Professor Beledras walks at a clipped pace, leaving her students to scramble pathetically behind. But not Vieva - Bestels don't run. They glide.

Abruptly, the professor leads them into the quad, which is nearly empty. Some students dot the field in the far off distance, and faded laughter rings in the air. But for the most part, the quad is cleared out.

"Gather around, students," the professor's voice rises above the quiet chatter of the class. The voices cease as soon as Professor Beledras sweeps her gaze over the heads of the students. Begrudgingly, Vieva admits that her level of respect is admirable. That doesn't mean that Vieva has to like her, but at least she holds the professor in esteem.

"I have elected to keep our class outside today, due to the nature of our recent project. For the remainder of class, you and your group will brainstorm which of the listed creatures you would like to hunt for your assignment. Keep in mind, you don't have much time to find your beast, so I recommend choosing quick. If I permit you to go into the woods, do not go very deep. Come back immediately when the horn blows. Am I understood?"

"Yes, professor!" the students shout. A smile twitches on Beledras's normally severe face.

"Off you go then." Students wander off in groups, breaking away in clumps. Vieva's left on the quad, scowling. She can't even be with her group for more than five minutes; how is she supposed to spend a whole period with them?

"Is something the matter, Ms. Bestel?" Professor Beledras's serene voice contains a note of cool amusement.

Vieva glues a sugary sweet, innocent smile on her face.

"No problem, professor. Just looking for my group."

"Don't dawdle. You are on limited time."

The professor turns her back to Vieva, just in time to miss the expected return of her scowl.

Vieva stomps off, flattening pine green grass stalks as she goes. Students gawk at her storming figure but no one bothers to call her out on it. Her reputation serves her well.

She finds her disparaging group on the right far corner of the quad. Lysabel Axelane, a mere mouse of a thing, sits on the floor, knees to her chest, twiddling her thumbs nervously. Owain Snagsnout fiddles with a piece of grass, interlacing it between his fingers absent-mindedly. He sneaks glances at Lysabel. Vieva snorts derisively. He's so stupidly obvious, it's actually rather sad.

Surprisingly, Derald Pellefard and Xara Roffinnes sit next to each other, having an animated conversation. Xara laughs aloud, and Derald grins, pushing some dark hair from his eyes. Xara flaps her hands, mimicking some kind of winged creature. Most likely her new familiar.

Xara's griffon, and it's dramatic arrival has been the talk of the school. Griffons haven't been seen in years, and it's made Xara and her familiar wildly popular amongst the students, upperclassmen included.

Derald glances up, and his bright-eyed gaze lands on Vieva. His smile drops faster than a plummeting dragoni. Speaking of dragoni, Vieva scans the skies. She had instructed her own familiar, whom she named Diadys, to circle above her, in view. But now, as she peers into the brilliant expanse of cerulean, Diadys is nowhere to be seen. Vieva glowers. Someone won't be getting her trout this week.

"What happened, did you get lost?" Derald asks her wryly, with an arched eyebrow.

"I have to speak to the professor," replies Vieva stiffly.

"About what?"

"None of your business."

"Let me guess: you asked to work alone."

Actually, Vieva had wanted to ask that, now that he said it. She would have to catch the professor later on.

"No." Vieva snaps. "It doesn't matter anyway. I'll most likely be doing all the work."

"Excuse me?" Xara speaks up, her voice sharpening with each syllable.

Vieva sends her a pointed glance.

"I'm obviously more well-suited to such projects than you. I don't even know why you're complaining. Wouldn't you like having to do no work?"

"You're unbelievable," mutters Derald, with a humorless laugh. "The assignment is graded on how well we work together, not individually. Actually getting the animal is only 30%. We get the other 70% of the grade by working together."

Derald watches her closely, looking for signs of shame, or humiliation, or embarrassment. Unfortunately for him, he won't get any. Vieva's trained her whole life to shut off her emotions, simple like a light switch. He won't be getting a reaction out of her.

"I knew that," she scowls, shaking her head. The breeze lifts up her white hair. "And stop wasting my time."
Vieva sits down lightly, patting the grass flat before she does. Taking classes outside. Vieva glares at the professor in her mind. Ludicrous.

Derald rolls his eyes then begins to mock her. "Look at me, I'm Vieva Bestel. If you don't bow to me, I'll tell my daddy!" His voice raises an octave higher, and he flails his hands around his head. Nothing about his little skit is reminiscent of her. A stab of anger pulses inside of her. How dare he mock her father!

"Shut up, or I'll-"
"You'll what? Tell your dad? Sue me?" He barks out a bitter laugh. "Let me tell you something, princess-" indignant, Vieva opens her mouth to fire back a response, but Derald speaks over her - "You may be rich, but that doesn't give you the ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want. You're just like every entitled rich kid, who thinks they own the world."

"And you four are just like every other pleb in Ruxnorth - expendable. You have no right to say those things to me. You aren't exactly special, Pellefard." Vieva snarls.

Derald's face flames up and he leaps up, irate. Lysabel shies away from him but Vieva pays her no attention.

Xara stands, her gaze switching from Vieva to Derald. "Let's get some things straight. Vieva, sure, you may be rich, but that doesn't allow you to act like a jerk. And Derald," she twists to face him. "You may not like Vieva-"

"The feeling is mutual."

Xara narrows her eyes at her, but continues. "You may not like Vieva, but for now, she's your teammate. Just suck it up and get through it, ok?"

