Chapter 5 - Class is on
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The next day comes; too soon for Alex's standards.
Now, minutes away from her first class, Alex sits behind her desk waiting for her students to arrive. Well, sits only in theory. She is practically lying on her chair. Yeah! Her chair; her desk; her classroom. That is a new feeling for her, to be on the other team. She is the teacher now, the one with the power, the one to be hated - not that this bothers her.
Her face hides behind her art magazine, which she flips while she waits.
The kids arrive. All of them 14, 15, maybe 16 years old, around the same age Alex was when she started learning improvisation. They come in calmly and in order, one by one taking their sits. No running, no loud screaming.
Alex slightly lowers her magazine, eyes squinted in a puzzled expression, and watches them as they occupy the classroom. She can't believe they are so tamed. … No problem, she will take that out of them.
Alex gets up from her chair and walks to the front of the class. She looks around at the kids, all staring at her, not one sound in the classroom as they wait for her to start. Seriously, they are creeping her out. Could they be any more nerdy?
On the black board behind her, same as her father did when he taught her along with Justin and Max, it's written "Spell Improvisation or Make'em Ups" in very artistic and big letters.
"For young wizards, among the most important skills to master is Spell Improvisation or, as we commonly call it, make'em ups." She almost repeats her father's words, as Justin instructed her a day ago.
Alex walks around, in front of the students. "That's when you have to create a new spell completely off the top of your head in a moment of need." Well at least she remembered this part on her own.
"BUT…" She puts on a lot of emphasis. "…just because it's possible, it doesn't mean it's easy. It takes a lot of practice to make it work the right way … Well, I mean, the way you want it to work. It doesn't mean it's always the right thing. That's usually my case!" She says in a laugh.
But the kids show no reaction. Really?! What is Justin doing to these kids?
"Errr! … Alright!" Alex tries to recompose herself. "Just to give you an example that things are not always that easy, the first time I tried a 'make'em up' I ended up trapped inside of a horror movie. My brother had to come in after me and help me get out. And when we got out, we ended up bringing the villain of the movie out with us."
"Wow! Wicked!" Says the student who is just next to Alex. "It must've been a pain to put him back in the movie."
She looks down at him, deadpan expression on her face. Then she looks up, eyes squeezed trying to force her memory, "Did we?" comes to her mind, followed by a few more seconds of doubt. "Whatever! That was Justin's problem, anyway. He did the spell that got us out." She concludes.
"The point is…" She quickly turns around and walks away. "…without practice, this kind of spells can be unpredictable. With some experience you will know the things you can or cannot do, and how." Again she stops beside the same kid. "Until there…" She points straight at him, a menacing narrow stare on her eyes. "DON'T TRY IT!"
The kid stares at her, wide-eyed, surely scared. Exactly what Alex wants.
"UNDERSTAND?!" She shoots at the rest of the class with the same stern stare, getting the same reaction from them.
"Good!… … Now…" She turns around and walks back to the front of her class.
"PROFESSOR RUSSO!?" Justin's voice comes out of the speaker system, interrupting Alex's introductory class.
She holds back a laugh that almost escapes her, a smile still hanging on to her lips, though.
"Please present yourself to the Headmaster's office." Justin's voice continues with a slight hint of how angry he is, even if still keeping a slow pace. "RIGHT NOW!" He shouts, turning off the speaker.
"Excuse me, class!…" Alex tells the students mid laugh. "I have to answer the Headmaster's call. I think we can call it a day. Just don't destroy the classroom."
Moments later, Alex comes in to Justin's office and finds him on the floor, both hands and a foot stuck on that bigger book that stood alone on a shelf. Alex breaks down laughing, of course.
"GET THIS SPELL OFF ME!" Justin yells.
Alex laughs even harder. She takes her cell phone and snaps a picture of his… well… situation. Only then she actually walks in, going to the cabinet on the back. She takes the undo dust clearly displayed on an open shelf, comes back to Justin and sprinkles a little bit on top of him, breaking the effect.
Justin quickly gets up. He angrily throws the book on the couch and shoots Alex a mad stare. "I know you did this!" He affirms gritting his teeth.
"Yup! I'm just sorry I lost you trying to get the speaker on. That must've been hilarious." She laughs again.
"Let me guess. You put the same spell on all the books on the shelf. …Didn't you?"
"Of course! How would I know which one you were going to take? I had to play it safe!" Alex tells him.
"Undo it, now!" He demands with a fierce tone.
"Fine." She opens the pot and drops a bit on her hand, then she throws it against the bookshelf.
Rubbing her hands clean, Alex says "Just call if you need me to do it again." She turns around and leaves quickly.
It takes a couple seconds but "Wait! What?" He realizes. "What do you mean? Why would I need you again?" He yells at her, but she is already gone. Could she have put any other spell in there? "ALEX!" he screams for her again, to no effect.
And now he is going to spend the rest of the day afraid of falling into another one of her pranks. She so knows how to play him.