Ensorcell

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Next week was a special Junior Aromatics practice. They finally received their team uniforms, which is very similar to their school uniform. It's white with bright canary yellow stripes down both sides and an equally yellow collar. They even had official team goggles to wear while flying. There are 15 other students, 6 are first years, the rest were second years. The students lined up on the platform and laid their carpets down neatly on the floor. Ms. Puffin was wearing the same jumpsuit as them, goggles, and her own canary and orange carpet.

"You all know how this is going to go. When you get in the air, stay there until I say otherwise. Hamish." The small giant pulled the lever and CLUNK, the floor fell but no one fell with it, everyone stayed in the air.

"Very good." Ms.Puffin praised. She settled her carpet on the grass and adjusted herself to be more comfortable. She went up in the air with ease, and soared over to the children.

"Grip the edges of your carpet," everyone did "good, good. Now lean forward ever so slightly." They did, they moved slowly, painfully so. Ms. Puffin liked to do this every once in a while, going over the basics that they had learned on their first day of practice. It was annoying, but the students kept their mouths shut. Afterall, the quicker they get this done, the quicker they can get back to the game.

"Ok, now use the edges to lift yourself up slowly. Don't do it at an angle." They her instructions but, if some kids started to move to quickly, Ms. Puffin would correct them.

"Now side to side," they moved with ease. "Good, good." They did this for an hour and a half, and now could move more quickly, move downwards, and go up at an angle. In the end, everyone including Hamish had a group high five and Ms. Puffin passed out green tea cookies to everyone as a reward.

A month and a half has passed since the first day of school, so it's time for a short visit to home. The two girls sat together on the gray trains worn seats and discussed their plans.

"Well I'm going to see my aunts and uncles. Oh, and my grandmas and grandpas." Melony could see Ella thinking about the things she had to do and the people she had to see "How about you?" She asked Melony.

"I'm going to play with Sprinkles, maybe get a new book, sleep."

The arrived at the core to let out the fire students. On trips home, the train works in reverse. Since the train picked up the air students first, they dropped them off last. They talked, and when they get to the water drop off someone grabbed them and the two girls jumped. Of course, the culprit is Ben.

"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here." Ella's face scrunched in anger.

"Just wanted to make sure you didn't run away." He squeezed himself into the seat, purposefully trying to squish the two girls. He didn't stay long, only until the train started moving again then he skipped off.

The girls started talking again and making plans. They shared their addresses and promised to write at least once, and send pictures.

The time came for Ella to get off the train. She slowly left the train after they hugged. Melony watched her friend go up to her family. They all hugged, the mother squeezed Ella and whipped dirt from her face. When the only students that were left on the train was the wind students, the train started rolling, the two girls gave each other one last wave.

Up they went, passing through clouds on their way. Melony noticed how quiet the train is now that it was only them. They could see the white building coming up that they knew was station 1.

As they pulled into the station Melony looked for her parents through the window. She finally saw them. Her mother wore a black beaded necklace and her dad was fidgeting with a set of keys. The students exited the train with little luggage, after all in less than two weeks they would be back in school.

The three of them left the station and drove home in their red car. The hood was down and the strong wind was hitting them hard. Melony felt giddy to be high in the sky again. Even though her skin was getting chapped from the whipping winds. They drove down the cobbled streets and talked. Apparently, Melony's mother had a cake waiting for her at home that was supposed to be a secret. Melony's mother has never been good at secrets, every Christmas she keeps the presents in her closet without fail.

As they drove past the cream, blue, and yellow buildings Melony thought about how it all seemed slightly different. Her home felt smaller than it did before. Many of the elderly people sat in the cafe drinking sweet tea and eating sandwiches. Melony is the only person her age in her town. There were of course other teens, but they were all so much older than her. Melony realized how lonely she had felt growing up, no one to talk to but adults and the elderly.

The buildings and people stood on a large thick cloud, not as large of a cloud as cities live on. All air towns live on large, slowly moving clouds. The only truly sturdy place to stand is on the cobblestones, the clouds are cool and moist, they have a slight bounce to them when they are walked on. In some loose places, if you jump really hard, you can bounce like you're on a trampoline.

The Everest's family home is on the outskirts of town. It is a white house that has lots of 'shrubbery' that is just clouds molded into plant like shapes. They have a wraparound porch that Mrs. Everest keeps all her strawberry and tomato plants. Sprinkle the dog waited for them at the door, she has a new hot pink collar. The minute Melony entered her house, her mother made her put on her Aromatics uniform to take pictures, three in the house and three outside.

"Mom," Melony said when they were done talking pictures "can I borrow the camera?"

"Shure sweetie."

Melony took the camera and ran to get a good picture of her house. Melony pressed the button labeled P and the picture printed out quickly. She decided to send it to her friend tomorrow morning.

Over the week and a half, Melony sent pictures of her and her dog playing on clouds, a few mundane pictures of her town like the grocery store, movie theater, and the pastries at the cafe. She also sent a photo of her parent's familiars; her mom's cat names Margret and her dads crow names Buggie.

Ella sent her a picture of her home, a log cabin looking house with a huge garden that has pumpkins, gourds, apple trees, and of course her large spotted pig along with her mom's horse and her dads cow walked freely through their backyard. She took a picture of the wheat fields next to her house and a picture from the aquarium in the water district that her family took her to.

Lastly is a family picture from a party her family threw with her big brother Ben, her mom and dad, a few other people she didn't know, and George with his parents Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass. In the family picture, Melony noticed something a little different about Ella. She had cut her long hair short, and Melony wasn't sure if it was the lighting, but Ella's skin has an even more yellow tint.