Graduating Class of 2037 [Copy Pasta Edition]

Graduation day. It was a surreal event to any and all students participating. Countless hours and numerous days spent within and out of the walls of the Academy had ticked by, and they all were coming to a close. Student life was no longer something that would be actively in front of them, lest one opted for a collegiate approach. With a world to defend that was otherwise kept secret from the world however, it would be a surprise how many actually opted to further their education. It was a number that fluctuated year to year, countless whisperings among the students as to who would want to go or not. Letters being forwarded to the school of acceptance or rejection, excitement on Esper or heartbreak.

That was a world that Keirsta had long stopped desiring. Of course, as a young child if prompted she would give the near automated response of a desire to go to college and become a lawyer. To become one of the first in her family to actually pursue a higher degree of life and to better herself from the sewer of a life her parents had dug them into. While her brother had beat her out of that situation, living life in the army and fighting for the United States, she herself had another life ahead of her that one faithful day she had discovered her ‘gift.’

A day she’d never forget in her life. Whether or not it was to be a curse and a burden upon her soul or one of the greatest things to ever happen to her had been up in the air that entire first week until the letter arrived at her doorstep. The embossed scarlet emblem on the back of the textured parchment bearing the seal of the school, calling to her to be torn open for her invitation to come to Beata Academy to learn who she truly was and what she could be. Having been one of many teens to read the ever-famous Harry Potter series, a classic traveling through the ages, it had given quite the Hogwarts-esque feel and she swore she had been dreaming.

But, she hadn’t been. The power that coursed through her veins and every fiber of her being was indeed very real and would continue to be until the day she died. Who she had inherited it from would forever remain a mystery to her, but time at the Academy had shed light upon its great potential and what a blessing it could be.

As she stood more towards the front of the line of students waiting to receive their diplomas and officially graduate, the soft chatter filling the air only further plunged the Autumn into a sense that she had to be dreaming once more. It didn’t feel true, that her time spent learning and shaping her gift under the direction of the teachers were coming to a close and she would move on to life as a Guardian. Any attempt to stop her marvelling at the Great Hall was almost impossible, eyes of a vibrant blue and flecked with silver searching and scanning anything her sight could withhold. Silken curtains of a glorious royal blue surrounding them, the sea of family and friends sitting to cheer on their peers.

It panged a certain loneliness in her heart, watching all of the people out in the crowd try to scope out a particular person they wished to see. Keirsta had nobody there for her, having been gone far too long and growing to be too much of a recluse and trying to simply exist through the last of her schooling to have a friend or any family cheering her on. A lot of the people she was graduating with had been at some point a friend of hers, but almost all knew her name for one reason or another. Whether it had been during her time of popularity and likeness, when she had been crowned as Queen of the Winter Formal, a winner of one of the Easter Egg hunts, her time as a Prefect, or even when trouble had fallen that had cast her away.

Now wasn’t the time for her to lament of mistakes of the past, no. Today was the day she would get the chance to dream about her future. Anxious fingers played with the embroidered patterns on her gown, the royal blue shimmering with the golden accents reminiscent of her house. Autumn. It displayed her achievements on her silken thread. Honor Roll, Ex-Prefect, general membership as an Autumnite. All of it would be a memory of what she had become while she walked Beata’s halls. The distraction she played with fell once more to her sides as the Headmaster began his speech upon the podium. A speech she had heard years past, tweaked only to add in specifications of this years’ batch of graduates.

Keirsta could only listen for so long before memories stole her attention. Having never truly ever given herself the proper time to reminisce in the memories she had made at the school, his speech seemed to lay out a perfect time for her to do so. Her first time walking through the iron gates of the school only to be met with the entrance courtyard, spending the first few weeks in the Initiate’s Dormitory until she was assigned her house of Autumn. Meeting her roommates that would eventually become family until dorm organizations shuffled everyone around, attending classes and sinking into the schedule. Meeting Leo Herman - a sworn love of her life and enjoying countless days on end with him in the school’s halls.

Routine life at Beata was something she had learned had much more value than she ever would have thought. If prompted about one of the things she would probably miss most about the Academy, it would be her first answer. Life was so much easier with a routine she could live by day-to-day, instead of being at the mercy of the natural chaotic harmony of living. An odd answer of course, most students she knew having grown tired of the same old things day to day, many waiting for the thrill and ability to sign up for a mission. But it was the simplicity she had began to appreciate, and the simplicity she would reminisce as her pledge to guard the school was sealed.

