Prologue Part 2--The Academy

We're back by popular demand! (or because Annie said she wanted more :D ) HERE YA GO! (But don't expect a BUNCH more; I prolly won't be able to write a lot of it after 2morrow until NEXT weekend. So....ya)

“Stop,” I blurted before I’d even reached him.
Alastair looked up as if he had been woken up from a long sleep. “What?” he said confusedly.
“You’re not allowed.” I plucked the leaf that he currently had in his hand and threw it onto the grass subtly, trying not to make a scene.
“What’s the big deal?” He said it casually. He was still confused.
“It’s against the rules to touch the trees! Don’t you know that? Didn’t the principal tell you? Or the counselors?”
Apparently, my voice had been sharper than I had intended. “No,” he shot back. “No one has hardly talked to me at all.” He took another leaf from the same branch.
“Hey!” I grabbed the leaf again and let it float into the green grass where it was camouflaged. “Stop it, or you’ll get us both in trouble.”
“It’s not even a big deal!” In spite, he took several leaves from the tree and let them fall onto the concrete courtyard.
“No!” I swept up the leaves with my hands frantically. “Stop it, stop it, stop it!” Aggravated, I stood and came up to his face. “I mean it, Alastair! Look, you may not know about the rules around here, but it’s no excuse to behave like this!”
“Why. Does. It. Even. Matter!” With each word, Alastair plucked another leaf from the tree. At the last syllable, he was pulling on a stubborn leaf. Not according to his plans, the entire, spindly branch snapped from the thin tree. The sound it made as it hit the concrete echoed loudly in my ears.
I was over.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone dart toward the main hall.
“No,” I whispered.
I felt the blood drain from my face and saw the blood drain from Alastair’s. His eyes darted across the faces of the teenagers in the courtyard, then leaped to mine. I felt the tears running coldly down my cheeks.
“What....what did I just do?”
I didn’t answer. My mind was rushed with what was going to happen to me now. The bell rang from the main hall, and I instinctively stepped away from Alastair. He was the accused. He was the guilty. But then I stepped back to him with realization. I was with him, so, so was I.
A shaky hand came to my mouth and I gasped, sobbing silently. The rest of the students lined up in alphabetical order facing the main hall. They stood tall, faces grave. I spotted Avery amongst the several kids that I had always known. Her mouth was open slightly, eyebrows pushing together. She was looking at me, Alastair, and the broken branch.
A stillness fell across the courtyard. It dropped like a sheet of rain; it affected everyone. I removed my hand from my mouth and wiped my eyes. I stood up straight and stared forward at my fellow students. I was lined up with Alastair.
The principal stepped out of the main hall. The students’ hands went up in a salute to him.
And the accused stood, faces blank. We awaited our fate.