Chapter 4: Gloria Nexus
"Attention all Castagloria students," echoed the captain's (at least that was Keith's guess) voice, jostling Keith from his blissful nap. "We will be landing at Gloria Nexus in ten minutes. Sixth graders are required to leave the plane to attend their orientation. School robes are mandatory, change into them at the tail of the plane if you haven't already done so. The rest of the student body will continue on to Castagloria."
Kale also was awakened and nudged David, who was staring out at the window, his headphone's blaring. Apparently, he had missed the message, for he jumped at Kale's touch.
"C'mon," bade Kale, removing David's headphones with a look of disgust. "Take those things off. We have to get changed into our school robes."
David flushed slightly and rose, as did Kale and Keith. Several other students within line of sight had risen, girls and boys their age, all with excitement on their faces. Keith led his two friends to the back of the plane.
Three serving witches had already begun to take requests for baggage retrieval, the process being a very certain shade of unique. They were waving their wands and, at the completion of each spell, a robe shot forth from an open door beneath them, where the baggage was kept. When it was Keith's turn, the serving witch, a round woman in her thirties, smiled at him. "Name, dear?"
"Keith Hillsfar," replied Keith, shifting his weight awkwardly.
The witch waved her wand. "Accio Keith Hillsfar's School Robe."
Keith was stunned. Behind him, Kale chuckled. "Wow, Summoning Charms can get really specific, can't they?"
The witch smiled kindly at him. "Certainly, if you practice them enough. I once summoned my personal bubble bath kit, all the way from my home in Canada. That was a lengthy incantation."
Keith also chuckled just as his robe shot out of the cargo hold. It hovered in the air before him. He quickly changed, as did Kale and David when their robes appeared. David, unable to help himself, slipped on his sunglasses, after having changed into his robe.
"How do I look?" he asked with a curt smile as they walked back to their seats, fully robed.
Their black, Orderless school robes were certainly smooth and comfortable, however, they were as bland as cold coffee. Needless to say, David's sunglasses and his hard, blonde hair definitely gave him a unique look from most wizards.
"Like a fruitcake in a black robe wearing sunglasses," answered Kale dryly.
David took off his sunglasses and muttered softly.
Ten minutes after they had returned to their seats, the plane touched down. It purred so silently the entire ride that Keith had forgotten they were airborne. They rolled for what must have been no more than a second before coming to a complete stop.
"All sixth graders, please proceed to the front of the plane. Welcome to Gloria Nexus."
"That's us," said David, who had not put his headphones back on and had actually heard the announcement.
Kale looked over at him, a slight smirk on his face. "Ya think?"
Keith rose and stepped into the back of the line of students that had formed in the isle. While sixth graders were only about a seventh of the total population on the plane, there were still a ton of them. A quick headcount of those in front of him and those on the other side of the plane put the number of students at well over one hundred. Palettes of facial expressions were visible, ranging from anticipation to excitement.
The right and left doors were both open. At each door was a smiling serving witch, waving and biding those leaving farewell. As Keith got closer, he noticed that it was not a terminal that connected to the doors this time around, but rather a.
"Spiraling staircase?" asked David, confusion on his face.
"Well, what did you expect?" returned Kale, "A waterslide?"
Even Keith had to admit, a spiral staircase was a rather weird choice. He had expected a terminal or perhaps, at very least, a mobile, straight stairwell.
They finally passed the serving witch, who cautioned them to watch their step while dismounting the plane. Keith clambered down the wooden steps, all the while looking as he went. A sizable congregation of students was already spreading out across the runway beneath them, trickling out of the circular staircase like a stream of water. The airport was the queerest airport he had ever seen, though he hadn't really been to that many. It was a single runway about three times longer than the Castagloria Express; Keith wondered how it could have possibly landed! All around the airport were mountains, spanning very high into the air like the solid, insurmountable rock boundaries they were. There was only one way into this airport, and that was by air. There was a single hanger behind the plane, pushed back against the mountain wall. Other than that, the place seemed empty.
Finally, he stepped foot on the runway, a bit dizzy from his descent down the spiraling stairwell. All around him were students, some were keeping to themselves, looking around timidly and shyly, while others were whispering and speaking quietly with some of their peers.
Once the last sixth grade student got off the plane, it roared to life, while the spiraling stairwells sunk into the ground, vanishing from sight.
"What's going on?" demanded Keith, now growing nervous. The plane rolled away a few feet before its nose lifted up radically into the air. It launched itself straight up, clearing the remarkably acute mountaintops by what seemed like inches.
Kale also looked quite concerned. "I don't know. my sisters never told me about this!"
David just looked rather lost.
Soon, the plane had vanished from sight, leaving all of the sixth graders alone, without any visible adult or supervision. The whispers gradually grew louder as more kids began to question what was going on. From the crowd of about two hundred students, Michael and Morgan appeared, looking at their brother with concern.
"Lauren tell you about this?" asked maybe Michael, looking at Kale.
Kale just shrugged helplessly.
Keith's imagination began to run wild. He wondered if this could this be Blake Dexter's doing. Maybe the teacher that was supposed to be here had been killed and Dexter was about to attack, killing Keith and his friends, and sending his father their heads. He shuddered nervously at the thought, pulling at the collar of his robe to clear his airway.
