...

Michael

Michael hated her. He decided then if he was Arthur, she was Morgan Le Fay. Evil. Gorgeous and graceful and clever but absolutely evil. She was obviously the reason he’d been sent here by Merlin. She was the thing wrong with Northwood. Mystery solved. He could leave now, yeah?

But, even so, when she mentioned his ‘grandmother,’ he gave her a knowing look, raising his eyebrows in what he hoped was a, I’ll tell you later, please shut your mouth about that crazy and not something like keep going, I dare you, though he understood the expressions looked similar.

Because even if she was related to Satan, probably, she was also the only one besides his father that knew about his ancestor and she’d told him about that Flamel guy. That had been the last summer he’d seen her. (He wondered now that he thought back on it if that was why or if it was all a mess of coincidence).

But she might’ve known the poor dead girl and she could help, even if Ellie was absolutely his nemesis, they could form some kind of agreement to get the atmosphere at this school to be less thick with worry and sadness and even if this was only the first year here, no one deserved to learn in a place where they were afraid and no one was telling them anything.

He didn’t grit his teeth and ask her to leave like he wanted to, though. Instead he gave her a bright grin as he picked up his fork. And then he deliberately turned to look at Maribeth. “It’s great to meet you, Maribeth. I am so, so sorry you have to room with this harpy. If you ever need to escape her, let me know and I’ll help you get away.”

In truth he wondered how the girl would fare with his old friend. As it were, she seemed to shrink in on herself and Ellie could be a bit overbearing when she was caught up in something. But she was pretty. He reminded her of a fairy, tiny and pretty with long hair. It wouldn't break his heart to hang out with her even if he had to deal with her roommate.

Then he turned to the aforementioned harpy. “This is Kiddo. And would you quit it with the Brit-speak? You’re going to scare people. No one here knows what sixes and sevens means.” He looked at Kiddo finally, nearly dropping his spoon when he saw the kid’s shaking hands. The knuckles were white and was that sweat dropping from his brow?

“Shite, mate,” Damn Ellie and her accent bringing it out in him, “You all right?” He touched the kid’s back, all thoughts of Ellie and Merlin and Natalie Coleman because he looked awful. He’d been fine a second ago.

    Kiddo couldn’t tell the difference from the real voices and ones taunting him in his mind. He let out a sigh as he realized Michael was talking to him. ”Yeah, uhhh. I’m all good. Sorry. I just have a really bad headache”. Kiddo rubbed the back of his head and then looked down at his other hand. Blood was coming from his palms.

    From Kiddo’s pocket appeared a red cloth square. He wiped the blood from his palms and once again spoke.”I’m sorry if I scared you at all. I get really bad migraines. They’re nothing, really.” Kiddo then looked toward the girl talking to Michael. He noticed her freckles along with her red hair. She seemed to be rude. Kiddo has always had bad run ins with gingers. ”I am Kiddo Ray Day.” Kiddo gave a crooked smile. He thoght the girl was being rude to Michael as far as Kiddo could tell. He thought he vaguely heard something about a harpy.  

    The smile was to let the girl know he didn’t care what she thought of him. He wanted her to know that Michael had somebody there if he needed them. The smile was to let her know that she doesn’t scare him. He’s seen worse, much worse.

    Kiddo then gave out a chuckle at the thought of her insides. This may be the only person that he wouldn’t want to kill if given the chance. Then one of the voices spoke: You know that if you’d killer her it would only be for fun. You can feel your hatred for her swelling. The fact that your first friend doesn’t like her means that you don’t like her. YOU want to kill her, for the sheer pleasure of it. Do it, there’s a spoon right there. Scoop out her eyes and feed them to her. Rip out her jugular. DO IT! The voice yelled at Kiddo, sending a shock of pain through his skull. As if somebody drove a nail into his brain. I won’t do it. Leave me alone for once. He pushed the voice to the back of his mind, letting it rest there until he was alone in the solitude of his own room.

Elizabeth Hawkins - Arthur and Morgan Le Fay an Alchemist

Well well, doesn't he have quite the rigid upper lip?

Once his eyebrows raised and he looked across the table at her so tensely, Elizabeth actually paused for a brief moment. Even over half a decade later, she knew all too well the tell of a warning glance. Certainly he was here for another reason other than just education then, perchance something was amiss? Had the old codger of a wizard sensed something and sent the descendant of the one true King to sniff out the troubles?

Plucking up another piece of the standard mediocre fanfare that was school cafeteria food, she took a bite and slowly chewed upon it. Though certainly it wasn't the best for her palate, it bought her a second to consider what had just transpired.

He had been deadly serious, a warning glance. So sharp was it that it even sent a chilling sense of unease down the length of her spine. Though on the exterior, she didn't show a hint of this concern. As always, she lightly bore a coy smirk upon her lips and little else. There was no room to lose her façade here, that would be for later when she stole Michael away for private conversation.

Yet when he called her a Harpy, her cheeks puffed out slightly in indignation. Perhaps after all that nonsense and trouble she had inflicted upon him during their childhood earned her such, however that was still a bit rude!

Not only that, but further rudeness continued with him urging that she stopped talking like her normal self!

Now that's a little insulting, little King. Don't you think?

"Well, when the bloody Yanks cease with their amorphous codswallop of an abomination to the English language, then I'll stop talking like the proper Brit I am! Not this cobbler of a tongue that the Yanks use." She stated defiantly at first, continuing on with her British musings with her dry sense of humor alongside it.

"That and when the Yanks apologize for the travesty that was...the...what did they call it? Ah yes! The Boston Tea Party! More like the Boston Off Your Trolley Party! Those who waste good tea should be held at Her Majesty's Pleasure, even to this day." Though her humor seemed off in a sense to most, it certainly would be understood by the boy who sat across from her.

Yet the one that drew the most worrisome concern was the fidgety boy that Michael seemed to have befriended. His introduction, his complaint about severe migraines, it all seemed a little off.

Strange little bugger, isn't he?

More concerning than that even was the bizarre chuckle that rumbled forth, even in the state of obviously painfully bleeding palms. Glancing at them first, and then at what seemed to be a blatantly disheveled state; Elizabeth considered for at least a moment or two if this boy was actually mad. Deducing in fact that he quite probably was. The way he chuckled, even though none of them had told a joke.

It was an insidious giggle, and it granted more insight than what he'd probably like. Caution would be taken around this one, as she gained a more reserved state quickly.

"Pleasure to meet you, Kiddo." She added elegantly, soothingly no doubt. "My name is Elizabeth Hawkins." Though she wouldn't extend a hand in greeting, as his palms were still obviously bleeding. That, and she was being guarded about herself. Something that would mark as peculiar, especially for the Alchemist.

Even in their childhood, she had been quite amicable and cheerful to almost anyone she met. Now would have been an incredibly stark contrast. Digging around in her purse however, she acquired a few pieces of gauze and band-aid for him to dress the punctures on his hand. Carefully, she slid it across the table towards the obviously unbalanced boy.

"Well, please see to it you dress those wounds. I'd rather not see you get blood all over your food. But in other matters," She turned to her childhood friend with eyebrows raised in similarly cautionary fashion. Even then however, she still wore a charmingly amused smile. "Would you fancy to catch some tea with me after lunch, Michael? I'd love to catch up with you again; don't worry though, it'll be out by the theater so none of the girls in the dormitories chat you up any."

