Caldera, The Floating Academy

The feelings running through my mind were unlike anything I’d ever felt before. A feeling akin to motion sickness, but something entirely different as well. A mix between wonder and unrelenting fear, but even that is a stretch. Do I close my eyes and accept my fate? Drifting into the unknown with some sort of non-existent bravery? I feel my mind starting to slip into unknown territory; the thought that fighting back is futile comes to mind, that I'm along for the ride to wherever this thing takes me. I let myself sink into this feeling, finding slight solace in the cold finality of it all.

A sudden force pushes me to the ground, simultaneously pulling me back to reality. My eyes flutter for a second, adjusting to the new environment around me. Using my hands, I sit up and take in my new surroundings.

"Excuse me!" A face suddenly blocks my vision as I sit up, causing me to fall backward. I rub the new ache in my back, as my eyes meet the people before me.

"Ah, I'm sorry! We didn't mean to frighten you..." Exclaim two voices in unison. Realizing that I had absentmindedly collided with another girl, I glance upward to see who I’m talking to. In front of me stand two siblings, one behind the other, both looking down at me in concern. The one who I had bumped into was the shorter of the two, a girl with bright lilac hair and sky blue eyes. Behind her stood her brother, a boy with dark hair and purple eyes.

“Are you alright?” Again they spoke in perfect unison as if they weren’t separate people at all. Confused and somewhat out of my element, I stand up and try to make sense of the situation. Through the dazed confusion, one clear thought rang through; These people were much too close to me, and the wall behind me meant I had nowhere to go. My mind starts to race as I press into the wall, trying to think of a way out of this. As best I can, I try to move along the wall until I’m a comfortable distance away, a motion that ends up being decidedly awkward. Once I have my distance, I take a moment to compose myself. The twins were still staring at me, their faces now a mixture of concern and mild confusion.

“Ah, s-sorry...” I began. “I should’ve been paying more attention…”

“It’s totally alright! We’re Ellie and Elliot by the way, it’s nice to meet you!” Both of them say with a smile. Their faces say that all is forgiven, however, an air of awkwardness still lingers.

“Oh, I’m Alita. It’s n-nice to meet you too.” I say faintly. I knew what question was coming next, and tried to ready my answer.

“So why did you back away? Did we scare you? We’re so sorry!” Their sincerity is obvious but is offset by their constant unison speech.

“It’s nothing like that! I just, I shouldn’t…” My words faltered. “I just s-shouldn’t be close to people, it’s something to do with my abilities is all…”

“Oh, alright...” They say, sounding a bit more dejected. Though I was being truthful, I could tell that they had taken my explanation personally despite my efforts, and they start to walk away. I consider stopping them, however, I quickly bite my tongue and move on.

I spot a bench in the distance and make my way over. Sitting down, I take a deep breath and start to reflect on my circumstances. Caldera, a place where students come to train their magical talents and gain combat experience. Whether you were drafted or come of your own volition, this school has the resources to help everyone become their best selves. As for me though, I don’t see any future where I belong here. Magic is a blessing for most who wield it, but for others, it can be a curse. My powers are a danger to others, and all my life I’ve done my best to keep away from anyone I might hurt. Unfortunately, the call of the draft left me with no other choice.

As I reflected, my interaction with Ellie and Elliot kept coming back to mind. I had rehearsed countless times on how to handle close interactions with others. It should be simple, right? Just say that my powers are dangerous and that should be all, yet at the moment I faltered. When I learned that I had been drafted, I made a promise that I would keep to myself for the safety of others and in turn, myself. If I couldn’t even manage a single interaction, would I ever be able to hold that promise? I’m not too sure...