Lila Girl

KELILA'S POV

I was sitting on the front row of the bleachers with Raine. We were just sitting and looking as other students mingled in the Arena. We did not feel like joining in the conversations or meeting new people. In front of us, just some feet away, Jayden and Tyler stood conversing with other guys.

"How many people do you know here, Kelila?" Raine suddenly asked.

I slack into my seat and begin to count on my fingers. One, Dayne, we had come to Dalphia together. Two, Jayden, of course the one who wouldn't just pronounce my name rightly. Three, Tyler. Four, Maddie and Star, my suite mates. Five and six, Raine and Ricky from dinner last night. "I know six." I say, my eyes looking ahead, looking at nothing in particular.

"That's pathetic." Raine shakes her head.

That was amusing. Raine was obviously in the same shoes with me. I don't see her mingling, she's right here beside me. "Is your case better?" I ask her.

"Oh, please." Raine rolled her eyes dramatically. "You know I am the outgoing funny type. I already know a handful of people."

"Six is just the number for a handful of people, you know." I tell Raine and she begins to laugh. Her hands go up in surrender. "Yeah, I'm just a little better. I know just my suite mates and the seven of you from dinner last night."

Just then, Jayden looks back at me and he smiles, then quickly returns to the conversation. I shrugged. I just don't understand him.

"Ooh, the hot knight's got eyes for you." Raine says in a sing-song voice.

I shake my head. "At all. And why call him that, though?" I think of him differently. "Hot knight? Oh puh-lease. He's more of a goof to me."

"I overhead the girls calling him that." Raine says. "His duel was so smooth. Every kick and strike was dripping with finesse." Raine was starting to get dreamy-eyed. "And when he was done, the look in his eyes was enough to send us all swooning. Let me not get started with that body of his..."

I can't believe Raine. "Can you stop?" I could not even see all those things she was saying. They only buttress my opinion of him, that he was just a show-off.

"Hi, guys!" We hear from behind us. Raine and I turn to see Star settling into the seat beside us. "Headmistress Natasha's been giving out color tags according to our magic. You girls know yours yet?" Star says as she stretches forward and slides into the seat beside me.

Raine feigns despair. "No...no, I'm hopeless."

"Why the drama?" I ask her, chuckling lightly. Star laughs too.

"I don't know." Raine says normally and rolls her eyes at me. To me, she is one funny person.

The group of guys break up and Jayden and Tyler walk towards us. Suddenly, Tyler stops short of us and grabs Jayden. He is bending slowly as if in pain.

"What's wrong?" Jayden turns to him and tries to hold him up.

With a painful expression, Tyler holds on to Jayden more tightly. "I..I.." He stutters.

We all are concerned and confused. Star even gets up and goes to him, She tries to help him at his other side.

"Try to breathe." She says to him. Tyler is visibly shaking. Jayden puts a hand to his forehead and places the same on Tyler's forehead. "Whoa man, you're burning up." He looks to Star. "Let's help him sit first." They begin to move but Tyler holds them back. He bends over, shooting out his butt behind him. "I. feel....a....a.. fart coming." Tyler manages to say.

Raine bursts out laughing, even Star chuckles a little.

Jayden's face etches with embarrassment. "C'mon, man. Not now, not here. Let's help you sit first."

"W..wait." Tyler's eyes suddenly flashed fiery red and he exclaims loudly "Shiiiiiiiitt!!!" Instead of a fart, he has fire coming out of his butt. He rises up with great force, pushing Star and Jayden towards the bleachers and he is flying all the way back.

All of time seems to stand still as all eyes in the Arena are fixed on him. Sir Brad runs from behind, pulling his sed gun, but just as he is about to pull the trigger, the fire goes out and Tyler falls to the ground.

Jayden, Star, Raine and I rush to him. Sir Brad rushes to him also.

Jayden gets on the floor beside his friend and puts an arm around him. "You're okay, man?"

Tears well up in Tyler's eyes. "No, I just lost my butt." Sir Brad got himself into the circle and turned Tyler over. His butt seemed fine, only that a little smoke was oozing from it.

I hear some footsteps coming from behind and turns to see Sir Sebastian walking briskly towards us, flanked by Dayne and Ricky.

"It's smoking hot, and that is not figurative." Raine says.

"What?" Tyler sounds horrified.

Jayden glances at Raine. "You're not helping," but Raine laughs.

"He's fine. It is his magic. He's not hurt." Sir Brad gets up and pulls a red tag from his pocket. He puts it in Tyler's hand. "Fire magic." He says.

But Tyler is still in sorrow. "You know I had great plans for my butt. But now.." His voice breaks as he pretends to sob.

"Is this some butt funeral?" Sir Sebastian asks, he too is amused by Tyler's drama.

"Silence, please. A minute of silence, please for my butt." Tyler says in a somber voice.

Jayden hisses and pushes Tyler off him. "You're fine, man. Get up!"

"Shooosh it!" Star whispers at Jayden. She is humoring Tyler too, we all are. Raine is trying hard to stifle her laughter.

Sir Sebastian soon glances at his watch, "Get up, boy. A minute's done." he says and helps Tyler up. "How did it feel?"

Tyler thinks for a bit and then grins widely. "I've never felt more alive!" He says with an air of triumph. We all laugh.

"Okay, if you guys want a comfortable ride to the cafeteria, you should step out now. The bubble cabs are outside. The bell will go in ten minutes." Sir Sebastian looks at his watch and back at us.

