Chapter Three

Well that explains a lot.

Tuesday, September 2nd

"Good morning," we heard Mrs. McGill over the loud speaker. I was annoyed at being woken up by the announcement. She's way too chipper in the morning. "Ladies just a reminder, breakfast is served at seven and classes start at eight. Have a wonderful first day of the new year." Jenny took her shower first, I rolled back over and went back to sleep until she was done.

After we got dressed we went downstairs for breakfast. The cafeteria was filled with girls from all of the college levels. Everything was new for us: new school, new teachers, and paperless books. I was happy there were no heavy book bags to carry around. We didn't even have paper and pens to carry around. This would make taking notes difficult.

Jen, and the other girls that were in my group during the tour had the same classes together. The rooms were simple enough to follow since they were in order of the schedule. Our first one was my worst subject, math. I thought my brother got all of the math skills between us. We were greeted by a young teacher with ear length curly red hair and freckles.

"Good morning ladies. My name is Mr. Greenburg and I will be your math instructor. We will be starting on a short quiz to find out where you're at. This is a self paced course. It is designed to take you from where you are now to at least the algebra level. Once you surpass the algebra level you will continue to work to the geometry level. If throughout the year you need some help, please come and see me so I can arrange a tutor for you.

If you would each find a seat and log into your laptops we can get started. To log in, your user name is your last name and the password is the last four digits of your social security number. For simplicity these will not be changed. If you do need to change them for security reasons, please see Mr. Blair in the computer lab upstairs.

There will be no internet surfing because the Wi-Fi internet has been disabled in the classrooms. You can attach your MP3 players to the USB port with the cables provided. There is also a pad with a writing unit attached to the computer so you will not need to use a pen and paper for your notes. However, if you are good at typing it may be faster than handwriting your notes."

After twenty long excruciating minuets of math questions I was finally done. There was another ten minutes left of the class hour. "When you are done with your quiz, feel free to look around your MP3 player for a book to read or listen to some music for the rest of the hour." I looked in the MP3 player to see what was available. Mrs. Ethridge was right - there was every song imaginable. I would have to get a play list going. But Mr. Greenburg did say there were books on here too. I had to see if my favorite books were there and to my surprise they were. All of the greats were there: Austen, Shakespeare, Stephenie Meyer, J.K. Rowling, and even Stephen King. After looking through the infinite library I did find all of "The Traveling Diary" books. I would have to wait for book five to be on there since it's not scheduled to be released for another two months.

The next class was one of my stronger subjects. I entered in the chemistry classroom where there was a small older man about four and a half feet tall. He had long gray hair with a matching goatee and a lab coat. "Welcome, welcome, my name is Dr. Carmine Zima and I will be your chemistry teacher. Each of you have been assigned a seat with a lab partner. Now if you will, when I point to your seat and please sit down."

I sat next to Ryndee. She had her hair in a ponytail and, like me, seemed to be more comfortable in sweat pants than a uniform. "Wow I wonder how old…I mean, young he is?" She whispered to me.

"I have no idea, looks pretty old, like he's been here for a while," I answered her.

"You've got the same warped sense of humor I do. I think we will get along just fine" she said with a light laugh. Dr. Zima started making his speech. His accent was slightly on the north eastern side. It reminded me of my Uncle Paul. "Now your partner will be your greatest asset in this class. For the sake of not only your grades, but your lab partner, please do not slack off. In this class we will be touching on the basics of chemistry as well as making potions. We will be making simple potions this year as well as the next two years of college if you choose to attend here. The difficulty level will increase as the year progresses.

Potions and chemistry go hand in hand. For example, it is a well known fact that you do not mix chlorine and ammonia. Does anyone know why?" A few seconds of silence passed. "No? Besides making a dangerous gas, it will also kill certain beings the moment it is inhaled. If you want to know what species I am referring to then read up on chapter eight of your books."

Our first assignment was to either memorize or re-memorize the periodic table of elements. They were still pretty fresh in my head from last year. The test on it Friday wouldn't be an issue.

