Rosenwand High: Past Times Echo

✨ Favorite teacher ✨

"I'm Nick" the boy held out his hand to her. She hesitated for a moment, then returned the greeting.

"Skylar."

"If you don't mind, I'll sit with you here, it's the best place to cheat on tests. You know, the blind spot." The boy winked at her knowingly and pointed to the two ornate columns that held up the ceiling in the center of the room. In fact, they couldn't even see the teacher's desk from here.

Ananya Patani's lessons about plants and magical creatures were probably not as interesting as it seemed to the lecturer herself. The woman eagerly talked about healing herbs supporting the effects of spells, but most of the students ignored this dose of knowledge. Skylar looked at the people in her class.

No wonder the Rosenwand has no success. Two girls in the front pew pretended to listen to a lecture, when in fact they were exchanging secret messages on sticky notes. Rachel Rickman was filing her claw-long nails with a glitter file, chatting with her clones Bianca and Amber.

One of the guys was drawing cartoons, and a few others were giggling at their own jokes. Even Nick, who had sat next to her a moment ago, was now dozing soundly with his head resting on a desk.

- Sorry for being late! - Fleur disheveled ran into the class, but the teacher did not even look in her direction. She was talking about the properties of red clover, and evidently did not intend to stop her monologue. The girl quickly took the only free seat and greeted Skylar with a wide smile from the other end of the classroom.

"This Ananya is kind of weird" Sky commented as she and Fleur walked out into the hallway.

"Everybody's weird here."

"Who combines geometric and floral patterns with lace? Have you seen her clothes? As if the whole meadow exploded on her body!"

Fleur burst out laughing.

"Too bad you didn't see her last week. She came to school in neon ski overalls and a veiled hat. It was definitely my favorite of her outfits so far. Still waiting for something even better though."

"Matilda Atkins?!" Skylar stopped suddenly, looking at her schedule.

"What happened?"

"Is Matilda Atkins teaching our Literary Charms class?" asked the girl, turning pale.

"Yeah, why are you asking? You know her?" Fleur asked.

"Yes! I mean no. Not personally... I love her spell books, they're masterpieces! I had no idea he taught at a school like this. I mean, no offense..."

"Not taken. I also came to Rosenwand only because of my parents, but I got used to it and I can say that I even like this school. Atkins is one of my favorite teachers here. She is extraordinarily... ordinary."

Skylar walked into class so excited her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. She took a seat in the front row, and Fleur joined her. Matilda Atkins' classroom looked like a regular school classroom, with no magical gadgets.

Surprisingly, there were no ornaments or other architectural decorative elements that could be admired in the other rooms of the castle. The white walls contrasted with the black and white marble checkerboard on the floor. There were only desks and chairs in the classroom, and a huge blackboard, of course.

Sky gasped as Matilda Atkins walked in. The woman was certainly more than sixty years old, but she was fashionably and elegantly dressed, and her eyes were piercing and keen. Short gray hair suited her personality very well, or so thought Sky, who knew at least half of her literary spells by heart.