The Fire Prince

~Chapter Three~

The next morning, my body shot up from the raucous sound of my alarm clock grating against my ears. I clamped my teeth shut and smacked the infuriating object back into silence. It was ridiculous! Nothing, and I mean nothing should ever be that loud and annoying. However, I guess I should be thankful for having such a device since I'm a deep sleeper and all.

Reluctantly, I threw the pink duvet off me and sighed heavily, realising that it was Wednesday, which meant I had to endure another day at Queensly High. I got dressed in my usual casual attire consisting of skinny blue jeans, a red woolly jumper that my grandmother had knitted for me as a Christmas present, and my favourite shade of purple converses. On the tip of my toes, I quietly crept down the corridor, not wanting to disturb mother, who returns from work late each night bless her.

As sad as this may be, I've always been impressed with my ability to sneak around the village unscathed; for instance, Claira and a few of her friends had dragged me along to one of the town's summer festivals. I had managed to evade them for most of it, retreating to the safety of the fields that lay on the outskirts of our village. I had only popped up at the end before it was over and not one of them had noticed my disappearance. The whole experience had left me believing that I had been some highly ranked spy or assassin in my past life.

Multi-coloured tiles now temporarily blinded me as they created a dramatic rainbow effect. A large teapot we had got from one of our holidays in China stood firmly upon the steel kitchen surface. I still believed it was a magical instrument because every time we had made tea in it, it had been delicious.

I made my way over to the stove and put two eggs on to boil. Once it had finished boiling, I grabbed two slices of thick bread and skipped out the door, only to be welcomed by blustering gale forces. Loose auburn tendrils struck my face as I tried to munch down my breakfast, and the icy chill swept through my small frame, making my knuckles grow white. I felt like one of those Veteran soldiers I had read about in one of my history books; they had endured the most terrible conditions whilst marching into battle.

Huge metal claws could be seen in the distance, beckoning me to come and be ensnared in its deadly grip. I had wanted to turn around and flee so many times, but I could never bring myself to do it. I had to go. I had to go if it meant that I would secure a future away from people like Jason and Jessica; if it meant that I could support my mother with the house bills; if it meant that I could finally spread my wings and fly away.

As I approached Queensly High, the gates looked so rusty that I thought they were about to collapse on me, threatening to trap me forever in this place I had soon started to call my prison.

The first two hours had whizzed by, and Seph hadn't been in any of my classes. I hadn't seen any signs of Jessica and her posse either, which I had been grateful for, but that only meant I would have to remain alert for the entire school year.

"So, Aurora, what do you think?" Claira broke me from my thoughts, eagerness encircling in her hazel orbs.

I had forgotten she was sitting next to me in the school cafeteria. Jason had gone to play football out with the lads. Yeah right. He was probably shagging some chick behind one of the school's lockers.

"About what?" I asked innocently.

I watched as the warm light was snatched from Claira's eyes and a scowl now graced her delicate features.

"You know, Jason and I's babies. Do you think they would have his nose or mine?"

"Erm. I don't know. Yours I guess?" I replied awkwardly, not wanting to think about Jason and Claira tying the knot anytime soon, or ever.