𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝙵𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚎'𝚜 𝙵𝚊𝚝𝚎

Things Are Never How They Seem|| 1.

Sage Reverie had always hated school trips. They always spiraled into chaos, whether it was because her teacher pulled her aside at the Planetarium to tell her that her mother was dead, a true story. Or, because she was stuck on a bus with the girl she liked, Piper Mclean, and her boyfriend, Jason. Sage wasn't sure why, but his last name wasn't coming to mind at the moment.

She was perched on the window seat near the back, beside Leo Valdez. He was a Latino boy, with a crooked grin and dark curly hair. He was ever-moving. Sage had noticed the first time they met, how he never seemed to sit still. Right now, he thrummed his knees with his fingers and tapped his foot gently. He had ADD as he'd told Sage, she herself had dyslexia. The bane of her existence, by the way.

"Jason, are you okay?" Sage heard Piper's melodic and strong voice say behind her. Her heart stung slightly as Piper spoke to Jason with such care. Sage was happy for them- really, she was! She knew Piper had liked him for months, and that they had chemistry. But it did not change the way Sage's entire soul felt like it had been crushed when Piper excitedly announced she and Jason were together.

Sage ran her nimble and long fingers through her umber hued hair. Light glinted off the window, cascading across her irises prominently. Her gaze was compiled of a rich bronze shade, which appeared almost metallic. If one looked closely, they could observe the almost hairline fracture pattern parading within her eyes. A rich gold was strewn about them, dappling the bronze with the color of ichor.

She'd been told they were hard to look at by Leo once. He hadn't given a reason why though, so Sage assumed it was simply because the color was a bit startling.

"Um, I don't-" Jason started to say groggily, before he was cut off by Coach Hedge. A man with bulging muscles, equipped with a baseball bat and tight shirts. Oh, and he was around five feet tall, certainly no more, maybe a bit less. Sage dropped her hand, and puffed her cheeks out before she exhaled.

"Alright, cupcakes, listen up," Coach Hedge called in his gravely growl, while standing at the front of the bus. Sage traced circles on the back of her pale hand, which had prominent veins running through the top. Her eyes were unfocused as she looked towards Hedge, more interested in the steady hum of the bus than his words.

After he had stood, another student called out, "stand up, Coach Hedge," with a snarky tone. Sage rolled her sharp eyes, which had remnants of smudged mascara beneath them.
Sage didn't bother to look for the person who had said that. It was probably Dylan, but either way it became a lot less funny after the fifth time.

"I heard that!" Coach Hedge barked, just as Sage lifted her head. His beady eyes scanned the bus, flicking over each student until narrowing at someone behind her. She quirked a naturally well sculpted brow at this, and tilted her head to the side slightly. She glanced behind her to try and figure out what he was looking at, but she didn't see anything unusual. Just Jason and Piper.

"We'll arrive in five minutes! Stay with your partner. Don't lose your worksheet. And if any of you precious little cupcakes causes any trouble on this trip, I will personally send you back to campus the hard way," Coach Hedge explained, while picking up his baseball bat and gesturing like he was hitting a homer.

"Charming as always," Sage whispered lowly to Leo, while nudging his side gently. There was a tilted smirk on her pink lips, which seemed to make the boy smile in return.

His tanned features twisted playfully, as he snorted after raising both his eyebrows for a second. "That's Coach Hedge for you," he said, in his slightly nasally and bright tone of his. He had a very distinct voice, in Sage's opinion, one she'd always be able to identify.

"Can he talk to us that way?" Jason asked, causing her to furrow her brows. Coach Hedge had always been gruff like that, it wasn't exactly new for him to yell or threaten them. Which is why the question seemed out of place.