01 - Dark Is Her Nature

For Hire: Teachers for special school in Virginia countryside. Must be able to handle teenagers with special abilities. Cannot be afraid to discipline werewolves, wizards, elves and other assorted hormonal teens. Apply at the School of Necessary Magic.

Alison is a young Drow princess whose power is just beginning to grow inside of her – too bad for the dark forces after her. They won’t see it coming. Even better… Alison’s making a few tween friends who can stand by her side.

School’s in session – the world’s about to change.

These are the events that occurred during this first book of this series, The School of Necessary Magic'. It is in the Oriceran wiki, as many of the characters in this series also appear in other series on this site, currently in the Leira Chronicles'Bold text, in The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone, and in I Fear No Evil. It may also connect to other series, as time goes on.

After the death of her mother, the Drow Princess Natalie, Alison is taken in hand by James Brownstome and shay Carter, who decide that having her attend the School of Necessary Magic, would be the best solution to all of their problems, giving Alison and environment in which she could learn of her talents, and how to handle them, as well as giving Shay and James the free time they needed to conduct their business. This is alison's firs semester at the school, her adventures with her roommates, with the teachers, with the other students. Certainly addresses the bullying and lack of  humanity teenagers often display, as well ascontinuing the ongoing skirmishes between light and dark magic. Lots of references to many of the situations in TUMB series.

Meet and Greet

Chapter 1

Izzie and her parents are attacked on their way home from a movie, end of summer vacation. Repell attack, rush home, pack, to avoid retaliation. Drive away in their SUV, talking about where to send Izzie away to protect her. Things weren’t at all how Izzie had thought they would be, but she could only follow her parents’ instructions and hope for the best.

Chapter 2

Her parents took her to the School for Necessary Magic, where they requested, to save Izzie’s life, and their own, for Mara Berens, the Head mistress, to do an erasure spell, so that neither they nor Izzie would remember their life until then. Izzie would have memories of growing up in an orphanage, and being at the School on a scholarship, with no parents.

Chapter 3, 4

Kids coming back from summer vacation, greeting each other, new kids coming in, teachers getting introduced. Alison brought to school by James Brownstone and Shay Carter. Lots of meeting and greeting, older students finding their rooms, Mrs. Berens organizing kids into rooms, 5 in each. Alison drew room 314, along with Kathleen, Emma, Izzie, and Aya. The girls talk a little introducing themselves, and, after unpacking, decide to go and explore the campus.

Exploring the School

Chapter 5

At the half moon landing that ran around the staircase. there were three other hallways off that floor, but nothing was labeled there were three hallways branching off from their area, Kathleen asked if anyone had brought their map, Emma waved her wand, causing a map to appear that floated in front of them. Kathleen walked fast, almost skipping toward the first hallway, then peered around the corner into the dark. As if the house could sense their presence, all the lamps lit along the corridor. Kathleen opened a large door, and saw the Library, floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with books. Ladders rolled back and forth on their own, growing tall and then shrinking again to the bottom shelf. In the center of the room were empty tables and chairs for studying. Meet Leo Decker, Gnome, Head Librarian.

The girls explore the whole campus, (See Locations, School of Necessary Magic), meeting two upperclass girls (Scarlet and Claire) in the barn, who referred to the group as “fresh meat”. Scarlet and Claire leave, and the girls left the barn.

Chapter 6

As they had about an hour until dinner, Kathleen suggested that they all compare their magic. She went first, creating a rose, then a butterfly out of a glowing orb. Emma produced a constellation map above them. Aya moved a large statue at the edge of the field, and it was Alison’s turn. “I’m going to admit something, so don’t laugh. I’m here to learn what my magic is. I don’t know yet what I can do. Please don’t ask me anymore about it right now.” Izzie had only small magic. She pulled the energy from beneath her feet and a light trickle of magic moved up to her finger. A white beam shot out and swirled around Alison’s leg and down to her untied shoelace. The lace twisted and turned and finally made a perfect bow. “I don’t know a lot of magic yet. It wasn’t a big deal in my family.” (See each Character for a full description of their actions). As they still had a little time left, they decided to go to a stream they had heard about, and asked Horace Rigby, the groundskeeper, where it might be. They went that way.

The Cave

Chapter 7

Peter and Ethan running through woods. Peter tripped, flinging a ball of magic from his wand. It struck an old dead tree and the branch exploded, turning to sawdust that covered Ethan’s head. The girls notice them, and come over to talk. Henry and Wyatt come along, harassing the newbies, and Ethan gets angry, causing a branch to break from a tree over their heads, scaring them. The older boys leave, and the girls find that the branch has opened a cave, so they decide to explore it.

