Chapter One: Together Again

[Maxy]

“...And I assure you all that if you do not think that Drandiga is the place for you, feel free to let us know and we’ll aid you in returning home.”

Headmistress Samantha Devereux finished off her introduction speech, smiling out at the new batch of students assembled in front of her. They reminded her of herself when she was their age, fresh out of high school and extremely unsure of why an extraordinary school such as Drandiga chose her. Of course she got her answer when it was revealed that she was a faerie during a speech similar to the one she just gave. It completely blindsided her and at first she thought that maybe the administration was playing a joke on them. But that was quickly put to rest when one of the staff members demonstrated a simple confetti spell. She could still remember the surprised shouts of the other girls as they ducked for cover. She, however, just stared in amazement. Needless to say, he resolve to stay at the school was cemented.

And now here she was, the Headmistress of the very institution she was a student in all those years ago. Thinking about it made her feel so... old. Deciding to think of the past later and focus on the present now she raised her hands up and clapped them twice. Immediately rolls of paper materialized above the head of each student, causing some alarm. This class seemed particularly jumpy. Hopefully that would be something they’d grow out of with time.

“These are your dormitory assignments. Don’t be afraid. Reach up and grab them. I promise they won’t bite.”

Slowly the students reached up and grabbed the roll of paper intended for them, unfolding and reading it over. Samantha took this opportunity to finish things off.

“This concludes the freshman assembly. You are free to go to your assigned dormitory and settle in. Directions to your dormitory can be found near the bottom of the paper. You will also find that your belongings are already waiting for you there.” She paused, knowing what had to be said next, “Those of you who want to leave immediately will follow me to my office where you will fill out the necessary paperwork and be allowed to return home as soon as possible. Good day to you all.”

A shuffling of chairs could be heard ringing throughout the room as students and staff a lot stood up and began filing out of the auditorium. As expected there was a small group that lingered behind, looking at her expectantly. Sighing softly, she smiled at them even though she wished they would consider staying. But she knew that the life of a faerie wasn’t for everyone.

*********************

Jessminder Subramanian considered herself a normal girl... Until now. As she made her way towards her assigned dorm room she couldn’t help but feel confused and a little intimidated about the faerie thing. Turning to look up at her extremely tall cousin Maebh she tried her best to smile, only achieving a half-smile.

“Faeries. Who would’ve thought huh?” She shook her head and genuinely managed to laugh. “I guess what we read when we were little wasn’t so made-up now was it?” Jess seriously began to ponder if the authors of all the fantasy books she came across knew of the existence of magic and faeries and whatnot. Maybe they were “magic” themselves?

Glancing at the paper she stopped, looking up at the red building in front of them. “Lilith Hall. I think this is it Maebh. Isn’t it pretty cool that we’re rooming together? It’ll be like a permanent sleepover.” She elbowed her cousin the ribs lightly, waggling her brows for emphasis. With that she moved to the entrance and tugged open the door. The lobby area was pretty nice, with a service desk/office and small mailboxes for students to receive mail. Jess instantly felt relaxed and at home... Or maybe it was just a magic spell they cast here to make it feel that way? Oh the possibilities.

Jess moved down the hall and up the stairs along with Maebh, searching for their dorm. Finally Jess spotted it, pointing it out as they moved past a group of girls who were also searching for their quarters. Jess was surprised to see that their first names had been written in fancy letters on a whiteboard plastered to the door.

“Hmm... I wonder who Bing is?” Jess noted the third name beneath Maebh’s, “Well, hopefully she’s pretty cool and not a slob, you know? That would be kind of lame.”

Not wanting to waste any more time Jess put her hand on the door knob and twisted it, pushing the door open. The kitchen/living area was immediately viewable, consisting of a modest-sized table with four chairs, several interconnected counters and cabinets, a stove, a mini-fridge, a couch, and a medium-sized television.

