The Path of an Elite

"So his name is Roman Kiseliv, huh? And I know that gruff voice anywhere; Zircon Bell." Ever’s voice zapped Arlet out of her thinking.

"I guess so...that was odd though. How did he know my name?" Arlet frowned down at herself thinking about all the possibilities of how he knew it.

"He probably heard me yelling at you a billion times trying to get your attention at the festival." Ever laughed under her breath.

"Yeah that's probably it..." She felt slightly disappointed for some reason. "We should head back...wait do you think that we should get Bren?"

"Nah I saw her canoodling with that upperclassmen that asked her to dance." She wriggled her eyebrows making Arlet laugh loudly. "Your laugh is seriously the cutest thing."

"Stop it...no it's not." Arlet hit her playfully before walking back to the dorms.

That night was a bit strange for Arlet because she never thought about boys especially none like that. He was so serious one minute and then charming the next. He was a bit confusing to Arlet who had never really had a boyfriend or any boy that she had gotten close to; besides her brothers.

"Stop scrunching your nose up like that! Unless you want it to get stuck." Ever was combing through her hair trying to get out what tangles she could. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing..." Arlet lied, plopping down on her bed.

"Well then I guess we won't talk about the fact that Mr. Kiseliv didn't take his jacket back...and you are still wearing it." Ever place her hands on her hips.

Arlet hadn't noticed that she didn't take the jacket off just yet; she was too busy actually thinking about the guy instead of his jacket. She swiftly shrugged the jacket off, draping it over her bed post.
"I was too busy thinking." Arlet rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah well he is going to want that back sooner or later, so you will be talking to him again at some point." She smirked and climbed into Arlet's bed. "He is cute, isn't he?"

"I think we should be focused on school...I have Zircon Bell for Algebra, that's stressful enough." Arlet sighed.

"Speaking of Bell...I wonder why he was so angry at Roman. He was practically yelling at the top of his lungs for him."

"Who knows, but I'm going to bed and so should you." Arlet says.

"Yeah yeah...you should probably change first." Ever laughed before climbing up to her bed.

For the longest time Arlet sat there staring at the jacket but was cut off when the door slammed with Bren barging in like a bull in a china shop. You would have expected her to be angry with all the stomping around but when Bren turned around to face Arlet she was smiling from ear to ear.
"What a night, eh?" She says spinning onto her bed and without even changing into her pajamas she curled into a ball on her bed.

Arlet had better plans and finally decided to change into her pajamas. Thoughts still ran through her mind about the day but for some reason she couldn't stop thinking about those pale blue eyes. That's what clouded her mind the whole night, though only in her dreams, but it seemed so real.
Arlet woke with a start in the middle of the night and glanced around to see what had awoken her. She saw nothing wrong around her and there were no loud noises echoing in the dorms. She scratched her head and flopped back down fast asleep again. When morning rolled around she woke up to Ever opening the curtains.

“I thought we agreed to keep those closed.” Arlet complained in a moan.

“Yeah for Monday’s but today is Tuesday.” Ever pulled Arlet’s blankets off and pushed her out of bed. “If you don’t hurry we won’t see Roman at breakfast.”

Arlet was up and ready to leave with in two minutes. Bren rolled over in her bed, still fast asleep, when her arm bumped someone. She pried open a sleep crusted eye to a baby faced girl sleeping soundly next to her. Bren reeled back with a scream tossing blankets and legs everywhere. The unknown girl’s eyes popped wide open as she was kicked from the bed. Arlet and Ever poked their heads back into the room and saw the aftermath. On one side of the room a finely made bunk bed, with a single dresser fitting for two students and a large desk seating two stood, and on the other side was the same but the bottom bunk had no blankets the sheets had been pulled off of one corner and wrapped around someone’s foot. Everleigh picked up the blanket that was kicked into the middle of the room. She was astonished to find a small brunette girl with large round eyes colored like a delicate purple daisy under it. Her curled bouncy hair felt like a fairytale dream in this ruff and gruff knights academy.

“Whoa who invited Sleeping Beauty?”

“Ahh sorry, sorry.” The girl murmured to Ever, “I arrived late last night and was told this is my room. I didn’t want to wake anyone so I grabbed a bottom bunk.”

Arlet glanced to the door and saw her bags were still unpacked. “Well if you’re our last roommate then welcome.” She smiled inviting Ever to do the same. Bren wasn’t quite as accepting though.
“So you couldn’t have figured out on your own that someone else was in the bed?” She asked, arms crossed about her chest.

“Oh lighten up Bren she got here late at night anyone would be dog tired.” Ever smiled at the new girl. “What’s your name?”

“Anora Klemeth.”

“Everleigh Clementine.”

“Arlet Corzalinn.”

“Bren Burnswick.”

With all their introductions out of the way the girls rushed off to breakfast and helped Anora with her schedule showing and telling her where to go. Anora had training class with Ever and Arlet, and mathematics with Ever in the morning as well. She also had Science class with Bren after that. When the bell rang for the second day the girls had their schedules down, they all rushed off to their classes awaiting the short periods to continue with the festival again that night. Zircon Bell gave Arlet an extra stern glare this morning conveying that he wanted no sassy behavior today. After class was over Arlet didn’t see Roman again before Ever dragged her off. As they went down the stairs Roman shot up past them not seeing any faces, he was dead set on his destination.

Arlet was hurt about being ignored but was understanding of his rush. She’d do the same if her next teacher was Zircon Bell.

After their classes the girls dressed up once again and wondered the vendors that littered the main road. Ever was stolen away by a hunky upperclassman for another seductive dance. And Bren excused herself an hour after they all started. Arlet scanned the crowd for the messy wave of blonde hair. Her eyes searched and wondered for the blue wash of his breath mint eyes. By the time they headed back she hadn’t found them and so again they pestered her in her dreams.

The rest of the week flew by without incident and tomorrow classes were to start their regular schedule and the Zircon’s were to crack down on their curriculum. Arlet felt confident in some subjects but overall was dreading, and also giddy, for her training class. They had received their uniforms for class; a pair of skin tight leggings, black with a line of bright yellow running down the inner and outer thighs to the ankles, and a baggy shirt that allowed flexibility in the arms and torso.
Training class proved to be the most difficult when their first month was focused on a game drill were the class was split into two teams and they fought over a ball. The catch of the game was that they could only use their legs to kick it across a large field. The boys of the class got creative and used their heads to butt it to each other and their chests to bump it, the girls proved more cautious.
Arlet ended up with a broken nose the first day after she toppled forward in her pursuit of the rolling ball. After she was permitted back onto the field she fell backwards during a kick and clocked her head on the ground. Zircon Rueda pulled her aside and had he dribble the ball between a set of poles.

“You are the most ungraceful person I have ever seen my little flamingo.” Ever said, wiping sweat from her face using her shirt. Her toned stomach showed but it didn’t seem to register. Anora smiled shyly but seemed to agree.

“Does anyone know how to get blood out of this?” Arlet asked, showing her bloody shirt.

“Soak it first before you wash it, I’m pretty sure that works.” Ever replied.

For dinner they ate lightly on rosemary bread covered in honey, and smoked boar caught by the third years on their first hunting trip. The first years wondered back to their dorms sore and groaning from this new form of living. Some looked forward to the dull ache they had; others contemplated leaving and dropping out to join a different profession, but in all every student looked forward to the next day.