THESE HIDDEN WINGS

[81.1] DIVISION

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"I wonder why they called us here,"

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THE REST OF Sunday passed by in a calm blur, spending it with Lira and Claire in their room chatting about what was to come this week. Honestly, I was pretty excited about it.

My first week at Kingsland, Origins Class in particular, under Mr. Ogustus' care, seemed to have shielded us from what Kingsland was.

As much as I appreciated the fact that he was only preparing us for the mysteries of Kingsland and opening our eyes to a much larger world, I think I was now ready to experience exactly what this world was and I was eager to learn, especially after seeing what Rangi and Lwangi could do.

This is why I was more than prepared for Monday.

We stood out in the open sun in the middle of the King's Crown by the fountain in the courtyard. According to Lira, we were obligated to be here as new students about to venture into their perspective classes for the first time, and for the good heavens, she wasn't wrong.

No surprise there.

Other students that I recognized from the Gathering we had on Friday were also here, chatting with each other and making small conversations.

"I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit nervous," Claire mumbled pushing her glasses up her nose, glancing at me momentarily before staring up ahead at the stone fountain we had gathered around with the Kingsland emblem.

A Sword surrounded by a Crown.

"I wonder why they called us here," she huffed.

I looked over at my little friend but it was David that answered her question like the expert he was.

"Well, I'm guessing they have to put us in our classes- I don't think anyone knows where to go and all the other regular students are already in class," he added, his eyes trailing to the Crown which surrounded us.

I glanced up at the many windows in the building, each representing a classroom that was probably filled with students.

I took a calming breath out, relaxing. I wasn't nervous but quite excited about this new chapter in my life. Okay, maybe I was slightly nervous, but I would owe it all to the anticipation that was building up with every lingering second.

Suddenly, the whisper of students around us became quieter someone whispering 'they're here!" and we all turned at the sound of heels on concrete.

My eyes trailed up to a familiar face, her long dreadlocks swaying with her every step, dark cocoa eyes on equal coal skin, paired flawlessly with a Caribbean-styled dress and a comfortable pair of plain black heels,  a cat tailing behind her, then followed by a few other teachers that we had met and some new to our eyes.

She made her way to the front of the crowd passing just right by me in the pathway we had cleared out to give way, before standing in front of the fountain, teachers trailing after.

She clasped her hands at her front, looking into the crowd,

'The winds of time 'ave whisked ye to Kingsland, and it be me delight to finally make acquaintance with the final recruits of this year. If ye ain't acquainted with me yet, allow me to introduce meself one last time... "she trailed off eyes skimming the crowd.

Her accent was Jamaican or one of the islands off the Caribbean, as I had guessed before,

"Lucile Isis Almulese, allow me to present meself, Miss Almulese," she said with a hint of sharpness, a smirk playing on her lips as she sauntered forth, "This day marks the moment ye shall be sorted into yer designated groups," she began moving within us with such grace, and yet mystic I couldn't quite pinpoint, her flowery dress and the designs made me think of a woman at sea.

"Fer each hue, ye shall be split into twin groups," she stopped in front of David looking him straight in the eye and he shifted under it uncomfortably. She casually straightened his uniform jacket, patting his shoulder before moving past me, my eyes trailing after her and the cat that followed her everywhere, a salty yet flowery scent washing past me as she weaved through the students, " "When yer name be called, Dilectus, along with yer color, follow the secondary that beckons you forth," she stopped in the middle of the crowd standing on the pavement that divided us into two groups.

She then walked back to the front, nodding to a secondary teacher behind her who took a step forward with a list of names in his hands.

I breathed out nervously as he started calling out names. I noticed every one of these names was orange.  When he was done he asked all the names to follow him, and I looked up watching faces I recognized out of Origins Class, one of them being Naaka.

When the second list of names was called out I spotted Roland, the green-banded boy from my Origins class who looked like he was the gender equivalent of Anne of Greene Gables, following after the Secondary that called his name.

When that was done a list of blues was called out but none of them carried David's name. I glanced over at him and if anything he seemed anxious, eyes focused straight ahead at the person who was now calling a list of Gold's which were surprisingly few.

My heart skipped a beat at the sound of a secondary proceeding to call names this time under the red category, taking in a deep breath trying to calm myself.

"Clair Lin, Red,"  The Middle Eastern-looking Man I remembered named Mr. Amin called out finally.

Claire paused for a moment glancing over at me in disappointment shaking her head and I frowned too,  watching as she followed after him with a short wave of goodbye, and just like that, I felt my world shatter.

I was looking forward to this, yes, but in every scenario, in my head, I was going to stick it out with Claire. But she had been assigned to another Class.

I watched her leave, feeling hollow, a shake returning to my fingers staring straight ahead numbly.

I could feel David's eyes on me momentarily before he turned back to look at the front where his name was called not a second later.

After a few more minutes I looked around at the half-empty space, only a few other students standing there and only one teacher left- the only prime teacher that had been there, Miss Almulese,

"Dis' is much betta," she mused with a wide smile as she trailed over each one of our faces with a nod. I calculated we were at least 20 left standing.

"Unah, Fallah me gaa," she called out making her way toward the crown. I didn't hear any of what she had said in that thick Jamaican accent but I joined in the line that formed after her, taking a Deep breath out.

This week was going to be....interesting.

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Time for Talanda to Be a more independent
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