GUARDIANS OF MAGIC: THE INVISIBLE CODED BOOK
CHAPTER TWO

LESSONS AND NIGHTMARES

People stared as she walked by but she tried her best to ignore them and took in her environment instead. The white rose was everywhere and Fina took in its beauty. The castle divided into different parts and there was a glass moat surrounding it all. Elfina can also be called the glass castle and Fina was amazed at how the glass sparkled and shone at the beautiful rays of the sun.

She looked up and saw flying cheetahs up in the sky. She has never seen one before and she almost swooned at how big and powerful they were in the sky.

“Oh my God! Xavier Starr! You are my world!” A red head shouted besides her, staring at the flying cheetahs. Then, she turned and looked at Fina. Her changes of expression were fascinating as it moved from awe to surprise to confusion and finally to anger. She gave Fina a deathly glare and her three friends did the same.

“What are you looking at, toad?” The red head asked

They kept glaring at Fina until she backed down and left them to their worship of the ultimate unknown Xavier Starr.

“Fina Clark”

Fina turned to see a short woman with short auburn hair and brown eyes.

“I guessed right. Follow me, please. I am Mrs Knight. I teach potion class”

“Nice to meet you”

Mrs Knight turned and began to walk in the direction of the door leading to the castle.

“I am certain you have a lot going on in your mind right now and I just want you to know that Elfina is a wonderful school.” Mrs Knight said

She opened the door and Fina eyes widened.

“This is –

“Beautiful. I know” Mrs Knight said

Fina took in her surroundings.

In the midst of it all, lays an extremely big glowing white rose in a circle. There were different house signs signifying their territory.

“The circle is the life of the houses.”

The floating stairs can be seen with the last steps on the floor. The stained glass chandeliers hung on the ceilings which are farther from the ground but that’s not the only light sources as the glass walls produce their own different kinds of light which absolutely lit the whole place despite the sun outside.

Oval, huge, stained glass windows surrounds the room but what matters the most are the stained glass elevators with the zodiac emblem at the centre of the doors.

Mrs Knight moved to the elevator side and raised her ring. The elevator door opened at once and they both stepped in. And in the wink of an eye, they were at their destination. The door opened and they both stepped out. If anything, the hallway was larget and well decorated.

There were paintings on the glass wall and chandeliers gave it an extravagant touch. White rose flowers was decorated on the wall of each room.

They kept moving down the hallway until they finally got to their destination which was the last room in the hallway.

Then, Mrs Clark turned to her.

“Go in. I suppose you know your schedule. The school uniforms and accessories are in your closet. Welcome to Elfina” Mrs Clark said and winked at her.

Fina saw a finger print scan appearing suddenly in front of the door and she places her thumb on it.

“Fina Arianna Clark. Scan successful. You may enter” A programmed female voice said.

Fina turned the golden knob and opened the door.

The room was painted in peach which seems a bit surprising to Fina and there were paintings on the walls. Chandeliers hung on the ceilings adding more to the beauty of the room. The glass windows were oval shaped and the peach curtains were already drawn up.

It was the Living room, Fina realized as she looked at the round spacious room.

There was a glass fireplace and all the furniture were made of glass.

She opened the bathroom door. All glass too but not the type of glass which can make you trip. None of the glass looked slippery.

There was a long wide mirror in the bathroom and sinks stood magnificently in the air. Two golden water closets. A golden bath tub and a big shower with numerous shower heads.

Then, she moved to the last door which she thought might be the bedroom.

The bedroom was extremely spacious with a large bed in the middle. There were two dressing mirrors and a large desk situated beside the window.

Fina flinched when she heard the door to what must be the closet opened and a tall, thin girl stepped out.

“Hi. Um…You must be my roommate. I am Zora Alvarez.”

Zora was wearing a very big glass on her face that seems to cover almost half of her face. She has long blond hair with violet eyes and brown eyebrows.

“Fina Clark. Nice to meet you” Fina said

“Um… I just joined today and um…this is embarrassing.”