“Sweet! I like this place already!” Jessminder scurried into the room, inhaling the clean scent that hung in the air. She would definitely get used to living here. “Let’s check out the bedrooms!” She hurried over to a circular area that held three doors. Just like before Jessminder spotted her name written on a whiteboard in the same fancy level, indicating that the door on the far right lead to her assigned bedroom. She opened the door and felt her mouth drop open. Plush green carpeting lined the floor of the room with matching walls and drapes. Other amenities including what looked like a spacious closet, a large comfy bed, and a desk. Her bags were present just as the Headmistress said, placed near the foot of the bed. Jess went over to the window, pulling back the drapes to reveal a serene view of the surrounding campus.

“Maebh this is so awesome!” She could barely contain her excitement, thankfully resisting the urge to squee out loud. Rushing back into the area where Maebh was still standing she clasped her hands together.

“I wonder when our roomie will be here? I want to know what she’s like...”

[KaoKao]

Impossible. Unreal. Can’t be true. All of these thoughts raced through Bing Dong Ji’s head as she stayed seated in her chair. Faeries? No such things, right? Bing was eighteen years old, no longer a child, so why should she believe this story of magical forces and realms that the Headmistress just recited. Faeries are things for children, characters created to help them sleep at night, to make them feel the world is a safe and happy place, but they weren’t a reality. At least until now, Bing thought. It was all too weird, Bing thought she was going to go to a fabulous school out in Scotland with an awesome art program…but no, she gets plopped into some sort of magical training academy.

The girls who wanted to go home stood in a group awaiting the Headmistress to escort them to her office and back home. Bing, however, had no clue where she wanted to go. She pursed her full lips and thought over her options: She could go home and go to one of those business colleges her father pressured her into applying, get a job at her dad’s firm and live boringly ever after. Or she could stay here, learn magic and study art at the same time!

Bing shifted her gaze back to the waiting girls, one girl was screaming about being in a school full of witches and demons and another who’s face was frozen in fear, probably at the thought of having faerie magic. Bing grew up in a traditional Confucian family, one who stressed the value of family bonds, they, as Confucian did, did not discuss matters of magic or the supernatural. However, it is widely accepted to be respectful to ghosts and spirits. So if her family could believe in spirits, why couldn’t she believe this faerie stuff?

Sighing, Bing stood up and ran to catch up with the group of girls headed for their dorms, her long dark hair blowing into her face every now and then. Finally, she found the others and followed them outside onto the campus. Bing almost choked on the crisp, fresh air and the smell of the freshly cut emerald green grass.

“It’s beautiful.” She whispered to no one.

Earlier, the Headmistress had given everyone dorm assignments on a sheet of paper, Bing looked to hers and discovered she’d be staying in Lilith Hall. Now if only she knew where that was, after about fifteen minutes of searching, Bing arrived at a huge red building. She pulled open the door and found herself in a stunning lobby area, it even had mailboxes with the students names! Bing began to get extremely excited as she strolled down the hall and up a flight of steps, her dorm room was number two-hundred.

“198, 199, 200.” Bing read aloud as she traversed down the corridor. She stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath. Meeting new people was never easy for Bing, hell, talking to people at all was never easy for her. She smoothed out her bronze coloured tunic dress and played with her black tresses for a moment. Bing noticed a sign on the door with her roommates and her names written on it. “Maebh and Jessminder, what peculiar names.” Bing stated.

When she felt that she was ready, Bing pushed open the door and was nearly blown off her feet. The dorm room wasn’t like any dorm room she’d ever sign, it was like an apartment! Complete with a living and kitchen type area! Bing’s brown eyes widened as she took in everything, now all she needed was to meet her roomies.

“H-hello,” Bing called out, clearing her throat after her voice came out too softly. “Is anyone here?”

[Maxy]

The questioning voice that called out caused Jess to crane her neck around Maebh, eyes locking on to the origin. A petite girl was standing in the door, looking a bit nervous. Jess smiled, sweeping across the room briskly.

"Hey there! You must be Bing! Nice to meet you! I'm Jessminder, but you can totally call me Jess for short." She reached over and took Bing's hand, shaking it firmly. "And that tall beastly creature behind me is my cousin Maebh. We're your roommates it seems. Don't worry, we don't bite or anything."

