Charles king lonely hope part 1
Chapter 4

I was woken up to a bird singing outside my window, normally that wouldn’t wake me up but I was already excited and my body couldn’t wait for the day to start, I could smell toast and the closing of cupboard doors and decided that it was probably my mum in the kitchen and I will go down and see her, I swung my leg out of the covers and over the side of my bed before pricking my heel off the side of a book, a grimoire the dark magic one, picking it up, I wonder why I would even be given it as a present, nobody in hundreds of years has been revealed to be a dark mage.

In the kitchen was my mum there in her white fluffy dressing gown, reading a magazine with a knife floating next to her. It’s strange seeing a new kitchen nothing like our old one this one is bigger with a large island in the middle and cupboard lining either side, and glass windows that slide open.

“Morning sweetie” she said “Toast?” She snapped her fingers and the knife began to butter the toast that had popped out of the toaster and landed neatly on a plate.

“Thank you”′ I took a seat on a stool across the island from Mum.

“You okay?” Mum asked when I started rubbing my foot.

“I hurt my foot by standing on a grimoire... the dark one ironically.”

“ironically” my mum responded quizzingly.

“Meant to be evil isn’t it, dark magic?” I didn’t expect my mum to scoff at me that was a surprise.

“And fire mage’s are all hot tempered, lightening mages are energetic and light mages and angels” she giggled to herself; I could feel a lecture coming on. “Everything I have learnt about magic, mages, and history. Is that what you think about magic having an effect on a person’s personality is laughable. Do you know why people believe dark mages are evil?”

“No mum” I was right lecture time.

“Each mage has their own natural magic that their bodies produces naturally. Mines water, Lincoln and your dad are fire, God knows what yours will be, anyway you can use other elemental magic along with neutral magic of course, neutral magic is the basic magic. Everyday magic, to move a pencil, to turn on a light switch, make a knife hover” she pointed to the knife that floated over to her. “it can make people stop talking, it can make them dance, throw up or even turn them to an animal, but natural magic is different, performing magic that isn’t neutral or your natural magic it can take a toll on the body, and the worse one is Dark magic it can badly effect the body but on the upside its arguable the strongest magic, so you can see where I am going only certain people can perform this magic without draw backs, making them the strongest”

Mum stared at me with a smile on her face, she said after being in the guild she wanted to be a teacher, I could see it, she would be a great one.

“If they are so strong how did they all die out?” I asked.

“They didn’t die out, they were hunted down and killed, it dates back to the Roman times, when dark mages were hired as soldiers then when they proved too strong they were rounded up and killed. It happened multiple times in history, they would have to fight back, and now Dark mages are known for causing rebellions and death which is wrong if they weren’t trying to fight for their life for just living. do you think they would still be classed as evil or just something completely different?.”

“I think you’re right mum, you’re really into this aren’t you?”

“Think I might be a good history teacher, what do you think?”

“you’d be the best,” I said and hoped she knew that I meant it with everything I had.

“Take some more toast” a whole plate full slid across the table to me, “and go and sit with your dad in the living room, he may rob some toast too” I laughed, said “will do” and left for the living room. My dad was there in his in his old, battered slippers, shorts and t-shirt, sipping a coffee and watching the news. I greeted him and offered him some toast, he took two pieces, and I then took me on the same couch.

“Over 50 casualties and many more injured in the latest large-scale battle to take place here in Budapest,” said the news report standing in front of a car on fire. “Reports of civilians without Magical abilities have taken to the battle to aid their comrades with abilities, this comes after an entire guild was arrested and allegedly beaten for not responding to governmental orders and putting an end to protest. Protests are sent to continue despite the worrying threat of violence that has been taken place. The citizens believe strongly that guild should not be used as hired assassins or hired thugs to keep them under control.”

“That looks serious has it gotten worse?” I asked Dad.

“a lot worse” he said “It’s not just there though, all over Europe, and they’re looking for a leader to help them get more people to join them. It might be a good cause that they are fighting for but no leader for people to believe in, so no one thinks they can win, so they aren’t going to join” he sipped some of his coffee and stared at the TV. I thought about what he said, it does make sense.

“Would you join?” I asked. He turned to me, “You said it’s a good cause like.”

“It is, they want to live freely and have a say without the fear of a guild member turning up at their door, but we don’t have that here and if any guild member from here goes over there and join the war that’s going on they will be arrested and their family will be called in for questioning, and not only that guilds from this country get asked to go and fight the dark guild taking advantage of the chaos and always to fight the leaders of the rebellions to end it to save lives”

“Does that mean you will have to go?” I asked hoping for a no.

