A Revolution In Shadow And Blood

Dancing with Fists; My Favorite Past Time

I expected to be stared at, but this is something else. As soon as I step out of my bedroom, everyone around me goes quiet. It's eerie with how suddenly it went from a buzz of normal conversations to absolute silence. It's honestly like I've entered the Twilight Zone. Jessica, who is standing next to me, says, "Ignore them. They're just not used to celebrities hanging around."

I turn to look at her, and raise my eyebrows. "'Celebrities'? What are you talking about?"

She gestures to me. "I'm talking about you. The daughter of Enya, the Elemental General that led our troops into battle against the rebellion that threatened to destroy our world."

Her voice gets more and more dramatic as she talks, until she has her hands clasped together and she's looking up at me with puppy dog eyes. I shake my head, and she giggles. "You're insane."

I try to ignore the people that stop and stare as we walk past. The only thing worse is that I can hear them whispering when our backs are facing them. It only gets worse when we exit the building. There are people waiting for me, and a few of them immediately start walking toward me with their phones out. Not good.

"Check this out! Enya's daughter in the flesh." A boy crows with his phone filming both him and me in the background.

"You guys, this is insane. Enya's daughter goes to my school!" Another one is focused on me, with the girl commentating.

"Hey! Look over here!" One of them shouts. "Are you really Enya's daughter?"

"What do you think about the revolution?"

Their yelling has attracted more attention, and more and more students gather around me and Jessica in a crowd. Most of them pull out their phones to take pictures or record video. My head is swimming with all of this attention. Camera's flash in my eyes, and I stumble back a bit. The screaming intensifies. Shock and fear hit me when I realize that my tiny show of weakness has caused this kind of backlash. Some of them move close enough to reach out and touch me. It's chaos. Hands start pulling at my clothes to draw my attention. I'm suddenly grateful I remembered to grab a jacket. Apparently not one of them thought about what would happen if my energy came into contact with one that doesn't work with it.

My parents' rules run through my head, and my throat closes up. I can't just tell them all to screw off. I'm not talking just for myself anymore. I try to shove my way through the crowd, but I really don't want to hurt anyone, and they aren't letting up. Someone shoves Jessica in an attempt to get to me, and I catch her arm and pull her up so she doesn't get trampled. It's all I can do to not lash out at the crowd.

"Give the girl some room! Move away! A voice bellows over the crowd, "You all have class, and I expect every single one of you to be on time."

VP Diaz steps through the crowd that is swiftly thinning, thanks to his command. Scrawny Principal Lark is by his side, and the two of them together make quite a pair. Diaz towers over Lark, being at least six feet tall, which gives him an entire head length above the smaller man. "Thank you, Mr. Diaz. You may go now."

For a moment, I expect the huge black man to pound into the guy for dismissing him so quickly, but he doesn't. Lark has the authority here, and Diaz's size means nothing. I turn to check on Jessica, who I still have a death grip on. "Are you alright?"

She nods. "Yeah. That was crazy. Thanks for helping me out."

I nod, and let her go as I turn back to the waiting principal. "Thanks."

His lips pull apart to form a smile which reveals his straight white teeth. "You're welcome," he pauses a moment before continuing, "Would you mind walking with me for a bit?"