Jane’s hands were sweating, she had been plucked from obscurity and brought to this school. Well Jane thought it was a school. The hairless woman before her looked like a school marm from the 1800’s. Not that Jane would ever say something like that to her face. The hairless woman was actually the headmistress at this school and her very short temper had begun to shrink. Headmistress Applegrass was rather upset that the girl had been brought to her in the first place. It was too late for her to begin training now. Applegrass didn’t care how endangered they were, she couldn’t be expected to take this seemingly ordinary 16 year old girl and catch her up with her peers. The other children had been training almost their whole lives. Jane was beginning to tremble under the headmistress’s stare. Applegrasss sighed and began to speak.
“What is your name?” she snapped.
“Jane Gates.” Jane whispered to the woman.
“You’re an orphan, correct?”
“I lived in a group home if that’s what you mean.”
“Like I said. An orphan.”
Jane hated the word orphan, it sounded so helpless. Sure, Jane’s parents were dead and completely unknown but Jane herself wasn’t that helpless. Silence fell in the office again, Jane felt Goosebumps rise on her skin from the draft of one the giant windows on either side of her. Jane wished she could sit down but the woman hadn’t offered her a chair.
“Hello Sissy!” the man who had picked Jane up from the group home said storming into the room. Jane relaxed as the headmistress stiffened. Jane wracked her brain for the man’s name.
“Kyler.” Applegrass said curtly.
“Do you like my gift? I stumbled upon her one day! Can you imagine? One of us just under our noses!”
“Yes, well I’m not sure what you want me to do with her.”
“This is the finest school in the country, Sissy. I want you to train her. That’s your job. I find the lost and you train them.”
“It is far too late for this girl, Kyler. She will be so behind her peers.”
“Nonsense, she’s a quick learner! Aren’t you, Jane? She rolls with the punches too. I right snatched her up and told her she was a witch, just accepted it right off.” Kyler was getting exciting and his sideburns flapped about. Jane rather liked Kyler he was friendly unlike the bald woman.
“Fine, Kyler. She has one chance, I won’t have her ruining an entire institution simply because you like her.” Applegrass slumped ever so slightly.
“Grand! Smashing! But at least give her a mentor or something otherwise she’ll be lost.” Kyler said winking at Jane.
“All right, Kyler. Please just leave, I can’t stand your bustling about.”
“Consider me gone.” Kyler said, literally fading out in front of Jane’s very eyes. Jane started to feel very ill. Kyler was her only ally here. Where ever here is.
Suddenly the room was filled with loud high pitched laughing, it was accompanied by a girl around Jane’s age. She stopped laughing as she adjusted to her surroundings.
“Headmistress Applegate, what a pleasure.” The girl sneered, flicking her hair over her shoulder and slumping into the nearest chair.
“Ms. Kovan, this is Jane Gates. She will be starting here this year.” Applegate said arching an eyebrow at the girl. Jane was irritated by the fact that the girl didn’t even bother looking at her.
