2

Arrivals and New Friends

"All right then Felicia were here." Felicia snaps back into reality as she's helped out of the small carriage.

"Whoa!" Felicia sinks to the ground in wonder and awe at the huge palace like mansion. A small girl wearing a light tan skirt, a tube top of the same color with only a strip for sleeves, and a necklace with an amulet, that looks like the Egyptian symbol, Ankh, hurries over and helps her to her feet.

"Its beautiful isn't it master?" The girl smiles twitching her cat ears and her cat tail.

"Master?" Felicia asks bewildered. The cat girl shakes her head.

"No you're my master. I'm not your master."

"What are you like a maid or sumfin'?" The girl curtsies.

"I'm sorta like a servant only I'm the same rank as you and Marina says I'm supposed to show you around and help you and make sure you get to classes on time. So you're my master for at least a little bit this will be fun! What ever you want to do here well do it or I'll show you how. Oh yeah, my name is Cali. What's yours since were friends now." Cali lets go of Felicia and bounces around happily.

"My names Felicia."

"Ok, Felicia, what should we do first?"

"Hmmmm let's...uh...go meet some of your other friends or let's see your room or where I'll stay if I'm even staying." She looks up to Marina, as if to dare her that this all was just some hoax.

"OK!" Cali grabs hold of Felicia's arm and careens into the building and down one of the corridors, leaving a smoky trail.

"I'm a cat girl if you haven't noticed yet. I'm about ten years old and my favorite color is purple or blue. Were divided into different classes and grades just like a real school, or so they tell me. There are many floors and each floor has a different grade on it the higher the floor the higher the grade it makes sense once you get used to it. Three or four people in a grade split a room with two sets of bunk beds. You'll be in my grade and we share a room with Alysse and Lynn. They're both kinda dark and dreary but you'll warm up to them after awhile they are nice." She screeches to a halt in front of a red wooden door with a raven crest on it.

"Here we are, oh yeah, I forgot to tell you were in the Raven grade that's why there's a raven engraved on our door. Each floor has a different crest on each door. The larger the bird the stronger the group. I think the Sparrow group is the weakest and the Eagle group is the strongest. The Raven group is like second or third strongest." She smiles and opens the door.

The room is dark and almost everything is covered in black, black curtains, black comforters, black walls, even black down to the paper clips, pencils, and pens. One girl, dressed entirely in black baggy clothing, is sitting on the bottom bunk of the bed on the right side of the room, she has on huge head phones and the music is evidently blaring because she hasn't reacted to anything happening yet not to mention that she's bent down over a laptop computer. The other girl is sitting at one of the two desks in the room writing. She looks up; her short evidently dyed red hair falling into her face.

"Hell....oh. I'm Lynn and that's Alysse. She points to the girl still absorbed in her computer and music. I thought you were that new guy he keeps bugging me cuz our room is black and he wants to go gothic or some thin I've kicked him outta here at least ten times he just doesn't get the hint."

"Uh. Yeah I'm Felicia." She scans the room and finds that there are only two book shelves, in the room one is filled with a combination of horror/mystery books and how to magic books the other is filled with anime books mostly Sailor moon, Inu Yasha and Dragon Ball Z, two sets of bunk beds, one giant stereo system, and four large trunks for storage (although everything is still all over the floor). She rockets over to the bookshelf.

"Hey, you have the whole collection!" .

"Yeah the Sailor moon ones really belong to me but I share with everyone else cuz I know they wont hurt them. You can read them and such once I know we can trust you." Cali smiles. Lynn reaches over and pulls one side of the headphones away from Alysse's head.

"It's time to eat just thought you might like to know."

"Yeah I know I can see the clock on my computer. Whose the new kid?"

"My names Felicia and you're Alysse right? Cuz I think that's what everyone's been saying." Alysse shrugs.

"Yeah that's my name. I'll be down in a bit I want to finish my diary entry then I'll be down, Lynn get a tray for me since you're the only one that ever gets the right stuff." She glares at Cali, who in turn sticks her tongue out at her.

"Can't, you gotta come down on time today cuz its a banquet and Marina has something to announce like she always does." Alysse grumbles and begins to shut everything down.

