nothing ever lasts forever.

Prologue

Nothing ever lasts forever.

That's what Mr. Tomes thought as he sat comfortably on a chair in his large classroom, waiting for the newbies to arrive. His classroom was big, big enough to have 30 students inside. Over the years, Mr. Tomes had learned from trial and error that his class had to be fire-proofed, due to certain past students. There were large windows, letting sunlight trickle into the place where the newbies would spend most of their days, and poking in through an open window, were the limbs of a tree. 

Finally, the first few students entered the classroom, peering around, mouth agape in awe. "Sit anywhere, the lesson will begin when the rest of you show up." Mr. Tomes spoke. His voice was startling, and the students could already tell he'd be a scary teacher. 

The last students to arrive were a group of five girls, who decided to sit at the back. 

Mr. Tomes got up from his chair and stood at the front of the classroom, staring out at the newbies. "My name is Mr. Tomes and I will be your homeroom teacher for this year. I see lots of familiar faces, but a few of you are new here. To those of you who are new, welcome to Seaford Private School. Firstly, I'll go over the school's rules, and then I'll go over my classroom rules." He frowned, narrowing his oddly comforting olive green eyes at the students. "I suggest you all jot down the rules, otherwise you will not have a good year." 

The sound of 31 students opening notebooks at the same time filled the room, pleasing Mr. Tomes' ears. "Rule 1, when studying and performing magic, no matter how 'skilled' you think you are, be cautious and always be supervised by a teacher." Many students let out an exasperated sigh, and some muttered an 'aw man'. Seaford Private School was a private school made for students that have magical abilities, so when students found out that they couldn't practice magic without being watched, then of course they'd be bummed out about it. 

"Rule 2, if you go outside into The Ashwood Forest, don't be there past 5pm."

Many students who were here in previous years looked up from their notebooks, sending each other confused glances. This was a new rule. Why was it set in place? What was so bad about The Ashwood Forest? "Rule 3, under no circumstance is it okay for any of you to be outside the school when its dark outside." Mr. Tomes' voice was harsh and urgent, intriguing the students further. 

"Rule 4, report any weird sounds coming from the forest, but don't go and investigate. If you see odd figures, pretend you didn't see anything and come inside immediately." Small murmurs filled the classroom, as worried students chattered to themselves. "Rule 5, general safety and no bullying rules still apply to this place. That's it for the school's rules. I'll now go over my own rules."

Mr. Tomes' stern glare rested on a particularly loud group of students. "Talking is fine, if you get too loud I'll let you know. Don't be idiots. You're all in Grade 10. I expect you to finish your work on time, and I'll let you know if you are lacking in a particular subject. While I may look like a scary teacher, as long as you get your work done, I'll be a fun teacher. That's kind of it, I guess. Since it's your first day back, I won't give you any assignments. You guys can just kind of chill and chat amongst yourselves." Mr. Tomes shrugged and went to sit back down. Simple, right?

**604 words!!! Excited for this book and where I plan for it to go!**