Leo, Jason, and Anaya made their way to the detention room with sad and solemn expressions, taking measured steps toward three hours of boredom and annoyance."Can't you just make the Dean fall asleep again?" Leo asked hopefully."And what will we do about Derek?" Anaya countered."Can't you use a sleep spell on him too?" Jason suggested."Believe me, I've tried, but he has some super strong force field on his mind," Anaya replied, frustration creeping into her voice."Is it impossible to break?" Leo asked, curious about the kind of magic required for such a spell."Yeah, if you're an amateur. But don't worry, I'll deal with it soon enough," she said confidently.They stood by the door, hesitating between staying or running back home. The Dean walked by, spotting them instantly. He quickly pulled out a wand from his pocket, pointed it at them, and yelled,"What are you three still doing there? Time for detention!"They sighed and groaned, lowering their heads as they shuffled into the
Anaya walked into an ancient building filled with cracks of time and layers of heritage. She entered her coldly colored room, took off her uniform, freshened up, and placed the white book on her study table, ready to analyze it as she had done for the past few days. While engrossed in the letters that only she seemed able to see, Anaya once again found herself puzzled by the book's secrets and enchantments.A figure slowly emerged from her slightly ajar white wooden door."Anaya, darling..."Anaya turned to see a woman in her late seventies with beautiful long white hair and wrinkles that spoke of a life well-lived. She smiled brightly as the woman walked in."Are you back from school?""Yes, Ma. I'm back," Anaya replied."How was it? How are your friends?" her grandmother asked."They're fine, Ma. Everything's fine," Anaya answered simply."I'm sure my darling Anaya is so popular and has lots of friends. Do you want food? I'll make it," her grandmother offered."No, Ma. You've been o
After dinner, Jason reminded Leo of how upset Anaya was yesterday and thought it would be best to apologize to her sincerely tomorrow. Leo knew that Anaya wouldn't forgive so easily and wondered what would be the best way to apologize. Sydney advised the boys that if they really wanted her forgiveness, they needed to do something incredibly thoughtful and sweet, like baking a cake. They loved the idea, but the only problem was they didn't know the first thing about baking.Sydney sighed at their ability to fight beasts and conjure up magnificent things, yet they couldn't do something as simple as baking a cake. She rolled her eyes, wondering how Varrick Darwin or Alex couldn't teach them such basic skills, but then again, how could they teach what they had no knowledge of? She agreed to help them out, and they stayed up all night just to prepare it.The boys always found a way to mess up the cake in the blink of an eye. Sydney was even afraid to blink, worried they would add too much
Sylvia and Leo walked side by side through the crowd, neither saying a single word. Leo would always turn several shades of red, even if their hands simply brushed against each other."Friday was amazing, by the way. We had a lot of fun," Leo said, breaking the awkward silence."I don't think your friend thought so. Do you think she hates me?" Sylvia asked, staring at him intently."Who? Anaya? Of course not. She just doesn’t warm up so easily. Don’t take whatever she says to heart—she’s mean to everyone," Leo replied plainly."I see..." Sylvia murmured, thinking deeply. She shook her head as if making a mental note and then continued to ask Leo about how he had been doing these past days and how he was adjusting to school life. She proceeded to ask about his family and other personal matters, seemingly engrossed in his everyday life and wanting to know more by the second.She was essentially asking intrusive questions that Leo couldn’t answer without thinking deeply. He still had to
Everyone had been talking about the school's rugby team all day; it was the only thing anyone could focus on. Among the side talks, whispers and giggles, one name was constantly mentioned —"Chris Andrews." The name echoed at every corner, and some boys were starting to get annoyed, Jason most especially. Every time someone mentioned Chris, Jason would glance at Anaya, but she remained oblivious, utterly unmoved.Her whole attention was fixed on the book in front of her as she tried very hard to interpret the meaning of the letters on the page which only she seemed to see. She had rearranged the letters countless times, but each attempt didn't make any sense at all. Frustrated by this, she had torn out so many pages from her notebook that the boys flinched in fear more than once. A good portion of their English period and lunch time had been wasted on her futile attempts, and Anaya was growing restless. Finally, she stood abruptly and announced, "I'm thirsty. Let me get some water, I'
Anaya searched through every locker she could pry open until she finally found a towel that didn’t smell of piss, sweat, or vomit. She gagged at the sheer number of unspeakable things she uncovered and wondered how hard it could possibly be for the owners of the lockers to just do their laundry.“Here,” she said, handing over a thick navy-blue towel. “Warm up, and we’ll go over to the student affairs office to get you a clean uniform. I mean, I’d give you mine, but…” She trailed off, glancing down at her skirt with a playful smile. Though she had an extra uniform in her locker, giving it to him was absolutely out of the question. “You wouldn’t want that.”The boy imagined himself walking around the school in a skirt and turned red with secondhand embarrassment. Anaya burst into laughter at the look on his face, and he couldn’t help but chuckle too, forgetting for a moment everything that had just happened to him.Anaya sat down beside him, and after a few seconds of silence, he hesita