The minutes grew longer as more and more students appeared restless. Something was happening, something was wrong, and Keith was now afraid. David, who was staring at Keith, sensed his fear too and also looked rather dubious and timid.
"We have to find some way of contacting Castagloria," proposed Kale, looking at the sky. "It's probably just something stupid, like the teacher who was going to give our orientation forgot."
The four other boys both shrugged, though David was looking a bit weak at the knees. Kale just groaned and pushed away from the gathered kids, moving through the crowd. Keith, having no better ideas, followed him. David, Michael and Morgan, in turn, followed Keith. Other such groups of acquaintances were being formed and, slowly, the student body was dispersing.
"Alright guys!" Kale yelled, projecting his voice loud enough so everyone could hear him. He turned back to the mob of students. "Me and my friends are going to check out the hanger. Anyone who wants to come, come."
About a dozen students, four smaller groups, joined up with Keith and his friends. The group of sixteen boys and girls left, heading down the runway and toward the hanger, leaving a crowd of nearly two hundred other students huddled together timidly.
Keith had the impulse to draw his wand as they neared the hanger, though in truth, Keith really had to wonder at what good it would do. He knew how to turn hay into needles and he knew how to do a minor Spark Hex, but what good would that do against Blake Dexter, if he was indeed waiting for him?
"Wait out here," said Kale, looking back to the rest of their group. "If we ain't back in five minutes, just wait longer."
"And if we scream in terrible agony." added Michael.
". come on in and save us," finished Morgan grimly.
Kale took point, along with his two fearless brothers. David hid behind Keith, and not that he blamed him. Keith, however, wasn't going to let the triplets go in alone. He followed behind Morgan, and finally did draw his wand, only because that is what Kale, Morgan and Michael had done. He decided that he might as well look intimidating. David also followed, his own small, battered looking wand extended. For a Muggleborn, he seemed to have had his wand for a long time; either that or, most likely, he had bought a used one.
The inside of the hanger was a real treat. The insides were about ten times bigger than the outside. While it appeared to be little more than a one-story house from the runway, it was a huge hall on the inside, complete with five very long tables and about a dozen crates. At the center of it all was a small alter with a gray glowing sphere atop it.
Keith's eyes were drawn towards the five, grand tables. At least two hundred could be seated, which was probably no coincidence. Yet, even the massive amount of chairs weren't what interested him. What interested him was the sheer quantity of food on top, probably not a coincidence either. On the tabletops were everything from hamburgers, to crocks filled with warm chicken soup; there were hot-dogs to steak, to salads to fruits. Freshly steamed biscuits and gravy still smoked with warmth while every type of condiment imaginable lined the centers of each table. Keith's mouth watered and his belly rumbled. With exception to his chocolate frog, he hadn't eaten anything all day.
David, Morgan and Michael had moved toward the dozen crates, gasping and ahhing. Keith glanced over as Michael withdrew a soccer ball, looking at it curiously, while David took out a Quaffle and scratched his head. The crates seemed to be filled with recreational toys of all sorts ranging from tennis balls to quaffles and including jump ropes and even broomsticks.
"Hey, look at this!" called Kale, who had moved into the center of the room. He was standing on the altar, studying to glowing crystal ball. Kale touched his wand to it with a flick of his hand. The crystal hummed and shifted from gray to green.
A scream echoed from outside, sounding dangerously like two hundred terrified eleven year olds in unison.
"The hell did you do, Kale?" barked Michael, while Keith and David rushed outside to investigate.
Keith pushed open the door. The entire airport had changed from gray pavement to a luscious field of green grass. By now, several dozen were running toward the hanger, while others either laughed or chuckled, the shock of everything around them changing having worn off.
Everyone yelped with confusion again, as suddenly, the entire airport shifted from green grass to waist deep water. Now, more people seemed to be shouting in protest, especially the girls, now that they were soaked. Several islands of pearly white sand sprouted from the surface at certain points.
"What's going on out there?" yelled Kale from the outside. "Seems like people always scream whenever I touch this ball!"
The ground shifted again before Keith could answer. Now, all the water instantly vanished and the ground was replaced by dry sand. This time, very few people yelped or cried out with surprise. The random changes had lost their effect.
"Whatever yer doin' is changin' everythin' out here!" exclaimed Keith, looking back inside at Kale.
David, by now, was laughing with excitement. "Yeah! It's gone from airport pavement, to grass, to a swimming pool, to a desert!"
The desert sand changed back into an airport once again, and then, predictably, began to shift very quickly, as Kale rapidly tapped the top just because he could. The pattern was constant, cycling through the choices once again. It stopped on the swimming lagoon by the time about thirty more students had joined the eleven or so near the hanger.
"What the heck are you doing in there?" demanded a young girl with firm, hard eyes and long, sandy-blonde hair that matched Keith's. She was in the lead of the group, and clearly not looking happy.
Keith winced apologetically and looked back to the girl. "Sorry. Kale's um. experimentin' with a new toy."
"Well, tell 'Kale' to stop, 'cause he's making me and about one hundred others sick!" exclaimed the girl, as she waded up to the hanger through the teal green water. "Besides, my shoes are now soaked!"
