Gift Academy (Book One in the Gifted Series)

Chapter Two

Fay

Flora and I follow our dad through the winding plains, following the red line on the map. I hold the map up for him as he holds his hand bursting with flames under it. I look around and take in the beautiful sights. The sun is setting, making the sky different shades of pink, yellow, orange, and red. I take one last deep breath before focusing on the path we're taking.

I will admit, I'm really nervous. What if I get a bad Gift? What if I don't learn to use it properly? What if I fail my classes? What if no one likes me there? What if I get a horrible roommate? What if I get expelled?

I shake these terrifying thoughts out of my head and focus again. I know I'll be good. I won't cause any trouble. I'll make tons of new friends, I'll ace all my classes, I'll be great with my Gift, and I'm going to make my mom and dad proud of me.

I sneak a glance at Flora, who with no doubt looks nervous. I'll make sure to comfort her when we get to Gift Academy.

"Okay, one more right and we're there!" My dad exclaims. He sounds so excited for us, and so proud of us as well. I feel myself starting to smile and can't help but grin widely. I take deep breaths as we reach a mountain and take a right. I take one more deep breath and hold it in.

I can't let that breath go.

Gift Academy looms over us. It's breathtaking. It's so beautiful. It's a huge, castle-shaped school, ten times bigger then my old school. It's made up of black bricks and every door and window has a gold outline to it. In the front stands a huge gray marble fountain spewing water from what seems to be a hand holding its palm out. Hundreds of teenagers around me and Floras age bustle around, most walking inside the huge, glass double doors. The front of the school is also bursting with different colored plants, mostly flowers, and is alive with energy. A lot of the students are practicing their Gifts, and I see many different kinds, but I quickly realize that all the Gifts are elements. Interesting.

"Well, remember what I told you girls. Be careful, be friendly, don't make enemies, and be good in your classes. But also make sure to have fun," My dad tells us. Flora and I chuckle. My dad hands Flora the map he used to get us here. "Just in case," he adds.

"Well, bye girls. Have fun!" Dad shouts to us as he walks away. Flora and I wave goodbye to our dad.

"Well then. Let's go," Flora says, then starts walking towards the academy fearlessly. I walk by her side, making sure that I look presentable and friendly. Flora does the same, and it's hard to believe that we're two different people. I'm pretty sure everyone here is going to have a hard time telling who's who.

We walk down the stone steps to the front doors, getting a few curious glances from people around us. They must know we're newbies. At least none of them are looking at us rudely like they want to pick on us or anything. I breathe a small sigh of relief as Flora and I safely make our way into the academy without getting disturbed by anyone. Flora and I look around for the main office, where we know that that's where we go to get our dorm rooms and class schedules.

I spot a small group of people, two girls and three boys, who look friendly enough. I take a deep breath and walk towards them. Flora seems confused by my actions but doesn't ask any questions, following closely behind me. As I'm heading to the group of people I can't help but look around at the beautiful academy. The walls are covered with vibrant paintings of all different types of things, mostly the academy and the different Gifts people can have. I once again realize that the only Gifts I see are elements. Guess you can't have flight or invisibility.

To my left is a long hallway which has a white painted sign that reads 'CLASSES' and has a red arrow pointing down. To my right is another amazingly long and wide hallway that has a sign that reads 'LIBRARY', 'GYM', and 'CAFETERIA'. Both hallways are very wide and has bright lights shining through them. I'm really grateful for the signs. If they weren't there I probably would get lost even after being here for two months.

I look ahead and see another extra-long, extra wide hallway that has a sign that reads 'DORMS/STAIRS' and 'NURSE'. There are dozens of people walking into their dorms and up the stairs and I know they're heading off to sleep, even though it's only around ten pm. It is a school night, after all.

The small group I'm heading to spots Flora and I walking straight at them and they smile at us. Until they realize that Flora and I look exactly alike. Their eyes shift from me to Flora and back again. I give them all a friendly smile and they return it. I stop in front of them and get a good look at them. One of the girls has long, straight, dirty blonde hair and sparkling light blue eyes. She has a few sharp features that makes her even prettier. The other girl has long, straight, light blonde hair and light blue eyes. She also has a few freckles. The first guy is very tan and has short brown hair and dark blue eyes. The second guy has short, curly brown hair and mischievous, dark brown eyes. He has tons of freckles on his face and a cheeky grin. Last but not least, the last guy has short, messy blonde hair and dark brown eyes.

"Oh my god. Are my eyes playing tricks on me or are there two of them?" The guy with a lot of freckles asks, the cheeky smile still on his face. I give him a 'Really?' face and he winks at me.

"Hi, my name is Fay Landoff. This is my sister, Flora," I introduce to them.

"Wait! Let me guess, you two are twins?" Freckles jokes. I roll my eyes at him, but I can't keep a smile off my face. He's pretty funny, I guess.

"Don't mind him. I'm Gina Williams. It's nice to meet you two," The girl with dirty blonde hair tells us. "This is my friend, Hailey Johnson." She points to the other girl with bright blonde hair. She gives me a smile and turns her phone in her hands. She's mysterious, I can tell. I like that.

"This is Wesley Lewis- "She points to the guy with messy blonde hair, "that's Jake Anderson-" She points again to the tan guy, "and that loser right there is Austin Miller," She finishes, pointing to the funny one, who salutes us.

"Hey." They all respond with warm greetings.

"So, do you guys know where the main office is?" I ask them. Gina smiles at me again.

"Right there." She points to my left, where a door I didn't notice before stands. A small sign next to it reads 'MAIN OFFICE'. How did I not see that before?

"Thank you. I hope we'll meet again?" I ask them, grabbing my suitcase from the floor.

"Give me your phones," Gina orders Flora and I. I don't ask any questions. I just open my phone and hand it to her, Flora following my lead. Gina gives Floras phone to Hailey and they both type a bunch of things in. When they're done a minute later, they hand our phones back to us.

"Now you'll definitely see us again," Gina says. I look at my phone and see that she's put all their contacts in our phones.

"Thanks, Gina. See you around," I tell her, slipping my iPhone into my pocket. She smiles and waves goodbye to me. Flora and I head to the main office, dragging our suitcases along with us.

"Well, they were nice," Flora points out.

"Yeah, they were," I reply as Flora and I open the door to the main office.

I can already tell that this is going to be a great year.