Chapter Six : Shadow Arts
1268 Words
I wake up to the sound of loud music blasting my ears. Christ. Who on earth is worse than my sister Norma Jean. My eyes flick open and I realize that I am alive. And that in itself is a miracle. My hands touch my neck and I feel no bite marks. I glance at Beth's bed. It is empty and in disarray but her phone is unflinchingly blasting that damn music.
I pick up my hand mirror and stare unamused at my sleep swollen eyes and my wild tangly mass of red hair. I pick up my phone. The time says 8:16 am. Is this supposed to be late or early?
The bathroom door opens and Beth steps out, a towel wrapt around her body and one around her hair.
"Good morning" She says in a sing song voice. Her skin is not as pale as last night but the fangs are somewhat still there, though not too prominent. "Will you just stand there and stare? Jeez. Go take a bath, the orientation processes are so tiring. "
My feet pilot me to the bathroom where I take a cold bath and brush my teeth. By the time I am creaming up my body, Beth is already dressed in jeans and a crop top.
"Nice tat" She says, "A Raven. Impressive. "
I flinch. Her eyes stay glued to the tattoo and her fangs flash. I hurriedly slip on an oversized shirt and a jean trouser. Beth helps me tame my wild messy hair and at last I looked presentable at least.
"What next?" I ask, feeling suddenly clueless and stupid "We head to class, right ?"
Beth smiles "Not until you get your paperwork done at the Orientation office. You don't even know what department you are in ."
"There are departments?" I am incredulous.
Beth rolls her eyes "Duh. What do you think this is? Middle school?"
I spend the first two hours of my morning bustling in and out of different offices, filling up paperworks and finally been told by a crisp looking woman that I am in the Department Of Shadow Arts.
"What did you get?" Beth asks, looking up from her phone for the first time since we had been here.
"Shadow Arts" I say tiredly .
Beth let's out a laugh . I resist the urge to smack her face.
"That is literally the least desirable department in the whole school " She smirked "How on earth did you get shoved in there?"
Good question.
"Do they have cute guys at least" I smirked back "I wouldn't want to be doomed to the least desirable department without a desirable admirer. "
"Funny enough, they do " She sighs "Jordan switched to Shadow Arts last semester. Wonder why he would do that. No one wants to switch to Shadow Arts. It's literally so boring. Last year they had only four students. Only four. Can you believe that ?"
I can honestly not believe that but Beth is still talking while I trudge along, more clueless than ever.
"Dr. Meads thinks they should just scrap off that department " She says , demonstrating vividly with her hands " And join it with Arcane Arts but Beetleshock would rather die than see it scrapped out. He clings unto it like life itself. I think it's because he's a failure elsewhere. His wife left him . " She sighs dramatically and pauses to say hello to a dozen admirers perching idly on the corridors.
Beth Camper is popular. The girls flutter around her like butterflies. The boys (the really cute ones ) ogle her unashamedly. A couple pair of eyes flicker in my direction without interest. I hear whispers of "newbie" ... "Black Colony ".... "Ya right". And a few muffled laughter.
Now this is the part where I wish I was invincible. But I am trudging beside the hottest girl in school, clinging to my bag as if that would make me deaf to the whispers and literally wishing I was back in Greta High, with Barbie Mullen.
Beth is still talking."Beetleshock is so old fashioned. I agree with Meads. Shadow Arts should be fused into Arcane Arts. A huge impressive school like the Academy and then there's one tiny department with a meagre number of students. It reeks of ..." She searches for the right word "shallow".
My phone buzzes. Beth has paused to exchange pleasantries with yet another student. It's an unsaved number but the voice is way familiar.
"Hi " I drool into the receiver, feeling tired and drained with all the discouraging information Beth had unveiled.
"You are alive" Hari Spence's voice booms.
"With half my sanity " I sigh and then laugh "Where are you, Hari".
"In class" His voice is flowery and gay and I instantly know he's not been shoved into some semi obscure, glamour less f****d up department. "God. The orientation processes was such a rigour."
"You don't say" I concur "Well what did you get?"
"Supernatural Sciences" He announce breathlessly "Night, you won't believe it. There are over a hundred students here. The classroom is literally a big hall . Miles is here too. Jeez. He's made friends already with a vamp."
"I got a vamp for a roomie. " I laugh "I literally woke up cradling my neck . You got a werewolf or something worse?"
"I wish " His tone is flat and I can imagine him rolling his eyes "Titian is human. Night, Peach is creating a w******p group for us. She calls it The Black Colony Colonels. I will add you up ."
Very typical of her. "What did Peach get into?" I wonder loudly.
"Mystical Media and Communication" Hari says and I try unsuccessfully to suppress a feeling of envy. "Same with Cassidy."
"Good for them" I say thickly.
A short pause and then Hari says "Well, what did you get into "
I stub out a tear and croak out "Nothing remarkable"
"Let me guess"
But Beth is suddenly pulling my arm and saying excitedly "Ta Da. Here we are."
"I will talk to you later" I say frantically to Hari.
"We will meet up in the cafeteria by 12" He says and then I hang up resisting the urge to cry. How could they shove me here.
There's nothing tragic or depressing about the classroom I am facing. The doors are cobalt blue and on the wall hangs the bold inscription "DEPARTMENT OF SHADOW AND DARK ARTS".
Beth's phone buzzes and she takes one peep at it and goes frantic.
"Gosh. Dr. Meads is in class already".
I am shoved into a very tight hug and her cologne smells like my mom's. TuDeur Glam. When she presses her lips closer to whisper "I will see you at lunch break" I imagine her fangs picking up flesh off my skin. The thought is enough to make my skin crawl.
When Beth Camper shuffles off hurriedly, I stand facing the classroom door with disgust swirling in my stomach.
- Writer
