Welcome to the Academy

Jacob flew over the castle-like school and his eyes swept over the grounds. There was something for everyone here. To the east of the school was a forest that stretched for miles, ending on the edge of a cliff face. To the north were mountains, containing a wide variety of caves, the south contained the entrance, a long pathway dotted with benches and a decorative fountain in the middle, and to the west there was a hedge maze, to keep things interesting.
Jacob watched as the walls of hedge maze moved and smiled to himself. He remembered how difficult it was the first time he tried to get through it.

Today was the day new "students" would be arriving, and he thought about greeting them, showing them around, it was only fair, but they never arrived together. Still, nevertheless, he slowly banked until he came close to the ground, then he quickly changed shape to his human form and floated down until his feet touched the floor.

Wind swept through the forest that lay to the east of the Academia Mythica. It brushed through the leaves, causing them to tremble. It was a rather quiet morning, the silence broken only by the chirping of insects and calling of birds.

And the ear-splitting scream of a girl.

The sound echoed throughout the forest, cutting through the silence like a blade. It was a sound that carried the weight of pain, conveying within it the anguish of the one who uttered the sound.

"It huuuurts!"

A girl with short, strawberry blonde twin tails was wailing at the top of her lungs. Her leg was stretched out in front of her, the hem of her dress pulled up to expose her knee. It was scraped, blood and dirt smeared over the area.

Near to her, a boy with hair the color of goldenrod clamped his hands firmly over his ears. "Would you quit screaming?" he shouted, over the uproar the girl was making. The wailing continued. "Gosh, you're such a baby!"

"Don't pick on her, Michael," a boy with hair like midnight scolded.

"Don't coddle her, Gabriel!" the other boy retorted.

"She's hurt. Don't be so harsh on her." Gabriel knelt down next to her, though he winced in pain as she howled in pain again. "Lily," he said. But his voice was overpowered, and he had to speak again. "Lily! Calm down. Let me see." Lily quieted momentarily, but as he reached out to touch her, she raised her voice again.

"No! Don't touch it! It hurts!"

"I won't touch your knee, I promise. Here, just... Get on my back. I'll carry you the rest of the way, alright?"

The tearful blonde rubbed her tear-stained face with the side of her hand. She sniffed, nodding. She wrapped her arms around Gabriel's neck, then wrapped her legs around him. He stood up, and Michael shook his head.

"We don't even know where we're going, you know."

"Well, we know it's this way, don't we?" Gabriel responded, shifting the girl on his back.

"Not really," he said, shooting an annoyed glance at Lily, who was sniffling pitifully. "All Dad said was 'go that way' and then poofed. And Dad hasn't always been the most reliable when it comes to directions in the first place."

"Well, it's not like we have any other choice. We'll just keep walking until we end up somewhere."

"Sounds great," Michael mumbled under his breath. The trio continued through the woods, progressing through unknown territory, hoping to somehow find the school they'd been enrolled in, the Academia Mythica.

Alexander looked up at the huge wrought iron gates that seemed to stretch into the sky and wondered what kind of show offs built this place. As he approached them, they opened, an unseen force guiding them, and he stepped through, unsure what he was getting himself into.

He had received an invitation, which was odd in itself, as he tried so hard not to be found by anyone, so he just had to check this out.

As he approached the school, he looked around and realised there was no one around, or at least not yet, but as he got closer to the building, he noticed a large black thing fall from the sky and land, much smaller, on the pathway, stood upright.

He shook his dirty blonde hair out of his eyes and blinked a few times in disbelief. He evidently was not prepared for everything he was going to see in this school...

Trees. Nothing but trees. Mara groaned, clutching her staff in frustration. How long had they been traveling in this stupid forest? The woods seemed to go on endlessly, slowly driving her mad. Every tree looked the same, every rock similar to the one before. It was hard to tell if the were on the right trail or just going around in an endless circle.

"Are you certain we are going the right way?" Phineas asked, his voice like a shaky whisper. The little spirit was looking around uneasily, his translucent form flickering in and out. "You are not exactly the most ideal navigator. Erm, no offense."

