, Ignis-print necktie, and cloak … with pockets. Fully aware she did not need the cloak when attending classes that morning, she wore it anyway. The occasion was too auspicious to do otherwise. Plus, it covered her back brace.
As she sashayed through the campus halls, effortlessly getting to her morning classes on time, she took advantage of every opportunity to whirl her cloak. In her eyes, it was the most wondrous piece of clothing she’d ever owned.
For Somatic Defence that day, the students would be working on their stances, so all were instructed to wear a gi (martial arts wrap-around top and bottoms) in place of their uniform. Despite her back brace (or maybe because of it), Xerena exhibited exceptional form, standing very straight, shoulders down, evenly balanced on her feet.
She was elated at how well things were going. That is, until she changed back into her Ignis uniform. The very thing she’d wished upon Kadra happened to herself. Her skirt got caught up in back, tucked into her underwear. It wasn’t apparent until she removed her cloak to enter the Gnook. As she strode to her table, nearly everyone pointed or snickered or both. She had no idea what was so amusing, so she did nothing to rectify the situation.
When she got seated at her usual table, a girl slid over to her on the bench. “Hey, your skirt’s caught up in your knickers.”
“What?!” Xerena shouted, her cry ringing through the hall. As unobtrusively as she could, she reached behind her and released her skirt from the elastic of her undies. Her face immediately heated up—part from embarrassment, part from anger at how cruel her schoolmates could be.
It’s just a skirt and underwear. Get over it!
She ended up striking up a conversation with the girl who’d scooted next to her and was glad to have someone her own age from her own element to talk to.
“I’m Delphine. You’re friends with Frankie, right?”
“Yes,” Xerena answered with pride.
Yes I am!
“You’re lucky. He’s really popular.”
“Hey, why haven’t I seen you around before? I’m Xaena, by the way.”
“Good to meetcha, Xaena. I don’t live in your Frond, so we probably won’t run into each other much when we’re in Ignis.”
“I’ve been wondering, is there a difference between the two Fronds?”
Delphine folded her lips in and looked down.
“Uh oh,” Xerena said. “Is it something bad?”
“Not bad, per se … It’s just …”
“Just?”
“Let’s just say, your Frond is … or rather, my Frond is what you might call more hardcore.”
“Hardcore how?”
“You know how you live in a sultan’s palace?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty stunning!”
“Well in my Frond, we live in obsidian caves. We have bats, glowworms in the walls. It’s spectacular.”
“Wow. That sounds kinda intense.”
“It is,” Delphine said with a happy smile. “That’s why we all love it so much.”
“Fair enough.”
The two new friends enjoyed a delicious and colorful meal with bento boxes that contained Tamagoyaki; a tofu, rice, and broccoli dish; cold mashed potato salad with sweet corn, shrimp tempura; and fresh fruit—all arranged to look like a picturesque landscape.
~ space inserted here to give young readers a break ~
As they exited the Gnook after lunch, Xerena (who was unaccustomed to the new shoes that came with her uniform) tripped over someone’s leg. Her loss of balance was not just because of her footwear. The possessor of the limb Xerena tripped over (one of Kadra’s minions) had stuck her leg out on purpose. Xerena dove headlong forward, skidding across the floor. A number of people laughed. Even more laughed when they noted Xerena’s difficulty in getting up with her back brace.
The words Finn spoke to Xerena filled her mind now: “The first thing when dealing with bullies is you have to stand up to them. They respond to what they think is strength.”
Fine! Standing up to them is exactly what I’m going to do! … That is, once I can actually stand up.
Delphine came to her rescue and pulled her up. “Here, let me help you.”
“Jerk!” Xerena shouted. “… That was meant for Kadra, by the way, not you, Delphine.”
“Excuse me?!” Kadra snarled in reply.
“You heard me. You’re just a big jerk … and a phony. All you do is be mean to people. I bet your friends don’t even like you. They probably just put up with you so you don’t torment them the way you do everybody else. And another thing, I hope you lose your beauty pageant. There’s nothing beautiful about you … you, you cow!”
Those in The Hub let out a collective gasp which was followed up by Kadra lunging at Xerena, and with the help of the meanies, wrapping Xerena’s cloak over her head and torso so that she couldn’t see or use her arms. They then spun her around so she lost balance and stumbled this way and that. By the time Xerena got herself untangled—with assistance from Delphine—The Hub was all but empty, everyone having dispersed to go to their afternoon classes.
“Sorry, Xaena, gotta run.” Delphine handed Xerena her cloak and bounded away.
Xerena’s lower lip trembled, then her chest heaved, and before she knew it, she was bawling, alone in The Hub and late for class. She’d never missed a class before in all her years at school back home, and she didn’t know what sort of trouble she’d get into by ditching now. But she didn’t care.
She made the short walk from The Hub to the Ignis Brink—a walk that felt substantially farther than usual. Once she got to her room, she pulled her diary from its home in her desk drawer and simply scribbled:
Dear Diary,
I hate this new school. I wanna go home. I want my dragon.
She then stuffed the diary back into the drawer and fell onto her chaise lounge, letting her tears flow. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.
~ space inserted here to give young readers a break ~
“Hey there, I missed you at luging today,” Tanna said upon entering their room.
Xerena sat up but didn’t respond. She merely nettled her fingernails.
Tanna took a seat beside her. “Everything okay? I heard about what happened with Kadra today. That stinks. Kids can be so heartless.”
“Why me? Why is she targeting me? And for no reason. There was another kid she was picking on today too.”
“Ahh, well if someone could figure out why bullies do the despicable things they do, we could probably end wars. The truth is, I have no idea why Kadra singled you out to pick on, or anyone else. And I feel bad I’m not there to help you more. With the Archon taking an outernship, I’ve had a lot more on my plate than usual. My role as Assistant Archon has always been more or less ceremonial … not anymore.”
