Salem: The Power Of Four [Watty Awards 2012]

~Salem Motto~

Lorem tendunt potestatem.

Lorem notris obtemperare praeceptum.

Et nos operamini apud Subtilitas.

Lorem spiritu suscipiet honorem Academia

*** *** ***

The emblem of Salem Girls Academy shone brightly on the badges of every girl in the hall. They stood tall; their long grey skirts barely touching their knee high white socks. Each blouse was buttoned to the top, with a tight black and grey striped tie around their necks. The girls were unified with their black blazers, their hair tied securely at the back of their heads. Their voices were united in the air as the sung the Bellum Historia for all to hear. And even though they sang in Latin, the words were still signified the same.

We once set feet upon the ground,

The humans and we united.

The world in peace and harmony,

Until by humans we were slighted.

War arose, everyone fought,

The humans and their guns,

The Gifted and their magic.

Too many deaths,

The world almost dead.

Up we went,

Away we fled.

The hundredth anniversary of the war was upon them, and all the gifted could do was sing the song that explained it all. Each student had grown up hearing the song. Each knew what it represented.

For the song explained why none of the students had ever set foot on real ground. Why they’d only walked upon a ground made of false soil and metals. Why the school was situated just inside the earth’s atmosphere, over a place known to humans as the Bermuda Triangle.

There were three levels of Salem, as it was called. There was Salem itself, which sat just out of sight of the world below. Salem was home to hospitals, police forces, the government and the people. Above Salem were the two junior academies, the one of gifted boys, and the other for gifted girls. These held the teachers and students from ages 0 to 15. And above the three was the senior campus, which held all students until they reached the ripe age of 20.

At Salem, the uniforms were strict, the lessons difficult, the teachers tough, but that was the way it had always been at Salem…the way it would always be.