“If it gets worse or it’s got to be ended quickly, if they send guilds from here it will be over very quickly” he might have sounded confident, but he didn’t look like he liked saying it. “But changing the subject, reveal day is today, are you nervous?” and with that, I forgot all about the war, and charged headfirst into telling my dad how not nervous I was and how much I was looking forward to it. Not just that but going to Kingsborn like him and mum and being invited to join one of the school teams like all of my family did, I would work hard to become the number one student in my year.

Kingsborn Academy was different to other schools, it produced more guild members and magical experts than any other school out there only the other big three schools in England came close, but the special thing about Kingsborn is their rankings. From first years to fifth years are all ranked in their years, no one knows how they are ranked but they are and here’s the kicker only the top 10 of each are open to the public matter if you’re 11th or 111th no one would know apart from you, but you’re 1st to 10th everyone knows and so do the guilds who come into the schools to watch the games and events and pick students for internships and even more, my goal? Impress a school team enough to be invited to join because that’s the only way you can join one. Then take part in the event and raise my ranking to number 1! And get scouted by a guild.

Longest four hours of my life! I didn’t notice the time when I was watching with my dad it was half six, my mum didn’t tell me to go back to bed because she knew I wouldn’t sleep, and we weren’t leaving the house until half ten! Bouncing around the front room I was when it finally did hit half ten, all dressed in clothes set out for me and my dad steam ironed for me. Jeans, white shoes, white top, and jacket.

“Can you stop moving oh my god” Madison moaned. She had a bright yellow dress on. “you’re so annoying.”

“I want to hurry up and go,” I said.

“So do I,” She said we were all going, which was nice, only Dad got to go with Lincoln on his reveal day.

“Ready?” Dad said popping his head around the door. I jumped up instantly, “I don’t think you’ll need a jacket.”

“Okay, I tore my jacket off and threw it on the couch, in the hallway, were Mum, Dad and Lincoln, and Dad and Lincoln had different coloured tops on to me for once, Dad had Black, Lincoln grey, and Mum had a nice blue dress on. Dad opened the front; he wasn’t wrong I didn’t expect it to be so hot. We walked, towards a transmission station that’s how to get to Kingsborn I had no idea. Mum and Dad greeted some neighbours as we left they were nice, Betty older woman and her husband Dell. They wished me luck and said they hoped I joined their age group the wind mages. We made it to the transmission station a 5-minute walk from our home and waited for Dad to get the tickets. It’s like a shop underground and two long tunnels, IN and OUT. I guess he will be going for the out one. Dad gave me a ticket and told me to stay close to him as it was getting crowded around Madison too, I wasn’t nervous before but now I am nervously excited, as we made our way down this narrow passageway to a silver wall at the end.

“It’s just like what happened in the car?” Dad said to me and Madison, “only this wall is always active and reacts to your tickets so just walk through okay? Oh, and don’t stop” he added that last bit as we reached the wall, he then grabbed both our arms and pulled us through it. Horrible, I don’t like the feel of it, like a cold bath but you don’t get wet. I turned to see Lincoln and Mum appear through the wall. Then we continued walking, a short walk passageway became wider as more people joined our group, and more people joined, and more people joined. The passageway was wider but not wide enough it was loud and crowded some people started bumping into me too, like a playground noise but it was An adult talking and pushing and pulling their kids through. Then it hit me, reveal. I wasn’t the only one going, families all over London were going too, all from various places, no wonder it would be so loud, I’m starting to get why Lincoln’s old school only allowed a plus one. Dad’s grip tightened and then he got angry because the heat was coming off, it doesn’t affect loved ones according to Mum, we will just feel warm but others!, they moved, but no one got close to him, and I could breathe a bit freer now. Eventually, a noise bomb hit, if I thought it was loud before oh my god it had nothing on this. It was so loud it took away from the grandeur of where we were it was a colossus, with a marble ceiling, multiple floors, lining the sides and a giant platform like an X spread across linking everything up how can something this big be underground in London?

“This way,” mum said, she and Lincoln swooped past us and made their way through people. Mum and dad hadn’t been recognized before as everyone wanted to get out of the passageway but now we didn’t have that problem, groups of parents and kids standing in the way, separate groups looking for other people and some waiting on them too, all began to notice Isabella and Nicolas king and their three children.

