Over the weekend, Aunt Raven and I shopped for things to decorate my room. I looked around the room that's changed so much over the past two days. Set up on the dresser were a television and a PlayStation 4. On the desk was a sketchpad, an array of color pencils and a spiral notebook for my stories and songs. I went to the closet and looked at the clothes. Unfortunately, we were so focused on furnishing that we forgot to buy a new wardrobe. I left the room and knocked on my aunt's door.
"We forgot something did we not?" She asked me. I nodded and pulled at my clothes. Her mouth took an 'o' shape and she waved me inside. I sat on her bed and she pulled out a gorgeous dress. I took the dress in my hands and just stared at its beauty. Glittering silver thread was stitched into the white fabric of the bodice and created a pattern of wolves howling. The skirt of the dress flowed like a flower in the wind. My aunt also held out a silk-like cape that would be fastened around my neck.
"This dress was inspired by elven wedding dresses of old. Though, it does not need to be used as such." I looked from the dress to her and she nodded gently, telling me that it was okay for me to wear it today. I heard myself squeal and I delicately took the dress and cape back to my room. Once it was on, I realized that I don't have shoes that go with it. I heard a knock on the door and turned to see my aunt coming in with a pair of white flats in her hand.
"I know how you feel about heeled shoes." I smiled at her and slipped the flats on my feet. Everything about this outfit fit perfectly, almost like it was made for me. I twirled slightly and looked at my aunt, who was smiling softly. I tapped on the wood of my bedframe.
"Of course it could be worn to school. I remember you telling me that you often stood out in the best ways possible." She delicately took my chin in her hands. "At Undertale you will stand out for being human but, I have faith that you will do great things there."
Her touch and voice were soft. It reminded me of my mother and how she would do her best to always encourage me. My aunt's thumb brushed a tear from my cheek and she pressed her lips against my forehead. "Now, you must go. You do not want to be late for your first day of school."
I nodded and filled my schoolbag with the things I knew I would need. Notebooks, pencils, highlighters, erasers, my sketchpad, my personal notebook, and my cell phone. Shouldering the bag, I turned and smiled at my aunt. She held out her hand to me and I saw that she was offering me a bronze chainlink necklace. The pendant held a bronze dragon with a single red ruby eye. "This was your mother's when she was a child. It brought her much luck and when she gave birth to you, she asked me to gift it to you should anything happen to her."
It was like my body was on autopilot after I heard those words. I remember putting on the necklace and then making the short walk to the school building. I looked up at the sky and held out my hand, measuring the time. My parents taught me this in case I ever got lost or kidnapped. Determining it was about half-past seven in the morning, I made my way towards the main office. The receptionist was a kind skeleton monster. He had a kind aura about him and it made me feel welcome here. I glanced over my schedule.
Locker number: 28
Combination: 16-40-32
Hour 1: Visual Art
Hour 2: Chemistry
Hour 3: Physical Education
Lunch Shift 1
Hour 4: Free Period
Hour 5: PreCalculus
Hour 6: History
Hour 7: Astrology
It seemed like my aunt Raven knew me better than I thought when she chose my classes. I decided to go to my locker first and drop off my school bag. I hummed a random song to myself, not caring that I was being stared at by students of all social circles. What broke me from my trance-like state was the small skeleton that flew into the lockers right next to me. Out of instinct, I rushed to the student's side to check if they were okay. The back of their skull was cracked slightly and it didn't look like they could focus on looking at anything.
"F-Fresh!" A yellow dinosaur monster rushed up and sat on her knees next to me. Hearing people laughing behind me, I looked at her and vigorously signed. 'Can you understand me?'
She nodded and I sighed in relief. 'Take him to the nurse. I'll find out what caused this.'
The dinosaur shakily lifted up her friend and started taking him down the hallway. The laughing got louder and I turned to the group of people. They all had some form of sports attire on but that's not what surprised me. What surprised me was that in the front and center of it all was PaperJam, the boy I met at Grillby's the other day. I felt my necklace grow warm against my breast and my hands formed fists. Yet, as quickly as my anger came, it left. I gazed at the skeleton with pity. I turned to my locker and tapped on the red painted metal. 'I'm disappointed in you.' I closed my locker and turned to look at the group of jocks. They were staring at me the same as if trying to determine where I stand in the social circles.
"She helped those nerds." A red-haired fish monster punched her palm. "That deserves a beating." The monsters around her nodded and looked to PJ. He was just staring at me, a bit of sadness flashing across his eyes. A black-boned skeleton with bright purple hair clapped PJ on his back.
"It's your call, bro! Just say the word and we'll pummel her." PJ nodded and the jocks moved in closer to me. I sighed to myself and pushed my way past the group of bullies.
"Hey!" The purple-haired skeleton that was talking to PJ earlier grabbed my arm and roughly pulled me back. "I don't know who you think you are, princess. But you should know better than to walk away from us." He pushed me towards the group and I was held back by a cat monster. The fish and the skeleton took turns throwing punches at me but, none of them connected. It was like I had a barrier protecting me. This wasn't the first time this had happened to me, the barrier I mean. This was my first time getting held back and almost beaten. I faintly heard the ring of the tardy bell echo throughout the school.
All of a sudden, the purple-haired skeleton summoned a ball of flaming magic and threw it at me. I stomped my foot on the cat's and he yowled in pain, letting go of me. I tackled the cat and the flaming magic barely missed us. I glared at the skeleton, who stared at the cat in shock. I get up and offer my hand to him with a soft smile. The cat took it and I helped him up then, I turned to the skeleton. He hid behind PaperJam and I directed my glare towards him. I started to sing since I can't express myself properly.
"They say stay in your lane boy, lane boy," I jabbed my finger on his chest and I heard him mumble the next line.
"But we go where we want to." I waved my arm, gesturing to the rest of his friends.
"They think this thing is a highway, highway" I made eye contact with PJ, my glare softening slightly. "But will they be alive tomorrow?" The bell sounded, indicating the end of the first class of the day. I turned to my locker and opened it, grabbing my notebook and pencil pouch. My dark, curly hair bounced because of my sudden movements as I turned to look at my athletic peers.
"Though I'm weak and beaten down, I'll slip away, into the sound." I looked at PJ, repeating the words of the song I sang last night. "The ghost of you is close to me. I'm inside out, you're underneath. Don't let me be gone. Don't let me be gone." I turned on my heel and walked away to my next class before they could start more problems. This is gonna be a long year.
YOU ARE READING
The Divide Between Us | Book Two of The Judgement series
Hayran Kurgu"New school, new life but this time, I'm not with my parents. No, they're gone and nothing can bring them back." Cora Hadley has been orphaned and forced to move in with her Aunt Raven, who lived overseas. The school she was enrolled in was not like...
