If Piper had known her group project would have led her to almost getting put on a milk carton she would have taken the detention.
Piper Lebeau was a slim girl with short dark green hair, so dark in fact most could only tell it was green from the ends when they were illuminated by the sunlight. Her skin was a pale shade of white, she contrasted her light skin tone by wearing her favorite color. Black. Typically she adorned a black leather jacket over top her plain white tee shirt, now on most days she wore a pair of black shorts decorated with multicolored vines and flowers, however those were her comfort shorts, she dared not risk their integrity by wearing them to school. She would never recover if they got a hole punctured through them during one of her magic classes. Instead she opted for a pair of black ripped jeans, stylish and immune to being ruined by holes since they incorporated it into their style.
The girl's head was flooded with sweet symphonies and swirling colors, she found herself on an open plane in the landscape of her mind. Grass, flowers and trees all sat upon a range of hills that spanned as far as the eye could see. Soon though her serene domain was invaded, a monstrous meteor parted the clouds and descended rapidly towards the earth and while Piper attempted to run away from the immanent crash her body refused her. And then the rock landed with a reverberating.
BOOM
A resounding thud on the girl's desk awoke her from her midday nap causing her head to snap upwards and her eyes to search around frantically for the cause of the ruckus that had awoken her from her slumber. She quickly found the cause, her biology book had fallen off her lap and plummeted onto the floor next to her desk causing a resounding echo that had caught both her attention… as well as the teachers.
"You know Ms.Lebeau when I had asked everyone to hit the books" The teacher glanced down toward where her hardcover laid motionless on the floor. "I didn't mean against the floor". The teacher's comment earned a few chuckles from the rest of the class who had taken the opportunity to shift their focus from their studies to the main attraction, normally being the center of attention was Piper's forte, however this was not typically what she had in mind. The girl quickly scooped her book up off the floor and placed it back in it's resting place between her thighs and the desk's edge in order to hold it up and to allow her to not hunch over it like some sort of goblin. Piper's hair was not nearly long enough to cover her face, it only covered around her ears, otherwise she would have used it to hide the flush of red that now invaded her cheeks.
The teacher, known as Mr. Klaus, gave her a look that conveyed mild exasperation. Mr. Klaus was a very disheveled looking man who's eyes always seemed to have bags haunting them and who's clothes, while not dirty, always seemed to look as if they'd never seen a hanger in his life. His hair was light brown as well as his eyes that shone a shade of hazel in the light, he was a relatively young teacher who managed to earn the honor of teaching at Cygnus, one of the prestigious 'Schools of Might', and only at the age of 29 no less. Compared to some of the other teachers he was actually closer in age to the older students.
Mr. Klaus took off his glasses and pulled out a silk cloth to clean the lenses as he addressed Piper once more.
"This is the 6th time this week you've fallen asleep in class, unfortunately you've forced my hand and I'll need you to excuse yourself from the class."
Piper attempted to voice her dissatisfaction to her teacher. "But Mr-". The girl was promptly cut off with a wave of his hand.
"Perhaps you'd prefer the headmaster's office instead?" He responded without so much as looking at her before returning his board.
She made a quiet 'tsk' under her breath as she grabbed her bag and made her way out of the classroom in a silent fury.
1
Piper made her way down to the school library, a place typically used for detentions and where the teachers typically sent trouble makers. She quietly opened one of the two wooden doors that led into the room, careful not to let it slam behind her. Her emerald eyes scanned the surroundings, the room was filled with tables and shelves that lined the walls and formed lines all throughout the foyer. To the left side of the library sat two other students a few tables apart. A boy with tan skin and black hair that covered down to his ears, he wore a white shirt and blue jeans, the only noticeable thing about him seemed to be his teal necklace and goblin like smirk. He has been biding his time spinning a pen through his fingers, his gaze soon met her own and he shot her a wink much to Piper's disdain.
'Yeah, no thanks' Shethought to herself beforeshifting her gaze towards the other student that accompanied them in the room. She had crimson red hair and skin tone similar to Piper's, her hair was complemented by her intense but a darker hue of red irises. Magic was known to be able to alter the appearances of individuals but even so it didn't make the effects any less memorizing.
Then it struck her, Piper had seen this girl before.
