Clovefield sits back on the sofa and throws her head back with a sigh, lifting the phone up she reads the rest of the message.
Due to current circumstances with House members leaving for the student abroad program, we are having to jump start the plan to begin selecting new members of varsity. Meeting in this morning at 6 am, noted this is only for varsity leaders only and discussions this morning should remain within the room.
–The Dean
Clovefield lets her head sink into the back of the sofas pillow, re-reading the short message before glancing at the time in the upper corner seeing it’s pushing near 12 p.m. “Damn” she says as she lifts her knee to her cheek and lays her head on her leg. dragging her eyes across the phone screen caught between rolling her eyes and attempting to focus on the message; her glace slowly moves back towards the television. “I really hate when he does a immediate meeting” she says then looking around the room before yawning “ I should really clean…” her words cut off as the yawn takes over. She shoots a quick message to Frank before shut down the living room area and claiming up her spiral stairs to the upper level, the heaviness in her neck makes her just lean her head forward, tightening her grip on the wooden rails, her legs slowly dragged acrossed the steps only stopping only for the sake of hearing a bell ringing in the pitch blackness of the kitchen. The tit-tat of little foot steps on the wooden floor, followed by a meow. Waiting at the top steps for a few seconds when the soft honey and white color of a cat walking into the light and running up the steps, rubbing against her leg. “oh Bee, where have you mean all night?” her whoa tone only matched by her gentle touch, crouching down and rubbing the fur of Bee as she walks up the steps meow. Bee’s body wrapping around Clovefield’s ankles like an eight.
They head to the room, Bee hops in the bed first making her way over to one pillow that was clearly dented from Bees impression. Clovefield doesn’t pay her much attention, it was their thing since Bee was a kitten, her companion and best friend.
The rain was heavy, thick, as she breathed in the air around her was hot, like her lungs were on fire. As she clutched her chest in the distance stood a figure, she bends a knee as the burning gets progressively worse, darting her eyes up to see the figures are not one but many. They say nothing, they do nothing….Bzzz, Bzzz, Bzzz. It doesn’t process, she feels herself being pulled out of it but she tries to stay… Bzzz,Bzzz, Bzzz “Alright, alright I’m up” she sits there at the edge of the bed; just letting her head dangle as her legs swing, sighing before jumping out of the bed. She follows her routine, cut oven on low, shower, get dressed, feed Bee, Cook then head out for school…wait, umm she was forgetting something but what was it? She was running out of time but it hit here as clear as it was just sitting out in the open on the table, the files for varsity candidates. She decides to drive in her dads old Camaro 1969 z28, partly to cut back on time and partly cause she missed him if not more than her mother, it’s been five years; but enough of dwelling that’s how she got so far off track in the first place. She flips down the sun visor letting the keys fall to her hands, turning the key but the engine doesn’t turn over causing Clovefield to shake her head, pressing on the gas pedal and turning the key again for the engine to come alive, roar throughout the garage.
Her act of safety pulling out of her drive way is broken when she leaves the neighborhood, ripping through the back-roads watching the trees go from groupings too few to scarce ones, separated so fair between, she loved the blur but most importantly she loved the open roads of Severn, North Carolina as opposed to the clutter a city like Charlotte brought. The wind blowing her afro backwards, it would flow even withthe pick still in it, the twines of her edges going crazy all over the place. Seeing the school on the horizon she reaches for the ash tray and within the old cigarette ashes was a joint that was smoked half way through, she lights it getting a few deep inhales before stashing it back out when she enters the student parking lot. Not surprising at all that Frank was still sitting on the rear of his car, waiting on her and she could see the excitement on his face even as she parked; before he walked up and gets in on the passenger side. “ I see we are the first two here”, “Oh..spoke too soon” Frank responses just as the Dean comes flying down to the front door, unlocking it, letting himself in. “I’ll give it thirty before I head in” Frank says “I’m not going to argue against that, while we wait though” Clovefield mocking a thief acting sneaky, looking left and right “coast is clear!” she shouts making Frank laugh, reaching her hand back into ashes and pulling the rest of the joint out of the ashtray. “oouuu” he says taking it from her fingers and lights it, “So, who are you putting up for House of Clawford?”, “eh, I was thinking about the new kid Luke”, “oh totally, especially before Mianae can claim someone like him for House of Kingsley”, “He….He seems interesting”, “Clove, what does that even mean man” he laughs passing her the joint back “really, I don’t know but I do know if that kid hones his skills he is going to be somebody. You gotta admit he looks the part”, “As in….” Clovefield lets Frank’s words linger in the air parallel to the smoke trapped in the car. The joint turns to a roach and goes out, finally placed amongst back among the ashes. “you ready?” Frank ask Clovefield, she nods in return.