Derald grunts by way of agreement. Vieva stares Xara down, but the girl doesn't budge. Vieva plops down, and winces lightly as her bottom goes sore. That hadn't been the best decision.

"Alright, now that that's settled, can we get on to the project?" Xara asks the group. Everyone nods. Vieva doesn't.

"So, Lysa, you have our list right?" Lysabel ducks her head and rummages through her bag, retrieving a crumpled paper. Vieva eyes it distastefully. If the other students had been as dedicated as she is, they would've memorized the list like she had a few nights ago. She's not surprised that she's the only one in the group prepared.

A shout captures Vieva's attention, and a pitchy screech. Owain flinches from the sound. The professor doesn't look the least bit concerned.

"All part of the assignment, students. Back to work!" she says, through her magically enhanced voice.

"Ok, let's pass around the list, everyone picks their choice. We'll decide from there."

Vieva groans. "Can't we just-"

"No," replies Xara evenly, without even looking at her.

Vieva stares at the ground sullenly. When the list finally passed to her, Vieva scans it lightly. There are 8 names, common dwellers in the Nyx Woods.

Caladrius

Roc

Duende

Limoneads

Salamander

Undines

Ermanthyian Boar

Gremlins

Vieva tosses it to Lysabel, who's eyes widen right before the paper slaps her in the face. Vieva snorts her laughter back. Founders only know how this girl will graduate. Having roomed with Lysabel Axelane for just near 2 months, the girl continues to retreat deeper and deeper into her shell as the days pass.

"The Undine will be the easiest, considering the... meager skill level of this group." Vieva's lip curls up of its own accord.

"Do you want to turn in the most boring one, or the coolest one? We should go for the roc! Imagine the extra points we'll get!"

"Idiot," hisses Vieva. "Remember? The professor said that each capture will be worth the same, and that they'll be no extra credit." Vieva smirks. "Weren't you listening?"

Derald makes a face at her. "Xara, what do you think we should do?"

The girl's lips twist. "The Caladrius may be our best option. It's small enough, has the largest population of them all, so they'll be the easiest to find. They're also not the most aggressive on the list. Especially because the time for offspring is only in spring, so we don't need to worry about the females."
Vieva mentally scolds herself. How had she not thought of that first?

"You know a lot about animals," appraises Owain with a nod.

Xara lifts a shoulder. "I like to read."

Derald stretches, standing up. "I'll go tell the professor we're going with the caladrius."

Vieva leaps up, enraged. "Excuse me?"

Derald looks down at Xara, then back to Vieva. "What's the problem now?"

"What, so Xara spouts out complete nonsense and everyone just does what she says?"

"It's not nonsense, it's true facts," defends Xara.

"Face it, you're probably having a great time bossing us around," accuses Vieva, jabbing a finger at Xara.

"I'm not bossing you around!" Xara replies with a disbelieving laugh.

"What's your problem, Vieva? It's a group project. I don't know why you're getting so riled up about this."

"The point is, someone of my caliber does not deserve to be paired with people like you. I've trained my entire life to attend this place, and unlike you, I take it seriously. And just because you think you know more, doesn't give you the right to lord over us."

Xara's fists clench. "Vieva, are you even listening to yourself? I'm lording over you? What about you, with your 'holier than thou' crap?"

Derald is taken aback by Xara's wording, but recovers quickly.

"Yeah. You do exactly what you accused Xara of doing just now. Because you have more wealth, you believe it elevates you." Derald crosses his arms. "It does not. We are equals. You may be an Arcane, but Xara is a Storm. You are not with your parents, which means you are just like everyone else here. You'll receive the same treatment. Stop acting otherwise."

"We are not equals." Vieva snarls. "Would you like to fight it out and I'll show you?"

Derald laughs. "And risk expulsion from the Academy?" He leans in. "See, I don't think you'll do that. Imagine how angry, how disappointed your family would be if you were kicked out of the Academy."

Fear submerges within her. He's right. She can't risk it. The realization must show on her face because Derald withdraws, triumphant.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go tell the professor." He jogs off, leaving Vieva breathing heavily.

What. Just. Happened.

"Well, well, well, wasn't that fun? You know, you three should apply to be in the school drama show."

"Bug off, Kayd," growls Xara. Vieva stares hard at the ground, refusing to let a word slip.

"Or you'll what?"

Xara's hand shoots to the sky, and an ear-splitting shriek follows.

"I don't think you've had the pleasure of meeting my familiar. A note of warning." Xara's eyes narrow to slits. "Lenore doesn't like neanderthals."

Kayd's lips purse, but he jerks his chin to his cronies and the four of them saunter off without another word.

Lysabel exhales shakily and Vieva indiscreetly rolls her eyes. That girl seriously needs to grow a backbone.

Vieva stares after Kayd's receding form. He's never once insulted her, merely bantered easily.

With fearful understanding, she realizes that Derald isn't entirely wrong. She is alone here, at school. She doesn't have her father with her, to fight her battles for her. Not that he's ever needed to, but that isn't the point. Her cousin has always said that money can only reach so far.

Vieva's found it. Her father isn't here to threaten people, to demonstrate the Bestel strength. He's back at their manor in Vudnarth. She has to command respect all on her own. It'll be harder without her father, but not impossible.

But first, she has to catch that bird. 

>>AUTHOR'S NOTES:

lol I can't even begin to tell you how fun this chapter was to write. it was fun, incorporating some arguments into the chapter. Believe me, y'all may hate Vieva now, but she's due for a MAJOR character arc in the upcoming books. trust me.

another important announcement coming soon.

peace&love,

raniaditi