The Echoes of Rivalry & Ruin (The Acamancy Series I)

Chapter 13: Let the Semester Begin

I rush to History of Acamancy just as the warning bell chimes. I made it to the door with 5 minutes to spare, even with my map I got a little bit lost. I snoozed my alarm one too many times, sleeping in on Saturday wasn't enough, because I was up way too late on Sunday with my mind wandering with the first day jitters. I had my uniforms all set out for every day this week. I got extras and tried them last weekend to make sure everything fit. The Hunter green pants were much tighter than the jeans I usually wear, but they are breathable and fairly comfortable. The dress code allows for ¾ length sleeves in the hotter months, but I opted for all long sleeve black shirts, with a simple swoop neck and no buttons or anything. The shirts the school recommended are scratchier than I like, but a tank top under and cutting out all three of the pointless tags made them bearable. My boots are a perfect fit, but I am not used to them. In my hometown it stays fairly warm year round, and I never had the need or desire to wear boots before, so I am not used to the stretching and lacing process to get them on when they are new.

I arrived in front of building H at 8:23 and luckily classroom 101 is right in the front, on the first floor, so here I am at 8:25 walking through the door. I see one open spot available in the front row, my forever go to spot to sit in class. Luckily for me, most students avoid the front row like the plague. This hall is huge and there are tons of rows of seats. But each row is only a few seats across, so even with a majority of the students avoiding the front and opting to sit as close to the back of the room as they can, there is only one spot open. I could just take a seat in the fairly empty third or fourth row, so all of my friends could sit near me, but that's not me. How could I soak up enough knowledge, be fully immersed into the past, and make the best impression, if I am not front and center for Professor Hyde to see. I rush to the open spot in the front, not looking at any faces around me as I come in. Mal and Brynn were still finishing getting ready when I rushed out of the door, and like usual June was gone before I even woke up.

As I rush to my claimed seat in the front row, the second seat in from the door, I bump right into the only desk to my left and know over a notebook and some pens and something else, falls with a *Bang* and echoing clatters as it all falls onto the floor.

"Excuse you, have you been walking long? Try to be more careful next time, would you, Red," a voice comes from the desk to my left-hand side.

Red... I recognize the voice and the nickname. But before I can place where I had heard them before, I look up and see some inky waves on the head of a male I vaguely remember seeing Ryker talking to at the dance. But I know that I didn't hear that deep and snide voice at the dance, I didn't approach the male. I watch as the owner of the belongings I dropped, shifts from bending to pick his items up, to looking me in the eye. I gasp as a pair of ice blue eyes bores into my soul. I am shaken with surprise and left speechless as the ocean eyed young man rakes me up and down and then turns to place his items back on his desk.

Those eyes... wow. I am used to seeing blue eyes looking back at me in the mirror. When I am not manipulating my eyes are more gray than blue, but the blue is still there. When I am manipulating a pair of deep blue eyes, the color of a pool of water like what they are being reflected in, look back at me. But these eyes, they are piercing. They are like the ice of a frozen pond, as if the pool of blue in my own sockets had frozen over and stare back at me. The freeze seems to be spreading to the breath in my lungs. I hadn't caught my breath from the run to class, but now it's like the wind was knocked out of me over again. I know this man, I think I do at least, but from where?

As I am still staring at my neighbor, I see the look in his eyes turn from anger and annoyance to confusion and amusement.

"Hello... Red? As if knocking over my items wasn't satisfaction enough, now you need to watch me put it all away for entertainment too? Haven't you ever been taught that it is rude to stare," he asks me with a smirk.