When they get inside, the bright lights overhead hit them hard causing them to squint and turn there heads at first but make short time getting to the teacher conference room. The only thing ruining the mood is the stare Mianae gave in her House of Kingsley varsity jacket, her skull mask covering her face never failed to at least make the hairs stand up on the back of her neck, Clovefield cracks her neck, taking a seat across from Mianae. “Mianae”,”Clovefield” their responses equally tense, The Dean interrupts clearing is throat to gather back the authority in the room. The silence doesn’t help with The Dean looking down at his watch as each of the House leaders walk in. Arthur walked in first caption of the House of IZEM rugby team followed by June both wearing their varsity Jackets respectively colored a 1980’s white, with three stripes on either side of the arm pink, neon blue and a bright yellow. Lastly House of Asha comes in both Ren who was a short guy, a foreigner exchange student from the U.k. divison, somewhere over in Skye but he never specified and Clovefield never pressured him on it she always chalked it up to him being home sick rather than rude or secretive. Before the door can close fully behind them Ren and La’Beth who was a tall girl with long black hair and green at her tips, at first look one could mistake her from some punk rock/ blues band but La’beth was a much more quiet artist than that enjoying her rebellious look but never letting go of her love for jazz and classical music, both of their varsity jackets were only matched by the scheme of ash-ing coals and a single forest green band around the right sleeve arm. With everyone grabbing their seats and prepare, pulling out files and placing them on the table; Mianae didn’t though rather she just sat there “ms.Grimm, where is your second house leader” she looks off at the door then shrugs “I don’t know, knowing her she is probably asleep” The Dean opens his mouth to persist in trying but detracts as the door knob jiggles “sorry…sorry I know…..but our normal food place this morning wasn’t ready” she walks in with a box of biscuits, “where have you been?” even The Dean is unsettled by Mianae’s demanding tone, “Oh, Mianae. Always so grumpy in the morning, you know ever since Darrel left to be the Tokyo divison feign exchange student last fall you’ve been quite the prissy ant” Mianae scuffs “Austina!”, “what?” their back and forth taking over the room with Austina walking over and taking her seat next to Mianae, she passes a biscuit as a form of piece treaty, while Mianae stares at her then the biscuit then back at her she finally takes it and for one of the rare moments Mianae drops the mask from her face.
“I definitely always thought that thing was a real mask” Ren says as he looks at her pale skin, she really did have a hidden beauty under such a sinister mask, he turns around from digging in the box for a biscuit to see everyone is quite with Mianae being the only one looking up and directly at him. “Well…..” The Dean clears his throat “on to more important things, this meeting is for us to see likely picks for which house. Now we all know the rules to this, varsity is up for anyone but each house gets to have top picks but….. ultimately the choice comes down to the participant; we all have seen them year after year not everyone gets the house they want and not every house gets the members they want. As you all may know we have multiple students departing for the student aboard program next year which takes a lot house members off the next year games and with the fresh crop of new students registered, it’s best we get the jump on this before the spring games these up coming months.” He hunchs over the table then claps his hands; the room de-materializes from a office space with the four corners of the room dropping off and floating into the distance of space. “mars! whoa, I haven’t seen this before” Austina interrupts, “yeah, well you also haven’t been in the need to know club”, “ooouuu burn” Austina makes a hissing sound sticking here index finger and moving it in a downward vertical motion at Mianae. “please, can we consentrate” The Dean say calmly walking out further into the surface of mars “He is definitely going to hit the wall” Austina whispers across the table, causing everyone else to laugh, “yeah, dude that’s not how this works” Ren says back, “ Clawford would like to toss coins down on Luke”, “what wait…. You slick, Kingsley was going to bet on him” Clovefield shrugs at Mianae’s attitude , “Well House of IZEM will be placing it’s coins on Clark kent” June leans over to Arthur “you mean Albert?” , “No, ever since that incident the fake superman name has stuck to him, so he will be know as C.K.” The Dean cuts in “are you sure he is the correct fit for your house? The thing about Albert is he has a temper but he is also cunning like a Kingsley”, “disagree Dean, I would definitely bet my free class period for one semester that Clark leans more towards a strategy, wit and passion which I can understand being mistake for anger” but the Dean just shakes his head at Arthurs notion “ No, If you want someone with passion and strong personality there a quite a few better students to put your coin on like Luke’s brother Howard”, “Yeah but Albert is….”, “Kingsley would like to wager one of our two coins for Albert” Austina shouts placing her coin on Alberts file “what are you doing?” Mianae jumps up from the table “are you stupid or just not calculated, what kind of impulsive crap is that?!”, “Can you like chill out for once? Like, I’m just as much leader as you are Mianae” hoovering over Austine, Mianae stands there glare as if her eyes could literally pierce through her soul or at least realistically punch her in the jaw either or was really up in the air for interpretation. “you know what, fine, then Kingsley will place it’s other coin on Joannah”, “wait wait…” Ren crosses his arms as he sinks in his seat “Joannah, the freaky genius girl who created a zombie that one time?”, “correction, bag pipes she has necromancy” Ren’s face turns red taking insult from Mianae’s words.
