Fire and Rain

I used to like going to school. Waking up to the warm sunlight that floods my room, eating a well-balanced breakfast, my mom and dad kissing my forehead to say goodbye, and my older brother and I riding together to the academy—I loved all of it. Now, I was sitting at the back of a car with only our driver, Thena, sending me to school, while my mother continued to yap in my ear through the comm link—a small communication device wrapped around the helix of my ear. “I’ve talked to your homeroom teacher about the additional Theriantrophy classes you’d be taking in the summer,” she was saying. I sighed, knowing that she would hear it. “Mom, I told you I didn’t want—" “I don’t want to hear it, Dana. Your father and I have agreed about this. You’re being too lax with your studies, and if you don’t try hard enough, you’d never get into Anchorville University,” she said. I could hear other people’s voices on her end of the line, urging her to hurry up. “Principal Mokotchi tells me that the deadline for filing your intent to run in the Student Council is tomorrow, and that you have yet to pass yours for Vice President.” “But mom, I don’t w—” “You will run for Student Body Vice President, Dana,” she said with finality. “You’re a full Therian and a Maverick.” And there they were. The two reasons that fill my life with dread. I feel I should explain. In this world, there is this thing called Theriantrophy, which is a human's ability to change their body into that of an animal's. Full Therians, as what my mother said, compose 10% of the population. Basically, we can change our entire form completely into whatever creature we want, and because of it, we are at the top of the social food chain. The alphas. Since time immemorial, full Therians are said to be destined for positions of power, and therefore molded to be leaders as soon as they are known to be such—which is around the ages of 7 to 10. In my case, I found out that I was a full Therian by the time I was 8. It wasn’t much of a shock but more of an expectation, given that I come from a long line of pure-blooded, full Therians. Being a Maverick—our family name—just adds to the pressure. My family is well-known for the power we hold in society. My father is a very successful businessman who runs the third largest technology company in the world, making him one of the wealthiest people as well. He inherited it from his family, but not without proving himself worthy amongst his two older siblings. My mother is a respected politician that holds a position in the middle of the High Council—the government leading our country. Martin, my older brother, is a straight-A student in the elite Anchorville University—the highest ranking university that is made up of 90% full Therians. He is also a Handball Captain, Wrestling Champion, and has been gathering many nobility awards and work offers even as a sophomore college student. Considering my Therian placement and family name, I have been expected to achieve greatness ever since I was a little girl. And that has only increased now that I was a 17-year old in my junior year at Carden Academy. “If you don’t think about your future now,” mom continued to say, the voices in the background sounding more urgent, “that halfling Gareth boy will surely take over you.” I groaned. Halflings, or half Therians, are those that can only change the form of certain parts of their body. They consist 40% of the population and are considered to be second only to full Therians. But some of them—the really smart ones and those with connections—sometimes land jobs that are of equal power to the full Therians. With the ever-changing world, halflings are starting to hold higher positions, but boy does it drive the old-school elites mad. “I won’t let that happen mom,” I sighed into the comm link as I stared out the window. Thena had stopped the car in front of the school, and students were starting to pour in. Just then, a familiar maroon car parked in front of us. Speak of the devil. “You better get your head straight, Dana. You know how your junior and senior years would determine your application to Anchorville. If you relax, even for a second, then that halfling boy may just overshadow you.” From the maroon car stepped out that halfling boy my mother likes to compare me to. Gareth Winds. My proclaimed nemesis, and leader of the annoying group of rowdy teenage boys that I refer to as the Stupid Pack. Ever since grade school, I have been going head-to-head with him in academics and extracurricular activities. My parents, peers and teachers have been pitting us against each other ever since we both tied in the Elementals Admission Test—one that every elementary student had to take, in order to transition into high school at Carden Academy. “How can you receive a score the same as a halfling?” dad had asked me then. In my defense, a number of full Therians received lower and even failing grades. Some commoners—the non-Therian folk that consist 50% of the population and are unfairly regarded to as the lower class—even got higher grades than other halflings and full Therians. Even as a child, I knew that there shouldn’t be a social hierarchy. That just because some have abilities less than the others, doesn’t mean that they should automatically be looked down on. And the vice versa goes for full Therians. Social expectations aside, my dislike for Gareth Winds stem from my innate competitiveness, and my desire to stop my parents from comparing me to him. It also doesn’t help that his Stupid Pack—Jonathan, Louie, and Baron—are also halflings that are loud and chaotic. “I’ll make sure to get into Anchorville, mom,” I said into the comm link, knowing full well that if I argued with her, I would just end up losing and being late to the field trip. “Good,” she said, as I expected. “I have to go now. I’ll see you when I get home.” “Okay, good luck with your—” but she had already hung up before I could say interview. I sighed and lightly pressed on my comm link to turn it off. Thena, who I knew had heard my end of the conversation, looked at