Michael rolled his eyes as she started ranting about accents and tea. Even though he tried his best not to, he couldn’t help but smile for a second because the whole thing was ridiculous and it was almost like coming home (not that she’d ever find that out). Especially when one imagined her rounding up American’s to take them before the Queen for sentencing in the tea-mines if one ignored the fact that tea comes from leaves.

She hadn’t changed at all. The grace was part of a giant rouse to charm the public as she led them to get lost miles from home while searching for Leprechaun gold (he’d told her they all lived in Ireland but she’d insisted they could travel on rainbow bridges, even though that was Norse mythology and that’s why their gold was there).

Except, behind the irritation at being insulted and that Americans didn’t turn English while in her presence, the was Elizabeth was acting sent warning bells ringing in the back of his mind. She’d always been the first person to extend a hand of friendship to, well, anyone, but this girl had closed herself off to Kiddo.

And, yes, the freshman’s laugh had sent chills buzzing down his spine and the fact he’d made his own hands bleed was alarming, but so was this whole situation (all Merlin’s fault and he still suspected Ellie had something to do with it). And from what he’d heard, migraines were right awful things.

But he put all of his experience in pushing worries and fear and irritation away and sighed theatrically. “Why would I ever do that if I can’t get chat up? I suppose I’ll have to make an exception for you. I guess I’ll find out if tea is all it’s cracked up to be.”

And Michael tucked into his meal. He didn’t eat half as fast as he normally would—not in front of the lovely Maribeth, because Kiddo (as a teenage boy) would know the art of inhaling one’s food and Ellie had known him before he knew how to eat like a human being so she could honestly deal with it, but he’d be civil for Maribeth.

He kept mostly quiet after that, biting back snide comments to Ellie because they were in polite company and that would probably devolve into barely discernible Brit-speak as they deteriorated into their child-selves.

“So, Maribeth, are you a junior as well or did they just give you the short stick off roommates for no particular reason? Surely someone as lovely as you doesn’t deserve that.”

Michael knew he’d catch it later for the blatant flirting, but he’d had enough for stress today and she really was lovely and everyone needed to know things like that because he’d noticed people didn’t notice it themselves. He just hoped he didn’t scare the poor thing away by being too forward.

So, both in fear of retribution and of frightening the girl, he stayed quiet the rest of the meal and did his best not to look like he wanted to bolt and get to the theater about twenty minutes ago. She’d always been better at deciphering Merlin’s rambling than he ever could be. He wasn’t a slouch in the brains department, but she could probably recite chemical formulas without half-trying by now.

When he finished his meal, he stood up and smiled at both Kiddo and Maribeth. “It was awesome meeting you both. Kiddo, I hope you don’t mind if we do our exploring later? I have an appointment with nostalgia. I’ll make it up to you somehow. Good luck with that migraine of yours. And Maribeth, I hope I have the pleasure of spending more time with you.” He looked at Elizabeth, “I’ll see you in a bit, yeah?”

He left, putting his tray away. When he was out of sight, he went directly to the theater. Unsure of how long he’d have to wait, he went inside and kind of lost himself for a bit. Not looking around, like he honestly should have, he took off his shoes and immediately took to the stage. He didn’t dance, not really—he hadn’t warmed up and he’d just eaten and a million other reasons—but he got a feel for the wood beneath his feet. And if he pointed his toes and spun a few times, who cared?

Satisfied that he could learn here, he sat at the edge of the state and waited. He probably should have waited outside, but she knew him well enough to know that he loved the outdoors but he was at home on a stage.

When he finally saw her come in, he stage-sighed, “When the hell did you start coming here? No wonder that old bag told me to come there—anyone with any sense would know you’d cause all sorts of trouble.” But he grinned widely, finally letting himself show exactly how glad he was a friendly face was here.

[place holder post!]

Monday – September 9th, 1974

Breakfast is scheduled for 6:30 AM. While some students are known to get up earlier and get ready, curfew breaks at 5:30AM. Others tend to sleep in until the last moment. During breakfast announcements are made, and then posted on a board as a reminder. On this board the rules of the school are posted as a reminder for those who have a tendency to forget such things.

Breakfast is held in the dining hall of the Main building, and like all meals at Northwood is buffet style. Those students with dietary requirements (diabetics, those with allergies or any other intolerances, or personal dietary choices) will have their special orders prepared and need only ask the catering staff to get them. It’s the perfect time to mingle with those in other classes or years before heading off in different directions for the day!

• Team tryouts are listed for the evening sports period. Students are promised they will help with whatever team they want to be part of, even if they don’t get an actual playing spot.
• Leadership will be discussing (on Tuesday) the plans for the back to school dance, as well as starting elections. All students in Leadership are required to be at Tuesday’s meeting. If you are in two clubs please come to Leadership this Tuesday, or you will be dropped from the club.
• Ms. Reese will be at the Lake during free period at 5-5:30.
• Someone has lost their keys, if they are found please bring to the main office lost and found.
• Mrs. Freeman, the librarian, would like to extend an opportunity for students to help her out in the library. Feel free to show up at 5 for a quick lesson in the Dewey Decimal system.
• Anyone who wants to pick ideas for the first school play may see Mrs. Wellington in the theater during free periods.
• Auditions for sections leaders in music will be held on Saturday during Music. Please bring practiced audition piece.

Elizabeth Hawkins - Tea for Two

Sunday, September 7th, 1974

Another teasing jab at her expense caused the coy smirk about Elizabeth's lips to rise to a state of permanence, even as she as well as the other quieted some to partake in their meals. Noting how he was being so proper almost prompted her towards a humorous quip, as she could all too easily remember how swiftly he had devoured food as a child. Almost akin to a rabid and starved wolf; but now with his stiff mannerisms, she could not help the brief softness of her gaze in his direction.

It was bittersweet though, reminding her of how much she missed her home.

Yet he spoke forwardly to her roommate, and there it was again at even the thought. A twinge or twist in her heart. Envy. Shaking it away and not letting it rise up in the least upon her complexion or poise, she lofted a brow as he excused himself towards their inevitable meeting.

Barely a few moments later, the Alchemist similarly finished her meal and slowly slid out from where she sat. Glancing apologetically to Maribeth in turn, as she had promised something to her almost exactly the same that Michael had apparently promised Kiddo.

"So sorry, Maribeth." She began quietly, glancing as she watched Michael disappear from the doorframe. "It seems I too have an appointment with nostalgia. Would you mind a rain check for tomorrow? It won't be a bodge of a job either, you can flutter on that. See you back in quarters tonight!"

Standing up herself and dusting off the pleats of her skirt before plucking up her tray, Elizabeth turned smoothly and placed in the depository for used food trays before gracefully making her own way towards the exit. Confidently making her way towards the theater and sauntering ever casually as to disguise the excitement in her step, it didn't take her too terribly long to arrive after Michael. Just in time to watch him dance a touch and notice her before sitting upon the edge of the polished wood itself.

His sigh was dramatic and a farce and she knew it by the brilliant smile upon his face. The loyal Hound was just as excited to see the Fox as she was to see him.

"Oh come now Michael, you know that I make mischief from time to time; but not of the sort that Merlin would send you here for." She replied to him in a hushed tone, just in case there were prying ears as she walked closer, settling her palms upon the stage as she stood beside where he sat. "Though, if she sent you here...I can only imagine what is lurking beneath the pristine act that they're putting forth."

