Moon Curse

Chapter 3 - Nyx

Nyx stormed into chemistry class right on time, miraculously. Almost everyone was already there, sitting on black plastic stools that were tucked near black chemical proof tabletops. Most everyone was chatting with people around them, or they were on their phones. The teacher wasn't in the room yet.

Nyx slid into a seat on the side of the classroom, which was one of the only seats left. There was an empty seat to the right of her, and there was a girl sitting next to her that she thought she recognized from her study of the students during the assembly. If Nyx wasn't mistaken, this girl was popular, but not the queen bee.

She had a hot pink purse draped over her shoulder, and she wore a matching hot pink skirt with a floral top. Nyx wasn't sure where all her books were, because that purse probably couldn't hold more than a couple coins. The girl had straight brown hair, which looked overly shiny, like she'd put too much product into it.

Her attention quickly directed to the door, when a familiar boy walked through the door. This time, he had on a white shirt. Nyx could see his pecs and abs through it, which she supposed was the point. His dark hair was dripping around his face, and it was spiky and scattered in a perfectly messy way. She hated it.

He caught her eye with his bright blue ones. He grinned at her and walked over to her table. He plopped into the seat to her right. She glared at him.

"Can't you find another seat?" Nyx asked.

He looked around. "You see another seat, princess? I'd be happy to move if I saw one." He raised his eyebrows. She glared at him, and didn't look around. She already knew he was right.

Just then, a man she assumed was the teacher walked into the room. He was maybe sixty years old, and his hair was white. He had a mustache, too.

"Good morning class. I hope your day is going well. My name is Mr. White, and I am your chemistry teacher for this year. I look forward to getting to know all of you. Let me just do a quick role call. Adrianna Bennett..."

The girl next to Nyx called, "Here!"

"Nyx Blossom..."

She called out, "Here."

The boy next to Nyx looked over at her. He hadn't known her name before now. She realized she didn't know his either. Not that she cared...

"William Dixon... Gabrielle Emerson..." The teacher, Mr. White, read our name after name. Nyx studied the boy next to her, watching closely to see which name was his. Finally, it came. "Drake Sparrow..."

"Here." Said the boy, Drake Sparrow. As the teacher read on, she studied Drake some more. It shouldn't matter, his name, but it did. She decided Drake was a good name for him.

"Alright, as I was saying, welcome. We will start off this year with a lab. It will be done partially outside of class, and partially in class."

One student, a boy, raised his hand. Mr. White nodded to him, and told him to say his name. "Drew, sir. And I was thinking, we haven't learned anything yet. How can we do a lab without having learned anything?"

"Not to worry, son. It won't be graded harshly. It is just a test of the knowledge you have of chemistry so far. Also, you will have double the knowledge, as I will be assigning groups of two." He said. Then he started pairing off students. "Grey, Phillips. McGregor, Andrews. Wolfe, Bullock. Blossom, Sparrow. Bennett, Foley..."

Oh no. Just her luck. Why was Nyx paired with Drake of all people? Literally the only person she didn't like, at least so far. She rolled her eyes. "So, I guess we're lab partners."

"Yup. You got a problem with that, little princess?" Said Drake. God, he was so annoying. She glared at him. He said, "You know, that isn't a very attractive expression. Maybe try to smile a little more, and you'll be more likable."

"Likable? You don't even know a thing about me." Nyx said. She glared harder at him. He just sighed and turned away, because Mr. White was talking again.

"You will do a few days of research on the elements, then you will be picking one of these to study. I am handing out a list of some elements you can choose, as I have them here. Then, you will conduct a lab report on your element, along with creating your own lab having to do with this assignment. Get creative!" He handed out two sheets of paper. One had about fifty elements on it, while the other was a grading rubric.

"Ah, look at the time! You have lunch now. Remember to feed those growing teenage bodies! Have a healthy lunch!" Everyone just rolled their eyes. Nyx just smirked. She hadn't grown at all for over four hundred years.

Drake looked over at her and noticed her amused look. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"Nothing." Nyx replied. She thought about an honest answer: Oh, just that I'm five hundred years old and haven't aged for almost as long, and come to think of it, I'm a mythical creature that transforms into a sphynx at night! Yes, that would go down nicely. She chuckled darkly.

Drake looked confused, but he didn't press it. He walked out into the hall, keeping close to her side. She turned a random corner, and he followed. When she turned again, he still kept by her.

"Stop following me."

"I'm not following you."

"Yes, you are. Why?"

"Cause you have no friends to eat lunch with, and since this is not the way to the cafeteria, you probably aren't eating at all. But you should listen to Mr. White, we should really eat."

"Why do you care? You don't even know me. You don't even like me." Nyx retorted. It was true, she wasn't going to eat. But it wasn't because she had not friends, as sad as that was true. She didn't need to eat anything during the day, which was kinda cool, Nyx supposed. But she didn't need Drake finding that out.

"Ok, how about this: you eat something, and I'll take you up on that fighting thing. And I'll go easy, I promise." Said Drake.

Damn. Nyx really wanted that fight. And it wasn't like she couldn't eat. Just that she didn't need to. What harm could it do? And, fighting would put Drake in his place."Fine. Just a small salad, though. Your treat." Nyx said.

Drake grinned. "Deal." They kept walking. Drake cleared his throat. "But, uh, the cafeteria is actually this way." He said, pointing behind them.

"Of course it is. I knew that." Nyx said. She turned around and stomped that way, pretending she'd known the whole time. He snickered. Then they walked to lunch together.