Original Souls (A World Apart #1) (28 page)

As she was raised to think, Emma knew exactly what to do in this moment. She took a swift look at her surroundings, and spotted what she desired. A mirror! It was more or less a stained-glass portrait of a horseback golden-armored knight. But as long as she could see her reflection in it, she was overjoyed. She walked eagerly over to it, and began working her magik to bring her facial expression up to par with her emotional needs. She pulled out a tube of lips gloss and some colorful eye-gook. She started changing her appearance to something more whimsical. She fluffed her double-pocketed. tie-dye skirt, and repositioned her pink & white blouse. A gust a wind blew in. It pushed her long brown hair into her face. She collected it all out of the breeze, and pulled it back into a tight ponytail. She wanted to look more diligent, too. She took her emerald earrings out of her ears and placed them inside her bag, along with her makeup and other gooey beautifiers. She stared at the lovely looking girl in the mirror. She beamed with unnecessary confidence. She was the new and improved Emma Fielder. Ready to conquer.

"Hey, wait up guys!" She ran outside after them, crying for those she desperately pursued.

They all turned around immediately, but only one of them spoke. "Look Em, if you want to go do your own thing, we're totally okay with that. But we need to find Corinth's do
g
… now!" Anvard seemed frustrated. He was used to being in control. H
e
was two years older than his two irresponsible twin sisters. He was also a captain in Levantarse at his last school.

As opposed to all the things that could truly get in the way, he couldn't believe that a little green furred dog was ruining his chances to impress Corinth. He figured if he didn't do it now, some other guy from Lirio or Velocidad was likely to do it sooner, rather than later.

Emma looked at Corinth with a scowl that gave him goose bumps. But instead of making a snarky commit, she reached into her pocketbook and produced a peculiar parchment. It was beige and looked to have some watermarks on it. But otherwise, very plain.

"What's that?" Corinth asked as he stepped forward and tried to take it from her to get a closer look.

Emma pulled back quickly
.“
Hands off, runt," she jolted. "I found it, so I keep it!" She realized her nasty side was starting to show again. She quickly changed her tune. "I mean..." giggling as if she were originally joking, "
I—
just don't want you to accidentally rip it, is all." She smiled at Cory, and he seemed to have accepted her explanation with ease.

Then suddenly, he snatched the paper parchment out of her hand and skipped away. She yelled and screamed, but Corinth scurried quickly. Anvard gave him a hand by grabbing up his sister and tossing her aside.

"There's only but so much shoving around I can take for one day, Andy!" she shouted, looking up from the grass. He'd gotten so used to pushing her out of his way every five seconds at home in Lirio that he never gave a second thought before he went ahead and did it.

Corinth looked down on the strange folded paper in his hands and didn't know what to do next. It had a little red seal on it that was unbroken.

Emmy turned back to her sister and asked. "Where'd you get this?"

"I found it early this morning," she said from the grass that lined the stone path to Olympia. "It was under the floorboards in our dorm."

Anvard's face turned up at the sound of her explanation. "Why were you looking under the floorboards in your room?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know, could be some cool stuff under there," she halfheartedly purposed.

Her brother turned away, a bit disgusted of her childish ways, back to Corinth and the parchment. He looked over Corinth's shoulder at the mysterious piece of paper as Corinth turned it over to reveal nothing but more beige coloring and watermarks.

"Did you open it already, Emma?" Corinth asked cautiously.

"Yes, loser," she retorted while popping up and wiping grass stains from her knees.

"But the seal's still intact," Corinth informed her.

"What," she said frustrated. "Let me see that." She took the paper and looked down. She was shocked to see the seal perfectly intact. "I definitely opened this as soon as I found it."

"Go figure," Anvard mumbled.

Emma shot him a dirty look but kept on. "I
t’
s a map, idiots," she enlightened them without any force to her insult.

"A map of what?" Corinth questioned her with an eager tone. His face lit up when she said
map
. He knew she whipped out that bad boy to help them find Sena. Hendrix's office, so that the Grand Ministrant could help him find Oliveto.

"I
t’
s a map of the school, you idiot!" her face scrunched up, as she was seriously fed-up with this newbie questioning her so. "What other type of map would be of any help to us right now?"

Corinth wanted to toss her like Anvard had just done. But not into a plush grassy field. He wanted to throw her down the hillside, and count the seconds it took her to stop tumbling along. He decided quickly that wasn't a good idea, so he just let her have her say, considering how rudely he nabbed the map from her a second ago.

Emma reopened the map, breaking the red seal again, and they all watched as the entire layout of Aurora Boreal flashed to life, propping up off the marker-less paper in holographic form. There was no actual ink or any drawings on the map itself. It was a lights festival of detailed, real life imagery. Emma effortlessly manipulated the images that sprung up before them with the touch of her finger. She could see everything that was currently going on all around the school grounds. Even as far north as the Angora Mountains still bordering the northeast side of town. Where Corinth's father first made his grand entrance back into Hyperborean.

"You opened this inside our dorm room?" Emmy asked her twin.

