The Cursed Academy

Mean girl with a side of Alfredo

I could smell the dining hall before I could see it.  The aroma of fresh baked bread filled the air making my stomach grumble in protest.  The dining hall was on the first floor of the administration building.  The entrance was just around the corner and toward the back of the massive structure.  We walked along a beautifully manicured path of greenery and shrubs.  The absence of flowers was really noticeable.  Not that it wasn't beautiful, because it is, it is just...lacking.

We walked around the winding path until we reached two large glass doors.  Opening the door was surprisingly easy.  The massive doors must have weighed hundreds of pounds but the hinged mechanism made it easy to swing the door open and closed. It was so smooth and fluid it was almost like magic. Who knows?  Maybe it is?

"The line is just over here, " Mo said, grabbing a tray and some silverware from a table near the entrance.  "Just tell them what you want as you go through the line.  If you don't see it.  Ask. They likely have it in the back.  The one thing about this place is the food is phenomenal.  I've already gained two pounds and it is throwing my skating off."  She continued as she reached for an apple and a cup of carrot sticks.  "You get what you want, but I have a competition to get ready for next month." 

"Well, I am starving.  I haven't had anything since the flight this morning.  Airline peanuts are not intended to replace lunch."  I laughed as I eyed the pans of delicious foods on the other side of the low glass partition.  "I will have some of the pasta please."  I said as I pointed to a large pan of pasta with what appeared to  be some alfredo sauce.  The lady on the other side of the partition smiled and asked if that was enough.  "Yes, that is plenty and may I have a roll, please? I asked. 

 "I am going to fix a salad to go with this, Mo.  Want me to meet you at the table?" I asked Mo, who nodded back, as speech was impossible at the moment. She had a large green apple firmly wedged between her front teeth and her hands were both busy balancing her full tray. She headed toward the checkout and then disappeared into the dining room.

I took my pasta and bread and made my way to the salad bar and fixed a small, but healthy salad.  I grabbed some milk on my way out then entered my student number at the cashier station to pay for my purchases.  

"Ugh! I really need to get some snacks for the room.  This is expensive."

I thought to myself  as I looked around the dining room for Mo.  She was sitting at a table near the window that looked out over the atrium and the small chapel.  Sitting next to her, and across from one another, were two identical girls with bright red hair, full cheeks and lots and lots of freckles.  They were wearing identical outfits, identical glasses, identical jewelry and had identical haircuts. While their clothes obviously were not cheap, they had an unpolished, almost unfinished look about them. I had to check to make sure I was actually seeing two people and not the reflection of just one person; they looked so similar.  Mo saw me and waved me over to the table.  The two girls also waved and smiled.  I waved back.  As I was walking over to the table a group of three girls approached the table from the other side of the dining room carrying their trays.

"You are at our table." said the tall, leggy blonde as she  sat her tray down on the open spot at the table that I was about to occupy. "You need to move." She said  to Mo and the twin girls, in a sweet but matter of fact tone.

The first twin looked up at her and smiled "I'm sorry. I wasn't aware you could reserve a table in the dining room.  We have only been here a few minutes but should be leaving soon.  You can have it when we are done if you like?"

Mo smiled at the blonde as she chomped loudly on a carrot stick and tucked her feet under her in the seat, settling in to eat her dinner.  I nearly dropped my tray when the blonde suddenly swatted the small carton of milk off of the first twin's tray and knocked it into her lap.

"We must protect the weak.  We must protect the pack" 

I turned around to see who had spoken these words.  Who here knows about the pack?  I was freaking out.  It was right in my ear. But now was not the time to panic.  I sat my tray down on the nearest table and rushed over to where Mo and the twins were now standing around the table.

"Oh good.  Now that you are up you can MOVE," said the blonde.  Sitting down in, what I considered to be, my chair.

The other two girls silently followed suit, sliding the fourth, milk-covered chair over to the next table. I stood there with my mouth open in disbelief. 

"Did I REALLY just see that?"

"Excuse me?  What in the hell is your problem? That was so incredibly rude. You need to get up,  apologize and move." I said in a calm but firm voice.

"You are dismissed." Said the blonde, not looking up from her lunch. Shooing me away with her hand, while the other two girls laughed and began talking to one another.  

"C'mon.  She isn't worth it," Twin number two (I knew it was twin number two because she wasn't covered in milk) pulled at my arm, steering me toward another table.

"NO! You don't treat people that way.  I won't stand for it."  I yelled.

"Well, maybe you will sit for it,'' said the blonde as she stood up and kicked her chair toward me.  

As the chair slid toward me I raised my foot and stomped my foot as hard as I could on the seat of the chair just as it reached me.  The chair splintered into a half dozen pieces and sounded like a small explosion.  The blonde only showed fear in her eyes for just a split second.  But, I saw it.  It was there.  She was scared.  

"Let's try this again.  You need to apologize and move." I said kicking the pieces of wood out of my way, clearing a path between myself and the rude witch standing in front of me.

"Nerezza Sidero Teivel doesn't apologize to anyone."  She hissed "And just who are you to make her move?" she said, defiantly crossing her arms in front of her.

"Oh Goddess.  One of those that talks about herself in third person." 

"We must protect the weak.  We must protect the pack" 

I heard the voice in my ear again but there was absolutely no one near me.

"I am Sophia de la..."I stumbled..." I am Sophia Quinn Lilylight and I don't like the way you are treating my friends." I growled at her.

