The Tragedy of Mark's Van

Hearts and Daggers

When Saphira got off the bus, she was led to a nurse who wordlessly injected Saphira with a blue-green liquid.

After that,a thick folder and a key was shoved into her hands and she was pushed in the general direction of the large dorms. Inside the folder was a list of rules, the name of her roommate and her dorm, and two blank boxes labeled Gift and Codename.

Someone tapped her shoulder; it was a dark skinned girl with long black braided hair. "Hello, I'm Crystal, your roommate. Nice to meet you. You must be Saphira Versil."

Blinking in surprise, she said cautiously, "Hello. How do you know who I am? Are you a Chosen one too?"

Crystal just laughed and replied, "Nope. I grew up her, but I'm Gifted like you. Uncle James told me. He's the Headmaster of the Gifted Training Facility."

"What's Gifted? Does it have something to do with the blank box labeled power?" Saphira asked, frowning at her supposed roommate.

Crystal motioned for Saphira to follow her. "I'll explain on the way to our room and the tour. When a person is Gifted, that means they have inherited the gene that gives them superpowers, called Gifts. Of course, we can't control who gets the gene. And we can't let everyone have Gifts and be unable to control them. They would endanger the entire country."

Saphira walked quickly to keep up with Crystal in the busy hallway. "What does that have to do with me? And the Choosing?"

Crystal opened a door with two large stickers. One of them was a Glass vase with Crystal's name on it. The other was a blank slate with Saphira's name on it.

There were closets on both sides of the door and two elevated beds. By the beds were two desks and a large window. Underneath one of the beds, the one with mini lanterns attached to it, was a cozy little nook with bean bags and a fuzzy rug.

Crystal walked in and underneath on that bed. On top of her bed, there were lots of fluffy pillows and adorable stuffed animals. "I just moved in last month. Do you mind if I sleep on this one?"

Saphira warily walked in, taking in every detail around her. "Not really. Were you born in Griffae?"

Crystal snorted and rummaged through her stuff on a desk. "Of course not! I was born and bred here. I'm Gifted. You're Chosen. Before you ask, We call those who have powers but grew up outside of Mordreath Chosens. And we called those who grew up here Gifted."

Saphira took a step back and leaned against the wall. "So... I was Chosen because I have superpowers that I inherited from who?"

Crystal found what she was looking for and shrugged. "I dunno. Could be literally anyone. But here is a map of Mordreath. And the schedule for all our classes. I'm in most of them with you."

Saphira took them and climbed onto her bed, hanging her legs. "But I practically graduate school with flying colors. And my teachers said that I'm more than qualified for a job."

"Silly, this is hard stuff, nothing like the stuff they teach you mundanes out there. If you pass the evaluation tests, then you'll get a ton of free time," Crystal said. She took off her boots and jacket. "And there is Director Wesley 's class which starts tomorrow. Which helps you find your talents and which job you would be most suited for."

Saphira frowned at an empty slot of five hours. "Umm... there's like a huge empty spot in my schedule. Is that correct?"

"Oh, you need to find a mentor for training you to control your Gift. The mentors choose you. Sadly, people prefer to choose the Gifteds instead of Chosens," Crystal yawned.

"Oh. Do I get any clothes? Or bedroom stuff? Or a tour?"

Crystal sat up quickly rocking the entire bunk bed. "Oh my bad! I was so excited to meet that I totally forgot about that part. Come, I'll take you to get your new stuff. I'll give you a tour tomorrow since it's really crowded outside with all the fledglings wandering around."

Saphira followed Crystal and got the the crowded elevator. They walked back to the first floor where they met. Everywhere she looked there were people like Crystal helping others.

Leaning over the front desk, Crystal asked, "Saphira Versil is here to pick up her stuff."

The lady at the front desk nodded and held out a large heavy box. Inside were three changes of clothes, bedding, school stationery, a large backpack, and toiletries.

Back at their room Saphira organized everything. "Why are these outfits so ugly? Look! It's not even form fitting. Gray long sleeves and blue jeans are nice but not if you wear it everyday. What about summer?"

"Usually you can go shopping with the mentor. And when it gets hot, they'll give you more appropriate clothes," Crystal said, texting on her phone. "In addition, you're getting a new phone tomorrow."

Saphira grumbled and flopped onto her freshly made bed. Noticing there was a light switch by her head, she flipped it.

The lights in the room all turned off and Crystal's phone lit up the room. "Hey, turn it back. I can't see."

Turning the lights back on, Saphira excused herself and went to take a shower. Crystal pointed her in the right direction and handed her room key. "Can't come back inside without it."

After she came back wearing black shorts and large red shirt, she sleepily asked, "What's your Gift? What's mine?"

Leaning against the wall by her bed, Crystal pulled out her earphones and said, "What did you say? Sorry, I was watching my favorite tv show, "Hearts and Daggers". It's based off of a book series."

Saphira repeated her question and sat by Crystal. "Oh! My power is Hyalokinesis. That means I can manipulate glass. Fancy name, I know. But I like it. Anyway you need to discover your own power. It could take up to a year or more for you to figure it out. I found my power when my brother' accidentally' shattered my favorite mug."

"Will finding my power help me get a mentor?"

She nodded and said, "Yup. Usually mentors choose people whose powers are similar to theirs. Do you want to watch with me?"

Saphira scooted over and sat by Crystal. "Sure. What's it about?"

Crystal grinned like a maniac and merely started the first episode of the show.