AN: Well THAT took longer than anticipated. Really I was waiting for Firestorm to complete her OC submissions 'cause I THOUGHT I'd introduce them this chapter. Of course, I don't plan out my stories, so that'll have to wait 'til either the next chapter or the one after it. Anywho, I'm still accepting OC's, so feel free to PM (or review) them to me. So far the only two that have for sure landed main parts are Firestorm's characters.
Response to le reviews:
Firestorm: (I already responded, but again thank you for recommending my stories, for the awesome OC's, and for the high praise :D)
NightSkyWolves: It certainly has been a while :P I'll tell you what I told Firestorm in response to the emotion description: I put A LOT of my own experience with death into it to make it as genuine as possible (at least with my limited skills). As for the length thing, that's a first with me :D *fireworks and candy* XD PS: Anonymous can review their characters. I'm guessing you didn't see that part (or I explained it poorly, which wouldn't be a surprise really) ;P
Smurf Berry Pie: She certianly sounds interesting, especially wih the soul thing, but unfortuantely becuase she's so vague I won't be able to use her as a main character. If you want to you can add more info for me and she might land a part, but for now she might be a minor character. Also, can you PM me the submission if you make changes/still want her in this instead of review? I want to keep submitted OC's a surprise :3
ENJOY!
Chapter 2:
As Sylvia teleported, all I could see was a flash of brilliant white light. It made my head spin, and I began to feel nauseated again, though this was from a very different cause. For a split second I felt as if something were ripping me away from Sylvia, some type of magnetic force, and all of the sudden we were in a different room, the light vanishing in an instant. So that's what teleporting feels like?
"Sorry if that scared you sweetie." I flinched as Sylvia spoke, and I realized how tightly I was holding on to her. She looked down at me with gentle green eyes and let go of my hand, running her fingers through my hair before pulling away. Unsure what else to do, I made my way over to a group of kids who were sitting in the first two rows of seats. A few of them cast me a disgusted glance, clearly remembering how I retched in the orphanage. I stopped in my tracks, feeling my nails scratch at the coarse fabric of my pants, and realizing how I wasn't going to be very welcome among the kids I sat down in the fourth row, well away from them.
I rested Sellus's wooden toy beside me and looked at the picture, running a finger along his cheek, taking in every detail. His pointy red hat slumped slightly to the right - it had belonged to visiting wizard, so it was a bit too big for him - and his mouth was open as if he were explaining something. In one of his hands was the same doll I now had, and without tearing my gaze from the picture I reached over and absently stroked the wooden toy's hat, feeling the familiar rush of grief. He had been explaining the game we were going to play, where we pretended to be wizards at the Wizard City Arena. The wizard who loaned Sellus the hat had just explained what it was like, and Sellus immediately thought up the idea. It was also when he decided he wanted to become a Fire mage, a Pyromancer.
I looked up as the background noise of the gossiping students suddenly died down, and I saw that Sylvia was standing up in front of the Spiral Door, along with a sinister looking man. He had long, thin, raven-black hair, had stark white skin, and was dressed head to toe in menacing black robes. I safely assumed he was a Necromancer of some sorts. Both he and Sylvia were addressing the kids assembled in the area. I hesitated, looking at the picture one final time before laying it face-down in my lap. Grabbing the toy I hugged it and paid attention to Sylvia.
"When you first enter the Spiral Door, it will make you a bit dizzy. The first time is always a bit difficult; it's unlike anything you've experienced." Sylvia was explaining. A few kids exchanged glances with each other, murmuring anxiously. I wondered if it were anything like teleporting. It was fast-travel after all, just between different worlds rather than marks on the same one. "Is everyone ready?" Everyone nodded, everyone except for me. Suddenly it didn't seem like a good idea to go to Ravenwood. Sylvia glanced over at me and leaned over to whisper something to the man beside her. His dark eyes twinkled briefly, and after a quick nod to her he slowly made his way over. I gulped, shifting as far back in my seat as possible. He was absolutely terrifying.
