The Silent sea

Chapter 6

There are about 50 children in the courtyard sitting on the grass around a table that houses several satchels with name tags. They stop dead in their tracks as we enter the courtyard. Hazel is the one to find us a place to sit. the short woman in the middle of the room clears her throat and says "Attention students, as many of you already know, I am Lady Candice and I will be training you all this year."I try to calm my nerves and ignore the hushed whispers. "This summer program will last about 2 weeks, After that you will be placed into various education programs at Effrim according to your performance, for now, I will be distributing some basic supplies, please take a seat and wait until your name is called"

As I sit down on the grass with the other students, milo comes to sit beside me with Hazel.

"This place is pretty weird, isn't it?" milo asks me. Hazel just looks sick and possibly about to burst into tears.

"You'll get used to it" I reply.

"Are you sure about that? Maybe there's still a way back home" Hazel says. Why is she that eager to go back to the people who sold him?

"We will discuss this afterwards," I say as Lady Candice starts calling out names.

I clench my fists at the sound of my name. You are Alora Wood, you're gonna nail this. Come on, how difficult is it to walk straight without making a fool of myself? say to myself on the way to the front of the courtyard where Lady Candice stands waiting for me. The hushed whispers of the students, all of them staring at me, ring in my head. I quicken my pace but somehow it takes me what feels like several years to get there.

I try to avoid looking at the children dressed for winter in their shawls and sweaters which looks quite different than anything in Ebba. all of them pay attention to every word that Lady Candice utters, unlike the three teenagers sitting beside a tree. The group of teenagers, two boys and a girl are engrossed in their own conversation without a care. I catch the attention of one of the teens, a thin boy with a relaxed but elegant posture. I don't know why I ignore the smile that he gives me. 

"Attention," Lady Candice says and the lesson begins, after an hour of the most confusing class of my life, all I understand is that these people can do magic, except that I already knew that. I try my best to concentrate and to understand at least something but it's all a jumbled mess.

I try my best to not look at the teenagers who of course pay zero attention to anything that Lady Candice says. It seems that their conversation is the most important thing in the world.

After the session, we are allowed a snack break and are each given a basket of fruits. Milo and Hazel go sit in the middle of the courtyard and signal for me to join them but I notice the teens looking at me and whispering something among themselves.

The boy makes his way to me and offers his hand. He looks to be almost 15, and he is dressed entirely in black, From his boots to his pants and his loose-fitted shirt, everything is black. It matches his jet-black hair and scarlet eyes. His facial structure is sharp, from his chin to his jawline, and his long pointed nose. Everything about him is clean and sharp. Somehow I don't flinch upon meeting his stare. I am not weirded out when I see his eyes. The blood-red eyes gaze at me for a second, a kind of mischief in them.

I shake his hand and he says"Hello, I am Nolan Lewis,"

"I am Alora Wood"

"Well, nice to, meet you, Miss Wood" he smiles at me.

"What are you guys doing here ?" I ask the obvious question.

"What do you mean by that?" he sounds a bit confused, a bit interested.