06 - Strange Is Her Life

<< Wicked Is Her Smile

The School Of Necessary Magic

Determined Is Her Path >>

Dark magic has infiltrated the School of Necessary Magic. Spies stalk the halls. Traitors whisper lies to impressionable freshmen. And devious wizards distract with charming smiles. If Alison and her friends can’t see past the friendly masks of their fellow students to the dark purpose they hide, it’s not just the school that will be destroyed. But the forces of evil should have kept one thing in mind before targeting Alison Brownstone. Hell hath no fury like a Drow princess defending her family.

AFTER CHRISTMAS

Chapter 01

Izzie was breakfasting just prior to picking up Alison after Christmas/New Year break. She was looking forward to visiting Dorvu. No new memories to worry her. She left the school and boarded the bus, greeting Mrs.Beasley, the bus driver, who would also pick them up and take them back to the school. When Izzie got down to the platform she didn’t notice the dark wizard family who were looking at her, wondering if she was the one everyone was looking for. But Alison noticed them , and asked her if she knew them. No, just locals. Probably. And they boarded the bus back to the school, but Alison still felt the hovering dark energy that had pulled at her chest ever since the train station. Something wasn’t quite right.

Chapter 02

Mara Berens met them as they entered the building. The girls went upstairs to unpack Alison’s things, then decided to go to the kemana to shop for the afternoon, along with a special drink from the coffee bar, one Yumfuck had recommended, from Oriceran. It would temporarily change their impression of the colors of things. Izzie saw everything in greens and purples, and Alison couldn’t tell if people were good or bad, because the colors of their souls were different. But the dark magic beings stayed dark. Something that powerful and dark couldn’t be changed by a simple drink or spell. Izzie decided to not tell Alison about her newest dreams – to let the afternoon be tension-free. They’d tackle their problems in the morning. They stopped in the bookstore, as Izzie remembered the old book Peter had purchased there. Alison bought a book on developing different types of magic and controlling spells, and Izzie bought nothing. They shopped the jewelry store (friendship bracelets, a bracelet for Shay), and went into a curio shop. Izzie stopped by a glass container filled with thin blue liquid, with an energy which would tell your past, your present, and your future. Izzie wanted to find out about her past, but Alison had felt the darkness of the glass and the witch who was running the store, and felt something almost pulling energy from Izzie’s soul into the container, and she had pulled her away from it, with a bad feeling about it.

NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATIONS

Chapter 03

Alison and Izzie join the School’s staff for New Year’s Eve dinner. The staff reminisced about past years, and enjoyed the magic of this year’s treats (magic Jell-o) and decorations. Mara had created a special fortune-telling poppers, and everyone was intrigued by their fortunes. When dinner was over, the girls went to their room for a while, then went out to greet the year in with Horace, in his cabin. Horace was with a new friend, a golden retriever who Izzie thought might have ideas of What was about to happen (sausage on a fork coming his way), and Dorvu, who came out of the forest to greet them , welcome them back to school, and wish them happy New Year. He then ran back into the forest, as he didn’t like sitting around hot fires. The Teachers showed up, ready for Horace’s fireworks display, set off by the magic wands of the teachers. All enjoyed the show.

Chapter 04

All of the friends were talking with each other about their vacations, who cooked dinner, Peter and Ethan and Grace about their inventions, when Professor Hudson made a speech about rules for the year(same as last year), and magic fortune teller poppers showed up for every student, magically created for that one person. All enjoyed them. They each discussed their fortune, and all decided that it was really because of a mindset that they were to come true. They all went out to the bonfire.

Chapter 05

The gnomes talked about the humans, who didn’t understand magical beings, the wolf howl of the shifters were heard, the faeries danced, and Dorvu watched from the edge of the forest. Aya and Kathleen were worried, because he wasn’t supposed to still be around, and they lured him back into the forest with marshmallows. The children from prominent dark families, who attended the school, were there, also, standing together and ridiculing the others. Mara sent them a fireball as a warning to behave. She had dealt with that type of bullying for years. The dark families wanted to be in control of the schools, so they attacked her, but she never let it get to her, nor would she let them take control. The most important qualities of the school were its safety, security, and the fact that it was free of the practice of dark magic. The ingredients for the S’mores came out, and marshmallows were toasted, held magically to the fire. Tanner came over, and cheek-kissed Alison, who looked again at his beautiful soul with its touch of darkness. Izzie found Luke listening to the howls, and gave him his bracelet. He was not alone. And he gave her their first kiss. she couldn’t imagine a more perfect one.

