“What the fuck is Legacy Park?!” I let out.
“I can’t believe Souxie just folded like that!” Isis laughed as she rushed to the window to watch. “She might have met her match.”
“Pulleaseee,” Maggie dragged. “She probably sees a way in Legacy Park–––”
“Again!” Ash barked. "What the hell is that?!”
“You don’t like change,” Maggie accused.
“This! Isn’t change! It’s…” looking around, “I don’t know what this is but it's not what we had planned for this year.”
“Sooooooooo change,” Maggie concluded with a laugh.
Ayira opened the closet to the assortment of uniforms. She was touching everything with her fingers and smelling with her nose. Everything felt foreign to her like she’s never been outside the damn house, let alone to a school. “These are mine?” She asked. Maggie shot up with a playful shove towards Isis before going towards the closet to read the note.
“These are actually mine…which means they assumed I would take this room. So let’s swap now and get started with decorating. All the bedding and stuff is in the closet too.”
“You ready?” Isis asked with a look at me. “We need to start this walk back.”
Was I the only one bothered by these major changes? Why is everyone acting like this is normal? I only stayed here at Drew Collins because of these girls, and the friendships we formed. Now I stood in the brick dorms known as the Quads. It was the lowest rank of housing since it was the cheapest option. I was their prized siren and suddenly I’m being treated like they weren’t just calling me rare a year ago. Everyone was still outside arguing and fussing about their housing as the tables and student advisors began to pack it up. Souxie was supposed to be here in this building but as I watched two men grab her things, she was essentially fucking her way into Legacy Park.
“You’ve changed just as much as this place, Asha,” Souxie said as she leaned against the wall in the hallway. The lights flickered above as students could be heard screaming and music was playing through the walls. I felt too old for this shit. It was like they plucked freshly graduated students from high school and dumped them off at their next destination. Adult daycare with room and board options. I hated it already. “Maybe you haven’t noticed but you are not the same woman from last year. You’ve calmed down a lot.”
“I know…I know…I just think it's really hitting me how behind I am. I don’t like it.”
Souxie pushed her hair off her shoulders with a siddity attitude and pursed lips.
“Okay so then step it up, Period.”
Ayira The Princess
I stared up at the ceiling with the sheets clutched to my chest. After asking Maggie for the simplest things, I’ve come to the realization that I was not prepared for this. I’ve had everything done for me down to my hair, having my clothes prepared, and bed made up. I was made to focus on studies, artistic expression, mannerisms and how one should behave in a room full of men. Eventually, I would become nothing but a royal incubator for the next heir.
Grinning, I snuggled deeper into the sheets, trying to get comfortable on the hard mattress. The room was cold, and the air was loud through the vents. Nothing like the loud palace and sounds of the city outside of the windows that stayed open. I could hear laughter outside and the rustling of the leaves and branches amongst the trees that filled the gaps and spaces of the homes. I started to briefly close my eyes with the biggest grin on my face, too excited to sleep. The air alone kept my body awake and my skin feeling alive when I heard the door suddenly creak open. Sitting up, I watched Maggie poke her face in with a bonnet over her head.
“You asleep yet?” She whispered as I giggled.
“Apparently not,” I replied. Maggie crept her way in like a silly thief before walking towards the balcony window.
“Wanna sit outside?”
I nodded before flipping the sheets back, revealing the plaid loose-fitting pants as I pressed the thin school t-shirt down against my stomach. Grabbing the satin long scarf provided with my uniform, I wrapped it around my head and draped it around my neck. It was something Maggie said she’s never seen before, especially in this color but someone here had to know I was royalty. Back home, my hair was always covered out of respect, and so naturally when I saw the blue scarf, I smiled, immediately knowing what it was for.
There were exactly two chairs and a small plastic table to match when we took our seats. Everything overlooked the rest of the neighborhood as the last of the lingering students moved their things into their homes. Our railing to the balcony shared the corner of the building attached to ours where we could hear male laughter and see their outlines of the bodies through the curtains. Maggie tucked her legs underneath her and looked up at the sky or what we could see of it and for a moment, it felt like time stood still.
She was certainly something other than…sun born with her complexion. Her eyes seemed focused or fixated on the sky before she turned to look at me, and just for a moment? I thought they were as white as her hair before turning back to their natural dark brown. As friendly as she seems, there was something off about her that I couldn’t place. I pushed the beads back from my neck to tuck underneath the scarf as I gave her a small but hesitant smile.
“Can I ask…what you are?” Her eyes widened, taken back by the question before she poked her lips out in thought. “I know Souxie is a clever witch,” I listed. “Isis is what we call a water witch, and Asha is born of the waters but what are you?”
“I’m…complicated,” was all she said. “Have you ever heard of the First Family?” I shook my head as I brought my knees close to my chest. “Alright, so I can tell you what I know so far about them just from stories and my own personal experience.”
I listened to her talk, explaining the intricate details of her family history, and the belief of being born of the moon. While she spoke, I could see the air around her change as natural night life responded to her.
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” I told her. “Where I’m from…there are only three people… Born of sun like you,” pointing at her.
“Me? No. Apparently, the sun hates me,” she said.
“No…your complexion,” I said. “It means you are dark and beautiful. You are born of ember like Souxie…and Isis. Their complexion matches our earth, the clay…and scales, like me.”
