"Claery Grace!" The young auburn haired girl turned around with a smile on her face. She grinned at the short, tanned boy who looked at her excitedly. "Are you ready for tonight?"
Claery rolled her eyes. "David, I literally came up with these plans. Of course I'm ready." She let out an airy laugh. "Dumb ass." He shot her a glare. Clutching his chest, David let out choked sobs. Fellow Liberty High students gave them weird looks, Claery was used to his antics after years of it. The bell rang, its high pitched whine sending shudders down her spine.
David rattled on and on about his night, giving Claery all of the dirty details of his fun with their other friend, Addison. Claery only half listened. The wind had picked up suddenly, something unusual for Bakersfield, California. A sense of dread fell over her, and she started fumbling with the labradorite stone she had hanging from around her neck on a leather chord. Her mother had given it to her as a child, and it was the one thing that calmed her down.
"Hello?" David waved a hand in front of her face."Earth to Claery?" She realized slowly she had stopped in the middle of the hall. Claery clutched the stone firmly.
"David, you still have that gem I gave you?" Her voice had a sudden sense of urgency, and David picked up on it right away. He nodded fast. "Good."
He bit his lip. "What's going on?"
She shrugged, trying to nonchalantly show that she wasn't as nervous as she felt. "Nothing probably... Solstice is probably freaking out like usual." She started walking to class, ignoring the late bell blaring in her ears.
"I'm coming over!" he yelled. She flashed him a small smile. The labradorite on her neck felt cool to the touch, something she wasn't very comfortable with. As she walked into her class, she felt every pair of eyes on her.
It was no secret that Claery's family practiced. It had been going on for three generations, with her Granny doing what her great grandmother was too afraid to do. Even for a novice, Claery was powerful. The other students knew what she was, and people weren't afraid to state thier opinion. She had faced the hate, the scorn, the physical repercussions for being who she was. She didn't care, though. She had a bond with her family that no amount of hate could tear down, and she constantly relied on that endless amount of love for strength.
She sat down in her desk, scanning the board for whatever torture Mr. Henderson was inflicting upon them. Chemistry wasn't her favorite subject, but it interesting enough.
Her mind flashed back to when Haven Anderson had asked her if she needed to borrow the Bunsen burners to brew up another potion, and she couldn't help but smirk at how a tube of bleach fell on her the next day. The only thing I know how to brew is tea, you jack asses.
She sighed as her teacher launched into his so-called, 'riveting discussion on the different chemical bonds of Carbon.' She laid her head down on the desk, thinking of the gnawing feeling of anxiety growing in her. Oh Goddess, what is going on?