She blushed so deep Fina thought she might reduced to ashes.

Apparently, her roommate is extremely shy.

“I joined today too. I mean just now. You can talk to me freely. We are of the same age and also roommates.”

Zora looked at Fina and avert her gaze at once.

“Um… this is new to me. I haven’t been close to people this way before. I mean…You understand”

“I…don’t.” Fina said and checked out the room again. “This is nice”

“Do you like cheese burgers?” Zora blurted out.

Fina eyes widened as she looked back at her.

“Did I make a mistake?”

Fina cleared her throat.

“No. Not at all. I am just…not that sociable either.”

Zora looked relieved.

“I thought you are like the girls I met downstairs”

“Let me guess? The red head and her gang?”

Zora shivered.

“They are mean and scary” She said

“Why would you think I am like them?”

Zora bit her lower lip.

“You are so pretty. Pretty people tend to be…um rude. Snobbish”

“Not all of them. I will settle in first” Fina said

“Oh! I’m sorry. I will go watch some TV before taking a nap. Lessons start tomorrow” Zora said as she adjusted her glasses.

“What about food?” Fina asked

“I have some bread and peanut butter with me if you don’t mind. I just don’t want to go down for now. Everything is still strange and new to me after being away from people for weeks.” Zora stopped when Fina look confused.

“Sorry. Old habits die hard. I will be in the living room. There is peanut butter and bread and coke…I mean water!” Zora said and turned crimson. “Bye. I mean…next room. See ya!” She said and flew out of the room.

Fina stood frozen for a while before she blinked and begin to arrange her stuffs.

******

It was almost afternoon when she walked out of the room after organizing her stuffs.

Zora was on the peach sofa watching TV with her legs crossed Indian style. She kept biting her left nails repeatedly and adjusting her blond hair anytime it fell in front of her face.

“You are watching Godzilla?” Fina asked as she moved to sit beside her.

Zora just stared at the flat TV on the wall in front of her.

“I like the movie.” Fina said

“Me too. I like comedy films the most. But if you like something else, not Godzilla, we can watch anything you like”

“Zora. I like you. You are my roommate and I want to get to know you better but if you keep getting nervous we won’t get anywhere with it.” Fina said

“I’m sorry. It’s hard for me being with so many people at once. Like the foyer.”

“Did something happen to you to make you ….I’m just asking.”

Zora looked at Fina since she entered the living room and her eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow. You look beautiful”

Fina looked at her loose white blouse and loose white shorts and wondered how she looked beautiful for Zora to give it a wow. Except for her hair which she always put in a ponytail that hung like waves down her back

“Thanks. I like comedy by the way but you can watch anything you want. I’m fine”

They watched the movie in silence for a while.

“I have nightmares, so I hope you won’t be bothered by it” Zora said

“I have nightmares too”

They both looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“We have so much in common!” Zora said “I like studying. History and math the most but I am also obsessed with chemistry too”

“I like all subjects but fancy myself with history too” Fina said

Zora grabbed the peanut butter jar from the table beside her and passed it to her.

“Thanks”

Then she grabbed four slices of bread and hand it over to Fina.

“I lost my parents when I was fifteen. They were cursed into wooden dolls then they disappeared.”

Fina stopped chewing her bread and looked at Zora in horror.

“Oh my God, Zora. That’s terrible” Fina said “Do you know anything about it?”

Zora looked down and stared at her lap.

“What do you love most about Elfina yet?”

Zora beamed at her.

“I love our room the most and my nice roommate.”

“You wanna go on a tour?”

“Tomorrow” Zora replied

They ate and watched more movies before falling asleep on the sofa.

It was dark; she couldn’t see anything except the feeling that her hands and feet were tied.

The sound of water drops as it hits the floor. The rapid heartbeat. The darkness as it overwhelmed every part of her.

She knew she was in a different world. Again.

And the horrifying truth was that….it always seems so real.

Then, as it always happened, she heard screaming somewhere and froze.

