Chapter 11
Melody stood up, her movement a graceful contrast against the backdrop of raucous chatter and clinking cutlery. I followed suit, feeling the weight of dozens of eyes glancing my way before returning to their own insular worlds.
”Here, you”ll need this,” Melody said, her voice slicing through the murmur around us as she handed me a crumpled timetable.
”Looks like we”re both headed to a fire lesson first,” she commented, tucking a strand of her short blonde hair behind her ear.
”Fire lesson?” I echoed, my voice betraying a mix of intrigue and apprehension. The very idea sent a thrill down my spine—fire was raw, uncontrollable, a bit like the life I”ve known.
”Yeah, you”ll get a kick out of it,” Melody assured with a smile that could thaw the frost off a winter morning. ”It”s all about channelling your inner flame, sort of speaking to the heat in your blood.”
”Sounds... hot,” I quipped, earning a giggle from her that felt like a splash of colour on a drab canvas. She had this warmth about her, the kind that made you want to lean in closer, even when you”ve spent a lifetime building walls.
”Come on, Harper. Let”s see what you”re made of,” she teased, leading the way with a bounce in her step that made her seem almost weightless.
”Lead the way, Melody,” I said. There was no turning back now.
The chill from the morning air nipped at my skin as we crossed the courtyard, our footsteps echoing like a drumbeat.
”Melody, if you don”t mind me prying,” I began, casting a sidelong glance at her, ”What”s your power? You know, besides being supernaturally chipper?”
Her steps faltered for a heartbeat, and when she looked at me, there was a flicker of hesitation in her eyes – or maybe it was a caution. ”Around here, asking about powers is kinda taboo,” she said, her voice lowering as if sharing a secret. ”But since you”re new, I”ll let it slide. I”ve got firepower, healing, and... mimicking.”
”Mimicking?” I echoed, my curiosity piqued. The word lingered between us, ripe with possibilities.
”Yep. I can mirror any power I come across and throw it right back.” Melody”s lips twisted into a wry smile as she tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. ”Kinda like having an arsenal at my fingertips. But it’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
”Sounds badass,” I said, but even as the words left my mouth, I noticed the shadows that played across her face, the way her shoulders tensed ever so slightly. It was as if this gift of hers was a double-edged sword, one that cut her off from the rest as effectively as it sliced through her enemies.
”Sure, until people realize you can turn their own tricks against them.” The bitterness in her tone was subtle, but it stung like a slap to the face. ”Let”s just say, it doesn”t win you many friends around here.”
I watched her then, really saw her – this girl who could wield fire and mend flesh, who held the power to echo the very essence of others. And yet, she walked beside me, her presence a quiet testament to the solitude she endured. How ironic, that someone who could harness the abilities of those around her was left standing alone.
”Fuck ”em,” I muttered under my breath. Melody glanced at me, surprise etched on her delicate features, and I shrugged. ”Their loss, right?”
”Right,” she agreed, her smile returning, though now it seemed tinged with something akin to gratitude – or was it relief?
”Melody,” I said, my voice slicing through the residual tension, ”I don”t give a rat”s ass about what people think, plus you”re my friend now”
”Friend?” Her eyes sparked, not with her innate fire, but with a hope that seemed almost out of place on her.
”Yeah, friends.” I extended my pinkie toward her, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips. ”Come on, let”s make it official. Old school style.”
She looped her pinkie with mine, the gesture so earnest it nearly knocked the breath from my lungs. ”Pinkie swear,” she echoed, the corners of her mouth lifting into a genuine smile.
”Swear it,” I affirmed, tightening the bond between our fingers for a moment before we released each other, stepping into the thrumming energy of the class building.
”Ready to set the world on fire?” I teased, nudging her with my elbow.
”Always,” Melody shot back, and there was laughter in her voice, the sound cutting through the suffocating weight of solitude that had cloaked her moments ago.
”Let’s burn it up then,” I said, feeling the first real flicker of excitement since I”d crossed into this realm of magic and madness.