Jessminder wanted to make sure things started off nicely between them. The last thing she wanted was to make enemies with the person she'd be rooming with the for entire school year. That would be bad. Very bad. Smiling she let go of Bing's hand and moved to shut the door. "Your room is right over there in the middle." She pointed out the door with her name on it for emphasis. "The rooms are really nice. You'll absolutely love it."

She then turned sharply on her heel and went over to the mini-fridge, opening it up. "Wow, they've gone and stocked a few things in here for us! This place just keeps getting better and better!" Jess grabbed a juicebox and closed the fridge, standing up again. "So I guess we should just hang around and talk or whatever. We have a lot of free time before classes begin. Where are you from, Bing? Maebh and I are from Portland, best city in the world thank you very much."

[KaoKao]

"Hey there! You must be Bing! Nice to meet you! I'm Jessminder, but you can totally call me Jess for short."

Bing shook the girl's hand and stood completely still. This girl must be hyped up on something because her energy was extremely high. Bing nodded and blinked and did all the things you should do in a conversation as Jessminder continued to talk. Bing gazed behind Jessminder at the giant girl and immediately turned away, afraid of catching the collussus' gaze.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the subject had suddenly changed to where she's from.

"So I guess we should just hang around and talk or whatever. We have a lot of free time before classes begin. Where are you from, Bing? Maebh and I are from Portland, best city in the world thank you very much."

Bing took a long, deep breath. Be confident, be nice, and smile. Bing repeated over and over in her head. Taking one last breath, she said, "WellI'moriginallyfromBeijingbutmyfamilymovedtoWestchesterafewyearsback!" She slapped her hand over her mouth quickly as she realized how fast she just spoke.

Oh My God, I must look insane!!!

[Maxy]

"WellI'moriginallyfromBeijingbutmyfamilymovedtoWestchesterafewyearsback!"

Even though Bing said the above sentence all jumbled up, Jess managed to catch every word she said. Nodding her head she responded, "Westchester eh? I hear it's pretty nice over there. I have some family that moved from India there. And you're originally from Beijing you say? I've always wanted to go there. Well, I've always wanted to go anywhere that's not Portland. I guess coming here sort of fulfilled that. Scotland! Never thought I'd be here of all places! It's a beautiful country, though I wouldn't mind going over to Ireland. My mom is from there. So is Maebh's. They're sisters."

The teen could ramble on and on about a certain subject if she was interested in it enough. She imagined that Maebh was already rolling her eyes by now for talking their poor roommate's head off. But she didn't seem to mind, did she? Nevertheless Jess decided to tone it down a notch lest she annoy her by accident. She quickly turned the conversation to the school's secret purpose. It intrigued her so much.

"So faeries, eh? Kinda crazy, yeah, but also kinda cool. I just hope it isn't hard to learn magic. I have enough trouble learning algebra sometimes. Do you think we get wands or something? That would be cool, I guess, but oh so Harry Potter...."

[DrLocard]

Do you think we get wands or something? That would be cool, I guess, but oh so Harry Potter...."

Giovanni Espinoza, offical professor of Battle Tactics, Surface Cover Biology and unofficial instructor of not-exactly-school-condoned-but-they-look-the-other-way survival skills, wanted to throw something into a wall. Faeries! Wands! Did these meddles- er, well-meaning headmasters not say a thing about how these children dealt with this magic? Ugh. This was not how things were run when he was younger. But when he was younger...well, perhaps this was best. Less messy, he supposed.



Bang! Bang! Bang!
After knocking, he made a quick check of himself. It was always an ... interesting introduction when the new year started and he met his advisees. Dark brown trousers, neatly pressed? Check. Brown leather shoes, buffed to a high shine? Check. Brown leather belt, also shined and tucked into loops? Check. Nails trimmed and clean? Check. Neatly pressed royal purple button up shirt - buttoned to the collar and both cuffs as well? Check. He was good. He was also impatient, so he walked in.