"I just wish he would give us more time than a week. I never took this class in mundane school," Ryndee whined.

"I can help you study if you want. I'm pretty good at it," I offered.

"Good because chemistry has never been my best subject," she said with a relieved sigh.

Next it was off to English. Mrs. Taylor greeted us and displayed a syllabus on the front screen as we took our seats. "This will be a guideline for the course work we will be doing this year. I have already sent a copy to your school e-mail address. We will be writing, spelling, and working on poems. Assignments are due at the beginning of class. If you get it done early, you are welcome to email it to me. I believe the same goes for all of the other instructors here. For each day your assignment is late, ten percent will be deducted from the grade.

If you have gotten a chance to look at your MP3 players, we will be reading from the library available to us. Like a music play list, you will be given a list of authors to choose from to create your own reading list. This will be your first assignment and it will be due tomorrow."

When I checked my e-mail for the approved reading list, a message popped up from my grandmother. "Dear Sarah, I will be meeting with each girl from the senior class for four o'clock tea in my office this week. Our meeting will be today. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Mrs. McGill A.K.A. Grandma," After I read the e-mail I deleted it. I loved my grandma but I had a feeling her being the dean of my school was going to get old really fast. I wondered if this is how Jenny and Mike felt with Alan being the president of the school system.

After English I had gym class. All twenty girls were there for this class. We had identical t-shirts and a choice between shorts or sweat pants to wear. We all filed into the gym and sat on the bleachers. "Hello everyone, my name is Mrs. Baxter and I will be your gym teacher. Don't worry - I'm not like your previous gym teachers. I won't come across as a drill instructor. I would like you to think of me as your personal trainer. Every day you will be expected to dress in uniform, run at least ten minutes around the gym or on the treadmills and participate in the various exercise techniques. We will be going through the typical sports such as basketball, baseball, soccer, and swimming. Now the good news is there will be no dodge ball. Due to the injuries that have occurred in the past it has been banned from The American Magic School System. However, we do have a similar game using foam balls. Believe me they hurt a lot less.

We will also be touching on some forms of dance. You will learn everything from classical ballet to square dancing. The good news is this will be the only year you are required to take gym class unless you major in kinesiology, criminal justice or any one that requires a higher level of physical fitness.

This year we will be competing with the other magic schools starting in January with our annual dueling tournament. If you decide to compete in the events we will train you. We will be teaming up with the boys' Olympic Academy. The Hudson, Creole and Conejo schools are all co-ed so that helps to level the playing field. This means if the boys win, we win. There will be both high school and college divisions as well as single and mixed teams. Due to the difficulty of the advanced spells for the pairs and mixed divisions, we only match up with the boys in the college level. We will have signups for the trials soon. Now is the time to start thinking if you want to compete. With that in mind, because today is the first day, we won't worry about working out. Relax and you can check out the gym equipment or chat amongst yourselves."

Next was a nice break from classes - lunch. I was relieved that I didn't have to think. I wasn't very hungry today but I made myself eat something so I wouldn't get sick. I was getting my lunch out of the processor when I heard Caitlyn yelling at one as if it would obey her.

"I said I want Alaskan smoked salmon, wild rice and vegetables from "The Gardens," in Wichita Kansas, PLEASE!" Nothing happened.

"Caitlyn, yesterday Mrs. Ethridge told us that some places don't allow us to use the food processors," I reminded her.

"Just mind your own business," she snapped back. I turned around and joined my friends at the table.

"Looks like Caitlyn will be in for a rude awakening. She can't always get what she wants," Cameron said as I sat down.

After lunch it was time for the next class, spells. I was looking forward to this one just like everyone else was. When we got to the classroom door I stopped in shock.

"No way," Jenny said "Check out who that is."

"Mr. Oliver," I asked.

"Yes Sarah it's me, Mr. Oliver. I'm not teaching history this year. I am teaching spells to all of you young ladies. So why don't you and Jenny sit down. I will go over what you will be learning this year." We listened to Mr. Oliver's speech on responsible wand usage and upkeep. The first spell we learned in class was the retrieval spells. It was easy for Jenny and me, but for others it was difficult.

