School began the next day. The weeks had flown by and Keelia was prepared, well, not really. Keelia ran swiftly across the kitchen. “Eliza! Have you seen my backpack? My deep gray one?” Keelia called.

                “It’s in the cabinet by the door, where you put it!” Eliza said. Eliza was stressed as well. Brinely had yelled that morning, fiercer than Keelia had ever seen. He had a friend over, and Eliza said that he was too mischievous with the friend, but Keelia hadn’t ever caught the friend’s name though.

                Back in the boat again, and this time, Keelia wasn’t going to sit with Everie and Alvis. Keelia felt like she needed to get used to some of the other girls.  She ran over to Delisa. Delisa was with another girl Keelia didn’t know. “Delisa! How are you? What have you been up to? I haven’t seen you for so long!” Keelia said. The girl next to Delisa had light brown hair, with no highlights. The girl didn’t have highlights, but instead, her hair faded to a deep brown at the tips. Odd, most people here have highlights, Keelia thought.

                “Hi Keelia. This is Jililian. Jililian, this is Keelia, but you probably already knew that” Delisa said.  Jililian looked very nice, and her smile was friendly.

                “I’ve been really looking forward to meeting you, Keelia. Will you be living at home, or are you staying in a dorm?” Jililian asked.

                “I’ll be staying at home this first semester, because I’m still getting used to this area,” Keelia replied. She liked this girl, and she hoped that they would become good friends. They sat down and waited for the start of the welcoming speeches from the Counselors.

                “Look at you two, finally found a new friend? I didn’t ever think that you two would. I’m surprised anybody would take the time to know you sorry Sustainers,” a wry voice hissed behind Keelia’s chair, near the row’s end.  Delisa sighed. 

                “You’re only jealous because you don’t have any friends, Kation,” said Delisa. Jililian sighed and whispered to Keelia.

                “They’ve always had quarrels. Kation and I used to be friends, but then I saw Delisa, and she didn’t have any friends. When I went over and talked to her, Kation didn’t like it. We haven’t spoken one-on-one for months,” Keelia nodded her head in understanding. Kation looked past Delisa toward Keelia and Jililian, but stared at Keelia and began to laugh.

                “So, this is your new friend? One of the new people?” she looked fiercely at Keelia for a moment and said, “You’ll never catch up to me!” She began to walk away. Without thinking, Keelia said something she regretted.

                “Well, Kitty, I hope you know what you’re saying. I’ll catch up if I’m not better than you already,” Kation stopped rigidly. Delisa laughed. Kation swung around and marched back.

                “Don’t you ever call me a kitty again. When we get to Counselor Alie’s class, I’m making things especially hard for you. I’m his favorite student you know,” Kation hissed and stalked away.  She sat a few rows behind them, and nobody came to sit with her. She was, clearly, the most hated student in the entire school. Apparently, everybody tried to keep their distance. Her father, Jerule, was an Inspector, and that made Kation’s family have authority. But the most conflict between Keelia and Kation would be: whose family was more powerful? Helbry was also an Inspector.

                “Welcome! Everybody!” a voice boomed over the chaotic floor below him. An old man was standing on the stage of the boat. His beard went down to his waist, and he had deep green eyes. He was wearing a long navy-blue coat with golden buttons going down halfway. His round body made his coat look a tad bit too small. He looked like a grandfather, and in some ways, Keelia believed that he was a godfather to all the children here. There were at least ten children in the front row all wearing gray, and every one of them was wearing the exact same boots, shirts, coats, bags, and everything. “My children and I welcome you to another jolly year back at Brinalds!” When he said this he gestured to the children in the matching attire. Those are all his children? Thought Keelia.  Keelia later learned that Master Brinald (that is what they were supposed to call the plump man) adopted and took care of all the children that didn’t have homes. Why wasn’t Keelia just adopted by this man? She wasn’t sure.

