A Dream of Death

I ran down the hallway my heart thumping wildly. The door was in my sights, my hand reachd out for it. I opened the door and stepped into the room.
"You're late again, Carin," spoke the teacher as i caught my breath.
"Sorry, sir," I gasped out as I took my seat. I pushed my brown hair behind my ears. My gray wings fluttered slightly as I listened to the lecture of the day. I took notes on everything, knowing I would probably be late again tomarrow. The class ended, much faster than I expected. I raced out of the classroom and halls, heading for the courtyard I it everyday after school.
I emerged into the bright light of the empty courtyard. I was the only one who ever came here. I fluttered my wings slightly, glad to be in the sunlight. I took a deep breath and walked over to the bench underneath the tree, my gray eyes taking in the familar details.
In the judgement of the school I had always been a bit strange. While the other faeries had bright wings in shades of blue, green, and pink, I had gray. No one knew why. I was happy with my plain wings though.
"Is anyone sitting there?" The voice of the boy broke through my thoughts on wing colors, I looked up at him taking in his brown hair, pointed ears and black eyes.
"No," I answered nervously, most of the elves I knew had green or blue eyes.
"Mind if I sit then?" he askked with a small smile.
"Go ahead," I replied, it was amazing that I had gotten this far without stammering, I was really pushing it.
"Thanks, I'm James," he said softly as he sat down.
"I'm Carin, it's nice to meet you,James," I replied.
"Likewise, Carin," he said, smiling again. I watched him studying my face, and blushed. That action brought another smile to his face, and a deeper blush to mine.
"So, why are you in this courtyard?" I asked gesturing to the empty courtyard.
"I just started here. That and the fact i'm sort of a recluse," he answered.
"I see, welcome to the school," I said warmly, smiling as I spoke.
"Thanks," he said, "I've never seen that color wing on a faery before. It looks really nice," he remarked, making me blush.
"Thanks. Your eye color is really interesting," I remarked unable to say it looked cute.
"Thanks. What's your story?" he asked suddenly.
"My story?" I asked confused.
"Your story," he said eagerly, "What makes you you, your past!"
"Oh, I see! My parent's left me here when I was seven. I've gone to school here since and I've never seen them since that day."
"That's terrible. To think that I'm only here because my parents were killed," he said, "You know, you look really pretty in the sunset, and you're wings look almost silver." He was staring at me again, I blushed, my breath caught in my throut. He was leaning in, as if to kiss me.
"Hey, you two! Inside!" The harsh voice broke the moment.
"Yes, sir!" James called back as the teacher retreated inside. We followed soon after. "Will I see you tomarrow?" he asked.
"Maybe, maybe not, i do have a tendency to be late. A smile played on his lips as he disappeared to the boys dormitory and I went to the girls.
The next day was the first time I had made it to all of my classes on time. When the final class ended, I tried not to run as I headed to the empty courtyard. Where was James? He was supposed to be here! I knew I was being impatient, so I wandered over to the bench where we had met yesterday. I was so out of it that I almost didn't notice the note. I picked it up, and started to read.
'Carin, i'm sorry, I really wanted to see you again, but they're sending me out on a mission. I don't know when, or if, I'll come back. I'm sorry, James'
The note floated down to the ground slowly. They sent a new student out on a mission? Why? What was the point of endangering his life? I walked to my room in a trance-like state, barely noting the plain green walls surrounding me. I walked to the window, remembering how i had done the same when my parents left. the dirt road went on and on it seemed. I stared along it.
Screams reached my ears, my heartbeat quickened. I threw open my door and ran down the hall, then yeelled at myself for not breaking the rules. i leaped into the air and tried deperately to fly. I floated for a second and then crashed down. I pushed myself up and continued to run.
