Sprinkle of Magic

"Mae! Wake up, lazy bones!" The blonde in the bed simply groaned, pulling the thick duvet over her head. "None of that! You're the one who wanted to wake up early to get ready!" The girl grumbled again, but finally sat up, glaring daggers at the woman hovering over her bed.

"Fine! Damn, Ailbe, I'm up!" Maerin groaned again as she stepped onto the cold floor, shuffling into the bathroom for her morning shower. She had no idea whe she'd agreed to wake up at six in the morning, when school didn't start until eight. As soon as she was finished, she wrapped her bathrobe around her tightly, stumbling back into her bedroom after almost falling asleep in the shower, twice. Ailbe was still there, waiting for her, everything out and ready on Maerin's wardrobe. "Bee, I told ye, ye don't have ta. I'm perfectly capable of getting meself ready." The older woman just shrugged her shoulders, forcing Maerin into the chair.

"It's part of me job, and I'm always happy ta help." Mae couldn't help but smile at the woman in the mirror. Every time she came, Ailbe was like a second mother to her. Sure, she was the housekeeper, and her main job was to make sure Maerin's grandfather didn't get into too much trouble, but she always loved to look after the girl. "Now, pick our yer colors while I blow dry." Maerin gave a simple nod as she reached forwards, sorting out the colors of hair chalk in front of her while Ailbe started up the hair dryer, making quick work of the blonde mess. When she started to comb through it all, Ailbe decided to attempt conversation with the grumpy girl in front of her. "Are ya still working with yer Granda after school?" Maerin only nodded, still not fully awake, but trying to hardest. Ailbe chuckled a bit as she nodded. "Colors, please." Maerin handed back the colors she had picked out, as well as the applicator, and Ailbe got to work putting random streaks of color through the girl's hair. When she was finished, she took a second to admire her work. "That alright?"

"It's perfect." Maerin commented once she finished examining her hair in the mirror in front of her. "And really, I can do the rest meself. Why don't ya go start the tea? I'll be down shortly." Ailbe grinned at the girl, nodding all the while. She placed a kiss to the top of Maerin's head before she slipped out the door, leaving the girl to finish for her first day in hell. She'd already picked out her outfit, but she was already starting to rethink it, even as she slipped it on. The purple skinny jeans hugged her chunky legs a little too tight. The black, off the shoulder, Five Seconds of Summer shirt revealed the dragonfly tattoo on her shoulder, and she wasn't sure if it would throw people off or not. She grumbled to herself when she saw the time on the clock, it was too late to change her mind, now. She took a quick minute to apply thick black lines under her eyes before applying a light coat of silver eye shadow on her lids before she finally slid her glasses on. When she was sure that everything was fine, she picked up her bag, but stopped. She looked back to her desk and went back to it, applying a thin coat of light purple lipstick. She took just a moment to admire it, a smile pulling at the corners of her darkened lips.

"Twenty minutes!" Maerin jumped when Ailbe's voice drifted up the stairs, but gathered herself quickly. She grabbed her bag off of the floor, slinging it over her shoulder before she rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen. She dropped her bag on an empty chair before she plopped down. Her stomach was twisting itself into knots, nerves of a new school year kicking in. Her hands even shook as she picked up the small cup of tea Ailbe had made her, she sipped it, though, hoping it would calm her down. "Ye'll be fine, Mae." Ailbe's voice hit her ears again, and Maerin gave her a nervous smile. How did she know? It could go as it always did. She would get angry, and something would happen. Or someone would pick on her, and it would happen again, but worse. She was determined, though. This time had to be different. She just wanted to finish school so she could keep herself out of trouble, for good.

"I'm off!" Maerin shouted to Ailbe after setting her cup in the sink. The woman had gone off to check on her grandfather, and shouted back a quick 'bye'. A heavy sigh escaped the blonde's lips as she shrugged on her heavy leather jacket. Fall in Ireland was unforgiving. She then slung her bag over her shoulders, pulled on and zipped up her combat boots, grabbed her keys off of the hook, and ran out the door. She was glad that her grandfather had bought her a car. She did not want to be seen in the rust old van on her first day of school. She hopped into the small purple mustang, the custom paint job a gift from Ailbe, before she started it up and pulled out. Lucky for her, she still remembered where the school was.

The drive was quicker than she remembered, a short ten minutes, and Maerin found herself with plenty of time before her first class. It was good, though, since she still needed to get her schedule and find out where her classes were. She knew it was going to be much more different than the American school's she had grown accustomed to. She found a parking spot near the front of the school in no time and pulled in, quickly cutting the engine. Without wasting a single second, she grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and slung it over her shoulder before making quick steps into the building. It took her a few minutes, but she finally found the front office, and put on her best smile for the woman behind the desk. "Erm...Hullo. I'm Maerin Curruthers...?" She sounded a bit unsure of herself as she spoke. Each secretary was different, so she wasn't really sure how to approach them.