Exploring the Cave - The Egg

Chapter 8

The group all jump or slide down into the cave with the exception of Kathleen, who summons magic to slowly float down. Alison see stone steps descending, asks for light. Ethan threw up several orbs for light, which attached themselves on the walls like lanterns. Alison ducked to pass through an earthen arch. After a few steps she stopped, her mouth dropping open as she looked at the immense damp cavern. Black crystals shimmered along the walls and stalactites jutted from the ceiling, water dripping from them into pools. Kathleen saw something in the back of the cave. They went over to it, discovered an egg of some sort, a black egg whose specks of gold swirled in the sunlight from the crack in the roof. Alison could see the bright energy that emanated from the object, but the colors moved so fast she couldn’t read what it was. Kathleen decided Tare o take it back to the mansion, so she stepped forward and put both hands on the egg, feeling a surge of energy in her gut. She smiled, looking around before carefully picking up the egg, pausing for a reaction, but nothing happened. Alison suggested, “You can put it in my backpack so you aren’t walking through the mansion with a random black and golden egg in your hands.” Kathleen slipped the egg into her bag (left black dust on her hands). Its energy flowed through the fabric and into Alison’s chest, giving her a warm sensation. She still couldn’t sense what the object was or if there was anything inside, but she suddenly felt the need to take it back to their room and protect it. So did Kathleen. They are not going to tell Berens about it. They left, and went back to their room, listening for dinner. They decided to hide it in Alison’s top dresser drawer, pulling her socks around it to create some kind of a nest. Kathleen insists that they all not tell about the egg.

Chapter 9

The girls go to the cafeteria for dinner, and had to split up, as each table held seven, and they were almost all full. . Alison scanned the crowd too, looking for comforting energies. There were some, but the rest were mixed, some with envy, some pride, and others were too fast for her to really pinpoint. Kathleen and Emma filled in a corner table, Izzie sat with Allison. Peter and Ethan sat with Kathleen and Emma. The boys were late, and Berens scolded them.

The upperclassmen, both boys and girls, were playing magic tricks on the first-year students. Berens stopped them, but it wasn’t much good. “I can’t wait to be an upperclassman.” Kathleen had watched in wonder. “So you can be an asshole to the younger kids?” “It’s a rite of passage, Alison. We all go through it and then deal it out. That’s how it works. No one will respect us if we can’t take a bit of harmless magic.” Girls go to bed immediately after dinner, awaken the next morning full of energy. Kathleen uses her magic to straighten her and Alison’s bed. A new day starting.

Chapter 10

Students have breakfast, go to class. Mrs.Hudson, in Basic spells, tells routine. Book, take notes, will be a test and a final. Oriceran history. Started with the Great Treaty. (See Miscellaneous- Great Treaty). When class was over, she gave them a new spell, Fizzing Bulb, with which she had tipped Ethen on the nose for falling asleep.

Luke, the Shifter

Chapter 11

Mrs. Hudson introduces Luke to their group, knowing they would accept him better than most, (he was a shifter), and they all practiced the Fizzing orb. Spell. Ethan, the mad scientist, did them one better, though, and created a small Gnome to throw the orbs at all of their classmates.

Max Regency, the Channeling teacher, addressed the class, trying to get them to channel their energy, to be able to support their magic better with increased energies. Everyone but Luke tried to channel, some with more success than others. Alison was the last. Alison had a special advantage, she was completely in touch with the energy around her, since she used streams of energy to compensate for her lack of sight. She had never tried what he was talking about, but she knew it was the key to gaining control over her magic. Just knowing that, and knowing how close she was to it, she got cocky. He wanted to ease her into the channeling since it was in her best interest, but before he could she was already knee-deep and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The magic flowed through her, unlike anything any of them had seen before.

Chapter 12

Alison stood in front of the class. There was an air of curiosity in the wavering energy around each person. None of them knew what to expect from the pretty little silver-tipped girl. Alison showed them all, actually turning the room and all of them counterclockwise, books flying, papers all over, etc., When she realized what she had done, she allowed Max to guide her to bring it all back to normal, to where it had been. She was exhausted, passed out, and when she awoke, was blessed with a magical hangover. Alison came to dinner, looking better, aware that she had tapped into something bigger than she knew, and that she just wanted to learn how to handle it before worse happened than just a reversed classroom.

