Whenever Evergreen was wrong about something, he always owned up to it. Admittedly, he had been just a touch dramatic before when he had worried that the rest of the summer would be unbearable for him. He had been wrong to worry; it wasn't as if he were going to be tortured or in pain; he only had to wait a little bit. He should have realized that waiting for the rest of summer for school to start was just more time that he had to prepare for it. And prepare, he did.

He spent the last few weeks of his summer reading through all his schoolbooks, doing his best to memorize some of the incantations and wand movements. He was careful not to use his wand during this time, though; he had more sense than that. According to Draconite, he possessed one of the most powerful wands in existence, and he figured he would have had to be pretty dumb to swing it around like he was some kind of wizened sorcerer while he was still untrained.

He also read about some history of the wizarding world in American Magic Through the Ages, Part 1 by Johanna Erek Wellington, including that of the girl he had learned about in Underhill Market, Dorcas Twelvetrees. He decided that it had been unfair of Draconite to call her stupid. She fell in love with someone who wasn't who they seemed. It wasn't her fault that he wasn't trustworthy after all. You couldn't help who you fall in love with, Evergreen thought.

He also read about the creation of the MACUSA, The Magical Congress of the United States of America, and about the Salem witch trials through the perspective of the magical world. If he had thought that that was a dark history before, it seemed even darker now that he knew there really were witches and wizards. He quite enjoyed the book about defense against dark magic, as it had been written by his mom shortly before she and Dad were married. Reading her words really made her feel more alive for him, and the book soon became one of his most precious possessions, due to its connection to her.

He also looked through his potions set and identified a few interesting ingredients that he recognized from his beginner's alchemy book. Its author was Nicholas Flamel, who had apparently been almost 700 years old when he died due to a special potion he made called the "Elixir of Life". Evergreen began to wonder about how one would go about making something like that, and if it could be used to bring someone back who was lost. This was an intrusive thought, and he pushed it out before it could dwell very long in his mind. He wasn't really the type to dwell on false hope.

Evergreen found his telescope to be even more interesting than he'd realized, as he noticed that, despite it being no bigger than a common household telescope, he could use it to see all the way from the rocky surface of Mercury to the Kuiper belt in the outermost reaches of the solar system. It was the coolest thing he had ever seen. He realized that, with the same enchantments on a telescope in an observatory, one could probably view nearly every corner of the galaxy! He wondered excitedly whether any wizard had done anything like that before. Evergreen's mind reeled with the possibilities that magic suddenly had opened for him.

Seta proved to be an invaluable tool. Not only were they becoming fast friends, but Seta was the perfect individual to help quiz Evergreen on all the things he was learning. He practiced his wand movements with one of Dad's drumsticks, and according to Seta, he was doing well. The bunny kept emphasizing the importance of Evergreen being ready to face the darkness that was coming. Despite the serious nature of it all, however, the two young individuals really enjoyed one another's company over those few weeks. Dad would come and go to work, and he would take.

Evergreen and Seta out for a break when he got home. Usually, they went out for some food, sometimes to a local amusement park, sometimes to a movie. It was during these breaks that Dad would tell him about some of the magic that Mom had explained to him many years ago.

Time went by quickly, and it was soon the penultimate week of August. This is when Dad approached Evergreen with a curious artifact. It was a large case, somewhere between a suitcase and a treasure chest. It was about three feet long, two feet thick, and about one and a half feet tall. It was a deep, crimson red and its metal bindings were a deep navy. On the top of the case was a large, yellow, five-pointed star, exactly like the one on the door to the Marina vault at the bank.

"Dad, what is this?" he asked, reverently, already anticipating the answer.

"It was your mom's school trunk. It was actually made by her ancestor, Abraham Pierson, for his daughter Sarah who entered Ilvermorny in the 1660s. It has been passed on ever since. He was a priest or a reverend or something, but I guess making things like this was kind of a hobby."

"Well, that's cool." Evergreen replied, running his fingers over the imprinted golden star.

"I figured that mom would have wanted you to have it for school."

"Thanks, Dad. I love it." And Evergreen meant it.

They spent much of that afternoon packing up all of the things that Evergreen would need for the school year. They didn't pack up the wand though. On the off chance that it may be needed, they left it out and figured that Evergreen could hold it in a holster that Seta had made for him. Evergreen did take it out of its box though, which he stored in his room. He held it up and noticed maybe two dozen runic symbols on the handle that he hadn't noticed before. He imagined he'd probably find out their meaning at school.

