"Alek, hurry up, we're going to be late!" shouted Amber from the foyer.

I rushed down the steps from the bathroom, throwing on my underclothes as I ran. We weren't really going to be late, just on time. Amber was a little dramatic sometimes.

"Alek!" she yelled, piercing my ears. If it weren't for the extraordinary insulation, she would've woken up half the city.

"Coming, coming!" I replied. I jumped into the foyer with her and started throwing on my thick outerwear. She helped, violently shoving on my snow pants and boots. In a few moments, we were ready to go, throwing on our goggles and rushing out the door. The sky was still dark, but the city was beginning to wake. We hurried down the road we always took, jogging past groggy people in similarly giant clothes.

It wasn't long before we reached our high school, North West Arcadia High. There were three public high schools in the city, and one private school. Not many people lived outside of cities in Jorde, as it was extremely difficult to live on your own. And with Arcadia being the capitol city of Jorde, well, it's safe to say we were filled with people.

The high school was pretty big. It wasn't the best high school in the city, not by a long shot, but it was sufficient for our needs. Amber would go on to be an athlete or a soldier, and I would become a scholar. It was more of a requirement to attend lower schools than a necessity.

By the time we arrived, only a few students had actually made it to the school. We stepped into the large foyer and put our heavy coats and outerwear into our assigned lockers. It was really cold for a few seconds, but we quickly stepped inside the building. The school had been remodeled a few years before Amber and I started attending, so it was huge for the number of students it had.

The ceilings were high in the commons, which was a rarity in common households or offices. The commons was where we usually hung out before school, and where I usually ate breakfast. Today was no different. It can't be helped that I'm a late sleeper, it's one of my favorite parts of the day. Unfortunately, my love of sleep caused me to miss breakfast on most days, so my father has become accustomed to packing me a breakfast to bring with us to school along with our lunches.

Amber handed me the paper bag without word and sat back in her own chair. They weren't very comfortable, just budget wooden chairs with small cushions. However, I could tell her discomfort didn't come from the seat.

"Hey, what's bothering you?" I asked quietly.

She leaned her hear back to look at the ceiling. "I'm worried about you," she mumbled.

"Me?" I asked, surprised. "Why?"

"Because, if I'm gone, who will protect you?"

I scoffed. "Amber, I can protect myself. I'm more than capable." I stuffed the cold potatoes into my mouth and looked away. "Worry about yourself, one slip up could mean you're caught."

Her deep eyes looked back at me. They were usually completely back, but in the right light, like now, you could see faint flecks of brown in them. "Alek, I know, that's why I'm worried about you."

"Amber," I stopped her. "You need to worry about yourself. I'll manage somehow, you know that."

"You'll manage, but how well? You and I both know that you don't have any other friends."

I looked away.

"You're smart, you're funny, you're handsome, just come sit with me at lunch, one time. I'm sure everyone will love you," she pleaded.

I met her stare. Her silky silver hair was tucked behind her ears, showing off her soft features and serious nature. 

"No, you're the only one. Every single person I've tried to be friends with ended up hating me, you know this."

"Alek, stop being so melodramatic," she whispered harshly. "Your dependency on me was fine when I wasn't in immediate danger of being burned alive, but now you have to seriously rethink things. Sit with me at lunch, please." She got up and walked away, leaving me with my cold breakfast potatoes.

I sat, crossing my arms, not meeting her gaze, satisfied with the hurt look on her face. At least, until her other friends walked in. Immediately her face brightened. She was animated, moving with energy and vigor that no person should have this early in the morning. I looked away sullenly.

Amber didn't used to be my only friend. I had tried plenty of times before, but no one really stuck with me. It wasn't like they outright told me they hated me, they just... faded away. Stopped phoning, stopped talking to me. It hurt a whole lot more.

The bell couldn't ring soon enough, and I rushed off to my first class. School was a drag for me. Not because I was especially intelligent, no. The reason I was bored in school was because I already knew everything. That does sound arrogant, but it was true. I liked to research things on my own time, and it just happened that I learned faster than other people.

I don't like it when people take schooling grades as a measure of intelligence. I had amazing grades, but I was uncontrollably idiotic most of the time. My sister on the other hand, had terrible grades, but was one of the smartest people I knew. She always knew what to say, what to do, and was incredibly gifted at athletics.

