Auroras Academy

Chapter 9

I swallowed and looked away, taking a seat near the back. A moment later I heard an “excuse me! Sorry, coming through.” Then a loud thud as Emily dumped her things on the floor next to me.

“Hi, I thought we were meeting in the gym, not the stadium. I had to run here.” Emily slumps in her chair, her chest heaving. I stare at her astonished. I can’t believe she’s even talking to me! After the crazy stunt I pulled yesterday, I was sure she hated me. I have to be the talk of the school as well. So why is she talking to me? “Anyways, I heard what happened. Tell me everything!”

“Oh,” An embarrassed flush came to my face. “After I left the class I mostly just ran around the school. Until I bumped into Clarke and fell down the stairs.” I recite, disappointed in myself. Probably not the exciting drama that Emily was expecting. However, she squeals in delight a second later causing me to jolt.

“OMG! I heard he carried you to the infirmary. Did he smile? On a scale of 1-10 how chivalrous was he?” Emily’s face lights up as she spouts questions at me. All focalized around Clarke.

“I think so. Maybe? Very chivalrous.” I reply as quickly as I can, taken off guard by her assault of questions.

She grabs my shoulders, pulling me closer. “This is very important,” she waits until I nod in understanding. “Did he have one or two dimples?” My eyebrows furrowed in concentration as I tried to remember.

“Umm… I think two?”

Emily gasps cupping her hands over her mouth, a grin forming behind them.

“One dimple means he’s interested, two means he likes you. I’ve only seen two with Madison. But ever since they broke up in the summer she’s been demoted to one dimple.” She whips out a newspaper, excitedly, pointing at the heading saying Is Davis Emotionally Available? It breaks down the ‘dimple methodology’ in the article.

“Where did you get this?” I ask, filing through the pages, seeing stories of ‘A Werewolf and Vampire Refuse to Room Together’, ‘Lunch Orges Strike for Equal Pay and Opportunities’, and ‘2024 Midterms Prediction Rankings’.

“We don’t have the internet so the school newspaper is the only way we know what’s going on. The Big Ten is our main entertainment,” She explained, flipping to a page completely dedicated to the Big Ten. I’m surprised to see a picture of me sitting next to Lauren and Han from yesterday. Under the picture it says ‘New Girl Climbing the Social Ladder on the First Day’. I frown, I don’t want the Big Ten to think I’m using them, though Lauren invited me herself. The hesitant way of the Big Ten’s reception made more sense now. They must get a lot of people that come in and want to use them for their popularity.

I think of poor Mikey who looks no older than thirteen. To be preyed on at such a young age just because he was a part of the Big Ten made me shutter. It also had me spiraling wondering what his powers were if someone so young was already a part of the Big Ten.

Unlike most schools this was a college prep school so it wasn’t limited by age and which grade you were in was determined by when you entered the school. Because of this I was a Freshman, even though I would be a Sophomore at a normal highschool. Auroras Academy also advertised that students graduated in three years instead of four, with your Associate's Degree as well.

However this meant that the class schedule had to have more than 7 periods. The school did this by rotating new classes every Tuesday and Friday called CTE classes. In most highschools these were elective credits but Auroras made is mandatory.

A man, who I recognized from the first day in the office, coughed to get our attention. His tall figure matched Flint’s but that's where their similarities ended. The man had significantly more bulk around his waist, with a full beard and balding head. So he was a teacher? Then who was the principal?

“Welcome to your first Combat Training Experience class.” His voice boomed and the students still milling around rushed to settle in their seats. My eyes bulge. That’s what CTE class stands for! I should have known; nothing about this school is normal.

“Today we are going to be pairing you up against your classmates to assess what and how we will be training you in the future. Each pair will get five minutes to either knock each other out or force the other to tap out.”

“What! We have to fight each other?” I whisper to Emily.

“They do it every year to start the class. People take it pretty seriously. It determines how advanced a group you get.” Emily nods her head to Flint. “People also think it helps them get into the Disciplinary Unit.”

“Now I’ll call out the pairs; Sandiago Torriza and Jackson Von,” he continued down the list calling out random pairs until halfway down when I heard my name “Lynnon Hayes and Chelsey Wong.”

