Saggi!!! I love that picture so much, tbh...
♓♌♒♊♑♋♐♉♈♏♎♍
Taurus was still in shock about the whole 'ending the world' thing, which was actually quite reasonable. After her parents told her about their little story, Taurus went up to her room and just thought for a while. At first, Taurus thought that maybe it was a prank. Capricorn & Virgo were the two smartest kids in the school, so they could've easily made that website using code or whatever. They could've easily spoken to Taurus' mom while Taurus wasn't around in the library, and boom - prank set up and ready. Taurus becoming an animal? Zodiac Academy being secretly evil? Taurus being the reason for the end of the world?! It was improbable and so obviously a set-up. The more she thought about it, the more crazy the idea seemed.
But something just seemed... wrong about the whole situation. Maybe it was everyone's sincerity, maybe it was how that actually gave Coach Robertson a reason, maybe because Taurus wanted so bad to believe it. Maybe an answer would be the key to all her problems. Maybe she was just so confused. Maybe she just wanted a break.
So on Monday, when Taurus met the others in the courtyard before school, when the Nerd Squad looked at Taurus knowingly, she wasn't sure what to say. Should she go up to them and start saying, "So her guys, wassup?! Ready to save the world?" Or maybe she could just admit that she knew the truth, saying, "Look, I know you made that website, and it's all a prank. Busted!" No matter what she did, she knew the end result would be really crazy. As she stood there, pondering about what to do, Capricorn and Virgo spotted Taurus, waving at her casually. Taurus smiled weakly, waving really small.
"Hey Taurus," Virgo said, waving shyly. "I'm undercover, acting all shy. Don't tell anyone, shhhhh!" He put his pointer finger to his mouth softly. Capricorn giggled.
"Yeah, hey Taurus. Look, I need to talk to you about the library thing-"
"I know," Taurus interjected. "It was a prank. You got my mom to make up some story that goes with what you said, and roped our school into it. I found out, so.... busted!" She pointed at the two and made the sound of an explosion. "Pshhhh.... BOOM."
Capricorn just frowned. "What do you mean... that stuff is all true. Why else are there twelve kids in our class? And where did the website come from? How about Coach, huh?"
"You can drop the act, Capricorn. You obviously made that website through that ChaiScript or whatever it is you use to make websites. You two are smart enough! And maybe Coach just has an immense love for treadmills and anger issues!"
"Actually, it's JavaScript, and you don't use it for that. Just saying!" Virgo perked up.
Capricorn looked a slight ticked off. Her hands were on her hips, and she was scowling. "Vir & I don't like to prank people, and I am a sucky actress. If you don't wanna believe it, then don't. Stay in denial for as long as you want. But we were not lying. Zodiac Academy is trying to harness the power of 'us' to end the world."
Taurus snorted. "Look, you can try to convince me as much as you want, but where's the proof?! There isn't any. Which is why I can't believe you. I just want some proof!" She shrugged and walked off towards Aquarius, not waiting for a response.
"Hey Tau!" Aquarius exclaimed. "What's going on? You said you wanted to talk to me?"
Taurus shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't even know, Aqua. This whole school is driving me nuts."
Aqua tilted her head. "What do you mean?" With that, Taurus began to tell Aquarius the whole story, about the library & her parents. When she was finished, Aquarius had her signature expression on her face - mouth slightly ajar, eyes glazed over, staring into space. "Whoa," she muttered. "That's crazy!"
Taurus nodded. "How could it be true, huh? It's just too crazy!" Before Aquarius could respond, the bell rang, everyone on the courtyard heading into the school.
Aquarius looked at Taurus one last time before turning toward the school. "Maybe crazy isn't bad." She turned and walked off, disappearing into the crowds of kids.
♈️♋️♎️♑️♉️♌️♏️♒️♊️♍️♐️♓️
"Class, we have a surprise for you today! I'm sure many of you will enjoy this surprise, especially our more social ones!" Mr. Collins smirked at the four kids sitting together near the front of the class. Taurus mentally named them - Libra, Sagittarius, Aries, & Leo. The four (who weren't paying any attention before) suddenly perked up at the sound of "social" and began to listen in.
"I don't think any of your teachers have told you yet though. Heck, we only found out ourselves this morning!" He pushed his glasses up his nose. "Anyways, I'll just come out with it - we're getting a new student in GT!"
For a moment, nobody spoke. And then it hit everyone, and there began the chaos. The social group cheered, as did Pisces & Gemini. The color drained from Aquarius' face, her muttering, "Oh no..." softly under her breath. Capricorn looked confused & Virgo's eyes were wide in shock, but Cancer had a whole different expression on his face - fear. He was looking right at Taurus, a bead of sweat running down his face. His eyes trained on Taurus, he slunk over to Cap & Virgo and quickly mumbled something in their ear. The two suddenly swiveled their heads around to look at Taurus.
