1:01 Welcome to Northcrest

 

Two days later, Alex slipped on the maroon blazer that made up the last of her new uniform and grimaced. She looked ridiculous in the get up even disregarding the skirt. At least the uniform included sensible leather boots rather than any of those ankle breaking monstrosities rich women called shoes. Happily, today was going to be her final day in the cell, and she was more than ready to stretch her legs. As awesome as it was to experiment with her new found talent, the view left much to be desired. Besides, it would be just as easy to practise outside of the steel box.

Alex reached for the small knife on the bedside table that she had been practising with. Casting her will at the small piece of metal she started to slowly contort the knife into interesting patterns with her mind. She had quickly found limitations on her talent. Most limiting was she could only control relatively small objects, and she had to be touching them to do so. The necessity of touch was apparently unusual for telekinetics but she didn’t care. Alex had long ago given up on the idea of developing a talent, so even these drawbacks were not going to kill her enthusiasm. Besides,she was reasonably certain that with more practise she could manipulate one end of a rope over longer distances if she really had to.

Her practise was interrupted by the arrival of Professor Fletcher, the eccentric women from the other day.

“Oi, kid you dressed and ready to get go?” she all but shouted while simultaneously rattling the bars. Alex jumped guiltily, stuffing the butter knife down her boot before heading towards the door.

The blunt knife was likely to be almost useless as a weapon, but it would not take much effort to impart an edge to the blade and years of habit made it hard not to feel naked if she was unarmed.

Northcrest Academy was a very different picture in the light of day.The previously empty hallways were now full of students moving in groups, and the air was full of both cheerful chatter and an thrum of excited energy.

Something she most noticed straight away though, was that the students were not in any coherent uniform. However her strangled protests to Professor Fletcher were not met with sympathy. Instead the infuriating woman simply cheerily replied that she lied about the uniform since Alex had to look good when she met the Dean. Apparently, the professor thought the lie was the easiest way to get her in a skirt. Alex briefly considered protesting, but sullenly realised that if her protests did not convince herself, they certainly wouldn’t convince the professor.

Alex noted with some trepidation that she was getting a fair number of glances from the rest of the students. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but sped up her pace and shadowed her beaming escort. Professor Fletcher came to stop outside a solid wooden door, waiting for Alex to catch up before breezing in with little ceremony.Alex nervously followed into a well lit antechamber that held only a few bookshelves and a severe looking desk that barely contained an extremely large scowling woman who Alex presumed was acting as the dean’s secretary.

“Damn it Fletcher, do you not know how to knock?” Alex recoiled at the vehemence of the woman, but the words flowed right off her ever cheerful companion.

“Please Lucrecia, How many times have I told you to call me Beatrice?”

“The same number of times I have told you we will never be that close, and it is Mrs Pitt.” The now almost frothing woman shot back. As her focus moved to Alex, the young girl noticed her already beady dark eyes narrow.

“I suppose this the criminal your trying to sponsor in your latest scheme to make a joke out of this academy?”

Alex sighed. Of course things were going to well to be true.

Prologue

Alex quietly padded down the hallway, carefully keeping an ear out for any nearby people. Constantly she had to still her shaking, keep herself calm. Northcrest Academy was famous throughout the land. A school where the Talented students went to learn. Amazing individuals trained by some of the most deadly warriors in the world to kill monsters with larger than life powers? To be here was one of her long time dreams.

 

Of course that wasn’t going to happen, even before she came to rob the place.

 

Silently she cursed her father once more, his gambling had got her into this mess. Although they had been poor for the longest time, everyone knew not to borrow from the Underguild. And then to disappear and leave her with the debt? Bastard. More money than most see in a year; that’s why she was here.

The guild head had offered her an out. Help them, and the coin would come out of her share of the jobs, otherwise she could pay it from her back with her legs in the air. She opted for the hardest jobs they had. And if this last job paid off she would be out for good.

Suddenly she heard footsteps, and beside her her current partner Shad quietly swore.

