Chapter 3

There's a light at the end of the tunnel, am I really dead, I don't want to be dead. If I am dead then why am I still wet, and floating?

"Pull you're self together were about to go over the waterfall."

"It's you; I am going to kill you." The life jackets was keeping us afloat and the devil's daughter was guiding me. She must have jumped in after me to finish the job. Wait what…

"Did you say waterfall?" pushing myself away from her I started kicking a swing my arms to get to the side it was slow going but I made it. No luck the walls were slimy and even if I could get a hold there was nowhere for me to go.

"Get back here we have to go down the middle. It's our best chance. The sides could be shallow you'll be flattened."

She was pulling me again and I was at a loss, there was nothing I could do the water would just pull us down and over. That would be the end of it. Letting her pull me into the middle I focused on how warm the water was. It was nice, like I was in some weird hot tub. Leaning back I was determined to relax before I died. I wouldn't die screaming for my mommy. I would laugh at death, what else was I supposed to do. I couldn't swim and she wouldn't let me kill her, she would just swim away. Waiting for the end was almost just as bad. I had to do something, so I started to swim for the fall as fast as I could. Remembering what my mother did before we river hopping. She had paddle as fast as she could till the very end, and that's what I was going to do. I could finally hear the falling water and see the open sky ahead of use. The devil child was swimming right next to me swimming easily, she smiled.

"I am glad you're not trying to kill me. I am sorry about the push."

"As long as we die together I won't hate you too much."

She gave me a puzzled look "you think you're going to die."

"Yep, I can't swim and by the looks of this water were going to fall fast." The end was near, we had 10 ft left, 7ft, 5ft, 2ft and then we were falling I liked it better here no water just falling through air like I was flying "Ker splash". I probably went 20 ft under water I could see the ground another 20ft under us. Then the jacket did its work pulling me to the surface, the sky was blue with a few clouds. The water was getting a little colder, and I felt it pulling me along. I was alive that was good, now I could rid the world of the devil. I wonder if I would get a prize for slaying a demon on my first day, my mom would be so proud.

"Here we go" a man's voice said I thought I heard this voice before long ago. Then I saw his face he was holding out his hand and I grabbed it. It was the man in the star the fiery man but now he wasn't covered in flames he had tan skin black hair and a few scars around his nice looking face. When he pulled me up I noticed that there were a bunch of people pulling students out of the lake.

"Well I will take your jacket now." He said as he was untying it, then carefully he took the jacket over to a table not too far away and was doing something to it after a while he turned back to me. Raised is right hand and dried my clothes, he also seemed to clean it at the same time.

"Are you okay is there anything broken the vast should have kept you safe but I want to be sure."

"My neck feels a little stiff but everything seems to be working" moving my toes in my dried sneakers, and waving my arms around.

"So what did you think of the first part of the entry ceremony?"

"What there's more? I am not jumping in any more rivers!"

"No no you won't have to do anything like that, excuse me for a second." He passed me to help another boy out of the water. It was Kaleb from the cab ride he was spitting out water.

"Let's not do that again." Then seeing me "you made it! I saw what that girl did to you are you okay."

Mr. Wayne had taken Kaleb's jacket to the table like he did mine but I was too happy to see Kaleb to pay attention any further.

"Hey, yeah she is crazy. Can you help me find her I want to kill her?"

"Yeah sure after we kill her, you help me kill my brother. He threw me in after I went to see what happened to you."

"He's a third year right he will be hard to kill, you get his attention and I will sneak up behind him and strangle him, but first we find that blonde witch."

"What's her name?"

"How should I know? She the pretty blonde standing next to the teacher in the black dress and silver hair, here's our chance she distracted."

As we got closer the teacher must have heard us and turned around. My heart skipped a beat, and I froze. The women had black eyes no white at all in them, all I could see in them were death. I had to run, we have to escape. Something was wrong with my legs I couldn't move, my arms they were shaking I couldn't stop them or move them to my legs. What was going on I can't even blink? What happened?

