Curse of the Gifted

*oh my gosh is it really Gold on this wiki? Editing?*

## Blurb

Juliette is a Gifted with extraordinary intelligence; and a snowy owl as her soulmate.

Yeah, right.

Yes, the tests *did* show that she was a Gifted. But with no other Gifteds in her genetic line, she can't help but be suspicious. Especially since her so-called 'power' is only intelligence. Of course, she has to deal with all of the drama surrounding her unique genes, as well as losing her BFF and gaining about a thousand enemies. Amidst all that, she has her headmistress out to expel her from the Académie de Lune. Couple those with the fact that her new best friend gets a super awesome power, and it seems like her life can't get any worse.

Or can it?

Yes, it can. If she's also the victim of a curse, an experiment, and half a million lies, that is. Which she is.

## Preface

To be written when I figure the plot out. ':)

## One

*"The first Gifted is Shannon Alben.* Everyone, please give her a round of applause."

Madam Rihana's voice rang clearly in the large auditorium, drowned out by the loud clapping that came from all of the students. Everyone knew that if there was going to be a Gifted in their school, it would be Shannon. Both of her parents were Gifteds, as were three of her grandparents and her aunt.

"Ugh. Shannon's a Gifted. That means that if *you're* a Gifted, too, then you might be in the same school as her," Juliette muttered under her breath.

"I know. But if I *am*, then I'm going to pick a different school." Her bestie, Elliana, whispered back. "I'm never going to intentionally go to the same school as Princess Perfect over there."

"The next Gifted is Elliana Chen! Please give her a round of applause."

Right on cue, Madam Rihana's voice rang out again. Juliette clapped as hard as she could as Elliana jumped to her feet and half-walked, half-skipped over to the stage to stand by Madam Rihana; on the other side as Shannon, of course.

"The last Gifted in our school is..."

Everyone's gazes flicked toward Helen. Her mother was a Gifted, and she was the only person with any Gifted genes left in the crowd. Juliette could see Helen's friends nudging her, whispering excitedly.

"Juliette Westwood!" Madam Rihana called.

*Wait. What?*

"Juliette! I never knew you had Gifted genes," Gwen whispered enviously.

"I don't," she answered, feeling as though her brain had turned into spaghetti as she rose and slowly walked toward the stage.

"You had Gifted genes all along?" Elliana muttered to Juliette as she took her place next to her best friend on the wooden platform. "I never knew."

"I don't think so. Maybe there's a mistake," Juliette replied, confused.

"And that's all! Please give all three students a round of applause!" Madam Rihana finished, flashing a radiant smile. "You three, come with me," she murmured to Shannon, Elliana, and Juliette.

They followed Madam Rihana down a corridor to the headmistress's office. There, they sat down on velvet-backed chairs, while Madam Rihana settled herself in her own.

"Congratulations to all of you. Now, I'm sorry for rushing you, but it's time for you three to pick your schools. As you know, there are three Gifted Schools. The Helio, which is an all-boys school that you can't attend. Then there's the Stelle Institute, a boy-girl school, and of course the Académie de Lune, an all-girls school. What do you choose?" Madam Rihana asked.

"The Académie de Lune," Shannon replied promptly. Madam Rihana nodded and made a small mark on a sheaf of paper.

"The Stelle Institute," Elliana added almost immediately. She shot Shannon a quick glare before meeting Juliette's gaze.

Juliette knew that she had to pick the Stelle Institute. She was sure that having her BFF around would be great, and being free of Shannon would be a huge bonus. But the thing was, she wasn't even sure that she was actually a Gifted, and she didn't want her best friend to witness the humiliating event that would surely occur; her being kicked out of the Stelle Institute. Besides, she didn't know whether she could survive a boy-girl school; since now, she had only gone to all-girl schools. Some boys had teased her a lot when she was really young, and she definitely didn't want that to happen again. The logical choice to avoid that would be the Académie. But could she really disappoint her best friend like that?

She took a deep breath, the words like sharp thorns stuck in her throat. She dropped her gaze to anywhere but Elliana as she whispered, "the Académie de Lune."

