"That will be all, everyone. Thank you." As Mr. Marinos finished and the students began to swarm out of the hall, Morgan grinned. She got to her feet. She was in the same house as Zac and she had a free day today. She was already trying to decide what to do. Alli would probably be in the dance studio showing off her gymnastic routine and Zac would probably be chilling with some music. She could always just chill out in her room with a good book and her iPod, but it was such a lovely day. It was a day to be outside, not to be trapped in her room.
She grinned as she decided exactly what she was going to do. She made her way up to her room and grabbed Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, her slightly better pair of headphones and shoved her phone in her pocket. Her iPod went in the opposite pocket and her headphones went around her neck. She made her way downstairs and went out into the glorious sunshine. She chose a spot by the tennis courts. It was warm, in direct sunlight and out of the way. She slid her headphones over her head and plugged the other end into her iPod. She pressed play and opened her book.
As Katniss and the rebels battled against the corrupt Capitol, Mo's mind was not on the fictional country of Panem. It was on her reality. At first she smiled. Her and Zac were both in Deakins. They had all their classes together. She had a cool roommate. There hadn't been any major fights yet, and the weather was gorgeous.
But then the darker side of things began to take over. Her dad had a new girlfriend. He still wasn't fully over Mo's mother, and he tended to go for girls like her. Mo missed her mother sometimes, when she didn't understand something or when nothing was going right for her. But she didn't want to replace her. Her mother was one of a kind, and none of her father's girlfriends could replace her. If Mo had to telepathically drive the woman insane, she would. If she wanted a step-mum, she had to be different. Preferably a nurse. Or, admittedly, a teacher.
Her thoughts gradually slightened in subject. She began to wonder when the next party would be held. They were usually fun, even for someone who didn't drink. Except for last time, but someone had spiked her drink once or twice. And then she had only been tipsy, not absolutely shit-faced. Some of the Noctrem students would probably drink all of the alcohol in San Francisco and the surrounding area between them. And then they would still complain that they hadn't had enough to drink.
But watching them the morning after would probably be hilarious. If they even appeared.
Zac stretched and dragged himself to his feet. He was in the same house as Mo, which was great. They would most likely be pairing up on projects if they were given the choice. And they didn't seem to have anyone too bad in their house, which was always a good thing. As he left the hall, he heard various students discussing a party. One of Jackson Murphy's, no doubt. They were usually fairly enjoyable. Mo, Alli and him stayed away from alcohol, and were able to remember every detail of the night before.
Well, most of the time. Last time, someone had kept slipping vodka into Mo's drink. She claimed she had only gotten tipsy, but Zac could vividly remember her with her arm slung around Colby, standing on a table singing her heart out. She had gotten a little more than tipsy, but she handled the hangover fairly well. Probably with three cups of coffee and a blueberry muffin before she even went to class. She had seemed unusually alert, admittedly. She was rarely that awake heading into History.
Mo headed upstairs, probably to grab some reading material to chill out in the sun. Zac had been planning on practising indoors, but one look at the glorious weather outside changed his mind. He instead grabbed his guitar from his room and shoved a few picks in his pocket.
The front lawn was covered in cigarette butts already, so he decided against it. The forest seemed the best choice. He grasped the neck of the guitar and held it in front of him to prevent smashing it against any trees.
It was a wonder his guitar had lasted this long, if he was honest. He had brought it when he was fourteen. It had been hauled to Arcana and back every year since, without a case, and had even called down the stairs once or twice. Okay, it was four times, but the last time didn't even count because his foster dad had caught it a few steps from the bottom. He'd changed all of the strings twice, and the bass string had been changed three times. It had cost him a fair bit, but he had gotten so much enjoyment out of it.
He found a secluded spot just inside the forest. Although he'd be screwed if there was a fire. The fire starter could be at Arcana right now, and if they decided to burn down Arcana, the fire could very easily spread to the forest. And as much as his guitar meant to him, if the forest was set alight, he was abandoning his guitar and getting the hell out of there.
His hand began to strum of it's own accord, and his fingers formed chords on the frets. He wasn't sure what song he was playing, but it sounded good.