Chapter 06

Winter had been milder this year so far, and all were thankful, the students because they didn’t have to walk through three feet of snow every day, Horace because sprinkling salt on the ice of the walkways was so much easier than shoveling them off. The library opened a second daily study hall during breakfast so that those students who had neglected to study beforehand could cram for their exams or others could finish their homework. Miles, one of the students, had finished reading his required chapters ten minutes before the class, but he had aced the class last year, and he wasn’t worried (Thanks to his girlfriend’s magical support, and to his friend allowing him to copy, and cheat on his exams). The students were at their first breakfast of the year (only coffee and cereal at home), and were enjoying the cooked entrees. The Louper Team members were to be announced, and Luke and Ethan both made it. Assignments to the parts for the yearly school play, and Kathleen, Alison and Izzie went to check out their places, if there were any there. Izzie got to be Dorothy, and Scarlett was assigned the part of the Good Witch. Kathleen was seen putting up posters, as she would be running for Class President soon, with magical videos of her , blowing kisses to the viewer.

THE CANDIDATES

Chapter 07

Kathleen was running for Junior Class President. Scarlett and Wyatt were running for Student Body President. Scarlett created winning by fear of retribution for negative votes, Wyatt as a safe island. So Scarlett put on an act to show that she really cared. . I have to be nice and so do you guys, so as of right now, no freshmen pranks until further notice.” So, as Scarlett walked down the hallway toward the classrooms, she plastered on a fake smile and waved at the different students along the way. She was trying to be on her best behavior, helping the newer kids whenever she could, and Wyatt was becoming frustrated that so many of the newer kids didn’t know her real nature. The third candidate, Farrell, was a shifter, doing it to raise awareness. No one actually thinks he will be elected. He’s shy and quiet, and of course, there’s the whole wolf thing.” The dark families had created the shifters, and still considered them to be a type of animal, not a human . (See Species, Shifters).

Chapter 08

Professor Hudson introduced the task for the day (Basic Spell class, second year for this group.) Class, we are going to learn to regulate a spell that will allow you to create something and then undo it slowly and carefully. Please pair off. You will be working with the piece of wood on your desk. The spell to change a piece of wood into glass is ‘Splinter fragile changus.’ ’ Then, simply reverse the spell by saying, ‘Changus fragile splinter.’ I would like everybody to take a moment and try it. Remember to focus on a slow and steady change.” No problems, so she changed t their practice objects to a dish of water. They were to levitate the water, change it into drops, then put the water back into the bowl without splashing it. ‘Levitates droplets,’ and then, ‘Return to form.’”

No problems, but one student (Ethan) asked where they might use this spell, so she showed him. She levitated him to the ceiling, and dropped hum back down, stopping him just before he hit the floor. No more questions were asked. The third spell of the day- to create objects out of shadows. “I’m not going to assign a specific item that I’d like you to create. I want you all to use your imagination, remembering that it must be an object, not a living thing, and of course appropriate for the classroom. The enchantment for this specific spell is, ‘Shadow contortus.’” Alison started on her spell, and heard some gossip that made her angry, turning her shadow into a sword. This was Drow magic, and something beyond her control. But the other students were fascinated, and wanted weapons of their own, until Hudson forbade them. Hudson wished that her mother or someone who knew about Drow magic was there to help and guide her. If Alison didn’t get control, it was only a matter of time before she would hurt someone, or even worse, do it without meaning to. That was the last thing she wanted to happen.

Chapter 09

The next class Professor Powell’s class (How to Recognize Dark Magic) was how to break through glamours. Powell believed that he taught Dark Magic so that you can learn how to counter it, not so you can use it. He had three student volunteer to assume a glamour. Two of them made themselves look more human and less elf, and the wizard turned himself into a large furry creature. Powell broke their glamours, taking them back to their real selves. Izzie volunteered to do it, but Powell had another idea, and started to use another spell on her. Izzie immediately countered it, with the thought, This was the first piece of magic my mother ever taught me. Then, My mother? I knew her? She’s alive? Suddenly, she remembered that she was in class, surrounded by classmates. Without looking around, she grabbed her books and ran out of the room. Xander let her go, knowing she was more powerful than she knew, and that Mara was involved in it. And Izzie was starting to have her own suspicions. She felt like she couldn’t breathe or think. It was like something inside her was trying to break free and tell her exactly who she was. At the same time, though, something very strong blocked those memories. It was almost like Izzie had a foreign power inside her. She went to her room, crying, trying to remember. She slammed her hands against the floor and shook her head. “Why can’t I remember?”

PRACTICING

Chapter 10

While the rest of the cast was practicing their lines, Scarlett was practicing her role as a good leader, so she could win the election. She stood off to the side and practiced being nice to different people without rolling her eyes. She figured if she was going to be a good actress, that was the best place to start. How hard could it be, after all? She just had to walk the halls, pretend she actually liked people, and attempt to help them without showing how nauseated it made her, regardless of whether she liked it. She knew that to win the election, she needed to give the performance of a lifetime.

