ARTEMIS ACADEMY

TESSERA ( τέσσερα )

Nixie's Point of View:

I was dressing up for school when somebody knocked on my door. "Wait!" I shouted and tied the lace of my boots quickly.

I ran to the door and opened it. There I saw Serafina standing with a sad face. This is my first day of school so why was she sad all of a sudden? I mean, I understand that this school is a lot more difficult than you know but she was wearing this look as if she went through hell and back.

"What's wrong?" I asked her. She sighed and handed me a paper bag.

"It's your scarf and ribbon. See you around the campus." she said and waved her hand.

I jumped on my bed and excitedly opened the paper bag. It was wrapped pretty well that it took me maybe five minutes to open it. The scarf's color is white and so as the ribbon. What group's scarf and ribbon is white?

The Outcast! If my memory is right,  the middle class has grey scarf and grey ribbons and the elites has black scarf and ribbon. Does that mean I'm one of the Outcast? So I don't have an Art huh? I was a bit disappointed but I have no choice but to accept it anyway. I sighed and put on the ribbon and I put the scarf on my neck which should be placed on my arm. I just like it in that way.

I silently walked the hallway and went to the building Tyler showed me yesterday. Tyler, Serafina and Madison toured me around the Artemis Academy last day. Artemis Academy is so big. It took us one day to explore the whole Academy. I arrived on a room filled with students with white scarf's on their arms. Suddenly a girl came running towards me. I was distant at first because I don't know her but her smile melted the ice and I smiled too.

"Hi! Are you the new girl? I'm Elisha. Elisha Drift." she said and we shook hands briefly.

"Nixie Summers." I uttered and she flashed a smile.

She then grabbed my hand and pulled me to the chair next to her. I didn't protest anymore because it was so nice for her to make me feel welcomed. Some of the students looked so unapproachable that it relived me when she introduced herself. I was about to talk with Elisha when a middle aged guy entered the room, prompting the others to sit properly.

"Good morning class. May I know where Ms. Nixie Summers is?" he started and I stood up.

"Miss Summers, please introduce yourself." he ordered and I obliged quickly.

"I'm Nixie Summers. I'm 17 years of age and I hope we all get along well." I fumbled with my fingers while looking at them nervously. They weren't saying anything and that adds up to my anxiousness. Thank God the teacher spoke.

"I'm Professor Apollo Grudge and I'm your training teacher. So class, we'll have an abrupt battle activity. Change your clothes into your battle outfit! Chop! Chop!" Professor Grudge said and I was a bit culture shocked when all of the students ran out and left the class.

A battle on my first day? I don't even know how to properly hold a knife! What more is it to go on a battle with these experienced people?

"Come on, Nixie! We should get going!" Elisha said that pulled me from my reverie. I couldn't mutter any word not until I saw that we were walking the opposite direction where my room was located.

"Uh, Elisha." I mumbled hesitantly.

"What is it?" she stopped on her tracks and looked at me with her questioning eyes.

"That's not where my room is. My room is actually that way." I said while pointing to the opposite direction.

"Really?" she asked amused.

"Yeah, why?" I asked her.

"That hallway leads to the rooms of the Elites, Headmaster Cray and Ms. Farrah. The outcasts' rooms is this way." she said.

"But..." I said and looked at her.

"Of course, sure. You can go by now. Maybe Ms. Farrah will transfer you to our rooms later. See you!" she waved her hand and ran.

I ran as fast as I can too and when I got to my room I quickly wore my battle outfit. It fits me so well. When I got back the classroom there were just a few of my classmates and they are in there battle outfits. I saw Elisha wearing a black long sleeves, black pants, a ripped sleeveless jacket and an ankle boots.

"Nixie!" she shouted ordering me to come closer to her. I ran to her and she was holding arrows and bows.

"You have a bow and arrow." I told her and touched it.

"Yeah. Every one of us has a weapon of our own. You should get one. Not now though." she said.

Wow. Just wow. A weapon of our own? Sounds good. Professor Grudge went inside and escorted us on the battle field. The battlefield was big. Enormous perhaps. The battlefield consisted of plain grass and a steel net as walls. When Professor Grudge gave us glasses everything in the battle field changed. One part of the battlefield is a jungle, one part is a dessert and another one is like an underwater world.

"It's just an illusion." Elisha whispered and I nodded in response.

Professor Grudge grouped us into three and luckily Elisha and I are group mates. We will be going to one part of the battlefield and make a post and make it our main headquarters. We should defend it and Professor Grudge said that we can hurt anyone. He also said that we should not worry for there is a white witch and a healer around to treat our wounds. We can kill someone as long as we can defend our post. The post who will remain standing will be declared as winner. If there are two posts who remain they will decide who the winner is by the number of the group mates that remain unscathed.

After Professor Grudge said the rules we went to our post. Our group went to the jungle. We walked deeper into the jungle to its middle part. We made some traps around our post and we went on standby. We heard gunshots and all sorts of loud noise. When the sound faded we began to take charge. Me and other students were left in the middle of the jungle to guard our post. After an hour we heard some footsteps coming our way. My group mates took their position and hold on to their weapons.

When a student appeared, the place began to be messy.

"Nixie! Go back to the post and guard it with all your might." Elisha ordered and started shooting arrows to the enemies

"How about you?" I worriedly asked because she had obtained a wound on her shoulder which was bleedig furiously.

"Don't worry about me! Guard the post!" she shouted and left me there to assist my groupmates in defeating the trespassers. I couldn't decide whether to follow or to guard the post which Elisha ordered me to do. I'm a first timer in this! I didn't even receive any basic training.

In the end, I guarded the post and was on alert for any attacks from the other groups. The sound of bullets and grenades exploding had engulfed the whole battlefield. I wanted to check what was happening but the sound of a foot stepping on a leaf had alerted me. It's an ambush!

"Cover your ears!" someone shouted and I did what it said. I covered my ears before a screeching sound covered the whole forest. It's a sonic grenade!

I saw a student trying to break our post so I attacked him. I handled to stab him with a dagger and I shoot him two times but he still stood. He held his knees and smiled at me. It sent chills to my back when he smiled, so I took a step back.

He pointed his bow and arrow to me so I panicked and the next thing I knew there was a bright light which blinded all of us temporarily.