The footsteps. It’s coming closer. She could hear the voices again.

More screaming.

It’s closer. They are closer.

She tried to stand but couldn’t. Every drop of water means a second and another until she heard the door opens and….

Then, everything shifted…

She was at the library. Which library? She doesn’t have a clue. Someone was talking to her and she smiled. Everything was peaceful until she felt something drop on her shoulder.

Blood.

She looked up and it began to rain.

It began to rain blood and she was drowning. Something was stopping her from breathing. Someone wants to make sure she dies. Someone was pulling her into the lake of blood.

Someone wants her dead.

Fina took a very sharp breath as she came back to reality. Then, she sat up and breathes a sigh of relief.

Zora was still fast asleep. One hand tucked under her head like a pillow. Her body curled on the sofa like a little child.

Fina turned off the TV and ran her fingers through her hair.

She swallowed hard, thinking about the voice she heard when the gate opened…

“Stop..Don’t take them away….NOOO!” Zora screamed

Fina tapped her on the shoulder with her finger and she jolted awake suddenly.

“Don’t kill me, please…” Zora begged desperately.

“It’s Fina. You had a bad dream”

“Fina? Who..oh! I had a bad dream, didn’t I?” Zora asked “What time is it?”

“It’s three in the morning.”

“I’m lucky I slept that long. I will go do some studying. There are some books I brought with me” Zora said and got up, moving to the bathroom.

The air has turned chilly and the curtains were still drawn up.

Fina moved to the window to draw the curtains down but froze when she saw movements outside.

Who would go out in this chilly weather and few hours past midnight?

The figure looked around before disappearing through one of the big trees.

“Fina?” Zora called

Fina drew the curtains and shivered as the chilly air attacked her body.

“I thought I saw someone outside”

Though it was dark outside, everywhere was lit like day in the rooms.

“Are you sure? You might have been mistaken.”

“Perhaps” Fina said

“You wanna study with me?”

“Yeah”

They studied till dawn and got ready for the day.

“It says here that breakfast is eaten by seven sharp” Zora said

Fina opened the walk in closet and gasped. The room was painted cream and the rug was maroon in colour. There were tons of clothes and shoes. Accessories were kept on one side of the big room. On another side line different collections of make ups and an extremely big mirror in front of it. There was another big mirror in the middle of the room.

“Wow. Wow. Wow. They are all designers”

“Really?” Zora asked “I don’t know anything about designers”

“Mum is going to flip if she sees this” Fina said

She stared at the collection of clothes arranged according to their designers name and moved to C line for Chanel.

“Um…Fina. We are putting on uniforms”

“Thanks a lot, Zo. You know how to burst a bubble”

Zora smiled.

“You were getting too excited” She said

Fina moved to the U section and picked the school uniform and its accessories.

A maroon blazer with big white gold buttons that has the winged cheetah symbol on it. A big butterfly striped white gold bow tie. A white shirt and a striped beige mini skirt.

The winged cheetah badge lies on the left side of the blazer.

There were cream vests too.

She turned to Zora but she was already out of the room.

Fina touched the gardenia symbol hidden beneath her collar bone and shook her head in mystery. All she knew about the symbol was that she was born with it.

She quickly got dressed and packed her hair in a ponytail leaving tendrils in front.

She moved to the makeup line and applied a gloss on her lips and skipped to the shoes section for gold sneakers.

When Fina went back to the bedroom, Zora was already dressed.

“I picked mine out yesterday”

“You look beautiful” Fina said

Zora blushed.

“Thanks.”

They moved to the living room and saw three backpack on the sofa.

“Three?” Zora asked

“There were three chairs in the closet too. Do you think someone else was supposed to join us?” Fina asked

Zora shrugged and straightened her hair with her fingers.

They grabbed their backpacks and walked out of the room.

Students roam in the hallway, each one trying to get to the dining room in time. As Fina and Zora moved to get on the elevator, someone pushed them out of the way and entered.

