~Orion~ 

I gripped my pencil nervously, staring at the number. My thoughts zoomed around in my head, wondering if I should feel happy or annoyed or sad or-- ugh. I let out a sigh and packed up my stuff, grabbing the quiz and stuffing it into my backpack.

72? Since when do I get 72 on a math quiz?

Oh well, the quiz was hard, at least I could claim that. I was still in the top tier of marks, which in itself is a pretty big accomplishment considering the number of brainiacs in the class. I stepped outside the classroom and scanned around for Camari, had she forgotten to wait for me?

SLAM.

I almost tripped over my own feet in surprise, stumbling backwards as someone slammed loudly against the lockers, leaving a crater the size of a baby elephant in the wall. I let out a small EEP and glanced worriedly at the girl on the floor, wondering if I should activate my healing ability to help her.

               "Really, Maxwell?" Zoe huffed, her face going red with anger as she stood over the girl who was still on the floor, "I told you never to try and cheat off me during a quiz, and then you go and do it again!" Waverly, although most people called her Maxwell, stood up and brushed herself off, her deep brown eyes clashing with Zoë's ebony ones. The surrounding students, after realizing that if these two fought it out, it was going to be a blood bath, scattered (as any sane person would, which is precisely the reason I stayed). Waverly clenched her porcelain fists, which was now glowing with brown light. 

               "I didn't you dumb bi-" Waverly blasted Zoë with ice, which the shapeshifter dodged, sliding to the left and kicking up a storm of rubble. Zoë clapped her gleaming black hands together and shifted into a lion, snarling at Waverly. Then she leapt forward into the air towards Maxwell, who was about to blast her with a blizzard. 

 Run, run now. Run run run- 

               "ALRIGHT CHILDREN, BREAK IT UP!" Camari yelled out, sticking her leg in between the two. Zoë stopped midair and growled at Camari, and Waverly threw a small piece of ice but stopped too. The two crossed their arms in defiance, although Camari, being stronger and being of a higher rank, had the full right to intervene. I waited silently for the moment where I should come in; patience was vital when dealing with high ranking students. 

               "Lay off Camari," Zoë said, her lion face moving like a human, a weird image, especially with her paws still crossed, "this isn't any of your business." She snarled, still waiting to pounce on Waverly again. Taking the chance to intervene, I quickly activated my healing ability, the subtle golden glow from my hands, gaining everyone's attention. Everyone's expressions immediately softened, then brightened. I smiled a little and walked forward. 

                "H-Hi Waverly!" I said with a smile, leaning down to fix up her back, it wasn't severe damage, but it could get worse if I didn't tend to it now. She's lucky I saw the whole thing, so she didn't have to go to the infirmary and deal with Doctor McKinley chewing her out. Waverly smiled back, 

               "Hey, Orion, how was your class?" Typical. It didn't matter that when she looked back at Zoë, her eyes seeped with hatred, talking to me instantly improved her mood. At least being the school healer had its perks, it was like being the sunshine that brightens anyone's day. I put my warm hands on her back, my hands glowing a warm blue as I felt around for the damage. Some blood, a couple of scratches, and a direct hit on the spine from being thrown through concrete; nothing major, it all would heal relatively quickly. 

               "It was alright, would have been better if someone hadn't forgotten to wait for me." I pouted, turning my head to give Camari a pointed look. 

               "Aw, don't worry, Ori." Camari winked at me, "I just had to deal with some entitled scum that thought they could challenge me." Zoë rolled her eyes, annoyance sparkling through her black irises. 

               "You do realize that you just described yourself in a nutshell, right? "Zoë retorted, annoyance sparkling through her eyes. Camari held her hand to her chest and stumbled backwards, a 'pained' expression on her face,

               "Ah, Zoë! I feel hurt, I thought we were friends!" Camari declared dramatically. Waverly got up from the floor to shove her, the wound now completely healed. I laughed as the warning bell rang, a reminder to get to class now. Not that there was anyone in the surrounding areas to hear the final reminder, they had all fled. Then, Camari reached into her back pocket that was buzzing. 

                "Hi there, this is Camari." She held up a finger and gestured for us to be quiet. I pretended to zip my mouth shut, and Waverly silently laughed. Camari rolled her eyes playfully and mock punched her in the shoulder. The person on the phone kept talking, and Camari made a silly face at me. I stuck my tongue out at her and turned my head to check where Zoe went, she had gone rather quiet. 

 CRASH. 

 I whipped my head around to see Camari's phone crack against the floor, the screen shattering and flinging shards and sparks all around her feet. That wasn't what shocked me, though. I watched wide-eyed as Camari collapsed to the floor like a sack of flour. I dove to the ground quickly, assessing her for injury. 

                "CAMARI!" Zoë yelled and dashed forward as well, followed shortly by Waverly. For a few seconds, everything was silent as we held our breaths and waited for the response. Dead silence filled the room.

                "Camari, what happened?!" I asked worriedly, but I got no response. It was like talking to a statue; the look on her face was like nothing I had ever seen before. She looked helpless, like a fish out of water. Her eyes were staring at the floor, wide and terrified, her lips kept opening and closing with no sound coming out. Camari, the most powerful girl in the entire school, the laughing, sarcastic, most playful friend you could have, looked like she had just seen a ghost. 

Who was on the other side of that phone call?

And what on god's green earth did they tell her?

 ~Unknown Point Of View~ 

 I walked past the corridor, creeping around to make sure I wasn't heard. He was supposed to be here by now, where could he possibly be? I peeked out, then felt a cold hand on my back, nearly leaping three feet in the air from the shock. 

               "You called?" I turned and smiled, trying to keep calm and stop my racing heart. He glanced at his watch and tapped his foot expectantly as if I was wasting his time. My breathing quickened as he stayed silent, his eyes watching me like I was the prey, and he was the predator. 

Arrogant prick.

               "Yes, the Queen asked me to relay a message to you." He glared at me with glassy eyes, a hidden controlled fury flickering in the depths of his iris.

                "Then you better make it quick, I don't waste my time with Jacks."