                “Your teachers are very excited to start another year full of excitement,” he began. Brendson coughed loudly. “And yes, Counselor Brendson has taken the duty to make a new rule. No funny business or pranks to the teachers. Especially Counselor Alie. Many of you most likely think that I am saying this because he gets aggravated easily, and he does. But I am saying this because he has just had a very hard time this last month or so, and he has had to visit the hospital far too many times as well,” Interesting, Laurelin never said anything about that… thought Keelia. Her eyes searched Alie’s, but his eyes avoided hers. She couldn’t wait to start lessons with Counselor Alie (sarcastically speaking, or course). The speech wasn’t long, and sooner than Keelia had thought, the teachers were introducing themselves and what they would teach. The Counselors, Keelia realized, were essentially the teachers. She thought that they were more like special tutors if you were new, or inexperienced. Nope. Aw man! I thought that I would only have to bear a few months of Counselor Alie, but my whole school career? Stink!  When the rest of the students were about to stand up, Master Brinald lifted himself off his chair.

                “Before you go, I have some happy and new news. The King and Queen (may they have a happy reign) have signed a document stating that we will have some new classmates this semester, and possibly the rest of Brinald’s School for the Genetically Powered’s history! The Dryads of Silver Creek are learning here this year.” A cheer went up from most of the students, but a groan from Kation. To spite her, Keelia would call her Kitty for the rest of her days (the days until Kation killed her for doing it). She was sure that Kation wouldn’t ever kill her, but man, Kation would probably get ANGRY! The other people who didn’t cheer were Brinely and his gang. The gang consisted of six people. Brinely, the leader, Keelia assumed. Another plump boy called Corker who looked as if somebody had stuffed cake down his throat for every meal since he was born. A girl Keelia’s age (who looked far too nice to be in a band of bullies) called Jezebel (splendid, that name was always a good omen, she thought sarcastically) Two of the boys were twins, Jonathan, and Isaac. They were simply bullies. Isaac took pleasure in doing whatever evil things were going around the school, and Jonathan enjoyed doing whatever Isaac pulled him into.  And finally, one last girl.  Her hair was the color of a raven with no highlights, and her eyes. Oh, the eyes. One was a fiery orangish red, the other, was pale gray. Keelia assumed that she was blind in one eye, because of the gray. One side, where the gray eye was, looked metal, with cords running through the pale skin. She didn’t talk, and Keelia wished she could hear what she sounded like. The kids in school called her Creep, because they didn’t know what her real name was, and Creep hadn’t told anybody her real name.  As much as Keelia wanted to be mean to Creep, she couldn’t help feeling a little bit sorry for the deformed Sustainer.

                The Dryads entered slowly and shyly. At first there were a few older Dryads and Drus (males). Then Hadassah and a few other Dryads and Drus entered. It was all that Keelia could do to hold herself from calling out to her. Oddly enough, the Dryads and Drus weren’t heavy laden with normal books and backpacks. Instead. Their backpacks were molded from mud and twigs, some were beautiful leaves and others were crudely made.  Sadly, Hadassah and the other Dryads and Drus weren’t permitted to sit with the others for the first semester. Because of this, Hadassah and Keelia couldn’t sit together.

                Keelia yawned as she and the others lifted themselves off the chairs and picked up their bags to go. “What class is first?” she asked. Delisa looked at a very full schedule.

                “I believe we’re going to Musical Theory\History 1 with Mr. Thisgy,” Delisa replied, “Ugh! Prepare for two and a half hours of boring talk. Mr. Thisgy is one of the most talkative teachers that I know, and he goes on millions of rabbit trails.” Strangely enough, Keelia was looking forward to the long hours. Maybe she would get bored after a while, but it was with Mr. Thisgy! How bad could it be?

