I walk in stoic silence through the mountain scenery.
I'm on the side of a road, adjacent to the crash barrier that is also my only means of protection should I slip and fall. I'm pretty high up, I can see the airport from here, miles away. And the small, cobblestone town another twenty or so miles away where I caught the bus that dropped me off at the bottom of the mountain. There are bushes and climbing plants clinging to the mountain's side. Trees jet out on top of the rock. Dandelions are blowing in the slight breeze, and the big, blue sky doesn't have a single cloud in it. I walk, carrying only a backpack and a single suitcase rolling behind, which contains everything I own.
Summer is still lingering here. It's September but the leaves are still green, not even showing a sign of turning. It's been a long and tiring commute, and I don't have a car, or know how to drive. Which means I'm "hoofing it" up a mountain right now. Not so scenic when it's boiling outside and you're carrying bags up a steep incline. Admittedly, I'm feeling a touch lonely because I took the plane ride alone, and nobody was there to wish me farewell.
The long walk is spent mostly in silence only to be broken as a few cars zoom pass me. A few honk, perhaps because I look like a hobo in need of a pick-up with my little bags and all, going nowhere in particular. To them anyway... The truth is, I know exactly where I'm going.
I don't know how or why, but perhaps fate had brought me here, away from the bustling city and here to the mountains and forests to attend Iris Academy. An actual school for magic!
I gave up everything to be here. Most of my possessions- I even had to cop out of going to college at the very last minute. I'm too old now, so I won't be going back to that place. I break from my thoughts to trudge up a steep incline. I'm an orphan. Technically... I'm actually estranged from my family. The memories I have of my folks are far from nostalgic- I haven't seen them since I was... Ten?
That's a lie. More of a half-lie. I sort of keep in contact with them, but only for the holidays and stuff... There's this big, ugly scandal revolved around my mother and myself, and I still don't know all the little details. It's a mess, it's unfair, and I'm over it, but it's the reason I'm alone and it's the reason why life is so hard.
I do have relatives aside from my parents and siblings. It's been even longer since I've seen or heard from my aunts and uncles and cousins. When they were around, I was practically invisible. They may have never said things about me to my face, but I heard. I know what I heard... They never really wanted anything to do with me either. I was kinda just... There.
I've spent the most of my short life being tossed around the foster-care system, public school, summer jobs, once in a while getting wrapped up in that old, family drama. But to make things even more complicated, there's magic too. I'm "magical" apparently. Weird things happen around me, and I've seen things most teenagers go to horror movies for that type of experience.
Ghosts and stuff... You name it, I've been though it.
I scrunch up my face in discomfort. Papa is letting me stay with him during the holiday breaks if I feel like going back. But what am I going to do once school ends? Well, maybe the school will let me stay there. It's supposed to be a boarding school after all, they must have some sort of system for orphans. After another hour of walking up the mountain road, I reach Iris Academy.
Upon actually seeing the school, it looks more like a lovely boarding school than a school for wizards. The buildings are off-white, with brown roofing and bronze accents to the doors and windows. It's composed of five buildings, which are large, but they're not terribly tall or wide, and they're connected, forming a lumpy mass of school. I can see the school grounds have colorful flowerbeds, plenty of bushes and shrubbery and green lawns. There are many tall trees, taller than most of the trees I'm familiar with.
What is a school for wizards supposed to look like anyway? Is it supposed to be this... Normal? I stand a moment to let it all soak in.
I step past the tall, bronze, swirly welcoming gates, past many families, hugging their children and bidding each other farewell, other students running about wildly across the courtyard. I scan my surroundings in disdain. It looks like I'm older than my fellow freshman, as expected, being actually closer in age to the seniors. This is going to be an awkward start, hopefully I wasn't the only one who had been left behind? As nice as I find my new campus, all the buildings look the same, without any signs to discern which is which. I take another look at my fellow students, all wearing the same long, grey robe like me for the uniform. But the capes and belts are slightly different. My cape is a forest-green, with a matching belt and bronze insignia shaped in the form of a running stallion.
My eyes skim through the masses. No one even remotely looks like me, aside from being "humanoid". I mean, it looks like everyone really appreciates hair dye and colored-contacts, unless... No, they're supposed to look that way. I see a group of kids there that all have wings. There's one boy over there with horns? And wait a minute, is that a tail?!
The only magickal person I've ever met is Papa, and he looks like an ordinary man. I scan over myself, realizing with my plain features and lack of color that I might stand out from the crowd here more than they would. Not wanting to look like a gaping idiot, I begin fumbling through my backpack. Now, I've been assigned to Horse Hall, which is for adventurous girls, whatever that means. If I can just find that pamphlet... I turned to searching my suitcase pockets, upon which I found my pamphlet folded in a side pouch.
Just as I'm letting myself up from crouching, I bump my rear end into someone behind me, who lets out an unpleased "Oof!" I swing around, fiercely embarrassed.
To my discovery I meet an older man with fair skin, dark, thick waves that reach his shoulders and piercing reddish-brown eyes. I can't help but notice how tall he is, towering a good foot above me at least. The man is clad in a brown suit, with calf-high buckled boots. Draped over his right shoulder a dark, grey cape. The signature pointed wizard's hat also a matching grey with a brown strap perched upon his head.
He bears no hall symbol on his belt, meaning he's probably a professor. This is not a good first impression. "I'm so sorry sir. I'll try to be more careful!"
As if not skipping a beat, or the fact that my butt just brushed up against his crotch, he retorts "A new student I see. And what might your name be?"
He has a lovely voice, dark and rich, with a refined British accent. He doesn't seem too angry at me, so maybe I can relax a little? "My name is Lumina Nocturne sir. I've just arrived here, and I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be…" My voice trails off, because now I notice he's no longer looking at me. Instead, he's paging through the large book he was carrying.
"Miss Nocturne is it? Wildseed. How unsurprising."
"Pardon. Sir?"
Before I can further my question he remarks "More than likely, a complete waste of my time. You have no idea how much you have been given, and you will surely throw it all away." He scribbles something into his book, then slams it shut. His cocky smirk replaced with a slight frown. "Five demerits. Not a promising start."
"Please sir. It was an accident. Aren't demerits over the top, especially on the first day?" I can understand my gluteus-maximus suddenly grinding against his groin was entirely unwelcome and unasked for, but it wasn't on purpose! What had he been doing standing so close to me anyway?
"Oh? Over the top you say? Do you have a specific request? Should I assign more?" He hisses with much-too-obvious sarcasm.
I shake my head.
"Let us hope you pay more attention to your studies than you do to where you are strutting, otherwise you will find yourself expelled from this academy before the New Year!" With a snap of his wrist, he wraps his cape around himself and stalks away.
Heat burning in my cheeks, I silently vow to myself that I'm going to make him eat those words. Gah! I haven't even started school yet and I've already got a teacher who has it out for me.