He found it curious that, as he touched each symbol on the wand, a different tone or musical chord sounded. He and Dad were both surprised and, after figuring out the sound associated with each symbol, Evergreen started to play the backing track for "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol. The ethereal music lit up the room slightly, and after a few lines, they heard a small "pop!" and a model toy car suddenly appeared between them on the floor. Evergreen immediately stopped playing and put his wand down.

"I think I'll n-not d-do that again until I ask about those runes."

"Good idea." Dad responded, slightly surprised, picking up the small car, resolving to put it away in his junk drawer, never to think about it again.

Before long, it was August 26th, the day Evergreen would leave for Ilvermorny. The Ilvermorny Pacific train was scheduled to leave the station at 10:00 AM. If they missed the train, that was it. For that reason, Dad was sure to get them all ready to leave as early as possible. So, at 8:45, they got into the truck and fastened Evergreen's trunk to its bed. Evergreen was dressed in a pair of gray jeans and a nice, short-sleeved, button-up shirt, and Seta was sure to polish his own pocket watch and his black and white loafers in preparation for the big day. It would be the longest that Evergreen had ever spent without Dad, so he knew it would be hard, but hoped it would be good for the two of them. At least, that's what they kept telling themselves.

"Did you get everything you needed?" Dad asked.

"I think so." Evergreen replied.

"You think so?" Dad questioned, an eyebrow quirked quizzically, reminding Evergreen momentarily of Dwayne Johnson.

"Sorry, I know so. We p-packed together and I h-have the change left over from our t-trip to Underhill. I should be fine."

"Alright. In you go, then." Dad said to the boy and the bunny.

The ride to Union Station seemed to take forever, when, it was only 20 minutes. There wasn't even any traffic, which was odd for Downtown Portland on a Saturday. The sun was already heating up the pavement. It was just past 9:00 and it was already well into the 70s. Dad had a single drop of sweat on his temple, but if anyone had asked whether he was a little too warm, he would have definitely denied it.

Looking up, they saw the familiar clock tower of Union Station looming over them. The clock said 9:06, and a feeling of anxiety settled over Evergreen. Dad pulled the truck into the parking lot next door to the station, and Dad looked over at his son.

"Nervous?"

"Me? Yeah. I g-guess I am."

"You'd be dumb as a stump not to be. Just know that I love you, E.E. I just want you to have a good time and to become the person you were meant to be."

"What if I n-need you, though?" Evergreen pleaded.

"In that case, I have one more thing for you."

Dad pulled out a golden pocket watch that Seta looked at with much interest.

"Is that an Invicta?" Seta asked, with wide eyes and a nose that quivered more swiftly.

"Yes. It's a twin." Dad said, pulling out a silver one.

"Invicta is one of the few places this world can almost beat Bunnybury." Seta replied. "The pocket watches there are really top-notch."

"But how can a pocket watch help me with anything?" Evergreen asked, exasperatedly.

"E.E., anytime you feel like you need me, just open this up, say 'Dad', and we'll be able to talk. Your mom and I used them while we went back and forth between here and Oz."

"Kind of like a walkie talkie?"

"Exactly. That's what I said when she showed them to me, in fact."

They laughed as they got out of the truck. Dad untied the straps that held the trunk in place and lifted it out with one arm and a mighty groan. They made their way over to the pay booth, where all Downtown parking was charged, and paid five dollars for the hour. After that, they rushed across the street to the station.

The building was about the size of a small shopping mall. It was brown and orange and felt very busy, as per usual for the downtown station. They walked in and looked around for a minute before they finally spotted the sign, carved into the wall to their right, advertising "PARCELS NEWS CIGARS!"

They looked around as they walked to the other side of the massive main room. There was a small desk with a woman answering questions at one end and a huge board showing train call numbers and departures and arrivals on the other. Evergreen noticed that Ilvermorny Pacific was absent from the board. It made sense, considering that magic was a very well-kept secret from most of the No-Maj population.

Walking around the small shop in the center of the station's main lobby, they searched for the mark that Professor Woods had mentioned. They had previously searched at their public library for how a Gordian knot looked. Considering how bookish Evergreen was, he had been able to find it quickly. Upon getting home, however, they realized that a Gordian knot happened to be printed on the backside of Evergreen's train ticket, so there had been no reason to look it up. That had certainly not been Evergreen's proudest moment.

When they came around to the back of the shop, they realized that they did not see the stone imprint that was mentioned. Evergreen started to panic. What if they never found it and he missed the train? They circled the shop several times and Evergreen was in full-on panic mode. Just when he felt like all was lost, he heard a familiar voice.

"Greenie," Link called "What are you looking for?" Relieved, Evergreen turned to his friend before answering.

