"Roxanne! Hurry up or you'll be late!"
Roxy hurriedly pulled a clean t-shirt over her head as she gathered her overalls from the closet. Her bandana lay neatly on her dresser, right next to Corrin's perch. Curiously, he had not left yet, but Roxy didn't mind, as he was fairly quiet and easy to look after.
Finally tugging her overalls on and tying her bandana around her neck, Roxy grabbed the backpack at the foot of her bed along with her wallet and cell phone, then quickly made her way out of her room down the stairs. Her family was already down there at the dining room table. Most of the boxes around the house were gone, having been already unpacked, yet Roxy's foot still collided with an unpacked box at the foot of the stairs.
"Alan! I told you to move that stuff last night!" Roxy's mother said angrily.
"Sorry, I forgot!" her father quickly jumped up to help Roxy and move the box aside. "You ok kiddo?"
"Yes, I'm alright," Roxy said, rubbing her toes a bit, which were now throbbing slightly. Her father helped her over to a seat at the table across from Will, who had taken little interest in her box incident. "I'm more annoyed Will used all the hot water in the shower."
"Hey! I left you some," Will looked up at her, his mouth still full of corn flakes, "Besides, I had to get my coat looking just right." He brushed a hand along the fur on his face.
"Both of you spent too much time in there," their mother piped up at them as she placed a plate in front of Roxy with a couple pieces of toast on it. "The bus arrives in 15 minutes, and I expect both of you to be on it."
Roxy grumbled as she shoved a piece of toast into her mouth. Her father sat at the end of the table, his eyes fixed on the paper he was reading. He was dressed in a suit, obviously ready for work, but Roxy could still see his powder blue bandana sticking out slightly under his dress shirt.
"I want both of you to behave today," he raised his eyes from the paper towards them. "Will, I don't want to hear you've been starting fights." Will tried to look innocent. "And Roxanne, I want you to try and make some friends."
"What?" Roxy nearly spit out the mouthful of toast she'd been swallowing. "Why should I do that?"
"Because your mother and I are worried about you being shut up in your room every day," he said. "You need to socialize more."
"Your father's right," her mother said, "A girl your age shouldn't be locked in her room all the time."
Roxy groaned as she caught a glance of Will across the table, giving her a mocking sort of grin as he poured the remaining contents of his bowl into his mouth.
Once the two were finished, they were quickly hurried out the door, just able to get their shoes and backpacks on, receiving embarrassing kisses from their mother, and a few words of encouragement from their father.
"Sheesh, they make such a big deal out of this," said Roxy as they walked down the street together.
"Well, it kind of is," said Will. "We're not kids anymore. We're going to be learning... well, adult stuff now."
Roxy's insides froze as the thought of magic classes again. She had been trying to push the thought of them out of her mind, but it kept creeping back in.
The bus stop was just at the end of the street, with only a few other kids waiting there. Serena was instantly recognizable among them, speaking with a grey armadillo.
"Roxy! Will! It's so great to see you again!" Serena turned to greet them once they were close enough, her chipperness instantly getting on Roxy's nerves. "I've been so nervous about today, I could barely sleep last night. Oh! Sorry, I should introduce you. This is my friend, Arnold." She motioned to the armadillo with her. "Arnold, this is Roxy and Will, and they just moved in across the street from me. Say hi!" She pushed him forward, nearly causing him to topple over.
"Er... hi," Arnold waved nervously at them as he straightened his glasses. He wore just a simple t-shit and slacks with a pair of tan moccasins on his feet, and a shoulder bag slung around his arm.
Roxy just nodded disinterestedly at him, but Will at least attempted to be friendly, giving him a small pat on the back, which put his glasses askew again. The group engaged in small talk, except for Roxy who did her best to ignore them and not make eye contact with anyone else until the bus showed up. Roxy got on ahead of Will, and was instantly faced with at least a dozen other students.
Her legs froze so badly, she almost toppled over. It felt like every single student was staring up at her, even though not a single one had even noticed her. Forcing herself to move, she staggered forward and into an empty seat, letting Will sit down beside her, and Serena and Arnold sitting across from them.
"Are you alright?" Will had noticed she was fidgeting uncomfortably.
"There's so many people here, and I'm stuck in here with them," said Roxy, her fingers gripping her tail nervously.
"Did you expect we'd have the bus to ourselves?" said Will. "Don't worry, we'll be there soon."
Roxy kept her gaze staring straight out the window, not wanting anyone to speak to her. She just tried to pretend she was back in her room, alone.
