Rell and The Rose

Ch. 15, The Dreaded OMG

Rell

"Hello, I'm Ivy. I heard you were new."

"I'm Rell," I said with my friendliest smile. Ha! See, all you had to do was wait and the friends came to you!

"So, where are you from Rell?" She had a strange smile, like a dragon smiling at its next meal. A few others from the group wandered over to us.

"I'm from the Great Lands of Antarctica."

One of the boy's next to us who had red hair, probably a witch's son, wrinkled his nose. "I didn't know anyone actually lived in Antarctica. Except for penguins."

I had no idea what penguins were. "Yes, penguins, vicious, bloodthirsty creatures. I slayed many."

There was a pause, and then the redhead and Ivy started to laugh. It was a strange sound, almost forced, but maybe that was just her? From across the room, Bastien's frown deepened.

She reached out, capturing a lock of my hair, and running her fingers down it. "Your hair is so pretty. Do you color it?"

Why on earth would someone color their hair? "No. It's always been like that."

"You know Rell," she said, "why don't you come have lunch with me and my friends? We eat under the big tree out behind the cafeteria in the empty field. It's the only one, you can't miss it."

I smiled back, a feeling of warmth spreading through my chest. Judging by the way the others listened to her every word, Ivy was likely the hub of all gossip in the school. And now she'd offered to be friends! If anyone knew about the Beast or the Rose, it would be her.

"I would love to," I said.

"Great, there's just one catch. Sort of like a test, to make sure you're cool enough to sit with us." There were titters behind her, from her friends, but I ignored them. I'd run a maze of dragon fire, swam beneath the dark lake through caves made of bone, and proved my worth as a Beast-Slayer; there was no test I couldn't beat. "Absolutely. Just tell me what I need to do."

"Oh, it's nothing really. Everyone does it. Really, it's a mark of belonging." Then she leaned forward, and whispered into my ear. I ignored the giggles behind her, focusing on the task that would gain my acceptance here.
I hesitated when she was done. "Really? That's what I have to do? And you're sure that's allowed?"

She grinned, "Of course it is Relly! I wouldn't steer my new friend wrong, would I?" She gave me that smile again, like she'd just eaten a poisoned apple— or maybe that was just her face?

"Right," I said, the smile coming back. "Well then you can count on me. But it might take me a few days— "

"Don't take too long," she said, cutting me off. "Or no one will want to be your friend." Wait, what? But before I could decide if she were joking, she winked at me, and with a swish of hair made her way back to her desk.

Bastien stared straight ahead throughout the entire exchange, his jaw clenched like he was about to explode. I decided to give him a break. I'd already made one friend after all, and discovered the task I needed to make more friends, so I settled into my chair, tuned out the chatter around me, and began to read A MidSummer's Night Dream.

The rest of the morning classes passed in a blur. Instead of being welcomed, as I'd expected, I was actively, almost aggressively, ignored. Whenever I turned to a student, asking a friendly question, they turned away, face down, acting as if they hadn't seen or heard me. I dismissed it as some sort of bizarre, albeit unsettling, welcoming ritual. In fact, the only people who did meet my eye were Bastien, who glared at me across the classroom, and Ivy, who gave me that smile and small wave everytime I met her eye, and then turned back to her friends giggling.