me through the rear-view mirror with concern. “Thanks for the drive, Thena,” I said with a polite smile as I opened the door. “Miss Dana,” she called out, “please don’t forget to bring your coat. It’s cold out.” I took my coat and closed the door, giving her a small wave before she drove away. She was right. It was cold outside, being in late October, but I only let the coat hang on my arm. With a sigh, I stood by the walkway leading to the entrance. It was 9 30 in the morning, and more people were starting to come in. Busses filled the driveway, getting ready to pick students up for the field trip. “Love the outfit” a voice said, as an arm slid above my shoulders. It was Maria. One of my oldest friends, and a halfling. She has long brown hair that’s always tied into a ponytail, and with her cutesy floral dresses and gladiator boots, you wouldn’t think she’s a tough, confrontational mama bear. But she is. “Thank you,” I said with a prideful smile. I was wearing a black shirt with the letters “re” in front and “bel" in the back, high-waist denim pants, and black ankle boots. A set of clothes I thought was fashionable, but would’ve been highly frowned upon by my parents—who always want to dress me in blouses and dresses to look more of a “respectable lady,” whatever that means. Thankfully, they had already gone to work by the time I paraded out of my room that morning. “What are you doing out here?” Maria asked, then pointed at the statue in front of us. “Were you checking out Mr. Lion King over there?” The statue was that of a man in the middle of transforming into a lion—the Mr. Lion King that Maria was pertaining to. “Please do not disrespect Zion Carden like that, Maria,” Fin, a Full Therian like me, and the last to make up our trio, said as he stood on my left. Unlike me, however, his parents are more progressive. They allow him to be a bookworm and take whatever classes he likes, as long as he takes over their publishing company in the future. With him being almost 6-foot tall, he could have had an advantage if he ever decided to play sports. But he was the type who would rather sit in the study room all day, all hunched up in his sweater and turtleneck, surrounded by books. Maria scoffed, “Carden schmarden. If only he established a fair system, then our society wouldn’t be like this.” Maria was right. Zion Carden is known to be one of the first humans to become attuned to nature and the animals. Along with a group of people, he was gifted with the power to control the elements and change his form, bringing forth the Age of Theriantrophy into this world. His great-grandchildren founded Carden Academy with a mission to help more people be one with the elements and the animals. That is why during elementary, we learn the basics of nature. On our freshman year, we learn how to stabilize the four elements. Sophomores are taught how to extinguish. Juniors learn how to control and seniors, how to create. The power of using the elements exists in each and everyone and may be developed with practice. And while only those gifted with Theriantrophy are given Therian Classes, only commoners take on Advanced Elemental Classes. “He's a product of a different generation,” Fin said in his typical know-it-all voice. “The first Therians were very few and were threatened to extinction by common folk. They did what they had to in order to survive, as did the commoners. It is the tendency of mankind to lean towards fear that is the real enemy, as it breeds division and hatred, which leads to the current day's status quo. It is up to us now to change it.” I looked at him, amused, while Maria frowned. “What are you, president of the Carden fan club?” she teased, but Fin only rolled his eyes. “Okay,” Maria said, suddenly in full-debate mode, “but have you ever considered that if Zion and his troops first…” she continued to present her counter argument, but I zoned out. From the corner of my eye, I saw the Stupid Pack huddle towards their leader. The three greeted and bumped fists with Gareth, who, unlike his childhood friends that were energetically gesturing with their hands as they talked about what I could only assume was sports, only showed a half-smile and nodded from time to time. Of the four of them, he was the most reserved. But I liked to think that that’s just because he’s trying to seem all cool and casual. And people unabashedly fall for it. With his black hair, athletic build, minimalist fashion sense, and—as much as I hate to admit it—fairly good looks, he’s become quite popular in the academy. The fact that he also maintains grades as good as mine, and he has a certain air of confidence around him, just makes students and teachers like him even more. So much so that I often hear people say that he is “like a full Therian.” Which honestly just goes to show that no matter how smart or talented someone is, they will always be subjected to some form of classism. I must’ve been staring at him longer than I thought, because he seemed to have noticed. Even with his friends talking to him, his brown eyes fell onto me. Our line of sight met for a second before I looked away, just in time as Maria admitted her defeat. “Fine, fine, you win,” she groaned at Fin. “Can we go inside now? It’s getting chilly out here.” “Yeah, let’s go,” I urged, still feeling Gareth’s eyes on me. I pulled the two of them by their wrists in a hurry. “What’s the rush, Dana?” Maria asked, but she went with my pace anyway until I slowed down once we entered the school. “I forgot I had to file my intent to run for Student Council,” I said, which was technically not a lie. Fin looked at me with wide eyes. “You’ve decided?” he asked, looking surprised. My friends knew how much I didn’t want to do so. “My parents did,” I sighed, gently pushing aside the vine hanging from the potted string of hearts plant above the lockers, “so I have to talk to Mr. Farden about it later.” Maria leaned in to whisper, “You want us to tank your campaign?” I jokingly pushed her head away. “My parents would kill me if I don’t win.” Stuck between one of my books was the