"You will not receive wands. Unless there is something that someone wants to tell us that we did not know, faeries do not have wands or staves or anything of that nature. A faerie's magic is more internal, unlike we poor unfortunate warlocks. Your magic also depends upon your sphere, but this is no time to explain that. You would be Miss Bing Lan Dong Ji, Miss Maebh Ni Treasaigh and Miss Jessminder Subramanian. I am Professor Giovanni Espinoza and I have the dubious honour of being your advisor."

This would be a wild year, he could feel it already.

[KaoKao]

Bing sighed and took a seat at one of the dining chairs, she was surprised that Jess could understand a word she said...but then again, Jessminder Subramanian was the fast talker she ever met, so why couldn't she be the fastest listener.

Do you think we get wands or something? That would be cool, I guess, but oh so Harry Potter...."

Bing shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but then there were suddenly three raps on their door. As she stood to go welcome whomever it was on the other side, a man just strolled right in and began speaking.

"You will not receive wands. Unless there is something that someone wants to tell us that we did not know, faeries do not have wands or staves or anything of that nature. A faerie's magic is more internal, unlike we poor unfortunate warlocks. Your magic also depends upon your sphere, but this is no time to explain that. You would be Miss Bing Lan Dong Ji, Miss Maebh Ni Treasaigh and Miss Jessminder Subramanian. I am Professor Giovanni Espinoza and I have the dubious honour of being your advisor."

She was completely taken aback, this crisply dressed man just barged into the girl's room and started talking. What if they hadn't been decent? How rude of him! Bing thought, shaking her head. And HE was to be their advisor?

"Hello, Professor Giovanni...um, I don't mean to be rude or anything. God knows, I'd hate to come off that way but...next time, can you please knock before entering?" Bing questioned her advisor, a fake smile plastered on her face.

[DrLocard]

"Hello, Professor Giovanni...um, I don't mean to be rude or anything. God knows, I'd hate to come off that way but...next time, can you please knock before entering?" Bing questioned her advisor, a fake smile plastered on her face.

Giovanni raised an eyebrow. "I am Professor Espinoza, not Professor Giovanni. I did knock and if you had not been properly clothed, I would have not walked in. I am not some mere Human Professor, I am a Warlock Professor." The capital letters were important. "Miss Dong Ji, I understand that you are originally from China, you follow Confucius' teachings and your intended major is Art. Perhaps we can discuss the teacher's Analects."
He turned to Jessminder. "Miss Subramanian, you are from Portland, Oregon, you are mercurial and your intended major is English, am I correct? And Miss Treasaigh, citizen of both Ireland and America. A strong individual with an intended major of General Studies, yes?" He paused. "I will give you fair warning now, before the meat of the year arrives. I am not a nice man. I am not your 'pal'. I believe the Headmaster called me a 'right sodding bastard' last week and she is a very nice woman. I am, however, your advisor. If you will, as they say, 'put up with' my slightly archaic mannerisms and curtness, I will be more than happy to assist you in your scholastic and magical needs. Are there any questions?"

[Sia]

Hearing that she was a faerie hadn’t necessarily blindsided Maebh so much as made her a little irritable. The name, faerie, sounded so incredibly gay. It was definitely something that she wouldn’t be saying in public any time soon. Did her parents know about this? Yeah, they probably did and her brothers were probably laughing their asses off right now. Those smug mother fuckers. They had all been sitting there for a while and Maebh had been bored out of her mind at the time. The woman was going on and on and on about shit she didn’t care about and all Maebh wanted to do right now was go to her dorm and lay down. A normal college probably would have been better than this. At least then she would only have to suffer through orientation which was probably a lot less painful than this. She sighed unhappily as she waited for the woman finished.

Dormitory assignments were next and Maebh found herself annoyed at the fact that it had materialized above her head. Why couldn’t she just hand these things out like a normal person. She sighed once again and grabbed her roll of paper and gripped it by the edge so she could shake it open.