Mara crossed her arms, shooting her companion a sharp look. "Of course I'm sure! Just because we got lost a couple of times--"

"Forty-three times, to be exact."

"--doesn't mean that I don't know where I'm going." She huffed and stomped forward. "I know where to go. Mom and Dad gave me directions."

Phineas lagged behind for a moment before hurriedly floating up next to her. "Are you sure they were the right directions?"

Before Mara could snap back her reply, a piercing scream filled the air. The two exchanged startled looks. There was no way that could have been a bird or deer. With a mutual nod of agreement, the ghost and witch sprinted/floated towards the source of the noise. Phineas' image flickered to near invisibility, a worried look crossing his face. Mara, meanwhile, ran with her eyes sharp of determination. She tightly clutched her staff, tense with readiness for anything to come their way.

The duo slowed as voices were heard up ahead. Three people and, judging by their tones, possibly around Mara's age. Before the witch could stomp ahead and confront them, Phineas grabbed her arm. Mara winced at the sudden touch. It was like her arm was encased in an iceberg. Noticing the look on her face, Phineas quickly pulled away with an apologetic look. "What if they're dangerous?" he whispered nervously.

Mara smiled smugly, twirling her staff with practiced ease. "So am I." Without another word, she stormed ahead towards the voices. "Hey!" she called. As she neared, she could make out three people. One being a young girl, and the other two boys. She felt Phineas hover just behind her. He was fully invisible this this time, his presence only recognizable by the slight chill in the air.

Hearing a scream from the forest, Jacob was on the alert. He sprouted his dragon wings and flew upward, throwing himself toward the forest. He was certain there were no dangers, he'd been in the forest many times, but if students were arriving, one of them could be a danger to the others.
He replaced his eyes with those of his dragon form and scanned the forest, looking for people, or what would pass as people. He found 4 living beings and one very faint outline in the forest and he slowed, lowering himself a little way away from the group.

"What's going on here? I heard a scream. Are any of you hurt?" He asked.

Alexander watched as the guy sprouted wings and flew away. He was dumbstruck, entirely confused by the whole situation. He had heard the scream as well, of course, but he wasn't one for flinging himself into danger.

The soft scuff of worn boots across the cobbled pathway tentatively announced the arrival of another student to the Academia's entrance. Making such noise wasn't necessary by any means for the deceased, but Mar felt more comfortable with evidence of his existence. He looked up at the gate as he approached, and then around the surrounding area, wracking his memory. This was the place he'd heard about, right? He knew schools had far more students these days than what he was used to, but he hadn't seen very many people yet.

Fidgeting with a button on his faded flannel shirt, Mar continued forward through the gate, a hint of relief easing the tension in his shoulders when he noticed someone ahead of him - another student, hopefully?

Mar almost forgot to run, floating more easily up to the blond with a pleasant smile on his face and bringing the scent of wild mint with his approach. "Hello there! Are you going to go to school here too? My name is Mar," he introduced, babbling slightly as he held a hand out in greeting.

Soon, suddenly, the woods were filled with activity. People appeared from around them, rushing to find the source of the noise they'd a moment ago. Michael, Gabriel, and Lily seemed more startled than alarmed, really. Soon, their group of three had increased to five, three in the group appearing bewildered, two in the group looking like the human embodiment of a dog with it's hackles raised. Gabriel had just opened his mouth to explain himself to the girl that had shown up when a boy appeared as well.

The entire situation was almost comical, except, it was rather... awkward. Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't seem to find anything to say. There was several seconds of awkward silence before he finally said "Well, you see... My sister, she uh... She scraped her knee."

Michael covered his mouth with a closed hand, stiffing a giggle. Gabriel awkwardly looked away from the others. Lily let out another pitiful sniffle, mumbling "It really hurts."

Phineas jumped as another boy quite literally flew down, joining the forming crowd. Just when did this quiet forest get so crowded? The chill around him grew until Mara's breath came out as a faint mist. It'd been awhile since he'd been around this many people, and the sudden gathering wasn't exactly calming his nerves.

