Sandabury Academy

Friendly Bickering

"You know what, Jaheara? I don't think we need to go today. I mean, it's the same spiel every stinking year..." I keep rambling, looking for any excuse to crawl back into my bed as my roommate just stares at me with her lips pursed.

"You are not getting out of going to orientation again this year. Don't you remember what happened last time when you skipped?" She asks as she walks over to the closet to get our uniforms.

"I broke into the kitchens, stole a whole barrel of blood and wound up drunk off my ass on the roof of the President's house. Good times." At this, my roommate just rolls her eyes and throws my uniform at me, which I deftly catch.

We both take the next fifteen minutes getting ready before we walk out the door to our dorm. It's a pretty small dorm with two single beds, one window, and a small bathroom with a closet directly across from it. But it's not like either Jaheara or I need more room than that considering with both our belongings combined we barely fill our closet.

In Jaheara's case, she was summoned onto our plane, her being a fire elemental and all. But when she got through the inter-dimensional portal, the only sign of who had summoned her was a piece of paper she found on the ground with a strange language written on it. She bumped into me in the forest outside the academy so I took her to the President to see if he knew anything about it. Turns out he didn't but ever since that day three years ago he's let Jaheara attend the academy whilst endlessly searching for clues on who summoned her and how, after all this time, she is still on our plane.

Me, on the other hand, my home life sucked. It was as if my parents never knew I existed and sometimes I really believed they didn't. It didn't help that they were always so busy working, throwing parties, or going on paid vacations, which of course they didn't invite me. They didn't even have the decency to tell me when they left and never acknowledged my presence when I'd walk into the room.

So one day I'd had it. I packed my bags  and left without saying a word, but I have a feeling they were glad to see me go. I had wandered across America, desperately searching for a purpose, when I came across the President of this academy at a park of all places. It didn't take him long to convince me to join, especially since it was an academy dedicated to teaching the supernatural beings of the world how to hone their skills.

"Have you been listening to a word I just said?" Jaheara asks me half heartedly since she is used to me spacing out.

"Actually, I was thinking about how we first met." I simply reply.

"Oh", she says, seeming taken aback. When she recovers from my sudden show of what she thought to be emotion, she turns back to me. "You're making it sound like it was this huge adventure of how we first met".

"To some people, it could be considered that. Not everyone grew up being called to different planes of existence you know."

"So you're saying that stumbling through the woods and coming across a portal that summoned a fire elemental is called an adventure?" I turned to look at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Yea. At that point it was the most exciting thing that had happened to me since I joined the academy," I say.

"Well it's not my fault you were wandering around aimlessly because you had no friends." Now that was a low blow, even for our bickering and I can tell she regrets saying it as soon as it comes out of her mouth because she looks away and grimaces slightly. But I still unconsciously hiss at her, revealing my razor sharp fangs. She stops dead in her tracks. "Did you seriously just hiss at me?"

I bark out a "No" without stopping or bothering to turn back, leaving behind a flabbergasted Jaheara.

I pick up speed as I continue to walk towards the auditorium for orientation. After a few seconds of speed walking, I feel a presence to my left, knowing full well who it is since there is no way Jaheara could have caught up to me yet. There are only a handful of people at this academy who can tolerate me, one of them being, "Terry," I address him without bothering to slow down.

"Someone's in a hurry to get away from the pyro," he purrs in his deep, manly voice. If it weren't for the fact that I'm practically incapable of getting close to anyone and that I'm as dense as a rock, I probably would have hooked up with him at least once. His light blonde hair covers his glowing white irises in a way that sends all other vampire girls at the academy reeling.

I simply narrow my eyes at him.

"What?" he asks innocently.

My scowl slowly transforms into a smirk since I know full well he is following me for a reason. "Now there's the smile I wanted to see," he says as he flashes his amazingly white and perfect teeth.

"What do you want Terry?" I ask without breaking stride.

"Oh I want a great many things. Lets see...I want a Ferrari, I want be considered the most attractive man in the world, I want a harem of beautiful women to serve me at my every beck and call..."

"You are disgusting," comments Jaheara after having caught up to us.

"Hey, a man can dream can't he?" replies Terry, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, Val asked."

Jaheara looks over at me and subtly shakes her head as if to say I had it coming.

"I did, regrettably," I sigh. "And don't call me Val."

"Sorry...babe," Terry says with a mischievous grin.

"Ah yes because that's sooooo much better," replies Jaheara.

"Don't start with me Terry," I warn him.

"I can see you are in an exceptionally bright mood this fine morning," states Terry without being phased at all.

"Let's just get this stupid orientation over with," I say through gritted teeth.

"Speaking of orientation," Terry prompts, "I hope you didn't forget that we seniors have to welcome the incoming students to our houses."

"Great, now I have to pretend to care about noobs who don't even know the difference between the sun and the moon," I wine, growing more annoyed. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

"It's not like Jaheara has to do anything though, since she's the only fire elemental at the academy. So you can help us!" Terry nudges Jaheara with his elbow. She merely rolls her eyes.

"Yea, I suppose I can help you guys out. Otherwise Val will just scare all the poor shmucks away." Jaheara gives me a cheeky grin, to which I reply by sticking out my tongue.

We walk in silence for a few moments before Terry suggests he and I race to the auditorium, betting that whoever loses buys the other a drink. We take off with our vampiric speed, leaving Jaheara in the dust.