“Shit, the guard is coming, we have to hide.”

Swiftly crossing to a nearby locked door she paused, quickly pulling out a pick. The lock was a good one, and was soon giving her real trouble.

“Hurry!” Shad hissed, nervously peering down the hallway. Alex gave a start, before trying anew. She was so close, she just needed the pick to reach a bit more… suddenly she felt the tumbler give way.

Quickly pulling Shad through the newly opened door she sighed in relief as she heard the guard pass. That was far too close for comfort. Then she glanced at the pick and frowned. Somehow, she had managed to badly bend it while it was still in the lock. In fact the newly contorted pick looked like it held the teeth of a key, imprinted from the lock. However she had no time to mourn her now useless pick, as she was suddenly struck with a blinding headache.

Blinking through the sudden pain, she glanced around the room before gasping. Jackpot. They were obviously in the office of someone important. Gold was the theme of the room, and she quickly guessed the candle holders alone to be more than enough to warrant their trip.

Shad quickly started stuffing items in a sack before motioning that they should go. It would not do to get caught in here. She nodded, and had started towards him before the world spun and she hit the floor.

 

When she woke she was in a cell; Light streaming through a very high (and very small) window.

“Shit, that worm left me there.” Alex grumbled as she explored her new home. She hadn’t spent time enough cells to compare, but she felt it was actually quite nice, bars excepted. Considering that the bed had actual linen, in many ways it was better than the corner of the den she usually called home. Bed aside though, there wasn’t anything too exciting about her accommodation and even less to do. Knowing she would get bored otherwise, she started an exercise routine of push ups, sit ups and squats, using the side of the of the bed. When she eventually got bored of that, she went back to bed.

 

“Oi! You got a visitor.” The shout came from the other side of the bars. Alex rolled over to see who it was, she had been expecting someone to come interrogate her hours ago.

The guard was the usual dark haired, muscle bound oaf. Wearing a sleeveless vest, and carrying a sword that looked barely used. His companion however looked dangerous. She moved with an easy grace, her shoulder length brown hair framing an angular face that was currently set in an easy grin. Alex found the cheerful smile didn’t fit with her predatory bearing, and found it almost disconcerting in its intensity.

“Well aren’t you just adorable?” The woman’s eyes glinted with amusement “If only you didn’t cost a small fortune in stolen items.”

Alex winced, “Um, I didn’t take anything?” she managed weakly.

Suddenly the woman threw her head back in laughter.

“No I suppose you didn’t, and really it was my fault for not considering you would have a partner when you showed up.” She said after recovering from her glee.

“Wait, you knew we were coming?” Alex stuttered, now thoroughly confused.

“Well obviously I didn’t know about the partner, but I am a fairly practised pre-cog. When I saw a young girl manifest in my room, it certainly wasn’t going to be one of the guards, and all the students already have their talent. Therefore the good money was on it being someone who shouldn’t be there.”

“Talent? I don’t have a talent.” Alex managing to cling on the one surety in a meeting that was definitely not going how she envisaged.

“Right then, I guess I’ll just have to talk to the other girl who broke into a highly secure room before passing out from first time power use.” The strange woman’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

“It’s a pity, since I was going to have to offer you a place at the academy.”

“But…” Alex’s mind just shut down. This women was just too strange, and things were just moving too fast.”

“Ok, as cute as it is; I think that I have broken you enough, so I’m going to let you think about it for a bit. Just remember, school would beat the hell out of jail, and the Underguild will probably think you’re dead. Learning to use your talent would just be icing on the cake.”
“Why would you want me?” Alex cursed herself. Why was she arguing? She could not imagine a better turn of events.

“Haha, lets just say that the threat of prison makes a great motivator, and I love to see a properly motivated student. Besides, this way I can recoup some losses when I clean up the office pool on the next student. Suckers still haven’t learnt not to bet against the pre-cog.

Alex fought back tears, she was literally speechless as her strange saviour calmly turned and walked away with a cheery wave.