Taurus did not look or feel happy. She could feel figurative smoke pouring out of her ears; she was that angry. She probably looked somewhat like a bull, but she didn't care. If that radiated her feelings, then it was A-Okay. As the two turned around to stare at Taurus, she couldn't help but feel rather hurt. For at least a day, she believed them. They manipulated her mother into telling her such a story. Into lying to her own daughter. Into betraying Taurus' own trust. If this was a prank, Taurus didn't like it. At least she didn't fully buy it. At that moment, Taurus wasn't sure she felt. If she was overreacting, then that was too bad. This was crazy.
The new girl came towards the end of class. She was a petite redhead, with feisty eyes and a playful smirk on her lips. She didn't look new, in fact she looked very comfortable, as if she was right at home. "This is McKenna, everyone. McKenna just got into GT, but she's been living in this area for her whole life." That explained her calm attitude - this really was her home. "McKenna, do you want to say something?"
"Yeah, sure, Mr. Collins! So hi guys! This is, uh, a small class, isn't it?" Everyone chuckled softly. "I believe that all of y'all have your own individual, unique personalities, ones that nobody else in this class has. We're like snowflakes - none of us are like the other. We're completely original. Because of that, I want all of y'all to shine - be yourselves in ways you wouldn't have ever expected. Be amazing, be great, and live up to your potential. Because you never know when your personality could save the world or something!" McKenna winked at Taurus knowingly. Taurus gasped - what was that?! "And that's it! Thanks Mr. Collins!" Everyone clapped, even Taurus, though she was in total shock. McKenna went and sat in a lone chair in the front of the class.
The bell rang immediately, and everyone clambered out of the classroom. Taurus ran after Virgo & Capricorn with Aqua trailing behind her, screaming Taurus' name, telling her to calm down. But Taurus had her mind set. She cornered them in the courtyard and confronted them. Aquarius stopped herself a couple inches behind her friend, and somehow Cancer was also there, right next to Aquarius. They shared a look, then turned listen in.
"What the heck, guys?! I told you it wasn't true, that I figured you out, but no- you lied to me. You insisted that it was true, that Zodiac Academy is actually a bad school, that I was a key to ending the world. Why?? What satisfaction do you take in that?"
"But it is true!" Virgo exclaimed. "We really are essential to that!"
"Seriously?! You still insist?! Do you never learn?! This new girl shows that our names all being in one place is nothing but a coincidence. What do you say to that?!"
"I don't know! There's probably some reasonable explana-"
"Stop Vir. I'll take it from here." Capricorn looked Taurus dead in the eye, stepping forward. "You think these are just coincidences? You think these things happen in coincidences?! If you do, then you're in denial. You don't want to admit that all this is true. That you are different, and you're going to become the bad guy. That its not all oka-"
"STOP IT, STOP IT!" Taurus closed her ears tightly, her eyes squeezed tightly. "So maybe I am scared. Maybe I don't want to live with that guilt. Maybe I actually care about my mom, and don't like others manipulating her. Maybe I actually am not okay with that- unlike you." A stray tear rolled down her cheek. Capricorn's mouth was agape, shock and hurt registering on her face. Taurus stalked off, Aqua chasing after her.
Cancer shrugged. "Sorry Cap, but Taurus is right. You lied to me too- both of you did. And I- I'm sorry." He rushed off too, leaving Capricorn & Virgo standing all alone on the courtyard, the sound of the bell ringing surrounding them.
"But it is true...."
♈️♋️♎️♑️♉️♌️♏️♒️♊️♍️♐️♓️
HELLO!!!!
It's meeeeeee! Hi everyone! How are ya? It's been SOLONG, and OMG, I missed you! I hope you didn't miss me too much - just kidding! :)
Anyways, that was my update of Zodiac Academy, and I know - you hate me more than before. I explained everything, then denied it all ever happening. If you have questions (which you probably do!), they will probably be answered next chapter! But if you just can't wait, post them in the comments! I'll reply ASAP, cause that's just what I do! ;)
OMG, I LYSM!!!! 3.1k reads?! That is INSANE. My goal was 1k by Christmas, but y'all have completely exceeded those expectations - so THANK YOU SO MUCH! :)
Next chapter will be the "clarity for good" chapter - and that's where the action starts. Get ready for crazy twists and turns, and what I hope to be a memorable ending! Cause this is going DOWN! :)
'Till next time, signing off,
Shravya :)