It felt like hours before the bus came to a stop in front of the school. Roxy breathed a sigh of relief as she was able to step off the bus, even if Serena and Arnold were sticking around her. There were at least a dozen other busses along the parking lot unloading students. The large brick building in front of them read the words Addie Skye Regional High School over the main entrance. Several security staff were herding students in through the front entrance, but there were a couple signs that read "Freshman Students" with arrows pointing to a side entrance.
Following the signs led them through a side door into a large auditorium. Roxy tried to find a seat at the back by herself, but the security guards motioned her towards the front so everyone would be bundled together. She grumbled as they were led towards an empty row surrounded by other students. Roxy and Will took seats near the center, with Serena and Arnold sitting down next to them.
"Did you get a look at that guy's shoes?" Will whispered to her, motioning towards the security guard who had shown them to their seats. Roxy glanced over at him as he walked away. He was a red panda, and was dressed in the same outfit as the guards that were outside, but instead of boots, he was wearing some sort of strange looking white canvas shoe with an orange rubber sole that spread over his toes. The design was rather similar to the shoes Roxy was wearing on her own feet, but a much different material.
"Weird..." Roxy watched as the panda walked away. Maybe it was some kind of weird fashion statement. She tried to put it out of her mind, until she noticed another security guard, this one a coyote, was wearing similar looking footwear, only with green soles. That couldn't be a coincidence. Where could you even get shoes like that?
Roxy's confusion about the odd choice of footwear was only compounded once the assembly they had gathered for began. Everyone's attention fell to the stage as a large silverback gorilla walked out. He wore a nice looking gray suit and horn-rimmed glasses on his face, but his feet were again clad in the strange white canvas shoes, the soles colored a deep blue color. Was this some kind of school requirement? Why weren't the guards outside wearing them?
"Good morning," the gorilla's voice boomed over the speaker system as he stood behind the podium speaking into a microphone. "I am Malego Postma, and I am head principal here at Addie Skye Regional, and I would like to take a moment to welcome you to what I hope will be your second home for the next 4 years."
Roxy found herself rather attentive to Malego's speech. He had a stern and strict voice, but with an air of friendliness to him.
"Now I don't want to take up too much time, so I will make this brief," Malego continued. "First and foremost, I wish to bring attention to our security staff. I would ask that you not be intimidated by their presence, as they are unarmed, and are meant only to keep order among you. Student rule-breaking and misbehavior is not tolerated, and they will step in to restore order. However, should any of them use unnecessary force against you, it should be immediately reported to me, or the nearest available faculty member."
"Second notice is regarding school rules. Fighting on school grounds is not tolerated. Any form of physical or magical violence against fellow students or faculty will lead to immediate suspension, and repeat offenders will face expulsion. Students are not to be in the halls during class time without a teacher's note. Our code of conduct is easy enough to follow, so I trust that there will be very few issues. Students interested in any of our social clubs can find signup sheets on my office, along with meeting schedules."
"Last of all, I want to bring up the subject of your own magical abilities. While very soon, you will be learning the use of these talents, but I must provide a warning: You are all still very young, and magical abilities can be very dangerous. Professor Fenne keeps me informed of what your abilities are, and I wish to warn you that unsupervised magical practice is prohibited."
Roxy lowered her head, keeping her gaze fixed on her feet as she clenched at her tail again. She hadn't been aware magic was dangerous. Her nerves about magic were even worse now.
"If you have any further questions, my office is open to students during free periods. Now, I think I've taken up enough of your time. The teachers at the back will take you to get your class schedules and supplies. I wish you all a happy school year. Dismissed." Malego nodded as he stepped away from the podium. A few students gave some light clapping, but everyone else was standing up to leave.
"What was all that stuff about magic being dangerous?" Will said as they stood up to leave. "Dad can light fires without a sweat."
Roxy didn't answer as they walked to the back of the auditorium. Students were being sorted alphabetically by their last names, so Serena left them for another group, but Arnold was grouped in with them. A security guard led them into the school properly. There were students dotted around conversing with each other, and Roxy instantly noticed that each one of them had those white shoes on their feet.
Finally, they were brought to a classroom on the second floor and told to line up. Roxy kept her head down and tried to keep hidden behind Will in case anyone tried to speak to her. One by one, students disappeared inside the classroom, then came back out a minute or so later with a stack of books, and their shoes removed, replaced with those white canvas ones.
Eventually they were at the front of the line. Roxy could see inside just past Will. There was a student sitting in a chair inside. He was a raccoon with really scruffy looking fur, a dirty blue t-shirt, and worn looking shorts. The only thing clean about him were the canvas shoes on his feet.
"I hate these," he said, looking up at the teacher in front of him.