My back stiffens, as my stomach does a summersault. I scanned the crowd but I couldn’t find my opponent. Hopefully, the pairs aren’t so unmatched she doesn’t accidently kill me. Oh god, I should have skipped this class.

“Well, good luck! I’ll meet you after my match.” Emily taps my shoulder, giving me an encouraging smile, I nod back. I just need to get this done quickly, a plan already forming in my head.

I shuffle my feet as the people before me are called to go up to the mat. The large ring in the center of the stadium was easily divided into six mats, allowing for six matches to go on simultaneously. I was sent to the third mat and had been waiting, my nervousness building with each pair called before me.

“Hey,” Emily says sitting down next to my rocking self. “Have you gone yet?” Emily bumps my shoulder to knock me out of it. I shake my head no. My stomach is not liking these nerves.

“How’d it go?” I ask her, trying to distract myself. A tuft of hair is pulled out of her braids hanging limply on her face. She blows it out of the way.

“I lost but I did alright.” She says with a shrug. “You have to redeem me by winning your match.” She grins, earnestly.

“I don’t know about that” I grimace, knowing there is no way in H E double hockey sticks I’m winning. My only hope is somehow surviving this.

“Are you two done yapping? Or am I gonna have to fight someone else?” A small asian stands, arms crossed, in the center of the mat. Her dark hair leads into a mohawk with a stripe of magenta purple in it. Her toned shoulders were exposed in a tank top and each leg was encased in spandex leggings. Definitely not the school's gray t-shirt that said ‘Auroras Academies Athletics’ on it with coordinating red and white shorts for a gym uniform.

The match before us ended so quickly I didn’t even notice. The girl from the previous match is dragged off the mat and Chelsey Wong and my name are called. I step onto the mat as Emily says a quiet “good luck!”

I walked to the middle of the mat and shook Chelsey’s extended hand. There was no way I was winning this match. Even though the girl looked half my weight I knew it was all firmly packed muscle. Whereas mine was all loose flab. I had to put my plan into action.

“After you punch me once I'll fall and won’t get up. Okay?” I whisper, leaning in close so no one hears. Thick black eyelined eyes narrow, the purple streak on the bottom crinkling. She stares for a moment before a vicious smirk forms across her face.

“Alright” she shakes my hand again and I sigh in relief. The punch is going to hurt but at least I won't be beaten to a pulp. We go to our respective corners, waiting for the timer to start.

“Time… starts… now!”

Chelsey lunges out at me grabbing my arm flipping it over her head and hooking my leg, flinging me across the mat. I yelp, scrambling to my feet. Is she trying to kill me?!?

She comes at me again but this time I run. She’s more dexterous and faster than me. She kicks out a leg, tripping me and pouncing on top of me. The first hit lands on my jaw, yanking my head to the side, spit and blood splattering on the mat. It takes me a second to realize it’s mine. Then another punch comes and another. I throw up my hands to block my face but she just moves down to my ribs, knocking the wind out of me.

I desperately fail my legs, managing to knock her off of me, her head thumps against the mat. She comes up seething.

“Oh, you’re so dead.” She growls.

“What!” I squeak, scrambling to my feet rolling out of the way as she lunges again. What did Flint say? Lauren’s warning was long forgotten. I scan the crowd spotting a tall lumming figure who glanced to our mat for a second before disinterestedly moving on to the next match. Fudge! I try to remember what he said. Draw them in and exhaust them? Then karate chop them to the neck? There is no way I’ll be about to do that!

Out of nowhere a rattling kick hits my head and I drop to the floor, seeing double. It’s all over. She’s on top of me in a flash, pounding my face again. Black spots coat my vision, and all I feel is pain.

“Wong that’s enough,” a low voice says, disinterested. Chelsey lands one last punch, knocking my head back, before dropping the collar of my shirt and getting off my chest. I thump to the floor like a sack of potatoes, groaning. She leans in closer, her breath against my face.

“You aren’t worth my time.” She spits, before landing a dirty kick to my gut and exiting the mat.

“Nothing to worry about” was an understatement of a lifetime. Emily rushes over to me as I sit up, my head throbbing, the world spins around me.

“Are you okay!” Emily cries out, something wobbles in my mouth. My hand shakes as I touch my lip, spitting out a tooth.

“I think I’m gonna-“ I manage, before vomiting my breakfast on the mat.