The Key to X | Editing - but on hold

Artemis

A newspaper was flung at my face, waking me from the dazed state. I blinked twice, before reading the front headlines. In bold, I could see the words: JOHN MILLER. FOUND DEAD. X IS BACK. I groaned, rubbing my face and swallowed nervously. A set of heavy footsteps approached me, my mother, who was holding and reading a letter. She handed it to me wordlessly and rushed upstairs. I scanned the letter before dropping it in surprise. I was going to go to a private school up north. I would be picked up at 1600 Hills Dr., right by the helicopters. I rushed upstairs, packing my bags and stuffed a few necessities inside.

I entered the bathroom, splashing my face with some water to awaken myself from my dazed state. I stared at myself in the mirror, my icy blue eyes staring back at me. I grinned, rushing out of the room and took my backpack and suitcase. My mother stood there, her arms crossed and a frown on her face. I followed her wordlessly to the car and sat down in my seat. She drove out of the driveway, a blank poker face. When we arrived by the helicopters, she gave me a cold look.

"Don't you dare come home. I've had enough years caring for some person like you!" She seethed at me before turning away and drove off, leaving dust on my face. I coughed a few times before turning towards the only helicopter that was there. A tall man emerged taking my suitcase, brushing my hand quickly and put it in the copter. I got in, putting on a pair of earmuffs and buckled my seatbelt. The man started the engine and began to fly off. Just as we took off, my vision blurred and I slumped back into the seat, unconscious.

***

I awoke to a bright blinding light being shone in my face. I blinked several times before sitting up. I was in a bed, and in what looked like to be an infirmary. There was a man sitting right by me, scribbling some things down on a notepad. He looked up, hazel eyes meeting mine before he stood up and cleared his throat.

"I am Headmaster Walker. I am the principal of the Academy. It seems that you passed out on the helicopter. Do not worry about that, it happens to everyone. While you were unconscious, we took a sampling of your DNA, which allowed us to put you in the division and team you would belong best to. This school is a school for the gifted, not by being gifted children, rather by having extraordinary abilities." My eyes widened and yawned a bit. The door opened and I turned to a tall boy with emerald green eyes and curly black hair. I could hear the headmaster huff out a breath before the boy could speak.

"Headmaster," the boy greeted politely. "Our dean can't come at the moment. He sent me to come get our newest teammate." The headmaster nodded, motioning me to leave with the boy. "Oh, and your stuff is in your room. I'll show you around." I nodded, giving the headmaster a polite nod before departing the hospital-like room.

The hallway was empty when I exited the infirmary. The boy grinned at me and led me down the hallway and towards the elevator. He pressed the top button, 10, and waited as the elevator rose up. As soon as it stopped, he continued leading me out, turning several times before stopping in front of a blue door. He rapped his knuckle on the door, waiting impatiently until the door opened, revealing a girl and another boy. I entered, looking around curiously and followed them until we reached what seemed like the living room.

"Sorry, didn't get the chance to tell you my name." The curly haired boy grinned at me again. "We're all a little worried since X is around, you know. He's in town apparently." My eyes widened in fright before nodding. "I'm Marco. My ma and pa named me after Marco Polo. I don't know why. I've been here for about three years, directly after their deaths, and the longest on this team." A small smile appeared on my face before I introduced myself.

"Well, um, my name is Artemis." I swallowed nervously. "My mom named me after the Greek goddess. She died giving birth to me and my dad was murdered. My foster mother hated me and refused to take me back, so I'm stuck here I guess." The girl's eyes widened before she rushed to introduce herself.

"I'm Grace," the girl's amber eyes brightened, beaming at me. "My mom and dad split up, and I was sent here to stop them from fighting over me. I get to see them once in awhile."

"Luis," the last boy smiled faintly at me. "Unlike the rest of you, I have a happy family with happy parents." Grace shot the boy a look, causing him to grin at her mockingly, his mercury gray eyes twinkled mischievously. "Do you have any special abilities, Artie?" I made a face at the nickname before shrugging nonchalantly. I didn't think I was that special, not to the point that I would be sent to a school like this.

"Do you have any hobbies? Or something you like doing? We didn't figure out our special talents until we got here." Grace wondered, tugging on one of her many bracelets. I nodded, replying eagerly.

"Yes! I love imitating people's voices. My dad was a ventriloquist, so he taught me." I nodded, imitating Luis's voice accurately. Luis gave me a look before leading me towards a bookshelf. He tugged on a book, causing the shelf to turn and revealed a room. Inside the room was all of my stuff

"Your room, madam," he grinned at me, allowing me into my new "home." I looked around, pleased with the orderliness and neatness of the room. There was a knock on the door, a boy with messy jet-black hair like my own barged in. He blinked a few times, his gaze on me. "Ah, Artie, this is our dean, the head of our team. His name is Maddox, our headmaster's nephew."

"And I believe you are Artemis?" Maddox questioned, sticking out his hand, which was concealed in black gloves. I nodded, turning back to my room to organize. Luis rolled his eyes at my antics and went off to his room along with the others. I sighed, folding my clothes and putting them in my new closet. I fell onto my bed, my weary eyes closing into a deep sleep.

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Now you've finally gotten the chance to meet Artemis, what do you think of her? Any questions or suggestions? Please let me know in the comments!

Unfortunetly, at this moment, I can't seem to find a picture of a girl that would resemble what Artemis would look like. Apparently, it's rare for a girl to have black hair (or super dark brown hair if you don't believe in black hair) and blue eyes. 

-Charlie