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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/2174763-Unknowncome-up-with-title
Rated: 13+ · Sample · Fantasy · #2174763
Sample...Young girl coming to know her family more. Discovery/fantasy
A boy was approaching a door. He hesitated in the usual way most did. He wasn't certain of his fate or the fate of the others that passed the old oak frame with its intricate vines, tangling toward the ever-present door knob. He sighed, hoping to relieve his pounding heart. His fingers curved into his palms that were teamed with sweat. Beads of it ran on his neck and inching down his spine as he halted at the door as he'd seen the past 10 boys and girls do.
The raven arched on the tree in the door turned faithfully toward him, his beak protruding from the thick slab of wood. His beak opened as a voice, not truly his own, spoke the words he'd been dreading for four years.
"To know oneself is to look into your heart. Are you ready to meet your greatest challenge, Thwallen?" The voice screeched like the cawing the bird might actually have made. Trying not to tremble, the boy shook his head with certainty.
"I am ready to accept the challenge and begin the Revealing." He took his hands, mimicking the motions he'd seen for the past three hours, and plucked his hood from his shoulders. His face was the only part of him exposed, where he'd need to be the strongest. His words let most of the weight off his shoulders as the bird rested back into the door, the wood swinging forward to beyond. He stepped forward, his knees threatening to buckle under him as he left the familiar hallway behind into what, he wasn't quite certain of.
The Revealing had always been a mystery, something not quite spoken of in the highest sense. It was familiar to all who attended 'Vaughn Amund Charter school', a boarding school often used as a way parents got rid of their odd children. A way to get lost in the shuffle of the real world without being missed, many passed through the brass gates with hope of a new start. That was what intrigued so many adults; the place they could leave their children in good hands. He laughed as he thought those very words, walking down yet another darkened hallway to his fate. He muttered the moto that each student recited every morning at their first class softly to himself.
Animo in faciem iudicium magni , the latin phrase sitting well on any tongue. Had they known what it would take to confront that saying head on, Thwallen was unsure. "Courage in the face of great trials" was what was guiding his feet this very moment even as his head throbbed with each thud of his heel.
How had it come so fast? His four years had seemed to slip by in a matter of small moments; his first day, first casting, first friend... all morphing into a quick slideshow in his mind. The training and the lessons were all fading for him now as there was someone else waiting for him at the end of the hallway. The dark hood and crimson color seemed to vibrate at the end of the hall, his eyes blinking in the poorly lit hall.
He tensed as his foot skipped a beat in his regular walking pattern. As if noticing this, the hood snapped up in concern. He held his breath as he pushed the phrase in his thoughts once more. He would not show fear, even at the time where it seemed he needed to most. Animo,...Animo in faciem iudicium magni. His words met every step as he continued his walk to the crimson hood, a smile white as ivory bone gleaming under the hood. The voice that echoed beneath it caused his heart to jump to his throat in dread.
"Welcome to your Revealing, Thwallen Courage bringer."
Chapter 1~
"Seriously, not again!"
"We just had one last week."
"You've got to be kidding."
The groans of fellow teens echoed as well as Evita Barone, her hair hiding the rolling of her eyes in joined disgust. She was happy with one fact; her hair down meant she could easily hide that fact that she'd definitely be cheating using Jenny's answers for this insane pop quiz.
Ms. Halloway chuckled with utter amusement as she passed round the thick papers stapled with precision. Her bouncy ginger hair seemed to sparkle, even on a cloudy day that seemed to be waiting to down pour and make this Monday ten times worse. Her brown eyes were like starring at a warm cup of hot chocolate as she scanned each face in the room. Her sing song voice finally ushered them back into their seats.
"Honestly, class! This is the first and probably only pop quiz I'll ever give you. Let's just be happy it's not on a Friday, shall we?" She plopped each stack of papers like a fresh cookie hot out of the oven. It only they'd be so lucky. A hand shot up, out of the corner of her eye. Ms. Halloway sighed, as she prepared for the horribly stupid question that was about to escape Evi's peer's mouth. "Yes, Mr. Craivies?" A sigh escaped more students as they heard the annoying voice of Caleb Craivies and his often-idiotic remarks.
"You said probably. So will we or will we not have another pop quiz? And is it optional?" A chuckle from more airheads returned to the room, like most days. Soft murmurs of annoyance fluttered about the room as Evi did what she usually did; open her big mouth and give them a taste of their own idiocy.
