The academy was big and grand and it stood on the top of a hill. The gates marked the start of your journey up towards the grand house. It was a large stately home, built for royals. Many rooms and hallways, a giant plot of land, and the best bit is that it was always stayed the same, due to it being a loop. A fixed routine was set in place that everyone happily followed. You got up at 6:30am every morning, got ready for the day and ate breakfast which lasted from 7:30am-8:30am, then you would go about your chores or go to the library or maybe just relax until 9:00am when lessons would begin. Miss Esmerelda Avocet and Miss Diana Bunting ran a tight ship. Their academy for ymbrynes was prestigious and relatively calm. They didn't just have ymbrynes though, they had an array of peculiars, but this was the only place an ymbryne could learn to be and ymbryne, hence the name. By 4:30pm all lessons would have ended and you either spent your time in the garden, the library, your room, doing chores or, if you were the golden star protégé, doing extra lessons and work for fun. However, there was one more way that a specific peculiar would spend her time. Reading? Of course she read but you will never catch her admitting to it. Taking a walk? In a sense, yes, but more because it was her only means of transport around the building. No, her favourite pass time was annoying the previously mentioned "golden star protégé"
Alma LeFay Peregrine was an ymbryne, and proud to be one. She was the youngest ymbryne to date, as well as being Miss Avocet's youngest student. She would spend her free time reading all about the history of peculiars and ymbrynes, you would never catch her without her trusty pocket watch and she always scored 100% on every single test, quiz or exam that took place. She was Miss Avocet's protégé, an ymbryne to be reckoned with and most probably her favourite student.
You however were not that good. You were a trickster a prankster some might say. You loved to cause a little chaos here and there and revelled in the fact that people fell so easily into your traps. They were never harmful though, your tricks were all good fun. Miss Avocet usually scolded you for your "immature way to pass the time when you could use your brains and peculiarity for much more practical uses" as she would say. You never listened though, you would nod and always come back with a witty remark like "Oh I'm sorry Ezza I couldn't resist." Or "What? I was just having a little bit of fun Esme, gods knows you need it." You would always say with a smirk or a laugh. You also decided that you would never call her "Miss" or "Miss Avocet" to her face simply because you wanted to annoy her. So, whilst Alma Peregrine was Miss Avocet's favourite, you were Miss Bunting's. She was like your mentor, your rock, the one stable thing in your life. You counted on her.
It was like any other day, lessons were over, children were reading or playing or doing whatever they saw fit to do. Alma was currently sat under a large oak tree in the large garden, reading a book. She was sitting in the peaceful quiet. Many people would take one look at her now and assume she was doing extra-curricular work for her classes, but they would be mistaken. She had actually been staring at the same page for about 15 minutes daydreaming about a certain prankster who had a room next to hers. Alma had been at the academy for a while and you arrived a little bit after she had. You threw her off balance, she was used to the routine, she liked it even. But then you came along and started changing that routine. You used your peculiarity to make a giant foghorn that you made wake everyone up at 3:00am, you ate all the food late at night so there was none left for breakfast, you managed to use your peculiarity to rearrange the building to confuse everyone. All thigs like that. A t first, it infuriated her, but then she found humour in it. And soon, after the many years of sharing a neighbouring room to you, she couldn't help the way her gaze drifted to you in class, or the way she would bargain with Miss Avocet for you to not be given a detention. She thought she was quite secretive about this, she was wrong.
So, being the kind soul you were, you waited patiently sitting on a tree branch above her whilst she was lost in her thoughts. You decided then that the time for action was now. So, you hooked your knees over the branch and lowered your head and torso. Now you were upside down, staring directly at her side profile, how she hadn't noticed you by now bewildered you. "Hey LeFay" You whispered into her ear. She yelped in surprise and nearly threw her book into the air. She turned to look at you, which to her was a mistake, because now your faces were centimetres apart. Alma's face flushed a dark crimson colour, you smirked. "I couldn't help but notice that you are having trouble turning the page of your book. I was wondering if you might need my help, I have a very...skilled hand that I could assist you with." The innuendo was clear as day, this point was further proven by Alma's face turning a shade impossibly darker. You let out a laugh at that and manoeuvred yourself out of the tree so that you were sitting extremely close beside Alma. "Something on your mind birdie? Or is it a special someone?" You teased her further, rather enjoying the way you rendered the ymbryne speechless.
"What? Oh! Oh, heavens no, it's- it's just a very interesting chapter." She tried to defend herself. Key word here being "tried". You could see through that lie as if you were looking through glass.
"You know, I don't quite believe you there, feather. See, I've been watching you carefully for a while now, not in a creepy way. More in the way that I see the looks you give me." You reply smoothly. You also decide that, for some reason, draping yourself over her lap would be a smart move. It was, because she started fumbling over her words and going red in the face, but now you couldn't deny the fact that your cheeks were heating up a little too. "So, do you plead guilty to these accusations?" You ask cheekily, staring up at the woman you lay on top of.
Your demeanour was relatively relaxed, despite your heart hammering in your chest and the butterflies in your stomach due to being so close and openly flirty with the woman you've been admiring for a while now. But you didn't show this, you exuded calm and a sense of confidence.
Alma, however, was the antithesis of this. She was red in the face, she was stuttering and stumbling over her words, her hands were shaking as she tried to come up with the best excuse as to why she was staring at you, other than the fact that she was, undoubtedly and truly, in love with you.
"Awww clam down bluebird. I would have brought the topic up sooner if I didn't like the way you looked at me." You said nonchalantly. That, that made her pause. You liked the way she looked at you. "Besides, it's a good confidence boost for times when I do stuff like this." You continued with an anxious smirk, "this" was leaning up and kissing her on the cheek and then moving to lay back down on her lap, which was extremely soft as well as comfortable.
Alma was buffering it would appear, but the smile on her face and the blush on her cheeks told you all you needed to know. But before either of you could continue this little talk you were having because a scream of your name interrupted the quiet of the estate you were in.
Miss Avocet was screaming your name and telling you to go and see her immediately. This was probably because she figured out you put green hair dye in Lucille's shampoo. The dye you made yourself and it took a very long time, you were quite proud of it. The reason as to why you put it in Lucille's shampoo was because she was always talking bad about Alma. Saying she was "stuck-up" or a "Know it all" you satrted with small pranks like putting salt in her tea instead of sugar or tying her shoe laces together when she wasn't looking, resulting in her falling on her face, the final straw for you, however, was when she stole Alma's pocket watch. So, you decided to take your revenge in a petty manner that you adored.
"Well." You said as you got up out of Alma's lap and stood up. "The Angel's above are singing my name and I feel that I am being called to Avocet's office." You say with a laugh. Alma smiled and let out a laugh to, a laugh that sounded like music to you. Dainty, soft and beautiful, much like her. "Until we meet again birdie." You say and blow a kiss in her direction, before running off to annoy Miss Avocet again.
And so, Alma was left along under her tree once more, but now she was blushing and smiling uncontrollably, counting down the seconds until your next meeting together.
