Crisanta Knight: Eternity's End

CHAPTER 2 MY LAST FIRST DAY-2

He glowed with gold energy. “Best of luck with the new school year, kid.”

Merlin vanished in a swirl of impressive magical sparks. I stalled in the void for a moment. Then I yawned—which was weird given that I was currently asleep. I guess I was tired of navigating through my dreams. Being awake could be less draining sometimes.

I summoned my magic and was cocooned in a tornado of light and power. When my eyes reopened, I was staring up at the maroon canopy above my bed. Gray light streamed in from our balcony doors. Day was near, but not yet arrived.

I sat up and glanced at my slumbering friends. Then I slipped out from under my covers and felt the cold wooden floor against my feet.

Time for my last first day of school.

It was strange to see boys wearing casual clothes in the hallways of Lady Agnue’s. Normally they were only allowed on campus for balls, and that meant fancy suits. My guy friends were an occasional exception, but their visits were usually preceded or proceeded by peril. This was a nice change of pace. Especially since they came bearing beverages.

“Coffee,” Jason said, offering Blue a to-go cup.

She, SJ, and I joined him, Girtha, and Marie by the closed doors to the ballroom. The area was swarming with our classmates—chatting and buzzing with energy despite the early morning.

“I know you guys probably already had breakfast,” Jason continued, “but I figured with it being the first day, you would appreciate the extra boost of sugar.”

“You mean caffeine,” Girtha said as she looked up from the cup she’d been drinking from when we arrived.

“For you, yes,” Jason replied. “But Blue takes her coffee with nine sugar cubes.”

Girtha’s eyes widened. “Geez. And I thought my siblings had a weird relationship with sweets.”

“Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it,” Blue said, taking a slurp. She thanked Jason and gave him a peck on the cheek.

He pivoted to SJ after. “Don’t worry; I didn’t bring anything for you or Marie. Princess Rule Eighteen, right?”

SJ smiled. “Princesses do not drink from to-go cups. I am impressed you know that. Double points for saving us from Princess Rule Twenty-Seven as well—never refuse a gift.”

Blue groaned. “It’s our last year, SJ. Can’t you relax a little?”

“I have a class standing and reputation to protect,” SJ replied. “If I am going to be valedictorian this year, I cannot start shirking my princess ways now.”

“Whereas I have four older sisters who are Lady Agnue’s alumna,” Marie chimed in. “I have been trained well and do not think I could break the rules if I tried.”

“I guess that skill just comes easier to some people than others,” I said with a smirk. “I also have a reputation to protect, and I intend to finish the year voted ‘Most Likely to Rebel Against Authority.’”

“Somehow, I think you locked up that category a long time ago.”

I pivoted at Daniel’s voice as he joined us. I don’t know why, but my breath caught in my throat when I looked at him. The bright sunlight from one of the grand windows across the hall outlined his tall, muscular frame in a slight glow as if he could radiate magic too. I had to hold up one hand to shield my eyes for a second.

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. “Glad I made it before the doors opened. I was running late this morning.” He held out a cup to me.

“Um, thanks,” I said, taking it. “For future reference, I’m not really a coffee person.”

“Not my first day knowing you, Knight,” Daniel said. “It’s hot chocolate.”

“Oh. Well then, double thank you.” I took a sip, my gaze locked in his brown eyes—such a rich color they’d rival any hot chocolate.

Daniel was one of my best friends—right up there with Blue, SJ, and Jason. However, while getting along with the others had always come easy, my relationship with him had required a lot of work and patience. Daniel’s protagonist book had only appeared last year, so he’d arrived at Lord Channing’s and become Jason’s roommate as a junior. When he did, we did not hit it off.

You’ve heard of meet cutes? This was a meet ugly.

His whole “brooding cool guy who could read you like a book” thing was not particularly endearing. To make matters worse, Daniel’s prophecy foretold that I had the potential to be a great ally to him and the girl he loved, but that I could also destroy her. As a result, our introduction was followed by a lot of distrust and pushing each other’s buttons.

But then we changed.

Such a simple statement to define such a complex journey. I smiled to myself in reflection of that. My life was so much better with him in it that I found it hard to believe he hadn’t always been there. He was to me what wings were for a Pegasus—we were fine without them, but with them we were capable of reaching untold heights.

“Well, this is awkward.”

Now I turned at Chance’s voice and saw he also held a to-go cup.

“Morning, Prince Charming,” Girtha said with a grin.

“Hey, Girtha. Everybody.” Chance nodded.

“Man, where were you this morning?” Jason asked.

