chapter 7, guys!!

Chapter seven-The second day

I fixed my dress, and shifted my bag to a more comfortable position. I took a deep breath, and hurried over to the professor.

There were many people over where Professor Wethersfield was. Maybe around thirty, forty people. I figured I would just walk over there and get a few stares, however, when I joined the group, everybody shot away from me. Everyone’s face was in awe, and I heard much whispering when I passed.

Professor Wethersfield looked up when he heard the sudden rush of quiet. He realized that it was because of me, and I knew even he was in slight awe.

“Hello Professor Wethersfield.” I mumbled quietly. I could feel my face flaming in hot embarrassment as I looked down at my toes. “I’m ready for class.”

Professor Wethersfield cleared his throat, and put a large bag on the floor beside him. Despite we were outside, with no building, no desks or chairs, he acted as if our school was the most normal thing in the world. He also acted as though Balance was the greatest, most powerful thing in the world. Maybe he could be right…

“Everybody will get this book.” Professor Wethersfield pulled out an orange book from the bag. “Basic Wizardry. You are to study this in school, at home, and everywhere else you kids go.”

Some kids nodded. Others were still staring at me, with my head facing the pavement.

“Come on now, everybody take a book from this bag, here.”

We all shuffled past each other, shoving and trying to get the best book. Since I was closest to the bag, I got the first book. I studied the book, its glossy orange cover, the red wording: The Basic Magic of Wizardry.

When everybody had received their book, Professor Wethersfield took a handful of paper from his suit case. “You will finish these papers at the end of class. It’s taking notes on everything you found interesting in these books. There are five questions to answer before you write these notes. If you have more than twelve paragraphs of notes, you obtain a good score. If you write under nine paragraphs of notes, it will be a bad grade. Any questions?”

A girl with red hair and pigtails shot up her hand. Professor Wethersfield nodded so she could ask the question.

“Where are the desks?” Her voice was small and girlish.

Professor Wethersfield chuckled. “I’m not surprised you asked that- it gets asked every year! You see, while every other school stays inside their buildings, we get to practice our magic with the large area of the outdoors! Balance magic here, in Ravenwood, wouldn’t work with everything else! Balance students fight, protect, and make things stronger. We shall not sit in a class room and read.”

“So instead, we stand up in the cold outdoors and read.” The redheaded girl grumbled.

“Indeed! It’s not so bad if it increases our agility, strength, and intellect!”

Several Balance students groaned. Professor Wethersfield handed out the papers. I read the questions, and it didn’t seem so hard, even though it was in the teacher’s writing:

Worksheet for Basic Wizardry

1. What did you find most interesting?

2. What did you find least interesting?

3. What is some magic that seems most interesting to learn?

5. What is some magic that seems most dull to learn?

6. Explain notes from Basic Wizardry. Nine paragraphs at the least, twelve paragraphs earn an A.

I raised my hand, and Professor Wethersfield nodded in approval. “What, Ms. Ravengem?”

          “Where do I write?” I asked. There were no spots to write, for there were no desks.

          Professor Wethersfield laughed. “I can take care of that.” He waved his wand, and thick, very flat pieces of wood appeared in front of every one of us.

          “Whoa- what is this supposed to be for?” I asked. How was I going to write on a piece of wood with no chair, and its floating?

          “Writing on, of course. No desks, no chairs, just pure nature and a piece of flat wood to write on.” Professor Wethersfield answered.

          Everybody placed their worksheet on the board, and opened their books. I did the same. Question one was easy, of course. I found everything interesting, from easy to complex spells.

          I finished the five questions in around twenty minutes. It took me around an hour to do more than twelve sets of notes. I noticed that people would stop doing their work just to glance at me, and every time I felt my face turn a fiery maroon. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I concentrated on clearing my mind and only focusing on working on this worksheet. After I finished the whole worksheet, I raised my hand. Professor Wethersfield nodded at me.

          “Excuse me, professor, but what do you do when you’re done?”

          Professor Wethersfield looked at me funny. “Done already? I hope you didn’t skim through the pages, Ms. Ravengem.”

          “No, professor.” I smiled. I was slightly proud of finishing first.

          “Well then, let me see your paper, please.”

          I walked up to him and gave him my paper. He read all my answers closely, squinting his eyes at the parts where I wrote a lot. He cleared his throat.

          “Well, I can’t say there is anything wrong with this worksheet…” He said at the end. I glanced at the class, and I caught a very pretty brunette girl roll her eyes at me and the professor to her friends. I ignored them.

          Professor Wethersfield checked his watch. “Class is dismissed in five minutes! We are learning about how to cast a wand spell tomorrow! Turn in your worksheets, and I will tell you about the homework.”

          Everybody walked up and placed their worksheets in a pile. We stood behind the pieces of wood dreading the thought of homework.

