Guardians of Plaxas

Chapter the Nineteenth: Opal

Bella and Kaitlynn are out for a walk again.

I came back from a trip to the ice cream shop with Jemma to find a note on my pillow telling me as much.

I'm sort of annoyed that Kaitlynn and Bella are spending so much time with each other without me, but I have other friends too, and I think that them being together really helps them with stress with their studies.

I struggle through my homework that I had neglected yesterday, finishing Creatures homework just as my friends get back.

As soon as they tumble through the door, I reel backwards. "Where were you guys? You stink!"

Kaitlynn and Bella look at each other and begin laughing. Eventually they turn to me and tell me the story.

"Bella really really wanted to touch the dragons in their stalls," Kaitlynn says.

Bella hits her on the arm. "You act like you didn't!" she cries.

I raise my eyebrows and Kaitlynn continues.

"Anyway, Bella fell into the stall as she tried to touch one, right into some dragon poop! And it got all over me when I tried to help her,"

I laugh. "Well, I'm going down to dinner while you two clean yourselves off. Maybe put some air fresheners around the room, I hear you can buy them from a year 4 student on the third floor!"

The two roll their eyes at each other as I walk out the door.

I'm crossing the hallway to the stairs when I happen to glance out the window. Two seniors have touched down on their dragons and are hurrying towards the front door.

I dash down the stairs to hear what they've found. I bound into the front hall as they're banging on the door.

Teachers stream from the dining hall, followed by a waterfall of curious students. I hang by the stairwell door as Saimad opens the front gates.

On the threshold, the seniors are panting and one is supporting the other. Saimad ushers them inside.

"What's wrong, students? What is it?"

"Sun elves," the one being supported gasps. "We saw them on the Southern border, heading into Plaxas. We spent no time trying to get back here, because....well, they were sun elves,"

"How many?" Saimad eases the student being supported off of the other.

"Three," the second reports. "They were traveling on striped phoenixes, going so fast they'll probably get here by the morning."

Saimad grows pale. He hands the first student off to the year 2 teacher. "Bring this young man to the hospital wing." He beckons to the other student. "Come, we must discuss."

I hurry from the front hall, up the stairs to my room. Sun elves! I've heard of all these creatures, these other beings that rule outside of Plaxas, but Plaxas itself is a strict humans-only environment, so I've never seen them.

Kaitlynn throws open the door as I'm going to knock on the door. She ushers me inside, thankfully no longer smelling like dragon poop.

"What happened? We heard a disturbance downstairs. It must be something big,"

Bella is sitting on the lower bunk, looking worried. A folded up paper is in her left hand.

"It's....it's Sun elves. Apparently they're coming from the South,"

Bella jumps off the bunk, nearly hitting her head. The paper in her hand flutters to the floor, forgotten. "I-I have to go,"

We both look at her. "What do you mean, you have to go?" asks Kaitlynn.

"I mean, I have to leave the school. I can't be here,"

"What? No! What do you mean?" cries Kaitlynn.

"My mom is a Sun elf." Bella explains. "And if they ever saw me here, they'd kill me for her betrayal to the tribe."