Juliette could see the expression on Elliana's face in her mind's eye. Brown eyes wide, mouth gaping, not even blinking as she stared at at her.

"Very well. All three of you will receive a letter from your preferred school in the following week detailing where you can meet to get to orientation. And now I better be off." Madam Rihana nodded a quick goodbye and stood up, her heels click-clacking on the tiled floor as she left the room. Shannon followed immediately, not even looking at the two as she stalked away, tossing her light brown hair as she did so.

Then there was only Elliana and Juliette.

"Jules?" Elliana asked softly.

"Elli?" she replied, just as quietly. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying, but she had to brush away a tear before she spoke again. "I'm sorry. But it's just..."

She trailed off, unable to explain why she had chosen the Académie instead of the Stelle Institute. At the time, it seemed so logical. But here she was, mere minutes later, not able to say a thing in her defense.

"Just what?" Elliana prompted.

"I... I don't want you to see me get kicked out. We both know that's going to happen. I have no Gifted lineage. This is a mistake, and I'm sure that someone will come, sooner or later, and tell me that. And I don't want your last memory of me be the one where I'm expelled."

"It won't be my last memory," Elliana protested.

"It will. We've seen Gifteds before. They're way too busy. Elli, please keep me as your best friend in your mind. Not your best friend that was kicked out of your dream school."

"No."

Elliana's voice was ice cold, her usually warm brown eyes like chips of metal. "I should have known. You want to be friends with Shannon, don't you? That's why you chose the Académie. Well, I want nothing more to do with you. Best friend? As if. You're not my friend. You're a traitor."

"Elli-"

"No! You're not my friend anymore, Juliette. I've been trying to control my temper, but I can't stand it anymore. I thought you would choose the Stelle Institute! I thought we were friends! But no. You're a selfish traitor, and I don't care if I never see you again."

Elliana spun on her heel and walked away, her footsteps fading in the background.

Tears streaked down Juliette's cheeks as she sobbed silently.

I

Miss Westwood,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at the Académie de Lune. Please report to the outer gates of the campus at 10:00, August 6th, 2087. The address is listed below. Note that family members will not be allowed to enter the campus. We offer our congratulations on your Gift, and hope to see you on orientation day. Best regards to you and your family.

421 Havenwood Lane, Brieme, Southern Morigal. The Académie de Lune.

Rosemary Moran, Headmistress.

## Two

*"See you, mom. See you, dad."* Juliette flashed a quick smile and waved at her parents.

"Have fun, sweetie! Call us when you need to get picked up!" her mother called back.

"Sure, mom. See you soon."

"Hi! My name is Scarlett Rylin. What's yours?" a black-haired girl asked.
"I'm Juliette. Juliette Westwood. Call me Julie."

"Ohhh, that's such a pretty name!" Scarlett smiled and tucked a lock of her short, curly black hair behind her ear. Her warm brown skin glinted in the sunlight as she walked, her crisp white shirt tucked in the waistband of her red plaid skirt. "Do you have your Gift yet?"

"No, I don't think so. But the thing is, I don't have any Gifted genes, so I have no idea how I'm a Gifted myself. I'm basically waiting to be kicked out," Juliette admitted.

"Who knows? Maybe there's a hidden Gifted in your family." Scarlett said cheerfully. "My great-great-aunt was a Gifted, and here I am. I really hope I get a good Gift. No offense," she added quickly.

"None taken." Juliette liked Scarlett; she was cheerful and fun to talk to, and she didn't seem to mind talking to strangers.

"Hey, do you think-" Scarlett gasped suddenly, her dark brown eye growing wide.

"Why?" Juliette asked.

"Look at *that*." Scarlett whispered.

Juliette turned her head in the direction that Scarlett was looking at and couldn't help but gasp herself. After almost half an hour of walking through the dense forest, they had now come near the edge of it. Through the gaps between the tree trunks, Juliette spotted a huge, glittering silver building. It wasn't tall; it wasn't even taller than the trees, but it was wide and just *looked* so intimidating.

"This way," the guide called, pushing open a large metal door in the building. Juliette and the other students filed inside, goggling at the number of exquisite- and expensive- decorations covering the entirety of the entrance hall.

tbc ':)