"So that explains the scream," Mara mused, lowering her staff.

Phineas peeked over the witch's shoulders, staring at the strangers with a newfound curiosity. Moments before, he would have assumed they were merely a lost bunch of humans. But seeing as how a boy just flew from the sky, he doubted that was the case. "What brings you lot out here?" Phineas asked, momentarily forgetting of his current disappearing act.

Gabriel, who usually preferred not to socialize with others, cast his dark gaze down to the leaf-coated floor. Michael, who was much more friendly and outgoing, looked around, confused as to who had just spoken. Feeling awkward, he looked at the winged boy and answered. "Uhm... We're trying to find the Academia Mythica. We're new students there. Do any of you have an idea of where it's at?"

Lily was, for once, almost completely silent. Michael realized that it's actually rather nice, being able to speak without his sister interrupting him every other second.

Alex turned to face the person who approached him and inclined his head. "The name's Alex. And, technically, not yet. I only arrived like 5 minutes ago." He shrugged, shaking Mar's hand. "So, do you have any idea what to expect here?"

Jacob beamed at the group. "I can lead the way. I've been here for a couple of decades now, these woods are like a second home." He told them, smiling. "If you want, I can take care of that scrape as well? I have quite the knack for healing." He told them, folding his wings until they disappeared.

Lily perked up when she heard that the winged boy could heal her. "Really?" she said. She tapped Gabriel on the shoulder, and he set her down on the ground, sitting. She pulled the hem of her dress up past her knee, exposing the injury she'd gotten. The scrape was quite nasty. Her Nephilim blood had caused it to heal slightly, but not nearly complete. She stretched out her leg, looking at the boy who offered to heal her hopefully.

Well that got Mara's attention. "You're going to the academy too?" She brightened considerably. Finally, no more running around in complete circles. "Some directions would help, thanks. I'm Mara, by the way. And this--" She frowned at her invisible companion, annoyance flashing in her gaze. "Phinny, do you mind? I'm talking to air here."

"Sorry!" Phineas slowly willed himself into view, though remained semi translucent. As helpful as these people were, there was still an inkling of anxiety buried deep in Phineas formed by centuries of solitude. He smiled shyly, staying behind Mara. "My name is Phineas. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Mara turned to the winged boy. "So you're from the academy, huh?" She placed her hands on her hips. "What's it like there? How many others like us?"

Jacob knelt down next to Lily and hovered a hand over her leg, as he did so a warm light emanated from his hand, covering the injury and speeding up the healing process. When he was finished, he pulled out a tissue from his pocket and handed it to her so she could wipe off any dirt that remained on her leg from where she had fallen.

"There you go, good as new." He smiled, standing again and facing the group. "The school is westbound from the forest." He told them, gesturing at the sun, which was still rising. "You'll see what the place is like when we get there, its indescribable... Literally. There is magic at work which prevents people from describing it to others. In terms of people, at the moment there's only me and on other who are still there. There are a few new people coming in though. You five are the first lot to arrive, I believe."

Michael watched his sister with a sigh. Honestly, he loved his sister, and would do anything for her. But she was such a baby sometimes. At this thought, he shot a dark look at Gabriel. Maybe Lily wouldn't act like such a little kid if he'd stop spoiling her all the time.

Lily's eyes shined bright as gems. "Wooow, thank you!" she said, jumping up. She brushed her hands over her dress, smoothing it out. It was dirty, but she didn't seem to mind. "I'm Lily," she said, holding out her hand to the boy who healed her. "And this is Gabe-"

"Gabriel," the dark-haired boy mumbled in correction.

"And this is Michael." She beamed, showing a smile that reflected the purity of her innocence.

Lily observed the conversation between Jacob and the other girl. She wondered how big the academy was. Was it a large school, or a small one? She couldn't wait to see, and began to tug at the hem of her brother's shirt, antsy to get a move on.

"Pleasure to meet you all. My name is Jacob. I'm the closest this school has got to a caretaker, I guess." He scratched the back of his neck and smiled. "I've been here for about 30 years. And before you guys comment on that, I'm older than I look." He chuckled and placed his hands in his pockets. He'd been alone for a while in the school, being around this many people was making him a little awkward and fidgety.

