One Year Before High School

Chapter 3

The way back wasn't as fun as the way there, but luckily, Ella had a very brave sister.

When they arrived at the school, they went straight to the principal's office.

The office was spacious, but that was it. Nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it seemed almost sparse, with the only decor being necessities. Ella seemed to like this fact while Ivy went and knocked on a door.

"Yes?" asked a grown woman's voice.

Mrs. La'Lune came out, and Ella saw here for the first time. She had a tall bun, blazer and pencil skirt. A typical principal look, as well as a worried, high-strung look about her. She wore mainly in colors of dark blue and occasional purple, an odd choice.

"Hi there Mrs. La'Lune," said Ivy politely, "We were wondering if we could have my ID fixed, it's not showing up on anything," she said. Mrs. La'Lune nodded, "Sure, no problem, gimme a minute please..." she said, oddly flippant, but not in a rude way.

Mrs. La'Lune walked to a side office. Sounds of whrilling machinery could be heard.

Then silence

For some reason, Ella didn't like the feel of the silence. It held an air of bad-news, like the feel of thick molasses. Constricting, warning, worrying.

The tension was dispelled when Mrs. La'Lune finally popped out. She looked flustered.

"Alright, good news bad news. Which would you prefer?" she asked, fidgeting with a sheaf of papers.

"Bad news" answered Ivy.

"Okay then. Ella, Ivy doesn't happen to be your sister, does she?" she asked. Ella was taken back at the question. They didn't act alike, look alike or did anything alike. Most people mistake them for friends rather than sisters. To hear it from the principal's mouth was a little alarming, especially if it fell into the category of "bad news".

"Yes, is that a problem?" asked Ivy, apparently thinking the same thing that Ella did.

Mrs. La'Lune took a deep breath, and sighed, "Well, when we accepted you, we accepted...only you. Your sister wasn't part of the set. In fact, she's not old enough yet, and we aren't even sure if she can even use magic. Didn't you notice? How the letter we sent you involves only you? How there were no siblings when you arrived, how your room is designed for only you?"

Ella did but didn't think anything of it. "I just thought they were coincidences and mistakes," she said in a small, embarrassed voice. She should have noticed something!

Mrs. La'Lune caught the tone, "Uh, oh no. It's not your fault. I don't know how but for now..."

Page 3

Mrs. La'Lune paced around, "I...no...ugh!" she mumbled to herself. She was obviously weighing her options. Finally, she said, "Alright girls, I...I'm not sure what I can do for you. But something I'm certain of is that you can't have anyone know about this. We've...we've never had this happen before, and I'm not sure how the students will react. For now...keep low, and I'll update you if anything comes up"

Mrs. La'Lune paused to put together her thoughts, "Right now," she said carefully, "Just pretend to be a normal student. I'll register Ivy as...a childhood friend since you're already close. She'll be the same age as you if that's the case, though she's only in elementary..." she paused and tried to think of a compromise.

Ella smiled nervously, "I think we'll manage," she said. Mrs. La'Lune looked surprised at her words, then said with a concerned tone, "Are you sure? Don't just say that because you think I can't handle this. Right now, the main priority is for you two to stay safe" she said.