The Arcane Society

Chapter 13

June 29th: 2:51 PM FST

I'm riding on a boat that's like a bus. What I mean is, their slogan is "Hop on, hop off at your leisure."

We went to Notre Dame Church de Paris earlier today. And imagine this. What happens when you donate two euros to Notre Dame? Let me give you the equation

Mom gives you two euros + you drop it into the basket + warm and fuzzy feeling in your heart 10 seconds later + the grand organ and choir sound like heaven in the background = all hell and tears break loose

While I was wallowing in tissues I brought earlier, someone hands me another tissue. They aren't the chapped red hands of my Mom. I manage to look up and my god, if you took Gale from the Hunger Games and gave him a goatee and a stubble, that's what he looked like.

"No, she has one. Thank you." Mom said in French. She looks to me and I rest my head on her shoulder, sniffling. Yes, I hear you. Elisabeth? Crying? But, that's impossible!

Actually, unlike popular belief, I CAN cry, I just cried at an entirely different and more important reason. I felt as if I was confronted with God himself. My life flashes before my eyes. Day after day of being the odd one out in the social game. To put it in short (ready for this?), I felt like a selfish, arrogant, awkward waste of a human being. Yes, I felt like I made a huge error in my life and I can't turn back. I spill everything out once we're outside church.

"I can't do it, Mom! I feel like I've made a huge mistake. I don't understand why everyone thinks I'm so pure, kind, and saintlike when I'm nowhere close." I wail.

Mom looks at me with compassion "Elisabeth, your classmates are rubbish, not you. Have you seen how they've treated you for the past eight long years? They make you look like a saint to every adult you encounter."

"I feel like I've made a mistake...Kayla is the only one who hasn't snapped at me yet." Maybe I was overreacting but, I was thinking about Marlee and I. As Mom and I got crepes and sat by the River Sienne, my thoughts jump to the past.

*quick pause, I'm going to introduce you to Ashley, Phillip, Iliana, and Tiara.*

September 15th, 2005: First day of Kindergarten

I'm herded into a room on a Monday morning with 26 other children and one adult who I figured was just fat. (She was pregnant, but what was I to know?) I walk shyly into the classroom. I'm so scared... I thought. I didn't talk much back in the day. As a matter a fact, I barely looked up.

"Elisabeth! Just in time, you're seated with Phillip, Tiara, Ashley and Iliana." The teacher sounded so excited and happy. To me, it sounded like a death sentence. I walked over and sat down at the pentagonal table. Ashley was a tan girl with a golden braid and grey eyes. She smiled brightly at me and I managed a small smile.

Phillip was a slightly tanner medium height boy with black gazing eyes and spiked up hair. I thought my heart stopped right then and there.

Tiara was pale girl with brown curly hair, pink painted nails, and a leather jacket. She gave me a smile of superiority. It was as if she was saying, "Don't mess with me and I won't mess with you." You'd think I'd be horrified but, I just returned her look of superiority with a friendly smile.

"Alrighty then," The teacher clapped for our attention, "We'll stand up as we hear our name and we'll say our favorite color and birthday." She stood up. "My name is Mrs. Ondamorrow. My birthday is on October 30th and my favorite color is yellow. Alrighty, Phillip, your turn."

He stood, proud and tall. "My name is Phillip. My favorite color is blue and my birthday is..." I kinda zoned out until I heard Marlee. I don't know why that piqued my interest but I listened. She seemed as shy as I did.

"My name is Marlee, my favorite color is blue, and my birthday is June 11th."

Suddenly, Tiara raised her hand. Mrs. Ondamorrow pointed to her.

"How come you're so short?" Everyone started to laugh but Marlee and I. It was kinda true, Marlee was no bigger than a dwarf leprechaun. Then, she started to cry and something inside me burned inside me and surged through every fiber of my being. It was the first feeling of anger I'd remember as long as I lived.

"How come you wear high heels?" I ask coldly. "It's not nice to be mean to others, Tiara. You should know that."

"Elisabeth, I appreciate your kindness to Marlee, but we don't need to be mean at another student." Mrs. Ondamorrow warned. What?!?!? Did she not see what just happened? How am I supposed to be nice and help people when she sides with her? After a while, I heard my name.

"I'm Elisabeth. My favorite color is pink and my birthday is October 2nd." Tiara again raised her hand. Oh no...

"What's with the words? You must be an Alien." I knew she meant accent but she was too stupid to come up with the right word.

"I-I..." I didn't know what I was. So I lied. "I'm South American. I'm not from here." I sat down and glared at her. Play time came soon after and I was playing War with the Boys. House never really interested me, plus I needed some time to cool down. Suddenly, Mrs. Ondamorrow and Marlee pulled me over into the hallway.

"Elisabeth," Mrs. Ondamorrow began, "Marlee wants to thank you for...helping her." She leans forward and gives me a hug, and for a moment, I hug back too. She lets go and heads back into class. Mrs. Ondamorrow continued, "Elisabeth, I want to make sure of something. Why did you help her?" That was a question I couldn't answer at all.

"It felt...wrong." I looked away. "Tiara was making fun of her, I could feel it." I twirled a lock of my brown wavy hair around my finger nervously. "Am I...in trouble, Mrs. Ondamorrow?" I looked at the ground in solemn.

"Yes and no. Yes, because you were being mean to another student. No, because you helped a student when no one else could. I see something inside you, Elisabeth." I knew she meant figuratively but I was losing composure. "All I want you to do is apologize to Tiara."

I lost it. "But, she'll get mad at me! She couldn't possibly return the apologize to me!" I didn't exactly know what the word was for apology yet but, I was starting to get worried. Tiara was already assembling a posse of girls to get back at me.

"Elisabeth, take a deep breath and go apologize." She wasn't one for reassurance. "It'll be easy. Just say I'm sorry." Say I'm sorry? To that...person? But, she'll totally never forgive me!

"Alright." I got up, walked inside and found Tiara.

"I-I'm sorry, I really am." I pleaded. "I thought I could help Marlee."

"Help that sore loser of a kindergartener?" She laughed. "And you, Elisabeth, the toughest girl within the first day of school, asking me a apology? You should join my group!" She gasped, giggling like the little maniac she was. She does know how to make someone happy, but this is for...me! No one else!

"I'm only looking to apologize, nothing else. But, thanks for the group and the nice name." I replied calmly, smiling. I walked away, thinking. "Toughest Girl in School..." Hmm...

Ashley and Iliana suddenly dashed up to me. Ashley began the conversation. "Elisabeth! That was so cool! The whole thing with Tiara." Wow, word travels fast! She was using wild and crazy gestures, I couldn't help but chuckle. "Toughest Girl in School!" She pounded her fist against her hand. That's awesome!"

Iliana continued, a little more relaxed than Ashley. "Want to draw on the whiteboard with us, Tough Girl?"

I lifted my shoulders nonchalantly. "Yes."

To be Continued...

Sorry for the Flashback to be cut into two. It's a bit hard at (Parisian) night to remember things from eight long years ago. I'll be a day behind so I'll cram in 2 entries worth.