Rachel Alena Grace's Story

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Alanna liked the idea of snow; she liked to watch snowflakes falling quietly to earth, but only from the safety of a warm room. The library was one such room. It was in fact its own separate building and several stories high. Books lined its walls from floor to ceiling and there were many alcoves and partially hidden rooms in its depths. It was the kind of library where one could spend all day and never see another person. During the winter months the fire was constantly stoked and you were always guaranteed warmth. Alanna had been here for some time, reading in one of the many window seats. Snow always made her more irritable and she had woken earlier that morning to see the school sheeted in the stuff. Not being able to return to sleep she had showered, dressed and made her way to the library.

Now, with half an hour until class started she decided that it was time for a warm breakfast. Alanna replaced her book in the shelf and made her way through the large library doors. As she stepped outside the cold immediately hit her and the girl drew her clothes tighter around her. Alanna made her way along covered paths, aiming for the old dining hall. She thrust her hands into her pockets to keep them warm.

She reached the end of the covered walkways. Across a courtyard of undisturbed snow stood the dining hall. Smoke could be seen coming out of the large chimney and the windows were misted, further indicating the warmth that awaited inside. But first Alanna would have to make her way across the courtyard. Pursing her lips she took the first step, her foot sinking ankle deep into the snow. By the time she had made it to the dining hall door her toes were going numb and her irritation had reached new levels, still she hesitated before entering the hall. She had caught sight of the notice pinned to the door.
The only good thing she could say about winter was the annual Winter Feast. The food was always excellent, the decorations were fantastic and the atmosphere was something to look forward to. Not to mention the student after-party. It was just as much a tradition as the Feast, even if not entirely within the Academy's rules. While drinking for over 18s was legal in England, drinking on campus wasn't something that the teachers allowed without supervision. Still, every year the after-party went ahead and every year the majority of the student body attended.

Having finished reading the notice Alanna pushed through the doors and into the warmth of the dining hall. She grabbed a plate, served herself breakfast and then chose a table close to the fire. She sat down with the fire to her back, happy to let the fire warm her.

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Buzz! Buzz! BUZZ! BUZZ!

The insistent ringing of Lockie's alarm was what woke the young man. His eyes fluttered open as the noise pierced through his dreams. His hand reached out to snooze the alarm only to find the device not on his bedside table. He let his eyes close for a moment. A cool breeze was playing around his room, streaming in through his open window.

In one swift movement the boy collected the breeze to him, using it to fling the blankets off him. His hands gave another twirl and the winds returned, this time he set them on the pile of clothes that littered his floor. It was from this pile that the incessant ringing was coming. With a blast of his collected air Lockie sent the clothes flying around his room, landing across his desk, bed and other portions of his floor. And there sat his alarm cloak. Lockie stood, tapped the alarm with his hand and gave a satisfied smile as the noise finally stopped.

Lockie grabbed his towel and left his room, wondering down the Air elemental's portion of the dormitories. He entered the male bathrooms a moment later, flicking on the lights and a shower as he entered. The water was blissfully warm. He stepped out a good deal later once the water had began to run cold. Lockie was prone to day-dreaming and his mind had wondered, only being brought back to reality by the shock of the cold water.

Back in his room he quickly got dressed in the only clothes that didn't seem to decorate his floor. His stomach rumbled a moment later, indicating that it was time for breakfast. So he left his room and began to make his way down to the dining hall.

Most times the quick trip to the dining hall would take longer than anticipated as Lockie's attention was usually drawn to whatever caught his fancy. Today was no different. Now he stopped short of the hall, watching as a tree branch slowly caved under the pressure of the snow. The day had a moderate amount of wind, enough for him to collect a small ball and send it flying towards the tree. The snow was blown up in a flurry of wind before crunching down onto the tree branch and then onto the ground.

Rachel was always early to rise and early to sleep. She had been biography on Allen Edger Poe, one of her favorite authors. He was a strange man and his story captivated her attention in the silence of the room. Finishing the page she looked up at the sugar powdered schoolyard; something she did not like. She had always hated snow, it was to cold and she hated coldness. She hated the chill the small I've particles gave off at the smallest touch, she hated how she would grow sick if she were outside for to long, winter was a dreaded season to her. Rachel had grown up in a place that had great snows, and nice once had she found any pleasure from playing in it, always terrible. She was never the girl that made a snow man or had ever joined a snowball fight, even though throughout the years she had found herself getting hit with a few.

Picking up a clear glossy piece of plastic, she placed it between pages 200 and 201 to hold her space until she returned to read it later. Closing the hard cover and frail pages encasing the plastic she put the book in a opened drew then shut it. Spinning around in the pivoting chair she stood and walked across her spotless room to her closet. For Rachel's room was incredibly clean, never a spot out of place or a crumb on the floor, she would not tolerate mess. Opening the glass door she peered at the clothes of variety from clarets to sapphires. What shall I wear today? The thoughts of clothes stretched across her mind, for what would she wear under the shield of warm clothing? Running her fingers across soft fabric she stopped at a thinned fabric collared shirt with the coloring of a plump strawberry. Gently taking it out of her closet she began gathering more clothes: black leggings, teal opened toe flats, and a thick black snow jacket. A large majority of the clothes she had picked were not particularly good for the weather, but with her being a fire student she could sustain her body temperature to at least 70 degrees for four and a half minutes, enough time to make it to the dining hall.

Spreading her selected wardrobe across the blue comforter on her bed. Rachel had gotten her shower out of the way hours ago, so she began removing her night wear which had been an old grey tank top and pink plaid. With the old clothes removed they were replace with her new clothing expect the snow coat. Walking over to her mirror she looked at herself to make sure she looked okay. The shirt fit her nicely, lose and flowing until the ending was neatly tucked into the black leggings bulge free and her shoes complemented her legs by making then appear longing. Rachel's makeup had already been done: red lipstick that made her face pop and pulled everything together, blush to give her some color, concealer to conceal dark under-eye circles and red spots, and natural looking eyeshadow. Everything was perfect, almost. My hair looks to flat. With the simple thought to herself she held right index finger to her hair and wrapped a small section of hair around it. Concentrating at medium rate she heated her finger and held her hair around it for a few seconds. Once releasing the strand of hair is landed in a perfect soft curl.