Izzie went through her lines with Winter, cast as the Tin Man. Half of the time he was friendly, the other half of the time, when he was with his friends, he’s look at her and snicker. She just ignored it. She didn’t have the time or patience to deal with someone who couldn’t just be themselves. She just hoped the two of them could get through the play cordially, without his friends causing too much trouble.

Luke stopped by to watch, then went on to Louper practice, watching a group of freshman playing magical dodge-ball, trying to break Izzie’s record. Not this time! He went on to Louper practice, picking up Ethan on the way, out of an Entrepreneur’s Club meeting.

FIRST LOUPER PRACTICE OF THE SEASON

Chapter 11

Max Regency, Head coach, gave them the orientation pep talk, and made sure every one of them had the rule book, their “bible”. (See Miscellaneous, Games, Louper). He was adamant that they needed to know the Rule Book cover to cover if they wanted to have any chance of winning the game. Louper is played as a team. Whoever makes it to the end and retrieves the prize, trophy, or goal is the winner. You will work as a team to get through the different obstacles and challenges, all the while facing off with your opponent. Even if it’s just one person from the team who makes it to the end, the entire team wins as a whole. Wyatt told them how to develop team characteristics. Well, basically, whatever you are in reality—whether it’s fit, smart, agile, fast—that’s what you are in the game. It’s not just the good stuff that transfers to your character, it’s the bad stuff, too. And so they tried their first game. This was Ethan’s first time playing the game, so he spent most of it getting demolished and then waiting on the sidelines for his next turn to go in. Ethan didn’t mind, though. He really liked the game, and couldn’t wait to get better. He’d already decided he was going to recruit Luke to help him get stronger and smarter within the game, which would ultimately do that for him in real life, too. He knew he would never improve if he didn’t continue to train, and he liked this Louper thing a lot more than he had thought he would. Luke did better than he thought he would do, in the first game, and he knew he’d found his place at the school, even if it were just for a couple of hours a day. Playing Louper, he was just like any other student.

Chapter 12

February, and everything was iced over. Alison and Izzie go for one of their night walks, and Izzie talks about her mental state of late. “Seems like everything in my life is changing so fast, and I can’t get a grip on it. My dreams are like memories and my memories are like dreams, and nothing seems to fit together anymore.” They sat in the new colt’s stall. And talked about the Valentine’s Day dance, Alison going with Tanner and Ozzie with Luke. Alison mentions that Winter likes Izzie, even though he is of a Dark family. . She hated the idea of Winter experiencing feelings for her. He was part of a group of people who despised magical beings who weren’t dark like them. As he was cast opposite her in the play, she had to be around him sometimes, so she just ignored him, in general. They go to find Dorvu, in the woods. As he’s practicing flying, he finds them, and in landing tumbles into the snow several feet away from them. The girls envy his ability to fly, and talk about all of the things they would do if they could fly. They visit with Horace, who tells them tales he had heard about the School’s area, years ago, when the Giants walked their grounds. They finally left, and went back to their room, as classes would begin in a few hours.

GO-KARTS

Chapter 13

Ethan and friends had built go-carts, and one night a group went out to race. One of the seniors, a wizard who had met Ethan through the Louper team, stood at the edge of the field and cast a glamour over the event. Unless you were inside that perimeter, you’d never hear any of the noise from the go-karts or the cheering fans. All of the go-karts had been magically decorated to represent the driver’s grade, friends, and background. (See Vehicles, Go-Karts). Both Horace and Dorvu were watching from a distance, Horace because he didn’t want to see any of them injure themselves, and always watched out for the kids, (Horace had no idea why they thought breaking the rules might be a good idea, especially with so much animosity between the magicals, the shifters, and the dark kids. It was stupid, but what was he going to do? It was just a bunch of teenagers playing), Dorvu because he was always interested in what they were doing. Horace began to worry, and thought about sending his dog to warn Berens, but the race had started. The go-karts took off at blinding speed, each racing down their own personal track. Dust flew up, and everyone pointed and laughed loudly as the drivers attempted to get ahead of each other. Ethan was leading, and one of the dark magic kids flicked his wrist and sent out a dark spray of magic, the sparks almost too dark to see. The magic hit Ethan’s wheels and sent him spinning in circles, barely missing the other cars before he skidded to a stop and stalled. Ethan was upset that one of them had broken the rules, and then saw the Headmistress and Professor Hudson came barreling over the hill headed straight for them. All of the kids saw them, stopped racing their cars, shrank them down, and raced off. Alison sent a dark shadow to protect Ethan, so that he wouldn’t be seen racing back to his dorm. When all of the racers escaped, in the shadows, Berens and Hudson knew that Alison and Ozzie were involved in protecting them all, and so went back to the School, not even hunting them out. Berens had hoped that including both the “dark” and “light” kids in the same school would help them to learn to work together, or they would continue to try to kill each other off in the future. She hoped her actions would lead to a better future, but there was still that lingering feeling that she just might’ve made the wrong choice. Only time would tell.

