DevilFang

The Challenge

School is awesome, and I am probably the only person that you will ever hear say that. Most people would say that I'm crazy, but when I walk through the school on my way to my first class, Spells and Summoning, I realize just how amazing this school really is. Looking around the corridor I see stones all over the wall with glowing cobalt runes on them, which, if you know the right words, will do just about anything. At my feet, unlike most schools, is a dark, almost black, river, which we use for traversing around the school. You might be thinking, "How does that work?" It's actually quite simple—you just use your magic, create a platform that you stand on, and the current does the rest. You never get lost because the water takes you wherever you want to go. Above my head are pumpkin ghosts with faces and spiritual bodies. They are so cool, and they carry around weapons, which is pretty normal around here since you can go out and fight in the Coliseum, which is the size of the Roman Coliseum. So I took the waterways to my class, took a seat, and then looked up to start the lesson. My teacher for this class is Mrs. Crystal, who is a snow nymph with blond flowing hair and icy blue eyes. Today she is wearing the same dress she had on the first day I came to this school—an aquamarine dress with snowflakes scattered throughout it. I remember that day as if it were yesterday.

"Nick, get going. You're going to miss school," my mother urged me.

"What if they hate me at this school, like the others?" I asked her, worried.

"This school is different than the others," she assured me.

I walked out to the bus and got on. This was not a normal bus, though; it was the most comfortable bus ever, with ample legroom and padded leather seats that reclined so that you could sleep or relax on your way to school.

I was in shock and didn't even know how to react; I was used to the crappy buses with ripped-up stiff seats that were horrible. I didn't even know where to sit until someone spoke up. I sat with Kenny, a tall and skinny guy with short brown hair, earthy green eyes and a glistening tan skin. He had a bow made of ivory that was slung over his shoulder, and the ivory's white really stood out on his tan skin. I later found out that he was a fairy—not just any fairy but the prince of fairies. He got mad because I burst out laughing.

"Sorry, sorry," I apologized, but still laughing. "You just don't seem like the princely type."

"You're right about that," he agreed and joined in my laughter.

We got funny looks from everyone on the bus but I didn't care because for once in my entire life, I had found a friend, a comrade, and a brother, and at that moment, nothing else seemed to matter. To most people, one friend isn't something to get all excited about, but for me, the kid who went through what I did at every other school, never getting a friend because I was different and always seen as an outcast, having someone actually saying that I was their friend and putting their trust in me, nothing, and I mean nothing, could stand in the way of that. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let anyone get in the way of this new friendship. I was even happier to discover that he was in my class, and I knew this was shaping up to be a good year. Being new in every school, many fellow students didn't like me or know me, while some wanted to talk to me and get to know me at least for the moment. I told myself that I would take it upon myself to change that, for better or worse, and not wait for change to happen. However, I did not yet know how to go about my plan when I went to class. That's when I met my teacher Mrs. Crystal. I don't really know why but I got into a fight with this kid in the class and Mrs. Crystal froze us both in a block of ice. Me being myself, I melted my way out of it but the fight was definitely over. However, it gave me a wonderful idea to get everyone to know my name—an icebreaker. So after class, I went to the front office, found the intercom and, as loudly as I could, challenged everyone to a duel in the coliseum after school. At that moment, every single jaw of the staff in the office hit the ground.