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-2-

"Here's your schedule," said the secretary. She gave an extremely false smile.

I took the itinerary from her hand. "Thanks," I replied blankly.

"Now, you sure you'll know where to go?" she asked.

"I'll manage."

"All seventh grade classes are on the second floor!" she yelled as I walked away.

School had not even started, yet I already hated it. It was combination of things--the size of the building, not knowing anyone or where to go, and the red and black walls--who in the world thought that was a good combination? Ugh.

I looked down at the lime green paper in my hand. Biology, Amerosian History, Intermediate Art, and Algebra in the first set; Keyboarding, Physical Education, Introduction to Foreign Cultures and Debate in the second. Each was eighty minutes long. I went to these classes on alternating days, with lunch after second period. Yippee.

*****

The Biology room, #206, was the third on the right on the second floor. The instructor was Ms. Ravencap, a young, dark red dragoness with a rather frail structure. She was so skinny that had the wind been blowing through the open window it would have blown her out of the room through the open classroom door.

The room was empty when I arrived, so I took a seat smack dab in the middle of the room (I would regret that later).

"Good morning," greeted the teacher.

"What's so good about it?" I sneered. Ms. Ravencap frowned and looked down.

Other students began filing in the room momentarily. The instructor greeted each of them and was either responded to or ignored. Within five minutes the class was full. And loud.

"Quiet down, please," said Ms. Ravencap. "Morning announcements."

The class shut up long enough for the announcements to be heard clearly, then promptly resumed their boisterous noise. It soon became clear to me that Ms. Ravencap was new to this sort of setting, given the nervous look on her face.

"Class," she said. Still noisy.

"CLASS!" she shouted. It got quiet.

"Thank you," said the teacher. "I know you've just gotten back from summer vacation and you have a lot to talk about. Put your thoughts on paper--I want a seven-paragraph essay about what you did for the past three months. At least six sentences in each paragraph, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion."

There was a collective groan from the class. For a moment, I almost thought I was in English class.

"Get to work," she said. "I'm calling the roll."

I think I was on my third paragraph when my name was read.

"Rex Lightning," called Ms. Ravencap.

"Here," I groaned.

She gave me a look. "Is that a northern accent I hear?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"Interesting," she said.

Once she finished, there was only the sound of pencils scratching busily on paper. I was finished with the entire essay in no more than twenty minutes. I killed ten more by reading it over five or six times. With fifty minutes to kill, I took out a blank sheet of paper and began to sketch random things. Before I knew it, the bell rang.

"Turn in your papers as you exit," said Ms. Ravencap as everyone packed up. She pointed at a red basket at the top left corner of her desk. I dropped my paper in said basket and walked out.

One down, three to go. Next up, Amerosian History.

Or not.

*****

Room #225. The instructor: Mrs. Crankshaft, an old, green-skinned, cantankerous dragoness with a no-nonsense attitude. I could tell I was going to like her. As for her class, not so much.

Most of the seats were taken when I walked in. Students were staring at me as if I was some extraterrestrial creature. "Problem?" I asked. They all looked away. Once again, I plopped down in a desk in the middle of the classroom.

The bell rang, just as a student ran through the door. Mrs. Crankshaft promptly slammed the door after him.

"Shut up!" exclaimed the teacher. The class was quieted instantly. Well, mostly.

"What was that, Mr. Fieriano?" asked Crankshaft.

"You_always_ blame me for everything," whined a red dragon in the back of the classroom.

"That's because whenever I hear a snicker coming from the back of the class, it_always_ has something to do with you," retorted the teacher. "Be quiet!"

Mr. Fieriano didn't fire back, so Crankshaft called the roll. For a while, there was no trouble, until...

"Curin Fieriano," called the teacher.

"YO!"

Most of the class began laughing hysterically. I did not find that funny. At all.

"Hey, bo," said a voice. "Why aren't you laughing?"

Silence. "I'm talking to you, kid."

I looked to my left to see a bright yellow dragon facing me. "Me?" I asked him.