Chapter 13

Elias Hodges, teaching a Transfiguration class about shifters. Some of the class start to make fun of shifters, and Ethan takes umbrence, sending magic up their legs and into their stomachs. The three of them wait for him after class, start to pick on him, when Alison and Aya come up and fight them so the three ran away.

Kemanas

Chapter 14

Annabelle Grant came in late. After passing out texbooks and packets, she started talking about kemanas, and their ability to recharge magical powers. (See Locations – Kemanas.)

Chapter 15

Parents’ Week-end coming. Izzie will have no one, and Alison will have adopted parents only. Alison and Izzie talk about their feelings, sad, missing something. Izzie keeps feeling there are memories hiding, wanting to come out, and when Alison “sees” her at those times she could see strange orange and black streaks twisting through Izzie’s energy. Anytime a new memory—which Alison saw as yellow—popped into her energy the orange and black would swirl around it, almost as if it were choking it. She had never seen something like that before and wasn’t quite sure what was going on. Alison wants to remember her Mom, and remembers her death, so tries not to remember. So they go to have some ice cream, as a special treat.

Parents' Weekend

Chapter 16

Mrs Berens, knowing Izzie was without anyone on this week-end, invited her to come help with the lost parents who shouldn’t be where they were found. Izzie wore the borrowed blue dress and silver sandals from Emma, was definitely learning how to smile even when she didn’t want to, and how to deal with the craziness of running a magic school. Izzie wants to sneak away to the pastures, for some quiet. OK with Berens. Be back for dinner.

Izzie finds Horace on he top of a hill, with one of the horses (was giving him a bit of a problem, nipping and biting the students) and a few dogs. Izzie went back to the School, spent the evening being lonely with Berens, and went to bed early, hoping the next day would be less stressful.

Second day of Parents’ Weekend

Chapter 17

t Izzie helping Berens, Alison wandering around alone, as Shay and James had to leave. Decker allowed her to hide out in the Library. “Just don’t take any books from here.” His bowler hat was tilted to the side, the flower steadily blowing raspberries and gritting its teeth. “He pointed at her. I’ll know if you do.” Alison decides to investigate her lineage, the history of the Drow line. (See Species- Drow). Emma invites Alison to see some new Oriceran plants – sounds like a good idea. On the way, Scarlet taunts Alison about having no one to be there with her, and Alison begins to react, flames shooting up her legs. Berens comes by, stops Alison, reprimands Scarlet, everyone walks away. Izzie visits with Horace, on his nightly rounds, meets with Berens, goes back to bed. Mara thinks the Izzie reminds her of Leira. It hadn’t been until she had understood her heritage and her powers that she had learned to accept herself. She could only hope the same went for Izzie.

The Kemana

Chapter 18

The group decides to break the rules, and go to the kemana associated with the school, Ruby Falls. The kemana is in the caves behind the school and stretches out for miles in every direction. That’s where we’ll find the stairway.” Ethan had managed to steal the kemana code from Mr. Regency earlier. After Ethan entered the code, the passageway to the kemana opened up. Lit up, and they went down the stairs. Alison was excited. She was surrounded by magic, and there was something about the dark tunnel that made her feel like she was home. There were magical creatures everywhere, all of them in their true magical form. Shops lined the streets and the various fragrances of delicious food wafted through the air. The ceiling was like the one in the mansion, magically created to show night and day. They were excited, and they would ENJOY!

Fight with the Dark Wizards

Chapter 19

The group walked into town, went to exchanged their coin for Ruby Gold, and started to shop. Ethan went to the woodworker’s shop, stole a whittling knife. Kathleen ad Emma entered the dress shop, Peter went to the book store, and Luke, Alison and Izzie didn’t know which direction to take. Shopped the general store, then went sightseeing to the darker part of town. Met up with three dark wizards, Izzie and Alison fighting them off, as they seemed to be immune to the dark magic used. One of the wizards recognized Alison, saying “You – you are HER!” Just then a werewolf came towards them, teeth bared.

Fight continued

Chapter 20

The werewolf attacks the wizards (it was Luke), and the fight slowed for a moment. Then the wizards re-grouped, began fighting again. The Willens showed up, threatening to tell the young wizard’s father about his activities. The wizards retreated, saying “This isn’t over, Drow.” The head Willen warned, still gazing at Alison. “The Darkness is approaching, and you are not safe here.” Above them the lightning cracked like there was a storm approaching, and from the dark side of town magical black clouds rolled over the sky. It was like a warning. Something distant and dark was angry, and Alison didn’t doubt it had to do with those three wizards and whoever their families were. She didn’t want to wait around and see what the storm brought. She’d had enough battles for one day—or for one lifetime, actually. She was just glad that her powers seemed to have a mind of their own, at least they had today.