While standing and simply playing back memories of days past was something that Keirsta wouldn’t have minded to do for hours to come, the shuffling of students ahead of her pulled her from such a mindless activity. The actual ceremony had begun, something she had missed out entirely while submerged into a sea of her own thoughts. Of course, she had only been pulled to the shore as she had to focus on not holding up the line entirely. Names were read out upon the podium, some she knew and others the titles of strangers as it grew closer and closer for her to come upon the stage.

Before she even knew it the base of the steps to the elevated podium was right in front of her, only five or six more people ahead of her before she would receive her diploma and be free to join the crowd. At that moment it was hard not to think once more about why she had come to Beata - what her motive was and who she had done everything for. Every next person called was just the cue for her mind to think on who she was graduating for.

Dad… Cam… Leo… Mackenzie… Annabelle… Shepard.

She was next, it was her turn to receive her diploma and officially become a graduate of the class of 2037 at Beata Academy. Her head tilted upwards once more as she waited for her cue to walk across the stage, the graduate before her shaking the hands of every staff member on the podium before eventually receiving their diploma and walking off the stage. Her breath hitched in her throat as the moment was finally happening.

"And now, our former Prefect of Autumn, Keirsta Chree!"

Her cue. A brilliant smile on her face framed by long locks of pink hair, shimmering blue eyes keeping their focus on the Headmaster as she walked across the stage. A pause to shake his hand, a brief ‘thank you’ passing her lips as she did so. Turning to face the crowd, Keirsta stepped upon the podium. Nerves suddenly rushed all throughout her body as she had to think about what it was she had decided to say. "Greetings, family and peers." Her voice carried an oddly formal note to it, but it was one the occasion so demanded. "When I first discovered my gift, I had no idea whether it was going to be a burden or a blessing. Like many of you who started out at this academy, I was clueless as to what my power concealed and what capabilities it had. Coming from a rocky walk of life, this Academy has been a breath of fresh air and opened my eyes to a much better world around me. The teachers here have helped me master a gift that I never could even comprehend had such power. But outside of simple power, I have been blessed to come to know many of the students in these halls, graduating, graduated and to graduate."

Having to pause in order to take a breath, her smile once more returned as she lifted a hand towards the air. "As what makes Beata Academy so unique with its collection of students and gifts, mine is one that is a little... interesting. While I'm no fire bender," Keirsta paused giving a momentary chuckle, "I have the power to manipulate a type of energy - lunar energy." Taking a step back from the podium, Keirsta gave a brief nod towards one of the staff members hanging by the lights. With a flick of a switch the Grand Hall's lights dimmed, just enough to where any light would be visible.

As her other hand rose towards the immensely tall ceiling, pale silver stands of what could only be described as a gentle glow of light climbed into the air. They swirled into intricate patterns, brightening the room little by little in a calming blue that was easily reminiscent of a moonlit field. As the design in the air faded and the light tumbled down in a gentle rainshower, the light collected towards Keirsta almost like a magnet attracting metal. They gave way to a brilliant pair of wings, pushing the graduate's frame a few inches above the ground to prove her ability to hover, before they too faded in a similar rainshower-like fashion. With the lights once more returning to the Grand Hall, a gentle bow was given from the student. "When I first came to the school, the most I could do with my gift was make a small ball of light enough to light up a room like a laser light would. However, my gift has grown for me to create such vibrant constructs and even solidify such energy to make even a pair of wings. I can use this energy as a way to keep myself awake, and illuminate a room even when I am not there." It had been a long time coming, and she bowed politely towards the crowd. "Thank you."

It all went by in a blur, and before she knew it her steps had carried her to the crowd she couldn’t help but run her fingers along the embossed lettering of the leather cover. She had done it… she actually had graduated. Flipping it open revealed the thick parchment nestled precariously into golden borders, almost like a picture frame. It revealed her name, describing this paper as proof that she graduated from Beata Academy. On the bottom the signature of the Headmaster of the school, a soft chuckle surfacing as the first sound she had made all day as she wondered how mindlessly he went through signing each and every diploma to hand out that year. It wasn’t much longer before the young woman once more flipped the cover shut, and her feet carried her to the corner of the room to survey the rest of the oncoming graduation. All of it was a countdown before it would officially sink in that she had graduated, and her life would be drastically changing from that point on.

To most students, it was a blink of an eye before they found themselves sitting among their peers with their names called before an audience of friends and family. To Leo, it was one of the longest few years of his life. After all, it wasn’t the norm to have a child while still in High School. Then again, nothing about his life was normal. The amount of people with powers and the amount of normal people has a minimal ratio. But rather-- normal in Beata.

