The sun sliced through the slits of the blinds and radiated within the bedroom of Melinda Echoes. The only child to Gregory and Linda rolled around in her bed, eyes forced shut, trying to find the comfiest position and not allow the sunshine to disturb her slumber. Resting in one place only lasted mere seconds before a readjustment was required. Not before long, Melinda opened her eyes and let out an unsatisfied huff. Her eyes were a cascading shade of blue which was only accentuated by her dark brown hair. It was the start to another day in middle Missouri as Melinda could tell the sun hung high above in the sky outside. However, this would turn out unlike any other day as the end to summer drew close.
"Melinda! Time for breakfast!" An inviting voice rang.
She sat up on her bed and yawned. She pulled out a wand from under her covers she had seemingly been sleeping with the entire time. With the flick of her wrist her door magically swung open. She scooted to the edge of the mattress and wiped away any sleep from her eyes. Melinda stood next to her door and stared into the full body mirror hung on the wall. She was scrawny but proportionate because of her lack of height. Her young face analyzed herself until a smirk finally emerged.
"Coming, mom!" She bellowed.
Melinda scurried to the washroom with haste before marching down the bungalow corridor and finding her usual spot at the table. She exchanged the wand in her hand for the fork on the table. Her father, Greg, was already positioned at one end of the table with his nose in a newspaper. Images next to articles danced around on the newsprint fittingly entitled 'The Wizzouri Herald.' Her mother, Linda, donned an apron over top her clothes and jumped from the stove top to the table and delivered her daughter some piping hot pancakes. Melinda dug in.
"So today is the big day, huh?" Greg's tone attempted to channel any excitement.
"The big day?" Melinda questioned with a mouthful of fluffy pancakes.
Her father lowered the paper just enough for his eyes to be seen peering towards his daughter.
"That's right. We should be receiving it in the mail... any... second... now," He paced.
Just like magic, there was a knock at the front door. Melinda rose from her chair and waltzed over. She opened the door and noticed an envelope fluttering in the air just in front of her shins. She was quick to grab it and return to her spot at the kitchen table.
"What should I do!? What should I do!? Should I open it?" She asked nervously.
"I'd say so!" Greg replied.
She had to examine the letter first. The envelope had a coffee stained color to it and a green seal on the back. She opened it gingerly and pulled out a letter that had writing on it from a feather-inked quill.
"Well go on... what does it say?" Linda said as she nestled into her spot at the table with some pancakes of her own.
Melinda cleared her throat.
"Dear Ms. Echoes, please find enclosed your acceptance letter to the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Located on Mount Greylock, Massachusetts, Ilvermorny has a rich history of providing all types of wizards a safe haven to practice, sharpen, and broaden their magical horizons! It is our pleasure to extend an enrollment invitation to you as both your parents were successful students during their tenure with us. We would only be happy for you to call Ilvermorny your home for the foreseeable future!" Her voice shook with excitement.
"Well doesn't that sound dandy?" Mr. Echoes' attempt at humor definitely fell flat.
Melinda kept reading.
"We understand you are a bit older than first time students and have had some home training so needless to say we have higher expectations from you! We would have loved to have had you earlier but looking back, having your parents introduce you to the foundations of magic directly, at an early age, probably bodes better for you than anything we could have done or provided then!" She read aloud.
She paused and looked upwards at her parents. The three of them shared the same emotional gleam in their eyes. Melinda's eyes couldn't help but dart back down towards the page.
"Unfortunately... uh-oh," She trailed off as her tone changed from shrill to concerned.
"What is it, honey?" Linda chimed in.
"U-unfortunately you cannot attend the Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry unless you pass the Trial of a True Wizard. We have informed you of our location but indeed Ilvermorny is no easy task to find. You must clear through the Fog of Acceptance and only then will you be deemed worthy and granted entry into the school. We look forward to meeting you should you pass this trial. Classes begin in September. Sincerely, Thom Crockett, Headmaster," She stammered.
Dejected, Melinda allowed the letter to flutter from her fingertips to the stained wood kitchen table in front of her. How was she ever expected to make it to Ilvermorny now that she was tasked with tackling the Fog of Acceptance and the Trial of a True Wizard? She had always heard that Ilvermorny was a world renowned school of magic but she was quick to doubt any and all of the skills shown to her by her parents. After all, she had only been taught the basics. A different kind of gleam began to formulate in her eyes - an unhappy one.
"What's wrong, dear?" Linda comforted as she moved to a seat directly beside her daughter and placed a loving hand on her back.
Melinda held her emotions inside as she had never been tested quite like this before so anything unknown understandably brought forth a sense of uneasiness.
"What if I can't do it?" She doubted, "What if I fail and can't make it through the Fog of Acceptance? What if I never make it to Ilvermorny?"
Her father folded up the paper and crossed his legs and arms. He gave that certain fatherly look to Melinda.
"Are you being serious right now?" He said as his bushy grey moustache bounced when he spoke, "That is what you're concerned with? You just got the letter of a lifetime from the alma mater of your parents, a very prestigious school, and you don't even take a second to celebrate? Let me tell you something, Melinda. You will be just fine! First of all, you are a pure blood. You come from a long line of excellent wizarding Echoes! You really need to stop worrying so much about the future. I feel it's all you do sometimes. Besides... if and I mean IF by some miracle the Fog of Acceptance rejects you and doesn't show you the way to Ilvermorny then it wasn't meant to be."
"That's right. Then you can come back here and find something else for yourself," Linda chimed in.
Melinda regained her confidence but it wasn't because of anything her parents said. They were always supportive of her when she was unsure of anything. Instead, she regained her confidence once her eyes locked onto the wand seemingly waiting at attention on the table next to her plate of food.
"Can... can I..." Melinda's voice trailed once more.
She reached out and grabbed the wand. It was rather long, heavy and pointed for its kind. It ran a full 14 inches of alder wood with a phoenix feather for its core and most importantly it had a quirky yet springy feel to it for its age. She idolized that wand. She held it in front of her face and rotated it with her wrist, constantly examining it with her eyes. Each time she looked at it she could find new intricate details about it she hadn't noticed before.
"May I please bring Grandma's wand with me? I think I'll have a better chance to be shown the way to Ilvermorny with it," She asked gently but firmly.
Neither Greg nor Linda needed to say another word. It would have already been a forgone conclusion for Melinda to take her grandmothers wand but they couldn't help but admire the respectful nature of their daughter asking if it was acceptable to do so. The trio converged into a family group hug. Melinda smiled. For she knew her adventure within the wizarding world was only just beginning.