Ninja University

You've Got To Be Kidding Me

"Hello, darling," Aphrodite's sweet singsong voice whispered as she played with my curls. She tugged on my curliest black lock, hard. I turned to glare at her, my eyes turning red. "I see you take after your father. Too bad. You could've been such a good love goddess, with those looks of yours."

"She's bewitched half the male population here, and she hasn't even met everyone. She's a love goddess, all right," Lukas blurted. I looked at him and his ears turned bright red. I felt Ryan's questioning stare on me and I turned away from both of them.

"Aphrodite," my father piped up, glaring at both of us. "You should leave. I have important business to do. I need to teach her about her powers."

"I need to teach her about her powers from my side, too," she yelled, glaring. Her beautiful blue eyes flashed darkly.

"I'd rather learn my powers, from Aether's side, first," I chimed in, interrupting their internal argument. They turned stern and angry eyes at me.

"What?" Aphrodite cried, her eyes filling with angry tears.

"Either I learn how to use his powers first, or I don't learn them at all. Neither side."

"Fine. I'll leave for now. But I will know when my daughter is done training with you. And I'll come back to train her." Aphrodite roared, her blonde curls bouncing angrily as she stormed over to the door. "Goodbye, darling!" She slammed the door.

The room was eerily quiet for a few moments until a boy with caramel brown hair curled on his neck and emerald eyes cried out, "I volunteer for helping her training!" A few of the other boys caught on and yelled the same thing out.

"Bella, choose four boys. Two girls." I nodded at my father. I pointed at the caramel haired boy, Ryan, Tyler, and a tall raven haired kid. Then I pointed at two girls, a brunette with a kind smile, and a blonde who had a sword on her back.

"Hi. I'm Erin," the brunette girl said timidly, holding out her hand.

"Eliz," I replied, shaking her hand.

"Dylan," the caramel haired boy yelled, pulling me into a bear hug.

"Wouldn't you want to know who I am," the raven kid said, looking at me with a fire in his eyes.

"Freak," Tyler mumbled under his breath. I turned around and glared at him.

"Just because you are so 'popular' doesn't mean you can pick on other, less known kids. He is no more of a freak than you are. Possibly less," I screeched.

The raven kid smiled at me with a new light in his eyes. A slight blush reached his cheeks as he locked eyes with me. "Dew," he whispered to me. I smiled back.

"Nice to meet you, Dew. I'm Eliz. I have a feeling we will be good friends."

"Maybe more than that," he muttered under his breath. It wasn't meant for my ears, so I pretended not to hear it.

"Bella, come on." My father demanded of my attention. I rolled my eyes and followed him to the training room. Ryan and Dew walked on either side of me, both competing for my attention.

"Rosa," Erin yelled, her timid voice loud and shrill. Rosa glared at me with a menacing twinkle in her eyes.

"Get away from my betrothed," she shouted. I looked at Ryan, then at Dew.

"Who?" She looked at me like I was stupid. She nodded at Ryan. My eyes widened, then narrowed with pity. "I'm so sorry, Ryan. She's your betrothed."

"I don't want her to be," he mumbled, glaring with flushed cheeks.

"Too bad. Our families decided we would be a good match at birth."

"Sadly," Ryan retorted, glaring back.

"Whoa, calm down," I said when Rosa got in Ryan's face. "Let's just calm down. I'm not trying to-"

Smack! The sound of skin on skin echoed through the room. My head flopped to the side, involuntarily. I felt the sting on my cheek, from Rosa's slap.

"Did you just-" I started, but was interrupted when she smacked me again. Smack! I glared at her and brought my arm back. I swung at her, catching her in the nose. Crack! She stumbled back, her hands clutching her broken nose. She reached back for her sword.

"I don't care if you're a god. You're going down," she snarled.

"You've got to be kidding me. She's ten thousand times more powerful than you. She could kill you with a laser. On her first try. Are you stupid? My gods and goddesses, you are. You've got to be kidding me, yourself, and Eliz. Ha," Dylan piped in, his eyes angry. He looked ready for a fight. I winked at him and he grinned back, his anger dimming.

Rosa didn't notice him, just focused on me. "You stole him from me!" She screamed, lunging at me. I was caught off-guard and she brought me to the floor with her. I softened the blow for her, but my head hit the ground, hard. I blacked out.