New School

Great hall

We finally made it to the great hall, and yeah, it was definitely great and all - like something straight out of medieval times. Massive wooden tables lined up in rows with sturdy chairs to match. The food was all set up at one end, buffet style.

As we got closer, I could smell all the different food aromas wafting around, but they weren't the usual smells I was used to. Along with the obvious meaty, savory scents was this other kind of earthy, musty smell that seemed...old, but still sorta appetizing, you know?

"I literally don't recognize any of these food smells," I told the others, completely confused by whatever regional cuisine this was.

"Same," Georgia said, her nose wrinkling a little as she took in the strange aromas. We both looked at each other like 'what have we gotten ourselves into?'

There weren't a ton of students in the hall yet. Maybe the crazy storm had killed everyone's hunger. But we headed over to the buffet line anyway and grabbed plates, kinda nervous but still wanting to see what ridiculous dishes they had.

I pointed to this weird reddish-purple filet that almost seemed to glow. "Uhh, what even is this?" I asked the nice-looking blonde lady working the line who looked around 40 or 50-ish.

"Why, that's our specialty fish fresh from the lake here!" she said all proudly. "A real unique flavor."

"I've never seen fish that looks like this," I admitted, eyeing the reddish-purple filet that seemed to almost pulsate with an otherworldly glow.

The friendly blonde server smiled knowingly. "Aye, you won't find these beauties anywhere else. They only inhabit the depths of our very lake." She gestured out one of the tall, arched windows, where the dark waters churned angrily in the ongoing thunderstorm.

With a mixture of trepidation and intrigue, I carefully speared a piece with my fork and added it to my plate. Georgia and Rebecca did the same, their expressions betraying their own skepticism about sampling such an...arcane delicacy.

Moving along the buffet line, we came upon a veggie salad section - if you could even call it that. The greens appeared to be twisting, undulating mounds of vegetation I couldn't even begin to identify.

"What...are these exactly?" Georgia asked hesitantly, pointing them out.

"Oh, those are all local growths, only found in the fertile soils around these lands," the woman explained matter-of-factly. "We cultivate our own bounty in the gardens here. Completely organic and bursting with vigor!" She beamed with pride.

Still utterly perplexed, we each took small portions, if only to avoid seeming rude about the alien-looking produce.

Rebecca paused at the next steaming tray. "Is this...chicken?" She eyed the peculiar morsels suspiciously.

The server tsked. "Goodness, no! That's featherfoot, my dear. We've no need for common fowl when we've our own special breeds roaming about the castle grounds."

We all exchanged wary glances. "Featherfoot?" I echoed.

"Oh, you girls are new. Well, you can see the featherfoots for yourselves tomorrow at the school farmhouse if you'd like," the server said with a friendly smile.

With no other choice, we tentatively took portions of these strange, unfamiliar dishes onto our plates. I felt my stomach churn a little, realizing I had no clue what I was actually about to eat. A lump rose in my throat as I fought back sudden tears - I already missed the comforting familiarity of home and my mom's cooking.

"You look sad, Crystal," Rebecca said softly as we found seats together at one of the oversized dining tables.

"I...I just miss home," I admitted, my voice catching.