"Will it even matter, Caleb? Your brain is the exact same size as, well, other not so average parts of your body." She heard the satisfying laughter and gasping sounds of her friends beside her. Curls that were a deeper red than Ms. Halloway swung to her faster than lightening.
"Evi, be careful!"
Jenny Tollis was her smartest friend she had and was one of the truest that she held on to from her childhood. Jenny was that friend that constantly asked how you were, even though she knew the answer. Her hazel eyes felt heavy with concern as Evi looked toward Ms. Halloway and her quiet gasp she'd barely heard.
"Miss Barone, I believe that was uncalled for." She continued her path through the classroom as a sound of frustration came loudly from Caleb.
"You're going to let her get away with that? That's not fair."
"What's unfair, Mr. Craivies, is that you constantly waste our class time with ridiculous comments, underwhelming facts about the day, and exceedingly rare moments when you provide the class with some sort of acknowledgement you actually pay attention in this class. Do you wish to change that last fact or would you like to offer us an opportunity to start this quiz?" She stood close to him, her eyes cold and unmoving. This was the sort of look you tried not to get from the teacher.
Caleb silently shook his head and grabbed his pencil. Her smile returned to her face as she returned to the front of the room, quickly passing a wink along to Evi on her way to her desk. Evi smiled in victory as she passed the wink along to Jenny in satisfaction.
"Nice job, Evi!" The jolly voice beside her made her heart warm as she, without looking, threw her hand to the center aisle. She received a quick and low five from her equally amazing best friend Crystal.
Crystal Berimore was an 'old soul', as so many adults would call her from a young age. She often was found giving her time to local causes such as animal shelters, soup kitchens, small clubs and activities outside of school. This often meant she was running around like a maniac and drank several cups of coffee in a day. Many often-wondered what kind of parent lets their child drink coffee? The answer was a non-existent one that was working three shifts in a row on week days, barely getting any sleep.
Her father was a loving man, as Evi had barely seen him in her own childhood. When Crystal and Evi grew up together, she'd often keep her company on the late nights her father wouldn't be home from the hospital till early morning. This meant lots of sleepovers with copious amounts of 'Jeweled Crunch' cereal; hold the cereal and bring on the dry marshmallows! They'd stay up talking about everything and anything they could think of, making them the friends everyone wish they had.
Evi returned her eyes to her paper, preparing her perfect view of Jenny's pop quiz. Her muddy blonde hair, as she called it, was super tangled due to another late-night reading. Her favorite series had just been released and it was everything the girls ever talked about. They talked about the characters like recent boyfriends in another country.
"Remember when Tally reached the cave and swept Killy around the hidden trap? Ugh, why can't Tally be here at Evermore High," Crystal pined as they left English class and joined the mass mob in the hallway.
"Oh but he is! There, running into the boys locker room!! Go get him, Crys," Evi called as she pushed the girl ever so gently toward the reek that escaped the locker room by the gym. A shriek of terror escaped her lips as she flailed out in distress. Evi keeled over in laughter, her eyes watering at the sight. The girls short brown hair tossed out of her face to reveal horror in her eyes.
"Not funny!!! NOT funny, Evi." She threw herself to Jenny, holding the girls arm like a frightened cat. Jenny put her hand over her crushing grip and smiled.
"Seriously, Evi. What if I did that to you?"
"I would have kung foo kicked my way out of there like a distressed kangaroo that's what!" Her face shifted to a more serious expression of a warrior. She approached Crystal's small form and body guarded her the whole way to the math wing. They separated ways, as they often did after their one class together,
Evi felt the lonely feeling creep into her like a cold ice cube running down her back. She shivered as she went into the dreaded classrooms that would eat away the rest of the day slowly. She braced herself for the Monday blues as she entered the white washed walls of Calculus 1. Could this year suck more?
         It was finally the last class of the day as Evita returned to her locker to gather her things to take home. Home felt empty, even more so than the classes she had without her right and left arm. She often called Crystal and Jenny that, if only because she relied on them so much. She was making a move to reach up for her lunchbox when a voice punctured her heart with only a few words.
         "The dreaded day of the week is finally over, eh Evi?"