"I see you wish to hurt this young lady. Well here's your chance I won't stop you" then she smiled showing her fangs. The blonde looked at us and realized the teacher was right, I did want to hurt her and a look of deep hurt fell across her face. She can't do that it's not fair; I haven't even thrown a punch yet. The teacher turned to help another student out of the water, and we fell to the ground out of breath. On my knees I looked at Kaleb he was out of breath and on the ground too. What had happened we had stopped mid stride, had the women done it. Her eyes, her eyes held death I was sure of it, but why wasn't anyone else freezing up, the boy she had went to pull up had smiled at her thanked her and watch her take his jacket to another table.

"I am so sorry for pushing you in. I acted without thinking, there's no excuse for my actions. I hope you can forgive me."

The blonde girl was standing over use with her head down in shame. Rising slowly I looked into her face and saw that she meant it. I couldn't do it, it would be wrong to strike her. I had to forgive her and myself. I was in the wrong also I came here to hurt this girl, to make her cry, I was the monster not her. Taking a deep breath I held out my hand to her, "that was some crazy water fall, huh."

She smiled took my hand and shook, there were a few tries in her eyes, and her body was shaking along with our hands. I looked over at Kaleb who was standing and looking awkward at us.

"So what about your brother?" I asked Kaleb.

"I ahh… no I think I will let it drop, along with everything else in the waterfall." He looked scared he must have felt the same thing I did, just for his brother. "Maybe I will play a prank on him but nothing else. By the way my name is Kaleb." He said to the girl looking a little guilty.

"My name is Arvola, it's nice to meet the both of you." She said it with as much guilt as Kaleb.

"My name is Griphith."

There was a long silence between the three. Then someone down the shore line yelled, "there's Mister Squeaker."

Everyone looked towards the waterfall and there he was in his swimsuit, towing something large behind him. It was the luggage and pets he was going to go over the waterfall and everything we had would be destroyed. "Nooo" all the first years said, but it was too late he was over and falling, then stopped. He was floating through the air, the luggage acting like a giant hot air balloon while "Mister Squeaker" was slightly swinging through the air laughing. The balloon slowly gilded down towards the coliseum looking building, people started to move up the winding path following their belongings. Mister Squeaker was lots from sight as he passed over the walls. Then soon after the trunks and cages disappear as well; the three of us with our mouths open picked up the pace.

The Coliseum was huge maybe 7 football fields in diameter and all we could see is the wall that towered above us maybe 7 stories high. The older students already knowing what was going to happen were already entering the giant building. While the teachers were in the middle carrying boxes of stuff, while the first year made their way up last. Looking back the way we came I noticed a few older students herding us lambs up the hill. The huge doors of the coliseum where made of oak and they where wide open, showing a path to the center where the trunks should be. The sides of the passage had seven staircases going into the walls, all leading up to the next floor. Beside the staircase were seven identical doors leading to the ground floors, most likely. The people ahead of the party started to divide. Students moving along the walls as the teacher set their boxes in the middle then surrounding the grassy arena. Only one teacher remained in the middle it was the gray haired lady with black eyes. Filching when I met her gaze, then latter realizing they didn't scare me anymore.

"What's up with that? Her eyes are not scary anymore." Kaleb said next to me as if reading my mind.

"Yeah and they're still black nothing's really changed, what's going on."

"Welcome to Ilvermorny, my name is Clearance Sitton, I am the headmistress of this school, and as you have noticed I am indeed a vampire, we are pleased to finally have you in our school. Please first years enter the grassy star." The women said beckoning us. The grassy star was the same star on the library card. The teachers on the outside of the star made an opening, and all 40 of us stepped into the star nervously.

"When I call your name step forth and retrieve your bag. You will open the bag put your hand in without looking, draw a stone. The stone will represent what house you will be in." Taking a bag at random she read the tag and said, "Arbuckle, Shan"

A boy with brown hair stepped forward from the group passing many students and looking confident. He received the bag his opened it; I noticed that the boys hand was shaking but nothing else. He pulled out a grey stone.