When down completing the curling process she collected her purple snake textured bag with her books for school, put on her coat, and left her dorm room to go get breakfast. Rachel walked calmly down the hall to save energy so when she had to walk outside she could keep herself warm. To her most of the dorm halls looked the same, but she never payed to much attention, it was irrelevant information to her. Making it to the bottom floor she stopped out the doors that lead to the cold, cold world. Taking in a deep breath she reassured herself she could do it. Feeling the slight warmth from within she opened the doors and walked at a quick pace. The warm to her wasn't cold, but irritating because she knew it should be cold. Snow flakes landed in her hair and on her clothes, annoying her even more because she would feel the effects later on when it melted into her clothes.

Within thirty seconds of her walk she began to feel, not as warm. What? She was questioning herself when suddenly a punch of cold began running up her spin, her inner fire had given out. I shouldn't have done my hair! Her thought yelled at her as she started running to the dining hall. The cold was what she had imagined, to cold. She felt like icicles were growing from her, this was like torture to her. As Rachel tried to run her feet would sink down into the snow, but that did not stop her. She felt absolute hate to this, but her four and a half turned to a one minute journey with her run.

When arriving to her destination she slung the door open disregarding the notice on the door. Warmth! In her mind she was celebrating making it as the warmth from the fire began melting her frozen mind. The first thing she had done was take off her shoes, poured out the snow, and then placed them in her purse to dry. Next, taking off her coat she wrapped it around her waisted and walked over to the food to serve herself. Picking up a tray she began scooping a small portion of everything and then took a seat closet to the fire where she would get some of her energy back and extra warm. When she had taken her seat she had sat in front of one of her few friends, Alanna, silently.

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He laid in the snow making snow angel after snow angel; so far he was on his tenth. This was the season for him and when his powers were at the greatest for there was nothing better than winter for this guy. He had always enjoy the winter, even as a little kid and he had woken up so early just to get to play in it before school started. At in the snow he probably appeared as a small child that way he was thrashing and spinning. He was wearing a grey hoody, blue jeans, and black shoes, not the warmest but he didn't care. Mark didn't mind that he was shocking wet and that he would take forever to dry, this did not worry him in the slightest.

Mark was alone in his merry making of snow angels, but he didn't mind it was just more snow for him. Gust of wind had been blowing hard and sometimes almost giving Mark the thought he might get blown over. As the winds got stronger he decided the best thing to do would be to go inside the dining hall like other students would be doing. As he walked he felt a sink feeling and had to try trudging. Pulling up his left foot his shoe had got stuck and was immediately flooded with a rush of snow. With a small chuckle he picked up his shoe and turned it over letting all the snow spill out like a icy waterfall. Tossing it back on the ground he forced his foot into his tennis shoe and continued his walk to the sidewalk to get his bag.

Reaching his bag he had accidentally picked it up from the wrong end spilling all the remainders onto the snow dressed pavement. "Silly me." His voice was in a cheerfully whisper as he nilled down to collect his black iPhone that was cased, some books, spiral notebooks, pencils, and a calculator; nothing to exciting. Slinging it all info his bag he then again started walking to the dining hall.

As Mark walked more gust of wind pushed and pulled on him until he finally tripped landing with his hands to the cold pavement. He had chuckled at his own mistake making no deal about it and got back up on his two on feet. As he tried to dust the snow from his hands and pants he found it just melt away deep into his clothing, meaning it would now take him even longer to dry which didn't bother him.

When getting to the dining hall he read the announcement on the door. "Sweet!" He said with a fist pump to the air and then let himself inside. He was all that hungry so when he arrived all he got was a warm glass of coco and sat by himself, seeing that really only the only other people that were in the building were students he'd rather avoid for the time being.

Kara punched her pillow several times and flipped it over as she laid uncomfortably on her bed in her room. She shoved her face in her pillow, not really wanting to get up right now. All she really wanted to do was to sleep another hour or two, but she had school to get to. Mumbling something angrily she finally threw her pillow off her bed and sat up slowly as she rubbed her tired eyes. One look at the clock she realized that she had been late on waking up. Really? She thought it was like 7:30 but it was truly an hour later than she usually got up to get ready for school. Oops. She shook her head, sighing softly as she got up and went to go fix herself up for the day.

The girl ran a brush through her hair a few times and applied some make-up before going to her closet which she started to slowly scan through for something to wear. There was soon a disappointed look on her face when she really couldn't find anything that she actually wanted to wear to class today. After about five minutes of debating what to wear she finally took out a outfit that she thought would be suitable for the day. It wasn't like she was really trying to impress anyone, so why should it matter what she wore today? She could figure something out better for tomorrow later on today, so that she didn't spend so much time looking for something to wear.

After throwing on her outfit for the day she walked over to next to her bed where her bag was laying. Scooping the bag up she checked to make sure she had all her books and necessary things before she slung it over her shoulder and walked from her room. She went from her room all the way down to the Dining room where she went and just got herself a plate of food then went to the table where Alanna was sitting. She slid into a seat next to her, placing her bag on the floor near her, and then placing her plate onto the table. Glancing over at Rachel she felt a small pang of anger towards her for some unknown reason, but managed to keep a warm smile on her face. "Hey Alanna, Rachel." She nodded over to Rachel before looking at Alanna again then down at her food as she messed with it a little.

