Rose's POV

I walk the small distance between my Nature manipulation class to my Fire one, since they are all in the east wing. I enter the classroom and see that the class is very separated. Based off of my observations, 6 of the 31 students have items, meaning that 26 other students, not including I, were Level 2 just last school year. In the middle of the large classroom, there is a group of 5 of the boys who have their fire items. They talk loudly and a little obnoxiously.

I see Joel among this class and wave to him when he looks at me. He is with a group of 4 other boys, a little behind the middle group. Then there are the few stragglers who are just sitting at open desks, not talking to anyone. I see another group of unknown people just lounging around in the front, and one more cluster of people talking to each other near the door.

I chose to sit where I believe I will have the best view from the window. It is towards the middle-left of the classroom, if you are taking a look when you walk in. I set down my stuff and get ready for class.

"You are in my friend's seat." A familiar voice tells me. I look towards the sound only to see Joel.

"I am sorry, I did not know that this seat was reserved." I say slightly embarrassed. Before I have a chance to move my stuff, Joel just laughs.

"You are my friend supposed to sit in that seat, I was just teasing. Anyway, how have your classes been going?" He asks me.

"Well, in my Medincines, Powders, Herbs and Energy class, I finally got the solution right to my anti-aging serum. And for my Nature class, I got my item and manipulated some stuff, like the roses in my vase." I tell him briefly. Joel looks at my bracelet and compliments it.

"Thank you, my original item did not have a healing stone in it. Mr.Patterson infused the healing stone with my item so that I wouldn't lose it." I add on. He looks a little surprised but nods anyway. I have a question to ask but I'm not sure how. "Um... Joel?"

"Hmm?" He raises an eyebrow.

"What made you choose the bandana as your item?" I ask. Joel's eyes brighten and he smiles.

"The designs on the bandanna remind me of the artwork I used to look at with my grandma. She died a couple years back, but she was my support system and best friend." He tells me, tears brimming his eyes. Oh.

"Well, the heavens must have been blessed by an angel if she was anywhere near related to you." I reply respectfully, trying to brighten the mood. He just thanks me and returns his attention to the teacher who just walked in.

"Good morning everyone, my name is Alexei Bychkov." He introduces, his Russian accent thicker than Mr.Ivanov's. His last name means bull and symbolizes a family line that is strongly built and powerful. "Many people can't pronounce my name right, so lots of my students call me Mr.B. I am a fire master as well as your instructor. We will be working outside most of the time, conditioning and building your strength up while working with your element. The element of Fire in particular requires a lot of energy and endurance to manipulate. We will head down to the items gallery to get all of you your fire items, then I will see how far you have progressed in your manipulation. Oh! And if you disobey me, are late to my class, or disrupt me when I am speaking, expect to run many miles. Now, let's head out to get you all items." Mr.Bychkov says, reminding himself.

Instead of walking with the students, I scurry over to my instructor about to engage in a conversation. I happily walk over to my superior, matching his lengthy strides. He raises an eyebrow at my presence.

"Я рада, что у меня есть инструктор, с которым я могу практиковать свой русский язык." I fluently say. [ T : I am glad to have an instructor who I can practice my Russian with. ]

He looks shocked to say the least, then I see his lips curl into a smile.

"Вы говорите на языке хорошо и свободно. Как тебя зовут ребенок?" My teacher smiles. [ T : You speak the language well and fluently. What is your name child? ]

"My name is Rose." I respond.

"Что ж, Роза, я еще не встречал другого студента, который мог бы говорить по-русски, так что ожидайте услышать, как я обращаюсь к вам на этом языке. Я также был бы признателен, если бы вы ответили и на языке моей родины." He tells me, warning me of what to expect. [ T : Well Rose, I have not met another student who can speak Russian yet, so expect to hear me address you in the language. I would also appreciate if you respond in the tongue of my mother land as well. ]

"Да г-н бычков." I say, finally reaching the items gallery. [ T : Yes Mr.Bychkov. ]

"Class, I am giving you 15 minutes to find your item, if you don't have it by then, every minute you go over will equal a mile to run." Mr.Bychkov threatens. The other students and I scurry into the gallery's fire section, not wanting to run today. About 10 minutes have passed and I do not see anything that has caught my attention.

I move away from the more basic items and head towards the jewelry crafted fire stand. It has a layer of dust on it, as if it hasn't been opened for years. I look around the stand, seeing many earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. I am about to turn away but my line of sight has landed on an arm cuff. I don't see any other arm cuffs here, and this one is beautifully crafted. The pure gold spirals flowing in all directions, yet still orderly and organized. A bright ruby stone has been welded into the middle, smaller ones along the golden structure. I open the glass drawer holding all of the jewelry and take out my item.