“Are they going to kingsborn.”

“That’s their kids!”

“you’re going to school with the king family.”

“Do you think she will let me get a photo?”

“she’s back.”

“He’s back”

“they’re back.”

“I wonder if people know it’s you dad?” Madison asked.

“You think? I’m not sure?.” He joked back to Madison “There we are” he said nodding to another way passageway” KINGSBORN ACADEMY in big bold letters sprawled across it. Mum and Lincoln were already there waiting for us, onlookers were gawping at her but she paid no attention and walked with us, suddenly there was a commotion behind us, apparently, a lot of people decided that way the time they wanted to head to kingsborn too and some pushing and shoving started and then end when mum and dad had stopped and turned around and stared at them.

“Come on” mum said to them with a smile, “nice and slowly and no pushing now” I don’t understand why an entire group of adults and children obeyed her but okay, less noise and no distractions I’m good with it. Another passageway with white walls down, and another silver wall at the end, where have I seen this before?

I would have never expected what was on the other side. I went through, I put my right hand up because Dad was holding my left, and a nice breeze hit it, the wet bath feeling never came, I stepped out onto a pathway leading to massive brick walls of a castle defence. On top stood two kids of about seventeen each I could barely see.

“Welcome to Kingsborn” they shouted” come on in!” we walked forward, I turned to see where we came from and alone stood a large silver gate shining like a silver sea before a young boy burst through it. To my right was a stretch of perfectly cut grass Flanking the large walls to another silver gate at the bottom, the same with the left. Past them were forests and a lot of it. I could see the school past the wall. The wall was larger than, I thought as I walked through it, one I didn’t hear any noise from behind and that was shocking, families all over the grass taking photos and watching a show put on by two male students I think in blue Blazers, one was creating Orbs that floated in the air and the other student created a whip of flames then burst the Orbs with them. On the right side is a performance of two female students creating earth monsters and having them charge each other.

But they had nothing on the school. It was everything I imagined it to be, a glorious, large spectacle so, I was speechless. It was said to have belonged to a queen who gave birth to her son the future king hence the name kingsborn.

A stone path leads the way to the school, divides into a large space circling an elegant fountain, a statue made in the shape of a mermaid holding a vase. This was a space car used to park on. Trees were dotted between windows and perfectly grew to not overshadow the windows. Even up to the second floor. The school just keeps going must be two hundred yards to reach the end of it on either side Stone steps lead up to double wooden doors the size of double decker bus. Teenagers sat on the stone balustrade taking photos of each other, they even created sparks from their hands to add effects.

We made our way to the front doors, and a group of six stood in the way, well I thought six turned out they were part of the line, I looked around them and down the lengthy line but then my jaw hit the floor, I thought kingsborn was like a cool name but this school! is fit for a king. The foyer had everything I wasn’t thinking of, marble floors and a red carpet stretching the entirety of the foyer. pale white stone pillars flanking opposite sides and descending to the bottom before a spiral staircase that looks like a spider in the middle its legs connect the top and bottom floor and its body a place to stand and look over the foyer, underneath the platform was a black wooden door. At the very back above all was a painted glass window with the school crescent on it. A golden crown, with red inner lining and white bottom fur, around it eight orbs each an assorted colours to represent a different magical nature, from left to right circling over the crown.

Red for fire, brown for earth, bright yellow for lighting, jet black for dark. The light one was see-through, dark blue for water, three white marks for wind and finally pale blue for ice. Pictures lined the walls I could see them properly since I was still in this line, which was slowly moving forwards. We had people behind us at one point, but they noticed Mum and Dad then decided to walk away for some reason.

“Oh hey, I thought that was you lot” came a voice from behind, it was my godfather Marvin and the rest of the Church family coming through the front door. Kevin appeared beside his dad and gave me a nod when he saw me, both of them had charcoal black jackets on they must have been boiling, wearing jeans, brave. Yasmin and Tracy walked out from behind them both in blue dresses.

“Nice Jacket,” Dad said greeting his best friend.

“You know me I got to represent my team” he threw up two peace signs and lighting bolts sparked out, “I see you joined me” Dad also threw up two peace signs and a fireball burst out, I thought it was funny and did the same to Kevin and my fingers hissed.

“Close enough” Kevin giggled. “We knew you was here; we could hear people talking about the king family” I gave Kevin and first bump as he got close.

“Yeah I heard all that in that big transmission centre before.”