A dozen others grunted in affirmation.
"He's stopped," comforted Keith. "Hey look, um. what's your name?"
The girl crossed her arms bossily. "Julia."
"Julia, nice name," he said, then looked at the other thirty or so students that had gathered around the hanger. "Why don't ya'll go inside and check it out." Keith took off his shoes and socks, kicked them to the side of the door and stepped into the watery outside as well. "It's amazin' in there."
David followed Keith's example and removed his sneakers. He then followed Keith into the waist-deep water. Julia stayed outside, while the other kids entered the hanger. Their discontent grumbling turned to gasps of astonishment as soon as they laid eyes upon the tables of food.
"Well, aint'cha goin' to take a look inside?" asked Keith, looking at Julia with confusion.
Julia gave Keith the evil eye and shoved passed him, entering the hanger. Keith rubbed his shoulder and rolled his eyes to the sky.
"I think you made a friend," offered David with a bashful smile.
Keith glanced back at him and also smirked. "Ya got that impression too, huh?"
Both boys laughed at that.
Eventually, the rest of the student body meandered over to the hanger. It was just about a unanimous decision that the food had been left there for them, and within minutes, everyone was seated and eating some of the delicious lunch.
After the meal, Kale and his brothers conducted a vote on what the ground would be set outside. After a bit of experimenting and vote tallies, the aquatic setting won out. Keith couldn't have been more thrilled.
"This stinks," muttered a girl, with short red hair, next to Keith. "I don't have a swim suit!"
Keith pulled off his own robe and shirt. "So? Jus' roll up yer pants," he told her, as he rolled up his cuffs above his knees.
Julia stood on his other side, looking as bossy as before with her arms crossed and her face set in a sour pucker. "Girls can't just do that. we need swimsuits!"
"Why not?" came the simple answer from Kale, who had already taken Keith's advice and was ready to jump out of the hanger.
Julia flushed red; for some reason, she was embarrassed. "It's not lady-like!"
"Hey!" exclaimed a voice from across the hanger. A tall girl with freckles covering most of her face had just emerged from an unnoticed room, next to the bathrooms. "It's a Transfiguration chamber!" she exclaimed excitedly. Keith only had noticed her head at first, but when a few people parted aside, he was given a full look at her. She was wearing a one-piece black swimsuit instead of a robe. "Try it out!"
Within ten minutes, just about everyone was wearing a swimsuit, after merely stepping into the closet, saying 'swimsuit' and leaving. Keith's clothing had turned into a pair of black swimming trunks, as had Kale's and David's. In no time, about fifty boys and girls, Julia included, had grabbed up six quaffles and had raced out into the shallow areas of the airport-turned-lagoon. Kale had tried to organize a game of land-based Quiddich, but didn't get very far when Julia took a Quaffle and hummed it at his head, telling him to shut-up. Kale's response was a laugh and a throw right back at her, triggering a dodgeball game, boys against girls.
Keith had never had more fun in his life. After dodgeball got boring, a swimming race in the deeper parts of the lagoon was on. As much as Keith loved swimming, he was surprised to find out that he wasn't a fast swimmer compared to one or two others. He was disappointed to see that it was Julia who finished right before him. For a girl who despised getting her feet wet, she sure knew how to swim.
She was even better at rubbing it in.
"Why are ya so bossy?" asked Keith, as a group of students collected on one of the sandy islands, regaining their breath. The other students were doing one of a dozen different activities ranging from dodge ball, to actual flying on broomsticks, to a game pickle between two islands, using tennis balls. As Keith suspected, the broomsticks wouldn't go higher than ten feet to prevent injury. David was getting flying lessons from Kale. The small group on this island was from the race: Michael, Julia, Keith and three others he didn't know.
It was now nighttime and all confusion about being abandoned here had long since run its course. For all Keith cared, they could stay there forever. Even though the moon shined brightly above, it was not dark at all in this little lagoon/airport. It was as though it shined with its own light; Keith could see just as clearly as he could during the daytime.
Julia looked at Keith with shock. "Bossy?"
"So ya won a race, whoopee." muttered Keith, flopping on the sand. "You've been on my case since you first saw me."
Julia shrugged emotionlessly. "Well, I'm a big believer in the 'mild disdain at first sight' theory. I just don't like you."
A girl he didn't know laughed at that.
"Gee, your really friendly," observed Michael, with a serious tone. "About as friendly as a vampire in a blood bank."
Keith sighed, forgetting about Julia. His eyes drifted over to Kale and David. He chuckled as Kale fell off his broom trying to turn. David was quick to help him out of the water. By the end of the night, Keith was sure that it would be David giving Kale pointers. The boy seemed to be quite a natural while Kale was about as graceful in the air as a one-winged sparrow.
"I thought he said he was a seeker," said Keith, glancing over at Michael, who was chewing his bottom lip.
Michael laughed, however. "Him? A seeker. he couldn't catch a fireball if he were tied to a heat-seeking missile."
"He's got good hand-eye coordination," parried Keith, remembering his very quick snag of David's frog on the train. He picked up a beached rock and tossed it into the air, catching it as it landed.
