Chapter 4:

The next morning Morrible woke to find Winter snoring in a messy heap on the other bed. She rubbed her eyes yawning tiredly as she stumbled out of bed. Morrible walked forward and then rather uncharacteristically fell over a bed post. Winter woke up to find Morrible had fallen on her face on the floor and she couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't everyday you woke up to seeing someone had fallen.

Winter laughed, "I hope you don't make a habit of this. I enjoy a nice long sleep."

Morrible shook her head, "It is hardly my aim to fall down every morning to wake you. I just get very clumsy when I get little to no sleep."

Winter cracked into a smile, "I think it would be beyond simple humour to ever meet someone with such a goal for I'm sure it would be easy to succeed. It would probably also give them a sense of achievement before the day has really started. How happy a person like that must be."

Morrible raised her eyebrows, "Must you be so awkward to talk with?"

Winter merely laughed rising out of her bed helping the other girl up by the hand.

She asked softly, "Morrible are you always so quick to temper?"

Morrible sighed, "Only when irritated."

Winter couldn't help another smile, "I'd imagine that would be quiet often."

Morrible gave a small smile in return, "More often than you could know."

Winter took out her timetable and snatched out Morrible's. "Looks like we take all the same classes except you're majoring in Sorcery and I'm majoring in Literature and Law, so we share most of the classes together. I can't wait."

Morrible gave Winter a sceptical look. "I see so we are we sharing Sorcery first thing."

Winter's eyes widened, "How did you know?"

Morrible gave a knowing smile, "A good student memorises their timetable from back to front."

Winter stared, "What in Oz have you memorised?"

Morrible laughed lightly in satisfaction, "All my books."

The girl blinked, "I…wow…I don't…how in Oz did you do that?"

Morrible this time stopped to think as she looked at the other girls reaction. For once Winter looked scared to the point of being petrified.

Morrible softened her tone. "What's the matter?"

Winter sat on her bed clutching her face in her hands. "I'm an idiot; I don't even know why I came here. I'm just so scared. I don't want to fail; I don't want to be expelled and sent back home. I don't want to be forced to marry and have children in the coming year. I'm only sixteen. I just want to be free to make my own choices in life.

"I ran away from home when I was accepted here. Now I'm going to be sent back, I hate it here but I hate it more there. I'm afraid and cornered and I don't know what to do. I don't want to fail, that's not an option for me. You have to understand I can't, I really can't."

Morrible sat next to the broken girl putting her hand on her back. "Don't worry it'll be fine, I promise. I'll tutor you if need be and I'll make sure you stay here and won't fail. You can't be that stupid if you made it here dear. You couldn't be. I promise I'll help you. Everything will be fine, just trust me."

The girl sniffed and wrapped her arms around the young woman. "Thank you. Oh thank you so much."

Morrible smiled softly putting her arms around the girl. "Its fine, but I expect you to listen to me and do exactly as I tell you."

Winter smiled softly, "Sure thing. I will I promise. Thank you."

Morrible composed herself, "Yes well, it wouldn't do to have you leave, and after all you are my friend."

Winter laughed as she wiped away the last of her tears. "I'm glade you think so."

Morrible couldn't help a small smile curve her lips. "We should get going or we'll miss class."

Winter laughed teasingly, "Oh perish the thought."

Morrible countered, "Make fun of me all you want but education is the most important thing available. If given the chance you should take advantage of every moment because each moment could mean taking you further into a larger world."

Winter smiled at the other girl's passion. It was amazing how fiery she got simply over an education. She supposed it was important but nearly as much as Morrible made it out to be and for that reason alone she couldn't help a smile as the other girl. It seemed to open her eyes to a new point of view and that was rare, especially for Winter who thought herself a narrow minded person. Who knew, she might even open her mind by the end of it all, you just never knew until you started a journey. Besides anything could happen you never know, even when things appear predictable they can be turned upside down with the simple passing of one moment.

Morrible quickly dressed into a black dress with two thin parallel white lines contrasting with the black at the hem on the dress as well at the end of the short sleeves. There were white buttons in the front of the dress that stopped at the waist. That was their uniform and strangely enough it was very well fitted and looked rather nice. Winter quickly put on her uniform.

Morrible looked at the other girl and smiled, "You look very smart, though you should take out all those nots in your hair and shine your shoes."

Winter crossed her arms, "I refuse."

Morribles face softened, "I'm afraid we have to because if you get caught enough times with your uniform out of place, stained or dirtied or if you simply look sloppy you can be expelled."

Winters face fell, "Does that mean we have to clean our room?"

Morrible smiled softly at the other girl. "No, they stopped inspections fifty years ago. The numbers of students came here were too much so they stopped it due to lack of staff to uphold the inspections, luckily for us."