“Well, your parents are famous and haven’t been seen properly for a while, but never mind that how exciting is this?” Kevin paused and looked around. I joined him. This room was magnificent.

“Very, I can’t wait to see more of the school,” I said.

“You know it used to be a palace for the queen.” Yasmin said, joining me and Kevin at the back of the group I hadn’t noticed the others walking with the line.

“I did, it got its name from a king being born here,” I said, I had read up a little on the school over the years.

“Well did you know that the school teams all came from the queens personal bodyguards?”

“I did not know that one” I said it wasn’t in any of the books I flicked through or any of the articles on the internet.

“The queen took in children from all over the country during wars time then to pass time, the bodyguards would teach them, eventually forming groups and competing against each other, if you see any students with a different colour blazer on they are in a school team.”

“that’s so cool, who are the school teams.”

“OH! You two hurry up and come here” Tracy shouted, they left us while we were talking, and we ran over and saw a desk in between two pillars with a woman, who had green hair sitting at it, she didn’t even look up.

“names,” she said.

“Charles King and Kevin Church,” mum said, now she looks up. “Take these, they are proof of your registration to be attending this school and for your reveal” she handed us both a blank piece of paper, “and before you go place your thumbs on these please” She slid another blank piece of paper on it, but I did what I was told, she pressed her thumb on mine and it glowed. “that’s all have a good day.”

“What was that about I asked Mum as we walked away” She handed the blank piece of paper back but now it has writing on it. My name was at the top and my thumbprint at the time.

“This piece of paper will change throughout your time in school so do not lose it, actually I’ll take it” She took the piece back, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tracy explain the same thing to Kevin and then promptly taking the paper too.

“What do we do now?” I asked Mum as she put the piece of paper she took into a blue handbag I hadn’t noticed before; Dad and Marvin were in full flow talking each other’s heads off while Madison’s head span from Dad to Marvin and back.

“Walk around the school and explore I guess,” she said.

“Start over there and make our way around” Tracy suggested. She pointed to a door in the corner. It would be directly to the right if you entered from the main door. I agreed, and we made our way over to the door and opened It, Kevin and I walked through first and into a hall, classrooms on the left a window that looked over the school grounds and a pleasant view of the large wall that surrounded the school. Families were still relaxing I guess waiting for the revealing to begin.

The classrooms had numbers and a letter on them, G-1 on the first door, I had leant over to Kevin and I told us to touch the door, I didn’t know why but we did, and a burst of chilly air shot out and blasted us in the face.

“Alex told me the teachers have been permitted to put spells on their classroom doors.” Well now I want to try all the doors, I met Kevin’s eyes and he thought right as he ran to the next one and his finger froze up, all the way to the knuckle was covered in ice, and when he let go it disappeared.

“Oh, that’s cool,” Kevin said, “cold though!.”

“I want to it try,” I said then went to touch the door but opened up. And I was face to face with a pretty blonde-haired girl about my age, she must be here for the reveal day. She has large blue eyes and eyelashes, a small button nose, and red lips.

“Charles?” a voice came from inside the classroom, which took me by surprise I forgot where I was for a moment, “Charles, watch out, so Charlotte and her family can get by” Aunty Alex appeared from behind the girl. I stepped to the side and accidentally into my mum who held my shoulders. Charlotte I think she is called walked past me, her silver dress flowing like it was being blown by a light breeze, flower-scented perfume wafted delightfully off her. She was then followed by a beautiful woman who must have been at least 6 foot tall, with blue eyes that shined down on me and a sculpted marble face, nothing looked out of place except her being here and not at a photo shoot, I quickly guessed she must have been Charlotte mother, the same hair and dress gave it away, I’m starting to wonder why parents like to dress their kids in the same cloths as her. if her dad walks out now in a dress I’m going to lose it. He didn’t, Charlotte got her looks from her mum because this dude was not a good-looking man. He must have been at least four inches shorter than his wife, round face like the moon and a scar like a crater just above his right eyebrow. Thin lips, thin eyebrows but perfectly cut white teeth I had seen them when he greeted my dad. He held his arm out, his suit was nice, dark blue with a small black line across it.

“Nicolas” he grumbled, it still sounded posh. I think that might just be how he talks because Dad didn’t hesitate.

“Stanley” Dad replied, this was awkward nobody said a word. Until Mum broke the ice,

“Have fun at the reveal sweetie?” she said to Charlotte, who smiled back, she had a nice smile.