Perched atop the steps which led into the Academy's main door, sat the white haired male who was gazing with curious violet eyes at all the new comers milling about below. A soft smile graced his lips as he spotted a number of new females and males smile turning into a sly smirk. With Jayden already having been a resident of the Academy for a number of years, he'd made it one of his unofficial jobs to be a guide to the new kids, and to show that people could be friendly.

With a groan, she stood then stretched, bones creaking and popping back into place as she did so before descending down the stairs and into the milling crowds, "Alright, newbies over here please. I'll be your unofficial guide! C'mon group up."

--

It had taken many weeks for Alicia to finally stumble upon the area where the academy was situated, not being used to walking on two legs rather than swimming places. Having to deal with unfamiliar sights and sounds, surrounded by the very gender she despised almost constantly. It was a harsh road, but now being in the right place had her calmer and happier than the blonde hair been in weeks.

Cutting through the brush, the girl sighed quietly and stopped to pull out a small map which was her only saving grace on her journey. "Now, where the hell am I going... map says east." she spoke aloud, voice echoing through the surrounding greenery followed by her crunching footsteps as her journey continued. Multiple voices echoed through the forest, but Alicia thought it best to avoid them - she could hear male undertones and she wasn't fully used to speaking on polite terms with them yet and thus continued on her way, although they could probably hear her stomping through.

Jacob wondered if he should warn the others about the inertly flirtatious nature of his current schoolmate, and was torn with the idea, as it would be quite amusing to watch the reactions. However he wasn't the type to let people walk into something if he could assist beforehand.
"I do feel I should warn you about the other guy who lives here at the moment. He can be... a little full on." He said, chuckling.

Alex headed over to the guy who had called the new people over, he seemed to know what he was talking about, and figured he could use a tour.

Alex turned to face the person who approached him and inclined his head. "The name's Alex. And, technically, not yet. I only arrived like 5 minutes ago." He shrugged, shaking Mar's hand. "So, do you have any idea what to expect here?"

"Nice to meet you Alex," Mar said, concentrating to make his hand more corporeal for the handshake. He didn't typically phase through solid objects if he didn't want to, but it felt unsettling and intrusive with living beings. "I just got here as well, I only heard about this place from rumors," he admitted, following Alex to the person who introduced himself as their guide.

Gabriel felt his sister's nudge, and glanced at her. He knew she would run off if he didn't start to head off. And that was what got her a scraped knee in the first place. For safety, he caught her hand with his, making sure she wouldn't run off this time.

Michael felt a twinge of annoyance at his older sibling's rush to be off. He'd wanted to talk a bit longer and see if he could figure out anything else. But the three of them always stuck together, so he grudgingly followed, the crunch of dead leaves under his feet announcing his departure.

Finally, the twins found the border of the woods. And there was the school. As they walked through the front gates, Lily's mouth dropped open. "Whoaaa, so cool! It's really a castle. Do you think it's really old?"

Gabriel tightened his grip on his sister's hand, sensing that she was preparing to run off again. He was about to try redirecting her attention to something else to keep her from running off when a loud male voice rang out. He glanced back at his younger brother, about to say something to him when he felt the hand in his vanish. He looked back to see Lily running up to greet the boy who'd spoke.

"Hey! We're new too," Lily said as she stopped in front of the boy who'd called out. Michael and Gabriel caught up a moment later, though neither boy made attempts to be hasty like their sister.

Alex chuckled. "I got an invitation. Apparently most people can't find this place unless they're meant to. Some weird supernatural thing protects it from being found by people who aren't meant to be here, apparently." He shrugged. "Sounds like nonsense to me, but hey, I'm a werewolf, so I know not everything is black and white."

Jacob realised they had gotten out of the forest and smiled to the rest of the group before running to join Jayden at the top of the stairs. "Pretty sure that was my job, but you can help out if you like." He winked and turned to the group of new students. "Welcome to the academy. I'm sure you all have a lot of questions."