"RETRIEVE PENCIL," I said. A pencil disappeared from the pile on Mr. Oliver's table and popped on to our desks. Most of them had a Bronze beam with the exception of Corrigan and Ryndee whose were golden too. This was a fun and I could tell this was going to be a good class for me.

When spells was over, we went to history class. It was the last one for the day. We arrived at the class room and we saw a short, brown-haired plump woman. She looked familiar but I couldn't place it. "Good afternoon, my name is Mrs. Diana Ullman. I will be your history teacher this year. Now after we all find our seats I will give you a brief overview of what we will be covering this year." We all took our seats and started taking notes on the laptops.

"History covers many things: American, European, and World history. We will also be covering magic history in these regions as well. We will start off local here in Gimble; move on to state, U.S. government, followed by European then World. This week we will be covering Gimble and South Dakota. It's quite basic and once you have the local stuff down, the remaining majority will be similar. The only things that change are the names and dates. We will touch briefly on how our government is run and how it affects us here in the magic world.

Now I would like everyone to click on the book icon on your laptop and select history. We will begin well, at the beginning: Gimble, South Dakota.

After reading along with Mrs. Ullman we were finally done for the day. "Miss Barnes, may I have a word with you?" Jenny and I stopped at her desk. "I understand my son Conrad was a classmate of yours in Bellevue is that correct?"

"Yes but how did you know," she asked.

"He's been talking about you for a while now. He thinks you two belong together, but then again he wants to start dating. I on the other hand think he is too young to date. I hope this won't be a problem, will it?"

"No, I have been turning him down for a while. I'm not even sure if my parents would allow me to date," she said.

"Well good, I know that with the dance coming up in February he may ask you to be his date."

"What? Conrad wants to ask me to the dance? No, wait a minute where is he going to school?"

"Oh, he is at the Conejo School of Magic. Didn't he tell you?"

"No, having magic abilities isn't something you want the entire world to know about," Jenny answered. "If you want you can tell him to pick a girl he goes to school with and not to worry about asking me. I will be fine."

I was confused about how someone that lived so far away could work at this school. If my geography is correct it takes about twelve hours to drive here. The only other way I could think of Mrs. Ullman getting here was if she used the same spell we had done to get here. I had to ask her. "Mrs. Ullman if you live in Bellevue, then how do you get here? I know it must take a long time to drive here,"

"Oh I forgot how little you girls know your first year. We use mirrors. Like this one I have in the back of the room. It must be a full length mirror and you have to concentrate on where you want to go. Now there has to be another mirror where you are going unless you have the ability to use the traveling spell. All you need to do is concentrate, then you walk through the mirror. To protect the students, these mirrors only allow faculty to get to and from the school. It's the best way to commute. You don't need to worry about cars and rush hour."

"Whoa, that's so cool! So is that how we will be getting home for vacations," I asked her.

"Yes, but only through your counselors office."

"Thanks! I better go; today is my day for tea with Mrs. McGill." I walked out of the classroom thinking that I'm going to love this magic stuff.

I rushed to the office floor looking for the secretary. "I have tea with Mrs. McGill today," I said to the overdone-makeup, older, platinum-blonde secretary. Her eyes had so much mascara the lashes looked like spider legs.

"Oh yes Miss Miller, right this way." I followed her down the hall to an old office door. "Mrs. McGill, Miss Miller is here for her tea."

"Show her in Claire," Grandma said to her. "Welcome Sarah, please sit down. Don't feel awkward I meet with all of the senior girls the first few weeks of school. So tell me how's it's going for you?" She handed me a bone china tea cup filled with tea. This looked just like the set she uses when we're at her house.

"Umm, it's going alright I guess," I said as I sat down in a large comfortable chair. Hanging on the wall behind her desk was the school's symbol. It was carved out of wood and very large. "I'm not too bombarded with homework yet. It's only been one day and it was a typical first day of school."

"Good, good. I see Jenny and Sage are your roommates. Is that going alright?"

