Guardians of the Watchtower: North

Chapter 6

Mrs. Glandis stopped in front of a classroom door, Ivy peeked around her as she knocked to get the professor's attention. The professor came to the door, she looked at Ivy for a second, almost doing a double take as she turned her attention to Mrs.Glandis. They talked in hushed whispers then the professor walked back into the room to face her class. The receptionist turned to Ivy.
"Okay, well in you go, my dear, Professor Augustine Wilkinson teaches Domestic and Foreign Diplomacy."
Ivy was at a loss for words and before she could mutter anything, Mrs.Glandis had walked away, leaving her to enter the classroom alone.Her heart rate skyrocketed and she struggled to breathe as she pushed the door open and entered the classroom. Mrs.Wilkinson stopped her lecture and turned, Ivy's eyes were glued to the floor as the whispers grew louder the further she came into the room.
"This is Hedera," The professor faced her class again. "She's new here at Lynn Prep and will be joining us for the rest of the school year. I expect you all to make her feel welcome." she turned from addressing the class to Ivy again, "You may take any open seat."
Ivy glanced up then to look for a seat and all the whispering was silenced, a sea of faces stared back at her. She could feel the heat rising in her face as she quickly spotted a seat in the top back row of the clam shaped room. She walked to the stairs and climbed them silently, knowing that everyone was staring at her. Mrs. Wilkinson called for their attention as Ivy whispered an "excuse me" to a redheaded girl who sat on a bench next to the one Ivy wanted. The girl quickly got up and moved to another row. Ivy bit her lip as she sat down, trying not to make eye contact with anyone as the professor continue her lecture, even that didn't stop the whispers from reaching Ivy.
"Is that Hedara Fomalhaut?"
"Did you see her eyes? Who has eyes like that?"
"You know she loaded, if there's a wing named after her."
Ivy wished for a way to just melt into the floor and be unseen, her thoughts of how she could escape were shattered by a familiar voice that broke her silent torture.
"Funny seeing you here."
Ivy peered past the boy next to her to see Sylar sitting a seat away, grinning ear to ear. She tried to give her full attention to the professor when Sylar bribed the boy between them to trade seats with him. Ivy really wanted to give him a piece of her mind for leaving her in the labyrinth but couldn't exactly do that in the middle of class. He was doing everything in his power to get her attention but still, she ignored him.
"You know, eventually, you're gonna have to talk to me again."
"Not in this lifetime, or the next if I can help it."
"Feisty, I like a girl with a little bite."
"I'm so sure."
Saved by the bell. Ivy grabbed her things and quickly tried to wade through the students and distance herself from Sylar but she had to get her assignments from the professor. Sure she was rid of him, when the class was empty, she walked out the door to meet the girl the provost told her would show her around, but there he was, in the hall, waiting for her.
"Hi!" Sylar's energetic voice rose above the typical sounds of a high school hallway
"What do you want?"
"To talk."
" I don't want to talk to you."
" Why not?"
"Because you left me in the labyrinth, in a storm that's why!"
"I didn't mean to leave you in the labyrinth. I was yelling for you and you never replied. I thought you had left me there alone, so I left."
"Well I didn't, I was lost in there for hours."
"I'm sorry."
"I know you are, now apologize." with that Ivy turned on her heels and looked for the girl she was supposed to meet after class, when she spotted a smallish girl, with a short dark pixie style haircut, standing a few feet down the hall. Ivy quickly walked up to her and ask if she was from the provost office, the girl just nodded and kind of half smiled as she turned and started to walk down the hallway, away from Sylar. Ivy fought the urge to look back as she trailed behind the talking pixie girl. As they walked, she explained about the history of the school and how important it was, but Ivy was a million miles away. Lost in her own thoughts about how she could have possibly ended up in her bed when she had been in the labyrinth, where had Sylar disappeared to, and trying to not think about all the things she had to do to catch up in school.
"What's your name?" Ivy tapped the pixie girls shoulder trying to get her attention.
"Kaylee," she said with a half smile and continued heading down the hall then stopped in front of another class.
"This is your Modern American and European History class. You have Ethics after History, which is across the hall. Your Philosophy class is down the hall, through the doors, and across the courtyard to the left. It's the back door to class. Lunch is next. Afterward, I can take you to your Fencing and Swimming classes. I can meet you again after that and show you where to go for Chemistry and Advanced Trigonometry."
The bell rang again, Kaylee yelled back as she ran down the hall, "I'll see you at lunch!" She ducked around a corner and was gone, leaving Ivy to stand alone in front of the classroom door, kids pushing past her to get into the class.
Ivy sat in the back of the class trying to pay attention, writing notes as the professor babbled on about the Declaration of Independence and the founding fathers but she found herself gazing out the window, watching the clouds grow darker as if the day didn't know if it was ready for another storm.
"Miss. Fomalhaut.......MISS.FOMALHAUT"
Ivy snapped back to reality, feeling like she had a huge target on her forehead.
"Yes, sir?"
"I know I'm not as pretty as a beautiful day outside, but when you're in my class it is prudent to pay attention to the course outline"
"Yes, sir....."
"Now, can you name all fifty-six of the signers of the Declaration of Independence?"
"John Hancock..."
"Who was also the president of what?"
"The Continental Congress"
"Very good Miss. Fomalhaut."
"Edward Rutledge, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Oliver Wolcott, Samuel Adams....."
"Very good, can anyone else name some of the signers?"
