Winter's Academy

Chapter One, What I Thought Would Be A Normal Day

Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow.

- Mahatma Gandhi

I never did anything wrong. Not until I was nine. After the event I was sent away and studied, and even though nothing was physically wrong with me, I still continued to be strange and out of place. I never talked to anyone, only my reflection. My reflection had a mind of its own, she was funny too. My name is Eva, I call my reflection I.D. After a while it starts to sound like a name. I call her this because it stands for Inner Desire, this is what she started appearing as to me. But now that more time has passed, I realise she is more, she can remember things I can't - things I look at but don't really see, things I hear but don't actually listen to. It's always been like that, people think I just like how I look in the mirror, but it's only because I'm not looking, I'm listening. I still don't talk much, only to people I'm comfortable with. I was taken in by the school Chairman, as one of his foster children. He's taken in at least 7 children without parents that have...strange gifts. I.D. is my gift, but not one I can use so openly like everyone else. But enough of my rambling, this is the story I would like to share...

I was in the cafeteria, waiting for some of my classmates. Before lunch we were in two different classes, so now I was on my own. This school was rather odd. One building, two schools, one large fence. One side of the school was all boys, the other, all girls. I was wearing long army green cargo pants, a black sleeveless turtleneck and my brown-almost-black hair was in a ponytail. And of course, the most important thing, my locket, a large round oval shape. The necklace and the locket were both tinted black, this locket was important because it is my constant communication with I.D. because inside the locket was a mirror and next to it, a picture of my parents. I looked around the cafeteria, there were so many girls ranging from 10 to 18. Tall ones, dark ones, skinny ones, fat ones, blonde ones, intelligent ones and even 'emo' ones. Our cafeteria was coloured with a light red that seemed to be mixed with purple. I couldn't really tell what colour it was, I hated the look of it anyway.

"Eva." My name was called and I looked next to me just as Max sat down. She liked her name abbreviated from Maxine, though it made her sound like I was talking about a boy. "So, how was Science?" I shrugged, like I already said, I don't talk much. Max was the all black-type, normal black tee with white singlet underneath, dark jeans, her hair was short brown and pixie-like.

"Hey, guys." That sounded like Lucida.

Straight long dark brown hair, skinny black jeans, black shirt, red and black boots and a black studded belt. All of this and she isn't even Goth. She's quite hyper, quite funny and quite loud.
"So, how was Science?" Lucida asked in her cheerful mood,
"I just asked that." Max mumbled,

"Oh, was there an answer?" I gave her a sceptical look, which she took as 'yes there was, do I have to repeat myself?'

"She said it was okay." Max answered for me, although, Lucida knew that I didn't answer in words, they both knew what I was saying even when I didn't say it out loud. We sat quietly and listened to the conversations of others for a little while. That's when Max decided to use her greatest 'talent'. The ability to move objects the same size or smaller than her head. She flew one of Lucida's cup-cakes across the table and into her tray.
"Hey! That is mine!" Lucida cried, but when she tried to grab it again, it moved. It took her about a second to realise Max wasn't giving up her little trick. Max and Lucida often played jokes on each other, now and again the tricks would lead all of us into detention. Then the cup-cake disappeared. Lucida's power was to turn anything smaller than her invisible - this was an interesting and funny power...sometimes.