The Swords

The sound of the clock ticking and the sound of chalk on the blackboard were the only things that were keeping the class from falling asleep. Everyone hated Chemistry, especially in this sunny September morning when the temperature in the enormous classroom of Baltimore High rose higher than anyone could take. And yet, despite all of this, to someone watching from a distance, the students would seem to be charmed by the teacher. Everyone was taking notes and listening carefully to everything mister Duster had to say. That was, probably, because he was known for mercilessly throwing around with poor grades and the fact that the school year had just begun, was not making him less severe. “I wouldn’t want to be you if you don’t know everything, we’ve discussed today next time.” He put the chalk down, clapped his hands a few times in order to get rid of any trace of chalk that still remained there. He gathered the register and everything else he had on the desk and left the classroom just as we heard the bell ringing in the distance. Everyone let out a breath of relief, being glad that we’ve managed to survive the first chemistry lesson of this schoolyear without damaging our averages. “That guy should not be allowed to teach. He is way too much stress to handle.” Chris, my desk mate, told me as he was putting his chemistry books in his bag and taking out the ones for our next class. “Tell me about it.” I wanted to stand up, but noticing Zara coming towards our desk changed my mind. Her posture was as impeccable as always, her back completely straight and her head held high. She seemed a few centimetres taller than usual, which meant that she was wearing her high heels. “Party at my place tonight. Wanna come, Elijah?” she placed her hand on my desk, making the table look a lot darker than it actually was. I rose my head wanting to look in her eyes while speaking, but that wasn’t possible because of the pair of sunglasses covering them. She was leaning on my desk, clearly wanting me to focus in the area of her chest, which was purposely highlighted by her blue blouse. It was cut in half and only held together by five stripes at the level of her stomach. “I’ll be there.” I winked, making her grin. “Good. See you there, then.” She turned around and began to walk away, She turned around and walked away, her tight mini skirt, together with her white high heels, which she was totally rocking,  were giving the impression that she was already dressed for the party. “Zara?” She turned around on her heels. “Should I wear something specific?” She smiled and she described her body with her hands, meaning that from where she was standing, I could wear nothing. “Alright then, I will choose.” She shrugged and left the classroom. “That girl definitely likes you.” “People say it’s been going on for a couple of years now.” “She could wrap any guy around her finger and yet she wants the one that she can’t have.” He sighed, making me smile. “Nothing to be jealous about, my friend. She is all yours.” “As long as you are around, Elijah, she will be no one’s.” we stood up and started walking towards the door. I’ve noticed Derek, the captain of the football team watching me from the other side of the room, his eyes gleaming way brighter than Chris’ “I don’t get why you are still messing around with her. Just for the parties and popularity?” “Come on, Chris, you know me better than that. I go to the parties only because she is there. As for why I do it…because it is fun.” I inhaled. “She knows it too, so we are the same in that regard.” “Are you sure about that? The girl actually likes you.” “I think she did, but I believe that, right now, she feels just like I do. My guess is that she simply finds it easier to keep up already existing appearances.” “Maybe you are right.” He threw those words just for the sake of it, changing the topic. “What about the new guy? Have you met him yet?” we were already in the courtyard. We took a seat on a bench in the school’s shadow. There were several students there, some playing basketball, others skipping classes in favour of football. Several groups of students could be seen hanging out, some cheering for their friends, but all of them were somewhat familiar faces. Our school wasn’t that big, so a completely new face would be the gossip of the day. “I haven’t even heard of receiving a new student this year. Do you have any idea what class he belongs to?” “Not really. I’ve heard that he would be at C, but other would say that he would be at F, at the far end of the school.” “Naturally, that’s how all rumours start. One spread by Stacy, one by Angela. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” He nodded and we kept silent for a few minutes, simply watching the movement in the courtyard and enjoying the good weather while it still lasts. I smiled noticing Aria in a group to the right of the basketball court. She was talking with a bunch of her classmates, having trouble containing her blonde long hair from flying in the blowing wind. I kept watching her for several seconds, admiring her simple green dress which fit her slim body really well, also matching the colour of her eyes. She was the complete opposite of Zara, from the way she talked to the way she dressed. At some point, she noticed me and I smiled, my heartbeat rising while a slight feeling of emptiness took over my stomach. She returned the smile and immersed herself back into conversation. “One day my friend.” Chris said as I was switching my focus. “I doubt it.” “Did you buy a new watch?” he said, looking at my right arm, where a silver watch could be noticed. Its metallic strap, wrapping around my hand perfectly, while its face was made of a sapphire glass, making it immune to any cuts. It was currently showing 12:36, telling us that we still had 4 minutes until our break was over. “No. It’s just the one I usually wear.” I told Chris, rolling up my sleeves in order for it to be more visible. “Really? It means that my memory is playing with me.” “Perhaps.” His memory was just fine, but what I said was also true, the watch being the same, but its appearance different. One of the perks of a magical accessory, which of course, was more than that, but he needn’t know that. “Are you alright?” he asked after hearing my tone and noticing that I was once again staring at something, but he couldn’t grasp at what. “Who is that?” “What?” he followed my gaze and after several seconds the guy I was looking at was finally close enough for Chris to notice. “No idea, maybe he is the rumour of the day.” He chuckled and I smiled, but for whatever reason I didn’t think it was funny. He was closing the distance between us, probably meaning to head inside which meant that he had to walk past us. “I think Alex will have to compete for the captaincy of the basketball team this year.” The two meters high guy was now perfectly in line of sight. His long arms and oval head were giving the impression that someone had purposely straightened him at some point. His appearance was in a total contrast with his walking. It looked like each step he was making was meant as if he had to make no noise while walking. His look seemed completely absent, but when he reached us, I could swear that I saw his lips rising in a grin. Clenching my teeth, believing that he was making fun of me I fixed my gaze upon him, watching him for as long as I could, before he took a turn and disappeared into the school. “He seems weird.” Chris said relaxed, with his curiosity satisfied and happy that he could stop worrying about the rumours. Still looking in the same direction, I’ve noticed that, somewhere in the distance, through the school fence and over the street a silhouette was watching me. I thought it as a coincidence at first, but after several seconds of starring in each other’s eyes, it was clear that my first hunch was correct. I stood up and started walking in that direction. “Where are you going? The break isn’t over yet.” “I won’t be able to make it to the next class. Make something up for me, please.” “Ok?” the e was really long. “May I ask why?” I stopped and turned around. “Let’s just say that I have to meet an old acquaintance.” Seeing the look on his face I added “I am fine, don’t worry about it.” “Alright, I will cover for you, but you owe me one.” Being already on the move again I gave him a thumbs up over the shoulder while I was clenching my other fist, my anger rising. The guy who was watching me could mean only one thing: trouble.