letter of intent I had previously written. Not because I wanted to run, but because I knew there was a chance I would be forced to. I took it out and put it in my bag. “As if you wouldn’t win!” she said so confidently. “You’ve got perfect grades and everyone loves you!” Fin went in between us and quietly said, “You know, I heard Gareth's planning to run as well.” Maria breathed in dramatically and exclaimed “What?” loud enough for a few people to look our way. Fin shushed her in a panic. “Great. Just what I needed,” I sarcastically grumbled. “He is really trying to make my life difficult.” As I said it, I took a step back to close my locker, not realizing that someone was about to run into me. Thankfully, he was quick to step aside. “Whoa!” Jonathan and Louie said simultaneously as they took a step back and raised their arms. I had apparently almost collided with the person we were just talking about, for there he was, Gareth Winds, picking up the book that fell from his arm when he dodged me. “Gareth!” Baron exclaimed in a scolding manner, putting his hands on his hips. “You almost bumped into the princess! Apologize immediately or she’ll have your head!” Maria rolled her eyes. “Shut your trap, Baron. You no-good piece of—” but Fin tugged on her arm and whispered, “Don’t stoop as low as them.” The Stupid Pack obviously overheard this, and pretended to be shocked, putting their hands up to their mouths. “Wow,” Jonathan mouthed at the other guys. “The nerd knight speaks!” Louie gasped. I swear to Zion, these boys needed some a*s kicking. Not because they’re halflings, no. But because they were such jerks. “Settle down,” Gareth said with a sigh, putting his hand up. The three continued to snicker but didn’t say anything more. Gareth turned to look at me and simply said an expressionless “Sorry.” With the heat coming from my mother’s call that morning, the pressure I felt to succeed, and the news that the boy in front of me was going to run against me—convincing me that he lived in this world to torment me—I said, “Beat it, then,” and regretted it immediately afterwards. That riled the other three up even more. I had just given them what they wanted—for the “princess" to act all royal. With a scoff, Gareth bowed his head mockingly at me and went on his way. The three stooges followed closely behind him, chuckling. Once they were out of earshot, Maria made her hands into fists and placed them in front of her face with such anger. “Ugh!” she grunted, “those boys are such children! Just watch me, I’m going to dump water on their faces during the Elementals class.” “If you do that, not only will Mrs. Dunston be angry, but also the gods of nature themselves,” Fin warned, making Maria put down her fists in defeat. I put my arms on their shoulders, and with Maria's heels and Fin's height, I had to tiptoe in order to do so. “Come on, you two,” I breathed out, “let’s go fall in line outside.” *** Carden Academy likes to host yearly field trips for every level. When we were in freshman year, we were taken to camp out for one night in the forest. We were placed in groups and tasked to stabilize our campfires. As sophomores, we were taught to extinguish. In groups of three, we had to sit on a raft by the riverside and extinguish the wind—or else it would blow us away. Much to my luck then, I was saddled with Gareth and Baron. The latter, who was the tallest and most muscular of their pack, thought it was a good idea to try and scare me by shaking the raft instead of helping me and Gareth with the wind. It basically ended with Baron falling into the river due to his own carelessness, and all three of us failing the exercise. Thankfully, field trips weren’t graded and therefore didn’t affect our grades. This time, however, was different. “Now that you’re in your junior year,” Mrs. Dunston announced in the middle of the motor coach, effectively shutting up 40 third year students, “you are supposed to be learning about controlling the elements with more precision. But, as I’m sure you’ve already been informed, this year's field trip will not include any such outdoor exercises, due to certain reasons.” Everyone turned to look at Baron. The certain reason Mrs. Dunston was referring to was his parents' complaint to the school board. “So,” she said loudly as students were starting to whisper, “we are now headed to the Anchorville Museum.” Groans and murmurs filled the bus. Beside me, I heard Maria say, “That damn Baron. Now we're gonna waste our only field trip looking at freaking old stuff.” Mrs. Dunston put her hand up and everyone stopped talking. “Mr. Farden will be joining us today to answer your questions and keep eyes on you.” A bunch of kids snickered as Mr. Farden stood up from the front row. He adjusted his spectacles and awkwardly wave at us with a nervous smile. One of the boys a few rows behind me coughed out a “Fart-en.” Mrs. Dunston heard this and transformed her whole right arm into that of a bear’s. “You were saying something, Charles?” she said with a deadpan expression. Charles shook his head in fear and slunk back in his seat. Mr. Farden sheepishly scratched at his head and sat back down. Being a history teacher and a commoner, he sure had it pretty rough. It also didn’t help that he was a gangly man who couldn’t form two sentences without saying “er" or “um,” which made kids like Charles tease him even more. “Mr. Farden,” Mrs. Dunston sighed, changing her arm back into a human's. “Your announcement?” “Oh, r-right,” Mr. Farden smiled apologetically. He cleared his throat and began. “As you’re all aware, the Anchorville Museum is one of the, um, largest and oldest. So, please refrain the use of comm links inside, and uh, more importantly, do not transform or use any of the elements inside.” Silence all around. Mrs. Dunston tapped at one of the chairs, making everyone say a simultaneous, “Yes, sir.” “Good, good,” Mr. Farden nodded and awkwardly smiled. He was about to return to his seat when he remembered something. “Oh,” he said, his eyes landing on me, “uh, Dana and Gareth, please see me once we go down.”