"Yes fantastic so far! But it has only been one night."

"Good point. So have you been getting along with your other classmates as well? I'm sure that you have discovered that there are several species besides human?"

"With the exception of Caitlyn, yes, I'm getting along with everyone. I know that obviously Sage is a pixie and then there's Corrigan and Ryndee and they're vampires right," I asked her.

"For this year that is it. We have seen all sorts of pixies, fairies, mermaids, and werewolves. That's just to name a few. But if they are too different than humans and they need different living accommodations they usually go to the Creole School. Now there are some things I will be meeting with you about throughout this year. So with that in mind, do you have any questions for me?"

"No.….well there is one thing. How long has Dr, Zima been teaching here?"

"He has been here for quite some time. I know he looks young but I assure you…"

"Young," I said trying not to choke on my sip of tea. "He looks as if he is as old as the school itself."

"Wait, he looks old to you?" She sat up in her chair with a shocked look.

"Well yes, isn't he?"

"Dr. Zima is well over four hundred years old. He has been with the school since the school opened. You can see him as an old man?"

"Well yah, of course isn't he? I mean I knew he was older but I had no idea he was that old."

"Yes, he is but most of the other students think he's around twelve years old. He accidentally and permanently made himself too young while working on a youth potion. He has been trying to make himself older. So far nothing's worked. That's one of the reasons why we installed the surveillance system once the technology came along.

Now be honest, how old do you think I am? Don't worry it doesn't offend me."

"Grandma you look like, well a grandma in your fifties or so."

She laughed as she sat back in her chair. "Why didn't I notice this before? It's obvious you have your father's talent for seeing the truth. No wonder your brother couldn't put anything passed you. I can't believe it, but you are a truth seer."

"A truth seer, so I can see the truth," I asked her shockingly.

"That's why I look like your grandmother and Dr. Zima looks so old to you. Listen dear, would you like to stay this way? I can place a spell on you to see what others see. It will only hold here on campus?"

"Sure I guess. But you said I get it from Dad. Is that why he is so good at his job?" "Yes, that's one of the reasons why he was encouraged get his degree in criminal justice. That way he could join the MFBI after he finished college."

"Well that explains why I always got caught when I tried to lie," I said with a chuckle.

"Look at the time, it's getting late. We need to wrap this up and I can place the spell on you now or at another time. It's getting close to dinner and I do believe you have homework tonight correct?"

"Yes I do, go ahead with that spell you were talking about."

When she pointed her wand to me, I closed my eyes tight. I heard her say "HIDDEN MUST BE THE TRUTH THAT CAN BE SEEN." There was no flash or jolt just a warm feeling and brightness. "You can open your eyes now Sarah." I opened my eyes and my grandmother wasn't standing in front of me. It was a woman in her mid thirties. If I didn't know any better I would have thought it was my aunt. "Now how do I look to you?" I heard my grandmother's voice come from this younger woman.

"Like Aunt Vickie but a little bit different," I asked her with some hesitation.

"Wonderful! Now sorry to rush you dear but if you are too late the food processors won't let you eat. If you find yourself ever needing anything, don't hesitate to ask to see me alright?" "Okay," I said as I grabbed my back pack.

When I got back to my room after dinner, Sage was packing her things to move. "Sage would you like some help with moving," I asked her.

"That's sweet of you to offer, but I've got it all right here in my never ending back pack," she said patting a small bag.

"A never ending back pack? Is that what I think it is," I asked.

"It can hold anything you can put in it. Haven't you heard of it before?"

"No, but I now know what to tell my mom to get me for Christmas." She let me peak inside and I couldn't see her things in it. It was like looking into a bag total darkness.

"I need to get going now. Bye and thanks to both of you. Thanks for everything. Not everyone is as nice to us as you two are," she said in her tiny voice.

"Look, I just have to say this. I don't understand how you can be treated like you were. I actually think it's cool that I'm going to school with a pixie. Not many people think of mythical or magical species as a normal part of our world. I guess that's what happens being raised parents who insist everyone and every being is the same," I said.

