We Rebel

I stared at the wall. Cold, hard and emotionless, it stared back at me. I could feel its strength inside me, its hardness. I wished I was as cold and emotionless as it. Maybe I would be braver, stronger...happier.

"Watch where you stand, love." A sweet voice brushed past my ear. I spun around, startled out of my thoughts, but I only saw her moving back and the brown, curly hair bouncing on it. I watched, confused, as she made her way into the building.

It hit me that I was in school. I clenched my jaw, exhaling deeply. This is absolutely no time to get lost in thought, Arlyn.

Taking off with the other students, I fought to ignore the shouts and hisses of anger and frustration ringing out around me.

"Don't step on me, fool!" "Can't you see?" "What's your problem?!"

Typical school morning. But there was even more reason to be worked up: our results came out today.

I had worked my dignity off trying to get a high score on Calculations. My heart was pounding irregularly inside me. I forced myself to ignore it, but I knew exactly what would happen if I went home with another bad score in Calculations this time.

And because everyone was in such a foul and horrible mood today, I couldn't help but wonder about the one girl who had walked past me a few moments ago. I could feel her polite calm if I focused hard enough. Strange. Everybody in Calidium High always stayed on each other's throats.

"Out of my way!" Someone shoved me into a locker, moving past me. I was forced to stay squashed into the locker till most of the students had passed. I heard a gasp, then a, "so sorry, Arlyn!' I swallowed, knowing he was only apologizing because of my 'status' in this school. I pushed myself off and walked to my classroom.

I swallowed, looking around feverishly, before I turned the cold handle of our green classroom door. The same classroom I had been in for the past four years, taking several lessons in Invisibility and Telekenesis and Water Control... I had gotten fair marks in all of those subjects, but Calculations was always determined to win over me.

"Take your seats," Professor Dorman said in that clipped tone of his. His hair was still held behind his thin erect back, slick and immaculate as the rest of him. Oh, how he reminded me of my perfect father.

I grinded my teeth, wiping my sweaty hands against my jacket and drew out a chair. On settling into the chair, I found that the person beside me was none other than the girl I had been thinking of all morning.

I watched the side of her round, freckled face. Long eyelashes beautified her eyes. She seemed tense as well.

I felt an urge to say hello, but stopped myself, turning away. Father had specifically ordered that I didn't make friends with children whose parents he didn't know. Of course what he really meant was they had to have rich and important parents before I could be friends with them. That rule left me lonely and frustrated. I couldn't stand the arrogant pigs he wanted me to associate with.

"You tensed about the results too?" I didn't even realize I had asked the question until it had left me.

The girl turned to me, eyebrows raised. For a second, looking at her stony face, I feared I might have made a mistake. But a quick smile soon surfaced. "Yeah. I'm not really a pro at Languages."

"I'm actually scared because of the Calculations," I said. Then, stretching a hand forward, and revelling in breaking my father's rules, I spoke, "I'm Arlyn."

"Arlyn Mehrta." She didn't take my hand. "Daughter of a member of the Big Six. I know."

The Big Six. A group of our Town's richest and most influential inhabitants. The demigods of Eastheart. My father's "friends." I hated them.

"You don't like like the Big Six?" I asked, turning to the thin Professor up front arranging the stacks of paper on his desk. "Me neither."

I felt the girl turn to me. "You like the status it gives you, though."

"I can't control it," I said, my voice coming off as stronger than I intended. "You have any idea what its like to live with an authoritative man with all the success in the world and the highest expectations ever?"

I didn't know why I was whispering so furiously about my life to this random girl. Maybe all this while I had been subconsciously fed up with all the rules and orders that seemed to be slowly choking me to death and I just wanted to talk to someone. Maybe that someone was this girl who had already struck a chord with me and who my intuition was telling me was trustworthy.

"I know nothing about the success part," she said, leaning back into her seat," obviously. But I know one or two things about living with an authoritative perfectionist."

I raised my brows.

"I'm Natalie Dorman," she said, then turned to face the Professor. Her father. I noticed now how he gave a quick, piercing glance in her dierection. "If I fail Languages again..."

She didn't have to say it. All a person had to do was stay in Professor Doorman's class for about an hour and they would know just how much of a strict disciplinarian he was.

I heard the slight murmurings in the class drop to absolute silence as the Professor picked up a board and peered at it, savoring our suspense. My heart tried to fight its way out if my chest.

"I can help you with Languages. I'm good at it." I didn't turn to her as I said it.

"That's nice of you to offer. I should really drop my preconceived notions of how the children of the Big Six act, shouldn't I? You seem cool."

I resisted a smile. Was I making friends with someone outside of my father's circle against his will? It was dangerous, scary... exciting. "Thanks."

"We'll start with the highest scoring student, as always." The Professor arched a brow in the direction of Natalie for a brief second. I saw her stiffen. I wondered how I didn't notice it before. How could I have, though, when I was too immersed in my own life problems?

Inhaling deeply, and waiting for my name to be called, I felt a hand poke mine. I looked up, confused, and met Natalie's eyes.

"You have a problem with Calculations, don't you? I know because I've heard the calling of your results several times. I'm actually good at it. You want to trade?"

"Trade knowledge?" I asked.

Natalie nodded, giving another quick smile. "I teach you Calculations, you teach me Languages."

"Are we becoming friends?

"Probably."

The Professor called out a name with a tone of pride in his voice: "Mindy Corkins. Second place."

The class erupted.

"No way!" Natalie's brows jumped.

Mindy, while being popular and friendly, was never a bright student. She had expressed her dissatisfaction with the scores she was getting and told everyone she would make it into the top three by the end of this academic session.

I wished I was Mindy.

*~*

I came in fith place. Natalie was fourth. Not as bad as I had expected. But not good. The Professor was still calling out scores.

"Does your father lock you in a room with orders not leave until he says so or does he whip you?" Natalie whispered.

"He threatens to take me away from Calidium. The he whips me."

Natalie sighed. "I hate Languages. And you hate Calculations. Do we really have to learn subjects we hate?"

"I believe we don't have a say." I interlocked my fingers, biting my lips. What would I tell my father now? He had specifically wanted me to get the first position. And now I was fifth!

"If we become friends, I'm going to forever tease you about how I got a higher result than you, the daughter of a Big Six member," Natalie said. "Just so you know."

I turned to her, rules and authoritative dads and positions forgotten in an instant as rebellion blazed in me. "Aren't we friends already?"

She smiled, but didn't turn to look at me. "If you say so."