"The knot. We c-can't seem to find it."

"It's right there, behind you."

Dad and Evergreen turned to see the wall facing the back end of the shop. There was the knot! It would have been nice to know that it wasn't on the walls of the shop, but there on the outside walls. Thank goodness for Link Blackguard!

"Do you remember my mom?" Link asked, gesturing to the woman behind him, who was a head shorter than Link and had big hair and thin glasses resting on the bridge of her nose.

"You can call me Lynnette." She said, smiling.

"Peter Quandary." Dad replied politely.

Lynnette was quite short, curvy, and pretty, as far as mothers go. Her smile, though, was quite warm. Evergreen felt calmer when she smiled at him. Then, he felt a pang in his heart, wondering if his mom's smile might have had the same effect.

The adults, kids, and the bunny then turned toward the wall. Evergreen looked perplexed. What were they supposed to do now? He sure wished Professor Woods would have been more specific.

"The wall," Link offered. "It's not real."

"What do you mean?"

"You just have to run through it."

"Like Kitty Pryde in the X-men?

The reference was totally lost on the young wizard, and he stared at Evergreen blankly.

"Here," Link continued, "watch me and Mom do it."

"Okay…" came Evergreen's uncertain response.

Dad and Evergreen then watched with the utmost interest as the Blackguards and their trunk rushed at the wall and vanished. The Quandarys shared an odd look and then shrugged. "More than meets the eye," Evergreen thought, as they followed suit, running straight into the wall. Seta's ears were covering his eyes the whole way.

Instead of crashing head-on into the stone wall, they found themselves outside suddenly, at a station with only one train. The train was painted forest green and had a large golden sign on the side of it saying "Ilvermorny Pacific." Looking around, Evergreen saw countless young magic users, his age and older, and a few parents who were clearly witches and wizards. Other parents just looked sort of lost and vaguely uncomfortable, just like Dad. Link was there, just getting his trunk loaded on.

"Welcome to the other side!" Link exclaimed, flashing a contagious grin that put Evergreen in an instant good mood. What a grin.

"Thanks. That w-was the weirdest th-thing ever, Link. You d-do things like this all the t- time?"

"You'd be surprised at some of the things that you could get used to." he replied with a laugh.

Looking back at Dad, Evergreen suddenly felt a wave of sadness. He'd never been away from Dad for very long before. Part of him wanted to stay because he felt like Dad would be so alone without him. Sure, grandma and grandpa were there, as were Dad's cousins, Jerry, and Eddie, who both had families of their own. They had a big family, despite Evergreen's immediate family only consisting of half of one. Still, he felt slightly guilty for leaving Dad.

He looked up at his dad with a strong, resolved expression. He must go, so that he can keep his family safe. If leaving Dad for a few months meant maybe one day saving his life, so be it. He gave Dad the biggest hug he could muster, and Dad blinked rapidly to prevent his eyes from watering. He held his son tight and, when Evergreen let go, Dad clasped him by the shoulders.

"I'm so proud of you, and I know your mom would be too. You're a good man. I love you E.E."

"I love you too, Dad. I'll see you at Thanksgiving?"

"Not if I see you first."

Dad and Evergreen laughed for a moment, relieving the tension a little bit. In the final moment, Dad whispered to Evergreen that it was probably best not to tell too many people that he was Glinda's son. It may complicate things. Evergreen assured Dad that he would be smart and safe. Then, Evergreen approached the train and got help loading his trunk. Looking back, he saw Dad and Lynette standing together, waving at their boys as they got on the train. It was curious how short the train was. There was only one boxcar! How could just one box car fit all the students of an entire school?

Evergreen followed Link into the train up to an empty booth. They sat down across from a girl with copper-colored skin and long, straight black hair. She was wearing a blue skirt that went down just past her mid-thigh and a smart, red blazer. Evergreen thought that she was pretty behind her black, blockish glasses. The girl was reading a book that Evergreen recognized: Ender's Game,by Orson Scott Card. It was a favorite of his from his library back at home.

"Hi." Evergreen said.

"Hi." She replied, looking up, her eyes briefly locking with his.

Her voice was deeper than he had expected, but not unpleasant to listen to. She looked back down at her book and let out a little chuckle. She had a lovely smile, Evergreen thought. He wondered if Link had also noticed.

"I like Orson Scott Card too," Evergreen said.

"So, wizards read sci-fi as well?" she twittered, with a nervous giggle.

"What's an Orsonscott Card? Is it a trading card, like the ones that come in the chocolate frog boxes?" Link asked excitedly.

