Chapter Two
It was now September. During the rest of the summer, Leona had spent most of the time trying to avoid her brother. Her mother had told her not to tell him, but he had an eerie way of finding things out about her.
Now they were in the family car driving to Errol Academy where she would be spending the year. It was allowed for students to go home for the Christmas Holidays, so she and Max would get to go home sometime in the middle of the time.
Max was staring out the window like a lost dog. �Max� don�t look like that� you�ll smudge the window�� she said, half joking.
�A lot you care�� he retorted. �I�ll have to meet new people�.�
�Yes��
�You don�t know the feeling because you never had any friends�� he grumbled.
She growled, her hands poised ready to strangle him, when her mother stopped her. �Now now, kids� be nice�.�
�I am being nice� strangling him will put him out of my misery!� Leona said cheerfully.
�We�re here!� chimed Mr. Sage.
Both Max and Leona dropped back into their seats. They looked out the windows and saw the massive gates coming up. �Wow� look at the size of this place!� Leona said.
�Jut watch� any moment now, some bloke with the prettiest face will start making fun of you, Leo�� Max said with a grin.
Leona kicked his leg. �STRIKE!�
�Kids�.� came the warning tone of Mrs. Sage.
�Sorry, mum�.� They both replied.
The car drove down a long road to a very large manor looking building. It was practically a castle. In front of it was a fountain with a statue of a horse rearing back.
All around, there were children around Leona�s age and older. Each was wearing the same uniform. The girls wore red sweaters over white button up shirts with a black tie, short black skirt, black stockings, and red knee high, button up boots.
The boys wore a red sweater over a white button up shirt with a black tie, black trousers and red shoes. Max and Leona were already dressed in this attire as the car pulled up to the fountain.
Leona stepped out of the car, making sure to straighten her skirt as she walked around to the back end of the car. Mr. Sage was already getting the trunks out and setting them on the grass.
�This place is so pretty�.� Leona said in awe.
�I agree�� said Max.
Just then, a small group of boys walked over. One of them was about the same age as Leona. He had a thin face, with blue eyes and ash brown hair. He gave Leona a cold stare. �A new one, eh?�
�What are you talking about?� Leona asked.
�A new girl at this school�� He said. �But what horrible hair you have� It�s like a lion�s mane�.� He said with a cold smile.
�How ironic�� she muttered under her breath.
�Why are you talking to her�..� growled Max. �Shouldn�t you be bothering someone else�.�
�I see you have a guard dog as well�� drawled the boy. �See you two later�� he said as he beckoned his friends to leave.
�I don�t like him�. Gives off a bad feeling, he does�� Max grumbled.
�You don�t like any male that talks to me� other than dad�� she retorted.
They said good bye to their mother and father and then took their trunks over to a small group of children assembled. There was a petite girl with long black hair that curled at the ends and blunt cut bangs, with pale blue eyes.
�Hullo� My name is Fern� Fern Kipling�� she smiled at Leona.
Leona smiled back and put out her hand shyly. �My name is Leona Sage�.�
She let go of Leona�s hand and smiled at nothing particular. �This is such a lovely place�� Then, she turned back to Leona. �You�re new here, aren�t you��
�Er� yes� just came in actually� with my�� Leona glanced around her, but couldn�t find her brother anywhere. �My brother� where ever he is��
�Oh.. that boy that you came with? That�s your brother?� Fern asked.
�Yes��
�How sweet� he protected you from the school prat�� Fern said sweetly. �His name is Damien Conrad�.�
�Quite aptly named�� Leona muttered.
Fern gave her a surprised look then giggled. �It seems that you aren�t as shy as you let on�.�
Leona blushed. �I-I never had many friends� my brother always scared them off�� she said.
�Don�t worry.. you just made one�.� Fern smiled sweetly at her. �And your brother won�t scare me off��
Leona giggled. �My brother calls me Leo sometimes� I guess you could call me that�.� She said. �I-If that�s what you want��
�Leo� Latin for Lion�. Which Leona is feminine so that would make you a lioness�.� Fern said. �Fitting��
Leona gave her a blank stare. Fern just smiled back. Leona was surprised by Fern. She was far more mature than she had anticipated.
�SEVENTH GRADE OVER HERE!� came someone�s call.
�Looks like the teachers are calling us�. Don�t worry� It�s nothing to be afraid of�� Fern said. She had noticed Leona had become rather rigid and white when the teacher called.
�S-sorry� s-scared me�.�Leona stuttered as she followed Fern.
�This is all so boring� why is it that they do this to us and the second and first years and not the rest�.� grumbled some girl with blonde hair to the left of Leona.
