A Wizard in the Works

As it turned out, there wasn't a teacher awaiting me inside. The only ones in there were six or so students. I was probably pretty early. I picked a seat, and as I waited, I could see students coming in and taking their seats. Some of them looked confused, and others looked like they were waiting for something... Either way, there wasn't a person in the room who couldn't wait for class to start.

After the last student the room would hold came in and took their seat, I started to get worried. The entire class was here, with no teacher to direct it! I was about to ask the kid sitting next to me about it, when something very amusing happened.

A blur of green and purple came down from the ceiling and did a double flip before landing on its feet on the desk, facing the back of the classroom. It turned around and took a bow, to raucous laughter and a round of applause from the class.

"I," said the blur, straightening up so we could make out what it was,"am professor Halston Balestrom. Welcome to Storm Studies!" The class applauded again. He was... How do I put this... A frog. He was wearing a suit and a top hat in the classic Diviner colours, with silver buttons. He then proceeded to send a bolt of lightning across the classroom, hitting the 3 metal targets hanging on the wall above the door. The class oohed and aahed as the lightning dissapated. (More than one student was left with some of their hair standing on its end.) I had a feeling that this was going to be a very fun class.

"Now, most of your classes here at Ravenwood are going to be mainly boring book-based learning. Has anyone had Myth yet, for example?" Some students laughed at this, while me and two others raised our hands. "Well, I think that you'll be very glad to know that this class is not like those other classes. We will be learning in a different way- through demonstration and experience rather than boring lectures." He sent a small spark through the floor, sending a tingle through our shoes and up our spine. "This is, after all, a school of the magical arts." And he spent the rest of the period showing off.

"Ah, miss Frostgem." He called as we were leaving the room at the end of class. "Could you come here a moment?" I walked back up to the desk.

"Yes, Professor?"

"I hope you're finding Ravenwood meets up to your expectations?"

"Oh, of course! It's only my first day, and already I've seen so many amazing things!" I exclaimed.

"Good, good. Tell me, which class do you have next?"

"Life Studies, I think."

"A nice class indeed, but you know... I hear the teacher's a real cow."

"That's not very nice!" I was shocked that he would refer to another teacher like that.

He laughed. "Ah, run along now. I have to get back up into the rafters before anyone from my next class arrives." He started to climb back up to the ceiling, and I turned around and left.

"The nerve of that guy!" I thought as I walked back around the circle, crossing in front of the big tree. The building that housed the Life classroom was painted in an earthy combination of green and brown. Keeping Mr. Balestrom's comment in mind, I went in.

A few people were already entering, so I went in with them. We all went to the same side of the rather dark classroom. There weren't any windows, and the only light came from candles mounted on the walls. As I sat down at the oddly-shaped desk, I noticed the other students slip off their shoes, and place them in a small shelf at the bottom of the desk. I did the same, letting my feet sink into the tall carpet. It felt almost like grass, only less sharp at the ends. The desks were built like the old ones that I had read about, with the seat built into the desk behind it, but all the desks were built like benches at a church. The entire room had a sweet smell- probably coming from the flowery hanging plants on the walls. The teacher was writing on the blackboard- no, she was... drawing on the blackboard? It was about half-covered with white, curly patterns that looked like vines and leaves. A tall boy came in and took his seat, and the professor put her chalk down. Was her hearing that good?

"Welcome, all of you, to Life Studies." She turned around. "I am Professor Moolinda Wu." Well, I could tell that Professor Balestrom wasn't kidding- but then again, who better to teach a class about Life Magic then someone from Mooshu?

"In this class," she continued, "we shall be learning about not only the history and theory of Life Magic, but also about the magic and harmony of the beautiful world that surrounds us. We shall learn the arts, music, and how to better understand nature and the messages it sends us."

"Fortune-telling." The boy next to me whispered to no one in particular.

"Ah, but first- you all must be hungry, yes?" She picked up a long wooden staff from behind her desk, and waved it in the swirly leaf pattern used to cast Life spells. The hanging plants started to grow, stretching their vines across the desks. Once they had sufficiently covered the desks, the flowers blooming on the vines turned into ripe, juicy-looking fruits almost as quickly as they had sprouted. I wasn't sure what to do, but I decided that I'd just copy the boy next to me- it had worked so far. I reached forward and plucked the fruit off of its vine. It was round and pink, and the skin was soft. Maybe it was some kind of peach? I had skipped breakfast this morning, so the fruit looked extra tasty. When I took a bite, I discovered that it was as juicy as it looked- and it had a sweet taste not unlike that of a strawberry.

After everyone had eaten the fruit- which I assumed was supposed to be lunch- the teacher went over the things that we would be learning this year in detail. It lookd quite interesting- I didn't think I'd be learning things like astronomy, gardening, and fortune-telling here. I was surprised when she dismissed the class- it was over already? It apparently takes a while for dedicated teachers to talk about their curriculum- it was the same with my elementary math teacher back in Marleybone.

As I exited the classroom, I encountered the first of two big surprises that the next five minutes had in store. Walking towards the Life classroom from the Storm building was a very familiar, blonde, green-clad figure. When she noticed me, she broke into a run.

Calamity JadeHeart, my eldest sister, scooped me up in a tight hug and shook me a big. "My Reecie, Lil' Icey, how ya' doing?" I couldn't keep myself from grinning like an idiot- Calamity was my favorite sister. (Don't tell the others.) "I haven't seen you in absolutely forever! Oh, why didn't you tell me you were here?" She put me down, and looked at me for a bit. "You're so tall, wow... Hey, that's the hat I got you!" I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying- just her being here was enough.

"Oh, hey, I gotta go to class, um, I'll show you around later, kay?" Her words interrupted my thoughts, and she disappeared into the Life classroom. I was sad that she had to go so soon, but I was estatic about getting to see her again. I was in the best mood...

...until I got to the Death classroom.