Blue eyes flickered towards Keirsta as she spoke, though not lingering long. He opted to scan the crowd for their child. A little boy who was brought by his grandparents to watch his parents graduate. It was easy enough to pick out Leo’s father and his son from the crowd, their matching blond hair acting like a beacon to his attention. His family had already spotted him and began waving by the time Leo made eye contact. A cheesy smile crossed the blond’s face and he waved back.

It did not take long for his turn to come up. Somewhat nervously, he made his way up to the stage, looking out into the crowd that spread in front. Offering his brightest smile, the graduate took center stage and began speaking. He hadn’t memorized a speech and was anxious due to that. However, Leo figured all he had to do was speak from the heart. Simple enough, right?

”Shockingly enough, over the period of time that I have spent in Beata, I have discovered multiple things about myself, and about my power. Well--’powers’.” He took a breath, letting his arms meet his sides. ”Yes, plural. I have two powers. One that I have known about for a majority of my life. The other being just recently discovered within the past year.” Leo took a step forward, meeting the eyes of his peers levely. ”The first being Angel Physiology, merely having the abilities of angels. From wings to even the manipulation of holy energies in order to ‘bless’ objects, or even make similar constructs. When I had first arrived, I had not practiced enough with my wings in order to fly. But now, I can do it with just as much ease as walking. Though--” He offered a sheepish smile toward the audience, continuing with a strong voice. ”I won’t show off because my wings are a bit too big to do that safely. You all will just have to take my word for it.”

”As for my other power, it is much less angelic than it is magical. It requires skill, patience, effort, and love. That super power is called being a parent. As someone who is just barely at the cusp of a year into parenthood, I can say without a doubt that parents have superpowers themselves. Mom, Dad, thank you.” He gave a nod in their direction, receiving the diploma in a blur as he returned to his seat.

High School was over, and the rest of his life awaited.

She didn't know what she was expecting. Four years had passed in a blurred haze, an old tape on fast forward, the most amazing and painful and fantastical four years of her life, or anyone's life ever. Even for someone as boring as her, who always played it safe, always cloistered inside Winter Dorm 101 whenever she could help it, she'd seen and experienced things other people would never even know were possible. That was Beata.

And now it was over.

The Headmaster read her name, but when she got to the podium, she just saw a sea of strange faces. Standing in the spotlight like this, there was no way they couldn't notice her, but she felt like she'd wilt under the blank stares, fingers clutching the edge of the stand.

It didn't feel real. What the hell was she going to do now? This had been her whole life. Coasting by, fading from class to class like a ghost, drifting through on a lazy river of rum and whiskey, and now it was just over. Real life responsibilities, . What was she going to be? A Guardian? Skip to community college, become a secretary somewhere? She wasn't like these other people. Her gift kept her in the worst limbo between worlds, traceless but all-encompassing. Normal among the abnormal, abnormal in the normal world. All of a sudden Evelyn felt like the earth had crumbled out from underneath her, all gravity and oxygen had been sucked out from the room, and all she could do was kick her legs through empty space and try to tread air.

"Um..." She winced from the low screech of the mic, and she fumbled to adjust it. "So-sorry..."

Who was she? What had she accomplished? Would they even remember the moment she exited stage left? Evelyn stared out into the crowd with wide watery eyes, mouth opening and closing as she tried to hook the right words. What could describe Beata for her? She'd thought about that every day since she first touched down in North Dakota with just a bag and a fish tank, but it all washed out from her head underneath the lights.

"I'm n-nobody really..." she murmured, but the murmur carried over the whole crowed, echoing to the furthest corners of the Grand Hall. "My power's k-kinda hard to explain, but I guess y-you'll underst-stand when I l-leave." Her face burned, but trying to get out of this speech was like trying to hack her way out of a thicket. She didn't prepare any notes, rehearse any lines, nothing. Her time had seemed forever until the day loomed right over her. Then all her classes were over. Then she was packing up her room. Then she was stumbling in a line toward the podium. Where did all the time go? High school was supposed to last the rest of her life. "I ca-can't do any l-l-light tricks, and I d-don't have any wings, or a-anything. I j-just make everybody f-forget about me."

She fingered at the snowflake pendant at her chest, swallowing, trying to regulate her breathing, but she could feel the spikes of panic shooting up her chest, the numbing tendrils that crept down her arms, the pounding in her chest. "Th-that's all... M-my name's Ev-Evelyn. White. Um. Thanks. Bye."

Before the torrent of emotion surging up through her chest could catch up to her, she was staggering toward the back, snatching the roll of paper from Nathaniel Wright's hand without even looking at him, breaking into a half-run before she'd even fled the stage. And then she was out of there.

Where was she supposed to run from here?