BROKEN JUDGEMENT

I thought once I got into Anaria the rest would be easy. I was wrong, very wrong. Today's my first day at Anaria. I'm so excited I can't stop admiring myself in the mirror and fixing my uniform for what has to be the eighth time, maybe even the ninth.

I smooth out the non-existent creases on my blue checkered skirt. It has these amazing delicate and intricate gold lines that shine perfectly under the sun.

Next I fix my shirt, a white button up. I tighten my pale blue tie that has gold edges then I puff up my bow right on top of my tie. It's so cute! It's this blue bow with gold lines and a blue to gold ombre effect near the ends of the ribbon. It really pulls the outfit together.

Finally I fixed my royal blue crop jacket. It has golden cuffs and collars and a fine outline at the edges. I would honestly wear it with nearly every outfit!

Now it's time to recheck my bag again. "Elara! You're gonna be late for school!" screamed my mom from downstairs. I take one last look at myself, take my bag and head downstairs.

This is it. I can finally follow in my parents' footsteps.

I reach the kitchen to see my mom flying around cooking food, packing lunches and getting ready. She can really multi-task. "Elara! There you are. Here's your food and remember, be careful near the fallen slums and have a good day sweetie." My mom says as she rushes out the door. I can't blame her, she has a busy day today. First a meeting with the other gods, then taking the reports of the wind angels and assigning them new tasks, then a meeting with the minor deities. Being the wind goddess is hard.

I wonder if I will be as busy as her if I become a goddess. My train of thoughts is quickly interrupted by me tripping over the door edge. This is why mom always tells me to be aware. Once I'm out I allow myself a moment to breathe and calm myself down. I'm not in a rush. Anaria isn't that far from here but I'm practically bouncing on my way there. I wish I could fly like mom can. I pass through near the slums. No one's guarding it as usual. Nobody ever wants to be seen near it. I wonder what's so wrong with it. Just because the fallen live there doesn't mean they don't deserve basic respect. All these thoughts occupy my head and I soon reach my new school. I check the time. Perfect. 20 minutes early.

I have just enough time to learn some of the paths around the hallways. Before I enter I take a moment to be in awe by the sheer magnificence of the building. It is just like a fairytale and what I always dreamed of. The main building is surrounded by 4 huge towers made of white marble and thin gold lines that shine in the sunlight making it look like a dream. Each pillar towers over the main school building. The pillars are connected by these huge walls where students can walk around and see the amazing view. Just the main entrance is over 40 feet tall. It is this huge arch with intricate and detailed carvings. Once you enter, you see the beautiful school yard full of never seen before plants and fauna that make it feel truly alive. The main building can only be described as a castle, with its grand structure, stairs and chandeliers. The thin gold lines glisten under the sun rays giving a mystical effect. The white marble helps enhance the beauty and give a serene and calm feeling to one.

I finally step inside the building. The interior is just as grand as the exterior,filled with royal red carpets and huge glass chandeliers.

The halls are empty. It makes sense, I'm early after all. After a bit of roaming around, I find my classroom, Class 1A.

I entered expecting it to be empty but to my surprise 2 girls were already there. As they saw me walk in they waved to me. I waved back.

One of the girls was sitting on the table. She had a bandage on her nose and her uniform was messy, like she was already used to it and didn't care what others thought. The other, sitting on the chair, on the other hand, seemed more reserved. She kept her uniform just as polished and pristine as mine and her hair was perfect. It fell in these beautiful black locks, like the night itself had transformed into her hair. The louder one approached me first,smiling. "Hi, I'm Sera! This is my friend Nina. What's your name?" "I'm Elara. Nice to meet you," I replied. Sera's smile was seriously contagious. She seemed to be able to capture everyone's attention just by smiling. She had a serious presence as well. Nina on the other hand seemed the exact opposite. She seemed closed off and seemed to like to keep to herself. She smiled too perfectly. She reminded me of myself but more graceful.

"Hey Elara, can I see your wings?" Sera asked. I was taken aback by the sudden question. "Sure!" I replied. I unfurled my wings and they spread open. "Woah," Sera replied. "Wanna see mine?" She unfurled hers. I was shocked. They were these humongous wings, each feather perfectly aligned. It reminded me of my dad's, and he's an archangel. "Nina, show yours too!" Sera urged. Nina unfurled hers. They were comparatively smaller than mine or Sera's but they were clearly well taken care of with utmost precision. They had a light hue of gold, which typically symbolises royal blood. I asked Nina if she is of royal blood. She said no but her family is a descendant of royalty.

I nodded. All 3 of our wings took up nearly all the space in the classroom, and that was hard to believe as the class was as big as my living room. It had these gorgeous red curtains and a balcony where you could see the castle of the gods. Mom should be there by now for her meeting. I wonder what she's doing right now. There were 9 tables each labelled with a name. I was in the first row. I furled my wings,both Nina and Sera followed. We sat down and started chit chatting. Sera seemed like the type of person who loves to gossip. She was seriously protective of Nina as well. "So what do you think?" Nina asked.

I realised I was daydreaming and not focusing on the conversation. Such a bad impression I'm making! I apologise and ask them to kindly repeat what they had said. "Quite the dreamer eh?" Sera joked. "It's fine, don't apologise. We were asking you who's right. Nina says that vanilla is the best ice cream flavour and I say it's cookie dough," Sera explained. I thought for a moment. "Hmm, this is a tough choice but I have to say that cookie dough wins. Though vanilla with a brownie would outrank cookie dough any day." Nina immediately followed up with "THANK YOU, finally someone who has tastebuds." Nina seemed to have opened up to me more. "But that's pairing it up with a brownie! Mine is all alone!" Sera argued. "Guys don't fight!" I said. "Exactly. Sera, behave!" Nina remarked. They got used to me so quickly. Maybe I will fit in here. Soon the bell rang and students started trickling into the halls and suddenly the place felt so much more lively. I would feel out of place if I was alone but Sera and Nina guided me through the crowd. We reached the cafeteria. There's no word in my dictionary that could truly describe it. It was grand, something you'd imagine only for a royal banquet, not a school meal.

It had this huge crystal chandelier that spanned easily over 5 feet in length alone. Each table had a white silk cloth and food was served in plates made of fine china. It was divided into two levels, the upper and lower. Each floor features a balcony where one could eat while enjoying the weather and scenery or one could dine inside. I instantly felt out of place but I noticed each table was labelled with sections 4A, 2B, 3E. My eyes started wandering around looking for 1A. "Wow, they really went all out in this school, eh Nina?" "Will you quit saying eh, it's rude. But yes, I do have to agree it reminds me of my cousin's wedding banquet," Nina replied.

"Come on, Elara, let's eat." They seemed to know where our table was so I followed them halfway across the cafeteria. Nina pointed out the table signs. "I think we have to sit section wise," Nina said. "Well, where's our section?" Sera asked. Great, we are lost. I offered to take the lead. I noticed a pattern, the more north you go the older the sections get, so I went south. We quickly found our table.

Many kids were already sitting around it, eating and chit chatting. One of them looked at us and said "It took y'all long enough. Come sit, we were just about to introduce ourselves." "I'll go first. I am Tana. And I wish to become a guardian angel to protect the mortals." What a noble wish Tana has. It is extremely difficult to become a guardian angel as you need large amounts of divine energy and a large wingspan. Tana had short and curly hair. It reminded me of fire because it was bright red with orange at the roots. He seemed perfect for a guardian angel. The type you can rely on.

NEXT CHAPTER BY 15TH OF APRIL