          Professor Wethersfield took out another pile of paper from his bag. He passed them out by two stacks, one row ahead of us would pass it back, and then we would pass it back… At the end, everybody had our homework assignment.

          “You will write a three- paragraphed note about what we have done today. It must be on proper parchment, not colored. You are dismissed.” Professor Wethersfield waved his staff, and all the wood magically flew into his bag. I heard a bell ring from somewhere, and I realized it was lunch time.

          I turned around and I saw many students leaving the buildings, and into the central area. I didn’t know where the lunch room was… Not until I saw students eating on the ground by the big Bartebly tree. I walked over there with my paper bag, and sat by the gate. I watched as friends paired up and sat together, while I had none. I was just going to give up hope when I saw Richard walk by. He sat by three girls, one I recognized as the girl who rolled her eyes at me. The girl’s cold blue eyes linked with mine, and Richard turned around to see who she was looking at. He waved for me to come over. How could I say no to Richard?

          I walked over and sat down. My nerves were kicking up, but I forced them down. “Hi Richard.”

          “Hey, Mary!  How was your second day?” Richard asked playfully.

          “Um, I guess it was okay. I got a good score on my worksheet.”

          “Course’ ya’ did, sweetheart.” I looked away from Richard to see the brunette talking to me. She was tanner up close, with glowing skin and amazing honey brown hair. The only thing that I didn’t like about her was her attitude and her freezing silver blue eyes.

          Richard cleared his throat and the girl smiled at him flirtingly. “Mary, this is Emily, Emily Rose.”

          Her name sounded sweet, but she was bitter and cold. I nodded to her two friends. “Who are they?”

          “Going to make him speak for you?” One of the girls giggled harshly. Her white blonde hair was extremely straight, and she had plain green eyes. She looked like a white rock-she had absolutely no color in her face.

          “No.” I said sharply. I looked them in the eyes. “What are your names?”

          Emily rolled her eyes again, bored. ‘The blonde one is Tara, and the black- haired one is Grace.”

          Grace was pretty. She had light skin, blue-ish black hair, but with a tough face. She didn’t look as graceful as her name did.

          Emily, Grace and Tara chatted happily and ignored me. Sometimes Emily would whisper in Richard’s ear, and Grace and Tara would giggle. Richard looked extremely uncomfortable, but the girls didn’t seem to notice. Richard and I ate our food in silence.

          I broke the silence between us. “Do I have a class after this?”

          He looked up. “No, that’s only for second semester. We’re only learning our own school right now.”

          “We’re going to learn more schools?” I asked.

          “Yeah, I think I might do the Myth school…” Richard replied.

          “Life, for me. Definitely Life.”

          “Why life?”

          “Because, my mother is life.” I answered.

          Richard took a bite of his sandwich and tried to say something, but it turned out like this:”Waa dosn yo err momer haf a grudfe agaifst fire?”

          I laughed. “What?”

          He swallowed his food. “Why does your mother have a grudge against fire?”

          I ran my fingers through my hair, and sighed. “Because my dad was fire. He left when I was little…”

          Richard’s eyes went suddenly dull. “I’m sorry Mary- I didn’t mean to hurt you- “

          “Its fine, Richard. I’ve gotten over it.” I lied.

          The lunch bell rang, and many students began bustling over to the exit gates. Some kids still whispered to their friends as I passed, but what could I do? I walked out of Ravenwood for a second time, however this time I wasn’t going home to a crying mother.

          “Mary!” I turned around to see somebody calling my name. A pale skinned girl with bright green eyes ran up to me, long black hair covered most of her eyes and back. She wore a dark suit, with dark purple trims.  I noticed a neat, bright red streak in her hair as well. “Mary! It is you, right?”

          “Um, yes I am Mary.” I said awkwardly. “And – you are?”

          “I’m Abigail, Abigail Silvereyes! But you can call me Abby.” She held out her hand, and I shook it willingly. Her eyes widened. “Is it true? You saw Malistaire with your own eyes?”

          “Yes.” I said quietly.

          “Oh my gosh! This is amazing!” She squealed. She jumped a little, and giggled. “Want to be friends? Those girls you were sitting at lunch, you don’t want to mess with them. Richard, of course, is friends with practically everybody, but even he doesn’t like them. He is forced to sit over there, because they have a fat desire to put a gigantic kiss on him!”

          I laughed a little. “Okay, it would be nice to have somebody besides Richard to sit with…”

          “You bet ya!” She laughed. I watched her skip away from me, and into the shopping district. She probably lived somewhere around there… What an energetic person!

          I put my coat on, and began to walk home. It felt nice to have made at least one friend today, even though it was only a fan of what I did two days ago. Maybe the memory of two days ago will die out someday…