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Beau smashed his hand down on his alarm when it went off at 8:30. A lot groan escaped him as he got up slowly and dragged himself out of bed. He rubbed his face once then slowly half walked and half stumbled over to his dresser where he searched for something to wear. He ran a hand through his blond hair, sighing softly as he pulled out the first outfit he found, though, minus the glasses of course just because he doesn't really like sunglasses. Honestly he could care less how he looked today because all he really wanted was for today to be over so he could just go back to sleep. After putting a small amount of cologne on, he grabbed his bag, looked at himself in the mirror then left his room so that he could just start the day in hopes that the day would be over quickly.

Attempting to avoid the snowy outside world -with little success- he made his way to the Dining room where he went into and got some milk before he went to an empty table and sat down. He messed with the carton of milk then took a book from his bag and he began to read it. His eyes scanned over the words as he preoccupied himself with just reading because there was really nothing else he thought that he could do at the moment. This was all because he didn't want to go outside and play in the snow because he isn't too much of a fan of snow.

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Harmony had been up since about 7:25 a.m. which was a little more than an hour before most people went down to the Dining Room. Upon waking up at the time she had already seen how snowy it was and it made her have the urge to go outside and play in it for a little while before making her way to the dining room so at 7:30 she made her way out of her room and outside in her PJ's to go mess around in the snow a little until it turned 8:00 and that was when she came back into her room, took a quick shower then slipped on her outfit for the day. After getting her clothes on she dried her hair, fluffing it a bit then throwing it into a very neat braid. She applied her makeup then double checked to make sure everything was in order then she slid her messenger bag onto her shoulders. All of this took at least a half hour by this time it was 8:30 and she was now heading down to the Dining room where she could finally get something to eat.

On her way down to the Dining room she did her best not to avoid going outside. As she walked outside- without a jacket- she held her hands out and listened to the snow crunch beneath her feet. Smiling gentle she sighed and shivered a little when she began to feel a little cold because of all this snow. Sighing softly she walked the rest of the way to the Dining room, putting her hands by her side. Upon entering the Dining Room she got a plate of food then scanned the room for a friend she could be around. When she saw Mark the smile on her face grew slightly as she walked over and sat next to him. "Hey Mark," She said kindly. She crossed her legs then took a bite of her food when she looked away from him and down at the table.

When Rachel's name was said by the girl of water she didn't want of reply, and if this had been any other season she would have. "Hi." Her reply was monotone as she kept from trying to sound to harsh. Rachel hasn't known Kara to much, but she was prejudice again certain powers for her own special reasons. If this wasn't winter she most likely wouldn't have replied, maybe causing a bicker or a fight, something she could easily handle then, but with if being winter and her still cold from the unintended snow fall touching her she felt washed up. The only times when she could stand water was when if was being eaten or bathed in. Rachel could feel cold chills going throughout her body of anger, not at Kara exactly, but at herself for not moving. Rachel was cold, but not really rude and she knew that Alanna had more friends besides just her and if she wanted to talk to her she had to get use to her friends.

Sitting up start she had finished her plate of food, quickly but in a mannerly way. She was a small girl, but eating was something she was good at and the food was always so yummy. "How you two enjoying the snow day?" She questioned them trying to give off her best fake smile. She didn't want to seem mean, but this was uncomfortable for her and talking wasn't her strongest point about her. She was use to being seen and not heard, but sometimes she made exceptions to be more social if she felt needed be.

Pulling her hand up to her mouth she released a small yawn, "Excuse me." She said to be polite. Slightly looking around the room the dining hall was slowly filling of people, but not to much. Mr. Janvier. "I'll be right back." Her voice was dry as she picked up her tray and threw it away to the trash can closet to the Professors seats and then walked over to them. "Morning." Rachel wasn't to friendly, but this teacher she did have a soft spot for. "How are you enjoying the snow?" When questioning him she let her voice light up a tad then she had when she was speaking to others. "I honestly find it dreadful. like I tell you every year." Giving him an actually smile she let out a small laugh, something she only did around people she felt really comfortable around. The laugh had come from the fact he was ice, meaning he might have a strong liking for snow, then again maybe not. "Well, see you in class later." With that she gave a small wave of bye and returned to her seat in front of Alanna without saying a word and returning back to her unfriendly mood.

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Hearing Harmony's voice made him feel a warmth of happiness burn inside of him. "Good morning!" He respond to her as he whipped dripping water from his eyes. Being around her always put him into a better mood, maybe because she was heart. "You look beautiful this lovely morning." He told her sweetly then took a bite from some oat meal. "Actually," he said once all the food was clear from his mouth, "you look more beautiful every time I see you." Moving a little in his seat he could hear small squish sounds from the water in the seat. "Sorry for the mess, I was playing in the snow." Chuckling he continuing eating.

Every morning it felt like he talked to her, something he loved to door. Mark had lots if friends at school, but some he felt closer to than others, she was one of them. There was something about Harmony that was different then most girls at school, making him kind of fall for her. Her just sitting around him made him feel strange with joy. "Maybe you and I could have a snow ball fight later." He teased with her.

Looking down at his plate he realized he had eaten all his food, but he didn't care because he wasn't all the hungry. Pushing his plate aside he rested his arms on the table. Looking into Harmony's eyes he smiled, but soon lost attention in her when he noticed a snow little stream flowing from his shirt. "Wow." He said looking at it in a little amazement, he was really wet. Taking off his shirt he began wringing it out in the floor. "Sorry," he told Harmony as he tightened his gripping on the shirt as water flowed to the floor, "I hope you don't mind." When he had squeezed all the water out if it the he could he had placed it in a empty chair next to him to allow it to dry more quickly.

It wasn't long before Alanna was joined at her warm table. The first to sit with her was Rachel who slid silently into the seat opposite Alanna. Alanna, her mouth full of jam toast, gave her a smile and a nod. Next to join them a moment later was Kara.
"Hey Alanna, Rachel." Kara greeted both girls, although Alanna could easily detect the tension that seemed to run between the two. Rachel was a fire elemental while Kara was water. Like lightning and ice the two didn't mix and Alanna could understand their hesitation around each other. Her mouth now empty of food, Alanna gave Kara a wide smile,
"Morning Kara."

