Nightingale Academy

Walking back to my room from Amaranth's, I wondered how it was possible to have eight consecutive hours of sleep in just one night when my whole life I had never gotten over five hours of sleep within the same twenty-four hours. It could have been considered the best sleep I've ever had. Not because of the length of it, but because I had dreamt. It wasn't a full story like those that people usually say they have where random events happen.

Instead, I dreamt of faces. I didn't recognize them all and I was sure that some of them were faces I've never seen before. I saw a man in his fifties. His hair was black, but only just starting to grey. A woman with blonde locks of hair that framed her face in her early twenties. I saw Amaranth and Azure in random stages of their lives, my parents from the pictures I had viewed in their old albums, happy faces of small children, and a crying little boy. Haven, Hayden and a boy from my Study Hall class. Another elderly woman and middle-aged man with a blonde moustache. As far as I know, not all of these faces were connected to each other, but each was as appealing as the other.

I reached my room and opened the door, pleased to find it unlocked. I had forgotten my room key in Amaranth's room.

“So how was your night with my brother?”

My cheeks burst into flames and I looked down at my feet. I heard Azure chime-like laughter and felt articles of clothing being thrown at me. I peeled a shirt off my head and held it out in front of myself. I sighed when I realized that it was my outfit for today.

“You spent the whole night with my brother in his room and as punishment, you are wearing what I am giving you.” Azure twirled out of our closet with only a towel covering herself and grinned at me. “Or would you rather have me tell everyone else about your late night rendezvous?”

The blush that had died down only seconds ago crept back and I averted my eyes away from Azure's skimpily-clad body. She giggled and asked if I was uncomfortable seeing her in only a towel. I chewed on my bottom lip and she giggled again.

“Go take a shower and come back in here so I can dress you up.” She threw a towel at me and I sighed. There was no getting out of this one.

I tiptoed my way to the girl's bathroom and entered the first unoccupied shower. I let the hot water soak into my skin before deciding that I would have to face Azure sooner or later anyway. The rest of my shower was hurried and I bundled my dirty clothes into my arm before hopping out of the bathroom, my other hand clutching the towel close to me.

I heard a low whistle behind me and a cool stare shear itself into the naked skin of my back. I stopped dead in my tracks and slowly turned around. One of the boys from my Study Hall period and coincidently, the one in my dream, stood in the middle of the hallway, eying me. My cheeks burned up and my back went rigid.

“Man, Little Lilith sure looks good in only a towel on,” he nonchalantly said. He puckered his lips and blew out upwards into his eyes in an attempt to get his hair out of his eyes. The action woke me from my frozen state and I hoisted the towel closer.

“What are you doing in the girl's side of the corridor?” I asked.

Aaron giggled and stepped closer. “Don't worry, Lilith. I'm gay.” His eyes crinkled as he grinned and another giggle formed from his closed mouth. My mouth opened and closed several times, his confession not sinking in just yet. His grin dissolved and worry was replaced on his features. “Is that a problem? I'm used to people not accepting my sexuality so it's okay if you're not comfortable with me....”

I furiously shook my head and placed my palm against my forehead. “No, no! I'm totally fine with it. Just you took me by surprise with the typical hormonal guy comments and then it was a total one-eighty turn when you just said you were gay.”

Aaron giggled. “Oh, sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable and I should have told you I was gay from the start. Actually, I thought Azure would have already told you.”

I shook my head. “She hasn't told me much about the other students. I guess she'd rather have me get to know people by actually socializing instead.”

I felt Amaranth's cool gaze again, causing me to shiver. Aaron placed a hand on my shoulder and suggested I should get back to my room to properly dry off and warm myself. I agreed and left him with the assurance that I would see him in Study Hall before I made my way back to my room. I closed the door behind me and leaned against the cool wood. Looking down, I saw that most of my skin was flushed and heated from having my encounter with Aaron. Just to add to things, Amaranth had seen me in just a towel....Great.

Azure giggled from her seat on the bed and hopped off of it. “Amaranth saw you half naked!”

I wasn't sure exactly how she knew, but I dismissed it as twin telepathy and instead of curling into a little ball and dieing of embarrassment caused by both the Klynski siblings and my new homosexual friend, I grabbed the clothes Azure had thrown at me previously in the morning and trudged into the closet to change. I used the towel to dry my legs and hair before sliding on the black leggings and floral tunic Azure picked out for me. I slipped on a pair of black ballet flats and stood back to observe myself in the mirror. Azure could be a pain in the rear end when it comes to the way she always seems to know what's going on with me and others, but she can make wonders when it comes to dressing people.

My admiring was cut short when Azure bustled in with her make-up bag. She sat me down onto my bed after leading me out of the closet and dumped her cosmetics onto the floor. Assuring me she would keep a natural look, she began sliding on the eye-liner around my upper eyelid. I patiently waited for her to finish before stealing a glance in the mirror to view her finished work. I let out a sigh of relief upon discovering that she had kept it natural like she said she would. I thanked her and piled my books into my bag before following her out the room.

We met up with Haven and Amaranth at the bottom of the stairs. I tried my best to control my blush as I walked over to the main building with them. I kept my gaze on the bricked pathway and listened to Haven and Azure enthusiastically talking amongst themselves. Amaranth walked at my other side in silence. I felt him looking at me fixedly first before he placed a hand on the crown of my head. I looked up at him questionably, but he only smiled at me. I took in a deep breath as his hand ventured down my arm. I slid my hand into his and we walked into the cafeteria hand-in-hand.