There was an option of leaving early and Maebh was almost tempted to take the woman up on her offer but she knew it would be just to spite her cousin Jess and, hell, she would have a lot more opportunities to do that. Still looking completely unhappy as ever, Maebh stood up and made her way out of the auditorium with Jess, for some much needed change of scenery.

Everything seemed to melt together as Maebh silently followed her cousin to wherever the hell they were supposed to be right now. At the mention of someone with the name ‘Bing’ she raised her eyebrow. That was certainly an interesting name. Then again so were hers and her cousins. Small world.

“Nice digs,” Maebh commented as they entered their dorm. This was definitely something she could get used to and, hopefully, there would be no end to plastic cups and paper plates because she hated, hated washing dishes. A look of amusement crossed over her features when Jessminder came back in. “Guess that means I’m supposed to go check out mine now. Don’t know when the other chick is coming - don’t particularly care either,” that was the truth of it. She now watched Jess curiously and turned after she did. So there was the other roommate. She didn’t seem like she would be annoying, which was good. Maebh didn’t want to have to ‘lay the law down’ too soon. Her cousin had introduced her and herself to the smaller girl and Maebh just nodded and sort of smiled even if the girl had turned away, whatever. She needed to go to her room to see what all the fuss was about.

She trudged to her room and opened the door. Eh…it was all right, but nothing would be the comfort of her own room. Oh well, this room would be looking like her old one soon enough. That was when she would truly be able to relax.

Maebh came back out of her room when she heard the bang bang bang. Her first though was who the fuck would be knocking like that? But she let it go because saying that wouldn’t be proper. At least not so early in the year. She leaned against the door frame of her room, hands shoved into her back pockets. The guy was now addressing them and seemed nice enough. Maebh nearly rolled her eyes though when Bing began to speak. It wasn’t the smartest thing to say to someone who was going to be advising them. It was a little funny though and made Maebh wondered if the girl Bing was a little ‘special’. In spite of wanting to ask that questioned she remained silent and continued to listen to Professor Espinoza. He seemed all right if not a little annoying but she could handle it. At least he was being up front with them instead of beating around the bush.

“[…] I will be more than happy to assist you in your scholastic and magical needs. Are there any questions?"

Maebh shook her head. “None here,”

[Maxy]

"You will not receive wands. Unless there is something that someone wants to tell us that we did not know, faeries do not have wands or staves or anything of that nature. A faerie's magic is more internal, unlike we poor unfortunate warlocks. Your magic also depends upon your sphere, but this is no time to explain that. You would be Miss Bing Lan Dong Ji, Miss Maebh Ni Treasaigh and Miss Jessminder Subramanian. I am Professor Giovanni Espinoza and I have the dubious honour of being your advisor."

Wow. What a hardass. Jessminder wanted to frown but instead kept her face emotionless, merely nodded. Figures they would get the hardass. This sort of thing always happened to them. It had to be Maebh. All that anger she gave off often put them in situations like this. She idly wondered if she could go to the Headmistress and ask to be switched to a different advisor. But really, she could at least give him a chance. Maybe he just liked to talk tough?

At least he seemed to take his job seriously. He knew just about everything about the three of them. Cool. "Yo teach, when do we get to start making with the magic and stuff?" She asked informally, grinning broadly at him. Hey, he was sort of cute. Despite the whole stick-up-the-ass demeanor that is. "We get wings, right? Faeries always have wings." The thought of flying through the air was so unbelievably awesome.

[Kat]

Calling Vivian confused as the headmaster gave the instructions would have been an understatement. Her delicate forehead knotted into a series of lines which expressed her worry. Her head began to whirl, shifting between her options swiftly. She could go to Juilliard or Boston Conservatory, both schools would take her no questions asked, but she would have to wait a year. At seventeen, Vivian was young, and she knew that. The idea of another year at home made Vivian’s heart race into a quickened panic. She would not be trapped any longer by her hateful parents. Her left hand tightened her grip on the handle of her violin case hard enough her already pale knuckles turned a bloodless shade of white. Of course, the rest of her belonging had been put away, but Vivian would not allow the instrument out of her sight. She was an obsessed mother of an irregularly shaped, wooden child. Besides, her instrument, although it was no Stradivari, was worth more than Vivian could picture in her head as anything but strings of zeros. Her parents wanted the best for their child prodigy.