"I d-don't know what wizards like," Evergreen answered, ignoring Link. "To tell you the truth, I didn't even know about magic until recently. My m-mom was a witch, but I n-never knew her."

"Oh." is all she said.

"So, you're a No-Maj-born, too?" Link asked eagerly.

"That's what Professor Woods told me. She said I'm the first magic user in my family."

"You met Professor Woods? She's the coolest ever, right?" Evergreen offered.

The trio continued to chitter away, learning about each other's experiences with magic. The girl introduced herself as Andie Divisa, explaining that she had actually been adopted by a nice No-Maj couple. She giggled in embarrassment when she revealed that she had once accidentally turned her dad's hair a neon green color, which luckily had faded within a day, and how she had, another time, unwittingly caused herself to spontaneously sprout a tail. It was a good thing that these were only temporary things, though, for she wouldn't have had the foggiest notion about how to reverse the magic.

On the other hand, Link had come from a long line of witches and wizards. He proudly told them about how the Blackguard family had descended from Merlin himself, and how Link's ancestors had eventually traveled from England over to the New World on the Mayflower. His ancestors had been forced to flee to the West Coast because of growing intolerance to witchcraft, eventually taking refuge with the Tututni Natives, who were already aware of magic, though not many were witches or wizards themselves. This area soon became the Tututni Settlement of Magic. Only a few First People lived there anymore, but they had lived close by, once upon a time, acting as a smokescreen to shield the magic users from No-Maj view for many years. Eventually, most of the Tututni people had been forced into a reservation. Only a few remained in the settlement. Most of those who remained were related to Link's family.

Pretty soon, a wizard in red and white striped robes strolled past their booth. He had on a backpack and a hat, both of which were stacked in the most haphazard manner with all sorts of snacks. Some looked super sugary, and some were filled with carbs. Either way, it seemed like a good idea for the kids to get their fill. Evergreen recognized a few things on the piles from his trip to the sweets shop in Underhill, such as the Laughing Licorice, but there were also unfamiliar, yet tasty-looking goodies, such as bite-sized cheeseburgers with purple buns.

"I like your bunny." Andie said with a smile, looking at Seta, who was seated like a proper gentleman on the bench between Evergreen and Link.

"Thanks!" Evergreen exclaimed while working to separate two whipping cream puffs that were, as expected, trying to beat one another senseless. "His dad was really close to my mom. I guess you could say that our p-parents are old friends."

Seta remained silent at his own behest. He figured that he could speak to these children if and when Evergreen grew to trust them. After a while, something came to Evergreen's mind. "Link, do you have any idea why the train is so short?" he asked. "It doesn't look big enough to transport a whole school's worth of children. Are there multiple trains? Multiple stops?"

"I don't really know. My mom and dad didn't really tell me much about the train."

Just then, a tall, muscular boy appeared in the doorway of their booth. He was, perhaps, 16 or so. He had dark hair, was already wearing his cranberry and navy robes, and also had a golden pin on his chest proudly pronouncing ASB PRESIDENT. He looked down at the group with a broad, all-American smile.

"I overheard you asking about the train. Well, welcome to the Ilvermorny Pacific Boxcar. It begins in Anchorage Alaska, with its last stop in Las Vegas before heading straight to Mount Greylock."

"So," Evergreen continued, "This train only services the West Coast then?"

"You catch on quickly, sixer!" the boy enthused. Evergreen didn't have time to question the meaning of the strange moniker, for the boy continued breathlessly. Perhaps it was referring to the fact that they were in the 6th grade. "This is one of five boxcars that make up the Ilvermorny Express. We will be meeting up with and joining the other cars along our journey to Ilvermorny. We will meet the first car at Albuquerque, and the rest along the way after that. The meeting of the cars is always quite exciting!"

"And you are?" Link asked politely.

"Apollo Warin, ASB President for the next two years." The boy said proudly, puffing out his chest where the badge gleamed.

"I'm Link Blackguard, and this is Andie Divisa and Evergreen Quandary."

"Well, welcome sixers! See you around."

He walked off, leaving Evergreen wondering what exactly he had meant by the "meeting of the boxcars". It left all three kids a little wary. The train stopped briefly in Los Angeles and again in Las Vegas to pick up more kids from the area. Evergreen had never been to either of those places, but Andie had traveled quite a bit growing up, so she told them about a few stories from her experiences there. The trio was even more uneasy when they heard a voice call out, shouting to everyone to "hold on to something!" As they approached Albuquerque, their estimated time of arrival was 10 minutes. Just 10 minutes until Evergreen would find out what "the meeting of the boxcars" was.