I walk my item to the gallery registry and see the same worker as before. When I give him my second item to register under my name, he looks at me in surprise. When he returns it to me, I slip it on my arm, proud to show that I am a Level 1 Fire Wielder. It fits perfectly, and I am happy to say that I it contrasts my silky skin tone harmoniously. I walk over to Joel when he waves me over. He looks me up and down before landing on my item, his eyes widen.

"I have never seen an arm cuff item before, especially one this beautifully crafted." Joel tells me.

"I found it in the glass drawer in the back of the fire section." I point. His eyes widen even more so.

"No one has been able to open that case for years, though many have tried." He whispers to me. I do not comment on what he tells me. He motions me over to walk with him, I do so. We walk up to the 4 boys he was talking to in class.

"Hey guys, this is Rose. She is a year 1 and doesn't know anybody, so I am taking her under my wing." Joel tells them.

"Cool, my name is Gabriel, this is Marquez, this is Trevor, and this is Stephen." Gabriel greets, motioning towards each of the boys.

"Nice to meet you all, thank you for being so welcoming." I say, not forgetting my manners.

"Damn, if Joel weren't one of my best friends, I would totally seek you out." Marquez tells me while winking. Joel glares at him, I just laugh. I am the only girl at Stone Heart, so this is to be expected.

"Me too!" Trevor and Stephen add in unison. I laugh again when Joel's face turns red.

"Thank you truly, but I am afraid your hopes would only prove futile." I chuckle out.

"Yeah, and she reminds me of my little sister, so I'm playing big brother on this one. Back off you two." Joel says, I smile widely at him.

"I don't understand why I put up with all of you." Gabriel starts. "By the way, I like your item. Where did you get it? I've never seen anything like it before." He asks me.

"I found it in the glass casing towards the back of the fire section. This one was the one that caught my eye among all of the items." I tell him. The four boys turn their heads towards Joel, their eyes showing disbelief. I guess this case thing is a big deal. He shakes his head, trying to convey that he will explain later. Trevor clears his throat and begins speaking.

"Well, it is a beaut. And seeing as how your bracelet is green, I am assuming you were the last person to go during the placement tests yesterday." He states more than questions. I nod in response.

"I have to admit, I thought you would give up completely after Mr.Barden advanced his last attack, not wanting to do your other placement tests." Marquez says.

"Well then, you obviously don't know me well." I retort, the others chuckling. "There is a lesson learned in everything. Mr.Barden learned that he still needs to progress with handling his emotions while engaged in battle. I learned that I mustn't underestimate anyone's advances because of who I am. I also learned that I need to work on thinking quicker on my feet as well as my dodges." I honestly tell the group.

"Stop sounding so old." Joel jokes.

"The 15 minutes is up, in favor of you all, everyone picked out an item prior to the time limit. Please walk with me towards my classroom where I will individually call you up and see your form." Mr.Bychkov says, already halfway throughout the door.

I walk with Joel and his friends back to class, talking aimlessly about life at Stone Heart. We all enter the class and Mr.Bychkov has already begun calling out names. When Joel is called, it takes little effort for him to form a ball. Our instructor raises an eyebrow and tells Joel to move it in the air without losing its form. He does so, and lasts for a good 20 seconds before his fireball begins deforming. He walks back to his seat when Gabriel is called up. He does relatively good, it takes him, as well as every other previous Level 2, a little longer to manipulate the fire.

"Роза." [ T : Rose. ] My instructor calls my name. The other students look confused, and a little shocked when I make my way towards the front of the class. Mr.Bychkov motions for me to will fire using the flame from his hands.

I close my eyes, remembering the feeling of warmth and slight tingles when I manipulated the fire during my fight with Mr.Jacobs. I also feel around for my teacher's aura. I have read that once you are able to decifer your energy from everyone else's, you are then able to locate somebody's energy based off of their location to you.

I feel his aura in front of me and copy his energy output. I open my eyes and bring the fire towards me, forming it into a defined shape. I recall what Mr.Bychkov did to keep his flame fed, based on his aura and energy movement. I reach for my energy reserves and add fuel to my inferno. It gets a tad bit larger, but nothing I cannot contain.

"Подвинь это." He instructs. [ T : Move it. ]

I do as he says and move my fireball gracefully through the air. I cut off my energy flow from the fire so that I do not wear myself out. I know a lot about energy and how to feel around for it because of my talks with Mr.Nicholas. I was always extremely curious about his abilities and would often accompany him to the farm or garden, me asking questions and him answering them in the best of detail. I continue on with my demonstration, using my previously added energy to keep the fireball shaped into a circular form with no defaults.