"How you two enjoying the snow day?" Rachel's question seemed strained. Alanna gave a grimace, thinking of her toes that were slowly thawing.
"It's way too cold to be outside.' Came Alanna's quiet reply, "I almost froze my toes off coming across the courtyard."
A moment later Rachel excused herself from the table and Alanna was left with Kara. With Rachel's absence Alanna had a perfect view of the whole dining room. Her eyes followed Marion March as she entered, a large snowball in her hand. As Alanna watched Marion sneaked behind Mark and let the cold snowball fall down his bare back. A small smirk formed on Alanna's face as Mark jumped up with a yelp. Alanna was not a fan of the ice boy and it amused her to see him pranked, even if by a friend. Her smirk stretched further across her face when Professor Javier told Mark off. Of course the room did take on a much cooler temperature as the teacher stood, but soon enough the fire was flickering back into full life.

"You looking forward to the feast tonight?" Alanna asked Kara, turning her attention back to her friend. Alanna gave her a smile, "And the after party?"
Alanna wasn't one of those people that was always the centre of attention but she liked a good party as much as the next person.

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Being hit by a snowball wasn't usually so shocking. But when the snowball in question seemed to come out of nowhere the shock was laced with confusion too. Lockie, his mind completely occupied by his branch of snow, gave a yelp of surprise as the snowball hit him. He turned towards the direction it had (apparently) been thrown from, only to find nobody near.

Puzzled Lockie spun further around and found Alex standing a few short paces away from him. Lockie opened his mouth, about to ask if Alex had seen the culprit when suddenly the dots connected. A playful smile appeared on Lockie's face and he was just about to retaliate when a stream of snowballs hit Alex from another direction. Lockie could help the laughter that burst from his mouth. Alex's initial confusion disappeared as the other boy spotted Theia. Theia was another air elementalist and another good friend of Lockie's.

Lockie's laughter was cut short as another snowball hit his face, a mouthful cutting off his laughing. This time it took Lockie little time to find the culprit, Niall.

"This means WAR!" Lockie could only grin at Alex's words, they were an echo of Lockie's own thoughts.
"Bring it on!" Lockie shouted, scooping up a handful of snow as he spoke with his left hand. His right hand gave a quick twirl, calling any stray wind nearby to him and into a miniature tornado. The snowball went in and then shot out. Multiple snowballs followed, each aimed for either Niall, Alex or Theia. He received his fair share of snowball hits, but managed to dodge anymore of the face shots.

Halfway through the fight, with all sides more or less soaked and covered in snow (apart from Niall who seemed immune to it), Alex ran into the middle of the action.
"Hold it! Time out! Hang on a second!" His call to stop got to Lockie a second too late and before Lockie could hold it back a lone snowball shot out at the boy. Lockie couldn't help but shrug, not too concerned about it. Or rather considering it fair payback for Alex's first shot at the unsuspecting Lockie.

Lockie listened as Alex suggested an air elemental, with Niall, snow fight. The idea definitely had a certain appeal to it.
"We should invite the other elements too, we could have an elemental snowball fight." Lockie suggested, already picturing a school wide snowball fight. His eyes flicked to Catarina's freshly formed snowball in her hand, he hadn't even noticed the girl appearing. Of course the ice students would have a major advantage but that would just make it more of a challenge. Also Lockie had to agree with Niall's statement that he was the only dry one. Being able to absorb water was also a definite advantage.

"Anyway, I'm going to the dining hall before someone takes all of the bacon. Anyone want to come?"
At the mention of breakfast Lockie's stomach gave a grumble, agreeing with Alex.
"Breakfast sounds like a fantastic idea" Lockie said. He also wouldn't mind drying off a bit. He could see the smoke from the dining room chimney and was already thinking longingly of the warm fire.

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Brent Tanner

Brent's head was pounding, the rhythmic thumping in his skull no doubt punishment for his night of excess. While students may not be allowed out of the Academy grounds during term time the teachers had no such restrictions. Brent's trip into the nearest town and pub had seen him returning in the early morning hours of the day.

"I'm never drinking again." The man grumbled to himself, rolling out of bed and hitting the ground with a thud. He pushed himself to his feet and took a look around the room, his eyes squinting at the light streaming through his open window. He stumbled over to the window and swore quietly under his breath, snow. It wasn't that Brent disliked snow. Actually, he quite liked it. But today he really couldn't be bothered dealing with the problems that snow brought. Cold hands, slippery walkways and a limited access to the outdoors for class experiments. Added to that was the fact that the light glaring off the white snow was doing Brent's head no favours.

Closing the window shut and pulling the curtain Brent slumped back into his bed, only to be shocked a moment later by the blaring of his alarm. He swore and threw his hand out. The little metal alarm clock went flying through the air, breaking into pieces as it hit the wall. However, much to Brent's immense irritation, the buzzing continued.
"Enough already! I'm up!" He said to himself, pushing himself off the bed. He gave a quick wave of his hand and the metal pieces of the alarm clock reformed. He quickly turned it off and made his way to his bathroom.

Showering helped to wake him up some as did brushing his teeth. He dressed in his usual casual jeans and shirt. He slung on a jacket, grabbed a pair of sunglasses to protect his fragile head from the bright outdoors and then headed out the door. He entered the dining hall from the kitchens, waving to the cooks as he passed the hot elements. A moment later he was out amongst the tables, passing the few seated students as they ate their breakfast. Quickly he chose his meal, bacon and toast, and made his way to the teachers table. He nodded a greeting to Jaydon and Michael before digging into his meal.

When the ice boy had gotten in trouble Rachel had put her hand to her mouth the hide her laugh. She couldn't stand the cold, or the ice students, especially someone as naive as him. She found Mark quite annoying how he was always laughing and flirting with different girls all the time, plan stupid. It was nice to hear the Mr. Janvier was the one getting on to him, because of course the one standing right next to him said nothing. She felt a cold chill rush throw the room when he had gotten on to Mark. Sometimes she couldn't believe he was ice, but other times it was obvious. He was irritating like the other ice students, he was fun to talk to, but that was bedside the point.

