Project Moonlark: A Fanfiction

5. SCHOOL SYSTEM

I was starting to panic. What if classes had already started? I decided not to wait for him, and hoped he wouldn't wait for me as I followed the trail of students over a wooden bridge which crossed over a peaceful, sparkly lake. Across the bridge was a giant archway, which I assumed was the entrance. The students that were coming in now seemed to be in a hurry, so I blamed myself for not coming in earlier. How did I even know what class I had first?

I noticed a student that wasn't in the middle of a conversation and decided to ask him about my schedule. He was small, with short, strawberry blonde hair and periwinkle eyes. I tried to smile a friendly smile at him.

"Hey, I'm new here. Do you know where I can get my schedule?"

"Oh, you're the new girl." He said with recognition. I frowned. How many people already knew I was going to be coming? More importantly, who told them?

"The office is right around the corner," he continued cheerfully. "I'm Dex. Nice to meet you."

"Kristen. Nice to meet you, too." I followed him around a pillar, turning towards another hallway lined with lockers, then turning right again, until I was certain that I wouldn't be able to navigate around this school on my own.

"So basically, there are four houses in this school. Houses are really big deals here..." He talked about the school so much that I didn't need to say anything. Besides, I preferred listening.

What I caught from our conversation as we walked was that there were four houses: Phoenix, Unicorn, Lion, and Shark, and each student wore a cape that was assigned to a certain house. I was wearing the Unicorn house cape. There were many house-based competitions. The badges we wore were called Family Crests—just like in medieval Europe—and each family had their own. Elves loved studying and researching. I was going to fail—miserably.

"And Ability Detecting is where you get thrown into different situations to see if any of them triggers an ability. It's horrible." Dex said, his eyes suddenly sad.

"What happens if you get an ability?" I wondered if every elf could read minds— that was probably the case. Elves could do anything, really.

"Then... then you spend that period specializing in your ability. It's a lot cooler." Dex said sadly. "Most people have manifested by now." I smiled sympathetically, and I was actually genuine about it this time.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think I have an ability, either," I said. "So I'll probably be joining you for the next twenty years or so."

Dex laughed. "You won't have to. We're already in Primary Five. But, then again, to get into a Secondary school, you'll need to manifest one. That's why my whole family is nervous for me."

"I'm sorry," I said. Dex tried to smile.

"Oh, hey, we've reached the office! Come, I'll help you get your schedule." Dex dragged me into the office, which was lined with glass doors.

He greeted the woman at the counter and she handed me my schedule with a smile. "Good luck, Kristen. They're about to have a test in a week."

"A week?" I whispered to Dex. "I don't think—I don't know—"

"You'll be fine. Just study hard and do your best," Dex said. "I can tutor you after school, if you'd like. It's finally time I actually do something useful."

"You don't have to," I said, giving him an option. But he willingly agreed, so there was really no point. I couldn't help feeling a sense of gratitude towards Dex. I would owe him for this. I looked around, trying to find the person that was actually supposed to show me around.