"Well that's too bad," she replied. "You walked in here with nothing on your feet, that's why we have this rule in the first place."
The raccoon grumbled as he stood up, apparently disgusted with the footwear he'd been given. "What happens if I just don't wear them?"
"Then we'll see you in detention," the teacher said, picking up a stack of books, pushing it into his arms. "And if you lose them, you get to pay for a new pair. Just don't think about it, and come back to the principal's office during free period to get your ID."
The raccoon just shot her a dirty look as he turned to leave, shoving his way past Will in the doorway muttering something under his breath. Will largely just ignored him and stepped into the room next.
"Hello there," the teacher said in a cheery tone. "Need your name please."
"Will Skysong," Will said as he sat down in the chair.
The teacher started shifting through a pile of papers. Now that Roxy could get a good look at her, she could see that she was a fox. Her fur was bright red, almost as red as her own. She wore an orange tinted dress, and her white canvas shoes had colored soles to match. When she turned away from Roxy, she was surprised to find that she had four fluffy red tails coming out of her torso, making her a kitsune. Roxy couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She always liked her own tail, and wished she could have several of them.
"Skysong... Skysong... Ah, William! Here you are," She pulled a piece of paper out of the folder.
"Uh... just Will, please," Will said with a stern look on his face.
"Alright then Will. Please take your shoes off and sit tight for a second," she put the paper down on the table and began pulling books from the stacks.
Will reached down and slid his sneakers off, exposing his white furred feet. He flexed his toes a bit as he waited for the teacher to return. Once she had assembled a pile of books, she returned to Will with a scale to measure his feet. He jumped a bit excitedly as the teacher took his foot into her hands and placed it on the scale.
"Hmm... size 10, wide fit," she released Will's foot and placed the scale down. "Do you have a color preference for the soles?"
"Um... black I guess," Will shrugged.
The teacher went to the back of the room, digging through various boxes, eventually returning with one, which she opened to reveal another pair of white canvas shoes with black soles. "Here, try these on." She took them out and handed them to him.
"What's the deal with these things anyway?" said Will as he crossed his leg and slid one of the shoes on.
"It's a policy we had to adopt a few years ago," said the teacher. "Several students were being fussy about wearing shoes, so they made these required for all students and faculty. You get used to them pretty fast."
"Woah! What the heck are these things made of?" Will flexed his now shoed foot outwards.
"It's mostly canvas, but the soles are rubber," the teacher replied.
"Are you sure? I think those are canvas too," Will said as he placed the other shoe on his foot.
The teacher giggled. "You can only wear them indoors. They'll get ruined if you take them outside. Just one last thing." She drew a camera from the desk and held it to her face. "Smile!" Will gave her a nice toothy smile as the camera clicked and the flash went off. "Alright, you're all set," she placed the camera down and handed the pile of books along with the paper from earlier. "Come by the office during free period to get your ID."
"Thanks," Will said as he stuffed his sneakers into the now empty shoe box and piled that on top of the books. As he passed her in the doorway, Will shot her a smug look. "Good luck bigfoot."
Roxy just sneered back. She had always had overly large feet since she was a kid. Some of her most embarrassing moments she could remember was being taken shoe shopping. Everything was too small for her, leaving her with either shoes that smashed her toes, sandals that didn't cover her entire foot, or worst of all, stuff from the boy's section. She'd had to switch to adult sizes a whole year before Will did, and even then, finding stuff to fit was a chore. Her current footwear was even starting to feel a bit snug.
"Come on in, dear," the teacher motioned for Roxy to enter the room. She had forgotten she had been standing there like a deer in headlights, and cautiously entered the room, taking a seat on the chair. "Name?"
"Roxanne Skysong..." Roxy said nervously as she unbuckled her shoes, sliding her black furred feet out onto the cold floor.
"Ah yes, right here," she pulled a piece of paper from the folder. "You and your brother seem to have similar tastes in accessories."
"Huh? Oh right..." Roxy said as she placed a hand on her bandana. "It's a family tradition. I hope it's not a problem."
"It's not against the dress code. You're fine," she said as she sorted Roxy's textbooks into a pile. "Does that mean you're related to that Rose boy?"
"Rose?" Roxy's ears perked up. She was pretty sure she didn't have any other relatives here. "I don't think so. Was that his name?"
"It was something Rose. I've run through too many names today to remember them all. Sorry. But he had a bandana like you and your brother." She picked up the scale and knelt down by Roxy's feet, taking one foot in her hand and pressing it against the scale. "Looks like a size... 12? Oh my, that's big for a girl your age!"