"Yep!" she said with a gleeful smile as she toggled the images across the makeshift screen in front of the four of them. All their eyes shined against the light. Other children passing by stopped and looked over at them. Until eventually, everyone just beyond the entryway to Olympia was staring at the entire school from one contained spot.

"Why didn't I notice the lights," Emmy said while standing to her siste
r’
s right side.

"You're the hardest sleeper on Earth, that's why." Anvard shook his head in compliance. He remembered many times trying to wake his sister for class. She snored like a bear growls, and hibernated like one too.

The lights were so bright that they caught the eyes of many who soon wished they weren't watching. Newer and older students learned last semester about the strictness amongst the staff at their beloved school. But no one was more tightly wound than the figure currently passing through the masses like a madman. Knocking down student after student, and then fully passing into clear view of all those that formed a wide circle around Corinth and his new friends. Those who couldn't see him befor
e—
now knew. The crowd quickly dispersed into every possible direction. Some kids even walked opposite the way they'd been headed in the first place. Just as long as they got away from the hilltop of the Olympus Grounds, they knew they'd be safe from his wrath.

Clap! Clap! Clap!
-His metal bottom shoes hit the stone walkway, like a craftsme
n’
s hammer strikes a nail. "What are you ingrates doing with that artifact?" He snatched it from Emma's hand so swiftly that he left paper cuts all along her fingertips.

"Ow!" Emma growled
.“
Watch yourself, you could hurt somebody like that
.
”

"It'd be my pleasure to hurt anyone -of yo
u—
sewer-rats," he spoke calm and concise, but the fury in his tone was evident.

He hunched over a bit and looked them all square in the eyes. He wanted them to absorb this moment. Every drop! His eyes passed over the four of them. Standing alone, not far outside the arches of Olympia building. All the other students had disappeared, but they were so close to and enthralled by the lights show that they couldn't see the storm brewing around them. He peered down, silently moving his eyes from side to side, when Corinth's bright turquoise eyes caught a glimpse of his glare.

"And to what do I owe the honor of this history making combination of genetic material," he exclaimed sarcastically.

He was attempting to refer to Corinth as the product of his parents union. Though none of them particularly understood what he was saying.

"Why no answer? Are you looking for something? Is that why yo
u’
ve illegally acquired my map, boy?"

The three innocent parties shot each other stunned looks. But ...
Sally Steals-A-Lot
... she just looked down at the ground.

"So," he said inquisitively, "it was the girl. I thank you all for pointing out her guil
t…
" he paused to grin like a hyena. His thin, clammy lips were pursed with every coming accusation. The tan hue of his face peeled back into rippling creases of taut skin that were nearly as firm as his demeanor. He continued forcing his last words through his excessively whitened teeth.
"…
s
o—
willingly."

No one said a word, they were all trapped by the educato
r’
s quick and treacherous thinking.

"Do, feel a need to come with me, young lady." Emma began reluctantly edging forward, toward the teacher. "
I’
ve got a great deal many questions to ask you
.
” His all white eyes, irises and pupils alike, spooked all of them. Anvard and Emmy knew that the man must be from Blanco.

"That pompous idiot!" Anvard said as he watched his helpless sister being whisked away, back into Olympia building.

"They're all like that, aren't they?" Emmy offered.

"That's what they say," he responded.

"Who are -
all
like what?" Corinth asked, once again out of the loop. He was starting to realize how isolated the lives of other Draconian children must be. No magik or learning of the seven Worlds around them. They were like an island in the sun. All alone with nowhere to run. Corinth was actually glad for once that he wasn't home in his bedroom. "Draconia sucks!" he said aloud before they could answer his first question. He wanted them to hear him. He wanted to know what outsiders thought of his home World.

Anvard and Emmy both burst into fits of laughter. "I
t’
s funny that you say that," Emmy said while walking up closer to Corinth and placing her hand on his shoulder. He was uncomfortable at first, but liked the thought of someone feeling close enough to him to want lean on him. "Here we were, hoping, no praying, that you were from La Envidia," she went on to say.

Corinth was stupefied by their responses. "Why, what's wrong with Draconia
?
”

"I don't know!" Anvard said while trying to contain a massive grin. "Tr
y…
everything! Look around you, is
n’
t this place so much better!" He threw his hands up for effect, and spun around on his tippy toes while gesturing to the illustrious Olympus Grounds in one sweeping motion. Corinth was impressed by his limber nature, considering his height and massive muscles. He was indeed bulky for a fourteen-year-old, but whimsically far outside the jock stereotype he was assumed to exude. But competing in Levantarse took an all around athlete. And that was indeed Anvard. "You don't need to be a Worlds class journalist to see that there are some freaky things going on in that place. For heaven's sake, they outlawed magik for everyone but the cops. No wonder Gente Peligroso is growing so much. Kids from Draconia must be running away in droves."

Corinth didn't understand just how much the other Worlds were tuned into what was going on within one another's boarders. He always figured the other Worlds paid as little attention to Draconia as Draconia did to them. What a rude awakening for the young hopeful magik wielder.