         The boy's voice was like feeling a soft blanket on your fingers; a relaxing sound that startled her out of her normal "get through the day" attitude. She dropped her hands, her lunchbox tumbling out of the top shelf with a smack.
         "Oh hey, Jude. Yeah, sucky Monday yet again." She quickly recovered by shoving her backpack on the ground, her lunchbox r
         Jude Walker was a classic hipster boy toy in any girl's book. He only acknowledged her existence because they had lockers right beside each other for almost every year of school. She knew this reality and yet her legs wobbled like she'd only learned how to walk yesterday.
         "Well, see you tomorrow." With that, he turned and ventured off in the sea of students. She gazed after him, wondering why he still kept her in his routine?
         "Oh no. She's got that look again." Jenny's voice carried to her ears as she busied herself with her backpack, slamming her locker shut.
         "Seriously, not again. We've been over this, Evi." Crystal joined the conversation as they stood next to her locker as one looks into an aquarium; with a look of pity. Evi shook them off as she headed to the art wing, her one escape all day.
         "You already know what you're planning to say, so go ahead and get it over with." She walked with renewed vigor as she thought of the happy things that waited for her; ceramics, the potter's wheel, room-temp water...
         "He gets to you every time he calls you Evi. Seriously, we're the only ones who can call you that," Crystal spoke behind her as her shorter legs desperately tried to catch up to Jenny, who kept up with her fast gait.
         "I mean, us and your brother." They all stopped as Evi slowed down her walk. Her brother... the boy she barely seemed to know anymore.
         Walter Barone was the star child she'd never turn into. He was always brought up as a challenge by her Uncle Max. "He's doing extraordinary things in the army. He's been tasked with training new recruits every day. He has the most difficult job and yet he smiled just thinking of all the good he'd bring to this world, Evita." Her Uncle had only the best views of his schooling, his grades, and yet being six years older than her had been such a downfall. She never truly got to grow up with him. He went to receive his college credits so early, she knew she'd never get to ask him advice about High school or school in general.
         Wally, as she affectionately called him, was only as good as his name. She always pictured him differently and imagined what their lives would have been like had their parents stuck around enough to raise them.
         That of course was not something she'd be thinking about now, or any time soon.
         "Wally never called me Evi. Only ever Evita." Evi turned to them and dramatically sighed to change the mood. "Besides, the only reason you get to call me Evi is because I let you." She grinned evilly as she scampered off down the hallway, the bell trilling in the intercom. "Afterschool, meet at the Creekside," she called behind her. When she turned around the corner to the art wing, she glanced to see if they were still there. They were gone as everyone checked in to their last class of the day.
         The smell always hit her starting at the corner and going all the way down till it hit the dead end. Paint, clay and dust seemed to linger in a unique way as she approached her pottery class with glee. She relaxed in the best way when she was here. Her hands could work their magic by guiding the clay exactly where it needed to go. She was in AP Art, which meant this was really a free period for her. No one took AP Art unless they were pursuing it or were good.
         She threw her books down as the teacher started the lesson up at the front. Her first job was always to make sure there was fresh clay, recycled clay getting put back and tools put away. While the teacher started, she'd prepare materials so that the rest of class was her time in the back studio. Mr. Kline nodded his greeting to her, his glasses smudged with clay marks and his casual jeans and light brown shirt dirty as well.
         She got to work, busying herself in checking all the materials. The shelves were filled with student art; some glazed as brightly as a carnival with it's reds and blues. Others dulled to earth tones, blending in with the wall of windows looking out to the courtyard. The cloudy day made everything pop in the room today with the florescent lights guiding the bouncing colors. She grabbed a tub of discarded clay and went to work with the pugmill.
         The machine chattered and thrummed with life as she flipped the switch, pushing the clay in the recycler. She watched as she filled and refilled the containers, watching the clean clay push out like toothpaste from a squeeze tube. Happiness was here for her, in this back room playing with basically mud. She smiled at herself as she finished recycling the rest of the clay.
         She pushed out a cart of the new clay, making sure the 14 students who were here for class had fresh clay on their benches. She silently escaped once she was finished, grabbing her phone that was safely tucked away in her pocket for music. This was her sanctuary, and the routine of it all made her wonder what would happen when she graduated? She pushed away the thought as she grabbed the clay she needed to start yet another project.

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