Cassiopea's School for the Gifted

Ch. 1

Arion Griffin. 

My name, though I had a difficult relationship with it. I didn't like using my last name that much. 

I lived in New York City where there were lots of people and lots of negative emotions -- perfect for my family to use their powers. Our powers. 

For as long as we could recall up our family tree, my family had always had the power to manipulate dark energy. It was very dangerous for both the person using the magic and people around them if they didn't have the magic mastered. 

Therefore, I've had it mastered since I was ten. 

I hated using my powers though. I once saw myself in the mirror while I was practicing... seeing myself with blood red eyes and radiating black smoke... it was something I wished I could forget. But I couldn't. 

I loved nature and light things. I loved the sun, fields of grass, flowers, butterflies, light reflecting off of bodies of water... it was beautiful. But I couldn't like those things. My family wouldn't allow it.

Anyway.

I'd lived in New York my whole life and had been training and mastering my magic my whole life. Surrounded by darkness and hatred. I didn't even think my parents loved me or were capable of feeling love. I didn't even know if they loved each other. 

But every single day I went to school, people ran away from me, I did everything alone, I worked on magic that I hated, and I stayed in the dark. It was the same every single day. Even on the weekends, just minus the school part. Everyone knew my family was dangerous, so I didn't have any friends. I didn't really care. I never had a friend, so it wasn't like I knew what I was missing. I just thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to, because I didn't even have any siblings.

At that time, my parents were out of the house which I was very thankful for. 

I got an email a few days prior that I would be getting a letter from a school soon and it would be best if my parents weren't home when it arrived. 

It was from Cassiopea's School for the Gifted. 

I'd heard all about it in school. It was a place filled with magical people and creatures. A place where you could be surrounded by those that were like you and you could learn more about the magical world and other magics. It sounded amazing. 

The email I got was from Cassiopea's daughter Cassia and she told me that she'd like very much if I enrolled in the school. Even though they knew what family I came from and what my powers were. They would still welcome me to the school... wow.

It was my dream to go there. The only problem was getting my parents to agree.

Envelopes dropped from the mail slot in our door, causing me to immediately run to the door and shuffle through the envelopes. After I found the one with my name, I put the rest of the mail on the coffee table and sat on the couch.

I couldn't believe it. The envelope had my name on it. And the school's seal. Oh my gosh.

I slowly opened it and then read through the letter.

To summarize, they would like it if I enrolled in their school so that I could learn more about the magical world and meet new people that were similar to me. They knew I went to a school that was mostly normal people and my parents may not have been able to educate me of everything by themselves. The school was in Colorado, but they had dorms for people to live in if they lived farther away.

"Arion, get in here now."

I jumped, hearing my father's voice come from the kitchen.

I didn't hear them get back. Well, I guessed darkness traveling was silent and I was too busy reading to realize. Oh well.

I put the letter back in the envelope and put it in my pocket as I walked to the kitchen, "Yes, father?"

"Michael is coming in five minutes to see if you've improved on your combat skills, go get ready."

I nodded, "Yes, father."

As I turned around to go to my room to change, he spoke again, "Stop. What is in your pocket?"

Shoot...

I turned back around and grabbed the envelope from my back pocket, "Just some mail I got today. I wanted to talk to you about it but if Michael is coming...""

"Stop rambling, already. What is it?"

"What is what?" My mother asked, appearing from the darkness in the corner of the kitchen.

"Um, I got mail from Cassiopea's School for the Gifted. They want me to enroll there."

I handed them the envelope.

They were silent for a few minutes. Looking at the envelope and then reading the letter.

"Absolutely not." My mother said.

"W-what? Why?"

My father scoffed, "You really think we would allow our only son to go to this flowery school? You will learn nothing there."

"But I don't know anything about other magical creatures. I don't learn that at my school because it's mostly normal humans. At Cassiopea's school I could learn about magical culture and creatures and about the world beyond New York. Please let me go."

"Go get ready to spar with Michael. We will talk about this later."

I nodded, turning around and going to my room.

Well... they actually didn't react that badly.

**

"Alright."

I looked up from my plate, "Pardon?"

My father took a sip of his water before looking at me, "You can go to the fairy's school."

"Really?" I asked, my eyes widening.

"Yes, but you won't be there for the reasons that those silly fairies said in the letter."

"What do you mean?"

My mother spoke, "You will go there and learn more about the world outside of the darkness, but only so one day you might be able to conquer it."

"Thank you for letting me go."

They nodded, "You leave in a week."

I smiled lightly to myself as I continued eating.

I got to go to the school!