THE VALENTINE’S DAY DANCE

Chapter 14

Alison and Izzie were dressed in long gowns, Alison’s silver hair shimmering in the lights. Tanner and Luke were dressed in perfectly-tailored suits with red vests and shiny dress shoes. Tanner’s tie was a red sequined fabric, while Luke wore a bow tie with hearts on it. The cafeteria, as usual, had been transformed with decorations. The DJ was situated on the platform as usual, and a bright red dance floor had been magicked in place. Ethan had finally convinced Grace to come with him. Kathleen had agreed to be Peter’s date, and Aya and Emma had arrived with a couple of upperclassmen. Alison, Izzie, Tanner, and Luke walked up. Aya explained their dates. Emma’s date needed a date for his best friend. We’re just here as friends. He knows I have a boyfriend back at home.” The dance started, and after five pieces, there was a break. Alison used this break to pick out the souls of the people she knew and tried to remember some that were new. She could see many different souls in the room, but also the darkness in many of them. She noted how almost everyone with dark magic inside them congregated, moving away from the light magic as if it repelled them. The boys went to bring drinks for all. Alison and Izzie thought the drinks had a funny taste, and didn’t drink them, but the boys just gulped them, then went back to dancing. Luke started to feel woozy, the room was spinning, and he thought he would black out. Izzie noticed, and grabbed him. Luke was experiencing an uncontrollable desire to shift, so ran for the woods, as did Farrell. He and Farrell made it to the woods, then changed. Izzie HAD to get to Luke, and pushed Tanner away with her energy when he tried to stop her, amazed that it worked, and still went after Luke, worried for him.

THE PLANS – HODGE’S CLASS

Chapter 15

Berens meets with the Teachers, when all had quieted. “Someone poisoned the shifters,” Professor Hudson announced loudly, quieting the group. Someone or something had managed to turn all the shifters into their wolves, destroying any control they might have had over the change. It had been twenty years since anything like that had happened. Professor Hodges cleared his throat and took a deep breath.“It's obvious that the first thing we need to do, beyond making sure that all the shifters in the school are safe, is figure out who was behind it. This wasn’t a random occurrence, and it wasn’t a spell. Horace brought a cup of punch from the dance, and Berens waved her wand over it. Curls of magic swirled through the liquid in the cup, the bright red punch turned black. Well, I guess we know what happened. I think it’s obvious who was responsible for this. For a very long time, the dark families have waged war with the shifters. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that when we allowed their children to attend this school, there’s suddenly an issue where shifter students can’t control their inner wolves. As the heads of the school, we’re responsible for investigating every possible avenue before pinning something like this on a group of kids. If we are not absolutely certain that the dark families’ children are behind this, it could cause an enormous problem between the dark families and the light magicals, not just in the school but outside of it as well.” Hodges said, I think that whoever did this was smarter than just a group of dark magic kids playing a prank. This could start a serious battle between the dark and the light. That cannot be allowed to happen.” Berens replied,” “Good, then let’s keep it to ourselves until we know more.”

Professor Hodges, the next day in his transformation class, presented them with a lesson on shifter magic, on how to transform common objects. he took the time to explain the spell and had several of the students demonstrate for the class. When the students were done, everyone prepared to practice the spell at their desks. Large wooden blocks were placed in front of each student, and everyone pulled out their wands or used their inner light magic trying to turn the block into a toy, a vase, a pen, or any other common object they could think of. Alison finished first, as she was a “natural, and as the others were working, Hodges talked to Alison about the difference between casting a spell and letting her magic work through her, which Drow could do. Drow didn’t need to “cast spells”. They just did magical things naturally, if they felt the need to do so. He knows she will do something in the near future, and he was trying to prepare her.

FOWLER’S CLASS

Chapter 16

Professor Lucy Fowler changed her plans, also. “Good morning, class. For those who were expecting the complexion potion today, I apologize, but I think you should know how to use herbs to create a healing potion. We will learn how to create the complexion potion before the end of the year, but I promise you that at least one person in this class will be thankful at some point that they learned the ancient art of using herbs to heal.” The students weren’t surprised, as , in light of the recent events, they knew someone in their midst was putting other students in danger. There were ingredients on every desk, with instruction, and they went about learning how. In the process, some of the potion was accidentally dropped, and Izzie inhaled some of the fumes, instantly changing to seeing one of her memories of a fight with the Dark magicians. She threw giant orbs of fire around, through the classroom walls, destroying the desks. Light glimmered all over her body, and though her eyes were open, she wasn’t aware of the classroom. She was back in the Alley, fighting. Fowler knew what was happening, quickly mixed a potion and forced it into Izzie’s, mouth. The disorientation that Izzie was feeling and the confusion that plagued her started to float away, and she realized what had happened, and although it wasn’t her fault, she couldn’t help but imagine that she could have killed someone. Jasper Elves are indeed that powerful. Fowler called on Powell to help clean up and repair the classroom, and all were sent to their next classes, without delay.