Coming Back, Upper Classmates

Chapter 21

As Alison’s group start to return to the above grounds, they see Claire and Scarlet coming from the dark area with what might have been contraband in Scarlet’s bag. Everyone wants to keep their visit a secret, so Alison and Scarlet agree to ignore each other for the school year. They traded their Ruby Falls money for Earth dollars and headed for the steps that led out of the kemana. Alison didn’t like what was happening in her world, and she didn’t like the presence of dark magic in it in the least.

Horace finds the group below, and warns them, “I don’t know what you were doing down here, or why you look like you were in the Great Oriceran War, but you need to get back to the surface.” Izzie stood next to Horace until the others had passed, and they took up the rear of the little procession Several of the street merchants made nasty remarks as Horace walked past, but he ignored them. He was used to it after all those years. He was the only human permitted down in the kemana, but that didn’t mean the magical beings there liked it. “Don’t worry about him, or any of the others. They have a right to hate humans. We have never been very welcoming to things or beings we don’t understand.” Izzie nodded, seeing a flash of pain pass cross Horace’s face. She wondered if maybe the kemana did affect humans, just not in the same way it affected magical beings.

Chapter 22

Izzie knew they were in trouble when they found the Headmistress awaiting them at their re-entrance to the School. She sent the group to her office, at once. When everyone was inside Ms. Berens shut the door, then went behind her desk and stood there tapping her wand on her palm. This was not the first time freshmen had sneaked off to the city, but it was the first time they had come back looking as if they had been to war. She told them that the School had learned of the dangers of the kemana, at the cost of a life. .Now, does someone want to explain to me why you look like you have been battling Kilomeas in a swamp?” As no one was talking, Berens assessed punishment. Peter and Ethan were to work under Dr. Fowler.

Izzie is frustrated. I want to know the truth about my past. When I got here I didn’t think I knew anymore magic than how to tie your shoe, but all of a sudden I am a Kung Fu fighting ninja-elf? Yeah, right. I knew there was something missing, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, and I still have no idea what it was.” Whatever it was, her group is behind her, and will help her all they can.

Horticulture, Magic Style

Chapter 23

The upper-class students come to their room, to see if the deal is still a deal It is, and the word has been passed to leave the group alone for the year.

Horace came early in the morning, to take them to the plant building to work with Mrs. Fowler. Emma and Kathleen are sent to harvest a turnip/radish salad for the evening meal. Alison and Izzie will work with the singing plants. They need a good fertilizer change. The girls were greeted with the harmonious tones of plants singing the 50s greatest hits a cappella. “They sing as long as the background music is on. Now, if the music stops for some reason, they get really angry and will take a finger off if you aren’t careful. But that rarely happens.” Those were the good plants. Alison and Izzie had to work with the rejects, the ones who liked hard metal, and ear-deadening loud music. Thy wore earplugs all day, and couldn’t talk to each other. No one worked with the vampire plants. Girls were happy yo be done with the day, and vowed never to break the same rule again.

Chapter 24

All of the group holding court, telling their tales. Alison looking in the dark magic texbooks for information on Drows. Professor Xander Powell, teacher of dark energy in magic, to the freshmen. (See Technology – Dark Magic for a discussion). Alison certain that the dark Magic wizards had been sent to kill her, specifically.

“It most likely is.” Luke walked up to the group. “I could sense their intentions, and they were zeroed in on Alison. It didn’t make any sense, but that’s what it was. If they had wanted you guys dead they would have killed you. You don’t know enough magic. Alison let the thoughts rampage through her mind, wondering if there was any truth to her theory. If there wasn’t, great, but if there was they could be facing a real threat—all because of her heritage. It was just another instance of something happening that Alison couldn’t control, only this time she was afraid that it could get her friends killed.

Chapter 25

Izzie getting up at night, couldn’t sleep. Alison saw the pain radiating through her soul, went with her. They meet with Horace, set off toward the back side of the property. There were all kinds of fruit trees planted out there, some from Earth and others from Oriceran. They tried to keep them separate, unsure what would happen if they cross-pollinated. No one wanted a peach with teeth. Horace tells Alison of Drow properties of not sleeping, trancing for rejuvenation, and shows her the myriad of tiny creatures that live in the woods. Alison comes back to her room, rejuvenated, having looked out over the fields, noticing the souls she normally missed. She felt like she was seeing everything for the first time, her wonderment lifted her spirits. It had been a long time since she felt that way—curious, excited, filled with a warm glow. She didn’t even think about everything that had happened while she was wandered. It opened her senses, something she had needed for a long time. . Dark days were just over the horizon. Alison had a sneaking suspicion they weren’t going to wait for her to be ready, to know who she was and to prepare for the worst.

