Hiraeth: Blackout (I)

Chapter Two

The Sunrise bell woke me up that morning. I got ready quickly so I could make it to breakfast before the lines got long. There seemed to be ten times as many students as there were the Day before. Luckily, I managed to snag the same spot and ate in solitude until the first period bell rang.

Looking at my schedule, I had first period with Professor Indigo. His class, Alternative Abilities, was back in my dorm's building on the third floor along with the other classrooms. After going through the crowded cloud portal, I made my way quickly.

I stepped into a huge room, as big as an auditorium. It was littered with strange contraptions and had tangled tree branches for tables. Instead of chairs, there were bean bags in front of a large whiteboard. Each wall was a different color. Despite how much there was, the room was very spread out, with a balcony just outside two large glass doors.

"Have a seat, have a seat!" a booming Bijouian voice rang from the back.

I, along with the others who had started to form a group in the doorway, sat down. From the other side of the room came a purple and black middle-aged dragon wearing a Sunny polo. He had feathers for scales and glowing yellow eyes. He lacked claws, wings, and sharp teeth; and was fairly small for his species.

The dragon went to the front and stood by the giant board. He smiled and wrote, PROFESSOR INDIGO. "That, students, is my name. You may not call me anything else, nor may you use my initial. Professor Indigo precisely, understand?"

The class muttered in agreement.

"Now, other than that, I do not have many rules, except those which are established by the school."

Professor Indigo nodded to conclude his statements and wrote on the whiteboard again. Soon, he had crudely drawn nine symbols for the main categories of powered beings: the Sun for light, a flame for fire, vertical squiggles for heat, a cloud for air, waves for water, a snowflake for cold, a leaf for vegetation, a gem for turf, and a paw for creature.

"You see these? These are the categories that none of you fit into. Now, while the wonderful staff back in the main building rarely make schedule mistakes, it isn't completely improbable that someone in this room does not belong here. If that happens to be you, please speak up now," the professor said, receiving silence.

"And, of course..." Professor Indigo sighed as he wrote "human" inside its own separate circle, "If any of you do not possess an ability," I smiled sadly, thinking of my mom and dad, "I am required to request your leave."

A minute passed. No one got up.

Just as the professor was about to speak again, a plain, yet steely-eyed, being raised their hand. They were petite and hourglass-shaped, with a muscle tank top that displayed toned arms. They had brown and black hair cut short, hazel green eyes, Sun-tanned skin, and a scar on their lower left lip. I got the feeling that I shouldn't get on this student's bad side. Ever.

"Yes..." the dragon asked, looking over his attendance paper, "... Miss Jones?"

The being gave a frustrated sigh before she folded her arms and said, "I told the office a million times that I don't need an abilities class again, but I'm still here."

She's Bijouian, too, by the non-rhotic sound of her voice.

"Are you a human?"

She rolled her eyes, obviously fed up with whatever was going on. "Well... Not exactly..."

Professor Indigo gasped as he seemed to remember something. "Oh, Karter! I already know your situation. You're the one with a dysfunctional ability, correct?"