"Sylvia told me about your brother," he knelt down beside me. "A shame something like that had to happen to such a young boy." I didn't respond, instead turning my head away from him. I heard him sigh, though it wasn't an unkindly or impatient one. It was almost...sympathetic. "I don't know what I would do if my twin were to die like that."
My head shot up, eyes widening as I turned to look at him. "You...you have a twin?"
He nodded. "A brother and one of the few people I have left that I can call family. He and I argue more often than not, but twins have a bond unlike any other, don't they?" I found myself nodding in agreement. Sellus and I always were closer than some of the other siblings were, and we always knew what the other was feeling. I shivered and hugged the doll closer to me, feeling a sharp prick in my heart. Oh Sellus…
The man stood up. "I'm Malistaire Drake. Sylvia is my wife if that makes you any more comfortable," The man - Malistaire - held out his hand. I guess if Sylvia likes him, then I can, but… As much as the guy terrified me, I didn't have much of a choice. Tucking the picture underneath my arm and continuing to hug Sellus's toy I jumped out of my seat and grabbed Malistaire's hand, letting him guide me to the Spiral Door. All of the others had already gone, leaving only me and the Drakes. Sylvia rested her hands on my shoulders.
"Are you ready?" I breathed in, feeling goosebumps form along my arms, and nodded. Malistaire let go of my hand and went in first, assuring me that he'd wait for me on the other side. I glanced up at Sylvia, who gave me a reassuring smile and gently squeezed my shoulder. Holding my breath I turned to the swirling portal, little sparks of light spiraling toward its center, and stepped in.
The experience was almost nothing like simple teleporting. Instead of feeling light-headed or nauseous, it felt like my body was being twisted in different directions. Instead of a simple white light, there was an aurora of colors flashing before my eyes, reds, blues, whites, purples...and just like regular teleporting, it all lasted for a mere second. When I felt solid ground beneath me I was trembling so much I nearly dropped Sellus's stuff. I tried to relax, taking deep breaths and hugging my picture and toy to my chest, but it didn't help much. As my eyes began to adjust to the dimmer, more natural light around me, I gasped in amazement. The room - at least I thought it was a room - was incredible.
I was so used to Marleybone's careful brickwork and architecture I didn't even consider how other places would have building made completely of wood. The walls, which looked to be made of a very strong, red-brown bark, stretched upwards towards a plume of emerald green leaves, where sunlight filtered through them just enough to naturally light up the very large room. Fancy dark green rugs with gold details - much like the ones I saw at Avalonian restaurants Miss Meredith often took me to - were evenly spaced out on the dark wooden floors. Trees circled the area, their leaves glistening as they gently drifted with the breeze. I glanced down and saw that I was standing on the only stone floor in the area, which was a light beige color, a bright green insignia of some type engraved into it, the center of the symbol being where the Spiral Door was. This room beat anything I had ever seen in Marleybone, and I shifted Sellus's toy in my arms so that he was facing forward, like somehow the toy could see for him. I felt Sylvia's soft hand rest on my shoulder, her smile as sweet as always.
"Cerise, welcome to World Tree...your first step into Wizard City."
The first thing the Drakes showed us was the main school area, Ravenwood. I had heard the stories and legends of Bartleby before - everyone knew about the Grandfather Tree - but I never imagined just how big he was. The great tree towered well above all several schools and dilled most of the ground with his long, moss-covered roots. Malistaire explained to us that Bartleby watched over the Spiral by use of his two eyes, which were given to him by his sister, the Great Raven. The Eye of History looked into the past, and the Eye of the Future foretold of coming events. They went on to explain each school and their pros and cons, as well as introduced us to the school trees: Ivan, Blossom, Moritis, Bernie, Kelvin, and Torrence. I had already learned about this from Jenstin though, so I hardly paid attention, instead enjoying the serene beauty of it all.