Winter looked at Morrible's half of the room; it was spotless, perfect and neat, yet very personal with pictures and books neatly stacked. Whereas Winter's half was messy but organised and overly personal with pictures and books placed in piles all over the floor.

She sighed, "I guess."

Morrible smiled at the other girl grabbing a brush and sat behind her. Morrible gently brushed the girl's hair getting through all the nots and tangles. She smiled as she noticed the other girl had very sleek dark red hair that looked beautiful.

Morrible spoke when she was done. "Can I please have your shoes?"

Winter blinked in surprise as she took off her shoes to Morrible. Morrible took them to the bathroom and shined them, erasing all traces of mud. She came out with the perfectly shined black shoes giving them to Winter.

Morrible spoke as Winter put on her shoes. "I expect you to shine your own shoes next time."

Winter shook her head, "You really are crazy."

Morrible's face grew to that of worry. "How in Oz am I crazy?"

Winter replied softly, "Because you're so strict and organised. I mean you act like someone sixty years older than what you are, but then again I like you for that reason. You're a nice person and you're looking out for me though you barely know me. I think that that's rare in person. Actually how old are you?"

Morrible answered, "I just turned eighteen and if you put it that way, I'm more that happy to be crazy."

Winter giggled with a small smile, "I am more than sure that you're crazy. Come on lets get to class or we'll be late."

They soon got to class and took out their books. They were going to learn about Sorcery. When they walked through the door all the boys stood looking at the girls unwelcoming, like they didn't belong, even when they had every right to be there. They were the only girls in that whole class. They took their seats sitting right next to each other in the front row. A man walked in wearing a different uniform to the students, he wore a navy three-piece-suit. The boys were all wearing black three-piece-suits, with long-sleeved white shirts, with the white parallel line at the end of their suit sleeves.

He stared at the class sternly and they sat immediately.

He spoke seriously, "Gentleman", he peered stonily at the girls "and Ladies."

The boys watched him seriously, giving stone glances to the girls.

The lecturer continued, "Here you will learn sorcery, you will learn the secrets to what men have fought their lives over, wars have been created for the very reason of what you are to learn. Magic, Sorcery, it is up to you as to how you use these powers and it's up to me to teach you. Can anyone tell me the first recorded evidence of Magic known in our great land of Oz?"

Morrible immediately raised her hand.

He peered around to find no one else seemed to know. "I'm disappointed. I'd have thought more of you would have taken the initiative to look this up. Yes Miss Morrible."

Morrible smiled confidently. "It was back in the Ozma era, when a young girl, a fairy showed signs that were unusual and showed that she was naturally gifted at Magic. She was later, when she reached an age not much older than us that she was named the ruler of Oz. She was crowned the first Ozma and since then Magic has been taught, all of it as far as we can tell roots to her and her first sign of Magic."

The lecturer smiled, "Excellent answer Miss Morrible. Does anyone know why it was such a good answer? Because it was thorough and detailed, though I'm afraid it was a little too detailed Miss Morrible and for that reason you may lose marks."

Morrible blushed and nodded, keeping that to heart, remembering not to create so much detail in an answer. The rest of that lesson flew past as Morrible found herself enjoying her time there. By the end of the lesson Morrible was putting her books in her bag only to be called by the lecturer to stay behind with Winter.

The lecturer was a tall man, with greying blond hair and hard brown eyes; he carried a black cane with him, as he walked with a slight limp.

He nodded, "It's wonderful to have you in my class Miss Morrible. I believe it to be a privilege."

Morrible nodded, "Thank you Mr Blacksmith."

He smiled, "Don't let the boys pressure you in anyway. Remember you deserve to be here just as much as they do and that goes for you too Miss Summerlands."

Winter nodded, looking down and avoiding eye contact. At that they were dismissed, Morrible caught Winter by the hand and walked the embarrassed girl out of the classroom.

Winter sighed, "I'm sorry, I just."

Morrible comforted her, "There's no need to explain."

Winter was still looking at the ground. "I just felt all those eyes watching me, like I didn't belong, like I was worthless and I hated it Morrible, I hated it. I heard the whispers, I'm not stupid. I just..."

Morrible moved forward and put her arms around the other girl soundly, comforting her gently. "It'll be fine. Don't listen to them. As Blacksmith said, we have every right to be here. Don't let them, those bastards take that from you, alright Winter. No matter what, don't let it get to you or it'll only get worse, okay."

Winter sniffed, drying her tears on her sleeve, "Okay. I'm sorry that I keep crying, you must think…"

Morrible spoke, "I don't think anything. You're a wonderful girl and don't you think otherwise. There all just ignorant bastards so don't think about them. Just think about where you're going and how you're going to get there. That's what's important, not them, you are important and don't let anyone make you think for a second otherwise."

Winter laughed softly through tears, "You barely know me."

Morrible nodded, "True, but I barely know myself so that's okay then."