FAWE

Chaos Reborn

I woke to glaring eyes.

The girl huffed, Finally, youre awake. Come on, or else youll make us late to breakfast. I sat up, causing the girl to lean back. I looked her up and down, and said, Then I guess youre not eating.

She stiffened, her black hair seeming to stand on end in anger. I stared at her, waiting for her to speak. As the stare-off continued, a crowd grew around us. The other girls were curious, even wary, but I wasnt. I was angry and annoyed with this girl.

You dont get to decide that, newbie, she said. I smiled and laughed, lifting my hands up for her to see. I let my anger coalesce, forming small flames burning in the center of my palms. The girls eyes reflected fear, but her face betrayed nothing.

I wouldnt call me a newbie if I were you. I could burn you from the inside out if I so wished. Also, you probably saw me fight yesterday. I can take care of myself, and any bitch that doesnt agree, I said, letting the flames turn white hot.

The girl looked ready to leap upon me, fire or no, when another girl stepped forward and said, Enough, Courtney. Go tell the teachers that well be late to breakfast because of your petty jealousy. Courtney glared at the other girl, her brown eyes burning, but she did as the other girl said.

I didnt ask for help, I said, turning to the new girl. She shook her head, waterfall of silver-blonde hair falling over her dark face, and answered, It wasnt for you. It was for the rest of us, who need to eat. Using FAWE magic takes a lot out of you. You, Ava, should be hungry, but maybe youre different than the rest of us. Who knows?

The girl turned her back and walked away, and most of the girls followed her out of the cavern. I looked around for Emma, and saw her standing near my bed. She watched me for a second, then held out some clothes.

I took the offering, and quickly dressed. Emma was slightly shorter than me, so the jeans were above my ankles, but I didnt care. After I was dressed, Emma asked, Why do you wear that necklace all the time?

I looked at her, confused, then looked down. Around my neck, mysteriously, was a small golden charm on a thin black cord. I lifted up the charm, and saw that it was two triangles overlapping each other. I shrugged, letting go of the charm, and said, I didnt realize I was wearing it.

Emma nodded, accepting my answer, then led me to the other side of the cave. We walked through the tunnel together, not talking, until we reached the lunch room.

We got into line without much chaos. Mr. Hink was right: everyone are animals in the line. Pushing, shoving, cursing, and growling echo up and down the line. I leaned towards Emma as a boy was elbowed back three paces by an older student, and asked, Is the food really so good?

My friend smiled, and answered, Its actually very delicious, unlike normal school food. This food is packed with nutrients and flavor, and the chefs are Earth elementalists that grow their own food. Trust me, when you try it, you wont believe that it came from a cave.

I nodded, not really trusting her word, and grabbed a plate with a hamburger on it. Emma wrinkled her nose at my choice, and grabbed a veggie enchilada. Once we had our food, we went to sit at the Air section of tables.

You can get dinner food for breakfast, I said, sitting down at a table. Emma nodded, sitting down across from me. I shook my head in disbelief, and bit into my hamburger. The flavor filled my mouth, and I almost groaned. Apparently, I had forgotten what food tasted like.

The burger was gone in seconds. Emma stared at me, astonished, and I shrugged. It was good, Ill give you that, I said, smiling as I wiped the juice from my lips, But Im famished. I cant remember the last time I ate. Emma smiled at me, then said, Get back into line. Theyll make you more burgers if you want.