After about seven minutes of driving, the carriage came to a stop and the driver helped Evelyn out of the carriage.
She stood in front of a normal-looking school with hints of magic. The school was beige in color, with a large school clock hanging above the double school doors. Students lounged on the provided benches outside, chatting with their friends.
"Evelyn!"
Evelyn turned to her right and saw Elara waving and coming towards her.
"Hey," she walked up to Evelyn.
This was also Elara's first day here- Ellete and Atler had arranged for Evelyn to have a bodyguard-Elara-under the permission of the government. They had decided it was best to appoint the professional bodyguard/assassin teenager Elara Shadowfrost so that she could protect Evelyn in school as well.
Elara looked just as flustered as Evelyn.
Together, both girls walked towards the school.
"I have to admit, this is making me nervous. I'm used to studying in spy school." Elara admitted as they walked through the hallways.
"There's a spy school?" Evelyn asked.
Elara nodded. "It's super fun there. Hey, what school did you use to go to?"
There was a twinge of sadness in her voice when Evelyn said, "The School Of Magic."
"Woah. I heard it's really nice there. Was it?" Elara asked.
"It was the best school ever."
"Must be hard. Are you ever going back there?"
"I.....don't know."
Elara must have sensed the sadness in Evelyn's voice because she stopped asking.
"Are you going back to the spy school?" Evelyn asked her.
"Probably. When I'm not protecting someone or I'm not on a mission I usually remain at spy school. So when I'm done protecting you I'll probably go back."
They stopped talking when they reached the classroom they were assigned. The both looked at each other and Elara gave Evelyn a squeeze on the shoulder as she opened the door to face about 20 students.
The students were spread around the classroom, talking to one another and walking around. A few remained at their desks, frustratingly scribbling into notebooks and worksheets, trying to finish up some homework that were due today.
At the sight of the pretty much normal-looking classroom, Evelyn started to tear up a little as it reminded her of her old school back in the human world. She never thought she would miss that place and missed the days where her only worries were finishing up piles and piles of homework and tests.
Blinking back into reality, she followed Elara to the back of the class where two empty seats awaited for them. As they passed tables, students pointed and whispered to each other in hushed conversations at their two new classmates.
"Aren't those the new girls?"
"What's their names again?"
"Evelyn and Elara, I think."
As Evelyn and Elara settled down into their seats, the hushed conversations settled down too as the bell had just rang, signaling the start of classes.
A woman in a flower-embroidered dress walked in, carrying an old box in her hands. She set the box down onto the desk and sat herself down onto the ragged blue chair.
"Good morning, class. Can the new kids-" she squinted at a piece of square paper clutched in her hand. "Evelyn and Elara, come up here?"
Evelyn rose from her seat and together with Elara, walked to the front as the hushed whispers rose again, which had been silenced when the teacher had walked in.
"These are your books- I hope you don't mind, but they've been used before. Have a nice first day, girls." She passed on the books to them.
Evelyn and Elara exchanged looks- a 'nice day' was the least thing they expected.
"Okay, class, please flip to page one hundred and sixty seven in your history books. We're going to learn about trolls and their environmental impacts on mother nature."
The class groaned but did as they told, which reminded Evelyn of her old classes.
A pang of sadness washed over her- this was her new life now. New home, new classmates, new school. And she didn't know if she would ever see her old friends again....
Evelyn let out a sigh of relieve as the school bell finally rang- she had survived her first day of school. Students rushed out of the classes and hallways, eager to leave this prison of education filled with rules.
"Our first day of school didn't go so bad," Elara said, falling in step beside Evelyn as they exited the building.
Evelyn nodded. "So um are you going to follow me home?"
"Yup- that's part of the job."
Silence filled the air after Elara's comment and both girls struggled to find a topic to talk about or what to say.
"Is it fun being a spy?" Evelyn asked.
"I mean, sure- it's a bit dangerous but I love taking risks. Being a bodyguard and a spy means I can have fun, take risks and get paid at the same time."
"Are your parents spies too?"
Elara shook her head and looked down. "Um.... I don't know. I've never met them before- apparently, I was found crying on the spy academy's doorstep when I was still an infant. It's weird, though. The spy academy is hidden so I'm not sure if my parents are spies are not or if they were even the ones who put me there."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that- if it helps, I lost my family in a fire." it pained Evelyn to say that, but she was trying to comfort Elara now.
"I thought Ellete and Atler were your parents?"
Evelyn pursed her lips, thinking of a way to explain the complicated situation. "I mean, they are my biological parents but during the war when I was still an infant, they left me in the human world because they thought it was the only way to keep me safe and another family- my human family- adopted me and raised me until a few months ago, when they were lost in a fire."
"Oh. I'm sorry- it must be way harder for you. I didn't even know my parents so I don't miss them as much."
"It's okay," Evelyn put on her bravest face and held back tears she could already feel forming.
The two girls exchanged a bittersweet smile, one that could only be formed and achieved when the two sides felt a deep amount of pain over losing loved ones.
And though Evelyn's heart contained a hole where her family used to fill, she could feel it repairing a little as Elara filled it with a strong bond and friendship.
She smiled slightly- she was going to be brave.
No more crying.
Her family wouldn't want this- she knew it with her soul. Instead, she was going to step forward with the new people surrounding her. Of course, she wasn't forgetting them or letting them go- they would always have a place in her heart.
And from the expression Elara had on her face, she could tell Elara was having similar thoughts.
Evelyn offered her an arm and Elara looped her through it and together, the two girls - the two brave girls - walked into a better future.