"Maddi, what are you--" I begin, but she cuts me off.

"Saving your feathers," she says flying over to me, a serious expression on her face. She looks around, surveying every other iso in the room. "Now, I would appreciate it if you stopped harassing my friend Luna here, and went on your merry way back to your everyday lives. If you think that there's evil here, sure, you can think that all you like. But let me tell you, if there is any evil, it is most certainly not Luna."

The room is silent. Maddi grabs me by the arm and drags me through the air towards the large oak doors. The crowd of isos part for us to leave as Maddi drags me through the air, leaving my wings barley flapping. She drags me through the open doors and through the many hallways of the building. She turns multiple sharp corners, obviously making up where she's going along the way. The unfamiliar iso barges through another oak-wooden, double-door, similar but smaller than the one to the dining hall. This door leads outside to the courtyard.

The courtyard is rather large, roughly a hectare but don't quote me on that, with many over-arching trees. Leaves of many different shades of green, lilac and the occasional gold litter the ground. The fountain in the centre, made up of many rocks and vines, bubbles lively, creating a stream flowing down each polished edge. Maddi drags me across the stone pathway that runs through the courtyard, branching out in multiple directions to different buildings and classes.

She turns a sharp right just before we reach the large, oak-wooden gate leading to the meadows at the edge of campus, and leads me up to a large tree in the corner of the courtyard that many isos have nick-named the 'Tree of Life or Something.' Literally what they named it. Maddi lands on a large out-stretching branch of the Tree of Life or Something, still griping onto my arm, and drags me into a hidden tree house that I never even knew was here.

I get a quick glance at the inside of the tree house. The flooring is made of strong logs and it leaves some of the natural branches to form the walls and ceiling. There is a gap in some of the branches of the one of the walls, making a window, or lookout area. On further inspection, it is only noticeable if the people on the outside know it's there. The window of the tree house gives a perfect view of the entire courtyard. No wonder some people can get such exclusive information!

In the treehouse, there is a small, round table in the corner surrounded by matching chairs with red cushions. A small couch is in the corner just off the door that could probably fit two or three people next to a book shelf littered with unorganised spell books, novels, notebooks and textbooks. Maddi, who still has a tight grasp on my wrist, drags me over to the table and pushes me onto a chair before letting go and taking a seat at the opposite side of the table. In instantly rub my wrist where Maddi had hold of it and move my hand around to get the feeling back. She has a tight grip!

"Sorry. Did that hurt?" Maddi asks with concern in her eyes.

"A bit... I'm fine though," I reply before addressing the elephant in the room here. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did. I'm tired of idiots treating people like that!"

"You've seen people get treated like me before?"

"Yes. Humans do it all the time! It's so frustrating!"

"Humans?" I ask curiously. I've heard of them before, but they've always seemed to be rather pleasant. I mean, I knew they had wars and arguments every so often, but I thought we had things much worse off. The elders are supposed to keep things in the human realm in check. They shouldn't be arguing like we are... right? When I ask Maddi these questions, she just looks at me like I said I was going to get married to a walrus.

"What? Luna, where'd you get that idea from?"

"Human Studies class."

"You can't trust everything in textbooks Luna!"

"I know, I know!" I didn't know. "Let's just get back to why you stood up for me."

"Right."

"So, why did you stand up for me?"

"I just..." she trails off. "I don't know. My instincts just went... wild. I just had to do something!"

"That's fine. As long as you don't get yourself hurt by those idiots. I don't want anyone to get hurt because they care about my non-existent social reputation."

"What? You sayin' I care for something that doesn't exist?"

There is a slight pause before I reply, "Yes."

We both burst out laughing and talk about school and life for a while before we hear the chatter of the crowd as they pour through the doors into the courtyard. Maddi and I decide to use the treehouse to our advantage. We observe the courtyard and watch as friends talk, girls gossip, boys play sport (of course there are girls playing sport with them and boys gossiping. I don't discriminate!) and teachers walk around, almost like a mindless army patrol with a certain pattern.

Maddi and I enjoy watching other isos going about their everyday lives until we notice Sunset and the two isos that follow her everywhere, Hanna and Hailey. They seem to be laughing about something, but I can't quite make out many words until they reach the base of the tree. Though I don't hear them coming up.

Oh, good! I think. Maybe they don't know this treehouse exists!

"You're right!" I hear Hanna's muffled yet obviously shocked voice from bellow, "I haven't seen Trish in ages!"

"Maybe that girl got her!" Hailey's voice chips in.

"Which girl, Hail?" Hanna's voice answers.

"Luna! You know, the one with the black wings?"

"Maybe I should just bleach my feathers," I whisper sarcastically to Maddi who, in response, laughs as quietly as physically possible. We both know that bleaching my feathers would dye them blond instead of the usual silvery white colour that most isos' wings are. Dying my wings is not an option.

"Yeah, yeah," I hear Sunset remark, "Everyone knows Luna. What's your point?"

"Well," Hailey continues, "She's really, uh, well..."

"Spit it out, Hailey," Sunset says bluntly.

"She seems rather evil."

"Ugh! This crap again."

"I'm serious! She just has this... well, this glow about her."

"Describe said 'glow,' Hailey."

"It just. Well. Uh. I don't... It's like a... well..." Hailey trails off.

"A what, Hailey?" Hanna asks innocently.

"It's like... well..." Hailey says, having trouble trying to find the right words, "It's like, a sense of knowing... I just... She gives off a bad aura."

I look at Maddi with a worried look. She looks confused then, using her hands, she signs, 'Is that a bad thing?' After interpreting her signs, I sign back,

'Yes and no,' I sign.

'Explain please," Maddi signs back with an even more confused expression.

'Hailey, the one who keeps saying that she thinks I'm evil, is a spiritwalker. She can sense auras and determine many aspects of most people's personalities. She also can act as a medium at times, but I haven't seen her do that stuff yet.'

'Ah. I think I get it now.'

'Good! I hope the reader does too.'

'The what?'

"Oh," Sunset remarks sarcastically, "I understand perfectly now."

"No, Sunset," Hailey says, "No, you don't."

Sunset sighs. "Look, I don't know what aura you're feeling, but I honestly think that Luna is just like every iso here in Featherweight Academy. She doesn't have any evil qualities as far as I know."

"She would hide them!" Hanna raises her voice slightly in order to support her sister's complaint, "No self-respecting villain would leave their evil-ness in plain sight! Right?"

"Yes, but Luna, is a terrible liar."

I blink twice in shock. Did Sunset of all people, one; just stick up for me, and two; steal the words literally circling my brain at that very second? This must be a dream.

"Look," Sunset says as I hear the flapping of wings, "You can bitch about Luna all you like, but let's do it you know, in the treehouse, where she won't hear."

Maddi and I look at each other with a worried expression. She whispers something to me,

"Oh shit."

*****************

Heya people! It's Crystal, again. Who else would it be?

But can someone tell me why Sunset is supporting Luna? Don't look at me not even I know!! I know, I'm evil. Mwahahahahahaha *cough cough GASP cough cough cough*

Probably shouldn't do that again. Anyways, BYEE!~