Alli was ecstatic. She was in Ardley with Lauryn! She grinned at the girl beside her as she stood up. "Come on, let's go up to the dance studio!" She said, worming her way through the crowds. Lauryn probably wouldn't be able to keep up with her, because Alli was able to worm her way through people and around people. She stood on a chair and waved at Lauryn, before heading upstairs to the dance studio. When she arrived, she zipped off her hoodie and started a few warm-up stretches. She then made a running start and flipped across the floor. She landed in a handstand and somersaulted to her feet. She grinned and found a balance beam. Why dancers would need it, she had no clue. Unless Mr Marinos had intended it for gymnastic use. She dragged it out into the middle of the floor before clambered ungracefully onto it and standing upright. She took a few steps and went into a handstand. She turned three hundred and sixty degrees and walked on her hands to the end of the beam. Her arms shook but her balance remained strong. One advantage of her power meant it was extremely difficult for her to fall off and hit herself on the hard floor.
She flipped to her feet and dismounted as her phone vibrated in her hoodie pocket. She pulled it out. It was a text from her mother, and she opened it.
Allison, dear. There's a gymnastics competition being held next Saturday. It seems to be within your skill level, and it's only an hour away. Are you going to complete?
Alli resisted the temptation to throw the phone out of the window. Her mother insisted on calling her Allison. And every time there was a gymnastics competition, she received a text or a phone call about it.
Mom, I'll have to clear it with Mr Marinos first. Talk to you later.
She shoved her phone back into her pocket and scrambled back onto the beam. She flipped and somersaulted, trying to work off her anger. And when that didn't work, she returned to the floor. She'd completely forgotten about Lauryn. She turned on the music, and began to perform to that. Gotye's Somebody That I Used To Know began playing. It was a good song to perform to, lively without being too fast.
She was angry at her mother for pushing her. Her dexterity meant she could have taken up almost any sport. She would have loved to have taken up archery. But once her mother had saw that she had an aptitude for gymnastics, she hadn't been allowed take part in any other sport. It was gymnastics. There wasn't even an option of nothing. And every single time there was a competition, she was pushed to compete. If she didn't, it was, "Why aren't you competing? Are you injured? Why don't you want to compete?" If it was an Olympic trial, sure, she'd compete. But this was a small competition, probably full of novices. She didn't want to crush them before they even began.
She threw herself across the floor with increasing intensity. Her ankle began to complain, but she launched into a handstand. The blood rushing to her brain made it much harder to think.
[font=Georgia]Mr. Chris Russell- PE Teacher and Extra Curricular Supervisor
Today began like any other day. Chris dragged himself out of bed and had a shower. He got dressed in his trademark outfit. Chris was always a snappy dresser. But possibly even more so today. Because today he was starting a new job in his old school, Arcana Academy. It was Chris's first real job. He had done a bit of modelling, but that hadn't worked out. Mainly because he kept being assaulted by teenage girls screaming his name.
He ate a decent breakfast of fruit, toast orange juice and a yogurt. He remembered the food at Arcana being good, but he really wasn't in the mood to eat in a canteen full of students. He washed the plate and put it away. His brother opened the door. "Oi, Chris!" He called. "Sup bro!" Chris replied. "I still can't believe you're letting me stay in your house for free!" Chris stood up and clapped his brother on his shoulder. "Yeah, but if I get broken into, you're paying the damages. Better go." Chris grabbed his suitcases and his car keys. He threw them into the back seat of his little red convertible and slammed the door. His brother was standing at the front door. "I can't believe your car has survived five years of mistreatment." He commented. Chris laughed and patted the car. "Yeah, it's pretty sturdy. Mind my house. It's the only one I've got, and if anything goes wrong, you're buying me another." His brother laughed. "Like you can't afford another one. See you... When will you be back?" Chris shrugged. "You'll know when I walk in."
He climbed into his car and started it up. He let down the hood as he drove out the gate. It was a gorgeous Californian day. The way to Arcana was imbedded in Chris's mind, and the car almost found it's way there by itself. Before he knew it, his red convertible was driving up the drive.
He found the rest of the teacher's cars and parked his. He let up the hood and decided to leave his cases until he had met with Mr Marin- No, Leo. He had to remember to call him Leo now. That was the weirdest part of having supernatural powers. Your headmaster wouldn't change the whole way through school, and when you went back to be a teacher, he'd still be exactly the same.
He went into the reception. It had been modernised a little in the five years he had been at college. He walked nervously up to the receptionist. She had changed as well. Jesus, was he even at the right school?
"Um, hey. I'm Chris Russell, I'm the new PE teacher here. Leo told me to meet him when I arrived." The receptionist nodded. "Take a seat. He'll be down shortly." Chris took a seat across from the receptionist. Students were coming and going, and, frankly, he felt a little uncomfortable.