"Woah! Look at the Fire school, Cer! The tree looks awesome!" I could just imagine Sellus's voice as we passed the Pyromancy school. He always had a fascination with fire, and seeing as the Tree - Bernie - seemed to be completely made of it, it wasn't hard to picture Sellus sitting by his trunk and talking about one random thing or another. Despite being so close to the fiery school I shivered and hugged myself. Sellus deserved this, to be here in such a magical place, but he wasn't.
"It'll help if you focused more on your surroundings rather than your thoughts," the deep voice of Malistaire made me flinch. I focused my gaze on the ground and shrugged.
"I just like to think…" I murmured, shifting uncomfortably. It probably sounded like some lame, childish excuse in his ears, but it was enough to keep him quiet. He remained at my side as we continued on with the Ravenwood tour, he and Sylvia switching back and forth as they explained how the dorms were and what exactly Secondary classes were. I didn't pay much attention to them though, and I knew that somewhere down the line I'd pay for it.
The next area we entered was called the Commons. While it wasn't as magnificent as Ravenwood, it was more peaceful. A crystal clear lake, created by a waterfall over by a beautiful stone bridge, covered much of the area. There was a fountain in the middle of it, two wizards and a Piggle sitting at its top as two magical spheres circled them. The grass surrounding the lake was emerald green, trimmed and well kept with not a single dry patch in sight. Wizards in robes of all shapes and colors surrounded the area. A few guys were wearing some sturdy looking armor while other, much younger wizards' clothes weren't even properly dyed. One boy had a funny looking Jester hat on.
"This is where our tour ends," Sylvia turned to address the kids. "You will wait here until called upon by Ambrose."
"Where're the other enrollees?" someone called out.
"They will be arriving next week," Malistaire went over to stand beside his wife, eyes sharp as flint. "You guys are here a bit early because we want you to get used to your new surroundings." The was sudden blend of terrified and excited murmuring at the prospect of a new life, a new home.
"For now you will live in a house provided for you, though not all of you will be living together in a single area like at the orphanage. There will be groups separated evenly amongst you so there won't be any problems with room. Those who have a red scarf around their neck are the ones willing to adopt you until school starts, when you'll move to the dormitory." Many of the kids had already spread amongst themselves, linking arms and whispering excitedly to each other. Sylvia smiled warmly and dismissed us. Everyone spread out and searched for their soon-to-be guardian. Even though it was only for a short time, orphans were always excited when they were taken under someone's care. At least that's how I always viewed it.
I frowned and slumped down beside a tree, feeling exhausted. My stomach made and unhealthy gurgling sound and my eyes were so heavy I could've fallen asleep right then and there. I hugged my knees to my chest, resting my chin on them and trying to keep my eyes open. Sylvia glanced at her husband and made her way over to me, sitting down on the grass. "Poor dear…" she murmured, pulling a few strands of hair back behind my ear.
"I still don't know if I want to be a wizard, Mrs Drake," I murmured. I saw her exchange another glance with Malistaire before pulling me into her arms, gently stroking my hair with her fingers and planting a small kiss on my head. I hugged Sellus's doll and the picture closer to me and buried my face in her shoulder, wanting every bit of warmth I could get. Sylvia began humming a gentle song, a lullaby, and slowly my eyes began to close, her soothing tone the most relaxing thing I've heard since Sellus's death.
"How about we adopt her?" Sylvia''s voice was like an echo in my head, and the long silence that followed almost made me think I imagined it.
"Alright, we'll adopt her."
Malistaire's deep, sympathetic tone was the last thing I heard as I drifted asleep.
AN: OKAY YOU KNOW WHAT I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF. I LOVE THE DRAKE TRIO SO I HAD TO HAVE MALISTAIRE AND SYLVIA ADOPT HER SINCE THIS STORY'S SEPERATE FROM LG AND THEREFOR SEPARATE FROM FIRESTORM'S STORY, THEREFOR GIVING ME THE ABILITY TO DO THIS. So there. Yeah I know. "Bubu you're so unoriginal with this". Just shush. I have a few special twists in mind so don't give me the unoriginal hit-to-the-head yet.