The Silver Pocket Staff

hiraeth- chapter 1

    Hiraeth Roberts opened her brown eyes as she landed on the grass hill. She stared at the sign that read "Eastwood Orphanage." She sighed and shook her dark hair in disbelief. Only three months ago, she had heard the horrible news that her mother died while serving in the Magical Military of Defense. A few weeks later, her father committed suicide by burning himself alive. She was the one who found him and called the ambulance. She was initially very upset, crying and screaming as a worker from the Protection of Magical Orphans dragged her from her home. Now, she was only angry. How could her father leave her without any remorse? Did he even care about her? She immediately knew the answer to that question. It didn't even matter anymore. He was dead and there was nothing she could do about it. Hiraeth stood up and walked through the grand brass gates, brushing them as she went. 

   Hiraeth found herself in a huge golden room filled with floating tables that each had four chairs each and unlit floating candles. There was also a floating wood podium at the front of the room. This was nothing grand to her. She had gone to a normal magical school  when both her parents were alive. To her left, there was a group of children standing awkwardly in a corner. Most of them were sniffling or crying.  She made her way over, trying to look much tougher and stronger than the other children. If she could intimidate them, she could probably get through four years of hell in the orphanage. 

   A woman with a flowing, blue dress and long, curly hair floated through the room. She had a tight expression on her face and looked very frightening, but also seemed like a kind person. Her palms were facing the floor and seemed to be emitting air.

 "She was born with air elements too," Hiraeth thought.

  The woman levitated all the way to the podium and said something under her breath. All the candles suddenly lit up. All the children stared up at her, waiting for her to speak.

"Good morning children. My name is Mrs. Helena Lancaster. I will be your directress and principal for the time you stay at Eastwood Orphanage. I expect that you know this is also a school and you will treat it as such." She gestured to a group of adults behind her. They were all wearing blue suits. "These will be your caregivers and teachers. Please respect your teachers to the best of your ability. If you refuse, you will be expelled and will be transferred to another orphanage."

   Hiraeth widened her eyes and scoffed. She felt that she'd be expelled in a few months, since she didn't have much respect for teachers.

    Mrs. Lancaster paused and eyed Hiraeth. The bold girl looked the directress in the eye. Mrs. Lancaster laughed a bit and continued speaking. "They will assign you your dormmates. Each dormitory consists of four people and you and your dormmates will have the same schedule. Your classes will be mixed with other students from other dormitories. That is all you need to know for now. Remember that at eighteen years old, you will  have to go out on your own in the world with only your grades, so please do your very best. I will always be near to help you with anything." She smiled and waved her hand. The floating tables and chairs slowly came to the ground. She nodded at the teachers and they all started calling out names of different students. 

   Hiraeth rested her back against the cold wall, waiting to hear her name. She closed her eyes and wished that she was back at her old neighborhood with her father and mother (who came home every other weekend). She imagined her father giving her mother a kiss on the cheek and her mother giggling with a smile that could light up a room. She wanted to be a small child again without a care in the world, living through life blissfully. She hoped that she was having a nightmare and that'd she would wake up in her purple bedroom and hear the sound her parents laughing as they prepared breakfast. Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud shout of her name. She groaned and sulked to the teacher who had called her. She already deeply hated Eastwood Orphanage.