LOUPER GAME PRACTICE

Chapter 17

The team was practicing in a skit on Oriceran, and were totally distracted, because most of them had not been there, and wanted to just look around. “Your opponent will use your sightseeing to their advantage,” Coach Regency yelled. “Focus on the damn game!” Eventually, Henry was at the top of the mountain, and collected the trophy.

Izzie went to Play practice,her make-up perfect. She got there, and ran through her song “Somewhere Over the Rainbow, perfectly. The freshmen “flying monkeys” came in, and all were ready for a complete run-through, as Professor Fowler wanted absolute perfection. Scarlett leaned her head back, rolled her eyes, and shook her fists in irritation. She could’ve just as easily backed out of the play when she didn’t get the part she wanted, but instead, she took it and was making the best of it. Izzie had to admit it was kind of strange, a bitchy Good Witch!

Chapter 18

Berens reads the School of Necessary Magic paper, and calls Peter, to discuss his article on the illegal Go-kart races. She asks for the names of the organizer, and Peter refuses to tell. She discusses the fine line of knowing when things were “too much”, and people were going to get hurt, and that he had to be aware of it, and to watch for it. He hadn’t thought of it in that way, and assured her he would call, if needed.

The new class, Multi-Dimensional Magic, with Professor Rupert, was starting. This is your opportunity to take a look back through history at some of the most poignant moments and see them not just from one perspective, but from two. If you think about your history texts, you get most of the perspective from the winning side and only a partial view from the losing one. What people don’t understand is that it’s not always black and white like that. And at the same time, no matter how much we praise the winners, they were not always on the right side.” He passes out a set of glasses to each student, and when they put them on, they found themselves in a different place, at a different time. “This is where you will learn how to use everything from all the other classes you have taken so far and combine it to be a great service to yourself and others. In some circumstances, you may even save your own life. First up, the 1968 Chicago riots during the Democratic National Convention, including the clash between the police and the peaceful protesters in Grant Park. I designed it so that the right lens displays the events from the police officers’ perspective and the left shows it from the protesters’.” They moved through different scenarios, getting caught up in the lesson. At the end of class, Berens asked him how they had done. “About what you’d expect. There were no real winners, but there was a whole lot of new awareness.”

FIRST LOUPER GAME OF THE SEASON

Chapter 19

All the team players were nervous with “opening night” jitters. That afternoon, the Cardinals’ competition was a San Francisco Bay-area private school team, the Sandpipers. Magic allowed the two teams to play from opposite sides of the country without ever setting foot on the same field. It was genius, really. It not only saved the school money, but it saved them from being required to break up the inevitable fights that used to happen when they traveled to play each other. The Cardinals had beat this team last year, so was expecting an easy win.

The referee explained the rules: “The goal of this game is the same every time. From the start, you know exactly where you need to go. In this game, you are going to be moving quietly through Kitengala on the plains, near Kenya, Africa. Whether your team decides to run straight into battle, tag others out for a break, or even send a team to explore the rest of the map, your goal remains the same: find the prize located on your map without dying. Good luck to both teams.” The teams would be facing leopards, zombies guarding treasure, the hot sun, and angry local tribes, not playing tourist! It was a virtual world designed to trick them into comfort, then rip them back out and leave them standing on the field feeling like idiots. Wyatt tells them of the plan for the game. Let’s split into three groups. One heads out to the plains, one heads to the town, and one heads down the road toward the animal sanctuary about three miles east of here. You all know what to do if you find the treasure. Trust me, we’ll know if you grab it. Good luck out there, guys, and watch each other’s backs.” After a long time playing (Luke being tagged out early, the Cardinals won, with Wyatt collecting the trophy.

