Mage Academy

A Rocky Start

"Hello and welcome, young magicians," the woman says, her voice loud and clear. Her voice doesn't seem as ancient as her face. "Today marks the beginning of your lives as citizens of Moonbeam. You are all special, and now is your time to show it."

I look around the room at all of the eager faces. There must be around two hundred young people here, all seventeen, all with magical abilities. It's incredible. Gibby and Blue, oblivious to the welcoming speech, are holed up on a window sill, chatting away. Who knew it would be so easy for Gibby to make friends? I can only put up with his attitude because I've gotten used to it for seventeen years. 

"I am Master Plato, the Head of Teachers at Mage Academy. I will be reported to by your Teachers when necessary, if you have shown success and bravery..." she looks around the room and her eyes seem to land on mine. "or failure and cowardice." I wring my fingers. I wouldn't want to be sent to her office like you do to the principals' at school-- she's one scary lady. 

"Throughout your stay here you will all be pushed into finding, and fulfilling, your potential. Of course, life is a journey, and you will constantly grow into the greater magicians I know you all can be. For now, challenge yourself, help one another and try your best at everything that comes your way. And of course, have fun! This will be an experience to change your lives."

Mater Plato smiles a cool smile, and slowly walks off the platform and out through the doors. After a moment of silence, the room erupts into noise. 

"So she is the famous Master..." Lydia says, elbows on the table, chin in hands. I wonder how she can manage to look so calm and collected. I must look like I'm ready to burst with anticipation. Master Plato looking at me during her speech literally sent a chill down my spine-- it must have been my water element magic going berserk. Anyway, it was like she was only talking to me. I bet that was how everyone felt, though. I think Plato has a way of doing that to people.

Oliver scrunches up his nose. "I wonder if we can leave the group and practice magic by ourselves? I don't want to be a failure." 

"Good question," I say, thinking about my pathetic attempt to grow a flower out of the ground  few days ago-- level 1 Earth magic, and I butchered it. All I could do was make a bump in the soil. "What's your strongest element?" I ask, looking at both Oliver and Lydia, and anyone else who made eye contact, including Max. 

"Water." Lydia says immediately, the frames in her glasses sparkling. 

"Earth, I think." Oliver says. 

"Earth's mine too." Says a girl opposite us with bunches in her hair. 

I look at Max. A cool smile spreads across his face, his dark eyes as deep as a well. "Fire." 

The people on the table, those listening anyway, turn to look at him. Fire is known for being a more...difficult element to control. Young magicians are advised not to even practise it until they are in their teens, and under the guidance of a Teacher, making it rare for anyone our age, without magical training, to have it as their strongest element. I am well aware of that. So I'm not that surprised when everyone, including Max, look twice as astonished when I say "Fire" too. 

***

"These dorms are incredible..." Lydia says as soon as we get through the doors. 

And they are. The Academy has two large towers, one for the boys dorms, and one for the girls. We are literally sleeping in a tower. I want to pinch myself to see if I'm dreaming, but Gibby is on my shoulder and he would yell "cheesy" in my ear, so I refrain. 

"And we get the top floor..." I say breathlessly, due to both amazement and the physical effort of lugging my bags up the steep stairs. 

Each tower has four floors, each holding around 50 girls or boys. By pure luck, Lydia and I were both chosen by Greg (the man I saw earlier in the cap and band T-shirt) to go to the top floor, which has the best views of the countryside, the sprawling grounds and the sea just down the hill from the Academy. It really feels like we are in a tower-- the whole building still looks centuries old. The room is big and round, and lining the walls are queen sized beds with curtain rails for privacy, each bed having a wardrobe and and bedside table with a lamp next to it. In the middle of the room are sofas and bean bags (the bean bags being the most modern item I have seen so far), tables with lamps and chairs. In the spaces between the beds are large windows with shutters, and the floor is laden with beautiful rugs. Lydia grabs my elbow and pulls me to a window at the other end of the room, which has the most stunning view of the Academy grounds, the forest to the side, and even the sea in the corner. The window overlooks everything. 

"We have to have these beds." Lydia dumps her bags on the closest bed, and I copy by heaving my bags on the bed next to hers. We busy ourselves unpacking as girls flood the room around us. Luckily we were one of the first to come up-- beds are quickly being taken, and some girls have no choice but to sleep away from their friends. I smile to myself as I hang up my clothes in the wardrobe. I have Lydia now, and she has me. Thank gosh. 

"Ugh, really?! Are we expected to sleep in this?!" 

I look to my side and see that the bed next to me has been taken... by Lauren. She looks ultimately disgusted. 

"Gross! The sheets have probably not been washed for centuries!" Lauren whines. I frown. If she thinks this place isn't up to standard, I wonder what kind of environment she's used to. 

I catch Lydia's eye and she rolls her eyes at Lauren, making my chuckle. I am about to turn back to my bags when I notice Lauren eyeballing me. She saw the whole thing, and she doesn't look happy.  She stands up straight, warrior-mode, and folds her arms. 

"What are you laughing at, Earthling?" She challenges. I reel. "Earthling" is a dated term that is used in Moonbeam for magicians who dwell on Earth, and is highly derogatory. 

"Nothing." I scowl.

"I can't believe I have to sleep next to an Earthling for two months," Lauren hisses. A few girls around us stop what they are doing to listen in. Gibby digs his nails into my shoulder. "And on top of that, an Earthling who is a Fire major. Won't you burn me in my sleep or something? I hear that Fire majors are crazy, that they don't know how to control themselves. Always distracted, getting wild ideas in their heads. If that's what it takes to be good at Fire, I'd happily give it up in a heartbeat. It's a destructive element anyway. Don't you know, all of the worst Sorcerers in history were Fire majors. I ought to ask that old bat Plato if I can switch dorms. The further away from a Fire major, the better." 

The entire room is silent, expectant. I just stand there, speechless. My heart racing. I have never, ever been confronted that fiercely before, and practically in cold blood... what have I ever done to her that deserves such treatment? For a moment I worry if my eyes are watering, but that feeling goes as quickly as it came on. Instead, I feel anger. Anger that this girl thinks she knows me. Anger that she humiliated me. Anger that she thinks so much of herself, and that she gets her highs from putting others down. I clench my fists. 

"Oh, is the little fireball going to vaporise me? Go ahead. The moment you lay so much as a spark on me I will get you kicked out of the Academy." Lauren smiles such an evil smile, her eyes squinting at me, challenging. I want to unleash at her, to do something, to say something, but I can't seem to get a word out. 

"Lost for words, are you? Listen, firecracker. Go back to the volcano where you came from. We don't want you here. Moonbeam doesn't want any more Fire majors, so crawl back to your stupid, monster hunting mother and never come back."