Chapter 2

Public School

"We'd be happy to have him join us!" The headmaster of the local public school nodded, speaking to my aunt the following morning. The headmaster, Meghan, turned her attention to me, giving me a smile. "If you'd like, Kyle, you can join your class today and see what they're working on? We're only a week into the new year."

"What do you say?" My aunt asked me. "Do you want to start today?" I nodded, gripping the strap of my schoolbag.

"Sure." I agreed. "I bought my school supplies with me. I'm not in uniform though..."

"I'll send your aunt home with your uniform so you can be prepared for tomorrow." Headmaster Meghan told me. "You're alright for today, don't worry yourself. Welcome to Waverley Prep!"

I was handed my syllabus and followed behind Alexander for a quick tour after parting ways with my aunt Lillian and Headmaster Meghan. Alex seemed more thrilled than I was to be back in school. He had an obviously joyful pep in his step, even though we weren't in any classes together. He was in Year 9 and I was starting Year 8.

"I can't believe we're back in school together again!" Alexander grinned. "If you need any help with anything at all, ask for me. Alright? I'll leave my class to help you. I told all my teachers that you'd be starting this week."

"Thanks, Alex." As my cousin left me in front of my first classroom, I looked over the courses and honestly felt underwhelmed, which wasn't a bad feeling in the slightest. Everything was straightforward. Literature, maths, science, history. I hadn't seen such a normal schedule in a long time. No elixirs and potion formulas or introduction to broom riding or anything remotely complex. I knocked on the door to the classroom, which was already in session when I arrived. Outside the door was a brass name plate reading "Mrs. Stokes; Year 8". After a moment, a teacher opened the door to the room and peered out into the hall, smiling when their framed eyes fell on me.

"Kyle Bloodworth-Thomason, right?" She asked. I nodded. "Yes, yes! The headmaster just phoned about you! Wonderful! Do come in!"

I walked in slowly and my eyes instantly peered out towards the class, which was jointly fixated on me. It was an awkward moment that I hadn't anticipated. With so many eyes on me, I felt myself shrink down a little till the teacher spoke again.

"Class, we have a new student joining us this semester. Kyle, you can sit in any of the empty desks in the back row. We're starting a new book to kick off the school year, so take one from the basket there before you settle in."

I nodded and grabbed a tattered book from the wicker basket Mrs. Stokes had set beside her desk. I walked through the rows of desks, watching eyes following me all the way to the back of the room, and took a spot at a desk that had a vandalized table top. Carved into and doodled on all over with permanent marker. Public school. I opened my schoolbag for a pencil and notebook, hooking the bag behind my chair when I found what I needed.

"Alright pupils!" Mrs. Stokes clapped at the front of the room, grabbing the attention of the class again. "Let's read through the second chapter, silently, and then we'll answer the chapter questions in our workbooks."

Looking down at the book I had grabbed, I noticed it was one I'd already read before, years ago. Not only that, but it was at a level that was drastically lower than what I was used to. I looked around the room and noticed how focused everyone else seemed to be. Mrs. Stokes approached my desk, setting a workbook down in front of me.

"There you go!" She whispered. "That's your workbook for literature. This one is for maths, this one is for science and this one is for history. Homework assignments will be done out of each."

"Thank you." I responded, opening my bag once more to set the extra books inside.

"Get through the first chapter as quickly as you can and then join us into the second, alright? You don't have to do chapter one's questions since we've already passed them, but chapter two will need to be done."

"I scanned through the novel and I believe I've read this before." I told the teacher. "So I'll refresh with the second chapter and join you all." She seemed taken aback for some reason, I wasn't sure why. She nodded though.

"Yes, that's wonderful, Kyle!"

Returning to the front of the room, she started a prompt on the blackboard and I turned back to the silent reading. It was exactly as I recalled it to be, elementary. I couldn't believe this was what normal, human kids were studying from. Milkweed Academy's curriculum was at university level in comparison. Opening my school bag, I scanned through the other workbooks I'd been given by Mrs. Stokes. Maths was the most laughable of them all. It was no wonder my parents never had any expectations of me attending public school. This wasn't challenging in the slightest means of the word.