2 . Hours . Later –

                “As you can see, Beethoven, Mozart, and Handel, as well as Mendelssohn are some of the most famous human composers. I consider myself to be one of their greatest fans. Though I am a Sustainer and as many of you know, the owner of the largest music store in Crecklington, I still am amazed as to how somebody who wasn’t a Sustainer can pull something like this off!” Mr. Thisgy started a radio. The song that sprouted from it was dark and provoking.  It had been two hours since the beginning of Musical Theory 1 class had started. Keelia enjoyed it and once the music began, she was surprised that she didn’t see any colors and notes flying from the source. Finally, something she didn’t already know. They had talked about the four composers since the first moment of class, after a short introduction, and they hadn’t stopped since. While living with her older family, Keelia had gotten the top in her class in music and since she already knew the things about the composers, she jumped at the opportunity to ask a question.

                Her hand stopped up in the air, but she couldn’t hear anybody say her name. She was trapped in some sort of dream. The music that flooded through the room brought back memories, memories that Keelia had never had.  The image of a girl with raven black hair with purple highlights and blue eyes in music class with her hand raised, and her eyes wide with enthusiasm. The picture flickered and switched to another strange picture. The girl was sitting alone on the playground and to Keelia, it felt like she was watching her younger self. The younger girl was crying. It was all very strange to see the girl crying. I wonder if she can see me… Keelia sat down beside the crying ball of a girl. The girl was thin and bony, her long legs were curled up in her stringy arms. The girl peered straight past Keelia. She can’t see me…I wonder why. Keelia had completely forgotten about Mr. Thisgy and her classmates, her mind was completely focused on the girl in front of her. She had seen this girl before, but it had to be recently. The image flickered and changed again. The same girl but a few years older. She had to be at least nine, thought Keelia. The girl’s hair was in two French braids down to her waist, and her eyes were pale blue, but there was something about the eyes that just made Keelia confused. They had the same look as somebody she had seen before, in pictures and in real life. The girl was in a building that looked familiar as well, walking through a hall. Keelia was floating in the air now, and she watched the whole thing happen. Flames burst through the walls, knocking the girl over. The flames enveloped the girl in an instant, and Keelia was going straight toward them. Keelia tried to resist the thing that was pulling her forward, but she couldn’t see it anywhere. Behind her, a boy who was at least twelve ran right past calling a name Keelia couldn’t hear. Once past the flames, Keelia spotted the girl, lying on her back, her body burned. Her pale blue eyes were glassy and empty. An ashen figure entered the memory and picked the girl up, chuckling deeply.

                The images shifted once again. This time they were deep underground, and the girl was laying on a slab of ebony obsisian and onyx. Keelia whirled around to witness multiple ashen figures enter through a dark hall.

                “What do you think, will she work?” asked the first. A tall slender man walked around the girl.

                “She’s already dead?” said the tall man.

                “Less messy work,” grunted the third.

                “Fine. Get the globe,” said the tall man, in a strangely familiar tone to Keelia again. Because nobody could see her, she got up close to the man. Another man entered with a fiery-colored, glowing ball as big as the man’s hand. “Golsvon, careful with that! If it breaks on you, you know what it’ll do?!” the tall man said.

                “I know Straten! Do you think I forgot what happened to Bolsvar? He was my brother,” The man called Golsvon spoke.  Whose Bolsvar? Who are these People, What are they talking about? Keelia struggled to contain what she was hearing. What were they about to do with this dead girl? Then it hit Keelia, the girl was DEAD! What were they trying to do? The tall man, Straten, took the ball from Golsvon and held it over the girls’ eyes.

                “It’s go time, my fellows,” He pushed a gem into the side of the glowing globe. Fiery gas entered the glassy blue eyes, and Straten shut the eyes carefully. All the men ran from the room quickly. Everything was dark. All was quiet. Nothing moved. Nobody talked. Nothing was happening.

                Then, something happened. The girl’s eye snapped open. One was gray, but Keelia couldn’t see the other yet. All the veins in her body began to glow, one by one until her entire body was glowing. Then, the girl disappeared. Into thin air. And the men entered once again. Straten raced to the onyx stone and drew his hand across the table. He began to laugh wickedly.

                “Well, boys. We’ll just have to see where the serum takes her. Hopefully if all goes well, we’ll be seeing her in five years. Then, it’s Go-time once again. And when that happens, we go full force.