My first class was mathematics. It was a complete drag. It was mostly review of review, since we were coming back from a week long break. I slept a little, I'm not going to lie. The teachers usually tolerate my behavior because it doesn't affect my schoolwork, which is ridiculous but I'm not complaining.

Next I had music, which was the most idiotic required class I've ever had to sit through. We all learned to play instruments, and they were terribly easy to master. It was purely memorization and time keeping, which I excelled at. However, this time, when I walked into class, our usual teacher wasn't there. Instead there was a priest dressed in long white robes with trims of gold.

I accidentally froze in my steps at the sight of him. Amber had told me about this, I knew what was going to happen. The class muttered and settled down, some girls in the front row complaining loudly about their favorite class being interrupted.

"Hello, I'm sorry to disrupt your schedule, but I have a very important lesson to teach," he spoke in a soft but low voice. It was gentle, yet terrifying to me. He started to hand out pamphlets, written on thin pieces of paper.

"Due to recent disturbances, we would like to educate the community about a strange occurrence." He moved to the center of the room and stood at the podium the director usually took.

"Witches are unnatural beings that have recently plagued our society. Many of you know them as the grotesque demons that threatened Saint Jeremy in his innovative trials, but they are much harder to detect in this modern time."

I looked down at the pamphlet on my music stand. It had illustrations of visual cues and examples of "impossible power."

"For those of you wondering," he continued, "as of now—if we remain vigilant—these witches cannot harm us. However, they are not like the deformed women in the stories. Modern witches are much more difficult to detect. That is what I'm here to teach you today."

"In your pamphlet, you'll find several ways to recognize a witch. A common misconception is that a witch will look unhuman. That is completely false. Witches look just like you or me. Another falsehood is that witches are purely female. Anyone can be a witch: your boyfriend, girlfriend, aunt, uncle, even your parents and friends."

The class started muttering about themselves. The seeds of doubt had been sown, everyone was under suspicion now.

He stepped off the podium and started to pace around the room, giving me a closer look at his robes. From what I knew, he was a very high level in the church. He had been so for a long time, as evident by his long brown hair. Clergymen were not allowed to cut their hair once they passed a certain rank.

"Witch powers can also develop at any age, although they are most common at birth. Even the elderly can suddenly be stricken with the witch's curse."

A student in the middle of the room raised their hand. The clergyman simply nodded in their direction. "Um... what exactly do witch powers look like?" asked the girl.

The priest smiled. "Truly, it is hard to say for certain. It is easiest to recognize a witch when they use powers that would not normally be possible. If you see someone with extraordinary talent, or using otherwise impossible abilities, it is wise to report it to the church directly."

A few more questions were asked, but I wasn't paying attention. All I could think about was Amber. She was right, I was completely dependent on her, she was my only friend, only confidant. Maybe I should sit with her friends at lunch. It was next, after all. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as the man dribbled on about different witches he'd apprehended.

A feeling of anxiety grew in my chest. I didn't feel this way often, but when I was alone, when I was scared, sometimes I panicked. My heart started to race, and my palms started to sweat and shake. I quickly shoved them into my pockets. My face when cold, and I swore I could feel my lip quivering. Time seemed to extend on forever. I tapped my foot impatiently as the feeling grew worse and worse. I prayed silently that no one would look at me, although I doubted our Lord would hear a witch-abider's plea.

With a sudden start I got up as soon as the bell rang and rushed out of the classroom. Amber had math last period, with a teacher in the south wing. I quickly walked there, hoping to catch her before lunch.

I hopped outside the door and waited for her to come out, sweaty and scared. She was laughing with another student I didn't recognize until she saw me, and her face fell. She hurriedly said goodbye and grabbed my hand, leading us to a storage closet nearby.

She pulled me in and hugged me closely. I couldn't hold back my sobs anymore, and my chest heaved and contracted. I was shaking, and she calmly rubbed my back, whispering softly in my ear until I was somewhat sentient.

When I pulled back, still crying a little, she put her hand on my shoulder. 

"Alek, what happened?" she asked quietly.

I took a deep, shaky breath. "The priest came into my class. Music," I answered, only somewhat coherent.