"True, but he can't fly!" Michael exclaimed with a laugh. "He was never able to. Morgan and me been trying to get him to learn, our sisters all took a shot at it. As a man with steel boots can't swim a boy named Kale can't fly."
Keith hadn't flown much in his life, but a few times, his father had taken him up on his broomstick when he was younger. While he had loved it those few times, he had no driving desire to take his feet off the ground. Keith didn't like to be at the mercy of magic, something he didn't really understand. Jethro had his own Cleansweep and loved to brag about his top speed of twenty miles per hour; Keith was certain that wasn't very fast.
"Well, where are we gonna get a Seeker fer our team?" asked Keith, tossing the rock into the air again. Kale, over their lunch earlier that day, had told his brothers about his desire to start up a Quidditch team, so the question didn't come as a surprise to Michael.
Julia snatched Keith's rock out of the air with a swipe of her hand and smirked, throwing it into the water.
"So, I heard you need a seeker," she asked, smiling arrogantly down at Keith. "I might be able to help you out."
Keith glowered up at her. "You play Quidditch?"
"No," she snorted, putting her hands to her hips. "It's just always been my dream to say that to some unattractive redneck."
Keith grumbled and picked up another rock. As a combination of a test and a vent of frustration, he flicked his wrist, tossing it up at Julia. She snatched it out of the air and dropped it on Keith's head.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing his head with pain.
"So you want me on your team or not?" she questioned, glaring down at him.
Keith stood up, looking at her contemptuously. "Not that badly." With that, he turned around. "C'mon Mike, let's get outta here."
Michael stood up to leave as well.
"Wait," said Julia, sounding like a completely different person. "C'mon, don't be like that. Let me play with you guys."
"Forget it," muttered Keith, wading into the water.
Julia huffed from behind. "Alright, fine. I'm sorry. Now that I know you play Quidditch, you suddenly don't seem so pathetic anymore."
Keith and Michael both glanced back, though it was Keith that spoke. "Am I supposed ta be honored by that 'er insulted?"
Julia giggled nervously. "Um. honored?"
At last, the ghost of a smile appeared on Keith's face. "We'll think about it."
And with that, Keith and Michael waded over to another small island, where Kale was resting from a heavy fall in shallow water. He didn't look very happy. David and Morgan were both in the air, tossing a quaffle back and forth.
"Bad brooms," blamed Kale, as he rubbed a bruise. The entire right side of his chest was quite red from a nice ten-foot belly flop.
Michael nodded up to Morgan and David. "Seems they aren't having problems."
Kale grumbled and slapped the ground dejectedly.
"You try too hard," offered Keith, going on an impulse. "There ain't no mystery to flyin'." Keith held out his hand. "Lemme see yer broom."
Kale sighed and handed his broom to Keith. Keith grasped the hilt of the old and battered stick and shoved it between his legs. "It's simple. don't demand the broom ta go up and don't try ta control it - don't try pullin' it every which way - jus' do it."
Keith steadily rose into the air by simply willing himself up. He spun his broom about in a short one eighty and flew over to David and Morgan. David, seeing Keith take to the air, tossed the red quaffle at him. Keith snatched it out of the air and hurled it at Morgan. He then looked down to Kale.
"See, nothin' to it!"
Keith descended back down and hopped onto the ground again. "Now you try."
Kale took the broom, mounted it, and rose steadily into the air.
"There ya go!" cheered Keith, clapping.
Michael leaned over and whispered to Keith. "He always gets into the air and can fly straight fine. It happens when he tries turning."
Kale zoomed ahead steadily; both David and Morgan cheered him on. David tossed the quaffle to Kale, who took his hands off the broom to catch it.
"Wah!" he yelped as he slid off the broom. Keith closed his eyes and winced as he slapped hard into the water again.
". or if he tries to do anything but fly," completed Michael, as Kale surfaced, moaning in pain from another injury. For added insult, the broom hit him in the head as it fell after him.
Keith put his hands to his lips, trying hard not to laugh.
"Well, um, look on the bright side!" exclaimed Keith, trying to sound positive. "We still need a coach and captain fer our team!"
Kale grumbled and flopped onto the ground. "Yeah, yeah," he sighed and waved at Keith dismissively. "I guess I exaggerated by Quidditch skills a bit on the plane."
"Well, I reckon Julia just might be a good seeker," suggested Michael, nodding over to the island where they had just been before. Julia was now talking with Linda and another girl Keith didn't know by name yet. They were laughing and glancing over at Keith's island.
Further conversation was interrupted by a loud voice, booming from the direction of the hanger. "All students report to the hanger for dinner and for the conclusion of your orientation."
Keith leapt out of his skin with surprise, staring toward the hanger. Strangely, he couldn't see anyone. All activity ceased at once and, after a moment of stunned silence, everyone either flew or waded back to the hanger.
From a broomstick above, Blake Dexter snarled contemptuously at Keith Hillsfar, as he and his friends made their way toward the hanger. He had been so tempted to make his move here and now. But, no, reasoned the dark wizard. The faculty was, no doubt, keeping close watch on the young Castaglorian children, making certain they were safe and that their play didn't get too out of control.
There would be plenty of other chances, he decided, baring his teeth. Plenty.
