Amity

Chapter 28: The Fiery Mrs. Gladestone

Five rows of students sat on square-shaped pillows on the floor, the colors of their uniforms ranging from red, to blue, to green. Each pair of eyes set on Tiffany, who stood at the front of the class, her arms folded across her chest. She wore a red kimono underneath a silver breastplate and black pants. A barrel full of black training swords stood by her side. In front of her was a small, wooden table, where a stack of clothes wrapped in plastic laid.

Her eyes went straight for Dré. There was something in her hardened face that shook him. Her black eyes pierced through him, scowling as if he'd insulted her and her family. She was the polar opposite of the quiet, cheerful woman that was thanking him for standing up to her daughter. Her scowl looked as foreign from the motherly smile he remembered as black was from white. "Name?"

"Ke'Undré Wolf," he said, trying to sound as bold as he could. He failed at it.

Tiffany rummaged through the barrel of weapons, pulling out a double edge, hand and a half practice sword. She took one of the bagged clothes from the table and handed him both. "Changing rooms are in the back of the class. I expect you back in no less than three minutes."

The stentorian tone of her voice said that she wasn't joking. Rushing past the rows of students, he rushed to the six doors on the far end of the classroom. His shirt was off before he shut the door. The changing station was a bit basic compared to the luxurious, castle-like academy. It was a small, square-shaped room. The walls looked to have been made of wood. The only thing that hung on the walls was a tall mirror. Ripping the back open, he changed into the clothes provided: a fire-red tunic, with sleeves that reached his elbow, a pair of tan slacks, and a black leather belt.

He held his street clothes under his arms as he dashed out of the changing room, sitting in the only pillow available; directly in the middle of the first row.

Glancing at her watch, Tiffany closed and locked the classroom door before turning back to her students. "Welcome to your first official day as an Amian. I am Tiffany Gladestone, a mistress of fire and a twenty-five-year veteran elemancer. You all have been sent to this school not just to learn about your heritage that was hidden from you, but also to wield the power that's welling inside each and every one of you. This power is known as elemancy, the basic control of the elements of life. You will learn more about elemancy and how to control it in your elemancy class. For now, we shall focus on learning to defend yourself without depending heavily on elemancy.

"The reason that we bother to use weaponry is simple. Our elemancy is to be used sparingly, especially if you are a water elemancer who focuses their elemancy on healing. For you see, it is very possible to overuse elemancy. Which is one of the reasons why you are in this class.

"The other reason is discipline, which is where your first lesson will begin. Each of you were given a wooden box. As you've received your schedule, you were told not to unwrap the plastic from the box due to protocol. If you have defied your first order and the protocol set in our illustrious school, you will be punished for it. Now, please place your box in front of you."

Dré let out a sigh of relief as he placed his unwrapped box from the bundle of his clothes and placed it in front of him. If he wasn't so afraid of rebelling against his brother, his curiosity would've gotten the best of him. At the last clack of the box being placed on the lacquered wooden floor, Tiffany strode down each of the rows of students with the grace of a hardened assassin, her bare feet silent on the hard floor. With each student she passed, she picked up their box and examined it before placing it back on the ground.

Maybe she'll recognize me after she looks at my box, Dré thought to himself. The reason that she was almost as indifferent to him as the other students had to be because she just didn't recognize me, right? Maybe after she gets a good look at me, she'll remember what I did for Megumi and ease up on me. I hope.