The Rise of Exile Coven: Fractured

CHAPTER TWO:

SAGE'S POV:

For now we are exploring our new school and getting to know one another. Tomorrow though, is when the real day begins. We'll go to class and get the first real look of what college will be for the next four years. I fall behind Tabitha and Celeste as I stick my hand into my jacket pocket, trying to find my bracelet. I come up empty handed after checking both sides and I sigh in disappointment. It's got to be around here somewhere. I haven't taken it off once since I was given it."Sage, keep up! Come on!" Tabitha calls with a wave of her hand. "I'm coming!" I call out. I look at Celeste with a questioning look, there's something about her that makes me want to find out more about her. There seems to be a lot of that going around here today. I jog to catch up with them. "Let's go to the Cafeteria Hall. We can show one another our grimoires, maybe have some tea and get to know one another better." Celeste suggests and Tabitha and I agree. There is nothing better for us to do, and it can't hurt to make a friend or two while we're here.

Once we arrive at the cafeteria we grab our trays, each of us grabbing muffins, donuts, biscuits, cookies, crackers, and fruit to snack on while we drink our tea. "Where should we sit?" Tabitha asks, right on cue Ronan calls my name from across the cafeteria. "Sage! Over here!" I look at the two girls' puzzled looks. "I met him earlier on the way to the dorms. He's good people." They follow me over to the table he is sitting at. The three of us sit opposite of him on the benches. Soon another guy slides in next to him. "Hey cutie. What are you doing sitting here next to all these beautiful women? You're some kind of a magnet for magnificent things aren't you?" Ronan looks at me then back at the boy. He doesn't seem to know how to respond. I mean, who would know how to respond to someone coming onto you so strongly? "Jackson...turn it down a few notches you're scaring the poor boy away." He gasps and throws his hands over his chest, pretending to be offended. "Now tell me how this face..." He points to himself. "Could scare anyone off?" He asks as he turns his attention back to Ronan. He is so full of himself. "Am I scaring you?" Ronan begins to shake his head no. "No..I just am chronically shy.." Jackson shrugs as he throws his arm around Ronan's shoulders. "See Cel he digs me." Tabitha and I begin cracking up. "That is not at all what he said." I defend. "He doesn't have to say it. It's all in the body language." He begins to dance in his seat to show off his body. "Do you even know him? Or if he's even into guys?" Tabitha asks as she can barely keep her composure. "Don't feed into his chaotic behavior or he'll never turn it off." Celeste says mouthing an 'I'm sorry' to Ronan. "I don't think I want to have this conversation." Ronan hides himself in a book about beekeeping.

"Looks like you don't need my help after all, Sage. It seems like you're fitting in just fine." I look up to see the boy towering over me. He's got this whole mysterious bravado thing going on for him. "It's hard to ask for more help when I didn't even catch your name." He slides onto the bench next to me as a friend of his slides into the bench on the other side of Ronan. "My name is yours, Kai." He properly introduces himself and reaches his hand for mine. I take his and he brings my hand to his lips. "Oh shit, you're already pulling dudes and we just got here. What am I doing wrong?" Tabitha teases causing us to let go of one another. "You must be the cousin." He takes a muffin from my tray pulling off the muffin wrapping and biting into it. "Are you always this abrasive?" I watch him in astonishment. I've never met someone with his level of confidence before. That's saying a lot because I know Tabitha. "Yes, actually he is." His friend Leo replies for him, before he could finish chewing. "If I'm not then who will be?" I watch him intensely, trying to figure out what about him is drawing me into him. "Have we met before?" I finally ask, perhaps we went to the same school when we were younger. Or maybe he played football back when I was in cheer before I switched to soccer. "No, we haven't." His cheerful demeanor shifts to a darker one. Did I just hit a button? "Okay...before this gets any weirder we should do something else." Celeste chugs her tea as she stands ready to lead the way.