"We're not so mythical are we?" she asked.

"No you're not mythical. I'll see you later," I said as she headed out of the door. I meant what I said. I really liked having Sage as a friend.

After she left, Jenny and I started on our first day of homework. It wasn't too bad but I wondered if it was a light load because it was the first day of school

Wednesday, September 3rd

When I got to Chemistry, Dr. Zima looked a lot younger. His black hair was longer and perfectly styled and his personality reminded me of a pushy salesman. At least I know now that I have the truth abilities and Grandma's spell worked.

He decided to surprise us first thing this morning. "Ladies, how is the periodic table coming along? Let's find out. Pop quiz! On your screen there is a blank table of elements and below them are the names of the elements. Your job is to drag and drop them in the correct boxes. You have twenty minutes to finish this quiz. The first one to finish this with the highest score gets extra credit and you don't have to take the test on Friday. I suggest you try to get extra credit as much as you can. The assignments do get tougher as the year goes by. Ready and go."

Most of the girls were panicking like I usually do. Today I was calm for some reason. I remembered almost all of them but I wasn't sure if I mixed up two of them or not. With three minutes to spare I sent the quiz to Dr. Zima.

"Time's up ladies! Only four of you completed the quiz in time. Here in Chemistry, time is a necessity and brings us balance. You need patience to wait for things to finish and to ensure you have done everything correctly. Yet you need to be quick enough to make sure you don't ruin your projects. The key word here is balance.

Congratulations are in order for Miss Miller. She was the only one who got all of them correct. How extra credit works in this class is it will replace your lowest graded assignment at the end of the semester." I was so glad I didn't have to take the quiz on Friday. I am the worst test taker in the world. I get nervous when I'm under pressure while taking a test.

In gym class our coach decided to see who would like to participate on the dueling team. "Alright if you would like to participate in this year's dueling team, today is the day to sign up. There are some of you who will try out and not make it. There will be a reserve team set up in the event a primary team member is unable to duel. If you do not make either the primary or reserve teams, we will expect you to accept it gracefully and support your schools dueling team members.

As with all team sports you will be expected to maintain a minimum of a B or 3.0 grade point average as well as excellent behavior. Some of the qualifications for the all-around award are having a high GPA and each instructor will be writing a review of your behavior both inside and outside of the classroom.

This year the tournament starts in January. Mr. Oliver and I will be heading up the practices and teams. When I call your name I would like you to see me to sign up for dueling." Each of us were called up in alphabetical order. "Miller," I heard Coach say loudly. I walked over and sat down on the hard wooden bleacher next to her.

"Over the past few days Mr. Oliver's noticed that you are very good with spells. How this works is we match up senior girls with a college level student for practice because of their experience. If you sign up for this, practice will be held daily after school starting after Thanksgiving. If you do well enough this year, and you continue here for college, you may be encouraged to try out for the mixed team with the Olympic students. We only match up mixed partners at the college level.

From what I have heard about your abilities and your grades from your previous school, I think you have a good chance of winning the all around trophy this year. With that in mind, would you like to sign up to try out for this year's team?"

"Yah, it sounds like fun," I told her.

"Good I will let you know when the tryouts are. In the meantime practice your spells. Even if you don't make the team the extra practice is always good."

"Thanks for the advice," I said as I went to sit back down with Jenny.

"So did you sign up," Jenny asked.

"Yes, did you?" I said.

"No. Coach said I will be up in front of hundreds of people. After speech class last year I can't tolerate being in front of large crowds." There was a moment of awkward silence. "When do you think practice will start," Jenny asked me.

"Coach said it would be after Thanksgiving," I replied. I forgot about being in front of hundreds of people. I'm not sure if I can handle that. I thought I got in way over my head.

Friday, September 5th

Today the dueling try outs were held after school. To test our abilities we were instructed to cast spells on each other. I thought it was going to be harder. There wasn't a lot of work involved. Mr. Oliver, Coach Baxter, and Mrs. Taylor were there watching us quietly as they took notes on their clipboards. Most of the spells were easy. I like using magic. Even if I don't make the team I thought it couldn't hurt to learn more.