Turning her body back around to face Alanna and Kara she had a blank expression on her face and listened to the two chatter about the Winter Feast and after party taking place after school. So that's what the announcement said on the door. Rachel was pleasured she heard what the announcement probably said before later on in the day. Rachel had been going to the feast for two years and even the after parties, but she never really enjoyed them, she'd sit with people she kind of liked, but it was better then doing nothing. This year she didn't know who'd she sit with, it was always strange for her to ask, so she never did. She didn't like asking because they could say no to her, which would be a waste of her time. Rachel could remember her first feast at the school, of course it was a winter one as well, and with her being so antisocial she had no one to go with, so she was going to sit in her room alone, but a few teachers had invited her to sit with them because of her situation, so she went. After that feast she had a friend or two so she sat with then, but she had enjoy herself more with the teachers.

Rachel didn't know what the dress wear would be, but she assumed formal like the years before. Every year of course she'd wear a red dress, but this year she found that red was to redundant, she was even wearing it right now. She really loved the color and it suited her, but she was beginning to feel like a Power Ranger who always wore their color every single day. Maybe this year black or teal, maybe sapphire. Her mind raced with colors and dresses types that she could imagine perfectly in her closet, all color coded and then arranged by designer within the three walls and glass door. "What are you going to wear?" She asked both girls with a hint of actually caring, for she did like clothing.

Kara took a bite of food, hearing Alanna respond with a morning back to her was nice. Sighing softly she heard the girl, Rachel, whom she didn't like too much start to talk. "How you two enjoying the snow day?" She had asked and Kara shrugged. "I mean I'm not too much of a fan of the cold, but I don't mind it too much." She answered once all the food in her mouth was gone. It was also then that Rachel had gotten up and walked off after excusing herself. There was a small roll of Kara's eyes as she quickly turned her attention from Rachel walking away to Alanna who was sitting next to her. Right when Rachel start to talk to Professor Janiver a girl, Marion, hit Mark who for some reason had absolutely no shirt on. He jumped then once Rachel was a distance away from Mr. Janiver Kara shivered when feeling him drop the temputure. She flinched hearing that booming voice of his as he told Mark and Marion off. Sure maybe Mark had deserved it since he was crawling around on the ground, but they were just messing around. Rolling her eyes at the teacher she looked at Alanna as soon as the tempeture rose again.

Sighing softly she shook her head. She just decided not to say anything that she was thinking right about now about the teacher who told poor Mark off. It was quite rude, but she knew she should probably just keep her thoughts to herself. "You looking forward to the feast tonight?" Alanna had finally said which broke Kara from her daze. "Oh yeah, are you?" She questioned with a smile. "And the after party?" Alanna had added afterwards. "The after party is probably going to be the best part." She commented as she messed with her outfit a little. She had always been a fan of the after party just because she was finally able to drink and because she was always a fan of parties. By this time while Kara and Alanna were talking Rachel had reached the table and wa sonce again sitting across from Alanna. "What are you going to wear?" Rachel asked both of the girls which made Kara think about it for a few moments. "Honestly? I have no idea. I was thinking like a dress that was pink or blue, but I'm not really sure." She answered Rachel's question. "What do you think your going to wear?" She asked the girl, trying to be as kind as she possibly could.

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Harmony was in her own world when a teacher had suddenly snapped at Marion and Mark for messing around in the Dining Room. She lifted her head to see Mark coming towards her and it made her smile a little. He still had his shirt off! She bit her lip gently as he sat next to her and put his shirt back on. "Do you think I'd make a good stripper?" He had asked and she laughed softly. "Oh yeah. Definitely," She was half joking, half telling the truth to him. He then just kept talking, and agreed with himself. Man could this kid talk. "She doesn't know this, but later I'm going to kill her in a snow ball fight," he told Harmony with a wink, "and you're going to help me." A small blush made its way onto her face after seeing him wink at her. "Oh is that so? Maybe I'll go against you because you know some times I'm not really a team player." She told him with a small grin on her face.

She had just started to mess with her hair when suddenly Mark had exclaimed, "Oh!" which just out right startled her. "You're sitting with me at the feast, aren't you?" Harmony put a finger on her lips, tapping it lightly as she thought about it for a few moments. Who else was she planning on going with? She had never really thought about going until he mentioned it. "Sure I'll sit by you Mark," She told him gently. It was then when her eyes caught on a certain teacher just now walking in... Mr. Tanner. Rolling her eyes at the teacher she returned her attention to the boy who was now known in her book as a talker. Which she didn't mind because honestly she was used to him talking a lot, she was more of the person who liked to listen and answer him when he wanted her too.

It was also then when he had noticed her empty plate, and took it for her. She would have taken it, but she had been busy trying to communicate with Mark. "Gosh," he had said when sitting back down, "you get more beautiful every time I see you, I swear." She rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Every time?" She asked then smiled brightly. "Thanks Mark, you freaking flirt." She joked, gently nudging him with her hand. "You want to go running with me tomorrow morning?" He asked and she nodded. "Yeah of course! I love running in the morning when I can. What time are you going to go running?" She questioned him, resting her elbow on the table then resting her head on her open palm. Her open hand that wasn't supporting her head went to her back pocket where her phone was slowly slipping out after pushing it back into the pocket she sat up straight, giving Mark a bright smile.

What do you think you're going to wear? Kara had asked. At least she's attempting to be nice like I am. Rachel's thought went deep into the closet in her room. She had done some shopping over the summer, she had gotten clothes galore. With images of clothes floating in her mind she saw three different dress: a pink dress with a gold belt from American Eagle, a dark navy blue cocktail dress with a tutu like materiel constructing the dress, and a Black Bandeau. Thinking about all of them she then pictured herself in them, and of course she looked good in all three. For her the choice wasn't simple, because like always she wore red. "The past few years I've wore red, so I know not a red dress for sure." Commenting with a small smirk she started twirling her soft locks of hair around her fingers. "I'm really found of the color red," she continued, "but after awhile it becomes boring and expected." Giving a glance down at her own shirt then back up to Kara. "See? Boring."