Roxy just wanted to shrink into her chair from the attention being brought to her. She thought she could hear someone at the door giggling at her, but she didn't dare look.
"Don't be embarrassed, it's not a problem at all," said the teacher as she stood up and motioned towards the pile of shoe boxes. "Do you have a color preference?"
"Pink," Roxy said without looking up. She expected her to say that there weren't any pink ones in that size, but after only a few seconds, she returned with a box containing the white canvas shoes she'd been seeing all day, but these ones had pink soles and toes. Roxy was almost stunned, but she quickly got over it, taking them from the box and sliding them on.
Will wasn't kidding when he said they seemed like they were too light. She could flex her foot any way she wanted to, and the sole didn't impede her at all. The warning not to wear them outside was probably not meant to be taken lightly.
"One last thing, look up here and smile!" the teacher held the camera up to take her picture. Roxy looked up so she could take it, but didn't bother smiling. "And that's all. Come to the office during free period to get your ID."
Roxy picked up her stack of books, along with the shoebox containing her shoes, and the paper with her schedule on it. It was a lot more to carry than she was expecting, making it a little hard to navigate past the students still in line, plus everyone else who was just loitering about. Roxy quickly hurried her way toward the stairs, avoiding making contact with anyone as best as she could, but near the bottom, one of her school shoes slid on the stairs, which sent her tumbling down the last few steps, landing in a heap of her own books at the bottom.
"Smooth move big red!"
Roxy almost burst into tears. Everyone had seen that, and she could hear their laughter echoing around her. She wanted nothing more than to melt into the floor, but she knew that wouldn't happen. The laughter quickly faded as the students went back to their own business. Roxy let out an annoyed grunt as she tried to compose herself. She slipped her shoe back on, which had come off from her fall.
"Are you alright?" she heard a voice come from next to her. Another student had approached, and seemed to be wanting to help her gather up her books.
"I'm fine," said Roxy as she started picking up her books. She was still on the ground, so when she turned to the student, all she saw at first were her feet, clad in the same canvas shoes as everyone, but with purple soles, that matched the slacks she was wearing. She stood up with most of her books already in her hands to find the student holding the rest of the books, and her shoebox. She went to take them, but froze once she noticed something.
The student was a female fox like her, but she had silver fur instead of the traditional gold or red you would usually see. She wore a light blue t-shirt with a big purple heart over it, and her eyes were mismatched color, one blue and one green. She looked like an ordinary silver fox, except for one thing. Her left arm wasn't an arm at all. It was some sort of mechanical prosthetic, fully articulated.
The girl quickly caught on that Roxy was staring at her arm, and her demeanor instantly changed. Her expression quickly became panicked as she shoved the books into Roxy's hands, then turned tail and ran away.
"Uh, sorry!" Roxy tried to call after her, feeling a little bad about that, but she was already down the hall far out of earshot. She sighed and continued on, feeling like this day wasn't going very well.
The lockers were at the entrance of the school, rows and rows of them set up so students could get their things and change their shoes right as they came in. Roxy quickly found her locker assignment and slammed her books down on a nearby bench so she could put in the combination.
"You look like you're in a good mood," she heard a sarcastic voice to her right. She turned her head and saw Will standing there leaning against the lockers.
"I hate this place," said Roxy as her locker swung open. "Did you hear I already fell down the stairs?"
"No, but sorry I missed that," Will chuckled, but quickly clammed up as Roxy's face sank. "Aww don't worry about it. Whoever saw probably already forgot about it."
Roxy didn't answer. She just kept stuffing her books into her locker.
"C'mon Rox, you can at least give it a try and act like you don't hate everyone," said Will.
"What's the point?" Roxy turned to face him. "People just get in my way. And all they ever want from me is to laugh at me for my red fur, or my big feet, or my weird clothes..."
"Rox, please. Just try and give people you know a little credit," said Will. "You'll be pleasantly surprised, I promise."
Roxy just groaned, deciding not to bother arguing with Will any more. "What does your schedule look like?" She pulled the piece of paper with hers on it out, giving it a look.
"I dunno, fine I guess," said Will, taking his out as well. It was drastically different than Roxy's, and it looked like they only had one class together. Magical studies at the end of the day. "Damn, looks like we won't even see each other that much. We don't even have the same afternoon free period."
Roxy tried to look disinterested, but she was actually feeling even more apprehension from this. For as much as he teased her, Roxy liked being around Will. At least with him around, she could at least look like she was preoccupied, which made it easier to avoid others.
