Faylinn hardly slept that night, she wondered when the man from the night before. He was strange, but she couldn't help but be curious about him. He came into the house, and spoke only a few words and left again, but he had changed her life. The next morning, she walked out into the main living area, and saw her mother. She had fallen asleep in one of the few chairs. Faylinn managed to suppress a giggle when she entered the room, and walked over and gently shook her arm to awaken her. She jumped up with a start, and now Faylinn could no longer suppress her laughter. Soon, the two of them were laughing together, the event that took place the night before temporarily forgotten. They made their food, and were discussing normal topics, and not the stranger from before. Eventually though, Faylinn noticed her mother's eyes kept darting towards the parchment letter that was sitting at the other end of the table. She looked sad, and this bothered her daughter.
"Mother, what's wrong?" she asked, looking over at the woman who was startled by her question.
"Oh, well, I'm just worrying about you and the world that the man had said existed. It's not like I don't believe him, it is just that I do not know what will happen to you when you leave".
"You can come with me, at least until I have all I need for school".
"I know that darling, but you know that I can't. I have to stay here and work, keep the house up. Do not worry about me, I'll be fine without you here".
Before Faylinn could speak again, there was a knock at the door. She figured who it was before she opened the door. There standing in the doorway was the man from the night before, Larkin Tudor. Faylinn stood aside and let him enter, and closed the door behind him. He walked over to where her mother was still sitting, and spoke.
"Have you made a decision regarding your enrollment Ms. Aubert?" he asked, directing his attention towards Faylinn.
She looked past him, staring at her mother who gave her a smile for encouragement. Faylinn looked Larkin in the eye, and gave him a smile.
"Yes, I will attend this strange school of magic. It sounds to me like an adventure," she said, and went over to her mother and gave her a hug.
"Then we best be off. We need to get your supplies today as the portkey that will transport you to the school leaves tomorrow. Your mother is welcome to come, but since she is your only living relative it might be best if she remained here in order to keep the house in order and to insure that nothing bad happens," he said glancing between mother and daughter.
They nodded at the man, and Faylinn walked over to him. She was confused, since the journey to any city would take several days, it didn't make sense to her for there to be any quicker way. Larkin and Faylinn left the house and went behind the small building. She looked up into his eyes, and he gave out a small laugh.
"Do not worry, I have permission for this since we are in such a hurry. Hold onto my arm, now you may get a strange feeling, but it is perfectly normal. Now hold on and do not let go," he said, and she complied with his instructions.
She heard a loud crack and felt herself being pulled and dragged. Faylinn kept a firm grip on Larkin, scared that she might be left in the swirling vortex if she let go, out of fear the girl closed her eyes. After what felt like forever, Faylinn opened up her eyes into the sunlight. Larkin walked out of the alleyway that they had landed in and motioned for her to follow. She walked out into a street lined with peculiar shops. There was so much to see and do, she had no idea what was going to happen.
"Uh, Mr. Tudor, where are we? I've never seen a place like this ever," she said as she kept glancing around the street.
"This, Ms. Aubert, is where many witches and wizards purchase the supplies that are required to make use of their magic. There are shops that sell items for potions, others sell robes. This area is also where you can receive your wand. Do not worry, I have been given money in order for you to be able to purchase your supplies," he said, leading her towards the robe shop.
Once inside, an older woman took Faylinn's hand and led her away from Larkin. The woman pulled out several selections of robes, and started fitting her with them. An hour later, Larkin and Faylinn left the shop with her uniform for the school. He showed her the shop that sold potion making equipment, and they had several purchases made by the time it was late afternoon. There was one shop left that they had yet to visit, and it looked older than most of the others. Larkin led her into the shop, and she saw that the shelves were lined with small boxes. A man came out from the back, and Larkin stood back so that he could see Faylinn.
"Welcome, I see we have a young witch in need of a wand. Welcome then, to Ollivanders," he said as he walked up to her. He was smiling, and Faylinn found him a little strange, but thought that he looked like a kind enough sort of person. He took a look at her, and seemed to be deep in thought. After a few moments, he went over to the shelf and pulled a box off of the shelf.
"Here, try this one. A simple one that you might be able to use. Unicorn hair and vine wood makes for an interesting combination," he said, handing her what looked to be a long stick. She looked at him for a moment, and waved the wand. Nothing happened, and Faylinn felt a little strange and silly. She was grateful when the shop owner snatched t from her. He handed her a different one, and they went through several different types of wands. Ollivander looked to be getting annoyed, but kept pulling out different wands. Eventually, they had been standing there for over an hour, and Faylinn was wondering if they would ever find a wand for her. Mr. Ollivander looked at her, and pulled out another wand. Faylinn wasn't too sure about this, but figured they could try at least one more wand. He handed her the wand, and she had a warm feeling in her fingertips, and she waved the wand. Sparks flew, and Ollivander was smiling.
"Knew we would find one eventually, that there is an Ash and Unicorn Hair wand. Now you should be prepared to begin learning how to use magic," he said to her. Larkin paid for the wand, and Faylinn thought she heard him say "Thank you Geraint," but she wasn't too sure about that. They left the shop, and now Faylinn had all of her supplies, and Larkin held out his arm for her.
"We need to travel quickly, the Portkey leaves tomorrow, and that is how you will reach the school. It is not very far from your home," he said handing her a piece of parchment," That has all of the instructions of where to go, and what object you will be looking for. Now, let us be off".
She heard the loud cracking sound again, and felt the rush of being dragged down. Soon, she saw that they were behind her home, and they went around to the front, and Faylinn knocked and entered the house. Her mother was there, and looked glad to see her. Larkin walked over and spoke in low whispers to her. Faylinn could not hear what was being said, but her mother was nodding her head and had a sad expression on her face.
"Good bye Ms. Aubert," Larkin said, and with that being said, he left.
Faylinn went over to her mother, who just looked at her child with a sense of wonder. She got up from her chair, and gave her daughter a hug. She gripped Faylinn tightly, and did not say anything for a long time. Eventually, she pulled away and looked her in the eye.
"Tomorrow, you will be embarking on a journey without me. You have made your choice to explore this world that you have entered. I know you are hesitant to go Faylinn, but do not worry about me. I will be fine on my own, and will still be here when you return. I will tell anyone who asks that I sent you to live up north, because of all of the strange accidents and I thought it was better for you not to be here," she said, and Faylinn understood what Larkin had told her.
He most likely mentioned this, and her mother had to create a story for cover. She understood that, and did not think anymore of it. They ate dinner in silence, and all too soon it was time for them to go to sleep. Faylinn was wide awake and was having difficulty falling asleep. After several hours of lying awake, Faylinn finally managed to enter a fitful slumber. Her adventures would begin tomorrow, and she would deal with whatever the next day would bring.