Chapter 1: Arrival

I squeezed my elder brother's hand as we got out of the car and began walking into the forest. I knew I was too old to be holding his hand like a scared little girl, but in truth that was what I was.

Only fourteen years old and small for my age. I had unruly red curls and dull grey colored eyes. I was scrawny and flat-chested. Freckles and pimples dance across my face. I loathed my appearance and mirrors, but I was too afraid to use magic to change my appearance. My parents told me I was pretty, but how could I believe them? Their my parents, their suppose to think I'm beautiful.

I sighed at the thought of a new school. I did not want to go. I hated school. I hate those pretty girls with breasts. I hate their remarks about my appearance. I hated their laughs. I hated their boyfriends. I hated many things about them. For some reason I had never told my parents or anyone else of the bulling I received in my early public school years.

"Aiden, do I have to go?" I asked my brother, whose hand I was squeezing. I knew exactly what he would say, but I was scared of what rude comments I would receive here.

Aiden showed his usual smirk of amusement as I looked up at him, with big puppy dog eyes. "Sorry, it's not for me to decide where you go to school, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but give it a chance. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you make it out to be." he replied.

Aiden had a thing for staying out of arguments and not starting them. Despite that though, he still gave great advice to me whenever I had the need of it. I loved and envied my older brother and was closer to him than any of my other siblings. I wish I had his straight auburn hair and bright blue eyes. There were times when I despised him for getting most of the good genes from my parents.

As we came deeper in the forest we lost sight of Aiden's car or any other sign of civilization. I did not get who would have a school in the middle of no where like this, but it was not my choice were the school was located at. We stopped at a large alder tree in a grove filled with oak trees. Aiden pushed me back a bit and muttered some words I could not understand at the time. He then touched the alder and stepped back.

As the tree split in two, I gasped. The two halves of the tree moved back ten feet and a portal opened. Aiden nodded his head as a motion for me to proceed on in.

I stepped through the portal and my jaw dropped. I had never seen a place like this and from that moment I knew that in all of the Realms of Magix I would never see such a place. An ethereal looking woman in an elegant gown approached my brother and me.

The woman was tall and thin. She had dark skin and curly hair. Another thing with in me changed; because of this woman I would never be unhappy with my curly hair again.

Aiden bowed to the woman and I clumsily attempted to curtsey and nearly feel over. My brother reached out to catch me and grabbed my arm, so I would not fall completely over.

"Aiden, it has been along time. How are your parents?" the woman asked.

"Yes it has, Lady. My parents are doing well. This is my younger sister, Elena." He said and gave me a slight push forward towards the woman.

"So you're Elena. Your brother and parents have told me about you. You look so much like your mother. I am Aisha, Lady of the Waters and Annwfn." Aisha said to me.

"Yes, Lady Aisha." I said awkwardly in surprise.

"Come, I shall escort you to your room. Your brother is welcome to come along as well. You can rest up and meet your roommates." Lady Aisha replied.

Aisha lend us up a large hill with many trees to a row of cabins. They looked rather large and at first I wondered if she had lead us to her own cabin and the staff cabins. She knocked on the door of one of the smaller ones and then opened the door.

The cabin was rather large with a circular section lowered down. I followed Lady Aisha and Aiden around the circle to the sleeping area on the other side. There were two bunk beds on either side of the room. The each section of the bunk had a shelf for storage of whatever. Four large cabinets were one other side of the room around the area where we had entered. One girl with tan skin and dark brown hair sat on the bottom bunk.

"This is your room, which you will share with three other girls." Lady Aisha said to me.

When she heard the Lady speak, the other girl looked up. "Good day, Lady" she said with a slight bow.

"This is Hemlock" Lady Aisha said to me and then turned to Hemlock. "Hemlock, this is Elena."

"Hi" I said softly to Hemlock, who had gone back to whatever it was she was doing.

"I shall see you girls at dinner" Lady Aisha said then turned to leave.

I hugged Aiden and said bye to him. He left soon after Lady Aisha. I turned to go into the circular area that had been lowered. When I started to take a step down into it, I heard Hemlock.

"Don't you dare step in there or I will curse you to oblivion!" she shouted loudly in surprise.

I spun around to look at her and ask "Why?"

"Do you know nothing of magic?" she shrieked at me.

"I know of magic!" shouted back to her. Why couldn't she just tell me what I did wrong instead of insult me.

"Then you should know that you must cleanse yourself before you create the circle. That lowered area is not a hang out place, its for magic to be worked upon the world." She replied in a calmer, but know-it-all voice.

I backed away from the circle, not wanting to anger Hemlock. If she had been calmer and kinder I would have said sorry. It would not be until later on that I understood magic in a way that even some of the most powerful faeries could not and I would eventually have the same reaction she did when I was to enter the circle in such a hereticish manner.

Later that night I followed Hemlock to the main hall for the feast. I was surprised that it was such a formal occasion and ran back to change into something more formal. I wondered if Hemlock had dressed so plainly was to piss me off.

When I came back from changing Hemlock and another girl I did not know at the time stood glaring at me angrily. I had a feeling that by the end of the night, many more of them would give me the same dirty look.

Later on after the feasting had been finished, Lady Aisha called my name. Hemlock pushed me and told me to "Get up there, now!" in a harsh whisper.

I walked up, and looked down to see that my palms were sweating and I felt sick to my stomach. Was I about to get in trouble which to me seemed such a small blunder? I wanted to run back to my seat, but I saw Lady Aisha smile at me and so I continued going, even though I was so nervous I felt sick to my stomach.

"Elena of Sparx and Eraklion, child of Bloom of Sparx and Earth and Skye of Eraklion, do you seek to learn the ture ways of magic, to increase your mental, physical and spiritual strength?" she asked me.

"Yes" I declared softly.

"Then welcome, Elena, to Annwfn." Lady Aisha said to me.

"Thank you" I said, not sure of what to say and then rushed back to my seat near Hemlock.

"Good jump, newbie" she said to me with a smile that made me think of my brother Aiden's smirk.

I gave her a strange look. Why did she go from being a complete jerk, to somewhat nice? I wondered.

"You may be ignorant, but you're a generally good person." She responded answering my unspoken question.