Witchhazel Academy

A New Day

Lavina woke up drenched in cold sweat as Esther tore a brush through her knotted hair. The sky was still dark outside, but she could hear faint activity outside. Stretching, she slid off her ruffled comforter and headed into the bathroom to continue her routine before exiting with wet hair wrapped in a towel. She then realized how quiet Esther really was, not even throwing a "Morning" her way.
Grumbling, she thought of her miserable attempts at friendship and Zephyr's squad leaving her like dust. Suddenly, an idea popped in her head. "Esther, could I sit next to you in class...And breakfast, lunch, and dinner?" The girl, wrapping a thick black velvet choker around a milk white neck, seemed like she hardly took heed to her words, however she glared at her once her head turned a bit. "Why? Aren't you thinking about your 'reputation'? You're materialistic, like Tabitha, so go sit with her.", she grumbled bitterly. Lavina preferred the quiet Esther over the angry Esther, her body recoiling in fear, before confusion took over. "Tabitha?", she asked. Esther rolled her beady eyes, "Tabitha Grimsbane? Only the most horrible out of the snobby witch lot?" In her mind, Esther's clues didn't click, so finally she sighed, "The girl you sat next to in Orientation." Her eyes widened, "Her name is Tabitha?" "Last time I checked, yes." "But she didn't like me...", Lavina pouted. "Not my problem." With a flip of tangled black locks, she shoved a handful of books and supplies into her ratty book bag before leaving Lavina in their dark dorm room.
Once the door closed behind her, Lavina slowly turned on the oil lamp and threw on an itchy witch's gown the color of dirt. With a grimace, she found her belongings, shoving them in a book bag, and headed out, locking the door behind her. Girls began to stream into the halls, their eyes glassy with drowsiness, however they were excited to begin their new classes. She spotted Tabitha with the same girl with thick braids and inhaled deeply before deciding to approach her. Her athletic build towered over her as Lavina self consciously smoothed out her hair to match Tabitha's gleaming flaxen hair. "Hi!", she squeaked, earning a snicker from another girl, "I was wondering if I could sit with you guys today?" Tabitha and the other girl swapped mischievous glances before laughing cheerfully, "Why, of course! Lavina, right?" She nodded excitedly, "Yep!" "Pretty. I'm Lavander, and that's Kara. Let me see your schedule!", the thick-braided girl jeered. She looked over it, and with a growing scowl, smiled suddenly, "Cool! I have the same classes, and so does Tabitha..." Lavina smiled at them as they walked with her towards Professor May's class, however they were whispering to each other and leaving Lavina out of most things.
She settled beside Tabitha, only to have another witch with luscious brown hair confront her with a growl. "And who do you think you are? I sit there, moron!" Lavina shrank back, "Oh...I didn't know..." The girl mocked her as Lavina gradually stood up and glanced at Tabitha. Tabitha shrugged sadly with a pout. Sighing, she sauntered to the back and plopped in a seat. A sallow boy sat next to her, smiling with teeth encrusted with plaque, as he spat on her whilst speaking, "Hello! I'm Mort! You're pretty!" Lavina cringed, but as her eyes flew over his oily, clammy skin, she caught sight of Annika and Zephyr prowling towards their own seats. "Zephyr!", Lavina exclaimed, but the she wolf only glared her way and continued onwards to her seat. She slouched and sulked until History of Magic was over. Professor May had assigned geography related homework, to memorize the Enchanted Garden's traps and the way around the Minotaur's Maze, minus the Minotaur. On her way to Thermatology, she struggled to get past a slow-walking group and bumped into a nymph so hard that it fell over, panicked, and tripped Tabitha. She fell face first on marble, cracked her nose, and broke her golden bead bracelet. The beads rolled everywhere and everyone tried their hardest to corral all of them. Embarrassed, she slunk past the drama and into the frosted chamber that her Thermatology Professor, Professor Nolan, had began class in. His bald head had signs of frostbite, however it seemed like he had an immunity as his wickedly bushy, yet arched, eyebrows rose even further at Lavina's presence. "Tardy on your first day to class, Ms. Coveton?", he asked, tone as cold as...well...ice. "The gargoyles hadn't hit the bell yet-" An uneven cacophony of bell raps echoed throughout the school and had kids rushing to class. "Tardy. I'll excuse you for today. That is your assigned seat.", he grumbled, pointing to a cracked wooden chair and desk in between a girl with fiery red streaks and a boy feeding a rat in his book bag.
She slowly settled herself into her seat, feeling chills sweeping up and down her spine as her breath escaped in shallow wisps. "You'll get used to it eventually.", the girl grinned. Lavina sighed, "I don't think I will." "Welcome, witches, to Thermatology 1, the only efficient class here in this school. You will learn spells based on ice and summon beasts such as the Ice Serpent or Frost Giant. Do not fool around in this class, as ice magic is highly potent and will kill-" He continued talking, passing out syllabuses like Professor May had done. "I'm Sonya. Sonya Wyvern.", she whispered. "I'm Lavina Coveton. You must like fire magic." Sonya raised her eyebrows, sarcasm heavy in her tone, "Really? How'd you know?" Lavina giggled just as Nolan slammed a packet for a syllabus on her desk. "I strongly recommend you read through this to make sure your talking is taken care of before any real lessons start." With a grumble, he gave Sonya one and headed to the next student. Sonya mocked him below her breath as Lavina tried her hardest to not giggle. Next was breakfast, which she was thankful for, but then realized Tabitha was still in the Infirmary with the Nurse, a Healing Fairy. Just as she was about to crawl into the bathrooms to eat, she saw Sonya wave her over. Relieved, she crashed her tray containing a beautiful fruit crepe, slices of apples, and apple juice. Sonya was tucking into her pancakes as the same boy with the rat glanced up at Lavina, curious. "That's Ernest, but I call him Ernie. He carries his pet rat everywhere with him.", she whispered. He didn't respond, only fed a bit of waffle to a sleek black rodent in his bag. "He's usually very quiet and harmless, but if you take his rat, you better say your prayers." Lavina smiled, glancing towards Esther, alone, with her nose in a leather bound book. Sonya glanced in her direction, "You want to invite her here? You know, if she says yes. That's Esther you're talking about." "I'm her roommate. Of course I want to invite her." Sonya gawked and even Ernest raised his eyebrows in shock. "But you're so nice and she's so not. How's that possible?" Lavina shrugged.
Esther had closed her book and was heading to her class early when she glared at Lavina. Standing beside her, she growled, "Just like everyone else. Always talking about someone, aren't you?" She prowled away, leaving Sonya stunned and Ernest busy feeding his rat.