"I've been here for three years now though," the Alchemist added. "Nicolas wanted me sent here for higher education, plus to translate a few texts that this school procured of his writing. I have three of the five, still need to find the remaining two."

With a little touch of force she lifted herself upward upon the stage, casually striding to the back where she dug into one of her several hiding spots throughout the school to extract a porcelain kettle, and two teacups. Then finding the sink in the back, she filled it with cold water and placed a teabag into each cup before returning to sit just a few feet away from Michael.

"I've gotten quite good, you know." She began, holding the kettle in both hands as she glanced upward to the boy. It happened with a flicker of her will and little more as with a thin tracing of electrifying looking sapphire light across the bottom of the kettle, the water went from bitterly cold to boiling in the matter of a split second. "Thanks to Nicolas' help, naturally."

Pouring the hot water into both cups and taking her own teabag of Earl Grey and dipping it while she watched it cloud up the heated liquid, she glanced up to Michael. Biting her lip for a second, she found the humility to at least confess to one thing.

"I don't just miss the isles, though." The Alchemist admitted, plucking up the porcelain saucer lined with gold and the teacup upon it. Ringing her index finger into the cup, she spoke into it almost embarrassed in a way. "I missed you."

For a mere moment she looked weakly over to him. "It's been rather lonely."

With the tea, the tone quickly changed from the sorrowful sort she had turned it into at first. Hours passed and jokes were made and taunts expressed upon both ends at the expenses of two sides. Yet curfew was drawing near, and so was Michael's exhaustion; surely as a result of a day's travel plus a tea known for helping settle one's soul a good amount. So she helped him back to a stand after a once again stowing away the kettle and cups after they had been rinsed and cleaned of their mess.

Though at least now the theater smelled quite delicious for whomever might frequent it next.

Casting his weary and tired arm over her shoulders, she carefully helped the boy along in the practically empty hallways as Curfew was literally only moments away. A foolish mistake on her part, having never been one to always keep track of time. Certainly she might have been breaking the rules by helping him into his own dormitory, but there wasn't much else that could be done. If anything, she wasn't going to abandon him in the hallway to be caught by the faculty on the first day.

Opening the door to his room and locking it behind her, Elizabeth helped Michael into his bed and drew the blankets about him to keep him warm. There however, she realized that if she departed into the halls now, there was a greater risk of being caught by the teachers as they were likely patrolling for last-minute attempts to make it back to the dorms just after curfew.

It seemed that she was stuck for now.

Well, I suppose it can be like old times...sort of.

With feline grace, she silently walked over to the opposite side of his bed in order not to disturb the rest of his roommate. Unbuttoning her overcoat and removing the shortened tie that was part of the school uniform, she sat upon the edge of the bed and unwound the long braid that her hair had been imprisoned into.

Off came the overcoat, and onto the bedpost it was lazily hung. Untucked the white blouse beneath it became, and sidling into the bed with the Knight then, the Alchemist cautiously brought her form close with his as to not disturb him.

Finding the comfort in his warmth, she snuggled tightly closer, intertwining one of her legs with his as one hand came to rest upon his chest; her temple finding the warmth of his shoulder, luxury in the slow rise and fall of his slumbering breath. Causing the upper half of his right side to be drowned in fiery red hair.

You bumbling fool...might as well. She told herself, You've been waiting years for a chance.

As a small token, Elizabeth did something bold and daring. Thankfully something that Michael would not be able to remember, as she rose up lightly and lightly pecked his cheek with her lips. It was as sweet as honey, but for the time being she simply tugged the blankets up to her shoulder and up to his collarbone before falling into a deep slumber.

If only she had remembered that she wore lipstick that day.

---

Michael's Room - 5:15 AM

In the earliest hours of the morning, she stirred. With such movement, he stirred and eye to eye with the Alchemist he drearily opened them to the earliest morning lights through the window. Fire glinted then, and such fire was soon discerned to be the crimson hair of his childhood friend.

In his bed snuggled up next to him.

Whose eyes of course opened at the same time his did. Quickly gaining a far more alert status however, as she brought up a finger to her lips with a charming, but ever devious smile.

"Shhhhhhh."

Josh Richards - 5:15 AM

"Uh. Michael, I got to applaud ya and all for the girl, but da ya mind?" Michael's roommate was sitting up in his own bed, staring at the pair of them.

---

Ash - 6:00 AM

Ash woke with her alarm, and was irritated about it. Wait - That was not her alarm. It was Katalina's. Ash pulled her pillow over her head and rolled over.

Ash - 6:30 AM

Ash woke again. This time it really was her alarm. She yawned and climbed out of the bed, thankful Katalina had left early, though not thankful for the alarm. After getting ready Ash headed down for breakfast and looked for Jamie, when she didn't see him right away she grabbed a tray of food and took a seat of her own. It was nice being back at school, but dang she had to say that the weight of last year's issue was weighing on the whole school. Even the freshman seemed to feel it.

Tami, a girl from the swim team sat down with Ash. The girl was a diver, the pair of them got along as well as anyone could with Ash.
"What do you have first today?"

"Music."

"Still?"

"Yeah." Ash put on a fake high pitched voice. "If you've got the voice use it." She dropped the voice. "Anyway. What about you?"

"Swimming." The girl grinned. Ash rolled her eyes.

"Tell me if I miss Katalina drowning." Tami grinned, gathered her bag and headed out of the dinning area, leaving Ash alone until Jamie showed up.

It was hard to sleep at Northwood, especially on the first night of the year, and Jamie was never quite sure why. All he knew for sure is that it wasn't homesickness; he didn't mope around wishing he was in his own four-poster with the never-ending buzz of traffic coursing beneath his bedroom window and nor did he loathe the independence of boarding school. Cold dawn air rushed in while he smoked "just a wee cheeky" cigarette. No, it wasn't that.

He wondered how to describe it, the insomnia, casting a nervous glance over at his room mate who realistically could wake up at any time and grass on him. All the colours of the world were wrong at Northwood, he could say that. Learning tinged with musty enlightenment filled the halls, imprinted itself on the stone, but there was something else – something so obscure that Jamie couldn't quite pinpoint it – that lurked beneath.

Perhaps he was being fantastical, melodramatic, but something was wrong. Perhaps he'd ask Aveline – Miss Standiford – about it, or better yet someone unbiased, like the theatre teacher. Maybe. Jamie didn't want to rock the boat, if he was honest. He was quite content not to be the one drowning next. He stubbed out his cigarette and padded out barefoot towards the showers.

If he allowed himself to sway with the cacophony of noise and the overwhelming sensations brought about by dreams that filled the dorm hall even now, calming him down, well, nobody up that early would understand why. He could smell sharp sulphuric acid – someone must be having a nightmare – and frowned, reeling himself back in.

Maybe he’d go for a run first to get away from all that.

---

Jamie sauntered into the main building and the cafeteria itself later than he normally would, hair still wet at the back from the shower and skin still flushed from the exertion of near non-stop running, first a lap around the building (that took longer than expected) and then a race to make it to breakfast in time.

His tray was piled up with enough items to make a grown man weep. Not only did exercise burn calories, but the mental gymnastics he went through every day was better than any track practice, that was for sure. Still, he downed his two white pills in their little plastic cup before anyone could see – smaller and less potent than the ones his aunt took – and the sharp edge that the entire school’s collective feelings held dulled to a more bearable murmur…

Unless he was looking for it.