I notice Dayne's white vest is dirty. "Maybe his own dummy did him dirty", I think.

"But we haven't got our tags yet." Star speaks up.

Sir Sebastian nods, "That's right." He pulls out a couple of color tags from his pocket. He turns to me first, "Sea and sky magic." He gives me a blue one. I am surprised that he remembers me from last night.

He gives a yellow one to Jayden, "Light." He gives a green one to Dayne, "Dirt boy, don't touch me" He laughs.

Dayne smiles and holds his hands up. He places a hand on Jayden's shoulder and removes it and there is mud on the shoulder part of his vest. "Oh c'mon." Jayden whines.

"That's earth magic." Sir Sebastian laughs

"Oh, so that explains his vest." Raine comments.

Sir Sebastian brings out a little light holder from his other pocket. He flashes it into Ricky's eyes and Ricky's irises flash blue. Sir Sebastian gives him a blue tag. "Sea and sky." He moves on to Raine. He does the same to her and her irises flash grey. He gives her a grey tag. "Wind."

"That's no ordinary light holder." Raine says as she steps aside.

Sir Sebastian focuses the light holder in Star's eyes and flashes it. Her irises flash purple. "Soul magic. Isn't that wonderful?" He says to Sir Brad. He gives Star a purple tag.

"Okay, so that's that." Sir Sebastian steps back. "After your meal, you should head to the Student Services building for your course registration and your uniforms."

"Uniforms?" I don't like the idea of uniforms.

Sir Sebastian smiles at me. "Yeah, lots of them."

The instructors leave us and we start walking out of the Arena.

Raine tells us what's she heard about the uniforms and they seem to be a good idea.

When we are out on the field, we see bubble cabs as Sir Sebastian said. They are small ball-like vehicles in all sorts of colors. There are so many. I notice they are also running on Silver Dust, just like every other vehicle in the Capitol City of Paxisia, just like the Airbus I came in with Dr. Meyer and Dayne.

"I like the red one." Star says, but before I can reply, Jayden grabs my hand and pulls me towards a white bubble-cab. He opened it and pulled me in with him.

Looking around, I see it is a three-seater. But why did Jayden take me with him? "Excuse me?" I raise my eyebrows at him.

He winks at me. "Please sit." He turns to close the door.

"Who told you I want to ride with you?" I ask him.

"I want to ride with you." He smiles innocently at me.

"He must really think he is something." I tell myself.

Tyler gets in then and closes the door. "The others found a four-seater."

"Excuse me, I want to get out." I say, but I hear the bell ring.

"If you go out now, you would have to struggle with others to get a cab." Tyler smiles at me. "Just pretend this jerk is not here," He's referring to Jayden and I smile at that, "and you'll be fine." He points to the middle seat. I go and take my seat.

"Nice one, bro." Jayden tells him and Tyler chuckles.

Looking at them, they seem to go way back.

Jayden pushed the large green button and there is a loud rumble. "Ready?"

Before we can reply, the bubble cabs goes up with great speed and begins a gentle flight to the cafeteria.

"You know, Lila girl, the guys from earlier were talking about your duel with Travis. They thought it was all badass." Jayden is talking to me, but I keep my eyes steady on, looking out the window. I'm taking Tyler's advice but Jayden does not mind. "They were analysing their own duels with the dummies and setting it against yours. Lila girl, you're like a real warrior in their eyes."

"For the last time, it is KELILA." I finally say. Why wouldn't he just get it?

Tyler laughs, "This definitely would not be the last time. He's really stubborn." Jayden laughs too. "You know me too well, Ty."

How ironic! My words seem to amuse them. I roll my eyes. I notice he shortens his friend's name too.

The bubble cab stops over the field before the cafeteria and gently goes down, but then it stops a few feet over the ground. The door of the cab opens by itself, signifying that we should alight.

Tyler goes first to the entrance and looks down. "This is quite high, Jayden."

Jayden stands up too and he looks. I get up also and see it with them. "Damn, we're so high up," I think.

"Let me test it first." Jayden says and he throws himself down. It is obvious he is properly trained as he knows how to fall and land well. He stands up and looks to us. "Ty, you can try it." Tyler jumps also. Jayden looks to me, "I'll help you, Lila girl." He stretches out a hand to me.

I turn away from him, I want to do it myself. I don't want any help from him. But this height and my height compared to it doesn't look nice. I might as well accept Jayden's help today and avoid him for my remaining days here.

"It's not a nice height, Kelila." Tyler said.

"Yeah I see that." I look at Jayden's hand still outstretched to me. Well I just have to take it.

"Stretch your hand in my direction as you jump. I'll catch you, Lila girl." Jayden assurés genuinely. I do as he says and jump. Jayden grabs my hand and pulls me to himself. For that little moment, our eyes meet and I am lost in those charming blue wells of his. But when he gently puts me down and my feet touches the ground, I am back to my senses. "Thank you," I say to him. Jayden grins at me. "Maybe he isn't that bad after all," I say within myself.

The bubble cab leaves to get other students. Across from us, I see Ricky and Dayne helping Star and Raine in similar ways. I start to walk up to them ahead of Jayden and Tyler.

"Wait up, Lila girl." I hear Jayden say. The name again! I keep on going. "Your tag fell off." He tells me and now I have to stop. I turn around to see him holding up my blue tag with a goofy grin on his face. "Lila girl," he says again, it seems the name gives him so much joy. I huff, maybe he is that bad after all.