[b]Jess[/b]

Upon arriving to the seemingly prestigious academy, there was one thing Jess was certain of. She despised the likes of others. Which was odd, considering she’d never been around anyone else other than her mom and occasionally the mail man, but she hated them. She hated how loud they were, how they bustled from place to place, how they looked at her—by god, did they look at her. She’d never realized how short she truly was. Practically everyone towered over her. Granted, it was probably her age, but she supposed she’d never been very tall to begin with. 

Her impression on people had been strictly limited to magazines and television. She’d always envisioned going to high school with others her age, and experiencing the heart-wrenching break ups, having a best friend who spent the night every weekend, going to the mall to stare at cute boys and of the likes. Jess wondered what these kids did in their free time. For while she was soaring through the afternoon skies, they were elsewhere. Probably on the ground, too. 

Although Jess had always come to appreciate her ability to fly, and her feathered wings, she never thought she’d see them to be irritating. They were bulky, and difficult to hide underneath layers of clothes. Not to mention, they often tensed and caused her back to ache. It was uncomfortable. Hell, even wearing a bra was difficult. And rather than being able to whip them out in such a dilemma like she could at home, Jess was forced to keep them tight against her frame. 

Due to this, Jess had requested a room to herself. At the time, she hadn’t known just how much she’d dread the presence of others, so in a way, it catered to both problems relating to her wings and people. Still, there were occasions where Jess needed to get away. Especially when the announcements bellowed through the school. In an instant such as this one, Jess took advantage of her open periods and wandered elsewhere. To the lake, she had decided. 

She'd never really been much of a person to walk to her destination as flying was both faster and easier for her to do. She pondered the thought of taking a few hours to fly, but quickly remembered the discussion she'd had not too long ago. She'd spent hours imploring her mother to attend this school, ensuring her that Jess wouldn't expose her wings unless she was within her own room, the curtains firmly shut. Even though her mother would have no way of knowing if she were to fly, Jess [i]had[/i] made a promise. Which was, in itself, a very rare thing for her to do. 

As she began to near the lake, Jess promptly wrenched her mane into a high pony tail, too frustrated to tend to the tangled mess. “Stupid hair…” she muttered, her eyes suddenly narrowed. 

Approaching the lake, Jess ceased mere yards away from where another girl was bent over the water. Straining to see who it was, Jess inched closer, easing herself through the grass, recognizing the short hair almost instantaneously. It was a girl from her dorm—the one that resided down the hall. Jess's disinterest in others had stretched a great distance, but had never met the likes of this girl. Not necessarily because she was different from any other, but because she hadn’t given Jess a reason to hate her. Well, yet. 

Pursing her lips, Jess began walking without the intent on being quiet. She stood parallel to the girl still on her knees, and surveyed the area before them. 

“I’m pretty sure we aren’t supposed to be here,” Jess stated. “I guess I’m not the only one who doesn’t really give a damn.”