The Sparks Academy of Magic (discontinued)

One- New School

'Woah!' fifteen-year-old Ziara Rowan exclaimed as she stepped into the courtyard of Sparks Academy for Magic (SAM), it was bustling with students wearing the standard uniform of SAM, a silver chiton or tunic lined with grey, who were chattering and joking around. In the center of the courtyard was an ivory and gold statue of Hecate, the founder of the school.

Two weeks ago, Ziara received a mysterious letter scroll. In it, it was written,

Dear Ziara Rowan,

You are hereby invited to attend school at the Sparks Academy for Magic (SAM),

school for the most elite sorcerers and sorceresses for your raw talent in magic. It is a

great honor for all sorcerers and sorceresses to attend our school, we hope you will not

refuse. If you will attend this school, please note that it is a boarding school and you will

not be allowed to go home unless it is for vacation or an emergency. A list for all the

items you will need is included.

Yours sincerely,

Calypso Starfire

Principal of the Sparks Academy for Magic

Ziara's parents were delighted about the invitation, since Ziara's greatest ambition was to be able to attend this school ever since she read about it in a news scroll five years ago. Her extremely proud parents practically flew to the village shops to buy everything that their daughter needed as soon as Ziara told them about the good news. They also chattered about it with their equally proud neighbours. It was an honour to be invited to this top-notch school, and none of the villagers in their remote village had ever been accepted to SAM.

Two minutes later, Ziara entered the glowing gates of her dream school. As she walked down a wide corridor towards the office, lugging her huge bag behind her, she admired the beautiful s of colour and design on the walls and ceiling of the corridor. A huge wall-mural of Hecate was behind the reception desk. Suddenly, a scroll zoomed over and almost whacked Ziara's face. A head popped up behind the desk,

'Sorry, my dear, just clearing out the old scrolls in the drawer.' she said. She waved her hand and the scrolls all lined up and marched into the bin while Ziara watched in wonder.

'Ah... You must be Ziara Rowan, the new student Principal Starfire was expecting. She will see you after you've settled down in your dorm room. You'll be in room 307, on the third floor, down the first corridor, seventh room. Your roommate is Jennifer Dragonflame, she'll be with you soon, since she hasn't arrived yet. Ta-ta!' The receptionist returned to her business, sorting out the old scrolls in her desk.

Ziara strolled down the corridor towards her room nervously. Will the principal be nice? Or will she be mean? Will she be strict? Or will she be easy-going? Her mind was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice that she was climbing up the stairs to the fourth floor. She ambled down the first corridor, opened the door of the seventh room and heard a scream. A boy was lounging on his bed, half-naked; his round face looked very red with embarrassment and anger.

'What are you doing here? No girls are allowed in the boy's corridors! Don't you know the rules?' He demanded, shaking his fist in Ziara's face.

'Oh! Sorry! I'm new here, and I got distracted, so I wandered...'Ziara mumbled, her face as red as a tomato, too.

'Just get out of here!' He screamed in her face while he almost exploded with exasperation. Ziara awkwardly scrambled out of the room and the corridor, as fast as she could.

Great! Wasn't even here for a minute and I already made an enemy...She thought to herself. She dejectedly wandered to the elaborate staircase, went down the correct corridor and opened the correct door.

'You're late!' a haughty voice remarked.