"Beat you."

I'm sure Vivvy would object, if not so out of breath. Her hands are pressed into her knees, breathing reminding me of a dying bird. I roll my eyes. How can she be so out of shape?

"See you after school."

She gives me a shaky wave, scooting over off somewhere. Probably her friends. I can picture their squeaky voices as they greet one another, talking about who knows what at speeds that shouldn't be possible. I, on the other hand, prefer to spend my time with far more reasonable fellows; Niko and Fraze. They should be around here, somewhere...

The class is pretty huge. One hundred or so droopy-eyed kids crammed into an open crevasse in the valley, across from the fields and playground. Dew drops catch the last few rays of the disappearing moonlight. Birds chirp, sleep even in their songs. Fish ripple the surface of the stream headed off towards the nearby waterfall. I breathe in the fresh air. Having class outside is great, I can't lie. But everyone turns into a jumbled mess when allowed to roam; It can be hard to find your friends.

"Hey, Micha-- wait, who did you fight this time?"

I spin to see Niko right behind me. His arms are on his hips, eyebrows curved. I shrug. He narrows his eyes, unspoken language demanding an answer.

"Elton," I note. "No big deal, really."

"Ah, yes, totally not a big deal- It's just that him and his gang of misfits, whose study is combative contest, where they're literally trained to kick ass, might be a little ticked off. Just a bit. No big deal, though, really. What time is your funeral going to be? Should I go tell Fraze?"

I thwack him in the head, swinging my arm around his shoulder. He's overthinking things now. Of course, he did do that a lot.

"We can handle those doorbells, can't we?"

"Keep dreaming," he mutters, shaking his head. "We'll, class should start pretty soon. Let's go find Fraze."

"He's probably still asleep."

We both chuckle, making our way towards the side of the stream. People begin to fall into patterns, unofficially ordered by their friend groups, interests and ages. Know-it-all's towards the front, music geeks in the middle, misfits in the back. I could go on, but the important thing to know is that we have the best spot. Right next to a quiet section of the stream. Here, we can stare at the fish and glistening pebbles, cool off easily, and we'll never get thirsty. Nothing not to love. Vivvy and her friends sit a couple of feet in front of us, also by the stream. We don't talk too much in school, but that's not to say she doesn't make any efforts.

"Hey, Fraze."

I turn, hearing Niko's greeting. I giggle as soon as I see my friend; Eyes puffy, glasses clouded, hair a mess. Oh, and his shirt's on backward. Niko and I exchange a look, trying to choke back some laughter. A couple of our other friends fall in behind them. We all say hi before turning towards our Instructor.

It's then that I see something terrible out of the corner of my eye. I blink, making sure I didn't miss anything. That can't be right. With my stomach in knots, I peek over my shoulder. Yup, this is happening. Elton glares at me, sitting only a few feet back with at least ten of his goons. My arms go tense, heart racing. He never, never sits here. A shiver runs down my spine. I feel Niko and Fraze look behind as well. Niko groans, Fraze putting the dots together rather quickly.

This may not end well.

A/N

Heyo! Thanks so much for checking out this chapter. Don't forget to vote and leave a comment (criticism is always welcome lol) ^-^

What do you guys think of the new characters introduced? Any predictions for what's going to happen next? Even with an extremely chaotic weekend, I have quite a few more chapters written and ready to go! 

Have a great day :)