The Dean, looks on the edge staring at the sun as it’s outer edges seem to be dancing, flaring up into the miles of space between it’s core at the atmosphere. Shaking his head “too distracting” he claps his hands again dematerializing the scenery into a simple forest with waterfall behind him. “Hey…my new shoes” Austina shouts as the rushing waters passes over her feet soaking them in consequence. “she doesn’t create zombies, she does soft necromancy” Ren scuffs at Mianae “yeah well, she is all yours….no one else is going to toss up a coin for her”, “fine” Mianae shrugs “easier for her to be with House of Kingsley for the games”. Ren begins to speak but clutches back, “House of Asha will place our coins on Lilith” Ren shouts out from his chair, “um interesting, fitting pick for the House most know for there desire and passion” the Dean says walking back to the table his feet sloshing in the water stream. “Have all houses placed their choices?” The Dean claps his hands once more turning the forest back into a room, then bringing up a touch screen, the display slide showing through various students who are currently signed up for House s and specifically who signed up for house varsity, highlighting the chosen students in their respective House colors were they to win the spring games to be in varsity. Each leader of the house taking their coins and inserting them into the student of choice locking it in, Mianae and Clovefield stare at each other before proceeding on and making way for Ren and Arthur to go next and so on.
The Sun slowly peaking it’s head over the horizon breaks way from the purple darkness of the sky to a soft light blue, glazed so gently by the Orange of the sun. The squeaking and grinding of metals before the loud hiss of the bus letting them know the other students were starting to arrive, over head was a constant sound what could be described as F-150s for about ten minutes as there was no restrictions on students speed of flight, just the legal issues of flying too high and causing a plane crash. Clovefield was quite fond of it really, as she could never fly and this was something that always crossed her mind from time to time; if a normie wishes they had powers then is it normal for those with powers to wish they had something else? “like what if the flash preferred to fly instead of run” she chuckles at her inner self, “what’s so funny?” Frank ask, “Probably inside her own head, per normal” Mianae chimes in before throwing her single strapped back over her shoulder, while putting on her varsity jacket. “Anything else you wanted to discuss Dean?” Mianae face even beneath the skull mask, one could read her impatience from her rabbit like tapping on the floor in her purple converses. “Just one thing Ms. Grimm” his words make everyone turn their heads as they all stand and head for the door, some hoping to head to that one class to hangout before school starts, others hoping to catch their friends, while a few we just looking to catch some sleep in the back seat of a friends car “The rules have changes a little for this years game, Zildabest” that name only even makes Mianae temporarily drop here mask, Clovefield tries to move her tongue but it’s dry worst in description that cotton mouth. As everyone stands there more out of fear and confusion, the Dean takes this opportunity to exit taking the files with him.
“Last class to do the Zildabeast was only left with one member left”, “yeah and what’s wrong with that Clovefield?” Ren ask “Cause it didn’t just kill the team from one house but all four” Mianae speaks were Clovefield seemed to struggle, the shock on Ren’s face, left in position as Mianae and Austina leave shortly after followed by everyone else.
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