Fairy Dust

First Impressions

Tentatively, Blue pushed the heavy doors open, and was immediately surprised by how bright and open it was, with a completely glass roof, light flooding in and making it seem as though they were still outside. Plants with budding flowers stretched across the walls, spiralling and intertwining with variously coloured blossoms. There was a massive, grand staircase in the middle, leading upwards to a second floor. Small groups of fairies, all with equally beautiful wings were scattered around, happily conversing and laughing with each other. 

As they continued walking, Alara nodded at a couple in polite recognition.

At the front of the room they had entered, was a large box. Instinctively, Alara dropped her phone in without a second thought. Blue then pulled hers out of her pocket, looking at it hesitantly before placing it in too. Now she was completely in the deep end. No contact with home. They continued walking.

"There should be a prefect waiting around for you somewhere here. They're everywhere... and they're all complete brownnosers. Most boring people ever. We usually play pranks on them for fun, but they always snitch." Alara explained shortly, and Blue could tell she was ready to leave her. She understood- Blue guessed she must be a bit of a burden when all she probably wanted to do was unpack and meet her friends. 

"Thank you so much Alara. I honestly wouldn't have got here if it wasn't for you. Literally. I would've got off at the wrong station from the train." Blue laughed, pulling her into a hug. 

"It's honestly no problem I'm glad I could help." Alara smiled again and started to walk away. She stopped, seemingly debating something, and then finally turned around. 

"Come to the back garden when it gets dark. You can meet my friends." 

She didn't give Blue a chance to reply, as she already spun on her heel once more and left. 

So Blue stood in the front hall alone, waiting for her assigned prefect to collect her. Collect her...she hated how helpless she seemed, depending on escorts taking her around like she was a baby. Nevertheless, she was grateful for it. 

She wasn't alone for long because soon a tall ginger girl bounded up to her impatiently. In her hands, she carried a clipboard, with neatly organised papers. 

"Blue, I presume?" She asked, eyebrow raised with obvious judgement. 

"Ye-" Blue started to reply but she cut her off. 

"I'm Hope and you're late. I've been waiting for you."

"Sorry, I got here a few minutes ago though...I didn't really know who to look out for and-"

Hope cut her off again with a tut, eyes fixed on her clipboard, her lips pulled into a thin line. Blue usually didn't judge people before she got to know them, but this girl was already getting on her nerves. She stayed silent, however, she didn't want to make a bad impression on her first day. 

Hope didn't say anything else, but instead started walking, motioning at Blue promptly for her to follow. Hurrying behind the moody red head,  heavy bag weighing her down, she sighed quietly. 

They walked down several corridors and up three flights of stairs until they got to the dorm. Condescendingly, on the way, Hope explained to Blue that everyone else flew to their different floors, but they were walking as she knew Blue had never flown before. It was all very passive aggressive and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Blue learned that there was another area of the castle where everyone else reached their rooms, with a section of ceiling five storeys high that reached the top floor. It was a cylinder of space, about the size of a pool in diameter, that the students flew up until they reached their floor, then flying horizontally along it. It was hard to imagine given her unbothered and brief description, but she assumed it followed the structure of the shopping malls they had back in London. Stone and rustic though, of course.