Aeonia

Chapter Seven

Picking through her salad, Aelia slouched forwards, resting her head on the palm of her hand. Jaspa and Leilani had begun grilling her on why she left so suddenly after Core-Gifts. They were upset that she left them, ditching them straight after class, although Aelia believed in no way did they feel as annoyed as her. The stony expression on her usually bright face left the people eating around her with looks of worry on their faces.

"Because it's no fun!" She cried as her tough demeanor cracked, waving her hands in the air and leaning back into her chair. "All I do is sit there and twiddle my thumbs, hoping that the others stop throwing me dirty looks because I don't know my gift!"

Clatters from around the dining hall brought the fact that the volume which she was speaking was loud enough for others to hear. And the fact that she just admitted to almost the entire student body at a school for the gifted, that she had not yet acquired hers.

Perfect, just perfect. She screamed inside her head, the tips of her ears glowing a deep red with embarrassment.

Dropping her utensils on her plate, she shoved her chair backwards and rose, students still immersed in watching how it played out. Ignoring their gazes, Aelia snatched her plate off the plastic table and placed it by the bins at the exit as she left. Opening both the glass doors, she stalked out of the cafeteria, leaving it so silent you could hear a pin drop. The entire student body watched her leave, Aelia's fists clenching and unclenching, students mouths open wide with shocked expressions. Only the sound of the doors slamming with such a force that student's jumped out of their seats removed them from their silence.

Through the crisp night air, Aelia trekked her way towards an unknown destination. With no certain place in mind, she wandered around the campus, winding around trees and buildings, no students in sight. She had hoped that somebody might follow her, to reassure Aelia that she did have a gift. Reassure her that she would find out what it was. Reassure her that Headmaster Solomon was right about her having a gift.

Headmaster Solomon! Redirecting her course, Aelia turned and headed towards the headmaster's tower. Luckily, she didn't have to pass the open dining hall on her way, as students would be finishing their dinner by now and leaving for their dorms. Her stomach grumbled from the memory of her uneaten dinner, and Aelia looked around feverishly, glad nobody was close enough to hear her.

But there had been days at the orphanage where she was left unfed. The grime and crying from the younger girls, and the arguing from the older ones, followed by the repetitive sounds of slaps on the face with harsh words had only made it worse. Never ending. Endless.

Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, breathing rapidly, she fastened her walking pace, reaching the Headmaster's tower as quickly as she possibly could without drawing attention. Wearing only light clothes, she began to shiver, regretting not eating something warm for dinner. Aelia quickly hustled through the door of the Headmaster's tower, smiling in greeting at Mrs Forsythe, receiving a generous slab of cake in return.

Unable to say no to the gracious offer, Aelia accepted as Mrs Forsythe passed them to her, rambling something along the lines of "How sweet you are dear, enjoy the last day of school for the week!" and then returning to her squeaky office chair.

Forcing herself to complete the climb up the many sets of stairs, Aelia groaned as the pounding in her head returned. She had not told Jaspa and Leilani what had happened during training, not wanting to relive the pain and frustration she felt towards her roommate. They were uncalled for, Nerissa's actions. Aelia didn't understand, no. She wasn't able to find a reason for Nerissa's hateful attitude towards her.

Landing on the doorstep of Headmaster Solomon's office, Aelia hesitated. Was this the right thing to do? Was asking him for advice right? Shaking away her doubts, Aelia took a step forward and raised her hand to knock. As her fist neared the door, it swung open, revealing the Headmaster.