The Foreign Gates

Chapter:4- Research Time

The moment we regrouped, I filled the girls in on what was happening. Though astounded at first and doubtful, Michelle's vouch for it made them believe. We quickly gobbled our food getting a few curious glances in the process. As we were stood up to leave, I spotted a few boys using magic to bully a knight boy.

I was no righteous defender but for some reason, their bullying reminded me of Ashley and the way she picked on me. Seeing that play out in front of my eyes, I just couldn't bear it. Before the girls could utter a word, I charged forward and stepped in front of the Mages. They were like the typical jocks with one alpha and the others as his minions. This particular alpha had two twin minions. The knight who was a fairly well built guy of around my age had messy brown hair and his blue eyes showed many feelings- frustration of being bullied, confusion over my intervention, anger for the bullies. But not a single trace of fear. I guess that's something they were taught in knighthood.

"What's your problem! This is Jeremy's school so butt out.", exclaimed the alpha referring to himself in third person. So primitive.

With a smirk, he pointed his finger at me and my hair flicked all over my face. Now this angered me and following his example, I too pointed at him, pulling on the energy strings around a bit too strongly. Consequently, he was thrown back a few feet. All that the entire cafeteria could do, was stare at the new girl who had just whipped some guy's butt out of the blue. As my face began to flush in embarrassment, the girls dragged me off by hand.

"H...hey! Wait up!", shouted they knight but we ran. As we turned a few coners, we stopped and took a breath. "Well, putting that episode behind us which made us completely believe you, the library is straight and left. Let's go", said Lazuli.

We reached the front main doors which were ornately decorated with books, ivy and butterflies in a symmetrical design. I pushed them open to find a humongous cavern filled with shelves crammed with books. Nickie said that as she had once visited her brother here once, she would be her guide.

It was only a matter of time till we reached the centre of the maze. There was a book stand in the middle of the section similar to the one used by a music conductor. This stand was decorated similar to doors.

"All you have to do is put your hand an the butterfly in the centre and say what keywords you want the library to search for.", instructed Nickie.

I stepped up to the stand and after thinking for a while, followed the instructions saying:

"Immense power, wizards on Earth, Earth gate."

As I said this, three books floated to eye level a few feet in front of me. They read:

'History of Merlin, a Biography by Anna Nightclove'

'A Guide to Control Your Power by Merlin'

'The gates of Avalon by Merlin'

It seemed that Merlin was quite a scholar. Having only a few minutes before class began, I reached out for the books which shrunk in my hand. Nickie said that this allowed for easy convenience of carrying them. The books now the size of a gem, went into my skirt pocket and we rushed out of the library. We decided to read the books together after Companion Time.

As we touched the classes on our timetables, the gong resounded throughout the school. Michelle and I parted our ways with the rest of the group with a hasty goodbye. We climbed a staircase and turned a few corridors to come across a very ordinary looking classroom. The walls were a pale cream colour and the floorboards were teak. The blackboard at the other end of the room was being written on by a dwarf with a red mane. His callous hands were gripping a piece of chalk.

We entered the room huffing and panting just as the History teacher turned to the class. The students seated on benches only had to spot me before the entire class erupted with whispers. Apparently all that talk of my strange power had spread throughout the school.

"Well well, if the two of you would kindly sit down, we shall begin our class"exclaimed the small red man. Great, History was so not my best subject. I despised the very name of the subject. I mean, who in any world would like to know what some old blokes did in the past? Boring!

Somehow or the other, I managed through the class. I wasn't really paying attention but I understood that the class was about some war long ago. Mr. Beckendrof droned on so long that my head almost hit the books. The moment the gong sounded, I grabbed Michelle and left for World Science. The classroom wast set in the basement level of the whole school. The room had actual moving stars and constellations on the ceiling which gave the feel of a real night sky.

The seat for students was purple cushions with blue tassels while the teacher's one was red and adorned with gold tassels. As the students filed in, there was an audible and literal poof sound as in golden smoke, appeared a fairy.

She was a little taller than Mr. Beckendrof but not by much. Her delicate yet powerful wing looked quite similar to Tinker Bell's. She wore a blue-purple gown and had crescent shaped spectacles. She glided to her cushion and took her seat.

"Let us start the class with introductions. I am Mary Jezebelda, your World Science teacher. World Science is not just some chemicals and reactions but it is the understanding of the many magical ways we are connected to different worlds. Now if you may, please write your name in the air so I may get to know you" began the new teacher.

I didn't want to overdo it this time so I barely touched the Energy Strings and yet mine shone the brightest. We started off by concentrating on the energy threads around us and trying to track just one of them to their origins. She told us that we were to not limit ourselves to this space but think only of the thread and where they went.

As I closed my eyes, I immediately saw all the threads glowing behind my eyelids. I focused on a rosy pink one and followed it as it twisted through it's tangles to the top of the ceiling. As I willed to follow it through the ceiling, that's when it happened again.

I did something powerful unintentionally.