Sapphire eyes scanned the classroom carefully. She incessantly daydreamed of alternate outcomes, variations of some life different than her own. Her finger absentmindedly found a lock of dark brown hair, and twirled it around and around her finger. It was quite the visual representation of her emotions; all intertwined and bound together.
She wanted to focus, but she'd recently found herself extremely incapable of focusing for more than several moments, before her betraying mind wandered back to her mother. The woman she thought she'd known began acting indifferently toward her, and it irked her. Her beautiful mother, who always wore her signature perplexing smile, acted as if she'd suddenly grown three heads. It made all sorts of resentment bubble up in Sapphire. But she knew she couldn't let those kind of thoughts govern her. Her mother had done her best raising Sapphire and her sister Ruby for many years, without help from a husband. It was a touchy subject, and her mother occasionally stared distantly in remembrance of her beloved.
"The answer, Sapphire?"
The sharp tone of Mr. Howard abruptly pierced her thoughts. He enjoyed catching the occasional student off guard, especially when they seemed to not understand a subject particularly well.
Sapphire blinked. She hadn't heard the question, nor had any idea what the topic of discussion was. But she still found herself saying, "The part of speech is a subordinate conjunction."
A wave of scoffs sounded across the room, accompanied with a plethora of eye rolls. Mr. Howard's eyes narrowed, as he begrudgingly muttered, "correct." Sapphire felt a pang of annoyance toward him.
Sapphire baffled herself numerous times daily. Her brain willed her mouth to speak a correct answer, nearly effortlessly every time. She suspected it wasn't normal, but she assumed it had to do with her impeccable study habits.
Still, she sensed new happenings in her life. She became more aware of her surroundings at times, and her hearing was becoming exquisite. She felt in control most of the time, able to convince her peers to sway toward doing a certain task. It was as if the world around her beckoned to be her follower.
It felt amazing.
Her thirst for revenge could be quenched—not that she was a vengeful person. But Sapphire always viewed it as nature's karma. Not until she heard a sharp clang of glass hitting the floor. Specifically Mr. Howard's ornate vase hitting the floor.
The entire class perked up, as disturbances like this usually did not occur. They watched the glittering shards of glass reflect mid-afternoon sun from the window, casting iridescent flickers of light across the English classroom.
Sapphire shot up from her chair. Something was wrong. Very wrong. A part of her knew fully that it was her doing, even though there were no people in the vicinity of the vase.
She eyed the vase carefully, taking in all of the shimmering fragments of the demolished object. Each individual felt connect to her—it felt like part of Sapphire shattered with the glass.
Sapphire opened her mouth to say something, anything, when the door to the classroom was thrown open.
The students felt the classroom shake from the sheer power used to barge through the door. A whimper was heard from the back.
A frantic-looking Principal Walker stood his ground in the doorframe. A stack of files was hastily shoved under one arm, and his other hand tore through his bronze colored hair, further disheveling it.
He smoothed his tailored suit, and attempted a more casual appearance. Although Sapphire saw right through his display. He wore his emotions like a second skin. His aura was practically glowing with trepidation.
He flashed his teeth in a brief smile. Within moments, he'd sauntered over to Sapphire, held her by the wrist, and lead her out of the room.
Once they were out of sight from within the classroom, Sapphire wrenched her arm from him as if he was a disease. Principal Walker only brushed off his cuff of his sleeve, seemingly unbothered by her disgusted behavior.
"How dare you, you foul, wretched person," Sapphire nearly spat. She had never envisioned something like this happening. She'd always had control, control, contro—
"Come this way please," he simply said, disregarding her spiteful words. Sapphire's gaze at him remained intense. She could do one of two things right now; either spew fire at him, or calmly return like nothing happened.
She decided upon the latter, seeing that she didn't feel like facing the repercussions of arguing with a principal. Sapphire promptly brushed past him and made her way back toward the class when the window to her left imploded into millions of pieces, letting a shrill note echo through the deserted hallway.
She whirled around to meet Principal Walker's cobalt blue eyes. They spoke many words to her without him ever moving a muscle.
Stay, they beckoned, and you'll find out why I we can do this. His lips turned upward.
She felt every fiber of her body freeze. Her blood was ice, terminating her heart momentarily. She felt his presence in her mind. He was there, gripping her consciousness and forcing his words in. Her mental walls writhed with his, attempting and failing at forming a sloppy and chaotic barrier. But he was anywhere and everywhere, cinching her thoughts to make room for his.
Now please listen to me so I don't have to make it hard, his voice pressed into her mind. She requested you stay unharmed, and I'd prefer to follow orders.
Sapphire felt a very vivid stab of fear. She was frightened as to what this meant. Principal Walker was supposed to be a man that students could look up to, and never be afraid to approach. Now, he stood in front of Sapphire, skin sparkling from the gleaming reflections of the glass dotting the floor. The jagged edges of the now-shattered window cast shadows that spread across his face and body like a bewitching spiderweb. For a split second, he looked unhuman.
Again, Sapphire felt a presence in her mind, this time more like a breeze, instead of a claw constricting her thoughts. It danced lightly in her most recent thoughts before dissipating into a foggy train of thought. We can protect you from these kind of tricks, the breeze whispered, tickling her mind.
Sapphire felt a sudden urge to listen to everything he would tell her to do. She'd never disobey again, she'd follow his orders to the best of her abilities—
No. This was not her. She could still feel his mental fog clouding her mind, muddling her tactical thoughts. She reigned in her remaining consciousness, the part untouched by his mysterious haze, and channeled it back toward him. She felt his fog condense and hurdle toward him; it was almost as if she could see it in the air. His previously undaunted gaze faltered, and his body was knocked back by an invisible force.
"Good," Principal Walker murmured. "Lady Amber predicted correctly." He briskly approached her, and his hand again clasped hers.
All at once, the school morphed, the lockers swirled, the doors whorled, and the world spun.