“Oops! Sorry. Losers” The red head said

Her gang narrowed their eyes at Fina and flipped their hair but what struck Fina’s most was the fact that they were wearing heels on glass.

The elevator door shut in front of their face.

“Twenty minutes more” Zora said as she looked at her golden wrist watch.

“We will use the stairs”

“The probability of us getting to an unknown dining room in time with stairs is extremely low” Zora said

“Hey, you can share this one with me”

Fina and Zora turned to see a blue head girl poking her head out of the elevator.

“Thanks” They said as they got in.

“Breakfast?” She asked

“Yeah” Fina replied because Zora has suddenly shrink two sizes away her normal size.

Fina looked at the girl to see her already staring at her.

“You are pretty.” She said, her gray eyes twinkling mischievously. “You are new? Special student?”

Fina nodded in reply.

There was something about the girl that was setting her off in a weird way. Her eyes tell two different things Fina couldn’t quite wrap her fingers on. Like she can see through a person.

“Then you must be junior level. I am in intermediate level. And then, there is the senior level 1, 2 and 3. I look forward to seeing you helping the Capricornians beat the rest of the house”

Zora didn’t say a single word.

If she notices anything strange about the way Zora was acting around her, she didn’t say a single word.

“Ooh, my manners. My name’s Jessica Young but you can call me Jess.”

“Fina Clark. This is Zora Alvarez” Fina said

“Geez, I forgot to press the button” Jess said as she pressed the lower floor button and in the wink of an eye, they were suddenly at their destination.

“This way” Jess said

As they walked out of the castle, sunlight hit their face and Zora adjusted her glasses.

Jess led them through the wild forest and Fina’s eyes widened as she took in their surroundings.

“Pretty, isn’t it? Elfina seems like a world on its own. We often called the world past the gates the strange or foreign world.” Jess said “Every teacher has their own personal house but you have to be giving permission to step into their territory. It’s just as simple as it is. In Elfina, as long as you follow the rules, you are safe. Ooh! And don’t forget Miss Zedler’s cat. Her cat tends to change into a monster when you step into her territory.”

Fog descended on them as they walked through the trees.

“Tree of fog, we call it. Quite amusing, isn’t it?” Jess asked

Zora and Fina glanced at each other, an unsettling feeling bearing in on them.

They finally walked out of the forest and a big Cafeteria came into view.

“This is it. All the foods you want to eat, anything you want to drink. All you have to do is place your ring on the machine to pay”

Fina and Zora halted at once.

Jess turned to look at them and laughed.

“In Elfina, we mostly live by points. The students, I mean. You get points from classes mostly so there are lots of competitions every time. The points can be read in our rings and we use it to pay for anything edible.” Jess explained

Zora and Fina frowned.

“What if we don’t get any points?” Zora asked timidly.

“I don’t know. Everyone always has points somehow. Attending classes gives you points but exceeding in everything gives you extreme points.” Jess said

“We don’t have any now. Not even a ring” Fina said

“Oh, I’m certain Xavier can help you with that. He has lots of points to last him a life time” Jess said with a smile.

Fina looked shy suddenly.

“It’s not appropriate to do that to someone we haven’t met yet” Fina said

“Nah. Xavier is nice.”

“Its nice hearing someone says I am nice”

Fina and Zora looked at who they thought might be Xavier.

He was tall, handsome, with dirt blond hair and sapphire eyes. His pristine uniforms made Fina assumed he must be from the Virgo house.

Jess blushed so hard Fina feared she might remain that way forever.

And then Xavier gaze landed on them and even Fina could only force herself to look away while her friend eyes widened like saucers.

“Um, Xavier, this is Fina Clark and Zora Alvarez. They are new with no points at all.” Jess said

Even Fina felt herself shrink one million times smaller.

Xavier never took his eyes off them.

“Oh, really? I thought every new student arrived a week ago?” He asked

“Special students” Jess said but Fina detected a hint of sarcasm in it.

