Subconscious

ᙅᕼᗩᑭTᙓᖇ 1

Cora squirmed in her chair. She glanced up, her heartbeat increasing. She looked down, wishing her gift was invisibility. The waiting room was worse than any other place that she'd been in before. So many eyes, all of them seeming to peel away the layers of her soul.

"I'm so scared," a voice nearby screamed. Cora jumped, then looked around. She zeroed in on the mind, a girl her age looking around superiorly. Her face had a bored, unemotional look to it and she was accompanied by a woman with raven colored hair and the look of nobility. Obviously a noble, Cora thought.

"What if my gift isn't enough to get into?" The girl furrowed her brow, twitching. "I mean, ice is a pretty regular one. What if it isn't good enough?"

Cora relaxed, keeping her eyes on the girl. She was dressed in mage clothes, had large, brown eyes, and mocha-colored skin. Cora allowed herself a small grin. It's good that I'm not the only one who is freaking out.

"Stop staring," Cora's mother, Adren Elias, hissed to her daughter. "It's rude."

Like you've never been rude, a dark, rebellious part of Cora wanted to snap. She even opened her mouth, breath whistling out, but no sound came out. Frustration built up in her, a bitter surge that felt like tears trickling down her cheeks.

Cora was mute. Had been from birth. She bit her lip, instead signing quickly to her mom. Adren rolled her eyes.

"They'll accept you. You're my daughter. They have to." Adren's eyes flicked over Cora. "But if they don't, what'll we do? She's my only child, and a mute at that." She narrowed her eyes at Cora. "Stop that."

Cora sighed, turning away. Another voice screamed out among the clamor of minds in the waiting room. It was a clear, strong voice, but Cora couldn't make out where it came from.

"I'm no noble. Why am I even here? This is crazy." Cora half-rose from her seat, but her mom pulled her down. Cora ignored her, straining as hard as she could to pinpoint the mind. She was nearing it when the doors banged open.

A mage strode in, his dark robes billowing out. Cora locked on him, feeling a flimsy metal barrier resist her for a couple seconds, then his thoughts spilling out before her like an open book. She grinned.

"Another batch of newbies, most of them with no magical talent but a bit of luck." He looked around the room, his lip curling in disgust. "Oh well. Better spoonfeed these rich brats until they meet Sanle." He smiled widely. "Welcome, parents and children. Welcome to Darkhale Academy for the Gifted." A real smile broke out. "Follow me please."

He led them down a long tunnel, the only light torches in brackets along the wall. The only sound was the distant sound of a waterfall and the footsteps of the crowd. The only physical noises, anyway.

Cora closed her eyes, trying to sort through the noise of the minds around her. Most of them were panicked, but a few were steady and composed. A few were very shallow, their only worries their appearance or clothing.

"What am I still doing here?"

"I swear I'm going to cry,"

"That kid over there is so hot. I wonder if he can see me."

"That man is freaking scary!"

Cora stopped shuffling through the minds, as the mage stopped short. Someone ran into the girl beside Cora, the black-haired one she'd noticed earlier.

They'd reached a thick black door inscribed with runes Cora didn't recognize. The mage knocked, his hand very pale against the wood. The door slowly swung open, silver lines appearing and etching out a faint rune.

The light was a sudden assault against Cora's eyes, but it disappeared quickly, sending the room into darkness. The door slammed shut, and several people cried out.