Sebastian went out of the lunch cafeteria, while Anaya, Jason and Leo went to their next class which is conjuring. The three sat down together, as they always did in the back of the class where no one was really paying attention to them. In today’s lesson the boys and girls learned how frogs are turned into doves.On her first try Anaya casted the spell correctly and the teacher congratulated her for the wonderful job. Jason was able to get it after several tries and his face turned red with embarrassment as the class giggled softly. On the other hand, Leo had an opposite issue to tackle with. Instead of turning his frog to a dove as they expected him to do, he transforms it into other animals. First it was a rabbit, a turtle, even a tiny dragon and the rest of the students laughed, even the teacher was a bit frustrated.The confusion was at the peak when a student close to the teacher’s desk transformed the frog into a giant, scary beast. The creature growled and began to move viole
“We’re here,” Jason said as brightly as he could when the carriage paused to a halt.After Jason and Leo, Anaya descended the carriage one step at a time and in a stiff manner. She came to a halt in front of the big gate and stood there glued to the spot with her eyes on the building overhead, saying nothing for about fifteen seconds. After a moment of awkwardness, Jason and Leo looked at each other and then Leo said, ‘‘She must be starstruck”.Jason burst into laughter over the joke, although he was fully aware that Anaya was not easy to impress. However, their amusement quickly began to fade as they grew concerned at the fact that Anaya remained completely silent throughout the whole ordeal.A while later, she finally spoke and said, “You two go in without me. I’ll just stay here.""Why?" Jason questioned, a quizzical look painted across his face. He and Leo both looked at each other, looking visibly confused.Anaya didn’t respond. Instead, she sighed, a gesture that either meant sh
Varrick woke them up abruptly and told them to hurriedly set up the battleground for their training. They groaned, slightly annoyed, once they realized it was Saturday. Most people would have been excited on a weekend, but then again, Leo and Jason were never "most people." They dragged their feet and put on their fighting attire before arranging the arena, setting up their training gear, and sharpening their knives and swords.They started with a brief exercise while Sydney set up some water, fruits, and healthy drinks to help with their morning. Alex, Darwin, and Varrick assisted her, and they began sword training after everything was set up. Darwin decided to spar with Jason first since Leo had started last week. They immediately pulled out their swords, and the battle began. Their swords clashed with great impact. Every swipe of a blade was made with immense precision. Jason had always been calculated, even with a sword—always knowing when to strike, when to defend, and how his ne
The stadium was vast, with bright green grass spread across the field like a soft carpet. Leo and Jason sped past their opponents, the ball firmly secured under Leo's left arm. The Swift dodged all obstacles in their way. With skillful moves and strategic planning, they were able to score another point for the practice team they were on. Cheers erupted from their teammates and some of the students who simply enjoyed watching them practice before a big game. Chris Andrews wasn't around today, and today's training was overseen by his subordinate. He applauded Leo and Jason's skills and quickly went to tell the other practice team how they had aced it and where they may have encountered some slip-ups.Leo and Jason walked over to the next trainees, giving them their brooms. "Good game," one of them said on their way to the field."Thanks..." Leo replied, making his way to the bleachers."That was fun," Leo said."Yeah..." Jason agreed, but his frown only deepened. "But I really don't thi
"Princess?" Anaya said after a long moment of silence. "I didn't think you'd be careless enough to follow me here..." She glanced behind him and smirked before saying, "Alone.""I have clearly grown to underestimate your capabilities," the man said, letting out a small chuckle."Big mistake," Anaya said, her voice low, her eyes indicating that she was not here for jokes."I came to tell you the recent state of our home. Your father wrote to you, actually. Many, many times on our most recent affairs. Didn't you get his letters?"Anaya let out a scoff, took Chris by the arm once more, and walked past the man."He would really like to meet with you, princess. It's a matter of great importance," the man said almost impatiently."I don't want to see him," Anaya replied in the same tone.The man ignored her words and finally made eye contact with the boy behind her. He looked back at Anaya, a sly smile dancing on his lips as he said, "I see you found a friend."Chris, taking it as his cue t