“Oh.” Xavier said “I had love to help then”

“Thanks” Fina mumbled.

“Well, it certainly remain five minutes more.” Jess said and they began to walk.

The Cafeteria was extremely spacious. Everything looked like it was in the castle, except the settings and the mouth watering foods. Peach curtains were drawn up and sunlight streamed through the room.

The cafeteria floor was painted beige; the colour of their uniform and the glass walls was painted peach too.

The ceiling was far too high and chandeliers could be seen everywhere.

“Maybe you should come sit with us” Xavier suggested.

Jess gasped.

“Of course not” Jess said suddenly. “I mean they are just juniors Xavier, don’t get too attached. And besides you have a group. What will they say if you bring random girls out of the blue to your table? Bryce won’t be happy”

“It’s nothing” Xavier said

Zora tugged at Fina’s hand.

“We will sit together if you don’t mind. Jess is right.”

“Ookay.” Xavier drawled. “Follow me”

Jess left them and walked to her so called group while Xavier led them to the kitchen.

The kitchen was a very long stretch and oozes magic.

There were lots of chef going to and fro with their cooking but no one was serving. Different dishes floated in the air and dropped on the extremely long serving table. Fina watched as a chef poured some of the content of his pots into a platter and pressed something on the platter. It multiplied into twenty and then, the plate began to float to the serving table.

“They can cook anything.” Xavier said

“What about the remains?” Fina asked as she watched a chef cutting his ingredients in full speed.

“They turned back into ingredients again” He replied.

“Wow. So, what do they use the point for?” Fina asked again

“It’s their payment” Xavier replied “The serving table rolls out to the eating center but I just want you to see the kitchen.”

Fina grabbed some waffles while Zora took some peanut butter sandwich.

Xavier placed his ring on a golden metal next to the wall and a green scanning light appeared.

“That would be ..” Fina said

“Don’t worry about that. I got it covered.” Xavier said “Good luck”

Fina and Zora found a table next to the window and settled on the chair.

“He’s nice” Zora said and blushed deeply.

“Yeah. I do wonder about his group though” Fina said

“Don’t look.” Zora said as she took a bite of her peanut butter sandwich.

“It’s delicious” She said

“I have Potion class” Fina said

“Me too.” Zora said

Someone placed two bottled water on their table and they looked up.

“Can I sit here? It’s the only place for hiding appropriately.”

“Yeah” Fina drawled

“It’s Talon by the way. Talon Smith. Honored to be sitting with two pretty girls”

Talon Smith has red hair with blue eyes and he was pretty tall too. The boys uniform were the same with the girls except for the tie.

Talon settled down and began to munch on his crackers.

“Fina Clark.” Fina said “This is~

“Zora Alvarez” Zora said with a smile.

“Talon Smith. Wait. Haven’t I said that before?” Talon said “You are new. I’m also new but I knew you are newer than me”

Fina and Zora looked confused.

“Yes. Just resumed yesterday.” Zora said

Fina looked at her in surprise and she shrugged.

Talon gasped.

“For the love of God, you haven’t even seen the castle yet. I will tell you, the place I wanted to go the most is Miss Zedler’s place.”

“Doesn’t her cat changes into a monster?” Fina asked as she opened the bottled water.

“Puhlease, who doesn’t want a new adventure?” Talon said “I have to go to class. You girls should ring me when you get back. There is a telephone in your room. The number is OOILOVETALONSMITH. See ya. Wait…are you also having potion class?”

“Yes”

“Brava!” Talon said “Off we go, you imps”

*******

TIMES THEY GOT LOST- 10

TIMES THEY MOVED BACK TO THE CASTLE ENTRANCE-10

TIME LEFT FOR THEIR FIRST CLASS- 5 MINUTES, 38 SECONDS

As they turned back to leave, they heard Mrs Knight screaming from the hallway.

“Mrs Knight?” They said in unison, glancing at each other.

They ran to where the screams were coming from and came to a deep halt when they saw what was chasing her.

Mrs Knight was being chased by weird looking spirits.