"That's Adastreia Blackwood… what could she be doing in here?" she pondered.
Adastreia was beyond well known as the school, hell you'd have to be living under a rock to not have heard of her. She was a prodigy, as well as part of the Blackwood lineage, one of the most prestigious and revered families in the nation, and the daughter of General Annalia Blackwood. Possibly the most powerful sorceress of the modern era. For her to be here something must have gone wrong, maybe it had to do with the other student in the room, the two of them seemed to produce an air of tension you could cut with a butter knife, though admittedly more so from the side of Adastreia.
Piper relinquished her bags to the floor next to the chair and table she decided to make camp at. Her spot was about 15 feet to the right of the other two troublemakers, the two of them seemed to have engaged in some minor verbal banter. She tuned out the back and forth by sliding in her earbuds, part of her wanted to bark at them to shut up but she didn't care enough to involve herself. So instead she found the playlist of her own music that she made, closed her eyes and laid her head on her forearms while she let her sweet symphonies guide her imagination to places only dreams could reach.
Heavy Metal: She was fighting demons and beasts with an electric guitar whose headstock had been sharpened into a blade to slay her foes.
Jazz: Here she sat in a coffee shop with saxophone playing smooth music that filled the entire shop with a sense of tranquility.
Wild West: She was part of a band of outlaws riding to catch a train in order to shower themselves in gold and spread their reputation across the land.
As the music changed and her dreams shifted she found herself in a midnight rave with flashing green lights accompanied by smoke that wafted across the floor, easily influenced by even the slightest movements. This dream however was more lucid, as if she could actually feel the fog trail around her feet and feel the waves and booms of the music that played and reverberated through her body. Perplexed, she stopped her dancing that she had been doing when the dream shifted. Now she gazed around with a confused look on her face.
"Wasn't I just in the library…"
Piper's thoughts were foggy, it was the only part of her that felt as if it was still part of a dream. She began to walk through the crowd of party goers and night owls that flooded the dance floor, pushing past one and dodging the waving hands of another as they continued their rhythmic sways.
"I know this is how the raves I've snuck into have been but you'd think I'd give myself more room to move in my own dream."
As she continued her trek through the hordes of people that only seemed to get more and more plentiful she found it harder to move around, she felt as if the space around her was beginning to shrink. Mild panic began to set in causing her to misstep and trip over one of the dancers feet and fall to the floor, the light above her seemed to disappear and the music that had been playing began to muffle. Her breaths shortened and she attempted to stand but to no avail, anytime she moved her hand there was a kick that always seemed to thwart its movements.
But before she could fully lose herself to the fear a hand appeared in front of her urging her to cling on. The girl needed no encouragement and promptly grasped her newfound lifeline which pulled her back towards the surface. Piper heaved lightly as she stood up and began frantically looking around, her attention was drawn to a voice that stood out even through the music.
"You looked like you were having some trouble there." The voice came from a girl around Piper's age dressed in all black and an assortment of jewelry and piercings.
"Thanks, I've heard horror stories about mosh pits before. Glad I won't be included in any." Piper attempted to crack a joke to smooth her nerves, that slip had given her a bit of a scare and she had to remind herself that she was just in a dream.
The girl gave her a smile back. Her eyes seemed to resemble Piper's own, though the flashing and bright green lights that illuminated the area seemed to highlight her eyes causing the green to pop out more than normal.
"Anytime, but you know. You really shouldn't fall asleep in class." the girl responded.
Piper was perplexed at the comment, she wasn't…
2
Suddenly with a head jerk and a gasp Piper woke up and found herself face to face with her teacher. Mr. Klaus.
"I said you shouldn't fall asleep in class Ms. LeBeau. That's how we end up here." The disheveled man said to her. His tone of voice made it seem like he had repeated himself.
"You don't need to rub it in" She mumbled under her breath as she slowly shifted her posture to sit up in her seat.
"Rise and shine sleepyhead, welcome back to the world of the living." The voice came from the boy from earlier who was not seated across from her. He had a smile plastered across his face. A very punch able face in Piper's opinion. To his right sat Adastreia, she had made equal distance between both herself and the other two students.
"Call me that again and I promise that you won't rise as quickly as I did" Piper returned his comment with her own complemented by a smile that struck fear into the boy's heart causing him to flinch, and though she tried to hide it Adastreia let slip a small smirk.