Ash was over at an empty table near the corner, lit by the faint light that managed to break through the clouds outside. Even before he saw her, Jamie knew where she was: he heard the rumbling of a dark, isolated bay to his left, not stormy (at least not more than usual) but undoubtedly not the happiest of moods. It was hard to tell what was neutral for Ash… but it was easy, for Jamie at least, to determine happiness, in this case like a golden sun reflecting and refracting over a serene ocean.

It was like night and day. If he was a little more egotistical, he might’ve even thought that he alone was responsible for it.

“Morning!” He greeted with a little wave, his porridge nearly slipping off his tray as it tipped to the side dangerously. With haste, he put his tray down before he ended up dropping it all and took a seat. “Sleep well?”

“Jamie.” Ash smiled, “Morning. I slept okay. Except Katalina’s alarm went off at six.”

“Ooh, God forbid someone wake up Ash Mareino early,” Jamie said, already halfway through shovelling porridge down past the lump in his throat that had been stuck there ever since his early-morning wanderings. “I don’t know how you can do it – I feel sick if I get up that late. What if, like, the showers are broken one morning? Or...” He couldn’t think of another example, or a more concrete reason-slash-lie. Mostly he was feeling the spillover from other people who had anxiety over being late and the natural result was to become anxious himself.

Ash shrugged, “I don’t know I just don’t worry about things like that. I mean, what’s going to happen if I’m a little late for class. Nothing they haven’t already done to me right?”

“No swimming,” he said in a mock-up of Ms. Reese’s tone as he tore open a roll and haphazardly spread marmalade on it. “Take it you’re in Music for first today, then? I guess if you were in Swim Class I wouldn’t be seeing you at this time, so…”

Ash nodded. “Mom isn’t letting it go, but whatever Ms. Reese’s announcement has her at the lake today, during free period, so I’m taking advantage of that.” Ash glanced over at the board. “I’m surprised they’re even opening it for that, so few people want to go anywhere near the lake now. Everyone thinks she was killed there, but..” Ash trailed off. There hadn’t been blood at the site where they’d found the body, everybody knew that – the rumour mill was probably still circulating it.

“Yeah, she definitely wasn’t,” Jamie interjected quickly, almost suspiciously. He felt it, the night it had happened on – three days before her body had been discovered. He’d been out on the lake during that discrepancy, trying to get some air after the daggers of sheer panic he’d felt (mixed with clear-as-day understanding, and hopeless inevitability) sparked an Episode.

It was luck that he’d managed to wake Miss Standiford up before he screamed the place down. Almost belatedly, he continued, “Someone would’a seen it before then and… You know.” A weak excuse.

Ash seemed to believe it and nodded. She looked up at the time. “We should probably go. Have fun in Home Ec.”

Jamie looked up at the clock almost in sync, rubbing the back of his neck and glad of the distraction if nothing else. “Yeah.” He downed his glass of orange juice before saying anything further, the last item on his tray. “Yeah, you too. In Music that is. If they knew how rad I was on the guitar they’d be begging me to take their class.”

He gave a little wave either way, leaving his tray on the table. Ash stood, waved back, and headed toward the music room.

Michael- 5:15 A.M.

The first waking thought Michael had was that Katie must have had a nightmare because she was curled next to him. He didn’t have the energy to shove her out of bed so he just turned over and tried to go back to sleep. But her knees knocked against his and he opened his eyes to give her a talking to (and ask her if she was okay and if she’d like some hot chocolate or something) because it wasn’t even light out yet. Even if she smelled better than usual.

But he was met with clear, mischievous eyes and a mess of red hair and constellations of freckles. Michael tried to jerk away, but ended up flailing sleepily a bit—he didn’t know if it was because of her shushing or that clinging fatigue that kept him from crying out in his complete shock. He was fully aware that without Arthur’s ability coursing through him, he would’ve gone tumbling off the side of the bed in an instant.

After a few moments of his heart beating in his throat, remembering the course of events that led him to this particularly awkward moment (laughing with her and watching blue-white energy surround a tea cup in wonder), he narrowed his eyes. It was more in confusion than irritation or outright anger allowing him to sort of blink and force the ‘OHGODPANICELLIEISINYOURBEDPANICWHATDOIDO?’ down. And despite his best efforts to sound either suave or normal, his voice cracked as he hissed, “What the hell, are you—“

And then his roommate—who he’d not yet met—spoke and he turned around slowly. The other boy was sitting on his bed, staring at the two friends.

“Um…good morning—Josh, is it?”

He was going to have a heart attack at fifteen. It must be some sort of record. They’d write something nice about him in the paper. Probably about his dancing and his chivalry and Merlin would mutter about how he should have had a family before dying to pass on the bloodline and go on to her next hippie thing.

Michael turned back around to Elizabeth. He felt like a startled stoat, caught between a fox and a hunter. Or something. What ate stoats, anyway? Because this was a rule broken. On the first night. They’d be in so much trouble. His mother would write him a very sternly worded letter. Ellie would be judged by pretty much everyone, probably, unless the girls in his dance class had completely overstated how their entire gender is treated. And it all lay on what his roommate would do.

He was going to give her a pleading look, make her fix it because he didn’t know what to do, but she’d sat up while he was facing Josh and the panic that had been building in him left in a rush of laughter.

“Elli your—your hair!”

It was basically a bush, at this point, matted and sticking up and going in the wrong direction. He was used to seeing hair like this—sisters—but he wasn’t expecting it at before-dawn in the morning from his childhood friend who had apparently slept in the same bed as him.

He poked it while ignoring the look on her face. “Oh, I missed this.”

Michael then turned to Josh, finally relaxed, “Um, so, Josh. Sorry about all this. We’re childhood friends and we had a kinda late night. I think. There was tea involved, so it got kind of muddled there at the end. She’ll be out of your hair,” he snickered, looking at her matted hair again, “in a minute.”

But he made a note in the back of his mind to make sure the kid didn’t start snitching.

“Ellie, you gotta get out of here before a teacher comes and banishes us or something. I’ll be look out, yeah?” He opened the door (remember it wasn’t not-curfew yet, but he hardly thought teachers cared about the early part) and stood outside. “All clear. See you at breakfast?”

Just as she darted out of the room and he slipped back in, he smiled and said, "Good luck with your hair!" But then Josh got his attention and motioned towards his cheek. Michael wiped at it own and his fingers came away with color. He’d had to wear it enough for recitals to know exactly what the substance on his fingers was.

He couldn’t help the heat that spread to his cheeks as he sat/fell onto his bed and buried his head in his hands.

“What is going on?” he muttered underneath his breath.

But then he remembered how much possible trouble they could be in and he looked at Josh and tried to look serious. “Listen, mate, I’m sure you’re a fantastic sort of guy and we’ll be great friends by the end of the year. But if you get Ellie in trouble over something as simple as this, it’s going to be a very difficult year for you and it’ll be the year I learn how to make someone’s life a living hell. You understand?”

After his threat, he grinned and started getting ready. He gathered a towel and his shower supplies and went down the hall to the bathroom. Michael took as long as he liked, letting himself think in private.

Not only did he have whatever was going on to deal with, but there was Elizabeth—the same girl who dragged him everywhere and taught him how to get into trouble. The one who forced him to read and told him more about his lineage than he actually wanted to know once he told her about the whole thing. The one who’d told him about her own lineage in return, without his asking.

And there was Northwood itself.

But back to his childhood friend. Who had just crawled into bed with him, apparently—like when they were kids. As if they were still kids. Like it was nothing.