Literature went by quickly and the class seemed to marvel at my speech when the joint discussion took place. Moving into maths with a separate teacher, who walked in after Mrs. Stokes left for another class, produced the same results. A pop-quiz was given to the class and when I had finished with heaps of time left on the clock, I was questioned.

"Are you sure you've finished?" The maths professor asked me. "You should do some revision. There's plenty of time still on the clock."

"I've finished. I'm positive."

"Did you make sure to show your work?"

"Yes, sir. I've shown my work."

"Well then...let me take a look."

The attention of my peers in the room was partially on their own tests and mainly on the results of mine. The professor checked through my answers and nodded before every checkmark he scratched down. His brows raised and his attention returned to me at the back of the room.

"It's a perfect score..." He announced, dumbfoundedly. "You've shown your work, beautifully. Well done!"

"Thank you, sir."

My peers, who seemed to be struggling through the exam, looked to be in total shock. The rest of the day followed the same pattern and every teacher I met in my first day couldn't believe how I'd breezed through their assignments.

When the lunch hour finally came around, Alexander met me outside of my classroom and we walked to the cafeteria together. He was eager to hear how my first day was going, but I honestly didn't have much to report.

"I just feel like everything is a little too easy." I told Alex, grabbing a lunch tray after him and getting on the line for food. "I know it's only the start of the school year, but goodness, I don't think I could go through an entire year like this!"

"Why not?" Alexander asked, lifting his tray for potatoes. "Isn't it good when everything is easy? That just means you'll get through your courses stress free!"

"I mean, yes.." I sighed, following his actions for food. "..but that doesn't mean I don't want to actually learn something. I feel like I'm not learning much."

"You're a better kid than me." Alexander chuckled. "Because I'd be over the moon if everything was easy for me. In fact, I wouldn't even let my teachers know how easy it was for me, just so I could stay under the radar."

"Haha! That's so naughty!"

"I mean, I'm just being honest! I hate school, truly."

We sat across from each other at a lunch table to eat and I immediately noticed some peers from my class staring at me. They eyed me, then turned to one another to whisper, covering their mouths as they spoke to one another. It was clear they were saying something about me, but I honestly didn't care for the gossip. Alexander didn't look too happy about it.

"Are they in your class? My goodness, how rude!"

"It's alright, don't get worked up over it."

"B-but Kyle, they're speaking about you clear as day!"

"I'm not concerned with it, so you shouldn't be either." Alexander pouted, pushing the food around on his tray again. I did the same before speaking up once more. "You know, Milkweed Academy had so many gossips and social cliques, I think I'm just used to it."

"You never told me much of Milkweed. What was it like?"

"Where do I begin?" I chuckled. I set my fork down and sighed. "It was a private school and honestly, a lot of the students there were very well off."

"Rich?"

"Filthy rich. Their families send them to those academies, hoping to get them into the society of the realm after graduation. Believe me though, children will be children, regardless of the circumstance. It was like any other boarding school in the evening when classes were over. Lots of pranks and good humor and mischief."

"What about the classes though? What did you learn?"

"Besides all the basic academics, we were obviously learning magic. For us starting out, it was all general magic. So even though I'm supposed to be learning dark magic, I learned a little bit of everything. Healing, light work, combat, elixir brewing..."

"Wow...I wish I could go sometimes." Alexander confessed. "Just for a semester, just to see what it would've been like to learn."

"I think you would've done better than me." I told him. Alex seemed to perk up.

"R-really? No! Of course not!"

"You have the passion for it. You've already taught yourself levitation without any formal help or training. If you could do that, you could study at Milkweed for sure."

"Oh wow.." Alexander blushed. "Well, I wouldn't even know where to start, truly. I-I don't even know if I'd be doing dark magic or light magic."