Rachel tapped her finger on the table while she thought about what she would wear. "I'm probably going to where a black dress with golden heels I'd gotten over the summer." She told Kara as she finally came to a conclusion. "It's a Black Bandeau I'm pretty sure and it shows my figure off the best." Rachel figured Kara didn't care, but at least she was playing nice, because Rachel really didn't care either. Rachel saw moments like this when she proved to herself she could accomplish anything. To her she struggled talking to water, ice, it heart people, but when she did it without being rude she was proud of herself. Even though this conversation was unintended she was becoming more comfortable in it with her and Kara's effects of being civil. "Now the party this year I think will be my favorite part, because honestly I've never attended the parties that were thrown. To that I'll wear a crop top and shorts." Rachel really was excited about the party this year, even though she knew she wouldn't have fun she was going to try to enjoy herself and hit in with the other students. "What will you two being wearing to that?"

---

"Thanks Mark, you freaking flirt." Harmony had said then nudged him. With a shocked look on his face it made him myself look surprised, "Me a flirt? I would never!" And of course this wasn't true because he did flirt with Harmony, she was beautiful, funny, and kind, that's all he could want in a girl. "All I said was you were beautiful, Harmony, that's not flirting. It's stating a fact. Since we are now going to being together though," Mark continued talking, "what color is your dress going to be so my tie can match?" Why did he want to match her? Well, Mark didn't know, maybe because if it matched it would give off to people they were there together, or no one would notice at all. "Yeah of course! I love running in the morning when I can. What time are you going to go running?" Sweet! Silently in his own mind he did his fist pump. "Around seven, if that's fine by you." He smiled, happy she was going to come with him. He enjoyed running and he enjoyed her, two things he liked at the same time. The mornings were always his favorite time to run because he was cool and before the bugs had woken up, also it was when the sun was rising making it so beautiful and peaceful. "So, it's a date," yelling her this he pushed her playfully with his hand, "and that's for nudging me." He chuckled some then returned his hand to the table.

"And let's not forget the after party the ice students throw, it's going to be amazing, especially because you're going to be my date." Giving her a flirtatious smirk. "I can't wait to dance with you, and drink some." He added on with laughter. "I'm not sure what I'm going to wear to that, but it's defiantly not going to be my tux, probably blue jeans and a t-shirt or something. All I know for a fact is no one will look as good as you." Ok, he was a flirt when it came to her, he couldn't help himself, well it's not like he tried to. Maybe it was that she made him feel so comfortable and warm inside, yeah, that had to be it. Harmony was just a extremely perfect person to him, and she deserved all the compliments he could give out.

Rachel continued to sit in the silence of the breakfast table. Looking around it still wasn't as booming as she imagined it would be. With a sigh she picked her purple bag from the ground and placed it on the table shifting through it until she found a green binder marked History. Opening up she flipped through clear plastic slips containing work revolving around different topics from war to different failed Utopias. Her binder was full of a total of seven hundred different slips of plastic sheet holding up to six pieces of paper sometimes. As she flipped she got to the subsection marked Research Requirement. She had to write a substantial amount of primary resources about a topic of choice, hers was the An Lushan Rebellion known to be the second bloodiest war in history. The bloodiest was World War II, but with it being so common it was just a major repeat of things she already knew, and she wanted to challenge herself. For the report she had to write about fifteen-twenty pages of information, but she had written twenty-seven to her dismay. With her having OCD she had to do things in even numbers, meaning she couldn't turn in twenty-seven for her rough draft tomorrow and it'd be cheating herself if she took one page away to make it even. The An Lushan Rebellion was a devastating rebellion against the Tang Dynasty of China. The rebellion openly began on December 16, 755, when general An Lushan declared himself emperor in Northern China, thus establishing a rival Yan Dynasty, and ended when Yan fell on February 17, 763. This event is also known as the An–Shi Rebellion or An–Shi Disturbances.... She quickly read the introduction to her report then fiercely flipped to the last page staring at if blankly. Rachel had spent about two weeks getting all the information for this report and with it all being primary made it harder on her, which she didn't mind. She had contacted family members who's ancestors had fought the the battle and had passed down documents through the generations. Locating the people was the tricky part, but all the had to do was fax her over a copy of the documents and she added the data in.

Now the problem was everything she knew about the war couldn't get her a page worth of information, which did upset her. With a huff she ran her fingers through her hair. Who knows more about history than I do? Searching through her brain she came up with nothing, of course her History Teacher would know, but they weren't helping the students out. Who knows about war? Closing her eyes she thought softly to herself, Why didn't I think of him sooner? Shutting her binder she slid it back into it's place and rose to her feet. "Please excuse me once more." She told Alanna and Kara while slinging her bag around her arm.

Walking towards the front of the dining hall she was once again at the Professors table. Pulling out a chair next to Mr. Janvier she began talking as she set her purse to the ground and pulled her history binder back out. "I was wondering if you could help me." She told him as she flipped through the plastic pages until arriving at the end of her An Lushan Rebellion report. "In History we have to write about some historical event at least fifteen pages long and I choose the An Lushan Rebellion." Taking in a longer breath then needed when she continued talking her mouth and tongue moved faster than before. "I've typed up twenty-seven pages, and as I've told you before I have OCD so I can't turn it in this way and then again I can't just take one page away." Flipping through the pages she showed him main points in the battle and facts she had already collected for the report and explained them to him. "I need one more page for an evenness, but I have no more knowledge to make another page." When finishing she took in a deep breath, for she had talked so fast that she had barely had time to breath throughout her explanation. "Oh," she added, "all the information is primary, that's why I need help and with you being a genius in Battle I was hoping you'd know something about this war. I really need the help and you're the only person I could think of." She finished with a meek smile unsure if he had information to help her.