"No, you," he replied snarkily. "Why aren't you laughing?"

"I didn't find it funny," I answered. "But since that seems to hurt you so much, 'ha, ha'. There, that good enough for you?"

"Hey Curin," he shouted, "this kid's gettin' smart up here!"

"Don't start," growled Mrs. Crankshaft.

"Fuck you old lady!" shouted Curin. "You got a problem, boy?"

"You're about to become one," I replied.

Curin stood up, and it was at that time I say how big he was. He was my height, six feet, but pure muscle--big chest, big arms, big calves--he looked like he was steroids._What thirteen-year old boy looks like this?!_I thought. Students began to move their desks out of the way as Mrs. Crankshaft called the office.

"I'm gonna make you cry like a little bitch," he sneered as I stood up.

I moved my desk out of the way. "Let's just get this over with," I groaned.

Seems like the chemicals have gone to his head, said a voice telepathically. Sparktrivis.Punish him.

Curin was at me in two seconds and threw the first punch. I jumped out of the way, but he caught me on the chin.

He swung again. This time, I ducked below it and returned the favor with a right hook straight to his face. Everyone looked in slow motion as blood and a tooth flew through the air.

Curin stumbled backwards then fell on his stomach and didn't move. Not that I was concerned.

"Can I go to the office now?" I asked nonchalantly. Everyone stared at me with mouths agape.

*****

I spent the remainder of the day in in-school suspension, or ISS, for knocking Curin out. I think I overheard something about him having to go to the hospital, but I was not sure.

"You fought Curin?" a kid asked. "And won?"

"Yes," I answered.

"Good. That jerk probably deserved it."

That wasn't the kid who asked me the question. I turned around to see a blue dragon with a slender frame and spiky blonde hair. He had gills in his neck--a water dragon.

_ _

He seems to have a disdain for your assailant that goes back to the egg, informed Sparktrivis.He seems friendly enough, though.

"Yeah, he started it," I replied. "And I finished it."

The water dragon laughed. "You're the new kid, right?" he asked. "What's your name?"

"Rex Lightning."

"Well, I'm Bill Blue," he replied. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you," I replied. "Why are you in here?"

"One of Curin's boys started with me. I had to show him a thing or two."

"I feel you."

"It's kinda messed up to make enemies on the first day of school," Bill laughed.

I grinned. "I've got enough MMA for all."

"You know MMA?" Bill asked.

"I've been learning since I was two."

Bill and I talked for the entirety of our time in ISS. When it was time to go, Bill gave me his number.

"Hit me up whenever you feel like it," he said. And with that, he was gone.

??"Congratulations," said Sparktrivis, "you made a new friend! Now was that so hard?"

I took off for Grandma's house. "Not when you talk to a genuinely friendly person," I replied.

*****

I got an earful when I walked in the house.

"He started it," I replied once Grandma was done lecturing me. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Walk away?" she replied. "I didn't raise you to fight. I knew it was a bad idea for Thorndyke to teach you MMA."

"It's not that serious."

"You knocked a kid's tooth out. How is that not serious?"

"Not_that_ serious. It's serious, but not as serious as you're making it out to be."

"You don't understand the consequences of your actions, do you?"

"Is this the part where I'm unfairly punished?"

"Go to your room," Grandma snapped, "and don't ask me to go anywhere for the rest of the week."

She was pissed, so it was best not to say anything. I marched off to my room and closed the door.

??"Now what?" asked Sparktrivis.

"What about 'now what?'" I asked.

??"I can't take you to the right man I had in mind if you can't go anywhere!"

I suddenly remembered the gold feather that was tucked away under my bed. I took it out and rubbed it against my face. I liked the tingly feeling it made. That's when I got an idea.

"You'll be able to take me," I said.

How? came the telepathic question.

"I'm still working on that part."

Sparktrivis sighed. Well, if you get any ideas in the next two hours, I'll be happy to explain how and why each of them will fail.

Silence. Smarmy little fairy, I thought.