“Thank you I will” she replied in a soft well-mannered voice. Stanley ushered his family away but not before Mum and Charlotte’s mum could do that double kiss thing, no idea what that is about.

“Come in come in” Aunty Alex said, gesturing for everyone to come in, I don’t know if she meant the random family of four that followed us. parents and two boys, both stunned to be in the same room as mum and dad from how they were staring at them. Aunty Alex put a spell on the door and then closed it. I got a good look around the room, Alex’s desk was in front of a whiteboard and faced the rest of the tables that all faced her desk, three sets of tables. Two seater tables on each wall facing the front leaving only enough room for a space to sit. And the middle table was two, two seated tables pushed side by side to create four-seater ones with everyone once again facing the front. The wall had pictures of different monsters on them, with explanations of what they do and how to stop them.

Vampires lived off human blood and the best way to stop them, was sunlight, light magic, or a stake to the heart but who wouldn’t that stop ay?

Werewolves, forcibly change at the full moon, how to stop them, a weapon made out of silver. Ice magic.

“Anybody have any questions?” Alex asked.

“yes,” the dad from the family I didn’t know popped up. “What is it you teach here?.”

“In this classroom I teach, supernatural, it’s the class about what supernatural beings are out there what they are about and how to defend yourself if you ever come across a hostel one” She seemed proud of that, she practised saying that a few times.

“Is such a class necessary? Why do children need to be taught that if guild are supposed to be dealing with them, kind of sounds like it would only scare them and worry them.” I witnessed a special moment, every adult that I knew shook their heads and whispered idiot, which was Mum, Dad, Marvin, and Tracy. Aunty Alex didn’t but she is trying to be professional.

“Where are you from sir?” Alex asked. Mum and Dad took a seat in a couple of chairs in the middle row. I took one by the wall with Kevin. All the others sat down too.

“Norwich,” he said proudly.

“Been goblin attacks there recently if I’m correct?” Alex looked to Dad and Marvin for confirmation. They nodded their heads. “Now do you know how to defend from the initial attack?” the man stammered, “you use fire, but before you speak” She shut him down before he could get another word in as he had thought of something. “You don’t have to be a fire mage to use fire” his smile was gone. “Any basic fire spell will do then get some distance and get into a safe location then call the emergency number.” She won that one. well done Aunty Alex. Actually, why is she in a blue dress? I have only just noticed. What is it with these bloody blue dresses? “Any more questions?”

“Yes?” the guy popped back up, It looked like this was not over, his family had sat down now, I think the boy closest to him might be attending the reveal he looked about my age, a little shorter than me but with that ponytail which looks cool, he could look taller. “What you just said, would they do that?” he pointed at my parents and Kevin’s parents, Alex looked at them with the please just go along with it look.

“If I wasn’t me” Dad said leaning back on his chair, pointing at his chest. “Well because you know... I’d just kill them all” he stretched his arm out behind it and Marvin high-fived it. Lincoln snorted with a giggle. “But if I was a child or an adult who can fight them off, then yeah I’d have done what, what’s your name again miss?” Even Mum giggled at that.

Alex shook her head and then said, “Stop leaning back in your chair.”

“I agree with miss stop leaning back in your chair. You should definitely do what she says.” Lincoln and Yasmin laughed behind me.

“I will kill you” Alex mouthed at him, but Dad just laughed. The strange man didn’t ask any more questions, I think his son told him to stop. They left soon after. Dad and Alex began to bicker over him being an idiot according to Alex. He disagrees. Mum suggested that I and the other kids could go explore by ourselves if we wanted. Kevin didn’t need any more than that he jumped up, and made his way to the door. But Mum told him to wait and then handed him a map of the school and we left. Kevin, Yasmin, Lincoln, and I. Madison decided to stay with Mum, she was enjoying the bickering a bit too much. Outside of the classroom, Kevin had stuffed the map into his pockets and just began to walk. Touching classroom doors as he passed. One roared like a lion, another blew small ruffs of fire out like a baby dragon with a cough,

“Do you know where you’re going?” Yasmin asked him, I hadn’t heard her talk much she was normally with Lincoln or with her face in a book, a mixture of a London accent and posh one, it didn’t surprise me too much, I imagined they had money, I mean their parents are successful and famous which I did seem to forget from time to time.

“nope,” Kevin said as he pressed another door, then almost fell to the floor when a clown face shot out the door and immediately back, onlookers laughed, but he shrugged it off. “Almost got me then.”