Half Blood

Chapter One

Bursting into my school's reception with my snow covered mittens, I had no immediate dislike towards the day. To me, it was just another Monday – nothing special if you don't count its essential Mondayness. It was cold and dark – in the dead of winter, the sun didn't usually rise until eight – but it was also lovely. The morning light and the falling snow both conspired with one another, intending to paint all of Maine white. Its rich blanket created an elegant mask over the cobbled stones I'd previously walked on.

I held my coffee cup in one hand – there was no need to purchase one at the corner shop anymore; yesterday, my Aunt Eden finally established a brand new coffee machine in our apartment – and clutched my coat closed with the other. A rucksack, filled with my art books, was slung over my shoulder, and my hair – long, loose and raven black – had gathered a silken lace of silver snowflakes.

The secretary, Rowan, rolled her dark eyes at me, but I only ignored the woman's icy glare as I quickly strode towards the deserted gardens. I already knew the twenty-something-year-old woman briefly enough to know she didn't like me. I supposed it was because of my continuous presence so early in the mornings meant she couldn't sneak out back and have a 'much-needed' cigarette. I didn't particularly care.

Shivering, I pulled off my mittens and rubbed my numb fingers over my eyes, brushing away the flakes the clung to my lashes like little claws. This is going to be a long day, I thought dully, breathing through my nose as I pushed open a glassed door that led to the school's conservatory.

The conservatory observed the school's grounds – which was, in itself, ridiculously large. It was my own equilibrium of total serenity and tranquillity, a place where I was within and without, utterly free to do whatever I pleased until the sun rose and my fellow students began to clutter the hallways once again.

I pulled my books out gingerly, and within seconds, I began to draw. All I concentrated on was the soft strokes of my pencil against the canvassed paper, and the way my lines consolidated with one another, creating an image that even I did not truly understand. My minutes spent in the conservatory conjoined together; I was so submerged in my work that I did not hear the door squeaking open, nor did I feel Jacob, my best friend, as he flopped down beside me.

"I do worry about you sometimes, Lil'," he said, mocking me with that grin of his. I tightened my lips, trying to prevent a retort that would inevitably result in him leaving. Instead, I just narrowed my eyes. "What are you drawing today?" he asked, his brows raised in curiosity. "A dragon with a pig's head? Or – no, wait, I know – a snake with spider legs?"

I sighed. "It's a horse with crow wings and a gargoyle's mouth, actually. You should know that that looks like, right? Considering that your teeth have gotten rather yellow recently." I grinned widely when Jacob's mouth dropped open.

"My teeth aren't yellow," he spluttered, suddenly sounding completely unsure of himself. "My teeth are white – Jenny would have told me if they were yellowing." A pause. "If anything, it's your teeth that are yellow."

I snorted, purposely allowing him a glimpse at my perfectly white teeth. "Mine aren't yellow, Jake," I stated simply, smirking as I turned my attention back to my drawing, adding some shade to the feathered wings. Jacob heaved a sigh, and a minute later, he poked my ribs.

"Lillian," he sang teasingly. "Oh, Lillian!" When I gave no vocal response, Jacob sighed once again. "You know I'm going to keep calling you that until you answer me, right?" He then poked me again, but, this time, is was my waist. I immediately flinched, cursing the day when he discovered that my waist was the most ticklish area of my body.

"Don't call me Lillian and don't poke me," I snapped, instantly regretting the harshness of my tone. Quietly, I added, "You know I hate it." Sighing, I carefully closed my sketchbook and placed it back into my bag. I never managed to draw in Jacob's presence, and when I did, it never lasted very long.