Chapter Two : Water Dorm
After all night of weird dreams, Ruby didn't even realise how fast the night was gone.
"Crap! Thank you, Gunther for waking me up!"
"Hurry up, Ruby…"
After more than twenty minutes, Ruby was standing at the gates of Water Dorm.
The morning mist was too wet even for Ruby's liking, and the chilly wind was too cold for comfort. She wrapped her arms around herself and waited.
Finally, someone's steps approached her.
Kael Strom, the youngest teacher in this academy, stopped in front of her.
Ruby couldn't stop staring at his silver hair, that short cut was still touching his shoulders.
To Ruby, Kael seemed to have icy blue eyes, but besides that his face gave nothing away.
He was looking at Ruby as though she were a task, not a person.
"You're ready?" he asked.
Ruby nodded.
"Did you sleep well?" He had a smooth, but flat tone with absolutely no warmth in it.
"No," Ruby replied. "I was having some strange nightmares about the fight from-"
"I didn't ask you to explain it to me." He turned, moving his hand to follow him. "Then listen closely. In water, there are rules. You will follow them. I don't care if you are new. I don't care if you are a girl. I don't care if you came from earth. I give no exceptions."
Ruby hurried to keep up. "Yes."
"I will not tolerate weakness."
"I'll work hard."
"You will not fall behind. Not in training or in class. If you do, you're out."
Ruby swallowed her saliva. "I understand."
Kael glanced at her once, then looked away.
They reached the water dorm.
Ruby's skin immediately noticed how the walls were colder here. The sound of running water could be heard almost everywhere, though Ruby saw no source.
Kael opened a door and stepped aside. "This is your dorm."
Ruby looked in. Two beds were pushed against opposite walls, but only one was made.
"There are no other girls this year," Kael spoke. "This room is yours."
Ruby nodded. "Thank you for bringing me."
But he was already walking away.
"Wow…he's just a few years younger than me, but he wants the same respect as other teachers…" She stated her thoughts out loud, but luckily, Kasl didn't hear her…or maybe he did, but did not care.
As she was standing in the doorway, a small wind out of nowhere touched her nose.
"Yes…understood." Ruby pushed her trunk to the bed and sat.
On the table beside it a book was left with a pretty worn out cover: Principles of Water Manipulation.
Ruby opened it…
And like any other element, the words from this book swam before her eyes.
So many things were written in this one, like; Forms of movement. Rules of control. Flow, pull, release.
She tried to read, but every page made her head hurt.
Shutting the book, Ruby started breathing fast. Her throat closed.
'I can't do this. I don't belong here. They'll see I'm a fraud.'
Finally, she decided to lay down, and pulled the blanket over her head, and the only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat.
When Ruby closed her eyes, she saw Petra's empty bed, the demon's mark, and for a strange reason…Kael's cold eyes.
Hours passed, but her heart did not slow down. She counted breaths, pressed her hands against her chest, but sleep stayed away…
Ruby felt no hunger during the day, nor was she brave enough to go and explore this chilly dorm alone.
And by the time she drifted off, the sky outside had already begun to pale.
*Ding! *Ding! *Ding!*
The bell woke her up.
Ruby sat up immediately, and felt how her head was throbbing. She had barely slept…again.
She pulled on her new uniform, noticing how clumsy her hands were thanks to this fatigue.
The fabric felt wrong, lighter than earth's greens, colored in shades of blue. She tied the belt too tight, loosened it, tied it again. Her fingers trembled and Ruby didn't know why.
Grabbing the water book, tucking it under her arm, and, Ruby stepped into the hall.
Weirdly, these corridors were different from earth's…Every turn looked the same, pale and transparent.
Ruby tried one path, then another, until she realised she was lost.
"Great…I'll be late. They'll know I don't belong with them…"
A group of students passed, laughing, and yet, none of them looked at her.
Ruby caught one by the sleeve. "Excuse me…where's class two?"
The boy frowned. "Straight ahead, second door." He pulled away without another word.
Ruby hurried, clutching the book like a shield. She found the door and finally stepped inside.
"What the heck?"
"Who's that?"
The room was already filled with class two students…they all turned to her as one.
Ruby paused her next step.
Standing at the front, with his arms crossed, Kael glanced at her. "Late."
"I'm sorry," Ruby lowered her head quickly. "I got lost."
"Not an excuse."
Ruby lowered her head even more and hurried to an empty seat. She couldn't get rid of the shaking in her hands as she opened the book.
And Kael officially started his class. "Water is not fire, do you remember that? It does not rage. It waits and flows. You control it by yielding, not by forcing. Note that."
Ruby tried to listen, but her eyelids drooped. She drifted back to the dream, and the demon's voice calling her name.
Ruby bit her lip to stay awake.
"Berger."
Her head snapped up. Kael's eyes pinned her.
"Define release."
Ruby's mouth went dry. She flipped through her book, and of course, every word blurred in front of her.
"Release," Kael repeated.
"It's…" Her voice faded. "Letting the water… go?"
The room snickered.
Kael's expression did not change. "Pathetic. If you cannot even read, you will not last here."
Ruby forced herself to look into his eyes. "I'll work harder."
"We'll see," Kael breathed out.
The lesson went on. Ruby copied every word, her hand cramped, and wrist started to burn.
When the bell rang, the other students left in pairs, but Ruby gathered her book and notes slowly.
The first day was done… just a lifetime to go.
"Excuse me!!!" Someone bumped into her shoulder, and made Ruby drop her things.
Without bothering to see who it was, Ruby just bent down to pick them up.
But then strangely, she felt something harder on her head.
"Wipe my shoes with your water magic, you creep."