Chapter 20

After the game, all of the girls go into town, shopping with Kathleen, and the boys (Luke and Ethan) went with the Louper team, and celebrate. In town, a group of normals seemed to object that the magicals were all together, and Peter wanted to protect them all, both groups, so started to just head them past the normals. But it was not to be. The normals surrounded them, poking fun at their age, their clothes, and the school insignia on their backpacks. “You’re from that pathetic little school over the hill, huh? The one they say people do magic in.” Alison stared at their souls and found that none of them had dark magic in them. Rather, they were the way they were because they had no magic in them. Tanner stepped up to the main guy and stared him right in the eyes while puffing out his chest. “We didn’t do anything to you guys. We’re just trying to have a good day off. Go pick on somebody else.” The normal kept heckling, and finally even pushed Tanner. Then, a group of students from the Prep School came up, sided with the Magic students, and the normals backed off, walking away! The Preppies liked the magicals, and had stood up for them. The magicals were amazed. None of them expected humans to be nice to them, even if they didn’t know who they were. But this group of kids, after only hanging out with them twice, had put their butts on the line for them. The two groups decided to hang out together for a few hours, and Alison, Izzie and the others were relieved to spend a few hours with the normals. It held the stares to a minimum and kept that other group away from them, even though they lurked around the area and turned up every place the group did. This was the first example of bullying that Izzie had experienced, even though the girls kidded the boys about the faults they had displayed in the Louper game!

ANTICIPATION

Chapter 21

Spring arrived – plants growing/blooming, temps getting warmer, birds chirping, clear skies. Everyone’s favorite time of the year. Alison saw energies alive around her, and people’s souls had happy wisps of wild colors flowing through them as they walked through the courtyard to different classes or different events. April 1st was coming up, and everyone was wondering whet Ethan’s prank would be, that year. Ethan laughed and shook his head. “I’m not going to tell you what I’m doing. All I’m going to tell you is that it will be epic. Kathleen told them, “Not only did I decide not to eat lunch in the cafeteria, I also decided to stay as far away from you as I possibly can. I don’t care how epic your joke was last year. I still think April Fool’s Day is stupid.”

ELECTION CAMPAIGNING

All adjourned to the gym, to hear/see the election candidates, for Class President, and Student Body President. Although Kathleen looked calm and cool on the outside, (Candidate for Class Pres.) Alison knew better. She saw the wild colors of nerves flowing through Kathleen’s energy and twisting where her chest would be. Izzie sent her some calming energy. “Welcome, students, to the political presentations and debates sponsored by the Future Leaders Club,” Headmistress Berens said, and she clapped her hands. “For our first presentation, we will be hearing from Kathleen, who is running for junior class president next year. ” Kathleen was back to her normal. Calm self, as she stood at the podium. Kathleen gives her speech, stressing that differences make it interesting to work together. One candidate wanted to go to the kemana more, and the other wanted to save the earth. Then Wyatt, Scarlett and Farrell debated on the subject of the place of magic in today’s society for Junior class President. When Farrell gave his speech, a magical wolf ran down the aisle, its energy flowing through his body. A practical joke? Or someone messing with the elections?

APRIL FOOL'S DAY COMES

April fools Day came, a beautiful day. Everyone was on the alert for Ethan’s joke, many not going to the cafeteria in case it would happen there. “I don’t know what he has planned, but whatever it is, we’re probably all going to regret coming out of our rooms today,” Alison whispered, making Izzie giggle as they made their way downstairs, to breakfast. All ate well, with no joke yet. As they left, they didn’t notice that the ones in front of the were disappearing. Alison and Izzie never noticed, and found themselves falling. They finally slowed down, and landed, and they found themselves standing with a large group of schoolmates about three miles from the mansion near the edge of the orchards. All were upset – they would be late for class, and muddy and disheveled. Izzie laughed loudly. “Wouldn’t that be the best April Fool’s Day joke ever? Not that he dropped us out here, but that he was actually on time for class for once in his life.”

PHAEDRUS’ PLAN

Chapter 22

On April 1st, a group of real dark wizards met, saying, “I think it’s hilarious that they put up all these traps and sensors to make sure that we didn’t get back into town, and then what do they do? Allow the dark families to send their kids to the school. I don’t know why they wouldn’t think we would take total advantage of that.” “I told you, these light beings put too much faith in the obvious. They think that they can fool us, chase us away, and even keep us out.” “They have tried to keep us out for centuries, Phaedrus. But with your enormous powers, you know better than anyone that there is no way they can keep us out forever. We always find a way.” Phaedrus agrees, but also instructs them that, “The youth are the power behind all the dark and light magic. Sure, the elders like me are there to push them in the right direction, teach them, and clean up the mess if it gets too bad, but they are the true players. We need them in order to move forward.” The school was on the alert, looking for any trace of dark magic in the streets, in the school, or anywhere near the school grounds. They had made it almost impossible for the dark families and those wizards still looking to complete their mission to have any idea what was happening within the school.” Phaedrus said, “It’s time for a new plan. We need to make the humans scared, but in a way that doesn’t expose too much of where it’s coming from.” As they were thinking, a shadowy figure appeared. “I have a way,” the shadowy man announced. “I’ve already even road-tested it for you. All you would need to do is follow my instructions, and before you know it, you’ll have them lulled into submission and eating out of your hand.” “All right, stranger with the mark of the dark families, what is your plan?” “You poison the shifters, so they can’t control when they turn from their human form to their wolf. You have to do it in broad daylight when no one expects to see a shifter in full wolf form. . It will leave the school wounded and incapable of fully protecting itself.” Phaedrus agreed. They would attack the shifters, and in doing so, they would be attacking the school as a whole.