“Isnt that a…bogl…bogl…bogle?” Zo asked shakily

“Huh?” Fina and Talon asked in unison

“Zo-

But Zora and Talon were already behind her as the bogle turned away from Mrs Knight and moved over to them scarily.

Fina closed her eyes as her legs stood frozen to the floor.

When she opened her eyes the bogle was already gone.

“Oh. That’s a relief” Mrs Knight said “Those stupid creatures always scare me. I mean … Fina Clark, right?”

“Yes, madam?” Fina asked

“How did you scare them away?” Mrs Knight asked both curiosity and confusion.

Fina glanced at her friends who were giving her a look to go on.

“I have no idea.” She said

“Well, that’s surprising. I would have said you used your wands but you juniors haven’t been given one, have you?”

They shook their heads.

Mrs Knight chuckled.

“Well, shall we?” She asked

As they turned a corridor, Fina glanced back to see the bogles staring at her with a very frightened expression.

Why?

She had no idea.

“I am sure you students will enjoy potion class. I mean, who wouldn’t? Its potion class!” Mrs Knight rattled off.

“Mrs Knight, are there other creatures like the bogles in Elfina?” Talon asked

As if in response, an imp appeared out of the blue, its wide eyes knocking Talon off his feet. It flew above Fina’s head and she dodged whilst laughing mischievously as it did so.

Mrs Knight raised her book wand but it snatched it from her.

It made scary faces at Zora and kisses Talon on the mouth repeatedly.

Fina and Zora gagged while Mrs Knight tried to right herself.

It stuck its butt on Mrs Knight Face and released green purplish gases on her face. She coughed so hard and tried not to inhale the gas.

The imp burst into fits and fits of laughter.

Then, it stopped and with widened eyes, fell to the ground and disappeared.

Fina turned to see a tall looking young woman staring at them. Her cold look was calculating. Her long red hair hung on one shoulder and she glared at them with different eye colors. Blue and green.

Mrs Knight chuckled.

“Oh, Katherine, I can’t possibly thank you enough”

Katherine didn’t smile.

“Kids. This is Miss Katherine Zedler. She is in charge of training you on how to deal with evil creatures.”

Evil creatures like the bogles and imp. Mrs Knight didn’t complete.

Zedler gaze landed on Zora and she shivered.

She must be the one with the monster cat…Fina thought

“I suppose you will soon have them in your class too” Mrs Knight said

“Precisely” Zedler said with her gaze still locked on Zora.

Then, her gaze shifted on Fina and the cold lady almost flinched. Almost.

But Fina didn’t as much flinch.

“Well, I shouldn’t keep you then. Follow me, students”

They moved past Miss Zedler without another word and Fina extremely resisted the sudden urge to look back this time but she could feel still feel Zedler’s gaze on her.

After passing through lots of corridors, they finally got to their destination.

There in front of them were two huge glass doors with an emblem of a glass potion bottle.

Mrs Knight waved her wand which looked like a book wand and her name appeared on the glass door then vanished.

She opened the door and they all entered.

Zora gasped in excitement.The potion class looked more like a laboratory.

A very huge laboratory.

There were pictures on the wall. New potions discoverers. Most of them were students.

Different kinds of laboratory equipments decorated the tables.

The ceilings were high and tinted with stained glass.

There was an unused board at the front of the room and besides it lays two big shelves filled with different kinds of potions.

The whole class was surrounded with round shelves with steps which looked like a spiraling staircase. And in each step lays different kinds of potions too.

The Capricorn house seats were almost full as Fina and Zora looked for a spare seat.

Finally, they found a seat in the midst of the Capriconians.

Mrs Knight moved to the front of the room and turned to the class.

“Welcome to potion class. This will be our first real class after all the rules and regulations you have been taught the past week. I suppose you are familiar with my name but I will gladly introduce myself again. My name is Mrs Isabella Knight and I will be teaching you about potions. Now, can anyone tell me the meaning of potion?”

