New Forest Academy (Warriors AU)

Chapter One

"It's like... A giant castle. Like a muggle Hogwarts," I breathed. My breath fogged up the window, so I drew a smiley face before wiping it away.

My mom laughed at my awe from the driver's seat beside me. "That's because it is, Sweetie. It's not an old one, of course, but what can you do when you live in a young country?" she sighed dramatically.

"The problems of living in America," I laughed, rolling my eyes at her. My mom was an archaeologist, and was going to be attending a dig in Egypt while I was attending my freshman year in high school. I already had the address (there wasn't any cell service where she was) and was supposed to write her at least once every other week. My Dad had passed away when I was little.

"So," Mom began, reaching over and taking my hand. "Remember to make friends, okay? But if they jump off a bridge, please don't jump after them. Make smart decisions. Don't do anything stupid. Remember that school always comes first! Don't forget to write me, alright? And join some clubs if you can, colleges are into well-rounded students. We read about those Warrior Clubs, try joining those. Don't forget to write to me."

"You already said that, Mom," I interrupted her.

"Alright, alright. Are you sure you don't want me to go in with you?"

"I'm positive, Mama. Have fun in Egypt - bring me back something cool. Love you!"

She leaned over the center console and kissed my forehead. "Love you, sweetie," she said, wiping her eyes.

I pretended I didn't notice she was crying and got out of the car. It felt nice to stretch my legs after the long ride. I pulled my bags out of the trunk and looked up at the school/castle as my mom drove away. New Forest Academy was one of the best high schools in the world. People came from all over to enroll. The clubs and classes were all supposed to be amazing too. Maybe I would enroll in the Warrior Clubs, like my mom had wanted me to. Your grades from middle school had to be pretty high to get in. I pulled a folded up piece of paper from my back pocket and began to follow the check-in instructions printed there.

~X~X~X~X~X~

I was placed in a temporary dorm with a girl named Flora. I'd now been living with her for a day and a half. She had brown hair with red and blonde highlights and bright blue eyes. She'd signed up for the Warrior Clubs as well, but neither of us actually had any idea what we were signing up for. She was incredibly smart, which resulted in her being a little stuck-up, but she was funny and friendly even if she was proud.

The official orientation was tonight, and I was hoping they'd distribute maps. I kept getting lost on my way to the cafeteria. The school was like a giant maze, and was impossible to navigate.

I was currently munching on Cheetos (obtained from the vending machine at the end of the hall) and playing Animal Crossing on my 3DS. Most of my things were still packed, since it was just a temporary dorm, and classes began on Tuesday next week. We had classes Monday through Friday and then the weekend was ours to enjoy. There were buses arriving once an hour to shuttle people to and from the small city at the bottom of the hill that the Academy rested on.

Flora flounced into the room, then flopped dramatically down on her bed. "Ella, this school is impossible," she complained.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I got lost! I got lost on my way to the cafeteria and I'm one of the smartest freshman!" Flora groaned.

"How did you get back?" I asked, snapping my 3DS shut and wiping the Cheeto powder off of my hand.

"Some senior girl led me back - her name was Ivy Star or something weird like that. She was cool, I guess, but she was really nosy, kept asking me questions."