Sitting in magic history class, we await a lecture from Ms. Europa.
On her chalkboard she has written "The Old Straight Track by Alfred Watkins. Below that is a map of Britain, with two diagonal lines going through it. On the left of that is a drawing of Luna Nova's tower and The Sorcerer's Stone, each accompanied by a description.
I scan over the students' faces.
Most have a look of boredom, except for Diana and Lotte, whom look attentively.
I, personally, am fairly excited, as I have always been interested in this subject.
I've looked better myself. When I stared in the mirror this past morning, I was greeted with black bags underneath unfocused eyes. Truthfully, it reminded me of Sucy.
Of course, Diana doesn't seem tired at all, in fact you would think she was sound asleep the whole night!
Akko, however looks like she is struggling to stay awake.
I turn behind me to face her.
"I know this lecture isn't the most exciting thing in the world, but why don't you try to stay awake?"
"No way, not after what Sucy did."
"What did she do?" I ask.
"Last night, she wanted to try out a luck potion on me. I drank it, and my arms suddenly grew into tentacles!"
"Wow, that does sound lucky." I say sarcastically.
"I was so angry, I chased her around our room all night. I just can't believe she used me as a guinea pig!"
The bell rings, signaling the beginning of class. The professor then begins her long awaited speech.
"As promised yesterday, we will be studying the book that is written on the board. Now turn to page thirty three of the book in front of you."
We all turn to that page, as she continues her speech.
"This book pinpoints the location of ley lines…"
I hear a soft breathing in my ear. Upon turning around, I see a sleeping Akko, drooling on her book.
Looks like she didn't take my advice.
Not wanting to get caught not paying attention, I turn back to the professor.
"…A ley line is an area that radiates magic. Thus, our academy is located on ley lines, which were advocated by Alfred Watkins. These ley lines act as a pipeline for our magical power. They carry the power to the tower of Luna Nova, and store it in the Sorcerer's Stone. The power stored in the Sorcerer's Stone can then be-"
She is cut off as Akko lets out a loud and obvious snore.
The teacher continues, but not before conjuring a pixie.
It moves towards Akko's direction.
"Well, the power can then be utilized as a source of our magical abilities as witches."
"Hey, Akko, Akko." Lotte whispers, trying to stir her friend awake.
The pixie grabs hold of Akko's ponytail, pulls her head up, and lets go.
The sleeping girl's face slams against the desk painfully.
Europa continues without losing stride.
"Those who use magic only for their benefit will be destroyed by magic for good. Can anyone tell me who said that?"
Diana raises her hand.
"Miss Cavendish."
The blonde stands up from her seat.
"T.S. Daniels, Wizardly Eudemonics."
"Very good. In order to properly use magic, you must first learn its history. Do you understand Miss Kagari?"
Akko raises her head, red from impact, she says
"Yes."
The bell rings, signaling the end of the period.
Before we leave, Europa gives us an assignment.
"Your homework is to read to page thirteen, and describe how this section benefits us witches."
But I'm a wizard.
We find ourselves back in the chairs we sat in yesterday during break.
Sucy begins the conversation.
"You know Akko, I have a potion that helps with tiredness."
This gives Akko the biggest grin I've ever seen.
"What, really?! Oh Sucy, you must let me try it!"
"Sure."
I've got a bad feeling about this.
Sucy pulls out a bottle of who knows what out of her satchel.
She then puts a brush into the liquid, and begins to dad Akko's nose with it.
Akko's face turns from excitement, into pain.
"That stings!"
"Stop whining, I'm almost done." Sucy says roughly.
"Does this really work?" Akko asks.
"Don't worry." Sucy mutters, Akko's fear not at all stopping her activities. "Have faith in Sucy's special magic potion."
Done with her work, Sucy puts her tools away.
A few seconds pass and Akko's face suddenly becomes inflated like a balloon. As her face shrinks back, her nose becomes the shape of a pencil.
Angered, Akko demands,
"What did you do to my nose?!"
Sucy covers her mouth with one hand to prevent any laughs from escaping, while giggling out
"Now, your nose is almost as big as Ted's!"
Damn Sucy, I must be a Bernie supporter, because I just felt the burn.
Akko comes to the realization that she had just been tricked…for the second time.
She jumps out of her chair.
"Hey! You used me as a guinea pig again!"
"Relax. Your nose will return to its normal size in an hour…maybe."
Akko becomes even more angry, causing Lotte to step in.
"Calm down. It's all because you fell asleep in class."
"That class was so boring, I couldn't help it! Who could?!" Akko asks.
"I don't know. I find the history of magic quite interesting."
"Same." I inform her.
Akko slams her hand on the table, as she sits back down.
"I don't care about ancient history! I didn't come here to become one of those moldy old witches, they're just no fun at all! I want to be a cool witch, like Shiny Chariot!"
Akko's voice rings through the halls, causing several heard to turn, including a certain blonde.
"Did you just say Shiny Chariot?" Diana asks from the top of the staircase. "I haven't heard that name in a long time."