LOUPER GAME DAY AGAIN

Chapter 23

This time they faced the Philadelphia Coyotes, in Hawaii. “The Coyotes are known to play dirty. Last year, they cheated every chance they got, so watch out for them just as much as the other things in this game. Luke, you and your team head up the mountain. Wyatt, you and your team head along the beach, and I’ll take my team through the forest. Remember, there are chests out there, there are hints, and there are special weapons that we can use to win this game. Do your best, guys. Our trophy is waiting for us.” The Coyotes were winning, by cheating (They had somehow gotten the Cardinals maps, and knew where they would be ahead of timer). The Coyotes’ strategy was working. One by one, the Cardinals popped up in the field, unable to see the map any longer. Some of them were slightly injured, and others needed serious medical attention. This game was not the same as others, which motivated the boys even further to push harder. Luke and Wyatt were the only two left on their field. They were tagged out, and the Coyotes had won, stopping the Cardinals from competing in the Tournaments any more that year. But their school was not disappointed, knowing that their team had played by the rules, and Headmistress Berens said, The headmistress smiled as everyone cheered, and grabbed the coach’s assistant. “Go tell the kitchen staff we’re going to have an ice cream bar—enough to feed the entire school. We are celebrating the Cardinals for playing by the rules even when it wasn’t easy.”

Chapter 24

After all were in bed that night, Izzie and Alison go for one of their midnight walks. No one was up. Everyone was too exhausted, and even the teachers were tucked into their cottages. And the rain had stopped. They didn’t have many more nights when they would get to walk outside together since summer was coming. The school year had gone by quickly, and both Alison and Izzie wished it hadn’t. Too many things to learn in too short a time. But then Alison said, “I don’t know, Izzie. Maybe if you let up a little and let it run its course on its own you’ll get the answers you’re looking for. Sometimes, when we push for things, they push back. But when we let them grow in their own time, that’s when we get the answers were looking for.” They look for Dorvu, and He shows up. Has grown quite large by now, but just the right weight and build. He’s learned a new trick, and will show them. He can freeze things with his breath. Tennis balls, put icicles in their hair. They all talk about their lack of families, and they all decide that they’ll be family for each other, and that Brownstone and Shay can be Izzie’s family, as well. And that they will all go to the School’s final semester’s activity, a dance, as a family.

Chapter 25

Brownstone, in a fitted suit, stood in the foyer at the School, uncomfortable. Shay was dressed well, and the stood, waiting for Alison and Izzie to come down, as they agreed to include Izzie in their group. Th girls arrived, and shay wrapped an arm around each of them. Brownstone gave them each the corsage he had for them, and they were delighted. They walked to the cafeteria, which had been decorated for the evening, and were amazed, as always, at how magic had transformed it. As Brownstone and Izzie danced, she was again invaded by a memory, of her dancing on the feet of her Dad. She dreamily called him Dad- and then, as the memory faded, she again thought, . Do I have a family? Why can’t I remember? All of the group mew James and Shay, and finally Tanner came by, as well. Luke was still avoiding Izzie, and it upset her, but she was determined to have a good time, anyway!

Chapter 26

As it neared voting day, all of the animated posters in the hall were changed, to tell the innermost secrets about the candidates, or the ones who were looking at the posters. This went on until Professor Hudson walked in, found out what was happening, and pit a spell on them, freezing them. Professor Fowler came, and tried to follow the magic trail to find out who had done this, and was stymied. It just disappeared. Someone is causing trouble with dark intent, and we need to inform the headmistress before it gets out of hand.

THE PLAY

That night was the premier of the "Wizard of Oz.” Izzie was nervous, and walked over to the props, and a bike. Professor Fowler had enchanted a stuffed dog to walk and bark just like any other dog, except she’d spelled it to only follow the play’s plot. It was a perfect way to include Toto without bringing in an actual dog. The play went along very well, until Izzie began to sing “Somewhere, over the Rainbow…”, From somewhere out in the theater, she heard a voice echoing up onto the stage. “Aw, listen to the little orphan singing. Shouldn’t this be Little Orphan Annie and not Wizard of Oz?” Several of the teachers walked the aisles to figure out who had yelled at the stage. However, every time they seemed to get close, the voice came from another direction. . She started to crumble under the pressure, and tears welled up in her eyes. And then Scarlett did something unusual. She came to Izzie’s rescue, as the Good Witch, swished her wand and sent a beam of light straight at the heckler, who froze with wide eyes as she gave him the death stare. “Sometimes, you’ll find there’s more than one bad witch in the crowd, but fortunately for you, this one was pretty easy to take care of,” Scarlett said in character, smiling and batting her eyelashes. “Sometimes, you’ll find there’s more than one bad witch in the crowd, but fortunately for you, this one was pretty easy to take care of,” Scarlett said in character, smiling and batting her eyelashes. When she finished the song before the entire audience got to their feet and gave her a roaring ovation. The play had turned out even better than she’d imagined, and especially so because she’d had Scarlett by her side.