"Attention all Castagloria students," echoed the captain's (at least that was Keith's guess) voice, jostling Keith from his blissful nap. "We will be landing at Gloria Nexus in ten minutes. Sixth graders are required to leave the plane to attend their orientation. School robes are mandatory, change into them at the tail of the plane if you haven't already done so. The rest of the student body will continue on to Castagloria."
Kale also was awakened and nudged David, who was staring out at the window, his headphone's blaring. Apparently, he had missed the message, for he jumped at Kale's touch.
"C'mon," bade Kale, removing David's headphones with a look of disgust. "Take those things off. We have to get changed into our school robes."
David flushed slightly and rose, as did Kale and Keith. Several other students within line of sight had risen, girls and boys their age, all with excitement on their faces. Keith led his two friends to the back of the plane.
Three serving witches had already begun to take requests for baggage retrieval, the process being a very certain shade of unique. They were waving their wands and, at the completion of each spell, a robe shot forth from an open door beneath them, where the baggage was kept. When it was Keith's turn, the serving witch, a round woman in her thirties, smiled at him. "Name, dear?"
"Keith Hillsfar," replied Keith, shifting his weight awkwardly.
The witch waved her wand. "Accio Keith Hillsfar's School Robe."
Keith was stunned. Behind him, Kale chuckled. "Wow, Summoning Charms can get really specific, can't they?"
The witch smiled kindly at him. "Certainly, if you practice them enough. I once summoned my personal bubble bath kit, all the way from my home in Canada. That was a lengthy incantation."
Keith also chuckled just as his robe shot out of the cargo hold. It hovered in the air before him. He quickly changed, as did Kale and David when their robes appeared. David, unable to help himself, slipped on his sunglasses, after having changed into his robe.
"How do I look?" he asked with a curt smile as they walked back to their seats, fully robed.
Their black, Orderless school robes were certainly smooth and comfortable, however, they were as bland as cold coffee. Needless to say, David's sunglasses and his hard, blonde hair definitely gave him a unique look from most wizards.
"Like a fruitcake in a black robe wearing sunglasses," answered Kale dryly.
David took off his sunglasses and muttered softly.
Ten minutes after they had returned to their seats, the plane touched down. It purred so silently the entire ride that Keith had forgotten they were airborne. They rolled for what must have been no more than a second before coming to a complete stop.
"All sixth graders, please proceed to the front of the plane. Welcome to Gloria Nexus."
"That's us," said David, who had not put his headphones back on and had actually heard the announcement.
Kale looked over at him, a slight smirk on his face. "Ya think?"
Keith rose and stepped into the back of the line of students that had formed in the isle. While sixth graders were only about a seventh of the total population on the plane, there were still a ton of them. A quick headcount of those in front of him and those on the other side of the plane put the number of students at well over one hundred. Palettes of facial expressions were visible, ranging from anticipation to excitement.
The right and left doors were both open. At each door was a smiling serving witch, waving and biding those leaving farewell. As Keith got closer, he noticed that it was not a terminal that connected to the doors this time around, but rather a.
"Spiraling staircase?" asked David, confusion on his face.
"Well, what did you expect?" returned Kale, "A waterslide?"
Even Keith had to admit, a spiral staircase was a rather weird choice. He had expected a terminal or perhaps, at very least, a mobile, straight stairwell.
They finally passed the serving witch, who cautioned them to watch their step while dismounting the plane. Keith clambered down the wooden steps, all the while looking as he went. A sizable congregation of students was already spreading out across the runway beneath them, trickling out of the circular staircase like a stream of water. The airport was the queerest airport he had ever seen, though he hadn't really been to that many. It was a single runway about three times longer than the Castagloria Express; Keith wondered how it could have possibly landed! All around the airport were mountains, spanning very high into the air like the solid, insurmountable rock boundaries they were. There was only one way into this airport, and that was by air. There was a single hanger behind the plane, pushed back against the mountain wall. Other than that, the place seemed empty.
Finally, he stepped foot on the runway, a bit dizzy from his descent down the spiraling stairwell. All around him were students, some were keeping to themselves, looking around timidly and shyly, while others were whispering and speaking quietly with some of their peers.
Once the last sixth grade student got off the plane, it roared to life, while the spiraling stairwells sunk into the ground, vanishing from sight.
"What's going on?" demanded Keith, now growing nervous. The plane rolled away a few feet before its nose lifted up radically into the air. It launched itself straight up, clearing the remarkably acute mountaintops by what seemed like inches.
Kale also looked quite concerned. "I don't know. my sisters never told me about this!"
David just looked rather lost.
Soon, the plane had vanished from sight, leaving all of the sixth graders alone, without any visible adult or supervision. The whispers gradually grew louder as more kids began to question what was going on. From the crowd of about two hundred students, Michael and Morgan appeared, looking at their brother with concern.
"Lauren tell you about this?" asked maybe Michael, looking at Kale.
Kale just shrugged helplessly.
Keith's imagination began to run wild. He wondered if this could this be Blake Dexter's doing. Maybe the teacher that was supposed to be here had been killed and Dexter was about to attack, killing Keith and his friends, and sending his father their heads. He shuddered nervously at the thought, pulling at the collar of his robe to clear his airway.
