My room is chaos. Laureen studies death spells on her infinite collection of rats night and day, our other roommate, Aniha, has a pet dragon from her mother she has to deal with- which, in fact, has burned me twice- and I have a pile of history books a mile high.
I haven't really found anybody tolerable enough to hang out with at lunch yet, either. I mean, I would hang with Laureen and Aniha, but all they do is complain about how the Evers get all the special treatment, as lunch is an all school subject out in the clearing. So I eat in the tree line by myself. I do this at home, too, so what's the difference?
I also realized that the girl wearing black does, in fact, exist. But she wears a ton of makeup and a graceful, discussing smile everyday so, I guess it must just be her thing. Plus, the black she wears is a shimmery silver kinda color. Evergirls, ugh. I don't even know how to start.
I would like to exceed the school and be the greatest witch of all time, so I don't have the time to worry about that stuff anyway. People cluster around the highest ranks anyway, I am not one of them. Either one, actually. Not highest rank, not someone who hangs out with one. I think both groups are snobs, especially Evers. The boys are mostly just stupid. Evers and Nevers, both. And girls are too gossipy. I'm a loner. I like it that way.
I eat lunch under my tree, in the shadows, then I notice an Everboy sitting alone. Red hair, fox green eyes. I decide to be the brave one and walk across the invisible border line between Nevers and Evers.
"Hi, I'm sitting here now," I say, plopping down next to the Everboy.
"Ummmm," he says skeptically, "okay. I'm Hunter."
"Caeda," I stick my hand out and he shakes it.
"You're a Never, aren't you," Hunter's eyebrows raise in a surprisingly adorable manor.
"Yep," I say with finality in my voice.
"Oh, why aren't you over there?" he points to the crowd around Agnes, the first highest Never rank.
"I'm a loner. Why aren't you over with those?" I point to the group of Everboys playing with the stupid training swords.
"Loner," Hunter shrugs.
"Oh," is all I can think to say.
For a long minute, we just stare into space in silence. No one speaks. I just keep eating my squashed bean sandwich and slop from my rusted metal pail. He eats his nicely spread out salad and steak from his nice blue tray.
"Soooo..." I break the silence, "do you want to meet up tomorrow? Except, if we do, I want to sit under my shadow tree." I point to the darkness across the clearing.
"Yeah," I'd better get to Poppy or she'll get really mad," Hunter says. "This is the third time this week I haven't eaten with her. I'm just lucky she's eating with Ivy and Joy tomorrow."
"I'll see you later then," I add a little maybe in my head as he walks away.
"Man, there's just something about that kid," I start to talk to myself, ask often do.