"Alright you two settle down." Mr. Klaus interrupted the feud and drew attention back to himself. "As you all know each of you have done something that has caused you to land yourselves here."
"Objection your honor, I have been falsely incarcerated. It was a simple prank, a jest if you will. No ill will." The boy spoke up in his defense, but anyone with common sense could tell he was full of shit. Piper didn't even know why he was here, but she was sure he deserved it.
"Magnus, your simple prank led to a small crater that now decorated the side of the crystal lake." Mr. Klaus retorted. Magnus chuckled in response knowing he had no defense against these claims. Adastreia rolled her eyes and spoke for the first time.
"If you hadn't let your little prank run out of control neither of us would be here right now, your buffoonery and incompetence will be the downfall of us both." Her words were deliberate and smooth, like wisps of fire. Apparently they stung like it too, for Magnus began to open his mouth but was cut off by Mr. Klaus.
"Well Ms. Blackwood he isn't the only one to blame, after all you were the one who made the crater." Mr. Klaus's tone made it known that the discussion was now over. "Now due to these recent events you've all been placed in detention for the remainder of this month as well as the next."
Immediately the library was filled with the voices of complaints, pleas, and angry arguments of the students who stood up from their seats in protest, after a few moments however the teacher lifted up his hand to quiet them down.
"You know in my opinion you're getting off easy, normally the consequences would be more severe, and for you Ms. LeBeau." Mr. Klaus turned his attention to Piper. "Your sleeping habit's have led to you grade declining, if you fail this next test you might be risking a failing grade that I don't think you'll be able to bounce back from."
"But sir I have gig's scheduled throughout the month, I can't afford to be in detention!" Piper protested. The other two gave their thoughts and excuses as well, Adastreia said something about her mother getting involved, Magnus threw out five different excuses about how his dog was sick, or how he planned to volunteer at the hospital after school. He fooled nobody.
The teacher waited until they exhausted themselves before speaking.
"How about this, since I'm feeling generous I'll cut you all a deal. If you can all work together to procure an Artifact I will mark your sentences as served. Deal?"
The trio of trouble makers were taken aback for a moment, shocked by the turn of events and the opportunity granted to them.
"An Artifact?" Piper thought. She had to rack her brain for a moment, if she recalled correctly those were remnants of old gods and divine beasts that served as memories manifested into objects of some sort. She had heard about them in her history class before, it was actually the subject the class had been learning about from Mr. Klaus this semester. Despite what some might think Piper actually paid attention in class. Well, when she wasn't sleeping at least.
Artifacts were incredibly rare to come across, like searching for a grain of sand on a beach. The only reason she knew they were real is because she knew certain high ranking officials like Generals or Council members owned them, Piper had seen a Royal Knight at a parade once, the woman carried a brilliant white and gold sheath that housed the weapon. Even without knowing what it was at the time she was able to feel the might and authority it carried, around it the very space it occupied seemed to warp and contort as if bending to its will. Beside had stood a young man who though he carried no visible weapon gave off a similar feeling as the sword. She couldn't recall much about the event or the individuals in detail but she did remember at least one thing. Those intense deep purple eyes, around them the very space they occupied seemed to warp and contort as if submitting to their will. Both the sword and the man's gaze commanded great authority and power that seemed to bend the world itself. Acquiring an artifact was going to be nigh impossible, finding one would be considered a feat for the ages, let alone slaying a divine beast.
Piper shook herself from her thoughts and looked over at the other two students, they seemed to have the same idea.
"Deal" They said unanimously.
All three shared the same idea, finding an artifact might be almost impossible. But without the offer they had no chance of getting out of their detention sentences.
"On the condition that you give me a passing grade as well should we find one." Piper continued to everyone's surprise.
Mr. Klaus gave a heartfelt laugh at her offer, something she had never seen before. The teacher's face almost seemed to light up as he cackled.
"Fine then, double or nothing. Find me an artifact and I'll rid you of your detentions and give you a passing grade this semester, if not then you serve double detention and automatically fail."
Piper returned the smile and extended her hand which Mr. Klaus took in order to seal the deal, and with that Piper had just been assigned a new class project.