~Atlas~

I tried to concentrate on what Orion was saying as we walked through the halls, but it was useless. I couldn't clear my mind if someone paid me to do so. So much had happened in the past week, and it was giving me a splitting headache. The irony is that I'm walking next to a healer.

               "U-um, Atlas?" Orion asked, staring at me with his babyish blue eyes, "A-are you alright?" He was one of the few people I couldn't be or stay mad at. Orion was the definition of innocence, with large blue eyes and medium brown skin. He reminded me of a naïve child, too young to understand how the world worked yet.

               "I'm fine," I answered back quickly, although I cursed in my head when he drew back with a hurt expression. I had almost forgotten the fact that he was as sensitive as a child as well. Even the slightest hint of rudeness and he was withdrawing instantly.

               "O-okay then. So, what did you get on the last test?"

               "I aced it, as expected," I answered calmly as I looked through my binders, although I was proud of myself. I, and one other student, were the only ones to ace it in the entire grade.

               "Wow, that's great!" He beamed at me and looked down at the floor. "I only got an eighty-eight." Ah, a high eighty mark. One of those things that slightly above average students are stuck as to what to think. Because on one hand, it's not a bad mark.

But on the other hand, it's not a great one either. Although I spoke about it as though I understood, I had never been burdened by a mark like that. In my opinion, anything below a ninety is a fail.

               "That's not bad," I said, getting slightly frustrated. Where was it?

               "Erm, what are you looking for?" He asked, staring at my bright red binder.

               "Oh, just a piece of homework. I did it yesterday, so it's definitely in here." He tapped his chin thoughtfully after I finished.

               "Maybe you-" He stopped, eyes popping, let out an 'EEK!' and stumbled backwards. I was about to turn when the full force of somebody's body hit my back. I stumbled back and almost tipped over, but regained my balance at the last moment. The person had shoved themselves off of me, and when I turned, a blur of black hair smacked me in the face. She turned around, giving me a clear view of her the blood on the back of her skull, which I did not need to see, and glared at a pair of snickering girls who hadn't realized who I was yet. Then Orion made it apparent,

               "ATLAS! Are you all right?" He asked, activating his ability. The girls stopped laughing instantly and turned away, now determined to make it look like they had no involvement in the incident. I grabbed the girl who had rammed into me and spun her around, only to have the biggest shock of my day.

Quinley Weston glared right back at me. Icy blue and fiery red clashed as the two of us battled it out, neither refusing to back down-- a stare down of the highest degree. The hallway took in a breath as a full minute passed, maybe more, and neither one of us blinked. Her, standing perhaps a total two feet below me and a full tiers below me power-wise, refused to move. It was infuriating. Who did this girl think she was?

It was silent for a while as we stood there, and we probably would have stood there for way longer, had the silence not been broken by Orion who had walked over in between us. He sure was gutsy; I'd give him that; although that was to be expected when he was considered the school's unofficial high-tier peacemaker.

              "Are you alright?" He repeated, although now talking to both of us.

               "I'm fine." We both said, her hands moving fast to communicate in time.

               "Watch where you're walking next time," I replied sharply, looking down my nose at her.

               "Not my fault if someone shoves me into you." She said.

               "Any half-decent human being would apologize if they rammed into someone."

               "If you had given me a chance and not acted so entitled, maybe I would have. But now, I guess you'll never know."

               "OKAY! Everybody calm down!" Orion said, clapping his hands together quickly. "I'm sure we can settle this like adults." He turned towards Quinley and mustered up a smile. "What's your name?"

               "Why do you care?" She said before turning back to face me, "Look, I have a quiz next period and a stingy teacher as well, so I don't have time to deal with this. Can you move out of the way?" Orion locked onto his smile and stepped to the side, letting her pass through. Whispers flooded the hallway, and my anger started to slow until it faded into interest.

That was beyond brave and reckless, and if it had been almost any other high-tier, she would have ended up in the infirmary or even hospital. She had to have known that, so why did she do it?

I smiled a little, knowing the pleasure it would give me once I eradicated this simple issue. It wouldn't take long, and once it was over, she would be put in her place like every other student in this school.

All it would take was a little bit of pressure, and she would crack.

~Camari~

I breathed heavy, back firmly planted against the wall. I had been running to my class when I had heard the whispers flooding through the halls like a tsunami crashing into the shoreline.

Atlas. Orion. Mute girl. Let her getaway.

I was much more attentive than the King as to what was happening in the tiers and grades below us, and I knew of the little mute junior. I also knew how to piece together things from rumours into one story.

I knew of your little adventure with Dyako and Isla because they have done the same for me so many times that I recognize when their researching for somebody.

I had heard about you interrogating Cherry after she helped the mute to the office.

So, tell me, Atlas,

Just what in the hell do you think you're doing?