A Brand New Beginning

Blood of Oxford, Part 3 -- Augustine's Blessing

"Oi, Andy! Wake up, mate!" Lydia said, "I made brekky!"

Andrew rubbed his eyes and noticed that Lydia had prepared more vegemite sandwiches for breakfast. "It's day two of our journey!" added Lydia, "We gotta be well-fed!" she handed Andrew one of the sandwiches, "Oi! Thundy! Wake up, mate! I dunno what a big lad like ya eats so I brought Julius's doggy treats!"

The distasteful flavor of vegemite made Andrew gag silently, trying as much as he could to swallow the food. He'd rather eat Lydia's sandwiches than starve. "Lydia, I do not think dog treats are appropriate for a magic wolf," Andrew said, "He needs a bigger meal."

--"I tried, mate!" Lydia answered, "I tried lookin' around for an animal for him but we're out in the bush! There's nothin'!"

Andrew noticed Thunderstorm's displeasure as he eyed the dog treats. They were so small they could fit in someone's fingertips. Lydia then sat down next to Andrew and reached for a sandwich. "You reckon everything's alright at Luna Nova?" she asked. "I hope so," Andrew sighed, looking down at Daisy's moon necklace hanging around his neck.

The previous night

"On your marks, get set, go!" Wangari shouted. Darcy, Syd, and Daisy then reached towards the sky in their brooms. Darcy took the lead, soaring above Blytenbury at an incredible speed. Daisy followed right behind with Syd stepping on her ankles. "You can do it, Darcy!" Kaia Herangi shouted. "Go get her, Daisy!!" Akko shouted even louder. "Are we supposed to cheer for Syd?" Cole asked. "Yes! We are! Get them, Syd!" Yoon-hee yelled, "We believe in you!"

--"I always knew that sad angst raincloud was a loser," Courtney said, "just look at how slow they are flying! My grandmother flies faster."

--"You know what, Courtney? They are trying their best!" Clarisse snapped, "If this means so much to you, you should have gone instead!"

--"Tch, whatever," Courtney rolled her eyes. Up in the skies, Daisy zoomed past Darcy as she gained speed. Darcy then gasped as Syd also zoomed past her, prompting her to lean forward to regain territory. "Seems like Darcy "The Hurricane" Taylor is struggling to keep up!" Wangari announced as her teammates took pictures and scribbled in their notepads. "Meanwhile, Syd Clark is desperately trying to keep up with Daisy!" Nick added. The three competitors then plummeted back to the ground at high speed. Simultaneously, all three crossed the finish line at the same time. "I won!" Syd shouted. "No way! I was the winner!" Darcy argued. "Both of you are delusional, I won!" Daisy snapped. "What photo finish!" Nick gasped, "All three students crossed the finish line at the same time!"

The Solarium and Starshine news teams also snapped photos. "I'm James Harlow from the Starshine Academy Newspaper!" a Starshine student said--he was a strawberry blonde young man carrying a microphone, "Ladies, and nonbinary fellow, how does it feel to end in a tie?"

Daisy, Syd, and Darcy then all argued at the same time how each one of them was the sole winner. "Excuse me, coming through," Courtney moved towards the front, snatching James's microphone, "I'm Courtney Diamond, you know, Headmaster Diamond's daughter and vice-president of the SSC. It is obvious that Syd Clark crossed the finish line first, they are the only winner. Ergo, Starshine Academy wins."

Kaia then moved Courtney out of the way. "Hey, I'm Kaia Herangi from Solarium Academy," she said, snatching the mic from Courtney's hands, "Darcy Taylor crossed the finish line first. The Hurricane won, so victory goes to Solarium Academy! Hey!" she gasped as Amanda snatched the mic. "I'm Amanda O'Neill from Luna Nova Academy," she said, "my girl Daisy Eaglenest crossed the finish line before these losers did! Therefore, Halves is the only winner!"

--"You're delusional!" Kaia shouted. "You wish," added Courtney. The three witches then began arguing loudly. Their arguing came to an end when police sirens were heard approaching. The students turned to see blue lights approaching through one of the streets. "Crap, it's the police!" Daisy gasped, "Luna Nova, let's go!" she signaled her classmates to run to the street opposite to which the police were coming. "Solarium! Time to bounce!" Darcy commanded, prompting the other Solarium students to mount their brooms and fly away. Yoon-hee and her friends noticed how Courtney and the other Starshine students had left without them. "We gotta get back to Starshine!" Clarisse said urgently. "No time! Let's hide!" Syd shouted, grabbing Yoon-hee and Cole from the wrists, "Come on, Belafonte! Move!" They then lead their classmates towards an alleyway, shoving them behind a dumpster. The police car passed by, the sirens slowly faded in the distance. Syd stood up and peaked their head around the corner, watching the cops shrink down the streets. "Everything's clear," they said, "let's get back to Starshine before Courtney gets us in trouble."