The Magics' Awakening: Book 1

Chapter 1: Kate

"Good morning Wealthy Hills Academy! It is I, your richest and most brilliant student Kathleen Witney Walters, taking over the intercom from the gym to make an important announcement." Kate covered the microphone and giggled.

In truth, she was in the office with the doors locked. She'd just payed the secretary to take a day off and had snuck into the empty principal's office to execute her annual "prank". Kate was about average height, with long blonde hair normally swept up in a ponytail. She had harsh blue eyes and a condescending air about her. She was the daughter of the second richest man in the city, second only to her grandfather the mayor. Kate's idea of a prank was causing something bad to happen and then suing the school for it. Not that funny really. But, for some reason, she found it hilarious.

Kate cleared her throat and removed her hand from the mic. "As I said, I have an important announcement. Many of you teachers are reaching for the switches in your room to shut off the speakers. Don't. Safety is about to become an issue." She leaned back in the principal's high backed recliner and sighed looking at the security cameras. There was a group of teachers heading for the gym where she said she'd be. 'Not to bright, are they?' She thought. 'Out witted again!' She grinned and continued.

"My backpack you will note is in the janitors closet on the north side. Inside it ate items of value to me. What a disaster it will be, when the lit match carelessly left on some old sheets and spilled cleaners creates a fire that will consume the school. I need the things in that backpack, but if it burns, I'll likely have to sue. Ah, well. To bad. The fire is already burning it up." No sooner had she said this than the school's fire alarms began blaring loudly.

Kate looked at the cameras. Teachers were leading students out in a rush, faces filled with panic. She also spotted the principal, Mr. Helanius, walking out with them. Kaye could just see the gears turning in his mind, calculating the amount of money they would be sued for this time.

Then Kate heard sirens above the school fire alarms. 'Crap.' She thought. The fire had spread to at least two classrooms in her direction. That meant that the authorities and firemen would be heading in her direction. She couldn't get caught by them. The school and the students would never rat on her, not with all the power and money she had in tow. But the authorities were another matter altogether...No. She couldn't get caught.

Kate began looking about for another way out besides the door. There were to large windows over looking a steep hill to the east, and a sheer cliff to the south. She opted to use the west one. But not before she disabled the voice footage of her announcement and destroyed the security footage of the day's events.

She popped open the window and gazed down the hill. It was mostly loose earth and gravel, but at the base there was the distinct shape and color of rose bushes. 'Fantastic.' She sighed and gritted her teeth. Then fell out the window. She bounced and slid down the steep slope, creating a massive gray plume of dirt behind her. The hill wasn't hard, but it wasn't soft like a pillow either. She rolled quickly down the hill, bounced once more, than slammed down into the roses at the base.

Kate yelped and bit her lip. Thorns stuck her from all sides, and she was pretty sure she was sitting on some. She carefully pushed herself up and out of the roses and onto her feet. She used a very unladylike word as she tore a large piece of rose bush from her rear and then set off at a jog.

She had definitely dressed for the occasion. She wore grey leggings and stylish tennis shoes, along with a work out t-shirt and a light, neon orange running jacket. Her clothes were also dirt and stain resistant, which meant that despite her tumble down the hill, there wasn't a speck 9f dirt on her clothes. She brushed of her hands and face, and readjusted her hair as she jogged to the school's emergency rondevouz point at the base of the hill to the northwest.