Earnshaw Heights

Chapter Two

The heels of Normani's boots soon started to produce an echoing clicking as she entered the castle, transitioning from the dirt path outside to the solid timber floors of what Normani assumed to be the great hall. Mani and Niall, in their excitement, had made their way to the front of the herd of their peers, whom Mani had completely forgotten about upon seeing the view before her. Everything around her was simply breathtaking. She tilted her head back as far as she could extend it in order to see up to the ceiling, which was strewn with paintings and magnificent, sparkling chandeliers. The stone walls that extended seemingly forever up to the ceiling were smooth to the touch, Mani discovered, as her fingertips traced along them subconsciously. She found herself having difficulty taking everything in. There were occasional portraits on the walls displaying magical figures of the past who had particularly excelled at Earnshaw Heights - Mani undoubtedly would find images of her parents smiling back at her sooner or later. However, even that thought could not spoil this moment for her. Unlit candles projected out from the walls between each set of windows, which made their way fully up the length of the walls. Their curtains were pulled aside to allow the natural sunlight to filter in, illuminating the room and causing most everything to shine and shimmer.

It wasn't as though Normani and the majority of her peers had not been around magic more shocking than this their entire lives, but this was it for them. This was Earnshaw Heights, the program that they had been awaiting - and it was stunning. There was an enormous stone beam in the center of the room, reaching about halfway up to the ceiling. Normani and Niall instinctively made their way over to the beam, analyzing it, and the congregation behind them followed suit. There was a mixture of nervous and excited chatter filling the room, all at hushed tones, as if the students were all obeying some unspoken rule about not being permitted to speak above a whisper.

Their conversations began to die off, and the students all looked to one another, an unspoken curiosity moving between them. Normani wondered about her peers - what kind of magic they possessed, who belonged to the witches and wizards and who belonged to more exotic forms, and most importantly, how she would match up with them. She also wondered about the castle and all of the secrets surrounding it - and when "everything would be revealed" as her father had promised.

After a few moments of silence, the students could hear the gates at the front of the castle creaking to a close. Following a resonating clicking into place of the gates, a woman's voice projected from an unknown source around the students.

"Gates closed and locked. Program will be initiated shortly." The woman's voice sounded automated, but it did not carry the usual stiffness of a computer-driven voice. Mani knew it was of course laced with magic, as she could feel herself jolt with anxiety - or maybe that really was just her reaction to the initiation of the next two and a half years of her life.

Unexpectedly - although Mani really should have been anticipating any move at this point - the curtains pulled themselves closed, darkening the room. Mani felt a familiar hand grab her own in the darkness, and she once again sunk into the safety provided by Niall's small gesture. A mere second later, the large stone in front of the students shone to life, illuminating the room once more. The stone appeared almost as a computer screen, projecting Welcome all to Earnshaw Heights out at the students. With wide eyes, each of the students took in the message as their first preview of the program. Expecting more to happen, Mani felt her anxiety climb when the same message remained on the screen for thirty five seconds - she of course was counting.

As Mani's eyes were locked on to the stone in front of her, awaiting a change in the message, she jumped at the sudden crackling, exploding sounds behind her. She instinctively whipped herself around, dropping Niall's hand in the process, to assume a crouching stance, preparing to face whatever she would find. She felt her hands heating up with the magic coursing through them, ready to be wielded as she desired. Mani only slightly relaxed upon noting that the exploding sounds she was prepared to fight off were merely fireworks and sizzling sparks sent out by the castle, presumably as part of the welcoming message. The students watched in delight as sparks of every color flew and swirled over their heads, illuminating the room, and a buzzing energy filled the students with excitement. Mani looked around at her fellow students, noting that only a handful of them were in similar positions to her own, prepared to battle with the castle's obstacles. She noted a boy dressed fully in black whose feet were just returning to make contact with the floor, sweat evident on his forehead. There was a girl with vibrant pink hair straightening back up whose hands were actually emitting a purple glow with the force of her magic.