Illuminae Heights

Thanks, mom

Chapter 2

We were shoved along with every other student into the main door. Guards lined the crowd and I kept thinking about what Blake said. Some of the students get... competitive. To the point where they want to murder their competition? I thought Illuminae Heights was just a school. Now I kept thinking that maybe everyone around me weren't my friends but my competitors. Adara smiled at me and I forced a smile back on my face. I wasn't feeling afraid or worried. I was feeling how an Illuminae should feel: fine. Perfectly, and utterly fine. "Welcome Students. Please find your way to the Grand Hall for a meeting of how Illuminae Heights works." The woman's voice was cold yet slightly familiar and sent shivers down my spine. She must be the Headmistress. Everyone, including me, was walking with the kind of elegance we were taught. Illuminaes were supposed to be like royalty. We had to act like it too. I walked through the door and found myself standing in a giant hallway filled with memorial portraits and Headmasters of the past. The eyes of the photos followed us as we walked and around me, people murmured to each other in discomfort. We had never seen a hallway so filled with images of the dead. The dead were buried on the other side and the pain of losing them usually left people in a few weeks. The demons got the long-lasting pain I had seen in old movies. A photo beside me caught my eye and I crept closer to get a better look. The man in the photo was the only one smiling in the entire corridor. He had dark hair and blue eyes and his suit was a bit too big for him. Adara followed me and looked at the name. "Brandon James Taylor. Did you know him?" I took a deep breath and nodded. I wonder how Elijah felt right now. That would tell me how I felt. Instead, I felt numb. "I think that's my father."

Her blue eyes filled with concern as she took in my expression. "You never met him?" I shook my head and trailed my finger down the photo. "I didn't know he went here. Barely knew he existed. My mom doesn't talk about him. She said she met my father at school and that he walked out before I was born. But if they met at this school... Adara, what if my dad got killed here?" She tilted her head to the side, as if contemplating it. "If he did, why would your mother send you here? Why would she lie about it? Something's not adding up." I nodded, realizing she was right. If my dad did get killed here, why would she risk me dying too? I was so confused but one thing was certain: if I wanted answers, they'd be here. And if Blake hadn't been lying and this school really was some sort of competition, I wouldn't let anyone get close enough to kill me until I had answers about everything, including the message from Elijah. We kept walking until we reached what I was sure was the Grand Hall. It was huge, as the name implied, and filled with seats that reminded me of my local theatre. The floors were made of black stone and a giant golden chandelier hung above us but it wasn't lighting up the room. Instead, little circular lights did the job. I sat down beside Adara as people flooded the room. I was surprised to see so many people with abilities around me. I was used to being one of the only ones who had this kind of power. Now I was in a sea of people just like me. Teachers lined the back wall of the stage, dressed in extravagant tuxedos and gowns and leaving a mahogany podium standing alone in the middle. I wondered when the meeting would start and if, later on, I'd be allowed to contact my mother and try getting some answers from her. Maybe Elijah would message me again, but I wasn't sure. Adara seemed a bit nervous so I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. I looked at the people around us, trying to put this whole moment to memory. There were two boys beside me and a couple beside Adara that seemed to barely realize they were in public. It was interesting, however, that both of them had powers and had ended up together. At my school, once the tests were completed, the ones without power got jealous and the few kids who had the abilities had soon broken up with or been dumped by their boyfriend/girlfriend because of arguments concerning the power distribution amongst the two. Of course, we weren't many, five if I remember correctly. But the ones in a relationship soon found themselves alone. My boyfriend at the time had gotten so jealous that he could barely look at me. I broke up with him when I realized there was no fixing it and even now, when I think of him I feel a bit of anger seeping through the cracks of my bond with Elijah. One of the boys beside me turned around and held out his hand. "Hi. I'm Kaden; it's nice to meet you both." I smiled and shook his hand, Adara did the same after. The boy had dark brown hair, dark eyes and tanned skin. His smile was the kind that could make you smile back no matter what and it was comforting in seconds. He was sitting down, but you could tell he was tall. "I'm Lila. This is Adara." Recognition flashed through his eyes. "You're the two girls who could lift the rock!" We nodded, uneased. He grinned. "That's really cool. Have you met the other guy? Sam?" I shook my head and inquired "have you?"