✧ The Light Between Us ✧ ☆•° Chapter 9 °•☆ "This won't work," I mumbled, staring at the mirror. It was the first day of school, and with the approaching classes came a uniform- a completely new development. Skirts and blouses were not my thing. I sighed and reached into my closet, rifling through layers of clothes I never wore. My eyes settled on a short, navy pleated skirt about as long as a pair of biker's shorts. I laughed. It would not run well with the administration's dress code. Why not? I thought with a smile. Make a splash. Ruin people's idea of royalty. I slipped into the skirt and a matching white button-up shirt. I twirled in front of the mirror. Not bad. "Zelda!" Father's voice rang from downstairs. "Fifteen minutes, then you have to leave to school!" I huffed, snatched up my Slate from the side of my bed, and thundered down the stairs. Father's eyes widened when he saw what I was wearing, but he stayed silent. I had begged him to let me be completely independent for once. This would've meant driving myself to school, instead of Hoz taking me in his "king car", as he called it. However, we had not had enough time to replace the Medoh CR-V that had washed away last week. As a result I was stuck with a chauffeur. Only last week, I thought, I was on a helicopter with some refugees, fleeing from a flood. One would think I'd need a vacation to recover from that traumatic vacation- yet life carried on, refusing to slow down or wait for me to catch my breath. So here I was- Princess Me, fresh of the media for an assassination attempt, about to go into my junior year, my first year learning with real life, actual people. Yippee, I thought snarkily, sitting down at the kitchen counter and grabbing a muffin. Good thing I'm such an extrovert. "Are all your books packed?" Father asked as he sat down across from me. He was toting to cups of the darkest dark roast coffee and handed one to me. I nodded in thanks and proceeded to add half the bowl of sugar and way too much creamer. "Yes," I replied. He opened his mouth to speak again but I interrupted, "And I have my calculator, binder, lined paper, compass and protractor, et cetera." Father smiled approvingly. Then the smile faded as he remembered another item on my endless to-do list. "And Purah helped me set up my school email already," I cut in hurriedly. "I'm all ready to go." "Good," Father said. I could tell he was relieved that he wouldn't have to micromanage. We sat in silence, quietly finishing our breakfast. My stomach queasily rolled over on itself as I recalled Link's text. ꜱᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀᴛ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ! he had said. I nervously twisted a strand of hair. How had he known I was attending Hyrule Field Academy? Was he some sort of creepo stalker? But he had acted normally when I met him. At least as normally as one could act when confronted with an awkward situation. I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Worrying about things like that wouldn't help my nerves. I just needed to focus on surviving this first day of school. Then the bomb dropped. "Oh, and Zelda," Father said, "after school today you need to train to unlock your sealing power..." Inwardly I groaned. Training was stressful, and always left me too tired to do anything. But now that the Calamity could possibly return, I knew I had to train harder than ever. My sealing power would be the only thing protecting everyone. "Yes, Father," I said sadly. "I understand. I will do so." I stood abruptly, pushing back my chair. "I think I'll head out." My unfinished muffin lay forlornly on the plate. I considered finishing it, but my stomach rebelled at the thought. Hoz waved from the doorway, jangling the keys to the king car. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and trudged towards the door. I really wished I was driving myself. "Have a good day at school!" Father called out. I turned and smiled faintly. "Thank you," I whispered. "I hope I will." I climbed into the passenger seat of the car as Hoz started it up. The sun radiated soft yellow rays, and a few lonely clouds drifted across the clear blue sky. The perfect September day seemed to be mocking me. The drive to school was a short one, albeit one that ran through the busiest parts of Castle City. Luckily, we left a few minutes early, so although we got caught in traffic, we still made it to the school on time. Hoz pulled into the parking lot. "Good luck, Miss Zelda," he said, respectfully tapping his chauffeur's hat. "Thanks, Hoz," I replied, somewhat gloomily. I stepped out of the car, watching the crowds of students make their way into the building. Hoz reversed the car and drove out, leaving me alone in the parking lot. I felt stranded. At least my friend Impa was in the same grade as me. I took a deep breath and hefted my backpack, taking a step towards the school. Chin up, I thought. It's school. How bad can it be? ☆•° Chapter 8 °•☆ ☆•° Chapter 10 °•☆
