A Half-Blood's Blade

Chapter 1

I pushed the door to the student parking lot open, shouldering my heavy book bag as I made my way toward my car. I sighed, thinking of the wonderfully horrendous weekend I was going to have finishing all this homework I got assigned. I wasn’t gonna have much time for anything this weekend. I groaned, realizing that I was going to miss the doughnut eating contest tonight at the football game.

“Man, I was really looking forward to that,” I murmur, not realizing that I’d just thought outloud. I pull my key ring from a belt loop on my pants as I approach my blue 2011 Ford Fiesta, unlocking the door and throwing my book bag onto the passenger’s side. I zip up my jacket the rest of the way, wishing that I’d brought a bigger one. It was around forty-ish degrees today, which is pretty chilly for North Carolina in October.

“Kat! Wait up, don’t leave yet!” I hear a voice yell from the direction of the school building. I look up from where I was leaned over(trying to get my book bag to stay up straight in the seat) to see my best friend Sarah running towards me. I straighten up, getting ready for the inevitable hug that’s on the way, even though we only saw each other about three hours ago at lunch. She squeals as she hugs me, her arms encircling me and her flute case hitting my back rather hard as they do so. My arms can’t reach all the way around her because of her freaking huge book back that’s in the way.

“Hey,” I say tiredly, pulling back from her hug, “aren’t you playing at the game tonight?”

She huffed, her long-ish dark hair bouncing as she placed her hands on her hips, “Yeah, of course I am! Marching band all the way, baby!” she says beaming, her bright blue eyes filled with excitement. She grins at me, “You’re in band, you should join marching band. It’s an extra half a credit…” she says, trying to tempt me like she always does.

I smile and roll my eyes playfully, shutting the car door so I can lean on it, “Balancing AP classes and a sucky step-loser is hard enough.”

“Well, I guess that one of the top students in the class of 2015 can’t do everything. You’ve still got next year, so if you change your mind, you can still join.” Sarah says, shifting her weight.

“I’ll think about it. So… aren’t you supposed to be up in the band room right now?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at her.

“We’re not technically supposed to be up here until five thirty.” Sarah explains, putting her hands behind her back, “So… I don’t really have anything to do until then, and I don’t have a car to get home in…”

“…You want me to drive you home?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

“Yup!” she chirps, making her way over to the passenger’s side with a swing in her step, “Take me home, Chauffeur!”

I open the door and lean over to grab my book bag, pulling it out and running back to the trunk. I popped it open and dropped my bag in, Sarah walking over and placing hers in as well. I looked over at her while I shut the trunk, “You’d better be glad that your house is really close to mine and not exceedingly out of the way.”

She laughed lightly, “Well, I could always pay you the ten cents worth of gas it takes to get from your house to mine.”

“Oh, keep your money. At least by carpooling like this, we’re saving gas overall.” I said, sitting down in the driver seat and turning on the motor.

/

I walk into my house, shutting the front door behind me and turning around to be greeted by my stepdad’s trademark scowl and dark brown eyes filled with judgment. I try to avoid looking straight at him for fear that I’d just drop dead right then and there.