And kissed his cheek. And looked adorable when waking up with bed head. And all sleepy eyed and oh, God, she really was a girl. Like an actual girl with pretty eyes and not the wild-thing covered in mud, holding a library book reverently because she’d saved. Like he knew but now he really knew.

The only thing he could recall thinking after realizing this, walking down to breakfast, was that there was no way he was going to survive the school year.

Elizabeth Hawkins - The Fox and the Hound

An Alchemist's Library

As the Knight exploded from the confines of the mattress and sheets, the Alchemist blearily sat up herself to rest her weight against the her palms upon the mattress. Just in time to hear his roommate speak and congratulate him on bringing a girl back to their room. Watching on as Michael spun to look in fear at first, she covered her mouth in a lazy yawn as not even for a second did the Fox panic.

This wasn't the first time where she had been somewhere she didn't belong, and she had escaped unscathed just fine. Though this would be the first time she escaped from an escapade in the boys' dormitory.

Once Michael spun to look at her and then burst out in uproarious laughter, and her reaction was to sharply awaken a bit more from her dreary state. Surely her hair was certainly all kinds of a mess, it always was in the morning. More importantly than that however, the Alchemist realized she had made a dire mistake in her daring little last bit before falling asleep.

She had worn red lipstick. The very same color that was stained upon his cheek.

Oh dear...well, breakfast is going to be amusing.

Touching her lips and realizing that there would likely be a dire price to pay for such upon a later time, Elizabeth slowly stood and slipped on her shoes and watched onward as Michael scout the outdoors for any faculty members. Finding none, she teasingly ruffled his hair to make it somewhat as disastrous as her own in its current state.

"I'll catch you at breakfast then, see you." Slyly winking in a clever façade that greatly contrasted the panic that had settled in her heart, she darted from the room and hastily made her way with light feet towards her own dormitory. It wasn't far, and she was plenty stealthy.

Darting from one shadow to the next, the fiery headed girl dove into her own dormitory room and snapped the door shut behind her. Resting her back against the solid panel of wood then, she let a long breadth escape her lips as if she had been holding it the entire time. He was due to notice that by now, no doubt.

How could you have been so daft you dolt?!

Slowly she sank to sit against the door as she drew her knees to her chest in discomfort to what she had done. It was supposed to be a secret that she actually liked him, but now it was far too plainly evident. Even then, she had arrived before Maribeth awoke so there was still a chance that she hadn't noticed that the fiery headed girl hadn't returned the night prior.

Unclasping the skirt about her waist and tossing it onto the bed, and unbuttoning the blouse; the Alchemist realized then that in all the hustle and hurry to escape from Michael's room and prospective trouble, she had forgotten her overcoat and tie in his dormitory.

Without a doubt she would certainly have to retrieve those later.

Settling into her usual morning routine, her mind and soul settled and she resumed her usual mischievous and inquisitively intelligent stance. The standard fanfare of a long, warm shower and lavender scented shampoo and conditioner.

Running her fingertips through her hair after she managed to force it to behave, Elizabeth carefully went about the work to straighten it from its haphazard curliness and then the meticulous work about to braid it in a long, but elegant looking appearance that hung beautifully over her shoulder.

Thanking the stars she had extra coats and ties, she carefully donned the latter and former respectively after buttoning the blouse comfortably over the front of her form. Tossing a bag carrying the first pair of classes' books over her shoulder, the Alchemist left a note upon Maribeth's nightstand.

"I'll see you at breakfast! Take care now!" --Ellie

With that, she darted out the door once again and made her way towards the first and her absolute favorite meal of the day. Walking quickly with the purpose of beating Michael there, the quick-footed girl found that she was among the first in the Dining Hall, and in fact she had beaten the Knight there. Hurrying along through the line, she ate lightly then as she always did. Fresh citruses and fruits accompanied by some eggs done over easy with a little cheese.

Feeling a little stressed, she even added a bit of toast with strawberry jam to the mixture of her usual morning meal. Something a little sweeter to uplift her spirits.

At least the smell was as comforting as well as it was invigorating. This day was going to be like any other day, of course. Denial told her that Michael wouldn't notice the dab of crimson on his cheek, denial gave her hope that he dove into the shower before noticing the mark she had left. Yet as the doors opened and Michael strode inward with an air of confidence.

Accompanied by a grin that she knew could only be jubilance.

Oh blast it...he saw it.

Shaking her head slightly and regaining the coy and cunning sense she had always been known to possess, she smirked lightly as she watched the boy gather his own breakfast from the corner of her eye. Of course she herself was acting as if nothing had happened, simply plucking up a piece of freshly cut pineapple and popping it into her mouth nonchalantly as he sat down in front of her.

Maybe I'm lucky, maybe I'm not...I suppose I'm about to find out.

"Well? How was your first night in Northwood, Michael?" She quipped inquisitively with shockingly believable sincerity.

    Kiddo had already been awake now for 2 hours, 9 minutes and 33 seconds. He laid facing the ceiling of his dorm room. His eyes were wide open. Kiddo always operated on about three or four hours of sleep. It was normal for him.

    The night before though was filled with screams from his mind. Like a human trying to escape a cage. Clawing, scratching, yelling, and screaming. The voices were continues until about 3AM that morning. Kiddo kept his mind off of them by sketching, researching, music, and doing the palm trick again. It was normal for him to draw blood from his palms while doing it. It calmed him down.



    At 6:20AM kiddo stood up from his bed. Quickly washed his hair and dressed in a purple button up, black bow tie, black vest. Kiddo rolled up the sleeves like normal. Stepping outside of his dorm after getting dressed he took in a deep breath. The air was crowded and cramp. Kinda dirty smelling. Everybody was setting in and wasn’t use to the sleep schedule. Sighing, Kiddo made his way to the Music room.

Stella had woke up at around 6:00. She was use to sleeping later, but didn't want to be late to breakfast. She first went to the showers, and cleaned herself up. She was excited for her first day of classes in this new place. She washed through her hair and pinned it up in a braid. She had Home Ec first, and didn't want her hair getting anything awkward in it.

After she was done with her shower, she went to put on the school uniform. She frowned a little at this. She was use to being able to wear what she wanted, something free flowing, and more vibrant. However, this uniform was none of those things. She muttered to herself silently as she tugged up the tights, trying to avoid putting a hole in them. She buttoned up the shirt and then the blazer, after pulling on the skirt. She nearly fell over in the process, but came out unscathed.

She locked up her dorm room and had her notebook for the first day, and headed to breakfast. However, as she looked at the map, and then around, she got a bit lost in her thoughts, and bumped RIGHT into an older student. Again. For the second time in two days. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry!" She said and looked at him, and blushed. He was about two years older than her, she guessed maybe more. Brown hair and rather lovely eyes. "I... uh, sorry! I wasn't paying attention!"

@Saltwater Thief

@Kirah @SheriffLlama

Katalina had already been up for the last half an hour, before heading to breakfast. She had showered and pulled her hair up into a loose bun. She was wearing her track suit over her swimsuit, since she had swimming first period. She set her duffle bag down at a table to hold it before going to get breakfast.

After retrieving food, she sat down at the table, waiting to see if Ben and Amy would show up. She made sure that Ben had a spot right next to her.

After a few minutes of eating alone, Amy joined her, smiling. “Morning, how’d roomie stuff go?”