"Oh, you'd be a light worker for sure!" I chuckled. "I can already tell."

"What's the difference? What was learning dark magic like?"

I paused and felt emotion suddenly swell inside my chest. I couldn't answer his question. In fact, if I hadn't gotten expelled from Milkweed this term, I would've been starting my introduction courses into dark works. The following term was to be my sorting year, the year where I'd finally be fully immersed into my field of study. The sorting year at Milkweed Academy was like a right of passage for a lot of wizards. You were finally recognized for your type and class and really got a chance to put your very best strengths forward.

I could recall Sigmund being upset with me for getting worked up the day I was expelled and how he did his best to talk me down from the anxious breakdown I'd been having that morning.

"...are you giving up?" Sigmund has asked of me. "Right before our sorting year?"

"I don't care."

"KYLE! Stop and think for a moment! Really listen to yourself. This is the last term before our sorting year. You just have to get past this one term."

"I don't care! No one cares!"

"I CARE! I CARE ABOUT YOU PASSING! I CARE, KYLE! I DO!"

Alexander tapped the table in front of me, making me jump. He discreetly pointed towards the back of the cafeteria and leaned over to whisper to me.

"The headmaster just walked in..."

"Hm?" I hummed, turning around in my seat as other students in the room had. When her eyes fell on me, Headmaster Meghan approached the table quickly. Alexander's expression had gone to one of concern when she stopped in front of me.

"Kyle, would you mind joining me in my office?"

"I don't mind at all." I responded, collecting my bag. I glanced over at Alexander, who seemed to be giving me a questioning look. I wasn't all too sure why I was being called in myself, but I followed behind the clicking heels of the headmaster. Passing by other uneasy expressions from my peers, I started to get a bit anxious myself.

The walk down the corridor to the office seemed like walking a mile. It felt shameful in a way, even though I hadn't done anything wrong for once. The last time I'd been walked into an office this way was right before meeting with the entire school board of Milkweed Academy and promptly being expelled. I knew that wasn't the case this time, but I couldn't help the feeling of déjà vu. Walking into the office and spotting all the teachers I had met so far standing around only made that feeling even worse. The headmaster pointed out the seat in front of her desk as she sat behind it, but I couldn't get myself to sit for some reason. Headmaster Meghan blinked.

"Is everything alright?" She asked me. I could feel my face quickly heating up, a sweat starting to form at my brow and my anxiety quickly rising. This entire scenario had gone from simple déjà vu to a definite problem. With all eyes on me, I swallowed down before I finally decided to just ask.

"A-am I in trouble?"

There was a pause and all the teachers seemed to glance at one another before bursting out in shared laughter. I didn't understand where my question had been humorous and the laughter wasn't really helping ease my anxious state. Habitually, I fiddled with my index fingers, waiting desperately for the laughs to die down. When she caught herself, Headmaster Meghan shook her head.

"No, Kyle! Absolutely not!" She assured me. "In fact, we wanted to speak with you about what a gifted student you seem to be."

"GIFTED?!"

Never had I ever heard that word associated with me. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a fool, but after so many years at Milkweed being put down and most recently, compared to my roommate, I never thought I'd hear something like that from education officials in my lifetime. The teachers seemed to find my reaction just as funny as my original inquiry.

"We don't want to push you into any rash decisions." The headmaster started again. "It's been bought to my attention by all your teachers that the work they're giving you seems to be not quite at your level."

"Not to offend...but, that's true."

"It's only your first day here, but if you feel that by the end of the week that nothing has changed in the way you feel, I implore you to seek me out and let me know. Our school has recently been given a wonderful opportunity and your teachers think you'd be the perfect candidate to take up the offer."

"Opportunity?" I asked. I wasn't sure I'd ever had an offer of any sort bought to me this way. I wondered if this was how Sigmund felt when that television producer had come looking for him. It was confusing, random and totally out of the blue. "What type of opportunity?"