"Diana, you know about Shiny Chariot? Isn't she like the coolest, ever?" Akko asks, full of glee.
"Oh my, you're so sad. How could you step into this academy, after being inspired by some pathetic fraud?" She asks, while walking towards our table.
"Hey! What did you say?!" Akko demands, standing up from her seat once again, clearly enraged that someone has insulted her idol.
Diana shoves her face in Akko's, causing the young witch to cower back.
"You should know that no witch or wizard cares for what she does." Diana states, in a matter of fact way.
"If you're into that kiddy stage magic." Hannah says, appearing to come out of nowhere.
"I think you should go to witch kindergarten. I'm sure you'll find many more kids at your level." Barbara jokes.
"I'll wipe that stuck up look off your face, Diana!" Akko yells.
"With what? Your stuck up nose?"
Diana then flicks Akko's magic manifested nose, causing her to fall back into the arms of Sucy and Lotte.
"Take care of yourself. Well, have a nice day." Diana says sarcastically, before strutting off with Hannah and Barbara in tow.
The latter two giggling like stereotypical school girls.
"I can't believe this! Ted, you like Shiny Chariot, right?" Akko demands.
"Who's Shiny Chariot?" I ask, me wondering why Akko is making such a big deal out of her.
Akko's face contorts into a look of hatred at my lack of knowledge.
Lotte and Sucy begin making slicing motions at their throats, behind Akko, signaling that I just messed up.
I try to regain myself.
"Uh, yeah Akko. I know who she is…" I lie. "She's a Disney character, right?"
Instead of a response, Akko grabs her hair, lets out a cry of rage, and runs out of the room. Well, that was a tad bit dramatic.
The bell rings, signaling the start of flying class.
I really hope we can go another day without riding a broom.
Like yesterday, we await in the same room, with the same statue. But unlike yesterday, Akko has not said a word to me.
She must still be angry about the whole Shiny Chariot thing.
No one has still told me who she is, oh well, Akko will get over it eventually.
Also, like yesterday, Volare comes stomping in.
"Follow me to the top of the tower, move it!"
We follow her, up the stairs, until we end up at a balcony.
The overlook is surrounded by a metal fence, except for a section that juts out, obviously intended for flying.
Well, I don't think we're here to just look at the scenery. I think this is going to be a very interesting day.
By looking at Akko, I can tell that she is thinking the same thing. In fact, she looks even more terrified than I do.
"So Akko, I can tell you're excited about this," I joke.
"Ummm…I'm just scared, I've never flown on a broom before." She answers back.
"That's two things we have in common."
Volare begins to hand each of us a broom, hardening my fears.
She stands at the edge of the balcony, as she explains why she brought us here.
"Listen up! This is you first time flying on school grounds. This is just a test drive, so watch out for your speed. Every year, some idiot tries to show off!"
I begin to get even more nervous, my fingernails digging into the wooden broom handle.
A student then hops off the edge, on her broom, and flies away.
"Who's next?" Volare asks, satisfied by the young witch's spirit.
A few more follow the routine, until only half of us are left. At this point, Akko looks very scared. She can hardly move, but is still getting through the line.
"When you get to the other side, just wait!" She calls out to the airborne students.
Akko moves to the front of the line.
"Good luck." I whisper to her.
"Ok, it's your turn now." The instructor says to Akko.
Instead of taking off, Akko just stares over the side, and gulps out of fear.
Clearly trying Volare's patience, the professor yells out
"What are ya waiting for?!"
Then promptly whacks Akko over the side with her broom.
She falls fast, almost hitting the ground, until she is halted in mid air, by her broom. She then flies up, so fast that I can barely see her. She can't be that bad at flying, something must be wrong with her broom. Her elevation reaches to that of the top of the tower, before coming to another stop. The force, causing her to spin around her broom multiple times.
I'm surprised that she hasn't vomited yet.
"Akko!" Lotte screams out, in fear of her friend.
Behind her, a student asks,
"What, exactly, is she doing?"
She's not good at magic. Isn't that obvious?
Akko seems to be winning the battle with her broom as again it stops, with her firmly on it. She smiles at her accomplishment, until she starts falling again.
Akko crashes into a tree, before roughly landing on the ground. Broken branches litter around her body, her broom falls on her head, the handle jabbing her skull, knocking Akko out.
"Akko! Are you okay?!" Lotte call out in concern.
Even Sucy looks uneasy at her fallen friend. That could have been me! Behind me, I hear someone mutter,
"Loser."
The teacher, along with Lotte and Sucy, grab Akko, and rush her to the nurse.
Walking down the hallway, I approach my dorm room, thinking about this event that just transpired.
It all happened so fast.
First we were all just waiting in line, tension growing within Akko and I. Then it was her turn, only to end up sustaining painful injuries. Then, Ms. Volare, too busy with Akko, sent us off to our dorms until next period started.
Quite an interesting day indeed.
Suddenly, I feel myself collide with someone, causing both of us to fall to the ground.