After dinner I just wanted to be alone. I love Jenny like a sister but sometimes I need a break and be completely by myself. There was something about the atrium that drew me to it. It reminded me of being home in the backyard. When I got there I was not the only one who was there. I wanted a brain break and not think for a change. There was a large trunk I found to be comfortable to lean against from the big tree. I pulled my MP3 player out and started reading the latest romantic vampire book.

Before I knew it, it was dark outside and it was getting close to curfew. When I got up to go to my room I thought the atrium would be great to go back to when I needed some alone time.

Thursday, October 31st

The last few months of school seemed to progress like a turtle running. It was slow and took us some time to get used to everything. Because of how the classes were laid out for us, we had no excuse for being late. I managed to behave well enough to avoid detention unlike some other girls.

Halloween was a big deal. A few weeks ago the hallways and classrooms were covered in orange and black decorations. We were told to pick out our costumes so we knew what we wanted to dress up as. I decided to dress up as a fairy or pixie and Jenny wanted to dress up as a rock star. Sage was new to Halloween and in her world it wasn't celebrated. So she wasn't sure what she would dress as. Being that I was dressing as a fairy I joked with her about dressing up as a human. Mrs. Ethridge overheard our conversation.

"Ladies it is possible for her to be temporarily changed into a human. All I would need to do is cast a spell on her to human size her. It's a simple masquerading spell. Every year at least one non-human girl is temporarily changed into what looks like a typical teenage girl." Sage loved this idea and was set on being human; even if it was only for a few hours.

Today in History we got a lesson of why Halloween is so important to our world. 's lecture seemed more interesting today. At least Ella didn't fall asleep in class again. "Halloween is also known as Samhain Eve. The history behind Halloween was that October 31st was the day that all of the spirits from the other side were able to come over. Ordinary people were encouraged to wear a disguise to confuse the incoming spirits. Witches were suggested to wear the traditional witch costumes so the spirits could recognize them.

Now-a-days, it isn't celebrated in that way. Here at the school we have a big party for you girls. However, for those who have the abilities to do so, they are designated as the spirit greeters. Due to the unpredictable behavior of the spirits we highly discourage newer students from participating in the greeting ceremonies in Gimble Park. It all comes down to an issue of safety." She told us more about the spirits and how sometimes they can cause havoc or play pranks on the greeters. Before I knew it the bell rang. This was one lecture I didn't really want to end. "See you at the party tonight girls. By the way there is no homework for tonight. Have fun," she said as we were dismissed.

After dinner we were instructed to go to Mrs. Ethridge's office one at a time for our costumes. I was the first. "Hello Sarah, well what did you decide on for your costume," she asked excitedly.

"A pixie - I thought it would be fun to have the fake wings and everything."

"I have a wonderful surprise. You won't be wearing fake wings and glitter. I can turn you into an actual pixie if you want? That is unless you want the glitter and cloth wings."

"Really, this is so cool. I can be any species I want for Halloween," I asked excitedly.

"Absolutely, all you need to do is tell me and I can do it for you. Now the spell wears off at midnight."

"Go ahead and do it. It will be fun," I said to her. I stood there ready for a spell to be cast on me.

"Wonderful, now hold still." She pulled out her wand and recited the spell. "Halloween fun we will see, a pixie you will be."

The golden beam flowed through her wand and hit me like I was being tickled. Gold dust and butterflies flew around me lifting me from the ground. I shrunk down instantly to Sage's size. My hair had golden streaks in it. Out of my back a set of wings popped out. I was flying without any effort. My now pixie sized wand was in the pocket of my brown and orange leaf dress within easy reach. Everything in the room seemed a hundred times bigger. I was about six inches tall and things that were normally small to me were now big. I now understood what our world felt like to Sage. It would be nice if Caitlyn would be turned into either a pixie or vampire. This way she could experience what it's like to be a species other than human.

"Wow this is totally amazing." I giggled at the sound of my higher pitched voice.