"How would you feel about studying, but abroad?" The headmaster grinned. The teachers around her seemed to smile just as eagerly, awaiting my response.

"Abroad? Like, in another country?"

"Yes, exactly! Our school has been accepted for the first time to take part in a student exchange program. Students who are part of our honors programs are eligible to take part in the agenda. Three students are chosen and sent to three separate countries to study."

"But, I'm not part of the honors program..."

"We've looked over your academic score and we're incredibly pleased with your grades! For sure, you'd be a shoe in for our gifted program here at Waverley." I was a bit overwhelmed with the outpour of information and I wasn't quite sure how to respond straight away. I never thought about studying in another country. I mean, I was sure it wouldn't be any different from studying in another realm.

"Where would I live? Is it a boarding school?"

"No. The program supplies housing for students and you won't be alone! There will always be an academic hand in whatever co-op you'll be residing in."

"What countries are offered right now?"

"France, Norway and The United States."

"Hm..."

"Again, you don't have to make any decisions right in this moment." The headmaster assured me. "But we wanted to let you know that it's a possibility and we truly believe in you! You'd be wonderful in any country!"

It was night and day. This entire conversation. It was truly an alternate reality being back in the land of the normal. Family that welcomed me, teachers who believed in me, offers flying into my lap. I only nodded as a response. The bell for my final class of the day chimed and Mrs. Stokes quickly skipped over to the door of the office.

"I'll escort you back to our classroom, Kyle. Thank you, everyone!"

"Y-yes, thank you!" I waved weakly, following behind my teacher. I kept quiet the entire walk back to the classroom, gripping my bag slung over my shoulder. And I could hardly pay any attention to the lesson with all the thoughts swirling around in my head at that moment. This was a major opportunity and honestly, something I was willing to try. Though I adored my cousins and their family home, to be even further away from it all wouldn't be bad.

The main thought I'd had when I first arrived at my Uncle Arthur's home was the fact that my mother figure knew where I was. She could keep tabs on everything that was happening with me at the ring of a phone. If one day, she decided to pop up and bring me back to the realm, she'd know exactly where to find me at any minute. I knew my aunt and uncle weren't fans of my ex-father, but Uncle Arthur and my mother figure were siblings at the end of the day and I knew he'd let me go if she requested it. If I could get away from it all and finally live a normal, stress-free life, even for a couple of months whilst I figured out a grand plan, I'd be happy. I'd be content. I'd possibly finally feel alive.

The end of the class came quickly and everyone quickly rushed to pack up and head out. Standing up from my desk at the back of the room, I stopped at Mrs. Stokes' desk, catching her attention from her binder. I waited until the other students behind me cleared and then turned back to her, giving her a nod.

"I'm interested."

"You are?" She gasped. "That's wonderful! Let's get through the week together and then we'll speak about it again on Friday."

I waved to her as I left the classroom and met Alexander once again in the hall. Together, we headed out of the school and started the walk back to his home. Living countryside, there weren't any pavements to walk on, so we walked road side through the grass. I quickly understood why my cousins wore boots instead of trainers, because mine quickly got stuck in the mud and I ended up having to hold hands with Alexander just to walk steadily.

During the walk, I told Alexander about the day I'd had and the recent offer I was given. He seemed thrilled about the whole idea and it made me feel better about considering it. He had a good laugh when I told him I had thought I was about to be punished. It was a good laugh for him when I'd lost my shoe just steps away from the path of his home. I pulled it from the mud and hopped the rest of the way.

Arriving inside, Alex and I left our shoes at the door and headed into the kitchen to wash our hands. My aunt Lillian was in and welcomed us, giving us both warm hugs after we dried our hands. That was really nice to me.

"So? How was your first day?" She asked me. "All good things, I'm sure!"

"It was great." I nodded, leaning against the counter. Alexander joined me at my side, handing me a glass of water, which I openly accepted. That walk home had been a hike.

"Tell her about the offer." Alex nudged, giving me a knowing smirk. My aunt shook her head.

