The ink flowed freely from the pen in her hand, held tightly by its long, delicate fingers. Her left hand was itching, almost as if jealous of the right, wanting something to do on its own. So she picked up another pen with the other, and began twirling it about absentmindedly as she concentrated on the letter before her. She was in her European History class, supposedly paying attention to the lecture. But like her mother, Candace's talent was to read ahead and absorb every detail on the page of her textbook. She knew the answers before the instructor ever bothered to call on her. Class participation, after all, was fifty percent of her grade.
But the words...she was concentrating on the words. And in so doing, she was concentrating on the homesickness that would sometimes affect her. While she wasn't paying attention, the gathering darkness of a storm rumbling in caught a few others' eyes - even though it was entirely against the day's weather forecast.
Dear Mother and Father;
It's another sunny day here in America. Okay, it's bloody hot here. Sorry, Daddy. Hot and humid. And the cold air has long ceased to operate in the auditorium in which I am currently sitting. The handlebar mustache on my poor professor has been wilting since the beginning of class. He's quite comical, really - all dressed up and no place to go.
I miss you; all of you. I miss the way Mummy twirls her hair 'round her digits while reading a good book. Or the way Daddy rolls his eyes when you do, Mum.
I miss the cat. I miss the rain. Who'd have thought that in only September that it would be an impossible ninety degrees fahrenheit with no drop in the mercuy within reach?
Otherwise, I'm fine. Classes are relatively easy, so far. Nothing like Hogwarts. And Muggles, they are so intriguing. All the things we use magic for, they have electronics for their usage. Don't get me started on the moving pictures...I believe my roommate called them movies. We went to see one about witches, and a few things they got right. But most of it was completely off-base.
Yes, Mum, I'm still taking my medicine. My roomie thought I was doing drugs the first time around, until the school nurse came to check on me the next morning. She found the note from St. Mungo's and understood perfectly (she's a witch! from the Salem Academy!).
Well, off I go. I do miss riding my broom, Da. Take care of each other. Christmas break is soon.
Love always,
Candace.
A crack of thunder and a flash of lightning quickly brought Candace back to the present. She looked around at her fellow classmates, who were currently staring out the windows at the raging winds tearing through the trees outside.
Apparently unnerved, her professor spoke loudly to get everyone's attention.
"Class, I will be dismissing you early before this gets any worse. See you all on Tuesday. Have a good weekend."
His decision was met with hoots of laughter as students quickly began to file out of the room to escape the coming rain. As Candace put her things away, she noticed a couple of girls taking their time getting to the door, as if waiting for her to follow.
Outside of the classroom, one of the two stopped her before she reached the outer door.
"Candace, right? I'm Mencia. This is my friend Abigail. What were you doing there in class? Not paying attention to that bore of a professor, I hope."
Narrowing her eyes, Candace looked them over a moment before opening the door in front of her. The wind whipped her hair around her like a halo, dark and wild and free.
"Nice to meet you. Candace Malfoy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be. Converse with you later."
She felt their stares as she walked out the door, heading back toward her shoebox of a dormitory. But she could not see the tiny smiles forming on the girls' lips.