“Sorry, I had to call my parents. A lot is going on in my kingdom. I’ll fill you guys in later. Anyway, I’m glad I’m not late for class, but it seems I’m too late for you, Crisa.” The prince—arguably one of the most handsome boys at Lord Channing’s—alluded to the cup in his hand, then at the one in mine.

“I wanted to surprise you with hot chocolate,” he explained.

“Looks like I beat you to the punch,” Daniel replied plainly.

I took the cup from Chance to help him save face. “I’m sure I can handle both—”

“Good morning, seniors!” The ballroom doors burst open in sync with Madame Molina’s enthusiastic, booming voice. “Please, please, come inside.” She glanced at my group. “Leave all beverages and schoolbags in the cubbies and form three lines at the back of the room.”

This may have been the first time I’d ever felt happy to put down treats. Interacting with Daniel and Chance at the same time could be uncomfortable. Chance used to be a major jackwagon—the kind of pompous prince that inspired countless jokes (which I’d happily come up with). He was the grandson of King Midas, a royal from one of the wealthiest kingdoms in Book, and even had magic powers inherited from his ancestor that allowed him to turn anything to gold with a snap of his fingers. That package hadn’t jived well with Daniel’s backstory as a scrappy orphan who grew up on the streets of the capital, fought intensely for everything, and was as unpretentious as they come.

The two didn’t have much in common on the surface. Regardless, an important element they did share was how much they’d changed. In the last seven months the prince had transformed completely. We’d learned more about his family, upbringing, and why he had put on such airs at school. And he’d demonstrated his true character to be that of a kind, shy, fierce ally.

Overall, Chance had proven to most of us that he was a friend and hero who could be trusted. The only person who hadn’t accepted this change was Daniel, which made things weird because I’d come to care for the prince a lot. Perhaps not as much as he cared for me though . . .

Like Daniel, Chance had risked his life to save me from the antagonists. We were good friends, but Chance’s motives beyond that itched at me like a mosquito bite. The boy had made it very clear that he had feelings for me and had been trying to win my affections since last spring. My feelings about this were . . . conflicting.

As my classmates and I strode across polished floors, my eyes wandered to the prince. Chance was great mix of considerate, loyal, attentive, and sweet. He was also hotter than a fully-realized summer sun. All factors equated to a recipe for a fine romantic interest and yet . . . I just wasn’t sure I could commit to that idea.

Chance caught me staring and smiled. I darted my eyes forward, hoping that I wasn’t blushing. I’d never been like other princesses or girls my age. Boys were just people to me—not meant for gawking at or chasing after, but for interacting with in the same way I interacted with my girlfriends. I didn’t know how to treat them any different.

I’d held hands with Chance a couple of times, but my comfort zone didn’t extend beyond that at the moment. It was all so new and I wasn’t sure if what I felt when I looked at him was comparable to what he felt for me.

I shook away the thoughts and focused on our “classroom,” aka, the school ballroom. We normally only came in here for our monthly balls. It was strange to see it so empty—no smartly dressed students, lavish food tables, orchestra, wait staff, and so on. A lone cellist and two violinists were in the corner. The natural grace of day flooded through the windows and spilled across the grand dance floor.

We paused in our line ups. Daniel stood on my right while Chance stood on my left.

Madame Molina clapped her hands twice. “Welcome, young ladies and gentlemen.”

Our dance professor was a tall, slender woman with blonde hair in a ballerina bun. Beside her stood a short man with semi-spiky hair and the most erect posture I had ever seen.

“First of all, I would like to say congratulations on beginning your final year at Lady Agnue’s and Lord Channing’s,” Madame Molina continued—her accent vague but present.

Several shouts of “Whoo!” went up amongst our group.

Madame Molina smiled. “Yes, well that aside, this is not the time to slack off. For the boys who do not know who I am, my name is Voros Molina, and I have had the privilege of being head dance instructor at Lady Agnue’s for eight years.”

“For the young ladies, I am Professor Pasha Lodell,” said the posture-perfect man. “I have been charged as head dance instructor at Lord Channing’s for the last five years. Prepare yourselves bothmentally and physically. Masters Ballroom is a very rigorous course, especially considering we only meet twice per week. Over the course of the next three months, Madame Molina and I have the responsibility of getting you ready for the Ball of the First Frost. You will arrive to class on time. You will work hard. You will do the exercises we give you and practice on your own time as well. Then—Author willing—when you are formally presented to the student bodies and faculty per tradition in December, you will shine like polished stars.”

“Well said, Professor Pasha,” Madame Molina picked up. “This week we are going to ease in with various exercises and free dancing to shake off the summer cobwebs. Why don’t we start with half of the group up here for now?”