Chapter 26

Leira came to the School to lecture, attendance mandatory. Izzie was getting more upset. She wanted to know why her mind was so fuzzy, why she didn’t have the typical memories everyone else had, and if she did they just sprang out of nowhere like they had escaped a trap. For the last two weeks, she’d been having dreams with the same sweet and even-toned woman’s voice telling her over and over how proud she was of her. Leira talks of her feelings of loneliness, and not belonging. “Thank you, everyone. I just want to add one thing to that story, which is that I didn’t do any of it alone. I had help from all over the place. It started with a noble Light Elf, then a fuzzy little troll came into my life, and it went from there. There were humans and magical people all over who lent a hand to help me find my place. So just remember, when you feel lost and like you don’t have a place in this world, the people who are there to help will lift you up, whether it’s family or friends.”

Horace's Story

Chapter 27

Middle of winter, icy cold night. Alison goes for another night walk, and she was curious as to what kind of magical creatures would be out in the coming winter night’s air. Sees the barn light on, and meets Horace in the barn, just finishing one of the horses. With some of the dogs. Horace finished the story he had been telling to Izzie, about Andrew Parker, the kid who killed his best friend. Horace show Alison his Christmas tree farm. He’ll be staying at the school for the Holidays. Alison will probably be going back with Shay and James.

Alison was happy that she would get to see how the energy of the mansion looked at Christmas. It made her warm inside, even standing there in the frost of the night.

Chapter 28

Peter makes sure Izzie coming to the School Christmas dinner. Alison gives Librarian Decker a Christmas present, Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea. (Too bad Hemingway went back to Oriceran for his last years!)

Izzie to spend her Holidays with Mara Berens. At the School dinner, the layout and decorations were phenomenal, with Rigby’s trees decorated with magical ornaments that danced, an open space for dancing with magical snow falling from the ceiling, tables with beautiful centerpieces, traditional Earth food, and all attendees with red/green somethings somewhere. The energy in the room was phenomenal. Alison, Aya, Emma, Ethan, Izzie, Kathleen, Luke and Peter all sat at the same table, and exchanged gifts.

Alison gave everyone a jeweled trinket, expressing her feeling about them (Kathleen/beauty, Ethan/bravery, Emma/kindness, Peter/curiosity, Aya/gift for Mom, Izzie/Star pendant, Luke/Comfort Journal.

Kathleen gave two gifts to everyone, a piece of clothing, and a story she had written about them throughout the year, about how she felt about them.

Izzie gave everyone a Ruby Falls coin necklace.

Ethan gave everyone a hand-carved wooden piece, personalized as Ethan saw them. Alison’s was roses, Emma’s otters.

Peter gave everyone the message that their present had burned on the way over, so all he could give them was his good wishes.

Luke gave everyone a round stone piece, a representation of their shifter family crest. It signifies that you are part of our clan—for life. If there is ever anything you need, like help or anything, you can show any shifter this and they will stand for our family.”

(There were no gifts listed from Aya. Maybe she gave the story gift, listed as the second one from Kathleen?)

The whole began to talk excitedly, spending their first Christmas dinner together in their new home away from home.

The Holidays

Chapter 29

All leaving for the Holidays, each to their own destinations. Izzie to be with Mara Berens. Alison took the egg with her, not wanting to leave it alone at the school. All the students could take their parents for a tour of the school, Shay and James gloated at all the “A”s next to Alison’s name. Alison could tell that they had something to tell her, so she asked about it. They told her that the Harriken were still active (the ones who had killed her mother), and that they couldn’t go back to Los Angeles for Christmas. All Alison could say was, “Come on, guys, we’ll figure it out as we go.” Alison gave Horace a warm orange scarf to wear while she was gone, and he gave her a small yellow stone from his pocket. “If you need anything while you are gone, just hold this stone and send your energy through it. We will get the signal. Okay? Not just for this holiday, but anytime you are away.”

At the car, the car she looked out over the hills and pastures, seeing the souls of the small magical beings celebrating in their own way. The energy of the fairies danced through the leaves of the trees, giving Alison her own little light show.

And they drove off, to look for some Christmas pizza.