"Oh, come on Felicia lets go eat. See you guys later ok? Then well find some of my other friends." Cali turns out the door and drags Felicia with her.

"Um, Lynn and Alysse are vampires that's why they rank so high in the school. A lot of different creatures or People train and learn here. Including genies, mutants, like myself, and anything else you can think up. Think it up and Ill find a classmate that fits. Everyone here keeps telling me that Marina is some kind of a genie goddess so yeah."

"That's nice to know..." she mumbles.

I can think up a lot and I never want to meet some of the things my imagination can create. Ill have to watch my back around here

Cali walks into the ballroom now transformed into a huge dinning room closely followed by Felicia. Felicia stands stunned at the huge variety foods and people all around her. Cali noticing her stunned leans towards her from the side.

"This is only half of them the other half has either lost track of time, gotten lost, or simply aren't hungry now but they'll be here soon, tonight is special. Marina will announce the new students to everyone else and there will be a short ceremony. Good luck." A gong sounds through out the room and Cali pulls Felicia to the table closest to the stage.

Marina walks onto the stage her golden hair in a ponytail ending at her knees. Her silver and deep green gown gives her the appearance of floating. She looks like a fairy fluttering just above the ground, except she doesn't have wings. She taps the microphone.

"Hello students, you all know what it was like to be the new kid at this school especially with the variety of students here, so don't scare the new students off. Ill call each of the new students names to come up onto the stage. Then well have the ceremony." Marina smiles and continues on by announcing the names of nearly one half of the school. The only thing keeping Felicia's attention right now is a boy with short light brown hair she spotted while scanning the crowd.

"Li Kamacho." The boy stands up and walks to the stage and comes to stand beside a girl dressed as a genie, a small lavender top and lavender baggy pants with slight floral decorations.

"Felicia Raye." Cali pokes Felicia sharp in the ribs with her elbow. Felicia stands cringing and walks up to the stage to stand beside Li. Felicia blushes almost the entire time she is standing next to him and she can only pray no one notices or will tease her. Cali giggles furiously in the crowd. While Lynn and Alysse beg her to tell them what's so funny. All Cali can get out is giggles as she falls out of her seat.

Err if she's noticed she better not tell them!

"Oh come on Cali stop laughing and tell us what's so funny!" Lynn begs.

"Look cat gurl if ya don't spill it now I'm gonna bite you." Alysse hisses and narrows her eyes and Cali points up to the stage at Li.

"What that "I-wanna-be-gothic-like-you-guys" kid? Or Felicia, Ha look Alysse she's got to have a crush on him!" Lynn bursts into laughter. Alysse shrugs and just stares at Lynn and Cali.

"That's her problem I couldn't care less." Alysse slips out her headphones and the portable c.d. player she snuck in earlier. She clicks the thing on and starts to blare a song by Korn.

"Hey Lynn." A boy with short blonde hair walks over to the table and sits in the empty seat across from Lynn.

"Oh, uh Hi Randy. Where's Phillip? I mean he is your tail isn't he, he goes everywhere you do."

"Right here." A boy with dusty brown hair and small oval glasses comes to stand beside Cali. He sits down next to her and looks up at Felicia.

"Who's the new girl? Is she in your room, man, she really looks like she has a crush on that new Li kid you'd think she would hide it a lil more." Cali narrows her eyes.

"For the gazillionth time today her name is Felicia I've had to tell every one here in the school cause you guys don't want to wait and all ask what her name is at the same time or listen to Marinas announcements. It doesn't seem like there's anything different about her. You two wizards will probably have her in a class or two with you I mean you do take the witch and wizardry classes so shell Probably train as a witch to begin with or I could be wrong and Marina might have something else in store for her and leave her alone!" They all nod in agreement except Alysse who has barely even noticed Randy and Phillip joining them.

"Ok students you may return to your seats." As Felicia returns to her seat Lynn, Randy, Phillip, and Cali burst into laughter.

"Are we ready then?" Marina glares at the school, which has slowly caught the laughter like a cold. The students stand and all begin to chant a few lines of something in a tongue unfamiliar to Felicia