ELECTION DAY

Chapter 27

Scarlett won over Wyatt, by just a handful of votes. Farrell received some, for which he was pleased, not wanting to go out with 0. Stragglers were running around, finishing final exams, and the school year was ending. Kathleen won Junior Class President. Izzie and Luke got back together, going to a real buffet in the cafeteria (no magic plates). And then it happened again. . Every shifter at the school had been poisoned, but this time there wasn’t enough time to get out the door and go into the woods. The teachers formed a protective ring around the students in the center. Around the edges of the room and right in front of them, the shifters changed into wolves. They shredded their clothes, then turned to face the roomful of students and teachers. Headmistress Berens barreled through the cafeteria doors with her wand high. Alison ran in behind her and scanned the area for souls. She found a large group of magical beings huddled together, while the shifters’ energy surrounded them. The headmistress swished her wand at the students in the center, sending a burst of energy out that pushed them against the walls. Alison closed her eyes and created a shadow that threw darkness over the room, giving the wolves a chance to escape. As Alison stood there in the darkness, she felt fur brush her arms and legs as the wolves dashed for the doors and safety. Izzie ran after Luke, found him, in wolf form, and told him she loved him. It was a perfect way to end a confusing day.

THE POISONING, AND PROBLEMS

Chapter 28

The shifters returned the next day, dressed in their clothes that Berens had stacked for them. Everything had been under control. The shifters had just been scared when they’d turned into their wolves without control because someone had poisoned them. It was the lemonade. Something new. Whatever it is, when a shifter consumes it, it triggers something inside of them that forces them to shift into their wolves.” “It’s not necessarily new, as in ‘just created,’ just new as in I have never seen it before. Personally, I think it’s something old, dark magic that we haven’t seen in centuries.” One of the teachers gasped. “Someone is trying to close the school. They’re trying to create fear in everyone, including the dark families who bring their children here. Whoever this person is, they are not going to stop until they get their way.” Berens agreed.” It’s a group—some of the dark families who want to gain power, not give it away. I can’t imagine it was any of the parents who sent their children here since I met with each and every one of them, but there are so many dark families out there. So many we haven’t even met yet, hiding in the shadows and waiting for an opportunity. They see us as a threat, and they’re not going to stop. We’re going to have to be ready for them in the fall.” Berens had wanted to put out a letter telling everyone what had happened, but as it was close to the end of the year. Most of the parents, however, had already heard about it. When they arrived at the school, they were in a tizzy. They were terrified that the shifters had hurt their children, the dark families were trying to take over, or that something even fouler was in play. “I fully understand your concerns,” Headmistress Berens assured one of the dark magic families. “You trusted that we would take care of your child, but to be fair, no one was injured during this occurrence. No one except the shifters.” She was able to calm most of them down with the help of Professor Hudson and Professor Powell, who went through the security that they would be implementing before the children returned in the fall. By the time the last of the families had collected their children, the headmistress was exhausted, and she knew she’d have to repeat herself a hundred times more before all the students were picked up. It would be better if it came from her. She really had no control over the situation, but she hoped for the best.

SUMMER PLANS

Izzie and Luke talk, and find that they want to be together for the summer, either at the school or in Luke’s home, where his family knew of her. “Our junior year is gonna be amazing.” Luke smiled. “I have a feeling there are going to be a few vacancies next year,” she stated, laughing. “It’s a school for magical teenagers, and they’re thrown off by a little chaos? Life is not going to be easy for them in the future.” They laughed, hugged each other tightly, and kissed one last time before they left the room. Izzie knew he was right, though. Next year was definitely going to be amazing.

Scarlett and Izzie met at the station, when Izzie was seeing Alison off to California. Scarlett respected her, and was looking forward to the Fall. She realized that she had a lot of people in her life who really cared about her. Those people were the ones who were going to be constantly on her mind throughout the summer, helping her get through the loneliness until school started again in the fall. A warm feeling settled into her chest and she sighed, letting a smile move across her lips. She planned to figure out who those people in her flashes of memories and dreams were, but she no longer wallowed in misery. A family was what you made it, not who you were given, and she had one hell of a family right there at her school.