Burn | Xavier Thorpe

So it Begins

I could feel Bianca Barclay glaring daggers into my skull every time I took a seat beside Xavier. Wednesday had been accosted by our roommate before I could even step foot into a classroom, forced to sit beside the talkative werewolf.

This was the pattern of the first day.

Xavier continuously inserting himself into my space as I did nothing to stop him. My brain functions were compromised, though I had yet to find the cause. Enid did much the same to Wednesday, and it showed my sister's restraint that the werewolf had not been turned into a rug. How Enid kept intercepting Wednesday and I was a mystery I could have explained had Xavier not served as a distraction from all appropriate cognitive functions.

Maybe there was something in the water. Surely the atmosphere of Nevermore could not make one this mentally compromised without assistance from a physical source.

It was at the start of the forth class of the day which I was finally able to separate from him.

I was meant to meet with the music teacher tomorrow, so I once again found myself in the Quad. The table I wished to examine sat occupied, so my gaze ventured to the only other interesting thing in the vicinity.

The black paint on Xavier's mural had dried through the night. The first layer was thin enough the blue background peaked through. He hadn't done anything on it today. The outlined bird was still uncolored, it's tailfeathers were shaped differently, longer with a mythical quality to them. Nothing seen on any normal bird, but I couldn't place the sight from the outline. If I was forced to assume I would say it looked to be a phoenix, but Xavier would have no reason to paint such a bird. I left my assumptions with the drying paint and decided to be productive before the odd sensation closed my throat completely. Breathing was an inconvenient necessity to my continued survival.

The walk from the quad to the infirmary was nothing short of dull, though the dreary overcast promised rain. Hopefully it lasted a little while.

The head nurse proved to be competent, a surprise considering my past experiences. There was no pity, no unnecessary sympathy, simply facts and instructions on the rules of the infirmary. She was kind enough to show me where extra salve resided, a warded container that was keyed to specific students so I could access it if needed without being forced to find her. After a short discussion on keying my sister into it, the devil herself wandered in summoned by my thoughts.

Her silence was telling as the nurse patched up a cut on Wednesday's head. I balanced on the edge of the bed she'd been assigned to. The light curtains at the head of the bed would not provide any privacy and truthfully seemed impractical.

"Fencing appears to have been entertaining."

"It has been some time since I faced a true challenge. I refuse to make the same mistake in underestimating my opponent again." The light grinding of her teeth betrayed her irritation.

"Who-"

"Bianca Barclay"

So there might be some talent behind the Queen Bee title after all. It had occurred before where the self-appointed Queen of the school was nothing more than an idiotic failure who's appearance and questionable qualities held their crown up. How refreshing that Nevermore's social dynamic might be based on more than the superficial.

The boy unfortunate enough to guide Wednesday here sat on a chair as Wednesday's head was bandaged per school policy.

I stepped away to grab an extra salve. Muffled voices followed me into the little office where the warded cooling container was kept and by the time I came back, the infirmary was empty of my sister and the boy.