The Switch

13| Threatened With Power

Silver Petrova:

     I freeze at the sound of clapping that is melodious to my ears. The sound of someone who appreciates my music. A sound I've longed to hear from someone other than my music teacher for so long. I turn around wearily only to spot my nemesis in the flesh, Serena.  No. I correct myself bitterly. Serena did not simply appreciate my music, she was someone who stole away the secrecy of my music. Instinctively, I cradle my guitar in my hands, hiding as much of the instrument that I can from Serena as I angle myself away from her. I shoot daggers at her with my eyes, hoping the girl possesses the intelligence to comprehend that I want her to leave immediately. Serena of course, does not leave. I growl softly, and then delicately place my guitar behind a speaker. After this task is completed, I stand, erected with embarrassment and fury to be caught in the auditorium by Serena, of all people, who watched me as I played my scared tunes that I am certain hold the metaphorical keys to my soul. "You have an amazing voice." Serena compliments me sweetly, marveling at my talent. As she should, for my musical abilities are spectacular. Nevertheless, I eye Serena wearily, as she had ignored my privacy rights entirely. Serena, seemingly uncomprehending my anger, waits patiently for my reply. My mirthless laugh rings through the silent auditorium. "You really are naive, Serena because if you think that I will thank you for your compliment," I empathize that word bitterly, "then you are sorely mistaken." Serena blinks, astonished by my cold, harsh words. "I-I... Silver, are you- What did I do to anger you?" I cross my arms over my chest, then raise a daunting eyebrow. "You're telling me you cannot puzzle out your mistake?" Serena strides towards me, and each step that brings her nearer to the stage, brings her nearer to exploding with anger. "No, I cannot, as you said, puzzle out my mistake because I did not make one! I don't know what your problem is, but all I did was compliment you on your music! So I apologize if you're a masochist and cannot receive a compliment!"Serena says, finally exploding with all of her buried fury. In a smooth, flowing motion, I jump off the stage, landing directly in front of Serena's face, which I note in annoyance, is alabaster perfection. I reach out and run my fingers through Serena's golden locks and Serena allows me to. "I was just making an impartial observation about your inability to understand the meaning of this situation, my dear Serena." I taunt her, my hand still brushing through her hair, bringing her closer to me so that I may reach every lock of her hair. Serena audibly sucks in a breath at this impromptu combing session, and she murmurs, "Silver, do not play with me. I did not come here to argue with you, and I apologize if I did something that warranted your anger." This apology, though sorely lacking in density, makes up in sincerity. So I begrudgingly accept this apology, but I do not stop touching her hair, as I like the discomfort it causes Serena. "So, tell me, Serena. If you did not come here to argue with me, then what did you come here for?" Serena clears her throat before answering my inquiry. "I came here to find you, as you weren't in class today, so that we could finish our project together." I lower my hand from her hairline to her forehead, then down the side of her face so that I am now caressing her jaw, staying silent while I do so. Serena, taking discomfort in the quiet, takes the liberty of marring the silence. "I couldn't complete the project alone, you know. The assignment is, after all, a pair project. Meaning that we both have to do an equal amount of work, so I thought that we could perhaps-" I interrupt her, snatching my hand away from her face as I snap angrily at her. "Are you implying that we haven't both done an equal amount of work? Are you implying that I did less than you?" Serena reaches up and lightly touches her cheek and jaw, as if she could capture the feeling of my fingers with her own. But when Serena speaks, her voice is dangerous. "I advise you not to make assumptions about what I may or may not be implying with my words." Serena's words only serve to provoke my ire. The sooner that I am done pretending to be an acquaintance of this blasted princess, the better. I think angrily as I endeavor to regain a calm disposition. I cannot show her how much I truly hate her and her family. Not yet. "Now who's playing with the other?" I say, managing to successfully reign in my rage for the time being. Serena gives me a scathing, exasperated look. "I know it may be difficult for you to converse with others kindly, Silver, but try not to act like a pompous ass!" In the midst of Serena's newly revealed ire, I throw my head back and laugh with mirthless joy. Finally, I say to Serena, "I'm a Petrova. I don't converse kindly." "And I'm a White. Serena White. And I came here so that we could work on our project together because you were absent while you were off pretending to be ill, so that you could hide away from the events of yesterday." How dare that little worthless magot intone that I am a coward! But before I can reply, Serena continues her mini monologue. "I know you must be fraught with confusion after realizing that I possess a spark of magic- or something... But you cannot just-" I now fail to suppress my anger as I scream at her, my voice seething with anger. "You don't possess a spark of magic! You don't possess anything other than your naiveté!" Serena scoffs in furious indignation, then bends down to grab sheets of paper from her bag. "Well, if I am so naive, then do explain to me how I managed to complete half of this project alone!" "Do not try to undermine me with your lies!" I scream at the imp of princess, a girl that is a sorry excuse for a successor to any throne. I clench my fists, working strenuously