The brunette behind the desk looked up with an annoyingly cheery grin. "Oh yes! Hullo, dear!" She shuffled through a folder of paper before pulling out a packet, handing it over to Maerin. "There's your map, schedule, and code of conduct. Also..." She trailed off before she stood up, walking over to a door near the back of the room. She opened it up before turning to face Maerin again, seeming to size her up. She reached into the storage room and pulled out a parcel, before handing it over to Maerin. "This is your uniform. The code was initiated at the end of last year, and there was nothing about it in the flyer, so it's fine that you didn't know. There are two sets of everything in there, so just remember to keep everything washed. Now, since you didn't know, your hair is fine for today, just show all of your instructors this slip of paper when you get to class." She quickly scribbled down on a piece of paper before handing that over, as well. "Friday's are dress down, so you can wear whatever you'd like, and Saturday's as well, since they're only half days." The thought of having school on Saturday made Maerin internally groan, but she paid attention. "Now, you have enough time before class, scurry along and get changed. Your locker number and combination is on your schedule. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to come back and ask. Enjoy your first day!" Maerin nodded slowly, trying to process everything the woman had said as she rushed off with her armful.

It took Maerin only a few minutes to find a bathroom, and an even shorter time to change. Of course, she grimaced at herself in the mirror when she was finished. The white shirt was obnoxious, just a tad too small, but long. The skirt fell just below her knees, and showed a little too much leg for her liking. She would just have to remember to wear leggings every day. The shoes. The shoes she hated the most. She wondered if she could get away with wearing her combat boots, but she didn't want to risk it, so she was stuck with the mary-janes. The tie was a pain in her ass, and it took the longest to fix. Finally, it was in a crooked knot which she loosened up so it wasn't choking her. With another look at herself in the mirror, she stuffed her clothes into the bag with the packet, and pulled out her schedule. She made her way out of the bathroom, and almost made the decision to run back in and hide. The halls were nearly filled. She stood up tall, though, as she searched for her locker. When she finally found it, she tested the combination, and stuffed the conduct packet into it before she began the search for her first class. She was so busy staring down at the paper, she didn't see the person in front of her until she crashed into them.

"I'm so sorry!" She gasped out as she snapped her head up, and it only caused her to gasp again. "Talia." She spoke softly, a smile pulling at her lips. At least she knew one face, but it didn't seem as friendly as it had the few days before. The girl's eyes were cold as she stared down at Maerin.

"You're in my way." Was Talia's response. Hurt flashed through Maerin's eyes before she set her lips into a tight line, stepping out of the way. As Talia and her group of followers brushed past, Maerin couldn't help but glare at her back. So much for friends forever. She shook the thoughts out of her head before she set back to her task. Lucky for her, she found her first class a few minutes before the bell rang, and it was barely full. She showed the note to her teacher, who nodded in understanding before welcoming her to the school. Maerin nodded in return, making her way to the back of the room. She picked a spot in the back right corner, near the window, as she usually did when she was still in the States.

"Maerin Curruthers?" Her head shot up at her name, and she raised her hand slowly. She hadn't even noticed the room fill up, or her teacher start roll call. He gave her a nod and she dropped her hand back to her desk before she pulled out a notebook and pen. She sent herself back into her daze as she flipped open her notebook, jotting down ideas for stupid stories she wanted to try writing. "Alright. This term, we're going to be reading The Hunger Games." There was a chorus of happy cheers and clapping, but Maerin groaned. It didn't go unnoticed. "Is there a problem, Miss Curruthers?" Maerin nervous chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before she shook her head.

"N..No, I've just read them before. Multiple times." There were snickers from the others in her class, but a steady glare had all lips snapping shut.

"Then you won't be having a problem with the assignments, and you won't be wasting money on the books." Maerin nodded in response before she put her head down, going back to her notebook. The rest of the class was a bore, the same with her next few classes. Maths was incredibly easy, and American History was going to be a breeze. She was glad she didn't have a science, though. She'd had enough credits from the American schools to opt out.