"Very well please stand over there with your new house." Picking another one she said "Hanagin, Violet". This time a girl in a blue skirt and long black hair stepped forwards she was closer to the front then Shan had been. Opening her bag then pulling out another grey stone, but she went to the right instead of left like Shan. What's going on she should have gone left. After ten more names there was no doubt that even now things where being hid from us because every stone was gray and each student went in one of the four separate directions. Maybe there was a little number on the rock that we couldn't see. "Royal, Arvola"

Arvola looked at us and we saw an expression that we haven't seen before on her face, of course we haven't known her for a long time, but she looked scared. After taking a deep breath she passed the rest of us to grab her bag. She slowly opened it and of course pulled a grey stone, then went to the right like the first girl. Eleven different people were called this time before

"Palen, Griphith" Kaleb had to push me to get me started. After that I felt heat rush to my face and I made my way to the vampire, trying not think about her drinking my blood. I looked into her eyes but there was no death no fear just happiness, as if all she wanted to do was to watch me grow up to be a strong and loving man. I took the bag it felt heavy in my left hand, I could see the tag with my name on it. Mr. Wayen must have written it after pulling me out of the water. Opening the bag with my right hand then putting it in the bag to draw a grey stone. In the bag there seemed to be four stones one was warm while the others felt cold and well wrong I don't how to explain it. Finding the warm one again I pulled it out and it wasn't grey like everyone else's it was a beautiful shade of red bright and powerful, I could feel and see the heat it was growing hotter and hotter but that didn't matter it could grow as hot as it wanted. For I knew that it would only give me warmth and protection, nothing could stop me now.

"Please head this way to your new family" she had pointed to the North West. Moving that way I saw that there was a wall of teachers around the star moving apart to let me through and showing me a group of students all having red stones. I even saw the first year's stone that had been grey only moments before were now different shades of red. They smiled and welcomed me, all the older student had put on their stones now some where made into necklaces, rings, bracelets, in the hilt of swords, and even some were on top of staffs. Turning around to watch the next person move to the pouches of stone, but I couldn't the teachers had moved back to block the view.

"Don't worry look up." Said a short third year with dirty blonde hair, pointing to a floating glass mirror above the center. In the reflection I could see a girl picking a white stone from the bag and then walked North East to her house.

"The white stones are air stones while the black are earth, red for fire and blue for water. After you touch the stones the charm breaks and you can see the colors along with the floating ice."

"Charm what charm?" I asked the 3rd year.

"They put a charm on you when you walked through the hallway with the pink torches. They did it so if you saw one of your friends get picked for a group you wouldn't be tempted to choose the same group, even though it wasn't your house. That's why everything was kept a secret, if you knew, the charm would have been weak."

Looking back at what I thought was a mirror, but was really floating ice I saw Kaleb reaching his hand in then pulling out a red stone like mine. "Yes!" Kaleb started walking our way when he saw me he smiled and held up the glowing red stone. I held up mine too, when he reached us I told him everything the 3rd year had said.

"Wow I guess I have to apologize to my dad. I got really rough with him before I went into the library." Kaleb said with a worried expression.

"Yeah me too." Remembering how cold I had acted towards my mom and dad.

"What about the other stones" Kaleb said looking at his pouch.

"You will give them to the officers of the house, Ted and Rosé, their 4th years." Pointing to a couple of older students in the back who was holding identical bags, they were strong looking kids as though they loved to box.

"Okay let's go" I said starting to walk over to the officers. Rosé had red hair even redder then my dad's while Ted was bald.

"Where's Arvola? Isn't she here?" Kaleb said blushing a little.

"No she went to a different house."

"Which one?"

"No idea, maybe we can go look for her later." Reaching the kids they called officers we handed them the bag of stones other than our fire stones.

"Welcome to the fire team my name is Ted and this is Rosé, if you have any questions don't be afraid to ask."

"I do have a question. Is it possible to go looking around for a friend of ours we think she is in a different house?"

"Not yet you have to wait for everyone to pick a stone, then… huuuumm…" Rosé said with a big yawn, "then we will go to The Great south gate for dinner where more stuff will be explained." She seemed utterly bored with everything that was going on.

After the sorting, where three more join your side making a total for 9 first years, then the thought struck me where was all the stuff, where was Bruce. I asked the 3rd year that told me about the spells earlier.

"Oh yeah, those were taken to your rooms by the skeletons before we got here, there are hundreds of them. They do the cleaning, the cooking, and they keep all then boats fixed down by the docks."

"What did you say skeletons? That's so awesome; can they talk, can they eat, or can they fight I would love to fight a skeleton." I destroyed so many skeletons in video games at home. "Are there any zombies? Are we allowed to burn them?" I think I am going to like it here.