Her schedule seemed pretty standard. Math was first, then english, a 15-minute free period, and then practical science. Then she had a longer free period, which would likely be used for lunch. Will had this too, so it was probably the same for everyone. The second half of the day was more of the same. Forerunner studies, then an elective class, then another 15-minute free period, with magical studies at the end.
"What does it mean elective?" said Roxy.
"Look at the second page," said Will.
Roxy flipped the page to see a list of classes, but none of them seemed like regular classes. "These look like jobs."
"Apparently, it's stuff to prepare you for future careers," said Will. "We try out each one, then at the end of the year, we pick one to stick with."
"Great, as if I didn't have enough anxiety," said Roxy, looking at the list. Things like carpentry and automotive seemed like they'd be a chore. At least her first one, technology, might at least interest her.
"You're not still worried about being an Ignaren, are you?" asked Will.
"No, not really," Roxy lied. She was actually more nervous than ever, now that it was right there in black and white.
"Well, I'll see you at lunch," said Will, giving her a reassuring pat on the back. "Try and give people a chance."
Roxy just ignored him, keeping her gaze on her schedule. She wondered if she could duck out during her free period and just skip the class, but she wasn't interested in rule breaking, especially not on her first day.
Eventually she couldn't just keep standing around, so she grabbed her math and english books and stuffed them into her bag, and went on her way to math class.
The class was largely uneventful and exactly what Roxy expected. The only noteworthy thing was she recognized the scruffy raccoon from earlier. He got caught twice in the class taking his shoes off, and the teacher had to threaten detention to get him to keep them on. English was also predictable. Roxy recognized Arnold in this class, but stayed away from him.
Her first free period arrived, which was actually rather nice. There were a few area's students could go to relax. A lounge which housed a TV and several table games was rather packed as Roxy passed by it. Probably fun for others, but she had no desire to be surrounded by others. The cafeteria was open all day if students wanted food. Students were even allowed outside if they wanted fresh air, or a change of scenery in the gardens.
Roxy had been told to pick up her ID though, so that was what she was doing. About 20 or so students were bunched up outside Malego's office trying to get in while security tried to keep everyone in line. Roxy tentatively joined in, doing her best to not get jostled. Inside the office, Malego was handing out people's ID's along with someone who was probably his assistant, along with the teacher Roxy had met earlier that day. It took almost the entire free period, but Roxy managed to get her ID card, complete with her blank, expressionless face in the photo. She tried to look for a kid in a bandana like hers in the crowd, but couldn't see him.
It had taken so long to get, Roxy had to rush to get to science class. It looked like a lot of people were rushing too, as there were only two other students there. They slowly started to filter in, Serena even being among them, who annoyingly took a seat right next to Roxy at the same table, her chipper attitude instantly kicking it.
"So Roxy, how have classes been so far?" Serena said with a smile. "I had my first elective. It was horticulture. It's really relaxing being around plants all day. It may be the one I pick, but I want to give the rest a chance."
Roxy just nodded in disinterest as Serena continued to talk at length about Forerunner studies, which apparently she had with Will, and the cafeteria serving banana smoothies, but Serena did not catch on to Roxy's disinterest, carrying on like they were best friends. Roxy was actually relieved when the teacher arrived, because it meant Serena would stop talking.
"Good morning class. I am Rena Skye, and I will be your science teacher," the female red fox said as she placed her bag down on the desk at the front. Roxy pulled her book out of her bag, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a student's hand shoot into the air. "I'm sorry, do you already have a question?"
"Um..." the student appeared hesitant to ask. "Is it true your Addie Skye's mother?"
Rena let out a deep sigh, like she had expected this. "I'm sure you've all heard the rumors, so let's get this over with. Yes, Adeacia Skye is my daughter."
"Woah! Seriously?"
"Oh my gosh! I have all her albums!"
"Can you get me an autograph?"
"Isn't she the one who paid for this place to be rebuilt?"
"Oh man, do you think she'll visit us?"
"She's probably not a real teacher if her daughter got her the job."
"I have her posters all over my bedroom!"
The chatter among the students was broken by a loud clap that felt like it shook the entire room. Roxy and Serena had to grab the table to keep from falling off their stools.
"Now, let's get a few things straight," said Rena as the shockwave passed. "I obtained my degree and began my career before Adeacia was born, I was hired before she made any sort of donation to the building fund, and if anyone has any more questions about my teaching abilities, you are free to speak to the principal. As for my daughter, I will not tolerate students trying to take advantage of my position as your teacher to interfere in her personal life. Do I make myself clear?"
The entire class nodded nervously, most of them still disoriented from the shaking room. Roxy let out a little smile, just knowing there was a fox here that wasn't an Ignaren.