Vivian would stay at the school. Despite the fact magic was impossible, and the fact that her possessing magic opened questions Vivian did not want to ask—mostly about the merit of her abnormal talent, her other option was to return home. Vivian was not willing to cast away her newly found freedom for anything. So, Vivian’s grip tightened on the handle of her sleek case, as she reached for her sheet of paper. Brown eyes scanned the note quickly, and with a small twist of her body, Vivian turned to find her way to her dormitory.

A few seconds later, the tapping of Vivian’s heels echoed down the hallway she was—rather lost in. She wore only moderate heels, but they did manage to resonate in the hallway. She did not need high heels, because her long, sloping legs did not need any enlargement. Vivian was almost so long in her limbs she looked gawky. Vivian noted the echoing stone would not make for an ideal, sound-proofed practicing area, and the idea was not pleasant. She could even hear the slight swishing of the tulle which puffed the cotton shell of her black skirt into a bell-shape. Perhaps the sound was increased by the sheer tights which coated her legs. Her forehead was still knitted with her worry, as she wondered rather pathetically. Vivian had no idea where she was going, and she was probably on her way to making a rather horrible first impression of herself. Vivian had such luck. So, the sound of an older voice drew her to a door. She knocked slowly on the door frame, with fluid, quick knocks.
“Pardon-moi, s'il vous plaît.”
She started with her voice quiet and controlled in nature. Most of the casual conversation she spoke at home was in French, despite being American herself, and it took her a second to register who she was talking to. She shook her head slightly, a few, crinkled wisped of brown hair shifting positions. The strands were only the ones which had freed themselves from her tight, brown bun.
“I’m very sorry for interrupting, but I seem to be a bit lost. Would one of you kindly point me in the direction of room 202?”
She questioned. She pulled her lips into a nervous smile, but even the facial expression could not mask the fear that made the look in her large, brown eyes seem to quake.
She hoped her intrusion was not mistaken for any lack of etiquette on her part. Vivian could not handle the idea of someone thinking she was impolite. She was, in fact, rather obsessed with mannerly order. She had been raised in that way.

Vivian’s fear made the high collar of her starched, white blouse feel restrictive, and she had an odd urge to tug on the stiff edge around her neck. She restrained, but her fingers twitched slightly on the handle of her violin case. She could not help but to allow herself the slightly anxious habit.

((I am so sorry to subject you to this—atrocity of an introduction post. It’s pretty—baaad. I hope you don’t mind me joining. I felt a need to write up an introductory post rather quickly, before I lost interest. I usually, though, don’t join threads with this many posts, so I was a bit hesitant. Oh, and if anyone catches any mistakes in my French, I’m really, really sorry. Despite the fact that I’m taking an Honors French class, I’m not very good with the language. I’m going to—try and make it work. And, I am guessing the door is open. I thought, from what I read, that it was. If not--I'll edit.))

[DrLocard]

"Yo teach, when do we get to start making with the magic and stuff?" [...] "We get wings, right? Faeries always have wings." The thought of flying through the air was so unbelievably awesome.

Giovanni frowned. Scowled might be a better term, but if his frown was to be compared to weather, this was the equivalent of the black clouds, the thunder and the lightning of a gullywasher of a storm, perhaps leading to hail, terrible wind gusts and the formation of a tornado.
"Miss Subramanian, my name is not 'teach', it is Professor Espinoza. In a pinch, I will accept 'Professor'. No other title is acceptable." His words were short and clipped, each one clearly enunciated. "In deference to your ignorance, of course, I will not make note of your disrespect. As for your latter statement...yes. Faeries have wings. The appearance of your wings hangs solely on the state of your soul. If it is innocent and pure, you will have much stronger wings. If your soul is tainted and you have lived a darker life...it will show as well. The wings are functional, but they mature along with the faerie, allowing for more usage with experience." He paused, looking at at each of the three students. "There are other abilities and skills that can emerge. To ken these will require experimentation. I am obliged to offer appropriate assistance in your continual maturing of magic."

