Chapter One

Sydney Fireflame sat down on her bed in her wizard dorm room. She had just finished practicing her spells for Professor Falmea. A knock sounded at her door. She stood up and opened the door. Her older brother Anthony Stormshield entered her dorm after asking permission to come inside. Sydney had three siblings. Two little sisters and an older brother. They all had different last names because they were all in different schools. Entering the room behind Anthony was his girlfriend Danielle Deathshard. They had been dating since Anthony enrolled at Ravenwood. Sydney invited Anthony and Danielle to have a seat. The couple sat down on Sydney's bed. Sydney was nervous. Anthony never came to visit her in her dorm unless something was wrong. She pulled her desk chair out from under the desk and sat down.

''Anthony,what's wrong?'' Sydney asked. Anthony sighed. He leaned over and whispered something in Danielle's ear. Danielle stood silently and left the dorm quietly. Sydney was really worried now. If Danielle had left the room then something had to be terribly wrong. She clutched her wand and began to gently bend it back and forth. It was how she relieved stress when she was feeling nervous. Anthony took a deep breath while turning to look into his sister's eyes. Her facial expression showed fear and nervousness.

''Mom and dad sent me an e-mail last night. I guess they've fallen behind on their bill payments. Dad lost his job about a week ago. Since mom dosen't work they have no money. Last night, they informed me that they don't know if they can afford to send Chelsea to Ravenwood this year. They also informed me that if dad can't find a job that offers a solid ten dollar payment an hour that we will have to drop out of Ravenwood.'' Anthony explained. He didn't look worried but he did look depressed. Sydney sat there in complete shock. Her father had gotten fired. Her father was the only member of the family who was employeed. All their money came from their father's job. Sydney really liked Ravenwood. She loved her instructor, her friends, and Headmaster Ambrose. To have to leave just like that was unacceptable. What would her best friend Gabrielle say? What would Headmaster Ambrose say? How would everyone react to that? Sydney guessed the same way she was reacting to it.

Anthony gave his little sister a hug as tears began to pour down her face. He hugged her for a total of about three minutes before finally letting go. Sydney's eyes were red from crying and beads of tears rested on her wand. Anthony ruffled her hair and tried to reassure her.

''Don't worry. There's lots of places that offer a ten dollar payment each hour. '' He said.

''What if he can't find one or gets rejected by all of the companies?'' Sydney squeaked. Anthony frowned. Sydney had a point. There was a huge possibility that their father could get rejected by each company. He tried to keep Sydney thinking positive. He was her big brother, after all.

''Don't think about that. I'm sure they'll figure something out.'' He gave Sydney one final hug and handed her a tissue before leaving her alone in her dorm. He shut the door quietly and found Danielle leaning against the great tree Bartlebee. He walked over to her and sat down beside her.

''She didn't take it well, did she?'' Danielle asked.

''Nope. There were tears.'' Anthony sighed. Danielle threw her arms around Anthony's neck.

''I can't imagine my life without you. How would we stay in our relationship? There's no phones in the wizarding world. There's e-mail, but it still wouldn't be the same.'' Danielle worried. Anthony tried to think positive but more negative thoughts always came to mind. He said nothing. He slowly leaned over and kissed Danielle's cheek.

''Don't worry, babe. I won't leave you. I won't.'' But inside he knew this was it for him and Danielle.

Sydney cried into her covers for hours. Her face felt hot and her eyes were really red now. She sniffled and looked in her bedside mirror. Her red hair was messy from having her head buried in her pillow for two hours. Another knock sounded on her dorm's door. She didn't answer it. The doorknob turned and Gabrielle walked in.

Hey, Sydne-'' Gabrielle stopped when she noticed Sydney's messy hair and red eyes. She walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

''Syd, what happened? Did you get a B on your 'Fiery Knowledge' test?'' Gabrielle asked, who also happened to be a fire student. Sydney continued to sob into her pillow.

''It's okay. Having a B is still passing.'' Gabrielle said. Sydney continued to bawl. Gabrielle placed her hand on Sydney's shoulder.

''Syd, having a B isn't going to ruin your life. It's just a letter, you know.''

''Gabby, this isn't about grades!'' Sydney snapped. She stood up with her back to Gabrielle before turning around to face her.

''Anthony and I might have to drop out of Ravenwood.''