The minutes grew longer as more and more students appeared restless. Something was happening, something was wrong, and Keith was now afraid. David, who was staring at Keith, sensed his fear too and also looked rather dubious and timid.
"We have to find some way of contacting Castagloria," proposed Kale, looking at the sky. "It's probably just something stupid, like the teacher who was going to give our orientation forgot."
The four other boys both shrugged, though David was looking a bit weak at the knees. Kale just groaned and pushed away from the gathered kids, moving through the crowd. Keith, having no better ideas, followed him. David, Michael and Morgan, in turn, followed Keith. Other such groups of acquaintances were being formed and, slowly, the student body was dispersing.
"Alright guys!" Kale yelled, projecting his voice loud enough so everyone could hear him. He turned back to the mob of students. "Me and my friends are going to check out the hanger. Anyone who wants to come, come."
About a dozen students, four smaller groups, joined up with Keith and his friends. The group of sixteen boys and girls left, heading down the runway and toward the hanger, leaving a crowd of nearly two hundred other students huddled together timidly.
Keith had the impulse to draw his wand as they neared the hanger, though in truth, Keith really had to wonder at what good it would do. He knew how to turn hay into needles and he knew how to do a minor Spark Hex, but what good would that do against Blake Dexter, if he was indeed waiting for him?
"Wait out here," said Kale, looking back to the rest of their group. "If we ain't back in five minutes, just wait longer."
"And if we scream in terrible agony." added Michael.
". come on in and save us," finished Morgan grimly.
Kale took point, along with his two fearless brothers. David hid behind Keith, and not that he blamed him. Keith, however, wasn't going to let the triplets go in alone. He followed behind Morgan, and finally did draw his wand, only because that is what Kale, Morgan and Michael had done. He decided that he might as well look intimidating. David also followed, his own small, battered looking wand extended. For a Muggleborn, he seemed to have had his wand for a long time; either that or, most likely, he had bought a used one.
The inside of the hanger was a real treat. The insides were about ten times bigger than the outside. While it appeared to be little more than a one-story house from the runway, it was a huge hall on the inside, complete with five very long tables and about a dozen crates. At the center of it all was a small alter with a gray glowing sphere atop it.
Keith's eyes were drawn towards the five, grand tables. At least two hundred could be seated, which was probably no coincidence. Yet, even the massive amount of chairs weren't what interested him. What interested him was the sheer quantity of food on top, probably not a coincidence either. On the tabletops were everything from hamburgers, to crocks filled with warm chicken soup; there were hot-dogs to steak, to salads to fruits. Freshly steamed biscuits and gravy still smoked with warmth while every type of condiment imaginable lined the centers of each table. Keith's mouth watered and his belly rumbled. With exception to his chocolate frog, he hadn't eaten anything all day.
David, Morgan and Michael had moved toward the dozen crates, gasping and ahhing. Keith glanced over as Michael withdrew a soccer ball, looking at it curiously, while David took out a Quaffle and scratched his head. The crates seemed to be filled with recreational toys of all sorts ranging from tennis balls to quaffles and including jump ropes and even broomsticks.
"Hey, look at this!" called Kale, who had moved into the center of the room. He was standing on the altar, studying to glowing crystal ball. Kale touched his wand to it with a flick of his hand. The crystal hummed and shifted from gray to green.
A scream echoed from outside, sounding dangerously like two hundred terrified eleven year olds in unison.
"The hell did you do, Kale?" barked Michael, while Keith and David rushed outside to investigate.
Keith pushed open the door. The entire airport had changed from gray pavement to a luscious field of green grass. By now, several dozen were running toward the hanger, while others either laughed or chuckled, the shock of everything around them changing having worn off.
Everyone yelped with confusion again, as suddenly, the entire airport shifted from green grass to waist deep water. Now, more people seemed to be shouting in protest, especially the girls, now that they were soaked. Several islands of pearly white sand sprouted from the surface at certain points.
"What's going on out there?" yelled Kale from the outside. "Seems like people always scream whenever I touch this ball!"
The ground shifted again before Keith could answer. Now, all the water instantly vanished and the ground was replaced by dry sand. This time, very few people yelped or cried out with surprise. The random changes had lost their effect.
"Whatever yer doin' is changin' everythin' out here!" exclaimed Keith, looking back inside at Kale.
David, by now, was laughing with excitement. "Yeah! It's gone from airport pavement, to grass, to a swimming pool, to a desert!"
The desert sand changed back into an airport once again, and then, predictably, began to shift very quickly, as Kale rapidly tapped the top just because he could. The pattern was constant, cycling through the choices once again. It stopped on the swimming lagoon by the time about thirty more students had joined the eleven or so near the hanger.
"What the heck are you doing in there?" demanded a young girl with firm, hard eyes and long, sandy-blonde hair that matched Keith's. She was in the lead of the group, and clearly not looking happy.
Keith winced apologetically and looked back to the girl. "Sorry. Kale's um. experimentin' with a new toy."
"Well, tell 'Kale' to stop, 'cause he's making me and about one hundred others sick!" exclaimed the girl, as she waded up to the hanger through the teal green water. "Besides, my shoes are now soaked!"