"Now be careful where you are flying. Send in the next girl alright." I flew out of the room and the other girls were in as much shock as I was. Jenny came out dressed in a glamorous outfit complete with spiky high heels and a microphone. This was so Jen. Sage came out looking like a human. Her wings and metallic streaks were gone. Her voice was a deeper normal human voice.

At seven we headed down to the gym. Mrs. Taylor greeted us at the door dressed in a chef's coat, tall hat and checkered pants. Her name was embodied on the coat. "Welcome to your first North Central Halloween party. Every year there is a theme for the party. This year the college senior class has chosen a medieval theme. So have fun and the party is over at ten. Your spell will wear off no later than midnight."

The gym didn't look normal; it looked like a castle. The walls were brick covered in tapestries. Soldiers dressed in full armor were posted at different locations. It reminded me of touring Welsh castles last spring break. I marveled at the room while looking for friends in their costumes. Jenny and I went to one of the tables filled with candy and cakes. The band was playing some music Michael played once in a while. There were five of them on stage all wearing monkey masks. The sixth member was walking around in banana costume.

Looking around the room there were other creatures among us. There were a few leprechauns, centaurs, and unicorns. I saw a cat rub up against Jenny's leg. Jenny jumped not expecting it.

"Hi Jenny it's me Amalie," We heard from the white cat.

"Wow they go all out for Halloween around here," I said.

"And with good reason," I heard from an older girl dressed as a doctor covered in fake blood.

"Hi I'm Sunny, Amalie's older sister." Amalie jumped onto her sister's shoulder and perched herself as if she had been doing it for years.

"Hi, I'm Jenny and this is Sarah. What do you mean good reason?"

"I don't know if Mrs. Ullman went over Halloween in class for you; but the greeting ceremonies in town can get as crazy as New Year's Eve parties. I would be there but I had contact with someone last year. Each spirit is only allowed to visit once every ten years. There are spirits that like to play pranks and take over human bodies and then there are others who are out for vengeance. The school system banned high school students from attending because a student was seriously hurt a few years ago…" She was cut off in the middle of her explanation by an unexpected interrupter.

"Not another one of those flying things." It was Caitlyn. I quickly turned around and there she was dressed as a princess. How typical! She was not only acting like she was spoiled princess but her costume matched.

"How un-original, a princess. I thought you would have come up with something better," Cameron said. She was dressed in a medieval dress with fangs and fake blood on her face.

"Really Cameron, you dressed as a vampire? I didn't think you could sink any lower. But I was wrong," Caitlyn commented snidely.

"You got a problem with vampires Caitlyn," Cameron said defensively.

"No as long as their banned from the United States and have no powers."

I was so sick of her. I just wanted her to shut up. "That's it Caitlyn I've had enough of your mouth. Other species are here in the magic world so, so just get used to them being here. And another thing…" I was cut off just as I was about to really let her have it. Caitlyn pulled her wand and then I pulled mine out right away to defend myself.

"ZIP IT," Caitlyn yelled.

"PROTECT," I yelled half a second later while pointing my tiny wand at her. I could see a white transparent wall come out of my tiny wand pushing her beam back towards her. Caitlyn's silver beam was quickly shattered by my wall. Caitlyn's mouth became a closed zipper. I was ready to defend myself again from her.

"Ladies what is going on here," Mr. Oliver commanded as he stepped in-between us. I put my wand away. With him here I didn't think even Caitlyn would be dumb enough to try to cast another spell in front of him. But then again, this is Caitlyn. I don't think she has a lot of common sense when it comes to using her abilities with discretion. "RELEASE," Mr. Oliver said pointing his wand at her. The zipper from her mouth disappeared.

"How dare you," she yelled pointing her wand at me.

"Miss Hill, please lower your wand. Now we can discuss this in my classroom. I will need Cameron, Jenny and Bianca to join us. Let's go."

We walked into the spells classroom. "Sit down. Mrs. McGill will be here in a moment," Mr. Oliver instructed when we got in the room. Within a minute Mrs. McGill joined us. I flew over and sat on Jen's shoulder. It was kind of fun being able to fly everywhere.