"Вы можете остановиться." My teacher tells me. [ T : You may stop. ]

I stop all of my concentration and focus, letting the flame die out without any upkeep of a wielder or energy 'fuel'.

"Очень хорошо. Я могу сказать, что вы скопировали мою выработку энергии, когда пожелали вам огня. Как ты это сделал?" He asks. [ T : Very good. I can tell that you copied my energy output when you willed the fire to you. How did you do that? ]

"Я почувствовал вашу ауру и вспомнил, как вы использовали свою энергию, чтобы разжечь свое пламя. Я скопировал вашу технику: не использовать достаточно энергии, чтобы утомить вас, но достаточно, чтобы это могло принести пользу." I tell him in Russian. [ T : I sensed your aura and recalled how you used your energy to fuel your flame. I copied your technique of not using enough energy to wear you out, but just enough so that it can be beneficial. ]

"Это очень продвинутая техника. Ваша способность не только ощущать энергию, но и копировать ее - это подарок. При правильном наставничестве вы можете добраться до точки, где сможете использовать чью-то энергию против них. Зная это сейчас, я буду толкать тебя сильнее, чем когда-либо прежде. Я заставлю вас работать в 10 раз больше, чем ваши коллеги, потому что я вижу в ваших способностях большой потенциал. Я жесткий учитель и, скорее всего, буду кричать на вас за мелкие ошибки, но знаю, что у меня хорошие намерения." He sternly says to me. [ T : This is a very advanced technique. Your ability to not only sense energy but also copy it is a gift. With the right mentoring, you can get to the point where you can use someone's energy against them. Knowing this now, I will push you harder than ever before. I will make you work 10 times more than your peers because I see great potential in your abilities. I am a tough teacher and will most likely yell at you for minor mistakes, but know I have good intentions. ]

"Да, господин Бычков, спасибо." I thank wholeheartedly, pleased by his intentions to train me. [T : Yes Mr.Bychkov, thank you.]

I return to my seat, noticing how everyone's jaws are practically on the floor.

"Alright, the bell will ring in a few minutes. Now that I have assessed you all, be prepared to sweat and work hard tomorrow." My teacher says to the class. Joel comes closer to my seat.

"I didn't know you are fluent in Russian too." He looks at me wide eyed.

"Too?" Gabriel asks, the other boys approaching. Joel looks at me to explain.

"I am fluent in 5 languages, I plan on learning three more within the next year and a half." I tell them.

"Five?" Joel questions.

"English, French, Italian, Russian, and Latin." I reply.

"Wow." Joel whispers in shock.

"Can you say something to us?" Stephen requests. I nod.

"Grazie per essere così accogliente. Inoltre, non siete tutti troppo cattivi." I say in Italian. I smile at the group, winking at Marquez, remembering that he doesn't understand a word I am saying. [ T : Thank you for being so accepting. Plus, you all aren't too bad looking. ]

"A-are you cree this weekend?" Marquez stutters out, blushing a bit. I laugh as Joel pushes him aside, grumbling indecipherable words.

"That was impressive. What languages do you plan on learning?" Trevor states. I think he is the smart one of the group.

"Spanish, Português, and Colombian." I respond, Marquez smiles widely.

"If you ever want private Spanish lessons, just let me know." He teases.

"Nope nope nope. Not happening. Rose pack up your things, I am not letting you hang out with these barbarians." Joel says over-protectively. I laugh in response, gathering my things together. The bell rings and I say goodbye to my new friends and Joel. If Joel wants to be my big brother of some sort, I will let him. I appreciate him looking out for me in a little sister kind of way.

'Hey Belvedere. How are you doing?' I ask, missing my dragon a bit.

'I am fine. I scared the stable worker away when he approached me with food. He took off running, leaving the cart full of meat behind.' He says all giddy. He replays a mental image of the scene.

'Belvedere, leave the poor boy alone.' I scold him, finding the situation amusing though. Belvedere just scoffs, already knowing that I found his actions funny.

'I will visit you during my dragon riding class in a couple of hours. Just tell me if you need anything till then.' I inform my companion.

'Alright little one, I will be waiting.' He responds. I arrive at my Air wielding class shortly, finding an empty seat near the window. I tend to gravitate towards window seats because I appreciate mother nature far too much for me to not want to be near it all the time. I set my vase of roses aside and put my embroidered bag under my seat. My bag is holding my manipulated Sphalerite Ore, AJ's Green Fluorite gift, my journal, a few more weapons, some girl products, and my MPH&E textbook. (Medicines, Powders, Herbs & Energy textbook) I see everyone file into the classroom, sitting down. Their voices dying out when my instructor enters.

"Here we go again." I think to myself.

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