From Another Place (A Zodiac Story)

~12~

Anton rolled his eyes whenever Ms. Lyra made a shady comment about the villain kids. If only she was in Wonderland, her head would be gone by now. Oh, how lovely.

He was supposed to be on bed rest, but the principal sent him a letter saying his attendance in that P.E. class was mandatory. Ms. Lyra told them to just sit down and relax a little before the Fairy Godmother's arrival.

"Why's the fairy godmother coming?" Anton asked Gianna, who stood next to him.

"Did you not listen at the orientation this morning?" Gianna rolled her eyes at him, "She's gonna unleash our magic today."

"Zodiac magic?"

"Yes."

"So wouldn't that make some people completely invincible? Like Andrew for example," Anton raised an eyebrow.

Gianna sighed, "Anton, I swear, do you not listen to the teachers?"

"No," he replied with a deadpan face.

"Andrew, for example, won't be invincible because he would need all the Zodiac's support for him to even use his zodiac power. Every day, he can use his godly magic just fine," Gianna explained slowly as if she was explaining to a child.

"Yeah I get it," Anton grumbled and rolled his eyes. Suddenly, sparkles appear from thin air and multiplied until the sparkles shaped a human figure and revealed an old plump woman, who was dressed in royal blue and white. She held a long wand and gave off a graceful, maternal energy. Anton had no doubt this was The Fairy Godmother.

"Well, greetings everyone," she said with a soft smile, "I'm sorry for the late entrance, but let's get started, shall we? Everyone, please form a straight line. In Zodiac Order."

Guess that means I'm first in line.

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Terri watched as the Fairy Godmother approached Anton.

"Greetings your highness," she smiled, "Please choose a type of jewelry." Terri tilted her head. How are types of jewelry relevant in them getting their powers?

"What for?" Anton asked her, clearly skeptical about the fairy's request.

"So you can wear them to unleash your power, of course," The Fairy Godmother responded with a laugh, "But pick something easy and comfortable to wear because after putting them on, it's impossible to take them off until the next generation of Zodiacs is born."

Anton pondered a while before deciding. "I choose an amulet or a necklace, preferably one that's not heavy."

The Fairy Godmother smiled, "Of course dear." She started waving her wand and created a piece of parchment and a quill. How old-fashioned.

The Fairy Godmother scribbled quickly and turned to Terri with a smile, "It's your turn, my dear."

Terri already knew what she wanted, "I want a ring. A thumb ring, specifically." She always thought those were so cute.

The Fairy Godmother wrote it down on her parchment paper and did the same for the rest of the Zodiacs.

Gianna wanted a bracelet. Coraline wanted a pendant. Liam wanted an earring (Everyone was surprised he had an ear piercing). Vincent wanted an amulet. Liliana wanted a ring. Serpent wanted earrings. Simon wanted an anklet (He said jewelry was more bothersome when they're on his upper body). Charles wanted a lip ring. Andrew wanted a neck chain. Phoebe wanted a ring.

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After she wrote down what Phoebe wanted, The Fairy Godmother waved her hand, and Hermes, the god of messengers, appeared.

"At your service, Fairy Godmother," he smiled cheekily. Gianna knew Hermes was a very attractive god. She heard people talking about how all the gods are attractive. But she was not ready for Hermes.

"Thank you, Lord Hermes. Will you please deliver this letter to Lord Hephaestus? It's about the jewelry for the Zodiacs," The Fairy Godmother informed as she handed him the parchment paper.

"Of course, Fairy Godmother," was all he said before he was gone in a flash. The Fairy Godmother turned towards the Zodiacs with a smile.

"Now, let's check to see how athletic you all are," she said with a grin. She waved her wand and a bunch of equipment appeared on the field.

"I'm sure Ms. Lyra is more than capable of overseeing the fitness test by herself," she stated. Gianna and the rest of the Zodiacs turned to look at Ms. Lyra, who nodded with self-confidence.

"Now, I must get going. I'm running behind schedule at the moment," The Fairy Godmother announced, as everyone bid her goodbyes. The old woman smiled as she glowed and turned into sparkles that disappeared into the sky.

"Alright class," Ms. Lyra started, "We must get started with the evaluation now before the equipment disappears. So, there are a total of 3 tests. First, we'll start with push-ups. Everyone, please find a partner, and let's get started."

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Coraline was out of breath. The first test was push-ups, and she could only do 15 before giving up. Meanwhile, the others reached their 20s. The second test was the grip strength test. She could only do 26.9 kg. The others did way better.

For the third test, they had to run a lap around the lake, which was torture since the lake covered 16.2 acres. Coraline was running breathlessly when Serpent caught up to her.

"You don't look like you're enjoying this class much, Coral," he observed as a chuckle escaped his lips. Coraline glared up at him. She was usually a very sweet girl, but she wasn't the type to forgive and forget easily.

"Shut up," she grumbled. Everyone else already passed her, including Phoebe, Liliana, and Gianna.

"Jeez," Serpent smirked, "I'm the only one keeping you company and you're treating me like that? All your friends ran ahead and left you here alone."

"Obviously they're not gonna wait for me," Coraline rolled her eyes, "This is a fitness test. We're supposed to try our best."

"Oh?" Serpent tilted his head, "Am I doing this wrong, then? Should I go faster?"

"Do what you want," she snapped, "I don't care." Coraline was holding back her tears. Why am I so bad at sports?

"Nah, I like this speed," Serpent smiled cockily, "I don't want to put in the extra effort."

"That must be nice," Coraline muttered, "Being capable of doing everything and not feeling the pressure to be perfect in everything." She glanced at the lake to avoid looking at Serpent. Yet she could feel his gaze on her.

"You only feel pressure if you let it get to you," she heard him say, "Just be happy with what you have and what you can do. Coraline's eyes softened a little at his words.

"That's surprisingly wise coming from you," she responded. She heard his soft chuckle.

"I can run with you every day if you want," he offered so quietly she could barely hear him, "You know, help you get better at running."

Coraline felt a smile curving her lips, "In your dreams, you scorpion."

"The scorpion and the crab," Serpent hummed.