She took a sharp inhale. "Oh Alek, I'll... I'll be alright. They won't get me, I promise," she spoke.

I took deep breaths, trying to slow my heart down. "Ok, sorry, I'm fine... I know I haven't freaked out in a while, it's just..." I broke out into tears again. "I don't want to be alone," I sobbed.

She hugged me. "Shh... Alek, you're going to be okay, I'm not going anywhere."

We sat like that for a while until I finally calmed down. I wiped my eyes and hoped that no one would notice the red around them. Both Amber and I were frighteningly pale, and unfortunately that caused red in my skin to appear much more easily. I wiped my face with my sweater and opened the door. The hallways were empty, I guessed that lunch was already halfway over.

"Do you want to eat lunch with me and my friends? I promise, it'll be okay. You don't even have to say anything, I can talk for you," she said as we walked.

I thought for a minute then shook my head. "No, I'm fine. I'll be okay." Truthfully, I didn't want anyone else than Amber. Being friends with someone else, it was like I was accepting she would be gone someday.

She nodded quietly and smiled at me before we reached the commons. I sat down in the opposite side of the commons as her, taking out my lunch and digging in. I looked over at her table, where I could already hear voracious laughter echoing across the room.

She had a lot of friends, all of them as close as the others. I didn't know them well, only their names. The one sitting to her left was Kali, she had pastel pink hair that nearly reached to her lower back, even in the tight braids it was in. She was giggly, and came over to our house often. I never talked to her.

To Amber's right was a girl I didn't know too well, I think her name was Drew, but I wasn't sure. She had think black hair and tan skin. She was also very close to Amber.

Around the table were other people too, a small frail boy I couldn't remember the name of, a tall pretty girl with big blue eyes, and a dark boy who I think was called Jack.

They were exciting to watch, even when I couldn't understand what they were saying. They were all so animated and excited, like they were about to go on some huge adventure. I could never fit in. Even the small boy with white hair was smiling.

Before I knew it, lunch was over and it was off to my other classes. History was a drag. It was one of my favorite subjects, but that meant I never learned anything new in school. I usually chose that time to work on other homework, like math or writing. I hated writing, which was my next class. I was okay at it, but finding original opinions on subjects was difficult for me. I usually enlisted Amber's help, she was creative about those sorts of things. She liked to start arguments regardless of whether she agreed with someone or not. So I toiled in history, and snoozed in writing. Maybe that was another reason I didn't do so well. I never participated in discussion. It was boring anyways, all of us discussing subjects that would never affect us and were out of our control.

After a while it was time to go home again and I met up with Amber in the foyer. We hurriedly put on our outerwear again, the cold air blowing through the room as students left. We hurried home, unable to avoid the after-school crowds. Luckily with all the people mulling about, it was a little warmer, but it was easy to get lost. Amber led the way home, pushing through the throngs of vendors and students. It wasn't long before we were in the foyer at home.

As we were taking off our things, she pulled off her mask and goggles first. "Do you want to talk about what happened today?" she asked.

I pulled off my coat and hat, shaking my head. "I'm fine, it was just a little freak out. You know how that happens sometimes, I'm fine now, I swear."

She looked disappointed, but took the rest of her outerwear off anyways. "Well, you know I'm here to talk to. And Alek?"

"Yeah?"

"You know I'll never leave you by choice. They'll have to fight to take me away from you," she assured me, placing her hand on my shoulder.

I gave her a weak smile. "Thanks," I replied.

We both went inside to an empty house. It wasn't a surprise, our parents both had busy jobs. Elementary school got out much later than our school, and our father's job at the telephone router often kept him late.

I went upstairs quietly intending to do some simple engineering work, or finish a writing assignment early. I settled down at my desk with a pencil in hand, but nothing came to mind but the church and the priest that came in today. I sighed and sat back in my chair. I didn't want to think about Amber being gone. She was my light, my only friend. Some siblings aren't as close as we, but it's only fitting with my anti-social awkward nature.

I wish that I could be different, I really did, but I just couldn't care enough about other people to really be committed to a friendship with them. I suppose I wasn't ready, or maybe I wasn't trying hard enough. I sighed again and sat on my bed, staring at the same old ceiling. Maybe tomorrow.