Lunch was a bit of a problem, though not too much. There wasn't much on the menu she actually ate, so she stuck with a salad and bag of crisps before she found herself an empty table near the back. Once she was sat down, she pulled a pop can from her bag, cracking it open and gulping half of it down. Pepsi was going to be her downfall one day. She ate in silence, though she felt the stares even when she wasn't looking. After twenty minutes of eyes burning through her, she looked up, only to see Talia and her groupies pointing and laughing at her. Maerin only rolled her eyes, sending them a harsh glare before she finished up her lunch. She knew she was allowed to leave when she was done, so she did just that.

She made her way to her locker, but for some reason the stupid thing wouldn't open. "Here, lemma try." The heavy accent hit her ears, and her head snapped to the side. A tall boy, blonde with sparkling blue eyes, stood a few feet away from her. "You're Maerin, right? I'm Niall, first day here, too." Maerin's eyes narrowed a bit before she stood in front of her locker defensively.

"I don't need yer help." Her voice was monotone, but there was an edge to it as she kicked the bottom of her locker after trying the combination again. It popped right open. She grabbed the packet off of the top shelf, scanning through it. She finally found the section she was looking for, and sighed in relief. Without another word to the boy who was still standing next to her, she replaced the packet, slammed her locker shut, and stalked away to the office. The secretary actually seemed pleased to see her. "May I get a pass to the smokers area, please?" She asked in her sweetest voice. The secretary furrowed her brows a bit, flipping through some files, before she nodded with a smile. She wrote out a pass and handed it over to Maerin just as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. She nodded to the woman behind the desk before she found the room where she had her free period. She showed the pass to the supervisor, and he directed her on where to go. With another nod, Maerin was out the door again.

She grabbed her jacket out of her locker before she pushed her way out the doors, making her way to the area that was roped off. She stepped over the ropes and plopped down on one of the many benches. There were a few students already there, so she didn't hesitate to pull her pack out of her jacket pocket and light one up. As soon as she took her first drag, the stress seemed to roll off of her. The few other students seemed to ignore her, and she was perfectly fine with that. The one girl who had made a move to sit by Maerin actually turned around and walked away, looking afraid. Maerin didn't really care. She wasn't here to make friends. She was here to finish school and move on with her life. "Anyone sitting here?" The same voice from earlier drifted to her ears, and Maerin had to roll her eyes.

Without looking at the boy, she stomped her cigarette out and stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "Nope." She said simply before she stomped away. What was his deal? She'd tried to make it obvious that she wasn't interested, at all, in the slightest, but he kept finding her.

The rest of the day was the same. He'd find her at her locker, or in the hallway, and try to make conversation, but she brushed him off and ignored him. Until her final hour. She'd never been able to shut up while in choir, especially when the auditorium was more like a theater. She was still gushing over the size of it with random people she ran into, when the instructor took her place at the front. This was the part Maerin usually hated. She had a great range. She could sing with the high soprano's, or with the low alto's. She'd even been a tenor with the boys, once. The instructor took groups of five, lining them around the piano. Much to Maerin's liking, she was chosen for the first group. Naturally, the instructor was shocked at her range, as were the others around her. After being put with the alto's and given a seat, a blush was permanently on her cheeks from all of the attention. It was something she rarely got, or wanted. "That was brilliant." Maerin's head snapped to the side, seeing the blonde boy sitting next to her. She noticed he had his folder, with his seat number on it, and groaned when she realized she'd be stuck with him until their seats were changed, if they ever were.

"Thanks..." She mumbled the words, crossing her legs as she sat her folder on her lap. She tried to ignore the boy, but he kept pestering her. She knew she had to keep herself calm. She couldn't get annoyed or angry, or something horrible would happen. "Erm...Niall, was it?" She shocked both herself and the boy by speaking to him while the instructor droned on about proper breathing technique. She'd heard it all before, so she didn't feel the need to actually pay attention.

"Y..Yeah." He stuttered out, obviously shocked by Maerin speaking first. "And I meant it. You were amazing. You've got a hell of a range on you." The blush crept back onto Maerin's cheeks and she turned her head away, this time not saying anything. She was lucky, though, that the instructor chose that moment to start running through warm ups.

The rest of the class was a giant argument over what they were going to sing. Maerin was surprised, though. In all of the American schools she'd attended, they were just handed some old crappy sheet music. Here, the students actually got to pick what songs they wanted to sing, no matter the era. Of course, they had to be sensible. When the class was over, Maerin stuffed her folder into her bag and rushed out, not even taking a second look at Niall. He annoyed her. The way he just kept trying to talk to her was obnoxious.

Since she had all of her stuff in her bag, she made a mad dash to her car, starting up the engine and pulling out without even looking back. It had already been a long day, and she just wanted to get out of the stupid uniform and get her work done for the day so she could go shopping for leggings to go under the god forsaken skirt she had to wear.