Chapter 3
I don the traditional navy and black uniform, brushing my hand down over the gold embroidered academy crest of the fitted blazer and toward its matching pleated skirt.
Fixing my white shirt collar, I take the red tie from on top of the dresser.
It was a helpful indication of what year I was in at least.
The academy was broken up into five years; from the ages of fifteen and sixteen to twenty and twenty-one. It was supposed to be for supernaturals to learn how to control their abilities and powers better, and to learn about the world and its history at a grander scale.
But mainly it was just a hierarchical breeding ground for students to form connections that they would later benefit from after the academy.
Prestige and power was everything, even in the supernatural community.
Who you were and what family you came from was what determined your position. Whether you were feared, admired, or an outcast, it was all decided by your blood or supernatural abilities.
Unfortunately for me, even though I had come from a powerful clan, one of the oldest clans in the Realm, my lack of power left me a pariah, even in my own family.
Which made me an easy target.
I grab the tie and loop it around my neck, securing the crimson knot.
The academy had a colour system for each year; Ivory for First years, Emerald for Second years, Crimson for Third years, Navy for Fourth years and Black for Fifth years.
Thankfully with this, I was able to figure out that I was in my third year. Which meant I was either seventeen or eighteen years old depending on the month.
My hand stills as I’m smoothing out my tie. I had gone back almost ten years.
I shake my head before adjusting my white shirt collar once again. Brushing my fingers through my long rosy strands, it felt soft and smooth to touch, so different from the tight cut they had given me for years at the facility.
My fingers catch on a small knot at the end of my long strands. I wasn’t used to taking care of such long hair. As pretty as it was, it would still be difficult to maintain. I’d have to do something about it later.
I take one final look in the small mirror on the dresser and brush my fingers over the reflection I see there, a small smile embracing my lips as I make my way to the door.
No matter what happens from now on, I will be free. Freer than I ever was before.
I would choose my own path, no matter what that meant or where it would lead me.
I’ll fight for the second chance I’ve been given.
I make my way down the dormitory stairs as another loud bell rings from the main academy, signalling the start of school.
From what I remember, classes would start about ten minutes later.
I open the door and take a step out of the dormitory building. The sun shines brightly in the sky as the scents of pinewood and wildflowers drift from the forest to me. A light breeze brushes through my hair as it properly hits me.
I was free.
Physically free .
How long had it been since I had seen the sun in the sky, or smelled fresh air? How long had it been since I was able to move around as I please, and outside at that?
My breath catches in my chest, as a realisation dawns on me.
I could never have this taken from me again. This freedom.
There would be no dark and damp cells in my future and no cage of any kind imprisoning me ever again. Never.
This was my second chance, my second life, and never again will I let someone take it from me.
I slowly make my way to the main building where classes are held, enjoying the scents and scenery around me.
The main academy building stood three stories tall, with grey bricks spread throughout its exterior. Light layers of ivy sprawled up its old walls, hiding some of its gothic-inspired arched windows and ornate stained-glass windows.
Its main entrance was a feature by itself, framed by two large grey marbled gryphons and a large eight foot black mahogany door, adorned with intricate details and carvings.
I make my way through the large ornate doors and in toward the main reception.
After a couple of minutes of pretending to have lost my class schedule and with a few annoyed sighs and narrow looks from the secretary, I now hold it in my hands.
It also came with the date. Looks like I was back in early October. So I was still seventeen as my birthday wasn’t until November.
I glance at my schedule as I make my way through the hall. I had ‘World History’ right now on the second floor.
I make my way up the stairway and head into the class, following a group of boys already heading in.
I scan the room full of students and make my way up toward an empty seat in the middle section.
Just as I’m about to sit down, I hear a nasally voice call out from behind me. “... Bane … Ms. Micai Bane .”
I turn toward the voice and am met with two narrowed grey eyes.
The charcoal grey haired man taps his pen impatiently on the desk in front of him as he raises a brow.
The class falls silent, all eyes flickering between me and the annoyed teacher with slight amusement.
“You're late, Ms.Bane, and I believe I’ve made it clear what my policy is on tardiness.”