Half the day had already passed, yet Leo still seemed completely out of it. It was like he wasn’t even there."He has the dragon flame." How did she know that? How could she tell? Is she the one who knows my secret?They were already seated at their favorite spot in the cafeteria. Jason and Anaya had started analyzing the book and her notes, taking up half their lunch break. Anaya would carefully describe what she saw, and Jason would try his best to draw the symbols. However, he could never quite get them right—there was always a misplaced stroke or an odd line. Whenever Anaya attempted to draw the symbols herself, they were invisible to everyone else.They bantered back and forth for a while before finally turning their attention to Leo for his thoughts. Unfortunately, he wasn’t paying attention."Earth to Leo!" Anaya exclaimed, snapping her fingers in front of his face."Huh?" Leo blinked, finally noticing their stares. "I’m sorry...""Don’t worry about it," Jason said with a small
"Did you find out anything new about those kids?""Not at all, Miss Pemberly," Mr. D said, his head lowered in shame as he acknowledged his lack of efficiency in handling such a simple task."Well, how could you, when you're sleeping on the job?" the woman exclaimed, clearly running out of patience."I honestly don’t know how it happened," the dean admitted, still confused and surprised by his tendency to fall asleep."Save it. You’re just a waste of my time. What you couldn’t do in ten days, I accomplished in ten minutes," she said, lifting her chin proudly."What were you able to find out?" he asked eagerly, with heightened curiosity."They all look quite capable. The prince is very intelligent, and his wit is impeccable," the woman remarked thoughtfully, her eyes briefly scanning Jason's desk.Glancing at Anaya's seat, she continued, "Anaya is powerful and always aware of her surroundings. Her guard was never down, not even for a second. She was the only one who looked me in the ey
Anaya led them, alongside Derek and Sylvia to the roof on the other side of the school with a few boards she had conjured from random items she had found around. They had managed to grab some protective gear before starting their journey. Though they didn’t know why they needed it at first, the realization hit as they stared at the dizzying height.Derek leaned forward at the edge of the roof and dropped a small pebble he had kept in his pocket. He gulped as the pebble fell silently, not even making a sound when it hit the ground below."You’re kidding," Derek said, looking visibly panicked."Do I look like I’m joking?" Anaya replied, her gaze steady and serious."Not at all, Anaya," Derek quickly responded, swallowing the rest of his words.Anaya smiled faintly, placed a helmet on his head, and gave the top a light double tap.Leo and Jason exchanged meaningful glances and took two cautious steps backwards."I think we’ve had enough flying for one day," Jason said, his voice uneasy.
Anaya rushed off quickly, being upset and annoyed by Sylvia. She couldn’t quite fathom why but Sylvia made her feel uncomfortable in a way. Anaya was not one to dismiss her instincts, and this time it was no different to her. Grasping the book close to her heart she entered the school library as fast as she could.This library was an impressive sight, as there were thousands of books in there stacked to the ceiling. One shelf after other was filled with volumes of all manner of books. That was the type of place where the reader could fade away for days without a sense of time. Nonetheless, Anaya could not afford time to appreciate such masterpiece. This mysterious book that she held in her hands captured her attention and she could not afford to look away from it even for a second.She located a secluded area, one which was dimly lit, took a chair, and put the book on the table. “It is always better here,” she whispered quietly following the rule against making a noise in the library.
Unconsciously, the boys were left trailing after Chris, as though they were guided by some invisible force. They had followed him to every part of the school right up to that point, with such negligence that they failed to see how Chris had not spotted them. Their secret pursuit eventually led them to the school’s pitch. It was amazing to see the enormous stretch of green lawn with the white lines drawn so neatly. Around the field there were benches that the audience could sit on and for some reason it looked like one of the finest stadiums Leo had ever seen even in his previous life.Scanning the area, they finally spotted Chris Andrews standing amidst a group of students who all seemed to share the same goal, which was to get a chance to join Chris Andrews’ team. The students stood in a horizontal line, some of them sweating nervously, others grasping the hem below their shirts as if it could provide some sort of consolation.“Good morning, recruits. I am Chris Andrews and, as you k
Anaya didn’t go home straight away. Instead, she wandered aimlessly through empty streets, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. Everything was far more overwhelming than she had initially anticipated, and events unfolded at a pace she struggled to comprehend. She hated the feeling of being unprepared—it always left her on edge. Preparation was her safety net, and she often practiced tirelessly until she felt ready for whatever life laid ahead of her. But this situation was different. No amount of preparation could have changed how unprepared she felt, and that deeply unsettled her.After a long while, she finally decided to head back home. Along the way, she paused occasionally, her mind returning to the brown piece of paper she had discovered. It bore another sketch, this one more vivid, more lifelike. The details haunted her, sending shivers down her spine whenever she thought about it. Eventually, she reached her doorstep and gently unlocked the door. A small pile of letters gr