“What’s an outernship?”
“It’s like a temporary apprenticeship off campus.”
“Getting off campus sounds pretty good to me right about now.”
Tanna put her hand on Xerena’s knee. “I’m sorry you’re going through a rough patch. Things won’t always be this way.”
Xerena let out a long sigh.
Tanna stood. “Come on. It’s time for Sups.”
“I’m really not hungry.”
“It will be good for you to get out there again, not hide here in our room.”
“I’d really rather not.”
When a hand rapped on the open door, both looked up.
“Follow me,” Frankie said with a grin.
The roommates looked at each other, then dashed out in pursuit. Keeping up with Frankie’s long strides was an effort, and with each step, Xerena’s curiosity grew.
When they exited the Brink, they found Finn waiting for them, smiling with his hands in his pockets. “Everyone ready?” he asked.
“I didn’t tell them where we’re going,” Frankie confided.
“Even better. Ignins, if you’ll be so good, right this way.”
As the usual crowd filed into the Gnook, Finn led the trio toward one of the escalators. Before they could board, someone jogged over to inform Tanna she was needed to do something Archony.
“You three go on without me. I’ll catch up if I can.”
~ space inserted here to give young readers a break ~
Finn, Xerena, and Frankie stepped onto the conveyant and traveled down one level. They then trod down a couple of hallways and opened a door marked: Maintenance. From there they walked up a stairwell and then through another door into a round room with a 360-degree soda fountain in the center.
“What can I do ya for?” asked a smiling freckle-faced teen wearing white pants, a white short-sleeved button-up shirt, and a paper soda-jerk hat.
“What is this place?” Xerena whispered.
The boy gestured to a sign hanging from the ceiling. “Welcome to Connie’s Confections, Cones, and Cakes … but really, mostly cones. Anyone care to try some Mocha Mousse Deluxe ice cream?”
Xerena’s hand shot up. “I would!”
Once all three had placed their orders, Xerena asked quietly, “How are we the only ones in here? I would think a new ice cream shop would be packed!”
“We’re not open yet,” called out the soda jerk, who appeared to have impeccable hearing.
“Dinny’s in my Frond,” Finn said. “He’s doing us a favor by letting us try things out before they open tomorrow.”
“You’re my lab rats!” Dinny added.
“Less talk, more ice cream, Dinny,” Finn teased then turned back to Xerena. “Pay no attention to him … So what’s this I hear about some brouhaha starring you and Kadra in The Hub today?”
Xerena’s mouth pulled into a deep frown. “She was being awful as always, so I did what you told me to. I stood up to her.” Her face now brightened. “Is that why we’re at ice cream? How you said we’d get ice cream if I stood up to the meanies?”
Finn’s expression turned pained. “No, not at all. From what I hear, all you did was call her names and make things worse. That wasn’t what I meant when I said stand up to her. I meant be confident in who you are. Not tear her down in the process.”
“But I did what you told me to!” Once more, Xerena’s emotions got the best of her. Her bottom lip trembled, and her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh gosh, I’m sorry, Xerena. I didn’t mean to upset you. Frankie, can you grab her a napkin, please?”
Having a hard time extracting just one paper napkin from the metal dispenser, Frankie handed her the entire wad.
“I’m really sorry you’ve been having such a tough time since you got here. Must be hard coming in late, not having an Aetherean guide, and now your Warden is occupied doing Archon work. We’re gonna do a better job looking out for you … Aren’t we, Frankie?”
“Huh? We are?”
“All righty,” said Dinny. “One Mocha Mousse, one Rumbullion Surprise, and one Neapolitan cone decorated like a clown.”
Frankie snickered.
Finn accepted the clown cone with a delighted smile. “Laugh all you want – it’s always been my favorite. Anyway, as I was saying, Frankie’s going to be looking after you.”
“What happened to we?” Frankie asked.
“Just for now, while I’m gone.”
“Gone?” Xerena’s voice cracked as she spoke. “Whe … where are you going?”
“I’ve been invited to a hydroponic farm to see if I want to work there during the next twixt-term break.”
“But school just started!” Xerena objected.
“True, true. They only accept a couple of kids each session, and the waiting list is really long. I put in my name two years ago, and it just finally came up. So I gotta strike when the iron’s hot, as you Ignins say. You’ll be in good hands with Frankie. People listen to him … who knows why … and he lives in your Frond, so he’s a perfect protector when Tanna is busy.”
“When do you leave?” Xerena asked quietly.
“Tomorrow. That’s why Dinny let us in tonight. I’ll only be gone for a few weeks.”
A few weeks!!
Suddenly, Xerena lost all interest in ice cream.
After they finished their dessert, they walked back to the Ignis Brink. More like the boys walked, Xerena trudged. She didn’t like the idea of Finn being away for so long—or even at all!
When they arrived at the fireplace, Frankie and Finn embraced, lightly slapping each other on the back. Finn then gave Xerena a warm hug and a peck on the back of her hand. “I’ll be back before you know it. Until then, try not to start a riot.”
“No promises,” Frankie retorted with a mischievous grin, then turned to Xerena as Finn strode away. “Let’s see how much trouble we can get into while the goodie goodie is away.”
“I thought he was your best friend.”
“He is! He’s also my hero. Which is why I have to do all of my misbehaving when he’s not around. Don’t you worry. We’ll come up with a plan to bring Kadra and those other tyrants to heel – whatever it takes.”
“What if it takes a lot?”
“Like I said, whatever it takes.”
Dear Diary,
Finn deserted me, and Tanna has become a bureaucrat. At least Frankie’s still here. And he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get Kadra off my back. Me too. No more Mr. Nice girl.
(The end of chapter 4)
🔥