A dozen others grunted in affirmation.
"He's stopped," comforted Keith. "Hey look, um. what's your name?"
The girl crossed her arms bossily. "Julia."
"Julia, nice name," he said, then looked at the other thirty or so students that had gathered around the hanger. "Why don't ya'll go inside and check it out." Keith took off his shoes and socks, kicked them to the side of the door and stepped into the watery outside as well. "It's amazin' in there."
David followed Keith's example and removed his sneakers. He then followed Keith into the waist-deep water. Julia stayed outside, while the other kids entered the hanger. Their discontent grumbling turned to gasps of astonishment as soon as they laid eyes upon the tables of food.
"Well, aint'cha goin' to take a look inside?" asked Keith, looking at Julia with confusion.
Julia gave Keith the evil eye and shoved passed him, entering the hanger. Keith rubbed his shoulder and rolled his eyes to the sky.
"I think you made a friend," offered David with a bashful smile.
Keith glanced back at him and also smirked. "Ya got that impression too, huh?"
Both boys laughed at that.
Eventually, the rest of the student body meandered over to the hanger. It was just about a unanimous decision that the food had been left there for them, and within minutes, everyone was seated and eating some of the delicious lunch.
After the meal, Kale and his brothers conducted a vote on what the ground would be set outside. After a bit of experimenting and vote tallies, the aquatic setting won out. Keith couldn't have been more thrilled.
"This stinks," muttered a girl, with short red hair, next to Keith. "I don't have a swim suit!"
Keith pulled off his own robe and shirt. "So? Jus' roll up yer pants," he told her, as he rolled up his cuffs above his knees.
Julia stood on his other side, looking as bossy as before with her arms crossed and her face set in a sour pucker. "Girls can't just do that. we need swimsuits!"
"Why not?" came the simple answer from Kale, who had already taken Keith's advice and was ready to jump out of the hanger.
Julia flushed red; for some reason, she was embarrassed. "It's not lady-like!"
"Hey!" exclaimed a voice from across the hanger. A tall girl with freckles covering most of her face had just emerged from an unnoticed room, next to the bathrooms. "It's a Transfiguration chamber!" she exclaimed excitedly. Keith only had noticed her head at first, but when a few people parted aside, he was given a full look at her. She was wearing a one-piece black swimsuit instead of a robe. "Try it out!"
Within ten minutes, just about everyone was wearing a swimsuit, after merely stepping into the closet, saying 'swimsuit' and leaving. Keith's clothing had turned into a pair of black swimming trunks, as had Kale's and David's. In no time, about fifty boys and girls, Julia included, had grabbed up six quaffles and had raced out into the shallow areas of the airport-turned-lagoon. Kale had tried to organize a game of land-based Quiddich, but didn't get very far when Julia took a Quaffle and hummed it at his head, telling him to shut-up. Kale's response was a laugh and a throw right back at her, triggering a dodgeball game, boys against girls.
Keith had never had more fun in his life. After dodgeball got boring, a swimming race in the deeper parts of the lagoon was on. As much as Keith loved swimming, he was surprised to find out that he wasn't a fast swimmer compared to one or two others. He was disappointed to see that it was Julia who finished right before him. For a girl who despised getting her feet wet, she sure knew how to swim.
She was even better at rubbing it in.
"Why are ya so bossy?" asked Keith, as a group of students collected on one of the sandy islands, regaining their breath. The other students were doing one of a dozen different activities ranging from dodge ball, to actual flying on broomsticks, to a game pickle between two islands, using tennis balls. As Keith suspected, the broomsticks wouldn't go higher than ten feet to prevent injury. David was getting flying lessons from Kale. The small group on this island was from the race: Michael, Julia, Keith and three others he didn't know.
It was now nighttime and all confusion about being abandoned here had long since run its course. For all Keith cared, they could stay there forever. Even though the moon shined brightly above, it was not dark at all in this little lagoon/airport. It was as though it shined with its own light; Keith could see just as clearly as he could during the daytime.
Julia looked at Keith with shock. "Bossy?"
"So ya won a race, whoopee." muttered Keith, flopping on the sand. "You've been on my case since you first saw me."
Julia shrugged emotionlessly. "Well, I'm a big believer in the 'mild disdain at first sight' theory. I just don't like you."
A girl he didn't know laughed at that.
"Gee, your really friendly," observed Michael, with a serious tone. "About as friendly as a vampire in a blood bank."
Keith sighed, forgetting about Julia. His eyes drifted over to Kale and David. He chuckled as Kale fell off his broom trying to turn. David was quick to help him out of the water. By the end of the night, Keith was sure that it would be David giving Kale pointers. The boy seemed to be quite a natural while Kale was about as graceful in the air as a one-winged sparrow.
"I thought he said he was a seeker," said Keith, glancing over at Michael, who was chewing his bottom lip.
Michael laughed, however. "Him? A seeker. he couldn't catch a fireball if he were tied to a heat-seeking missile."
"He's got good hand-eye coordination," parried Keith, remembering his very quick snag of David's frog on the train. He picked up a beached rock and tossed it into the air, catching it as it landed.
