Chapter 2

"Oh look who we have here," a squeaky voice said from behind Merlin.

He turned from talking to Will and he was enveloped with a smell of rich perfume.

"Hi I'm Merlin", he said and extended his hand, an epitome of politeness to the beautiful girl in front of him

She scoffed, "what kind of name is 'Merlin', were your parents smoking weed when they choose your name."

"Uh," Merlin was stunned, he didn't realise people were this mean, he thought Mean Girls was fictional (the only teen school movie he had watched) how naïve he thought bitterly. He felt a stinge of pain when she mentioned parents, his father had left him when he was little, so he grew up with his mother. Until she died 6 years ago, it was still a sore ache in his heart that he desperately tried to make Gaius and Alice fill.

The girl looked the part of a Mean Girl with long sleek black hair and piercing green eyes, her face glowed with confidence as she pulled her self esteme from the two less pretty indistiguable girls beside her.

"Ignore them Merlin", Will said pulling him away from the girl, "Morgana is mean to everyone."

"Oh, look it's William, how's your father." The girls behind her squawked in coordinated laughter.

Will just smirked, "you've overdone that joke, he's buried ten feet under, where you'll be if your mean to Merlin again".

Merlin felt a genuine burst of affection for Will and felt like hugging him.

Morgana glared and crossed her arms in a defensive position (the two girls behind her copied her stance).

"Watch it Merlin" she replied, looking at him as if he was a spec of dust, "you never know what will happen," with that ominous remark she left, heels clicking across the worn floor.

Will didn't seem fazed, "Come on I want to introduce you to someone,".

Merlin followed Will through the long winding passages that made the school until they reached the library. The library was a massive, it had panels of rich wood that lined the room complete with rows and rows of books from A in Account and Z in Zebra. Merlin compared the wonders of the library to Aladdin's Cave and half expected a genie to come out as he brushed against the polo fished spines.

"Come on Merlin, we haven't got all day."

Merlin was pulled in a small alcove that was surrounded in bean bags and cushions of all size, colour and texture. Sitting on a comfy lime green bean bag was a girl reading intently at a book. Merlin tried to make out the title, but the words were so worn away they were barely legible.

"Gwen", Will greeted, "this is Merlin."

The tanned girl looked up from her book, gentle straightening her crocked glasses.

"Merlin!" she said beaming, a complete opposite of Morgana. Merlin hesitantly made to reach her hand, she ignored his hand and brought him into a tight hug, "Will never stops talking about you."

"Gwen", Will muttered blushing.

Merlin was equally as embarrassed, knowing he had rattled off everything he knew about Will to a frustrated Alice.

"We met the witch on the way".

Merlin frowned as he felt a burst of offense at that particular vocabulary. Beside him Gwen stiffened, "Morgana is no witch, she was a very nice person."

"Yeah was," Will emphasised, "notice the past tense".

Merlin felt the air crackled, as the two faced off at each other, "hey guys-".

"I think she just has low esteem and needs the girls to build confidence-."

"-Just because she was your friend, doesn't mean you have to protect her, come on she was rude to Merlin."

Gwen sighed, defeated, "it's just we were bbfs, I don't know why it stopped."

"Oh come in you lovable teddy." Will said snatching Gwen into a hug.

Merlin stood awkwardly at the side until they broke free and followed them to class. Just as he rounded the corner he felt something hit his head. He blacked out.