Golden Prophecy

V

HER FIRST class was history. Andorra held a map in her hand, and it was bigger than any school map Andorra had ever seen.

The castle that served as the school was so large, Andorra was beginning to think she would never find history. Coralia had left that morning, running to her defense class, leaving Andorra little help to find her first class of the morning.

"105... 105... where are there even room numbers?" Andorra looked at the walls beside doors, but there weren't any numbers. There weren't any... anything. It was unbelievably bare. She wandered the halls, seeing students but not having the guts to ask any of them where history of Anlithamy was.

She could hear a clock in the distance, chiming. Was that the start of class? Andorra couldn't tell.

"You're lost, huh?"

It was Jezebel who spoke, leaning against the wall. Her green hair was pulled up, vines spilling down her back in a ponytail. She wore her yellow uniform, the one Andorra rushed to put on that very morning, but she had the feeling it looked more mature on Jezebel than it did on her.

Jezebel had the skirt hemmed, so it fell mid thigh instead of below the knee, which was where Andorra's skirt fell. Jezebel's outfit looked more like sexy school girl while Andorra... well, Andorra was sure she wouldn't be getting any attention from the boys today.

Andorra waved the map. "That obvious?"

Jezebel waved her hand towards the map, and suddenly it folded in on itself. The little piece that wasn't folded had a small dot that blinked on the page like a heartbeat. "There. That's you. Follow the line to class."

Andorra looked up at Jezebel, her face impassive. This was a kindness Andorra hadn't been expecting. "Why?"

Jezebel kicked off of the wall, her gait like that of a feline. "Princess, Anlithamy is a game of chess. We're all pieces on the board. You, my friend, well you're an important piece. Be careful of who is kind to you and why they may be kind. What motives hide behind their kindness. See you in class."

She turned the corner, disappearing so fast her last words echoed in Andorra's head. See you in class. Andorra scrambled to follow Jezebel, but when she turned the corner, the Spring Faerie was gone.

Andorra looked down at the map, seeing the blinking dot, but also noticing a line. Andorra turned the map over in her hands, watching the line move through the hallways. The more Andorra opened up the map, the longer the line grew until finally, it found its mark: 105.

Andorra hurried along the line, walking down the hallways, passing doors and students alike. The sight of other students in the hall made Andorra's chest loosen, feeling like maybe she wasn't late if there were still students mulling around.

She walked up stairs and down stairs and finally, finally, she arrived: room 105.

It was a tall door, heavy too, and when Andorra opened it, everyone turned to look at her. Jezebel sat in the front row, her eyes flitting towards Andorra, but her face giving nothing away. The professor stood at the front of the room, turning towards her, disappointment in his expression. "Ah, Princess Andorra. You're late."

Some students snickered. Andorra held up the map feebly. "I was uh, lost."

The professor waved a hand, and an empty chair appeared at the end of one of the long tables. "Take a seat, then. We're learning about the war. Maybe you've heard of it?"

There was disdain in his voice, Andorra was sure of it as she slid into her seat. Her cheeks heated with the embarrassment of being late, and she put the map face down on the table, trying to ignore the anxiety she felt.