Giovanni paused, thinking. Was there any one thing he had left out? Oh yes..."You will hear a great many labels attached to my name, such as 'detestable lout', 'common clod' and the like. Pay no mind to them in the concerns of your education. If you wish to pay mind to them, apply them to my character."
He walked out, but stopped in the doorway. "My location, should it be required, can be had from any higher level student."

[Maxy]

((OOC: Moving this here since there is now one thread.))

When other people around you are excited, it can be felt in the air like an electric charge. That was exactly the kind of feeling Dakota was picking up as he waited for the big introduction to Matthias School by a man he’d heard of described with many words, almost all of which signified some type of power. Thus, for the sake of time, illustrious seemed to fit the bill nicely for the time being, or at least until he formed his own first opinions on the man.

The lights were dimmed slightly; a nice change from the bright, sunny day outside that half blinded him on the trip here. It seemed like a nice omen, but Cody couldn’t help but shake a bad feeling in his gut. People got things like this all the time, he told himself repeatedly, especially around times when lots of things were changing. And, honestly, was there a bigger change then a college farther away from home then he’d ever been before with, literally, no one he knew. Maybe the fact that his feelings were accurate often times was what made him uneasy.

Or, you’re being really, really, paranoid. Everyone who could use a reassuring reality check say I.

“I.” Dakota actually whispered under his breath, feeling slightly queasy. The partially darkened auditorium seemed oppressive all of a sudden with all of the people talking and moving. He straightened up suddenly, and took a look around. Though many people were talking, a bunch more, some even around him, were sitting looking just as awkward and out of place as he must have a short while ago.

Right then and there, Dakota decided to talk to the first person that looked in his direction before the Headmaster started his speech. And if that didn’t work, whoever happened to directly after the introduction.

[Fantasyotter]

Kolton sat in the dimly lit auditorium, worried, anxious, and excited all at the same time. This was all new to him, being out of the country and being with such a large and diverse group of people. He gazed around him, everyone was different and everyone was reacting different to the situation at hand. Kolton felt cramped, suffocated in the large mass. "What have I gotten myself into?" He asked himself, mumbling.

He had asked for this though. Kolton wanted something new, to experience something amazing, find his calling. Just months earlier he had recieved the letter that had prompted him to travel to Scotland. The letter that just felt right to him, to let him experience life outside Tioga. Now; he was scared. Maybe he should have stayed in boring old New York. Maybe he shouldn't change.

He glanced around the room, he could tell now that tension and anxiousness in the room was brewing. Guys were getting antsy...and loud. Kolton was never loud. He was quiet. He kept his seat instead of walking around, horse playing, or just general wandering.

It was hot, it was dark, it was stinky, and it was loud.

Kolton rubbed his eyes, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face, down his cheek. He glanced around again and this time accidentaly made eye contact with another guy. He gave a sligh nod before averting his eyes.

He took a deep breath, it was going to be ok. College didn't all take place in one big dark room. He told himself.

[Twyce]

The hall was a hum of conversation. You could practically see the fresh excitement that was synonymous with the start of the new school year. But, as ever, Charles could pick out any number of apprehensive faces in the mass of students that were assembled before him. First day jitters was rife, but they’d get over it and it certainly wasn’t his job to coddle and put to ease. Those that could cope with the first three weeks would thrive here for years, those that couldn’t were sent back to from whence they came.

He stepped up to the podium and rested his hands on its top corners. He waited for a moment before uttering a single word, “Ahem.”. The room was instantly silent, partly because when you over wrote all the sound in the room with your own voice people sat up and took note. He cleared his throat and began his traditional first day speech.

