10 And Life Goes on Whether I Want it to or Not (Adria)

I️ will die happy if I️ never have to smell fruit again. Well not normal fruit, the perfume. Our teacher for "beauty in the ballroom" was absolutely covered in it. I'm not even exaggerating. Bleh, I️ can still smell it even though it's been an whole hour.

Which..leads me to now and my newly made friend...who is currently a sobbing mess on the floor. Now, don't get me wrong, It's not my fault. Really! There's no law against excessive use of sarcasm to the point that it makes people feel worthless! You know what? Let me just explain what happened.

So as soon as I️ come out of my class I️ was assaulted by Alex and dragged to the fields where princes in training practice their swordsmanship. Then, he gives me a helmet, suit of armor, and tells me to change. Completely ignoring the fact that I've never held a sword before, set aside putting on armor.

Then, I️ put the helmet on backwards so we had to take 30 minutes spent fixing that since it, of course, got stuck. Who knew helmets are so narrow? And WHY do they make-ok never mind, back to the point.

After that, my apparent "friend" thrusts a sword (actual metal, not even a wooden practice one) and runs at me full force screaming "CHAAAAAAAAAARGE". Well, one thing led to another and eventually ended with this. But can you really blame me for what happened next? All I️ did was turn and run. He's the one who tripped over a rock, toppled over because of the weight of the armor, fell on his face in a shrub (one that happened to have thorns), and only managed to get himself out after 40 minutes of exhausted heaving. Although, I️ didn't do any work. I️ just made the sarcastic comments on the sidelines which...I️ suppose did add to the trauma.

I️ bend down. I'm not used to comforting people. Or people crying. Or emotional people in general for that matter. There was my brother, but...he didn't cry, if met with failure he'd just get back up again like a slug that won't get unstuck from a rock no matter how much you poke and prod. Don't ask how I️ know that. Sophie's potions involve a lot of wired ingredients and when she was too squeamish guess who had to do the job.

Anyway, I️ bend down and say "hey, at least you defeated the shrub" but this only makes him cry harder.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad."

"Yes it was!"

Okayyyy can't really argue with the there truth can you. But I have to do something, I can't just leave him like this. Although...it would sure help with proving I'm a villainous...I push the thought away, villains can at least have one or two henchmen.

I squat down to his level and face him. "Okay, listen up. You want to be a warrior right?"

"Y-"hiccup"yeah".

"Then here's what we're going to do." I stand up and point my finger up. "Do warriors give up after messing up once?"

Silence.

"Well, DO they?"

"No" he whispers.

"LOUDER"

"NO!"

"That's better. Now get up and lets go again. I said I'd help you and I mean it, now GET UP!"

And so our routine began. I'm not going to lie. I wanted to give up...a lot is an understatement. Each morning I'd be shuttled off to my first two or three classes. Then, I'd rush to my lunch period, wolf something down, then rush to the practice field. There, I'd bang about with Alex for a while, then during the last bit I'd corner the headmistress from good-I think her name was Dovey, and try to explain to her why I should be put in evil.

And I swear all logical reason says I should be in evil but she doesn't believe me so I've come up with several tactics. After a little researching and one of the spells Sophie taught me I came into class smelling like a mixture of rotten eggs, skunk, and...pumpkin spice I think? (I have no clue why that last part was in there). I tried to convince professor Dovey that it was my natural evilness coming out because it couldn't stand the constraints of good but she sent it away with a puff of her wand! All that hard work and putting up with that smell gone! With a sparkly poof!

In the end I decided that nothing I could do would work. But, don't get me wrong! I still intend to make it out of this perfume soaked, gushy sweet, stifling place. And the key to my salvation is at hand. Cedric. That brother of mine who can use sweet flowery words to woe the world if he so wished.

I know for a fact he wants to be in good as much as I want to be evil and I'm dead sure that he's pulling out all his assets in that toolbox of charming he's got. And I've just got to wait like a real villain letting the hero do all the work.

(Ok author's note: this story might just take a turn for the salty, comment if it's too much)

"Hey!" Oh, well if it isn't little miss b** face. AKA Linsey

I ignore her and breeze past her little group of friends. She's formed her own little clique already and lets just say...we don't get along all that well.

"Stop!" Linsey says.

I ignore her.

"Hey wait!" She grabs my arm. I turn my glare on her. B** what u doing?

(Author: ok, saltiness over, sorry about that)

She flinches a little but continues to hold on. Another person like a slug. I twist and wrench my arm out of her grip. At least all that banging about with Alex was good for something. I think I may almost have muscles, holding up that sword is hard work.

I quickly stride away but catch her words on my way out.

"I know you did something! There's no way someone like you can be in good! And there is no way your brother is evil! I know it's all your fault!"

Ok, WHAT now?

I'M being blamed for the swap now? You've got to be kidding me. I'm probably the one, apart from my brother, who is unhappiest with this situation.

In a bad mood, I storm back to the practice fields. Suddenly I'm in need of a punching bag.