“It went as best it can go… Ash still dislikes me. She says she sees me as ‘the competition’ which is strange to me. We don’t even do the same types of swimming,” Katalina said with a sigh, poking at the eggs a bit.

“Yeah but Ms. Reese always pits the two of you against each other.” Amy shrugged.

At that moment, Ben took a seat next to Katalina, interrupting her train of thought. While he wore his uniform, his hair was ruddy and it could be assumed that he’d just woken up. He set his tray down and took an enormous swig of his glass of orange juice, glancing briefly at the two. “Mornin’ ladies.” He said.

“Morning Ben.” Amy smiled.

“Good morning Ben. Did you sleep well?” Katalina asked, turning a bit in her seat to give him her attention. She would have slipped a hand over for him to hold but he was eating at the moment. She wouldn’t admit it at times, but she like the moments they had of closeness in public.

“Like a rock…” He said. “Actually I think my mattress is the rock… ridiculous.”

“That is how it is with these dorm mattresses… I swear, they get harder every year,” Katalina said, taking a sip of her own OJ.

Amy smirked, and hid herself behind a book.

“I envy Marie… she could literally sleep on a bed of nails.” Another swig of OJ from him.

“Eh, after a long day of swimming and classes, I’m usually out for the night. First night is usually the hardest… so you have music first yes? Looking forward to seeing Mrs. Wellington?” Katalina said, teasing a bit. She was aware a few boys might have had a crush on the older teacher, but not Ben.

He laughed lightly, and said, “I know a couple of people who are definitely looking forward to seeing her.” He noted. “Plus, I’ve already seen the one I’ve been looking forward to seeing.” He nudged Katalina with a stupid grin on his face.

Katalina blushed deeply at that and looked away a bit shyly. “I’m glad to hear that... “ She muttered it slightly but he could still hear her. “So… I’ll see you in… uh, oh shoot what do we have second today,” she said, pausing as she thought.

“Science, unfortunately…” He muttered.

“Ah… well, at least we’ll have it together… and you know I’ll help you where I can,” she said with a smile. At that moment she was tempted to give him a kiss on the cheek, but ultimately chickened out. She was still a bit shy when it came to things like that.

He released a second laugh, and smiled, the corners of his eye wrinkling. “I’d probably fail without you…” He muttered, and clasped her fingers between hers.

Katalina smiled, and gave his hand a small squeeze before getting up. “I gotta go… I promised Ms. Reese I’d help set up the lanes… I’ll see you in Science,” she said, and picked up her tray. She gave him a quick wave before walking off as well as saying goodbye to Amy, still blushing redder than a rose. Katalina noticed Amy waved back and smile before heading to the pool.

Zaylin groaned as her alarm clock sounded, the annoying, high-pitched buzz enough to drive even the most sensible man to insanity. She slammed a fist down on the alarm on the nightstand beside the bed, careful to not smash it harder than it could handle. She had lost more alarm clocks in the last year that way than she had in the rest of her life.
Right, school. Public. Zaylin groaned again and pulled a pillow over her head. From beneath the fluffy comforter, her stomach grumbled. And food. She peeked out the side of her pillow and glared at the early morning sunlight brightening the window’s curtains. They need night classes.
Blinking groggily through the layer of sleep clouding her vision, Zaylin tossed her blankets from her and sat up. She glanced to Athena’s bed, now empty. The memory of the other girl’s alarm sounding and her leaving formed only a foggy memory.
Muttering unintelligible complaints about the morning, Zaylin grudgingly got ready for her day. She hesitantly changed into the school’s uniform, the hem of her skirt nearly brushing against the floor and the blazer thankfully black. She slipped on a pair of socks over the accursed tights, then adorned her usual pair of combat boots. To finish her look, she put on a gem-studded watch and one of her favorite simple chokers, and applied her usual layer of black lipstick.
She paused, checking her reflection in the mirror.
She tugged at the tie around her neck, its pattern matching her skirt. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm the first-day nerves.
With a quick, one-eyed glance to the door, Zaylin placed her hands in front of her as if in prayer. Inhaling through her nose, she opened her eyes. The gold in her irises intensified as a thin, serpentine stream of flame curled down her hands. The feeling of exuberant release, of rightness, flooded through her and tingled comfortingly across her skin.
Calm. Control. The strand broke off into two and licked harmlessly at the cuff before going out, leaving only a slight hint of ash on the fabric.
She brushed the ash contentedly away and checked her schedule. Zaylin shoved the books she thought she would need into a messenger bag decorated with various sizes of chains, then headed into the hall, trying to remember how to get to the dining hall as she ran through the various rooms and directions she had gotten from Athena the night before.
As usual, her memory served her well. She soon found herself in the crowded room, the smell of breakfast food making her salivate.
Making her way through the line of half-awake students, she modestly filled her plate with food worthy of any carnivore, adding a few fruits into the mix for good measure. Not wanting to interact with anyone so early in the morning, she gravitated to one of the few remaining empty tables. Keeping a watchful eye on the time, she pulled out one of her books and began to read while enjoying the surprisingly delectable school breakfast.

Everything seemed to have fallen in place this morning for Maribeth. Although she had gotten very little sleep, due to not being used to her surroundings, she had gotten up with more than enough energy to go for a run.

After getting herself up from bed and showering, Mari made quick work out of getting ready for her first day of classes. She did not take too much time since she did not like to get dolled up like most other girls. She simply braided her hair and made sure her clothes were presentable before turning and walking out of the room. She had already seen Elizabeth's note and had kept reminding herself to go and find her in the breakfast area to eat something. The girl smiled as she remembered hearing the door open and shut before the curfew was even lifted.

As she walked in, feeling a bit more confident about herself, her eyes immediately began to scan the tables. Finding Elizabeth wouldn't be that hard of a job, but what would probably give her trouble were the two blue eyes that locked on to hers from across the room. Maybe not the eyes, of course, but whom they belonged to. She had never seen the girl in her life, yet something about her made Maribeth freeze in her spot and gape at the older girl. Unfortunately the look that the other girl gave back to her, did not match Maribeth's. It was filled with anger and sadness all in one.

__________________________________________________________________



Wide awake, even before the curfew lifted, Athena had gotten up rather than just stayed in bed. She knew if she stayed there, she'd fall back asleep and then no one on the planet would be able to wake her up. Instead, she quietly did a few stretches in the room before showering and making herself look decent. She pulled her hair up in a high ponytail to make sure it didn't go into her face, and took one look in the mirror before quietly heading out. She had stayed up with Zaylin the night before and did not want to wake the poor girl up. Especially since she did not know if her roommate was a morning person or not.

Once in the breakfast hall, Athena found her normal spot, a wide grin stretching across her face as she saw her old friends from the dance team. They had gotten her food already, which she quietly thanked them for, and sat down. Falling back into her old routine was easy. Getting used to the changes around it though, was a bit more difficult.

At a point in time, though. When Athena had gotten up to dispose of some of her trash, she had turned around and accidentally locked on to a pair of blue eyes that were across the room. They had not meant to be staring at her, that much Athena knew, but something about them was a bit off. No, not off. Something about them was familiar. Athena's mind raced as she tried to find out a reason as to why she felt such nostalgia when she looked at the girl across the room from her.

It took her maybe a half a second to a minute to finally figure out why. The eyes that stared at her were from somebody she knew. She had seen them countless of times in person and in pictures. The girl was her younger sister. The one their own father had picked because Athena was not a normal child. The one that left Athena and her mother without a home or any money. Instantly, Athena was filled with something a bit stronger than anger, yet at the same time, a heavy wave of sadness crashed into her as she felt feelings that she had bottled up so many years ago. The yearning for wanting her father to take her and her mother back.