“This, as ever, is an auspicious day. For many of you it is the first step on the road towards a higher calling. The coming months and years that you will spend within these halls will shape you into the elite, the great and the awe inspiring. At the end of it all, those of you that prosper and survive will become Warlocks. Masters of powerful magics and the guardians of a world above and beyond the nor-“

Charles paused for a second, missing a beat. His ears had just popped, much in the same way when a train enters an underground tunnel but with the notable exception that the same sensation also occurred under his finger nails. He glanced round the room, the other teachers had felt it too along with a number of the more progressed students. He nodded at his deputy who discretely waved over two others and headed out the door.

“Apologies… the guardians of a world above and beyond the norm and the boundaries of rationality. OW.”

Again the popping, stronger this time. A lot stronger. It felt like someone had exploded a whale inside his head, and from the looks of things the other staff concurred many clutched their heads painfully while a select few doubled over and bordered on collapse. Charles stepped back from the podium and signalled to a knot of staff assembling by a door. He then addressed the students, his voice loud and seemingly coming from all parts of the room.

“Do not panic! The situation is under control. We are moving you to safe locals for your own protection. Once the danger has been dealt with you will all be able to return!”

His breath seemed to shimmer and pop as he spoke, magical energy building up inside him as he prepared for what ever was coming. Something massive had just happened above Matthias, some kind of insanely powerful discharge. What ever it was it was definitely magical some how, but it seemed too unrefined to be a spell of any kind. As the staff began to herd the students towards the emergency portals a teacher materialised onto the stage behind Charles and leant forward to whisper into his ear.

“There’s something-“
“Yes I’m aware. We’ll get the students out and then we can investigate. Get Davidson, he’s well read on magical bombs.”
“No, you don’t understand. There’s something in the school.”

Charles whirled around and glared at the other man. It was preposterous that the school had been infiltrated, they were defended against any kind of magical assault. Charles himself had cast many of the newer enchantments. But Charles was a man that put necessity ahead of pride. He strode the fore of the stage and for a brief moment his eyes burst with electric blue sparks. Simultaneously, in the brains of every single staff member, neurons were coaxed into firing in the speech centre. At that moment three words were heard and felt by some of the most powerful spell casters in the known word, words fortified with grim purpose.

DEFENSIVE POSITIONS. NOW.

Almost on cue a tiny sprinkle of plaster fell from the ceiling onto the floor ahead of Charles. What ever it was that was attacking it was fast and damn hardy to get this far into the school so quickly. He cast his gaze upwards, around him staff began to assemble defensive and offensive spells. Barely half the students were out the hall, this was going to be tough.

The sprinkle of plaster became a stream, chunks of masonry tumbling down with it. For a moment Charles thought he heard claws and then a whole section of ceiling came tumbling down in great big slabs. A few intuitive staff disintegrated or transmutated the falling stones but what came after was of greater concern. What ever they were they were pink, and damn fast. They poured from the gash in the ceiling, some dropping down into the hall and others skittering along the ceiling and walls. A flurry of spells were let loose around him and the toll inflicted upon this hideous, anonymous foe was great, but not crippling. Charles had lived an interesting life and had faced swarms, hordes and veritable armies before now, and he knew how this was going to work. The enemy was a tide, and it would break against their defences, eroding them or flowing around through the blind spots until they were all dead.

He clenched his fists and began to weave a spell, his incantation more akin to an equation than the traditional pseudo-Latin gobbledy gook. His fists trembled, the air around them sizzled and popped with flashes of brilliant white light. It felt like he was sweating a thunderstorm out of his fingers. He snarled and spread wide his fingers unleashing the spell against their attackers. As one each of the beasts in range fell limp, tumbling from the walls and air, landing on the floor where they lay unmoving. The pallid moist shapes of tiny brains began to form in the air where he’d removed them from the skulls of the creatures, they fell to earth in a squishy rain of grey matter, many bursting on the hard wooden floor.

He leapt from the stage, this wasn’t going to go well. Already he could see hunched shaped moving the gloom about the hall. He sprinted across the hall towards the remaining students and yelled at them “GET OUT. NOW! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!”. As he did so teachers began to peel away from their positions towards him, a few discouraging spells were cast upwards into the breach.