Nerezza laughed and looked at her two companions.  They were slowly backing away from me, the table and the other girls. The brunette was still eating her sandwich and laughing and the girl with the mousy brown hair was busy holding Nerezza's books, purse and lunch tray;  paying no attention to her own belongings. "MALLORY! " Nerezza screamed "You are sliding my plate and making my food touch each other!  Watch what you are doing you i***t!" The mousy brown haired girl jumped and dropped several of the books while juggling the tray and handbag. "Look what you have done!" Nerezza scolded Mallory.

Nerezza turned her anger back to me.  "Oh!!  Look at the big protector of the poor kids!  What is wrong with you.  Don't you know your place?  You are here for FREE.  You have no importance here at school OR out in the world.  You even SMELL poor.  Are you a maid?  You smell like floor cleaner!" she sniffed in my general direction and wrinkled her pointed nose and laughed. "We already know that those two are descended from the help!" She jeered, pointing at the twins. "Guess we know who to put on clean up duty." she laughed hysterically at her own insults.

That was the last straw.  I took my plate off of the table where I had left it moments before.  I turned the plate upside down on top of the blonde girl's head, smearing the plate and  thick sauce into her hair.  I was going to smear the dropped noodles in her face when I was stopped in my tracks by Coach Blackclaw's roaring voice. 

 "ENOUGH!!!" 

Nerezza screamed and began furiously scraping the pasta and alfredo sauce from her hair and face. "I WILL DESTROY YOU!!!" She screamed while sobbing hysterically.  "Oh Calliope!" she said to the third girl "look at my beautiful hair"  as she pulled the sauce-covered strands away from her head and let them fall heavily back down.

"Everyone to your rooms.  NOW.  We will discuss this tomorrow morning before evaluations.  GO TO BED!! NOW!" Coach bellowed.

Nerezza stopped crying when he raised his voice.  She shifted all her weight to one foot, stuck the other foot out in front of her, crossed her arms across her chest and looked at her toes while kicking at imaginary rocks and asked "Coach Blackclaw?  Do you know who I am?" she said, curtailing her sobbing long enough to sound sarcastic and only making eye contact after she though he'd had a moment to think about it.

Coach Blackclaws' eyes briefly flashed an all too familiar sight... or so I thought. 

"It is probably just the adrenaline making me see things that aren't there. "

"I know exactly who you are and if you do not do as I say you are going to be known as the girl who got kicked out of the academy on the first day of school.  Now, go get that out of your hair and go to bed.  Sophia, Nerezza, I want you both in my office at 8 a.m. sharp.  Am I being clear?" he commanded.

We both nodded and then we all quickly gathered the remains of our food and wiped down the tables and chairs all the while under Coach's watchful eye.  After we had put all of our trash and dishes away we all left going our separate directions.  The twins walked with us back toward the single story building we were calling home. 

 "Do you live in this building, too?" Mo asked the first twin, who was still wringing milk out of her t-shirt.

"Oh.  No.  We live on the third floor of the main building." replied twin one. "My name is Siobhan.  Siobhan de Meath.  This is my sister, Saoirse de Meathe.  We are twins.  She said with a smile.  "I mean.  You probably already noticed that", she bowed her head and her full cheeks started to blush.   "Sorry."   she said apologetically.

Saiorse added.  "We were giving them time to get to their rooms before we went up on the third floor." 

Those are beautiful names...seer-sheee and she-von? I carefully sounded out what I thought I had heard them say, phonetically.  How do you spell your names?"

" Mine is S-I-O-B-H-A-N. You pronounce it shi-vawn.  Rhymes with lawn!" she giggled. "It is Irish and means God is gracious."  

Her sister chimed in "My name is S-A-I-O-R-S-E, pronounced sur-shuh.  My name is also Irish.  Duh, the red hair?" She said as she pulled a short red curl out straight and let it bounce back.  "It means freedom.  Thank you so much for sticking up for us."

"No one has ever done that for us before." Siobhan finished her sister's thought.

"We appreciate you."  They both said at the same time, smiling. 

We all sat down on a bench in front of the dormitory and just sat there quietly.  No one said anything.  That is, until my stomach decided to growl again.  I had wasted my entire dinner on that mean girl and I was still starving.

"I never ate dinner!" I exclaimed.

"We have some snacks in our room. Give Coach enough time to go to bed and we will sneak them over later." Saoirse said and started to slowly walk-jog back toward the main building.

"They are probably gone by now," said Siobhan.  "See you soon!" she said as she followed her sister.

Mo handed me a baggie with carrots in it and a small cup of ranch dressing.  "I grabbed these before everything went crazy.  Have at it." she nudged me with her elbow as if to give me the go ahead to eat them. I gladly started crunching away as we made our way back to our dorm room to wait for the twins.  

"Oh Goddess.  I miss my pack and my friends."  I thought as I lay across the bed back in the dorm room.  The twins had snuck a bag of treats through the window and ran quickly back home before being discovered after Coach Blackclaw told them to go to bed.  I was crashing after a sugar buzz because my dinner consisted of snack cakes, potato chips and beef jerky.  But, hey.  It was better than my stomach grumbling all night.  Now, if I can just get some sleep.  

"I snore,  by the way." was the last thing I heard Mo say before I quickly drifted off to sleep from pure exhaustion.