to maintain a grasp of control on my seething emotions. Finally, I manage to speak without screaming at her as I pint at the report. "Have you forgotten, Serena, all the times I brought the report with me and worked on it after my dragon games practices? Really, don't deceive yourself into thinking that that half finished report is all of your work." Although my dragon practices are long and tiring, they are invaluable moments of my time to that I spend, for as a future queen, I must possess physical strength as well. Now needless to say, I am not a subservient individual, thus I quickly rose the ranks of the Everadon Academy Dark Dragon Riding Team, and became the captain. Naturally, Serena had refused to be outdone by my obviously superiors dragon riding skills, and through some twist of luck, was able to secure the role of Captain of The Everadon Academy Light Dragon Team. Despite Serena's attempt to create discord among the students of Everadon Academy about who the most powerful princess at the academy was, I was more than willing to obligingly participate in her petty games, if only to prove that I would lead my team to be victorious over hers. The 'Dragon Games' as they are called, which is a sport in which riders of each respective team competitively played against other teams, was next week, and I was aware that even mentioning my team's practices would possibly reveal Serena's competitive nature. But I did not care about the nature of Serena's current feelings. No, I cared about my need to stem this discord immediately. I cared about my need to show Serena that I would not allow her to talk to me in the manner that she is using right now. "How funny that the great deceiver should point out deception." Serena says in an ironic tone. "Excuse me? What am I supposed to make of that?" I say harshly, but my tone is just a means of hiding my discomfort at Serena's words. Is Serena actually aware of my ruse of partial kindness? Is she aware of my plans to take over Everadon? I ask myself, afraid that I have been caught in my treasonous plans. As Serena's voice lowers and she speaks in snarl, her speech barley words, I am relieved to realize that I had misinterpreted Serena's words. Serena knows nothing of my plans, thank the Cauldron. In my state of relief, Serena's words jar through me, as she says, "You pretend that you have worked with vigilance on our project, you try to deceive me into toiling away on our project alone, and you dare to accuse me of deception." Serena's voice grows an octave lower as her voice strikes dangerously through the silence. "Well, I will not stand for your duplicitous ways. I'll complete this project on my own, as will you, and Lady Helen and her ideological dreams of teamwork can be damned." Serena rips our partly completed report to shreds to display that we both will now work on this project alone, and to do so, we must start from 'scratch' as the commoners say. Serena continues to rant at me, her voice deliberate in its mockery as she gracefully steps over the shreds of paper that were the victims of her newly revealed animalistic impulses. "Now, while we both are being truthful with one another, allow me to offer you an invaluable piece of advice." Serena says as she prowls closer to me with a feline grace that makes me take hasty steps in backwards retreat despite myself. Stop it now! I order myself. Do not ever show weakness, Silver. But I could not help it, for this version of Serena before me was chilling in her impassiveness. "Do not deceive yourself, Silver, into thinking this-" Serena gestures grandly at the massive, empty auditorium, at the grandeur of this sacred world of theatre. "Is a place in which you could ever prosper. For the only talent you possess is that of deception, and you cannot device, you cannot pretend, to be talented in the theatrical world. So take my advice, from an accomplished actress to a mundane pretender, you should leave!" Before I may determine whether or not Serena means to order me to leave the auditorium or the entirety of the academy, Serena emphasizes her point by extending an index finger towards the massive auditorium doors. It is this movement of emphasis that proves to be fatal. For a mere second passes and a spark of pure magic of the shade of a deepest amethyst, materializes in the form of a lighting bolt as it  shoots viciously out of Serena's extended finger. The entire release of magic deriving from Serena happens in such a fast blink that when I stare at the auditorium doors, it takes me a moments to take in what Serena has done. I blink surreptitiously, as if the horrendous sight before my eyes was a trick of the light. It is not. Where the once magnificent mahogany doors encased in the finest ruby velvet once stood as the proud entrance to the academy's world of theatre, now lies a a sickening large heap of pervasive black ashes. The doors... They were there one second, and were gone in the next. I can barely wrap my mind around this astounding feat of power that Serena displayed. I turn, my shocked gaze seeking out Serena, who is staring at the door with the same consternation that I feel. A sickening feeling envelops my stomach as a thought comes to me. If Serena had pointed her finger at little ways to the right... I would be nothing right now. I would be dead right now. As Serena's deep azure eyes meet my light blue ones, I instantly identify Serena's look of astonished, fearful hysteria. Despite the evident fact that this display of this potent magic was accidental, a poisonous emotion crawls and seeps through me. An emotion that I had not felt for years after by mother's imprisonment within the mirror realm. Hence, it takes me a moment to identify the horrendously weakening feeling as a primary emotion: fear. I am Silver Petrova, heir to throne of Velaris, daughter of the omnipotent and duplicitous Natasha Petrova, and I am afraid.