Half (5)

Emmy had left for school early. I grabbed a handful of cereal, shouted goodbye to Dad and then raced down the street after her. The morning air was cold and damp and I skirted round puddles created by rain that must have fallen early that morning. I saw her up ahead, her short blonde hair being tousled by the wind. I shouted her name but I think she ignored me because she didn’t stop. I walked a little faster and caught up with her, tapping her on the arm. She shook her head as though coming out of a deep thought,

“You okay?” I asked her, she looked at me and nodded.

“Fine, just a little tired,” she said. I snatched glances at her all the way to school, munching on the cereal in my hand, she did seem tired, pale. I couldn’t work out if it had happened over night or if she had been like it lately and I hadn’t noticed.

We reached the school, it was a tall oppressive building with dark brick walls and stone pillars at the entrance. It reminded me of a museum, the entrance hall floor was marble and the room echoed with every sound. Emmy and I joined the steady stream of people entering through the heavy wooden doors to the school, most of them dressed in the strict navy blue uniform set by the school.

Angelics wore a gold pin on their chest next to the school crest, the pin was of a shooting star with a dove flying ahead. The dove was meant to symbolise peace and all Angelics liked to tell the story of how they wish to live amongst humans, not cause harm, how their ancestors were saviours and worshipped before the Fall.

The human children just had the school crest, a shield with two shooting stars either side the palm of a hand. The symbol for purity and friendship, that’s what this hand is meant to represent. I however see it as a stop sign, a warning against Demonics. It irritated me how we had to be set apart, Paras and everyone else and every time I looked at the gold pins on their chests and the one on my own I cringed.

My Dad had to plead to get me in to the school, he had meetings with the board and the Head and when I wanted to continue in the Upper classes at the age of 17 he had to appeal again. Emmy had to be tested too, just to make sure there was no Demonic in her but she is a clean, pure human. I’m the only Angelic/Demonic in the school, not that anyone points it out much. They told me to wear my pin and be quiet so as not to scare the little Pure children.

“I should have had a ciggie,” I said to Emmy and she rolled her eyes.

“Don’t say that too loud,” she replied her eyes shifting to look at the teachers standing near the walls of the entrance hall, surveying everyone who came in. I flashed my eyes at her and she tutted glancing round to check again that no one saw.  

“Calm down,” I laughed, she shook her head.

“Dad worked his arse off to get you in here again,” she said as we walked towards the assembly hall to go and pledge our daily allegiance to this Plain’s leader. 

“Yes, so you like to remind me. Every day.” I replied. We sat down in our designated row, facing the front of the assembly hall. A stage and podium stood at the front and draped behind these were the school’s crests, side by side. I scowled like I did every time I looked at those two banners hanging innocently there, there was no friendship between humans and Paras nowadays, I thought to myself.

The Angelics are feared, the Demonics are feared, I am feared. I glanced around the room at my fellow students, sitting neatly in their rows in their crisp uniforms, branded with a different style of pin. Most only wore the hand and gold stars but those whose pin had a dove, well, you could tell they thought themselves superior with their wing shadows cast upon the wall.

I hugged my own wings around myself and looked up at the podium to see the Head, Sir Ravon, making his way to the podium and tapping the microphone to check it was on. He was a human - a short balding man whose suit jacket always looked a little too big. He cleared his throat before addressing us and waited for absolute silence before he spoke.

“Good morning,” he began, “I hope you are well rested after the weekend,” he glanced down at the notes he had brought up to the stage with him. “For those of you who have been following Plain events you will have seen stories of unrest in some cities, involving Demonic Paras. I assure you that the school has taken precautions should any unsettling activity occur here and would like to remind you that any activity deemed Demonic or associated with Demonic Paras will not be tolerated,” he made a sweeping glance around the room and I was sure that his eyes rested on me for a moment.

“And now Ms Graiv will read out the daily bulletins and whole school activities for the week,” he stepped down from the stage, passing Ms Graiv, an elderly Geographical teacher who now stood in his place reading from a list of dull activities we had to attend.

I leant back in my chair and thought about Ravon’s little speech, how his eyes had lingered on me as he spoke. So the Plain was letting the school warn us, which meant it was getting serious out there. I glanced at Emmy, and what did she have to do with it? Hanging around with Aaron Jaymes in seedy bars and letting herself be Driven. I had tried to teach her how to resist it when we were younger but she was weak and Dad had made us stop after I had Driven her to climb on the roof of the house in just her underwear. I had found it funny, he didn’t agree.

Emmy noticed me watching her now and frowned, I screwed my face up at her and looked away. I thought of what Rusty had said the night before, about Aaron’s wings. Black feathers. I didn’t know what that meant exactly but I knew it made me nervous. Emmy had referred to the kiddie stories but I couldn’t remember which one she was talking about.