I reached the courtyard and stared in horror. I darted back inside and headed for the gym. With a simple spell the locked storage room was open. I grabbed a sword, not looking and darted back outside, into the night now. It never cease to amaze me how fast the sun set. I heard booming laughter oming from the destroyed courtyard as I ran out the side gate and into deep woods. School wasn't safe anymore, anyone could see that. I leaped over a small bushand slid to a stop. I had forgotten the small gully. Anything that got stuck in the mud never came out. With my horrid flying skills I'd most likely get stuck in the mud. I had to try though.
I took a running leap and flapped my wings quickly, my grey eyes wide with fear. The gully passed beneath me. Then I started falling. I knew that it was too good to be true. I struggled to stay in the air as I slowly started to fall, I hit the ground and tumbled. I had made it! The sword felt odd as I stood up, but I ignored it.
Then I collapsed from exhaustion, unable to move any farther forward. I watched in horror as two men grinned down at me as I passed into unconciousness.
'The elf paled as she spoke, "Sir, I can't possibly kill him!" She looked like she could be James' younger sister. In horror I realised my parents were chained to the far wall. Who was the him she spke of? I turned my head to the side in fear, feeling the sword on my hip. James was there, unconious.
"You leve me no choice, Selene," he said turning to face my my parents. "Permissum nex pluvia ex meus manuum!" and with the final words of his spell, their fate was sealed.'
I woke chained to the wall, watching astrange, but familar scene.
The elf paled as she spoke, "Sir, I can't possibly kill him!" She looked like she could be James' younger sister. In horror I realised my parents were chained to the far wall, I felt like my stomach had frozen solid. Who was the him she spoke of? I hoped my dream was wrong. I turned my head to the side in fear, feeling the sword on my hip. James was there, unconious. I felt like I couldn't breath.
"You leve me no choice, Selene," he said turning to face my my parents. "Permissum.." The death spell. I knew I couldn't save my parents, but I could kill the man that killed them. I opened the chains with a simple spell. Sliding out of them, I unsheathed my sword. "nex pluvia ex...."He continued, oblivious to me. I started to whisper a spell that was a danger to the caster as well as the victim.
"Everto of barathrum..." I muttered facing the mage's back, "voro him universus...." I continued, waiting for the moment to strike.
"Meus manuum!" he cried, my parents turning to dust at his spell.
"Permissum him spiritus haud magis!"I cried out leaping forward to drive the sword through him. There was a flash of light, a shout that sounded like it came from Jason, a shriek from the elf, and then everthing was over. The light disappeared, the mage was dust, and I collapsed.
"Carin!" James cried. I heard him mutter a spell to open the chains, and then he was by my side. I focused on his black eyes, and smiled. Then I passed out.
I awoke in my sickly green room at school. Outside I heard voices, arguing.
"Her hair, she's become very advanced if she survived that spell..."
"None the less, she broke every rule we had in place for that spell!"
I ignored the voices and looked at my hair, it was gray...no. It was silver like my wings. I examined my face, which looked strange to me after that adventure. I looked sad...and tired. People barged into my room as I turned away from my mirror. I couldn't breathe as I stared at their faces. They looked angry, but also worried.
"Why did you cast that spell?" one woman demanded.
"The mage had just cast the death spell on a pair of prisoners chained to a wall," I replied, stammering throughout the entire sentence. That seemed to be the right thing to say. The strange group calmed down immeadiately.
"Carin, what you did was reckless and stupid. But it was also very brave. Not many fifteen year older elves could cast that spell. You are a very powerful magic user," she said. I blushed in embaressment.
"Thank you, ma'am," I replied.
"We doubt your hair will ever go back to normal, though," said a man, smirking.
"That's okay," I said shrugging to his dismay, "I kinda like it this color. It matches my wings." The woman smiled smugly at the man and I felt like I had missed something very important.
"Well, take care of yourself, Carin. We'll be checking in on you in a few years," she said, and the group left. The man that mentioned my hair glared at me and I felt like I had made a new enemy. I walked to my window and stared out. I wondered what the future would hold as the sun set.