Magic

Settling In

~ Chapter 10 ~ Settling In ~

We're in the coach to an area called Crystal Crater, where we'll set up our main camp. I won't deny it, I'm extremely excited, my whole year have planned on a secret competition at midnight. It'll be great. They haven't told us the catch yet, though, apparantly it will have to wait till we all settle in.

"We're here!" shouts Teresa.

We tread down the stairs of the Triple Decker Coach. It's got to be big of course: seven groups of more than 250 teenagers plus some teachers - that's a lot of people.

Stepping out into the open, I breathe in the fresh air. We walk for a while, until the floor beneath us is white rock, and a gigantic hole is ahead of us.

"It's down there!" David says to me, excited.

So we're above it, I tell myself. I look down. Seeing it, I cover my mouth.

But seriously, I'm astonished. Crystal Crater is the most beautiful place I've ever seen.

It's a big area, probably the size of.... a city? But we're high up, so we can see every bit of it. Crystal Crater seems to be in a whole in the ground. There's a meadow of silver grass, with a water full facing south, where a stream flows into a glowing cave straight throught the meadow that seems to have an inside of crystals. The stream must be the same one the coach parked by, since it too flows into a cave like that. Surrounding the meadow is a forest of bright emerald and pale gold leaves that's about a kilometre from the meadow to the crater. And blue and silver flowers. What surprises me is that the stream isn't blocked off, there are no tourists, boats, houses or shops, no safety - nothing to show that humans have ever came into contact with this, which I'm glad. Nothing ruined the perfect sight.

"Woah," I breathe. After a few minutes I realise something. "But how are we going to get down there?"

"Wings," David grins lopsidedly.

Right on cue, Mrs Airlily says, "Faerie Forme time!" - receiving glares from the students, especially the older ones. "I mean - we have to fly down in our Faerie Forme to get there. Stop looking at me like that, I've stopped now!"

We switch into Faerie Forme. I'm excited to see everyone's wings, and what colours and patterns there are. Turns out, every person's wings are different, like finger prints: Teresa's are blue with grey streaks in them and were outlined in purple and red; Alice's are a lot like a butterfly's, green and gold, the colours seperated by black lines; Mimi's are pink (duh) like everything else she has of course; Black Diamond's black and blue; and David's are orange fading to green - which takes up most of it - fading to red, and I really like all of them. It's cool. In a way, they really represent personality, and I think it's just... -

"So you know how to go into FF now?" asks Teresa.

I wonder what FF is? Oh right.

"Yeah. So that's like short for Faerie Forme?"

Teresa nods.

I grin. I have a lot to learn.

"Shall we fly down then?" says Mimi.

"Yep." Teresa agrees.

Wait one sec. I don't know how to fly!

"Teresaaaa!" I shout after her descending figure.

I hear David behind me. "I guess you're wondering how to fly."

"But you're not the greatest at explaining." I smile.

He laughs. "Yeah..."

I decide that I'll tell Mrs Airlily, who's waiting to go last to make sure everyone goes down safe.