"Maribeth is here..." Athena breathed, not being able to take her eyes off of her sister.

Sindri arrived on Sunday. Most of the day was spent getting used to the rooms and figuring out his daily schedule.


Sunday had been a fairly dull day, with Sindri moving in and getting his room assignment. He’d taken a quick tour of the school on his own, getting used to where things were so that he didn’t get lost on his first day. It was a bit of time before he finally found his way to the library. It was good to go there, and with any luck he’d find some reading material he could pick up for leisure reading. Maybe something classical. Or not. Sindri had a liking for the “classics”.

He entered the library and went to see what he could see, making sure to browse section by section to see where some of the more classic books were. It didn’t take terribly long for him to find the section, thankfully as a result of him remembering a tiny bit of the Dewey Decimal system. He began to browse, already thinking on what kinds of books he would want to check out. And if he could even check them out today, since it wasn’t really the first day of school.

“Hello. I’m Amy Snow. You must be new I don’t recognize you.” She smiled and offered a hand for a him to shake.

He’d almost found the author he wanted to find before a voice did indeed startle him. He instinctively felt time bend a liiiiittle, slowing as he panicked before reasserting normalcy after a moment. “Oh, um, hi! I’m Sindri Holt, and yeah, I just got here. Was hoping to find some good novels to read in the free time.” He responded simply, reaching out and taking her hand, shaking it gently.

“Ah, maybe I can help you Sindri. I spend entirely too much time in here. Do you have a particular genre you like?”

“I was hoping to actually find some novels by Ian Fleming. I think he’d be around here somewhere. Possibly. Hopefully I remember at least a little about the Dewey Decimal system.”

“You’re right.” Amy smiled, and then lead the way to a shelf not far from where she had been putting away books. “Here you go.”

Sindri nodded, glad that he did indeed remember enough to know about where to look. “Oh, neat. Thanks Amy.” he said, somewhat cheerful as he browsed momentarily over the books that were there. “Do you have any books you’d recommend?” He asked with a small grin. Maybe he’d find a new author or something.

“I’ve got about a million, but have you heard of Robert A. Heinlein?”

“Not familiar with the name, but if you think he’s worth a look, I’ll pick up a book or two while I’m here. Can’t have too much to read, I think.”

“Never.” Amy grinned. “His work is a huge deal in the Science Fiction sector. There’s a few books that are similar to Mr. Fleming’s, but they are futuristic. My favorite is about a human raised by martians.”

“Now that is an interesting idea. I definitely need to take a look at that now.” Sindri replied, already picking up two books by Fleming. He looked around momentarily before nodding. “Heinlein should be… over here?” He asked no one in particular, wandering over towards the “H” section for authors. Amy reached and pulled a book off the shelf without even looking.

“Here, this one is Stranger in a Strange Land.” She handed it to Sindri.

“You really must spend too much time here if you can find it without even looking.” Sindri teased playfully, taking the book.

“I’m here during almost all of my free time.” Amy grinned.

“Well then, I think I know who to find if I need to locate some dusty old book from the far corners of the known Library.” Sindri said. “I think this will be a good start on the reading front for my free time. I don’t know what the work’s like here yet. Suppose I’ll find out tomorrow, eh?” He added.

“It’s a pretty good load. I think the teachers discus when they plan on having tests though so they aren’t too many at once. You wouldn’t guess that from the way some people complain though.” Amy sighed. “If you have any questions feel free to ask me though. I’m not hard to find, and I’m willing to tutor anything but French.”

Sindri nodded. “That’s good to know. We’ll see how I manage to do, I suppose, but thank you for the offer. I’m sure I’ll find something I can use a hand with.” he replied. “I suppose I should go check these out then. Was nice to meet you, Amy.”

“Nice to meet you as well. See you around Sindri.”

Sindri smiled and gave a wave to Amy, then went to check out the books, pleased to have some new reading material.



Sindri spent five minutes when he woke up simply staring at the clock, making sure that he was in correct time with the rest of the universe. His daily ritual was undisturbed and it helped keep him on track and in control of himself. After that, he took a fairly quick shower before getting his uniform on, making sure it was properly straightened. A quick check reminded him to put on his watch before he left. By quarter-after six, he was heading down to get some food, ready to start his first day of high school. He had his apprehensions, sure, since he knew exactly one person at the school now, but he didn't let that bother him. Once he got comfortable with his schedule, he would surely find some time to go meet people, and that was assuming that he somehow managed to not meet anyone in his classes or clubs, which he found unlikely at best.

He found his way to the breakfast hall, and went to pick up some food for himself. The food didn't seem like the most amazing thing that had ever been given as food, but at least the veggies looked pretty fresh, which was a definite bonus for him. He took a few moments to look across the hall, wondering where he could sit. It was a matter of trying to not make other people terribly uncomfortable. Shrugging to himself after a bit, he went outside to enjoy the morning weather. Sure, it was on the chill side of brisk, but he liked that. It was good running weather, a thing he would remember so that he could go on a nice morning jog on some days. He found a seat and simply began to eat, finding the meal to be decent overall. He'd survive eating this food for a school year, at any rate. While he was able to relax a bit, he decided to take a look around and see if there was anyone else outside in the cool weather. Maybe it was just him. Maybe not.

---

Sunday, all day:
Glen got to school fairly late, missing the original speech, but he managed to get his room assignment and schedule before going to unpack and get his place ready. It was a nice and quiet night for him, and he managed to get in a brief exchange with his roommate to get to know them before he went to sleep.

Monday, 6:10-6:30 AM:
Morning came entirely too early for Glen, but he managed to drag himself out of bed just in time to quickly get himself together and go to class. He knew the buildings somewhat well enough to realize where the rooms he'd need to go to were, so that was good. As he entered the main halls, he glanced along the mirrors he passed. After a few, he paused, furrowing his brow and staring intently at his reflection for a few moments before shaking his head a bit. “Jitters...” He mumbled to himself, continuing to go to get food. He picked up the food without even seeming to think about it before going to sit with a few classmates he'd had in the previous year. It was easy to catch up a little bit and find out what everyone had been up to for the summer.

He looked over his schedule again, and nodded. Music once more. He'd been in it last year, and appeared to have no intention of stopping. Maybe because sports weren't really his thing? Eh, didn't matter. It was nice to be able to make copious amounts of noise without repercussions sometimes.

@Kirah @Treepuncher121 @CodeZX @Feisty-Pants @SheriffLlama

Promptly at 7 AM, Samantha Wellington arrived at Northwood. She had a cup of coffee in one hand, and a bag full of music in the other. She went straight to the Music room/ theater, and opened it up. Everything was still set up as she had left it the day before. Good. There had been years that she had arrived on the first day and found the theater a mess. She set down the bag of music and started sorting out the parts. She had special plans for Miss Marino, considering Ash usually cut her class at least once to thrice a week. She had already made arrangements with Miss Standiford for when Ash was caught in Home EC.

She waited for the students to arrive, since at this point they had about fifteen minutes till class started. She knew some would show up late, like Ash, but some would come early. Ben and his sister Marie were usually among the ones to first show up, since she was the counselor for both of them. She ran down the list and saw a few new names and smiled. It was always lovely to have freshmen in her class. A breath of fresh air.

