Talon Academy

Chapter Three

I stood in front of my new high school; Talon Academy. It looked more like a castle than an academy. Something right out of a fantasy book. It had tall grey stone walls and a huge black door with a curved top. Three windows lined the top of the gate and the painted black doors were adorned with beautiful carvings. The windows along the school were long and had curved tops, all divided with black wood. Two pillars stood on either side of the door and reached high into the sky. There was a pointed roof on each pillar and a flag blew as one with the wind on top. Above the door there were two large windows that pulled away from the grey stone; a balcony on the highest window. The roof and the balconies had stunning patterns and carvings. It was all breathtaking.

I stood here instead of the local academy because on two days after our arrival a letter addressed toward me came through the mail. It was a brown envelope with my name handwritten in elegant swirling writing. There was a sense of familiarity as I stared at the red wax seal which had a dragon wrapped around a dagger on it. I had never before seen a wax seal but it looked extraordinary and delicate. Gently I took out the parchment paper inside and was surprised by the loopy writing that looked almost like patterns. Biting my lip, with nervous butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I began reading:

Dear Miss Elizabeth Kate Wright,

Congratulation, you have been selected to join Talon Academy. A school for students with high academic progress and great potential. You have been granted an invitation to attend this school.

Your school uniform will be delivered to you in a days' time and, other than a bag, you will not need anything else as you will be provided with everything from books to stationary once you arrive.

We hope you accept our invitation and would be pleased to see you next week.

Sincerely,

Miss L Frey

(Head Teacher)

So I now stood in front of these giant gates, the buzz of students all around me. Taking a deep breath I stepped into the school.

The inside of the castle, I mean academy, was magnificent. On my left was a reception desk which had the school crest on it. The academy's logo was a shield with a dragon around a dagger in the center; just like the one on the wax seal. The shield was divided into four section; each section had a beautiful design in it.

I walked to the desk and a petite lady with blonde hair smiled at me.

"Hello there, how can I help?" Her voice was high pitched and it seemed like she was singing more than talking.

Giving her the letter I had received I said, "Hi, I'm new. I received a letter a few days ago saying that I was to attend here."

Nodding her head she gave me back my letter, "I see. You will receive your books in class," taking a sheet from the pile behind her she gave it to me, "Here is a map of the school, don't worry you'll know where everything is no time at all. For now you need to go to the Main Meeting Hall."

"Where's that?"

"Just go straight ahead and you will see two double doors. They lead to the Main Meeting Hall. Everybody who is new this year is to go there."

"Thank you."

The double doors were easy enough to find. However it seemed the difficult part was mustering enough courage to go in. I began to chew my lip as I pulled down the handle and entered the Hall.

Students wearing white shirts and purple tartan ties seemed sparse and little in comparison to the huge hall. Some were chatting in little groups while others stood in silence on the sides; altogether there was around thirty or forty of us.