A bit confused, I eye the witch.
She is short, probably four inches shorter than me. She has long blue hair, done up in a ponytail, that's held together by a single bow.
She was also carrying several bags, electronic and robot parts litter the ground.
I get up and extend my hand to her.
"Sorry." I say to her.
She grabs it and I pull her up.
I expect a thank you, an I'm sorry for bumping into you, or at the very least an angry remark.
All she does is go on her hands and knees and gather up her machine parts.
I help her pick up her things and put it in her bags.
Still no thank you.
She begins to walk away.
I realize how hard it must be for a girl of her height to carry so many bags.
Not having anything else to do, I call out
"Wait, I'll help you."
She stops and stares at me blankly, thinking about my offer. Without a word, she nods and hands me two bags. I take them and walk with her.
As I follow her, I try to make small talk.
"So, what do you need these parts for?" I ask.
"…" Was all she said.
"What's your name?"
"…"
"Are you building something?"
"…"
The conversation continues on like this, until we finally reach her dorm room.
Her knocks on the door are answered by another student. This one has short messy blonde hair, green eyes, and looks to be taller than me.
She opens her mouth, about to say something, until she sees me. She gives off a smile, grabs me by my school uniform, and flings me into the room. Damn, just what have I gotten myself into?
She puts me into a headlock and turns to her short friend, who is closing the door. She asks jokingly,
"So, is this guy your sex buddy, or something?"
Both of us light up with embarrassment like a traffic light. The robot girl gives her friend an angry look. I wiggle out of her grasp. Yet again, it doesn't seem like she is going to speak.
"Ummm…yeah no. I was just helping her with her bags." I say.
"Oh that's cool. I'm Amanda and that's Jasminka." She points to a girl with pink hair ending in two ponytails. She is sitting on her bed, eating a bag of chips. On closer look, maybe one bag was an understatement, as I can see multiple bags strewn across her bed.
"I'm Theodore. And what's her name?" I point to the blue headed girl.
"She hasn't said a word to me this entire time."
"Well, no duh, she's a mute." Amanda says.
Well, that explains it.
Jasminka says the mystery girl's name. However, her voice is muffled under half a bag of chips, so all I can make out is,
"That's Cooper."
"What? Her name is Cooper?" I ask, dumbfounded by why they would name a girl Cooper.
Jasminka swallows her food and says, much more clearly this time.
"I said Constanze."
"Oh." I nod.
"By the way, shouldn't you three be in class?" I ask.
Amanda plops down in the bottom bunk bed, smiles and says,
"Screw school, it's boring as hell."
She does realize, she's in a school of magic, right? Boring isn't exactly the word I'd use.
"You helped Constanze with her bags?" Jasminka asks.
"Yeah."
"Wow Theodore, that was really nice. Here." She places a single chip in my hand.
"It's happy flavored." She says.
Happy flavored? What's that supposed to mean?
I pop it into my mouth.
Immediately, all my worries subside and are replaced by love and happiness.
"Ahh so good! The chip was a magnifico! And you're all so pretty it makes a my heart yea!"
Maybe a bit too much love.
"Jeez Jas, maybe you should of gave him half a chip." Amanda says.
Jasminka sighs,
"Ahhh, but I hate it when they act so reserved."
"No, no! I have never felt a like this before. I feel so free!"
At this point, it's the chip talking.
"Yeah, definitely too much." Amanda says.
Constanze nods in agreement.
"Ehh, why are you being such a big fat meanie pants? I even brought a the pasta."
Just what was in that chip?
"Who writes this guy's lines?" Amanda asks.
"Vee, no one. This all a comes straight from the heart!"
More like straight from the drugs that were surely laced in the chip.
Amanda turns to Constanze, who is currently fiddling with her robot parts.
"I think we should get him back to his dorm." She says.
Constanze nods and they both drag me out of the room, while I mumble about pasta.
It's night now, I'm sitting alone in my empty room, with a raging headache.
Who knew you could get withdrawal symptoms from snack food?
I wonder how Akko is doing.
She seemed hurt when they pulled her out, but those were only minor injuries. Cuts and bruises, we all get those. She will probably bounce back from it, she seems like the type of person to do so.
I don't know how long I was asleep for, but I do know that yet again I'm awoken by knocking.
You can't be serious, it's ridiculous! Haven't these people heard of beauty sleep?!
I roll out of bed, cursing whoever it is, leaving a mental note to put on my door a "Do not Disturb" sign on my door.
Maybe, an electric fence wouldn't hurt.
I open the door and face the person.
Seeing no one, I spot a note on the ground, but not a crude hand written note that you pass to your friends in class, but an official looking letter, with the seal of Luna Nova.
I pick up the note. Reading it to myself.
"Attention Students:
Tomorrow, all classes will be cancelled. Instead, go to the opening ceremony room, from the first day. Awaiting your arrival will be Ms. Ursula. Wait there until further instructions from the professor.
Signed with recognition-
Principal Holbrooke."
Whatever this could me, at least tomorrow won't be boring.