I glance toward the boys I entered the class with, some turned away uninterested, a couple of them smile patronisingly, one even winked, but none of them were being stopped or called out to.
So why me?
And then it hit me, who this teacher was. Mr. Finch.
He was a man that in my previous life, I had felt intimidated by. He would try, at any chance he could get, to degrade and humiliate the students he deemed unworthy of the academy's education, and of his time.
Unfortunately for the old me, I had been regularly humiliated by the asshat of a teacher. He had made the younger me, with already a small sense of worth, feel even smaller.
“Are you listening, Ms. Bane?” He sighs, brushing a hand down his olive-green silk tie, annoyance synching his brows together.
“Since you seem to lack focus as well as basic awareness, then maybe standing for a while will help you remember better.”
He points to the wall beside the steps, as a few giggles ring out around the class.
“Stand there, and don't cause anymore problems for the class Ms. Bane.” He turns around and begins preparing for his lesson.
How did I ever fear this man? His ego was clearly larger than his five foot eight inch frame. I’d met more terrifying guards, almost twice his height, with glares so dark and chilling they would make you tremble with just one look.
He begins the lesson in his poorly fitted brown blazer with its small check patches around his elbows, and all I could see now was a weak and pathetic man. One who tried to get his kicks from demeaning kids a fraction of his age.
I take a step toward the wall and lean against it as he turns back to meet my eyes.
“I don't remember telling you to get comfortable there Ms. Bane, this is a punishment.”
His gaze hardens as he points to me again.
“Fix your posture and stand properly.”
Did he think I would listen and apologise, complying quietly like the girl of yesterday?
Well unfortunately for him, she's no longer here, and he's stuck with me. They all are.
“You told me to stand, and last time I checked…” I glance toward the ground and back to his slightly widened eyes, “I'm standing.”
Pin-drop silence fills the classroom as the rest of the students watch on, their gazes filled with either shock or agitation at my quick retort.
Some mouths part or eyes widen, while others openly mock or glare at me.
A student even kicks over the chair of the seat I had been heading to, a sneer stretching the boy's lips as he and those around him chuckle and ignore my gaze.
Mr. Finch clears his throat, pulling my attention back to him as he schools his surprised expression and replaces it with one of anger toward my defiance.
“You will get yourself into a lot of trouble Ms. Bane.”
“For what?” I slightly tilt my head, a mocking smile lacing my lips.
His nostrils flare, his eyes narrowing toward me, “For being disruptive-”
“Disruptive? In what way?” I ask.
“In the way you’re behaving right now and interrupting the lesson.”
“I’ve done as you’ve asked. You're the one preventing the class from continuing.”
His glare darkens, his lips pinching together as he squares his stance.
How did I ever find such a weak man intimidating?
I match his stare, adding a little of the glare I’d give the guards from the Facility on testing days.
He flinches, his face falling slightly at whatever he sees in my expression.
Just as he opens his mouth, the classroom door flings open, and in walks a very tall boy. His uniform is messy and loose, with a large leather jacket instead of the academy blazer. He wears multiple piercings in his ears and an expression that screams ‘ Don’t fuck with me’.
It seems that everyone got the message, because they scattered from the seats at the back of the room, with the rest of the class not even daring to look his way.
Who was this boy, and why did I never notice him before?
The boy makes his way toward the back of the class, a large yawn stretching his lips as he passes me.
I look back toward Mr. Finch, his eyes slightly trembling as he watches the boy’s back from the front of the class.
A small smile stretches my lips as I call, “Aren’t you going to ask him to stand too, Mr. Finch?”
The boy turns back before taking his seat, his eyes narrowing toward Mr. Finch.
“Don't you have a policy to uphold?” I ask mockingly.
The boy's gaze flickers from me to Mr. Finch as the teacher begins to visibly sweat.
“N–no. No need. I’ve made my point, you can take your seat Ms. Bane.”
The boy takes his seat, resting his head on the desk, no longer interested.
“What was the point again?” I question, pulling myself up straighter.
Did he think we were finished here? That he could try to humiliate me and drop it when and as he pleases? Fuck that.
“Ms. Bane-”