Rachel didn't take much pleasure in asking for help, but when she needed it she normal did come to this teacher for it, meaning her asking for the information wasn't to odd for him she hoped. She didn't ask to often, but when she did it was when she really needed it and she felt comfortable asking him for it, knowing someone for two years and being as smart as he was had that affect on her. Honestly, she felt like he was really the only person at the school smart than her. Rachel studied hard about everything, causing her to believe her knowledge out did most teachers and students besides this one. "You know I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't really need the help," she continued hoping it would persuade him to help her even more, "so if you know any first hand documents or diaries or pictures taken or something along those lines from this battle it would totally help. The draft is due tomorrow meaning if you don't know anything now maybe you could take some time and help me before then." Darting her eyes from him she looked back at her binder and flipped back to the last page of her report then pointed to the empty sheet cover to the right of it. "Honestly I feel like you're my best friend, and friends are suppose to be there for each other, so please help, friend." And to seal her beg she gave him a huge smile that'd she'd only every give to a friend.

Kara responded to Alanna's questions with a smile, "The after party is probably going to be the best part." Kara said, to which Alanna nodded her agreement. While Alanna enjoyed the feast it was the after party that most of the students loved. Although Alanna was a quiet girl, she wasn't shy. She liked a decent party as much as the next person. She might not be the centre of attention at parties but she was usually there, talking with friends and having a good time.

"What are you going to wear?" Rachel asked Alanna and Kara. Alanna hadn't thought yet about what she might wear. The feast was formal, so she guessed that she would end up wearing one of her longer, classier dresses. As for the after-party whatever she decided to wear she was going to make sure that it kept her warm.

"I'm not certain yet." Alanna admitted with a shrug, "I guess I'll have to search through my wardrobe after classes."

Kara didn't yet seem sure of what she was going to wear either, although Alanna had no doubt that whatever she decided on it would be good. A moment later Rachel excused herself, her history books cradled in her arms.
Alanna cast a curious glance after the girl before turning a questioning gaze to Kara,
"Was it something we said?" She asked the other girl, a small smile on her face indicating she wasn't all that fussed either way.

It was then that Alanna noticed the entrance of the air elemental students. While she didn't know Alex well and actively avoided Theia, Lockie was one of her good friends. They all looked like they had been having a snow fight. Alanna couldn't help but shiver at the very thought of it. Lockie glanced over to Alanna's table and she sent him a smile in greeting. A grin appeared over his face and as she watched he quickly changed his route from following Alex to approaching Alanna and Kara.



Lockie happily followed Alex into the warmth of the dining hall. He let out an excited laugh as Alex mentioned that the winter feast would be tonight. Lockie always loved the feast. Last year he had had a race to the bottom of his glass of wine with Mr Tanner, a contest that Lockie had lost. Still, it had left him with an incredibly warm stomach and he had been laughing the rest of the night. The food at the dinner was also something to look forward to.

In fact most of the Academy food was of an excellent standard. The food spread out for breakfast smelled delicious, Lockie could see an array of every breakfast food imaginable. Alex headed straight for the breakfast bar, but Lockie hesitated and let his gaze wonder around the room. His eyes fell on Alanna and Kara, seated beside the fire. Alanna smiled at him in greeting and Lockie couldn't help the grin that flashed across his face as an idea struck him. He changed direction and made his way towards the two girls.

"Good morning Al. Morning Kara." He greeted the two, tipping an imaginary hat at the both of them. He stepped behind them and held his hands out as if he were warming them on the fire. He was still soaked and covered in half melted snow from his snow fight.

However his hands, instead of staying still, quickly gave a twirl as he called the room's air currents to him. He acted quickly, not wanting either Alanna or Kara to realise what he was doing before he had done it. Using his hands and his mind to control the currents he sent them spiraling around his body. Melted snow was flung off as the winds spun around him and where did they land? With another movement of his hand Lockie managed to manipulate his winds so that the majority of his half-melted snow hit Alanna. Of course he made sure that Kara received a light sprinkling too, it never paid to ignore a pretty lady.

Alanna, about to turn to speak to Lockie gave a yelp as she the cold water hit her.
"What the hell Lockie!?" She yelled, jumping up from her seat. Angry amusement was the best way to describe Alanna's feelings at being sprayed with half-melted snow. If it had been anyone else she would already have lost her temper, but it was hard to be outright angry with Lockie. "You are such a brat." She said, giving him a moderate push. Lockie had one of his stupid, lopsided grins on, making it all even harder to be very angry with him.

"Did I hit you? So sorry, I was only trying to dry off." Lockie replied, obviously a lie. Prank over he quickly made his escape before Alanna, or Kara, could take revenge. He grabbed a plate, loaded up some food and made his way happily to sit with Alex just as Marion joined them.
"The snow fight was sort of impromptu, but Alex had an idea to have one later." Lockie told her before digging into his breakfast.

Alanna, still standing, glanced at Kara as Lockie left.
"He knows I hate being cold." She muttered to her friend, moving closer to the fire to help dry herself off, "Which is exactly why he did that. You wouldn't think that he's one of the oldest students here by the way he acts."

Kara smiled a little, thinking about what she would wear until she had heard Alanna. "I'm not certain yet." Alanna had admitted with a shrug, "I guess I'll have to search through my wardrobe after classes." Kara nodded, smiling at her friend. "Oh! You better tell me what you are wearing! I so want to know before almost anyone else." She told her before scooping the last bit of food that was on her plate into her mouth.

Suddenly Rachel had gotten up, excusing herself with a social studies book in her hand. She rose an eyebrow, not to upset that she was leaving, but wondering why on earth she had suddenly decided to go. "Was it something we said?" Her gaze turned from Rachel's back to Alanna who had just spoken. She shrugged, knowing as much as she did. "I have no idea. She just randomly gets up and walks off a lot." She said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Can you tell she doesn't like me? I don't know why though I haven't really done anything to her. Do you think it might have been me who made her leave, even though I didn't do anything?" She asked, looking at her best friend for a few moments.