The four of us got in line together. Haven asked the lunch lady for a hefty amount of Kool-Aid and muttered about wishing she had gym class more often, which confused me. When she talked about gym class yesterday, she had referred it in such a way that suggested she didn't take it, but I knew for a fact that Haven, Azure, and Amaranth had gym on the opposing 3-day cycle from mine. She had also spoke of the gym class grudgingly, but today she was muttering of wanting more of the classes.

My head started to spin and I rid my thoughts of Haven's contradicting words. I would figure it out later on my own time. I asked for a cup of apple sauce and followed Azure and Haven out of the kitchen. Azure had put a reassuring hand on Haven's shoulder and her lips were moving fast, but I couldn't make out anything she was whispering. Though she was speaking so quietly and slightly away from her ears, Haven nodded her head in comprehension. Inwardly, I wondered if this boarding school had yearly health examinations like the ones we had in Florida. I'll have to ask Tily to check my hearing.

At our usual lunch table, I sat across from the two girls and next to Wynona and Hayden. Haven edged herself off to the side and farther away from me. Before I could get hurt by her actions, I decided that she had her reasons and that I shouldn't be offended.

Wynona's chittering voice stood out against Haven and Azure's sweet alto and Hayden's steady tenor. This made me wonder how my voice sounded against theirs. Did it blend into theirs like a symphonic melody, or did it oppose their chiming and smooth notes like Wynona's? I think the latter is more believable.

Looking around the table, I realized that I don't exactly fit into this group of people. Sure, my clothes allow me to blend in slightly, but if it weren't for Azure, I wouldn't be dressed like this. Both sets of twins are gorgeous. Their skin is tanned, though starting to fade at a considerably alarming rate, and their eyes are inhumanly radiant and bright. Their physic is also close to perfection. I couldn't exactly see threw clothes, but after showers I would see either Azure or Haven in a towel and their bodies, much like their skin, is flawless.

Comparing myself with them caused me to frown. Wynona is dating Hayden; she has a reason to sit here with them. As for me, I don't. I've been placed under Azure's wing as her room-mate and though she's been nothing but enthusiastic and sweet, I'm starting to wonder if she in fact finds me a hindrance.

I was ripped out of my thoughts as Amaranth sat across from me. Like Azure had previously done, he moved his lips quickly and from what I could tell, only Wynona and I had not been able to hear him. Whatever Amaranth had asked, he seemed to have received a satisfactory response and turned back to his food. He picked his glass of Kool-Aid up and took a sip before starting on his omelet.

“You know that Kool-Aid dyes your insides,” I said somewhat randomly. This was probably the first time I spoke since leaving my room with Azure. The table stared at me silently before their faces cracked into smiles.

“Why, yes. We do,” Amaranth replies, an amused smile on his lips. “But it's quite tasty.”

I frowned as I looked the drink over from across the table. Perspiration surrounded the glass, suggesting that the liquid within was fairly cold. Behind the layer of perspiration and wall of glass, the drink looked unappetising and I unknowingly scrunched my nose. “It doesn't look that good.”

My comment set the twins into giggles and laughter. They must find something funny that neither Wynona or I do. We shared a glance and she shrugged her shoulders before digging into her breakfast. I followed her example and dug into my apple sauce. I slid each spoonful of apple sauce into my mouth deliberately so not to spill anything onto my shirt or the table. It would be embarrassing to do so. Amaranth's cool gaze caught my attention and I looked up.

He was back in the same trance he had been in last night when we sat across from each other in the library. His cheek was resting against his palm and his hungry stare glued itself onto my face. I glanced over to Azure, her face worried.

“Are you feeling okay, Amaranth?” she asked, bumping her shoulder into his side roughly. He snapped out of his state and glared at his sister. “Here, have a drink. You seem to be catching a cold or fever.” She pushed the glass of Kool-Aid under his nose and he frowned slightly before taking a sip.

“I'm fine,” he muttered and looked down at his empty plate.

I finished the last of my apple sauce just before the bell rang. Amaranth quickly drained the last of his Kool-Aid and set his glass down on the counter of dirty dishes and silverware to be cleaned. I threw my plastic container out and placed my spoon in with the rest of the silverware. Amaranth picked his books up off the table and turned to me with an extended arm, offering me his hand. “Ready for English?”

I blushed and nodded, biting my lip as I slid my hand into his. This was the part of our relationship that I didn't understand. He held my hand and would wrap his arm around my shoulders as we walked together. He sat next to me in all of our classes and spent his nights with me. He even shared a peaceful spot that he claimed to enjoy visiting with me, which after he brought me back to his room when I fell asleep. But we aren't dating. We're hardly friends. I've only known him for a few days; not even a full week. Surprisingly, I don't mind his physical closeness to me, or even his stalker-motives. I just want to know how he feels when he's with me and when my hand is in his. I want to know how he feels and thinks overall.

We entered our English class with three extra minutes to spare. We sat in the same seats we sat in yesterday and I turned to look at him. The open windows caused Amaranth to glow again and my breath caught in my mouth when all the facts I have stored about him, his sister, Hayden, Haven, and other student of Nightingale Academy became clear. These beautiful people who have skin that glows at the touch of the sun's light, whose eyes are more vibrant than anything I've yet seen, and bodies carved out of stone to resemble perfection, are not human.

But if they are not human, then what are they?