"True, but he can't fly!" Michael exclaimed with a laugh. "He was never able to. Morgan and me been trying to get him to learn, our sisters all took a shot at it. As a man with steel boots can't swim a boy named Kale can't fly."
Keith hadn't flown much in his life, but a few times, his father had taken him up on his broomstick when he was younger. While he had loved it those few times, he had no driving desire to take his feet off the ground. Keith didn't like to be at the mercy of magic, something he didn't really understand. Jethro had his own Cleansweep and loved to brag about his top speed of twenty miles per hour; Keith was certain that wasn't very fast.
"Well, where are we gonna get a Seeker fer our team?" asked Keith, tossing the rock into the air again. Kale, over their lunch earlier that day, had told his brothers about his desire to start up a Quidditch team, so the question didn't come as a surprise to Michael.
Julia snatched Keith's rock out of the air with a swipe of her hand and smirked, throwing it into the water.
"So, I heard you need a seeker," she asked, smiling arrogantly down at Keith. "I might be able to help you out."
Keith glowered up at her. "You play Quidditch?"
"No," she snorted, putting her hands to her hips. "It's just always been my dream to say that to some unattractive redneck."
Keith grumbled and picked up another rock. As a combination of a test and a vent of frustration, he flicked his wrist, tossing it up at Julia. She snatched it out of the air and dropped it on Keith's head.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, rubbing his head with pain.
"So you want me on your team or not?" she questioned, glaring down at him.
Keith stood up, looking at her contemptuously. "Not that badly." With that, he turned around. "C'mon Mike, let's get outta here."
Michael stood up to leave as well.
"Wait," said Julia, sounding like a completely different person. "C'mon, don't be like that. Let me play with you guys."
"Forget it," muttered Keith, wading into the water.
Julia huffed from behind. "Alright, fine. I'm sorry. Now that I know you play Quidditch, you suddenly don't seem so pathetic anymore."
Keith and Michael both glanced back, though it was Keith that spoke. "Am I supposed ta be honored by that 'er insulted?"
Julia giggled nervously. "Um. honored?"
At last, the ghost of a smile appeared on Keith's face. "We'll think about it."
And with that, Keith and Michael waded over to another small island, where Kale was resting from a heavy fall in shallow water. He didn't look very happy. David and Morgan were both in the air, tossing a quaffle back and forth.
"Bad brooms," blamed Kale, as he rubbed a bruise. The entire right side of his chest was quite red from a nice ten-foot belly flop.
Michael nodded up to Morgan and David. "Seems they aren't having problems."
Kale grumbled and slapped the ground dejectedly.
"You try too hard," offered Keith, going on an impulse. "There ain't no mystery to flyin'." Keith held out his hand. "Lemme see yer broom."
Kale sighed and handed his broom to Keith. Keith grasped the hilt of the old and battered stick and shoved it between his legs. "It's simple. don't demand the broom ta go up and don't try ta control it - don't try pullin' it every which way - jus' do it."
Keith steadily rose into the air by simply willing himself up. He spun his broom about in a short one eighty and flew over to David and Morgan. David, seeing Keith take to the air, tossed the red quaffle at him. Keith snatched it out of the air and hurled it at Morgan. He then looked down to Kale.
"See, nothin' to it!"
Keith descended back down and hopped onto the ground again. "Now you try."
Kale took the broom, mounted it, and rose steadily into the air.
"There ya go!" cheered Keith, clapping.
Michael leaned over and whispered to Keith. "He always gets into the air and can fly straight fine. It happens when he tries turning."
Kale zoomed ahead steadily; both David and Morgan cheered him on. David tossed the quaffle to Kale, who took his hands off the broom to catch it.
"Wah!" he yelped as he slid off the broom. Keith closed his eyes and winced as he slapped hard into the water again.
". or if he tries to do anything but fly," completed Michael, as Kale surfaced, moaning in pain from another injury. For added insult, the broom hit him in the head as it fell after him.
Keith put his hands to his lips, trying hard not to laugh.
"Well, um, look on the bright side!" exclaimed Keith, trying to sound positive. "We still need a coach and captain fer our team!"
Kale grumbled and flopped onto the ground. "Yeah, yeah," he sighed and waved at Keith dismissively. "I guess I exaggerated by Quidditch skills a bit on the plane."
"Well, I reckon Julia just might be a good seeker," suggested Michael, nodding over to the island where they had just been before. Julia was now talking with Linda and another girl Keith didn't know by name yet. They were laughing and glancing over at Keith's island.
Further conversation was interrupted by a loud voice, booming from the direction of the hanger. "All students report to the hanger for dinner and for the conclusion of your orientation."
Keith leapt out of his skin with surprise, staring toward the hanger. Strangely, he couldn't see anyone. All activity ceased at once and, after a moment of stunned silence, everyone either flew or waded back to the hanger.
From a broomstick above, Blake Dexter snarled contemptuously at Keith Hillsfar, as he and his friends made their way toward the hanger. He had been so tempted to make his move here and now. But, no, reasoned the dark wizard. The faculty was, no doubt, keeping close watch on the young Castaglorian children, making certain they were safe and that their play didn't get too out of control.
There would be plenty of other chances, he decided, baring his teeth. Plenty.