"No need." She replied. "I got a call this afternoon about it. In fact, they asked me what I thought before they called you into the office at lunch. I think you'll be splendid."

"So do I!" Alexander agreed. "You've always been really smart."

"Heh...thank you." I blushed, shying away behind the glass of water. I felt really light in that moment, and not in a dizzy sort of way, but in a joyful manner. The words of encouragement were almost too much, but it was something I didn't know I'd been waiting to hear for so long till they were said over and over again throughout the day.

After dinner later that evening, my cousin, Albert, helped me to use the computer in their family room. I wanted to do some research on the program I'd been told about and weigh out my options for studying abroad. I'd never been to any of those countries or even been open minded enough to dream of visiting any of them. This entire opportunity was beyond me. France seemed like a good choice, considering it wasn't terribly far from England. Norway was interesting and actually looked really modernized and peaceful. The United States was an exciting choice, all on its own.

I'd gotten washed up after a while of research and walked up to Alexander's room to get ready for bed. Settling in, I heard the faint sound of tones coming from one of my bags. I recognized the sound, it was my crystal ball.

"Who could be calling me?" I asked aloud, quickly hopping from the air mattress to search for the crystal. Shocking enough, it was Sigmund.

"Kyle!" He grinned. It was hard to see and hear him clearly, the connection wasn't the best.

"Sigmund? Did you mean to call me?"

"Ja, ja! I've been trying to reach you all week! Are you alright? Where are you?"

"Oh...I hadn't realized. I'm back in England actually. Reception on magic devices is poor, but I can hear you decently at the moment."

"I have some news for you." The sorcerer started up after straightening himself out. I didn't like the sound of that. I hadn't heard anything from Milkweed or the realm since I'd left.

"News? I don't think I need anymore eventful happenings right now.."

"No, no! It's good! I swear!"

"Good for who exactly?"

"You! Haha! Now listen! You can apply to return to Milkweed!"

I frowned instantly. If this was Sigmund taking the piss at me, it wasn't funny. At all. I found the entire call strange to begin with, but this was rubbish.

"Now, what set of utter nonsense are you talking?"

"I'm going to file an appeal on your behalf. I had to fight for this to happen. We literally took Professor Flan to court over this!"

"Court?!" I gasped. What the elf was he on about?! "What court? And who's we?"

"It doesn't matter right now! What matters is that we won the appeal and you can apply for reentry! I'm gonna send you the forms, I just need to know where you are right now!"

"...Sigmund, if this is some sick joke—."

"I swear! It isn't!"

"Hm..." Being presented with this set of information wasn't something I was expecting. I mean, I'd only just arrived back in England and I was currently being offered up into this potential program. Maybe I didn't really need Milkweed anymore.

"What do you mean, hmm?!" Sigmund spat, breaking me away from my thoughts. "Aren't you happy?"

"Truthfully? I don't know..."

"HUH?!"

"It's only been a week. I don't know if I'm ready to come back. Ever."

"W-What are you talking about?! What about our sorting y—?"

"Look, I know you wanted me to be there for sorting, but I'm actually happy right now. Milkweed and being in the realm just made me really stressed out. I was depressed there."

"What about your studies? You'll be behind if you wait! You can't just not come back! I-I don't understand..."

"And that's okay. I thank you for going through the trouble and fighting for me...but I don't think I'm ready to go back and I don't know if I ever will be for a while."

"...ah."

"I should get going, I have a big trip coming up and I need to prepare. If I change my mind, I'll give you a call."

"Sure..."

"Alright, well, take care!"

"Ja...you too."

Hanging up the call, I felt like I was making the right decision for myself. Milkweed just wasn't for me. I wasn't ready to go back to the realm. I was shocked to even hear Sigmund had gone out of his way to try and help me get back in so soon. I hadn't expected that from him. I didn't think he cared that much.

The hour I'd spent researching followed me into my sleep when I'd finally settled down for bed. It had been a long time since I last had a good dream. I was really thankful for that.