Professor Ridgemont turned to write additional names on the board, as he did a paper ball came flying in her direction, hitting Ivy in the temple Looking in the direction the U.F.O had come from to see Sylar grinning ear to ear four rows down. Ivy knew her eyes could look piercing and threw a glare in his direction, keeping eye contact as she blatantly brushed the paper ball off the desk then turned her attention back to taking notes. Not even a moment had passed when another wad landed on the desk next to her, brushing it off she didn't even bother to look up. A third crumpled ball appeared in its place, Ivy looked up and mouthed, "What!" in Sylar's direction. He grinned again and motioned for her to open up the paper. Inside the crumpled mess, Ivy found a note with his number. She looked up as the bell rang, everyone began gathering their things and heading to their next class. Ivy was the last one to leave after grabbing the assignments from Professor Ridgemont. She half expected Sylar to be waiting for her again, but he wasn't anywhere in sight, as she peeked out the door and made a beeline straight to Ethics.
Both Ethics and Literature passed in a mind-numbing blur. A few hours later Ivy found herself facing the dining hall doors. Her stomach was already in knots as a few girls from her classes passed her looking back and snickering before she ducked into the hall. At this, she decided it was best to avoid the main hall altogether and quickly found herself in a bathroom stall instead.
Pulling out her phone to call some friends back home she realized that she had no cell service. Feeling defeated and the touches of hunger gripping her stomach, she dug in her bag. Ivy found a fruit bar and gladly munched on it as she looked at the map to find where the fencing class was, but the bathroom door slammed and voices destroyed the silence, Ivy pulled her feet up so they wouldn't know she was in there with them.
"Have you seen her?"
"No, not yet."
"She looks like inner city trash, and her eyes, they're really creepy, there's something weird about her."
"Really? how did she get in Lynn Prep anyway?"
"Her dead daddy's money....they let practically anything in here nowadays."
Ivy knew they were talking about her. She bit back the tears, the anger flared, and before she could stop herself, the door to the stall slammed against the outer wall. Ivy stood looking at the two girls who were facing the mirror, they stopped applying their lip gloss, looked at each other, grabbed their things and headed for the bathroom door. The word "trash" was yelled into the bathroom before the door could close behind them. Ivy quickly left the bathroom when she heard the bell and ran to Fencing class, only to come face to face with the same two girls and Sylar, the center of their attention.
The instructor handed Ivy a fencing suit and told her to change in the locker room. The suit was snugger than Ivy thought it should be and it hugged her curves as she walked back onto the floor. Sylar smiled and waved to her and Ivy could feel the daggers both girls threw her way as he pulled himself from their grasp and went to her.
"Popular much?"
"Who them?" Sylar glanced back in their direction
"Just girls."
"Uh-huh, " Ivy was paying very close attention to putting on the white gloves when the instructor called for the class to calm down and pair up.
"Partner?" Sylar threw in a little charm, making his dimples deepen with his grin.
"First position everyone. "
Ivy watched as everyone stood, bent-kneed swords crossed, facing each other.
"Like this..." Sylar demonstrated for Ivy the stance and pointed his sword at her, the ball on the tip wobbled, taunting her so she mimicked his stance.
"Ok now first position through the tenth position and repeat."
Again Sylar demonstrated each position in slow motion so Ivy could follow along and then he positioned himself back at first position.
"Ready?"
"I think so.."
"There is no "I think so" in real combat."
" I know..."
Even before Ivy could finish, Sylar was coming at her, every fiber of Ivy's being came to life. She was defending herself perfectly, meeting his every attack with a counterattack, she was as light as a butterfly on her toes. It was just as if it wasn't Ivy doing the actions, she flipped and took Sylar down with a leg sweep. He landed with a thud and the wobbling ball at the end of her foil pressed to his neck. Sylar looked up at Ivy in sheer surprise her performance had clearly caught him off guard.
"Again!" Sylar said as he hopped to his feet and came at Ivy, but again he found himself lying on his back staring at the ceiling Ivy looking down at him, this time a smirk was present on her delicate face.
"How is it that you're this good?"
"I honestly don't know.I've never done this before."
"You're joking?"
"No, I went to a public school before coming here they didn't offer advanced foreign languages or fencing classes as part of the curriculum."
"Attention class, we have twenty minutes left, why don't we have a challenge, the new girl against a volunteer?"
"I'll challenge her!" a voice called out, and before Ivy could look up she knew who the volunteer challenge was, the girl who had called her "trash".
"Alright ladies, first through tenth positions, until one of you is defeated. Arm and leg touch count for five points and mortal touches count for fifteen. Kate, Ivy salute each other."
Kate just looked Ivy up and down and got into position. Ivy looked at Sylar then got into position as well, the whistle blew.
Kate came at Ivy in a flurry of clashing metal. Ivy defended herself, but Kate had no intention of playing fair and caught Ivy with the sword across the side of her face. Ivy placed her hand where the searing pain was, she could already feel the first trickle of blood well up. At that moment, it was like a solar flare, unleashed and the world grew still, Ivy was no longer on the fencing floor, but on the hill, with the tree.
Ivy's knees gave way under her suddenly. She looked around knowing where she was this time so when the first fingers of electricity crawled up her legs she was the first to speak,
"Hello, Goddess...."
"Ivy..."
Fighting back tears, Ivy closed her eyes as she felt the Goddess come closer. She was not afraid just confused. How could she be completely normal and see another world that no one else could see?
"You will understand soon, my child. You will be safe till then because I will always be with you."
and with that the Goddess leaned down, cupped Ivy's face in the palms of her hands. Her slightest touch took Ivy's breath away.
"Open your eyes, my darling."
Ivy's eyes opened slowly, what she saw was beyond words. The beauty of the Goddess was like experiencing life for the first time. She was the purest form of beauty, innocence, and love. The Goddess's eyes looked like galaxies, millions of miles away, with neutron nebulas imploding through them, of purples and pinks and blues, not of this world.
The Goddess smiled just for her and it was like the world lit up around Ivy so bright it blurred as the Goddess laid a most gentle kiss on the almost dried blood, on Ivy's cheek.