"Alright girls, I need to know the truth. Keep in mind we can always look back at the surveillance tapes. I need to know who cast the first spell." She looked at us as if she already knew who did it.

"Caitlyn," Everyone in the room answered at the same time except Caitlyn. I tried not to laugh.

"Alright, then what was the reason for the fighting Miss. Hill?"

"Mrs. McGill they are always starting everything," she whined in frustration.

"Sarah is this true," Mrs. McGill asked me as she crossed her arms as she leaned back onto the wall.

"No not at all. She started by making fun of my costume. Then she moved on to Cameron's. Cameron asked her if she had an issue with vampires. Caitlyn said she wouldn't if they were banished from the U.S. and their powers were removed."

"Caitlyn is this true?"

"Mrs. McGill yes, but vampires are dangerous and disgusting creatures. They do nothing but murder people."

"That's enough Miss. Hill. Here at North Central Magic High School we do not tolerate this kind of behavior, both the prejudice and the fighting. We have plenty of witnesses to tell us who said what and cast the first spell. Being that you did both, you are suspended from school for three days. I will notify your family and you will be arriving home this evening. Do not forget girls, this will not be tolerated."

"That's not fair," Caitlyn complained as she started to cry.

"Miss Hill you should have thought about that before you cast the first spell," Grandma said as we all walked out of the classroom.

"This isn't over Sarah. I will find a way to get even with you," she said as Mr. Oliver was escorting her of the classroom.

"I would like to see her try," I said loud enough for her to hear. All of us with the obvious exception of Caitlyn went back to the party. We walked around and talked with some of our friends. A few hours passed by and we decided about ten to go back to the dorm. Mrs. Ethridge was in the common room with a few of the girls watching older scary movies and actually laughing. I didn't know what was worse, the cheesy fake blood or the horrifying fake tan the actors had.

While we were watching a very bad movie I noticed Bianca was there sitting alone. I flew over to sit by her. "Bianca, tell me something. Is Caitlyn always this bossy?"

"Yah that's just the way she's been since we were little."

"So you have been putting up with her being this mean for a long time?"

"I never thought of her as being mean just opinionated. She gets that from our Uncle Simon. I don't know if you knew but are cousins. We are the only ones in our family that are close in age. But whatever you do don't tell her I told you about this. She would kill me. Our Uncle Simon is the politician trying to get rid of the Vampire Protection Act. Ever since the Le Sang incident, they have been convinced that all vampires are bad."

"Wow that's ridiculous," I said.

"As I said, opinionated. No matter what I or anyone else says, nothing has changed her mind. What you have to understand about her is she has to know everything that is going on. Because this is the first time she would be going to a regular school, Uncle Simon got a hold of a list of the students attending here. He said knowing who she was going to school with would help her adjust from home school. I just think they were being nosy as usual. That's how she knew that your dad is the Assistant Director of the MFBI and Jenny's dad is President Barnes.

Uncle Simon has a knack for getting his way. He's got this charm about him that makes people stop and listen to what he has to say. That gives him an advantage in the political field. I'm not sure how it works completely. I think Caitlyn has the same ability but I'm not sure if she knows she has it. You also have to understand that Uncle Simon has taught her that anyone outside of humans shouldn't be treated as equals or have magic powers. If they had their way they would live on a planet of humans only."

"Thanks for the insight. I was just raised completely opposite than that. I can remember getting into trouble for repeating a racist word when I was a kid. I don't think my parents could have been any more upset. I know having my father as a member of the MFBI I can't get away with anything. He has a talent for seeing the truth. I have never been able to lie to him. I think that's why he is so good at his job."

"That must suck," she said.

"Yah, well it makes for an interesting childhood," I said as I laughed.

We sat there and watched the rest of the movie. When it was over I went to bed in my now oversized room. Jen came in after the movie and decided to send her mom an e-mail. I know she doesn't want to admit this but I think she is getting homesick. She's not the only one.