Escape

3 • €uro

Whoops I'm late, what a surprise(!) Well, at least it's a Sunday, eh?

Written by: Daisy Quacquarelli
Edited by: Daisy Quacquarelli

Kieria's POV

I pulled up slowly to the gates. They had been noticeable from a fair distance away; tall, iron posts strung together in an aesthetically pleasing pattern but sturdy all the same. They seemed that even I could not break them down and, despite the building having been in her taste, the entrance made me feel small and vulnerable and I didn't like it. I hated being intimidated.

That was one of the reasons I despised driving inside the actual car and preferred to sit on the roof; they could crush me at any point, completely obliterate me and I wouldn't be able to prevent the inevitability of the fall.

I rattled the bars but they didn't budge so I decided to just do what she normally did. In a matter of seconds, I had strapped my bike to my back and was scaling up the gate. In a matter of seconds, I had reached the top and jumped to the ground. Swiftly, I swung my bike off of my back and continued to ride towards the building.

I skidded slightly as I halted, glancing around at the array of students, some with parents, some, like myself, alone. Just as I towards the school, I heard a cawing of a bird from behind me. Turning, I spotted that a crow had perched on the handlebars of my bike.

"Shoo," I whispered, flaying my hands to get the bird off. It didn't move but instead surveyed my with its blank stare. I turned away

"Don't wave your arms at me." I jumped about a foot in the air and spun round, looking around for the speaker.

"Who said that?" I asked, having a faint incline to what might be the answer but not wanting to voice my thoughts.

"Me." This time I saw he crows beak open and the sound seemed to come from it. It didn't soothe me though. On the contrary, my brows contracted and I frowned however I wasn't in confusion for very long. At that moment, the bird hopped off of my handlebars and flew to the ground, flapping it's wings slightly as it landed.

Soon, I felt myself gasp as the bird began to mutate; it's fathers began travelling to the top of its head, thinning out into strands, it began to grow dramatically, its claws turning into humans feet and the feathers on its body began to form clothes, colouring themselves to form the disgusting uniform of PART Boarding School.

A girl stood in front of me, shorter by far, with long flowing black hair and dark eyes that seemed to be seeing right through you. "Caliapina," she said, stretching out a hand that, seconds before, had been covered in feathers. "But call me Calia. It's easier."

I nodded and took her hand, gripping it as gently as I could muster. Even so, I saw her face contract with the slightest pain but she smoothed it out almost immediately.

I had been too enticed with her shapeshifting skills that I didn't notice two cars had pulled up, one being the yellow Picanto I had passed on my way up to school. I only looked round when a voice pulled me from looking at the ex-bird in front of me.

"You!"