Finding Home
(1/ 3?)
The sketch pencil scritched across the pitted surface of the parchment, etching wide and broad strokes across the paper. Mal absentmindedly hummed to herself as the pencil twitched and moved in her skillful hand. Vibrant and detailed sketches sprang to life, leaping and scrawling from her mind's eye to dance across the paper.
To Mal, art was her safe place. A solace from the outside world and the monotony of class time lectures. She could be anything, draw anything, wish worlds into being...in her art, Mal was completely free. In many ways, it was almost akin to magic.
"Excellent work, Mal. Very expressive!" Fairy Godmother twittered, peering over Mal's shoulder and making her jump. A gentle rap of a pointer on the desk brought Mal's attention back to the classroom, dustmotes flittering in the soft afternoon sun.
"Now, let's focus on the lesson at hand." Fairy Godmother admonished gently, as she took her place by the blackboard. A large map was drawn in a shaky hand where chalk squiggles denoted local mountain ranges and rivers.
"Now, where were we? Ah yes! The history of Castle Auradon!" the old fairy rapped the board with her pointer, indicating a small dot on the map. "The home of the throne of current King, Benjamin. The royal family has ruled from the castle itself nearly 100 generations, even long before the United States of Auradon were founded…"
Carlos twitched and let out a soft snore, nearly falling out of his chair as he shifted in his sleep. Jay snickered and tossed a wad of paper at the back of the young boy's neck causing him to jump awake with a start.
"NO, DUDE! NOT MY SHORTS!" Carlos screeched, jumping out of his seat mid-dream, half-asleep, and nearly knocking his desk over in the process. Howls of laughter erupted around the room as Jay and Evie both doubled over, heaving with mirth. Mal snorted and suppressed a grin, attempting to keep a straight face for the benefit of their benevolent instructor.
The old fairy sighed deeply before smoothing her skirts and resolving to take a different approach. "Since I can see this lesson isn't sinking in well, perhaps we should have a quick project assignment to liven things up." She arched a delicate eyebrow and flashed a cheerful smile.
"Since Castle Auradon is the home of royalty, why don't each of you do a project on what 'home' is for you?"
Evie, the only student who had managed to pay attention and remain awake through the lesson, huffed from the back of the room. She flashed the boys a pointed glare as she muttered a 'Nice going, guys.' under her breath.
"You mean like...an essay?!" Jay moaned, his normal gruff voice taking on a whiny timbre. The last thing he wanted was to spend an evening crouched over pen and paper when it could be spent running drills on the tourney field.
"Not necessarily" Fairy Godmother replied. "The project itself is open for interpretation. Feel free to get creative!" Deep brown eyes flicked to Mal, a knowing smile pulling at the corners of her lips.
"Oh, and before I forget! The project is due on my desk before sunset this Friday."
Another collective groan echoed from the students, rising among the rafters to mingle with the Wednesday afternoon sun.
"Class dismissed."