Rebel

Chapter 2

19/07, 20th Year of the Rebellion

Government Territory

Felicity was in the graveyard, staring at an unmarked grave, when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Headmistress Lillith wishes to see you," said Vlad, Felicity's personal least favourite student at The Academy. He'd never liked her either, probably because she was top of every subject, and he was, well...

"Twenty years at this school, and what never fails to surprise me," she drawled without turning, "Is your ability to barge in at entirely the wrong moments."

"It's about the rebellion. It's urgent," he said gruffly, his voice not betraying an ounce of emotion.

"Is it ever not about the rebellion?" Felicity asked irritably, finally turning around. "Why don't we ever meet up for tea and cake? I always like a good slice of cake, no matter what company I eat it in. And anyway, why do they always send you? Why couldn't they send, maybe, Cece?" Suddenly bombarded with unpleasant memories, she shook her head violently.

"Wait, I take that back. Don't send her."

Vlad just stared at her stonily.

"Yes, yes, I'm coming."

*****

No matter how many times Felicity entered the head's quarters in The Academy, it always chilled her. The office had a sort of perpetual cold about it, the stone walls taking all the heat and giving none back. The sparse furniture and absence of decoration didn't help.

As she took in the familiar decor, she couldn't help but be brought back to her first visit to this particular room...

*****

24/12, 102nd Year of Peace

Government Territory

Felicity peered through the crack in the door, squinting in the inconveniently dim light. The only sign of life she could see in the large room beyond was the back of a head full of unruly dark hair. She reminded herself to tell Liam to get a haircut. She stiffened as another figure entered the room via a door that she couldn't see.

The headmistress was a short, plump woman, with choppy platinum hair, a patronising smile, and gleaming onyx eyes that betrayed her true nature. Though she had reached her Mortal Point – the point in a fíth's life at which they stop aging – at about twenty-four, no one knew quite how old Headmistress Lillith was. No one alive, anyway.

"Why Lilly, don't you look absolutely ravishing today."

Felicity could practically see his radiant, albeit mischievous grin. She sighed. He was only going to make things worse.

"Explain." The headmistress' tone was sugar-sweet, even slightly bored, but not without her own icy brand of fury. Fury that Liam had been on the receiving end of on more than one occasion.

He feigned confusion – badly. "If you mean my Trollish verbs, I assure you, Lilly, I will have them learnt by Monday." He seemed to think about it. "Or Tuesday."

From her hiding spot behind the door, Felicity nearly groaned. He really had his foot in it now -

The headmistress tutted. "The equipment shed, Finn."

Liam nodded. "Ah. That. I would suggest questioning the pixies; they were acting very suspicious this morning -"

She decided that this was her time to act. Before he got into any more trouble. She hadn't even known about the Trollish homework. Or rather, lack of Trollish homework... Honestly, she had no idea why he'd even taken Trollish. He didn't know any trolls.

So, straightening, she brushed some imaginary dust off her plaid skirt and marched into the office, head held high, hair pulled back with a pink ribbon. The picture perfect student.

The headmistress looked up sharply and pursed her lips.

"Miss Coal, might I remind you that this is a private meeting."

"I'm terribly sorry, Headmistress, but it's urgent. I was training... An errant lightning bolt... CeCe's hair..." She said, a worried frown plastered onto her face.

The head sighed and nodded.

"Yes, of course, I'll go right down," she said, giving Felicity a relatively genuine smile and starting towards the door.

"And, Headmistress?"

Headmistress Lillith turned.

"Yes, Miss Coal?"

Felicity smiled angelically, her eyes going from their usual grey to an odd molten silver.

"I would ask Vlad about the equipment shed. I know he doesn't have the Gift, but I saw him with a packet of matches earlier..."

The older fíthe nodded, completely convinced, and went out the double oak doors.

Once she was gone, Liam turned on Felicity.

"What was that for?" he hissed.

"I was saving you!" Felicity grinned.

"Well, you didn't have to set my girlfriend's hair on fire!"

Felicity's smile widened.

*****

She crossed the room as usual and sat across from Headmistress Lilith at her ebony desk. What wasn't as typical was that there was another chair at the desk. Felicity gave a sidelong glance at the girl in an unseasonable pink scarf sitting next to her. She had dark curly hair and chocolate brown eyes, and was grinning chipperly and bouncing in her seat. She'd never seen someone so happy, especially in this room. After a few seconds, it began to annoy her.

"You wished to see me, Headmistress?"

"Yes," said the Head with a condescending simper. "Let me introduce you to Miss Squee Oglesby. She is from the neutral -" she said this word with a degree of distaste - "Territory in South Hazandria. Miss Oglesby, this is Felicity Coal, one of our brightest students."

The girl smiled cheerfully and waved a hand clad with a fingerless glove.

Felicity nodded stiffly, all the while wondering why the hell this 'Squee' was there, and what she had to do with the Rebellion.

"Miss Oglesby was recently caught robbing a bakery in her hometown of Oppidum Massae. Apparently, the people of South Hazandria believe the adequate punishment for such a crime to be fighting in the Rebellion."

Felicity snorted. She'd heard of the peaceful neutral territory in the South, with their backward laws and odd pigeon-worshipping religions.

The headmistress gave her a reprimanding look and continued. "Her governing body decided to send her to the Academy for Magical Folk because -" A deep breath. "The climate is more suitable to her skintone."

At this, Felicity could not stifle a laugh. She glanced at the girl next to her, who was looking downright confused at all the political talk. A high-pitched screech sounded from somewhere in her small clutch, followed by an alarming cracking noise.

"Do you have a Gift?" Felicity asked while lifting her cup to sip her tea, addressing Squee properly for the first time. She wondered if the girl even spoke Common Tongue.

Suddenly, she was not lifting her cup to sip her tea. She looked up at Squee, who now had two cups in her hand and was humming merrily to herself.

Felicity suddenly gave a catlike smile. "Oh, we're going to have a lot of fun with that."

Headmistress Lillith gave a high-pitched cough, and the girls looked back at her.

"Yes well, you can have... fun with Miss Oglesby's Gift while she stays at your house before your next expedition."