“My name is Black, Reynold Black. I was born on 30 February, an additional leap day that comes once every century. I have the power to…” I look up from my script and sigh at the sight of my reflection. Born weak and scrawny, it’s hard living in this world. Trapped in a man-made bubble to protect everyone from the Forest, one needs to be capable to defend against the threats the Forest lovingly offers every now and then. Therein lies a power-hungry entity, desperate to consume the entire Earth.

And of course, I at least need to survive the first day of school, full of self-introductions and exposure to other people; the epitome of hell on earth. I sigh again and part from the bathroom mirror, before pushing through the heavy doors and back into school. I quickly glance at my watch before heading off to class.

Ten minutes… enough time to mentally prepare myself. As I slowly head down the corridor, I am faced with students casually using their powers for their everyday needs. I pull my arms closer as my hoodie conceals me as much as possible. I feel a stray bolt of static electricity hit my elbow as a girl rushes past me. Speed. I managed to dodge a ball as it whizzes past my ear, caught by another student at the other end of the corridor. Strength. I glanced to the side to see a student reading a book while walking as other books orbit her. And telekinesis… a perfect cloak to mask my true self.

The treacherous journey through the packed corridors finally ends and I push through the heavy doors to immediately be in the middle of a warzone.

A literal warzone.

Screams of agony and cries of pain surround me while the stench of blood fills my nostrils. I see soldiers firing at the large mass in the distance, too far to recognize or distinguish. I see a group of soldiers, clearly younger than everyone else, with notebooks and frantically penning down everything they see as their heads dart to every corner of the scene. Ah… a simple history class… definitely not the wrong room.

Not long after I enter, the scene disappears and I find myself in the middle of a simulation room, a completely white room with intense light to the point where the floor and walls can’t be distinguished from each other. The students inside it look momentarily confused before looking at me, most of them immediately staring daggers, whilst others smirk at my mistake. One of the students at the back gives me a small wave, slightly amused at my presence, before the teacher walks up to me.

“State your business.”

Not wanting to waste anymore time, I bolt out and back into the corridor, frantically searching for a place to hide in my own embarrassment, or in my case, fear. I might be overreacting, but fear is an intoxicating emotion, capable of incapacitating any logical thoughts from parsing.

That, or I’m just overreacting on the first day of school.

~ ~ ~

New school, new people, new environment. Everything I’m going through is perfectly normal. I thought to myself as I escape the confines of the school. At long last, I’m free from the drudgery of education. Though one can only be as free as a caged bird in this essential birdcage we’re all stuck inside. I start losing myself into my thoughts, thinking of my agenda for the rest of the day. A rather peaceful, yet vulnerable, state to be in. I only got a few steps out before being interrupted…yet again.

“Hey there, student-who-went-in-my-class-and-is-clearly-a-paranoid-first-year. Planning on joining history?”

And here I thought my school drama was over… I take a deep breath and turn around to whoever lovingly tapped my shoulder. A female student, seemingly older by one or two years, is staring straight at me, bubbling with energy. At first glance, she seems to be cheerful and… expressive, to say the least, donning long, pink hair and a complementary outfit, fitted with various shades of pink. All the pink on her makes her only non-pink feature stand out, her large green eyes. As if a few bullies, a run-in with a fireball, and a fractured thumb isn’t enough, I have a senior who’s going to be disturbing me.

“That’s… one hell of a nickname.” The words reluctantly crawl out of my throat. I have no reason to reply, no reason to pay any attention, and no reason to care. Though I must admit, there is a peculiar charm to her. It’s as if my heart is being pulled towards her. An odd feeling, all things considered.

I seem to have drowned myself into my thoughts again since the next thing I knew, she’s grabbing my shoulders and shaking me back and forth. I snap back into reality and look at her, pushing the unusual pull away.

“Are you okay, first-year? Should I get medical help, or is this a common instance for you? Maybe you’re having an asthma attack. Is there an inhaler on you? I really don’t want to resort to mouth-to-mouth, but I will if I have to.”

“Calm down! I’m fine.” I try to gently push her back but my strength once again proves to be my weakness. She holds on, scanning me from tip to toe before finally releasing me, my arms slightly sore from her tight grip.

“I’m sorry. I was just afraid you were one of those... sensitive kids.” She lets out a laugh and rubs her neck sheepishly, which again reignites that pull. She takes a deep breath before exploding back to her usual energetic self, the sudden change being quite intimidating. Even so, it is enough for me to escape the strange trance I keep falling into and question her choice of words. Sensitive?

“So, let’s start over. I’m Coralia Thulian, but almost everyone calls me Coral. How about you?” She holds out her hand as she speaks, awaiting my hand to shake hers. Reluctantly, I shake her hand out of respect and state my name, and only my first name. She’s surely charming, but I’m not gonna swoon over her and give away all my secrets.

“Reynold only? No last name? How about the middle name, at least?” She seems rather disappointed- no, pleading. What is up with this girl? I, again, state my last name to keep her mouth shut. Afraid of being stuck in a one-way ramble, I try and quickly end the conversation.

“I’m sorry Coralia, but it seems I have urgent matters to attend to. I’ll see you around.” Lies! Before she has a chance to say anything, I slink away from her and, as casually as I can, walk briskly to the nearest corner before running as though my life depends on it.