Samantha noticed a few students file in early, and smiled to herself as she watched them enter.

One of the other students who was often early walked in just in that moment. Easily recognizable by the fiery texture of her hair, Elizabeth was the lead violinist for the school’s band. Though often of the mischievous sort outside of this class, it seemed she had taken on a bit of pride being the First Seat for such a string instrument. In she strode with feline grace, and upon her prized seat did she arrive. Resting upon her lap was a case of which popped open to reveal beautifully polished wood and string, of which she silently and knowingly tuned her instrument for the beginning of the year.

It was well expected that the Calebs siblings walked in together, both of them carrying their own instruments. As per usual, Ben carried his guitar on his back, but he also toted a cajon in his right hand. Unlike her brother, Madison only carried her guitar. "Good morning Mrs. Wellington." the girl said, smiling in her usual shy manner.

"Good Morning, Marie." Samantha responded with a kind smile. The process was repeated with the older sibling, but Ben had a slightly more enthusiastic tone of voice. He followed his sister and they both sat down, pulling out their instruments and beginning to tune them. While Marie was good, Ben was uncanny. His skill and versatility with instruments was unlike any other that Northwood had ever set eyes upon, and left Samantha rather impressed at times. While most loved his guitar playing in the courtyard, including Sam, it was well-known that he could hold his own with a violin (though not quite at the caliber as could Elizabeth), and many other instruments.

Glen walked in after another few moments of waiting, looking a little frazzled, but that was somewhat common on the first day of school. He seemed to perk up a little at seeing other people, nodding to them and giving a wave to everyone in the class. "Mornin', everyone." He stated simply, going to his drums and giving them a once-over, likely to get used to the set again after a summer of either not practicing at all or (hopefully) practicing on a different set of drums. Glen had been a pretty decent student the previous year, only occasionally late after a night of (presumed) intense study, but he'd proven able to handle the drums well, though he took some time to learn a given piece. Samantha gave him a wave as she waited for the rest to show up.

Ash was nearly the last student to wander in. She carried nothing with her as her only instrument was her voice. It was a surprise for her to show up, she wasn't ditching to bother Jamie in Home EC.

A new face walked into the room, following quickly behind Ash. Sam couldn't place the the face with any of the students she recognized. A freshman perhaps? She watched as the kid looked around the room. He seemed to not know where to sit. The new face made his way to the back row, behind most the people. Sam noticed him slightly sigh, waiting for the bell to ring.



Once all the students had finally arrived, and the bell rung Samantha started taking roll. She went down the list, and called names. As she went past Ben and Madison she gave them a small wave. She paused when she got to a new name, Kiddo Ray. She noticed the new kid in the back said "Here," and raised his hand. So Kiddo. She made a mental note of him. It was hard for Freshmen at times, but she would make the time for him. She called Elizabeth's name and smiled at her first violinist.

"Here, Mrs. Wellington," Elizabeth cheerfully chimed in with a whimsical tune from her lips.

Samantha nodded and moved on with roll.

She would soon hit a pause when she got to Arro Jenkins. "Arro?" No answer. "Arro?" Still no answer. She didn't see the girl. "Has anyone seen Arro?"

"Not yet. Haven't seen her since last year." Glen replied.

"Thank you Glen... I guess I'll go look for her later," Samantha said with a sigh. Maybe her roommate had already reported her missing? Maybe she was in the nurse’s office? Who knew. Sam went back to the roll, calling out Glen's name and then eventually Ash's. Ash just waved her hand at the teacher, and Sam sighed.

"Alright, so as some of you may know, I'm Mrs. Wellington. Welcome to music!" She said. The class went well from there, with Samantha helping those who didn't have instruments pick out one, and also assigned a solo part to Ash, much to the student's delight, she was sure.

Once class was over for the day, Samantha picked up the roll sheet and decided to see if she could find Arro. After a fruitless search of her dorm room and the nurse’s office, she went to the Headmistresses’ office and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Samantha walked in and looked at Emma Standiford.

“We might have a small problem Headmistress. Arro Jenkins is missing. She missed music this morning, and when I went looking for her, she was no where to be found. I also wanted to talk to Natali Valkyrie, but her second period teacher said she was missing as well,” Sam said with a concerned look on her face.

“Yeah, I heard from Ms. Reese that she wasn’t in Swimming.” Samantha heard the headmistress make a noise that sounded like she was thinking. “I don’t like that two students are missing. Honestly I don’t like any students missing, but two in the same day is quite disturbing. I’ll have Dr. Mann look around and see if he sees any sign of the girls.”

“Thank you Headmistress. I do hope they are found soon,” she said, clutching the roll sheet as
well. Both Arro and Natali were missing? This was too much like last year for Samantha’s tastes. “I will leave you to your duties. Thank you for hearing me out,” she said and nodded to Emma before leaving.

Marie walked the hallway towards the Gym, but she first had a stop to make. She’d felt it as soon as she stepped out of Ben’s truck yesterday. Something felt, odd… different. The first year she’d come to Northwood, she’d been distraught to find out that there were certain places in the campus she couldn’t shadow-walk - Essentially, anywhere in the main hall. But this year - this year was different… When she’d gone down for breakfast, she’d felt something strange, disturbing even.

The shadows seemed to be pulled her towards them. It was as if she could hear small whispers around her - like the voice of a phantom the roamed the hall. At first she’d assumed it was just her jitters from the first day of school… but then it’d happened again. When she and Ben had left the cafeteria to go to music, she’d done something without trying - her hand began to dissolve into the shadows of the walls. Ben had acted quickly - he’d covered her up while she forced her hand back to normal.

She’d gotten out of it - but something was stuck in her head: a sense of pure fear. It had played at her mind throughout all of music class, and she’d been slightly distracted. She’d made up her mind to go to the headmistress and speak to her about it. Instead of exiting the main hall, she turned a corner and found her way to the headmistress’ door. She timidly approached it and gave three soft knocks.

“Come in.” The headmistress’ voice came from the other side of the room. It was plain enough, occupied by a desk, a couple cabinets, and a guest chair. Marie strode to this chair but didn’t sit just yet. “How can I help you Miss. Calebs?”

“Morning, Ms Standiford.” She began, sitting in the seat. “I- well.. this morning, I was walking to breakfast and I felt something a little… odd.” She said, not sure how else to describe it.

“To do with your ability?”

The younger woman nodded in response. “Y-yes, Ma’am… I - well, normally I can’t use them in the main hall…” She shifted slightly in her seat. “But… this morning, I felt - well, the opposite. I felt attracted to the shadows by the wall, like - like they wanted me to walk into them…” A flash of something crossed the Headmistress’ face.

“That is new.” She frowned. “And vexing. Thank you for telling me Miss. Calebs.”

“W-well, I- I also…” She fumbled with her words. “When my brother and I were going to music.. uh - my hand… dissolved into the shadows without my intention. Of course, I suppose it could’ve been the fact that I’m not a master of my ability yet, but it felt like it had to be somehow connected to the feeling I got this morning.”

“Noted.” Her lips pursed with what may have been worry. “Please feel free to come to me if you notice a change in this. It gets stronger or lasts longer.”

“Of course, Ma’am.” She nodded meekly and rose. With that, she turned and walked towards the door. As she walked towards the exit of the main hall, she felt tempted to try it - to try and walk into the shadows. She opted not to until she felt more comfortable. Marie continued walking, exiting the building and heading towards the gymnasium.