�Because you are still children!� growled the teacher. She had shoulder length, straight black hair and black eyes. Then, she smiled. �Now� My name is Miss Brighton�. I�ll be your English teacher at this school�.�
�Now� I just want to make sure that we have all of you�.� Miss Brighton said with a smile as she started checking names with faces on a clipboard. She suddenly stopped and looked up. �Who is Leona Sage?�
Leona brought her hand up timidly. �I am, Miss Brighton�.�
Miss Brighton smiled. �Okay� then, will one of you please show Miss Sage around and tell her the rules and such?�
Fern�s hand shot up. �I will, Miss Brighton!�
�Thank you, Miss Kipling�� Miss Brighton said with a smile. �Now� onto business.�
�This is boring�.� yawned a familiar voice. Leona glanced over to Damien, who, in turn, gave her a cold stare with his pale blue eyes.
After Miss Brighton had finished talking, she led them to their dorm. They reached a tower that had a large room filled with paintings and wall hangings. There was a fireplace and sofas in front of it. There were a few tables with chairs there as well.
�This is the common room for the third years. Girls� your dorm is up stairs straight above this room. Boys� yours is the level above that. Years One, Two and Four reside in the four towers. Years five through eight reside in the dungeon area.� Miss Brighton said cheerfully. Then, she turned to leave. �Dinner is at six� have a nice evening�.� Then, she closed the door to the common room.
�Well, isn�t this lovely!� asked Fern excitedly.
�It certainly is worth the few hundred quid my mum paid�.�came Damien�s voice.
�No one cares about you, Damien�� growled one of the boys. He had short red hair and green eyes.
Damien gave the boy a cold stare. �And who asked you to speak, Jack?� he said softly. There was a vein throbbing in his forehead.
Jack grumbled and backed away. Damien smirked and went back to his lot. There was one boy who had blonde hair and green eyes that gave Damien an insolent stare.
Fern walked over to Jack. �Don�t mind him�. He�s just full of hot air�� Jack grumbled. He glanced at Leona and smiled. �My name is Jack Connor�.�
�Leona Sage� how are you�.� Leona smiled.
�Fine, except my ego has been splattered on the ground now�� Jack said.
�Don�t worry� he has that effect on everyone�� smiled Fern.
Leona turned and glanced at Damien again, fixing him with a cold stare of her own. Damien was talking to the blonde haired boy when he looked over at her. For a few moments, she didn�t blink. She was locked in a staring contest with him. Then, he turned back.
�I don�t like him�� Leona mumbled.
�Not many can stand him, Leo� He�s been this snobbish and evil since I first met him.� Fern said.
�Well� he�s not going to railroad me�� Leona growled. �He�s done enough as it is��
At dinner, Leona sat with Fern on one side and Jack on the other side of her. Her brother kept glaring at Jack. �Why do you keep glaring at me like that?� asked Jack finally.
Max growled. �Because you�re breathing the same air as my kid sister��
Jack went sort of rigid and white. Leona growled. �Max� stop it before I jam this fork into your eye�.�
�Aww� is the newbie having problems?� came Damien�s drawling tone. �I�m sure that your guard dog will help you out��
That did it. Leona growled and tried to contain her anger. Suddenly, her eyes went yellow and she gave Damien a stare that made Damien actually stare at her in confusion.
She lunged at him. He fell onto the ground with Leona on top of him, her hands clawing at him. She growled at him with a growl that seems more animal than human.
His heart pounded in his ears as he tried to pry her loose from him. Then, he somehow managed to slip from her grasp. He ran out the door to the cafeteria with Leona on his trail.
Max raised an eyebrow at the scene he had just witnessed. Fern stared after her as well. In the hallway, Leona hunted Damien. Her mind was no longer that of Leona, but a combination of a lion and herself.
Then, she caught a smell. His smell. She ran after him. He ran down the corridor to escape her.
Fern and Max ran after them. Fern skidded to a halt. �Where did they go!�
There was a scream of fear to their left. Max pointed a finger down that corridor. �That way!�
Damien skidded to a halt and hid behind a pillar. His breathing came in gasps. He had never been attacked by a girl before. It was something new for him.
Then, he heard her. She was crouched right behind him. He stopped breathing altogether. He saw her eyes. They were yellow.
�W-What are you�� he stammered out.
Suddenly, they went grey. Leona gasped and threw her hands over her mouth. �Oh my God!�
Leona had changed again. This time she knew what was doing. She had been directing herself and the lion inside of her to do exactly what she had done.
Damien had three scratch marks on his collar bone, where his shirt had exposed his skin to her. �I�m so sorry�� Then, she ran off.
Damien just stared off after her. �What the bloody hell�.?�
Leona ran into Fern. �What happened? Are you alright?� asked Fern.
�I�ll kill that kid if he laid a hand on you�.� Max growled.
Leona smiled. �It�s okay� let�s go back and eat�� Then, she somehow turned them back without any protest.