Seeing Alanna glance over in the direction of a few kids walking in, one of which she noticed as Lockie she smiled a little, shaking her head once. She glanced away only for a few moments to mess with her make-up a bit. Upon putting away her make-up she suddenly felt Lockie greet them. Keep her back to him she bit her lip, holding back a grin that was trying to break it way onto her face. "Morning Lockie," She greeted him kindly. She flinched, surprised by the sensation of cold water hitting her. She smirked a little, glancing her shoulder at Lockie who got a bad reaction from Alanna. "Gosh Alanna chill out a bit, it's just water you know." She said with a grin then she gently nudged her with her hand. She stood up as Lockie fled, "I'm not too fond of cold water Lockie!" She exclaimed to him before waving to him. Slowly she returned back to the seat position in her seat. "He knows I hate being cold." Alanna muttered to her Kara, then moving closer to the fire to help dry herself off, "Which is exactly why he did that. You wouldn't think that he's one of the oldest students here by the way he acts." Kara nodded in agreement. "Understandable that you hate being cold, even though he hit us with cold water I don't like getting cold either." She told her then nodded once again in agreement. "True that, though, some people are just immature like that."

When she saw Lowell approach the table before sitting down she offered him a small smile. "Looks like it was a good thing I was late for breakfast." He said as a greeting. "Hey Lowell," She greeted him with a small wave after he had sat down at their table. After he had found a spot her start to eat and that was when she looked away then stretched her arms over her head for a few seconds. "Lockie and I are the same age and you don't see me going around pelting people with lightning. Though think of the possibilities." He remarked and Kara nodded. "Well possibly because you act more mature than Lockie does some times." She pointed out. His smile made her smile a little until he pulled out a notebook she tilted her head to the side slightly. Seeing him scribble in his notebook made her slightly curious what was in it. "Whatcha scribbling?" She asked curiously. "I mean you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm just curious." She added afterwards.

---

Harmony sighed softly, feeling terrible that she kept dazing off often it was just that lately she hasn't been able to get much sleep so lately she hasn't been able to pay attention as much as she usually does. Now she felt bad for Mark because of her constant dazing, and day dreaming. She blinked a few times then looked at him in time to hear him say, "The early bird catches the worm," He told her, "so what worms are you catching?" Mark had questioned her rising so early, not from suspension, but from curiosity. "I mean I'm up that early, but I never see you," he squinted his eyes at her, "I guess I'll just have to come by your room every morning and see if you're awake!" She smiled, shaking her head at him a little. It wasn't that she woke up early in the morning just so she could go out for exercise or something because that wasn't the case. Silently debating whether or not it would be a good idea to tell him why she was up so early. It was also then that she realized what he had just last said about coming to her room every morning to see if she was awake. Okay so the last few discussions they had were a little weird and a bit creepy, but this was actually really creepy to her. She ran a hand through her hair, unsure of how to respond. "I, uh, I have trouble sleeping sometimes." She finally admitted with a shrug. "Also you don't have to come by my room every morning. Most likely I will be up, so don't worry about it." She told him in an attempt to be nice and show that he was kind of being creepy without her saying it and sounding rude.

She really hoped that just then didn't sound rude because she was trying her hardest not to at all rude. She didn't want to make him feel bad or anything like that so she just tried to keep it light. "And due to it being winter it will be cold tomorrow," Oh wow he had really just stated the obvious right there. "So don't forget the wear something warm and cozy. It'll probably be snowing like it is today, which I have no problem with." He had added and she nodded. Obviously because why would it just snow day and not snow another? She shrugged, "No worries there. I'm not too worried about how cold it is, but sometimes if I am outside for a long period of time I would wear a jacket or something like that." She told him simply. "We could even build a snow man or woman." He had said to her at one point an time. A small grin came to her face as she remembered the last time she had made a snowman. "I love making snowmen and women. They are hard to make some times, but they are pretty cool if you do them right." She said, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers.

Upon finally getting on the topic about the feast again she sighed softly. She had thought about it and suddenly part of her didn't want to be there while the other part of her wanted to dress up and feel like a princess! Of course she had to go and she didn't really want to look virtually flawless. "As long as you don't start swinging from chandeliers and start a fire I think I can handle you." He told her and she rolled her eyes at him playfully. "Who does that anyways? What kind of after parties do you go to?" She asked with a small laugh. She shook her head, smiling lightly as she slowly began to drift off again. Dang it! There she went again, dazing off once again! She snapped herself from her daze and looked at him a little tiredly. After singing about how he was a flirt he had responded simply with, "I am not a flirt! I just state what I think is true!" She wasn't going to say anything about that just because she didn't want to argue with him. She had no reason to argue with him about it even though she knew he was flirting with her even if he was just flirting with her a little. You would have thought she did some kind of crazy dance move right where she sat because after what she had said about him looking better than she did his jaw had dropped. Unsure of what to do she just watched him and listened to what he had to say to that. "You're beautiful and you will be the best looking girl in the room and you will be my date and it will be perfect." She shook her head slightly, sighing softly then rubbing her eyes. "I am?" She asked when he mentioned that she was going to be his date. When did that come up until now? She didn't really mind... well okay maybe she did mind a little, but he had never really said anything about her being his date until now. If he did then she never noticed until now. "I'll just have to start giving you thousands of more compliments until you feel as beautiful as you are." Soon enough he had said that and she shook her head again. She looked at him, having more of a neutral face than any other expression. "You don't have to. I don't mind, I am at least comfortable with myself unlike a few other girls who aren't too comfortable with themselves." She told him with a single shrug. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. She wasn't used to people calling her beautiful or anything like that so she was still just trying to get use to this. She has talked to Mark a lot of times and knows he's a sweet boy, but gosh... he came off a little strong for her at times.