Your Perfect Little Pawn

2

   I wake at the same time as all the other girls, though I hide my consciousness for them. I just lie still while they all slide out of bed and start changing.

   "Isla! Isla get up you lazy pest!" I hear Maggi yell, shaking my shoulder ruffly.

   I wait two seconds before hearing a satisfying SMACK and Maggi whimpering and scrabbling away from my bed. I open my eyes, sitting up and yawning. "Fare morning Alice." I say, rubbing my eyes.

   "Fare morning Love, are you alright?" My best-friend asks after threatening to hit Maggi again and laying my uniform down next to me.

   I smile my most innocent smile and slowly pick up the clothes, "It would be a shame if I wasn't."

   Alice nods, smiling at me, then turns her wrath once again on Maggi, seemingly glaring through the girl's soul. 

   Shuffling past them I head for one of our dorm's changing closets and and once inside I shrug off my uniform from yesterday, which I unfortunately slept in, and pull on my fresh clothes. A black, pleated skirt, a puffy-sleeved white shirt, a scarlet, sleeveless vest over the shirt, complete with black stockings and gloves.

   Glancing in the cracked mirror on the wall I frown at the dark rings under my eyes. The marks stand out on my pale skin.

   "Is something wrong, Love?" Alice asks, coming up behind me and combing her fingers through my hair.

   I admire her in the mirror behind me. Her pretty orange hair, face covered in hundreds of freckles and deep brown eyes filled with affection. She's taller than me by at least two inches, which makes sense because she's older than me by a year; I'm young to be a C Rank. "You're so beautiful, Alice."

   "Thank you, but still, you look like you need a break from lessons."

   I shrug and watch her braid and unbraid my hair. "I brought a gift for you, it's on my bed." I say, walking from her to snatch the music box and holding it out to her.

   Alice takes the gift and stares at it in wonder, but before she can say anything, the clock in our dorm strikes 6:00am and everyone goes quiet. Quinn opens the door and ushers us all into the hall, handing each of us a gearwork fly as we cross the threshold.

I subconsciously pet the mechanical animal as all the C Ranks march toward the Mess Hall. It's small wings are stiff and the sightless eyes stare back at me with a lifeless intensity that makes me all the more determined not to look away.

The C Ranks turn left down a larger hall and join the B Ranks, the students mixing together.

I don't look up from my gearwork fly when Amaryllis and Zebulon, twin B Ranks who are close companions with Alice, come up next to me and flood me with questions of my outing last night. Though, they soon stop as soon as the A Ranks begin to mingle with our group and Casimir strides up, draping his arm across my shoulders.

He too is taller than me, even when he doesn't stand stiffly straight like he often does, and his perfectly combed blonde hair and light completion make it look as if he and I could be related. But I doubt he sees me like a sister. He and Jeter are close friends, and though Alice, Amaryllis, and Zebulon don't like him I do. He's protected me and helped me on many occasions.

"Did Jeter take care of you last night?" He asks with a amused smile, watching me stare down the hunk of rusty gears in my hand.
"He made sure I didn't die and he carried me up to my dorm." I tell him while leaning into him a bit because I know he'll want to feel like I rely on him after hearing that I relied on his best-friend last night.

"Hmmm..." his smile fades, especially when Alice shoves her way through the crowd and scowls at him.

"Love, is this greasy weasel bothering you?" She asks, not tearing her eyes away from Casimir.

"Not at all." I assure her, then, to distract her I add, "Amaryllis and Zebulon would love to see the music box I gave you. If they spread the word about your prize you could get some A Ranks interested in paying a pretty price for it." Still not looking up from my fly.

Alice nods, understanding that I am trying to get her to leave Casimir alone, "Fine, but be careful around this snake. He's handsome but sly, I can see it in his eyes."

I nod, looking up to give her a smile, then I silently curse the gearwork fly for winning our unspoken contest.

Suddenly I hear an echoing click and all the gearwork flies spring into action, though the one in my hand lights up and flutters up a second after the rest, which makes me smirk. Each fly scans their student's face then lands on their left wrist, stamping in black ink the classes that the student is to take for the day. Once each fly has done this they take off toward each Rank's hall prefect.

I watch as Quinn, my Rank's hall prefect, snatches each fly and places them in her bag.

"There goes all your fun, Isla. However will you survive?" Casimir pretends to look concerned.

I shrug, searching the crowd for Jeter as we all enter the Mess Hall. I finally spot him as Casimir leads me over to a table and I wave to him, beckoning him to join us. He does come and sit down across from me, after a few sweet smiles and pleading on my part.

"How did you enjoy last night?" Casimir asks, leaning across the table from his seat on my left.

"Leave him alone, Hog Brain." Alice snaps from her seat on my right.

I peer at Jeter questioningly, tilting my head to the side and squinting. Wordlessly, he places a list on the table, looking slightly disappointed.

Wesley Jones-A Rank
Cyrus Queasily-B Rank
Vash Widdle-B Rank
Lily Jessie-D Rank

"It's the list of missing persons from last night." Jeter mumbles, frowning grimly.

Vash Widdle

I moan and clutch my head, looking down at my lap and silently paying tribute to my deceased friend. Alice quickly hugs me to her side, beating Casimir to the role of emotional-support-friend.

"I had no idea you were so close with Vash." Zebulon comments, gazing at the list from his spot next to Jeter with no apparent sadness.

"I just don't like when people go missing." I mutter, suddenly not hungry anymore.

When Alice let's me go and as I sit back up again Casimir puts a comforting hand on my back, "Are you alright?" He asks as I stare blankly at the metal tabletop in front of me.

I am about to tell him I'm fine when suddenly the Mess Hall goes quiet. Every student becoming silent and, not daring to lift their gaze, staring down at the ground.

I, though, look around till I spot the center on everyone's discomfort and smile at him fondly.

Septimus Blackwood. Grandson of the Headmaster at Black Clock Academy. Graduated two years early and now lives in the West Wing of the academy, which is much more lavishly adorned then anywhere else in the academy.

He cuts a stunning figure; tall, almost white blonde hair, richly tan skin, poison green eyes, and a stone hard expression. He walks briskly through the Mess Hall, not sparing a glance at any student but poor Casimir, who quickly removes his hand from my back.

Stopping right behind me, Septimus grabs my left wrist and with an ink pen from his pocket he crosses out the last class on my list, replacing it with a small symbol that resembles a hourglass. His grip is more gentle then I had expected and I smile up at him kindly.

For a split second he returns the gesture with a small smile of his own before his expression hardens again and he walks away.

Before he leaves he calls loud enough for everyone in the Mess Hall to hear, "All study halls, no matter what Rank, have been replaced with an extra chemistry session. Even so, all homework must be turned in when due. No exceptions."

The door slams closed behind him with an echoing THUD.