Two Gemini twins raised their hands.

“Yes?”

“My name is Lois Atom”

“My name is Lulu Atom”

They both said in unison.

Fina and Zora shivered.

“A potion is a spell in liquid form with the ability of causing various effects in humans and other beings which include healing, transformation..”

“Thank you very much..uh….the Atom twins” Mrs Knight said

Fina could swear the ‘creepy Atom twins’ were at the tip of her tongue.

“There are different types of potions but Elfina teaches its students the safe ones. We have the good and bad potions. And, technically, the weak and strong potions but you will be treading on the weak potion for now until you get to the strong part. If I see you have talents in potion making, I will give you the opportunity to make yours and if you succeed, congratulations, but I am quite picky when it comes to that” She said with a wink.

“The Guardian Queen said Hello to the new students and she has gifted you with your wands”

As Mrs Knight said this, lots of wands began to float in air and each student grabbed theirs.

It was a wooden wand.

“That’s for juniors. And a special blue quill for writing.”

Their notes and quills appeared on the table.

“What sort of spell is that, Mrs Knight?” A brown hair boy asked

“It’s the invisibility spell. EXO DURUS. Quite effective if you ask me. Have I answered your question, Mr Jackson?”

Jackson nodded.

“Well, let’s start with your first lesson”

“Is there any potion for love?” Anne, a Leo student asked

The whole class erupted in laughter.

“Yes, there is, Mrs Arnold, but it’s not for kids. Like you. Such spells are forbidden in Elfina. We are not here to fall in love. We are here to learn and, of course, to prepare you for the future”

“So, we will start with the beginners’ potion book.”

A big book appeared in front of everyone. The covers were red and in front of it was engraved the cheetah symbol.

“Open it”

They all did as they were told.

“There are various types of potions listed there. We are going to start with the simplest one. The potion of activeness.” Mrs Knight said “Drop a pinch of salt into the beakers and stir vigorously”

They all did so until they noticed the salt has disappeared.

“You do not possibly think that Elfina uses ordinary equipments, do you?” Mrs Knight asked “Out of the ingredients listed in front of you, drop a white flower”

They did and it vanished.

“Purple vines, green vines, blue vines, ”

As they inserted the ingredients on the table to the beaker, it vanished.

“Each student should put the beaker into the oven. It’s beneath the table. And try to wait for a few seconds. Remember, do not touch anything inside the beaker neither should you drop it when you carry it out.”

As if to explain Mrs Knight word, crashes were heard on the floor.

Smoke rises in the air and Fina squints to see what was transforming underneath.

“Oh, my goodness!” Mrs Knight said, frightened.

Three one eyed monsters appeared when the smoke cleared.

Students screamed and screamed it was impossible how the glass castle still remained intact.

Apparently, the potion class is on its own.

Mrs Knight tried a lot of spells with her book wand but it seems that she was casting rubbish as the one eyed monsters multiplied.

“Zora, let’s try to see if we can see any self defence potion on the shelves” Fina said

The one eyed monsters began to fling anything that stops its way.

Apparently, it seems like its looking for something since it is moving past the students without harming them.

When one of them got to where a red hair student with blue eyes stood shakily, it reached out to her and cursed.

The whole room stilled and the time stopped.

“What’s going on, Fina?” Zora asked shakily.

The one eyed monster poked the girl on the arm and she fell.

Fina and Zora glanced at each other. The question evident in their eyes.

Did the girl fainted because she was scared or because the one eyed monster touch was deadly?

Both cringed inwardly as their brain processes this.

Fina and Zora rummaged around the potions while Mrs Knight tried to be their saviour until her book wand fell and the one eyed monsters laughed.

“The potion of invisibility. Stress. Activeness. Hunger. Strength. Weakness. Weakness?” Fina read from the shelves.

The students were running from the monsters even though they can’t hurt them.

“Mrs Knight, will the potion of-

Fina squints as she read the words from the glass potion bottle.

“Of weakness do?”

Mrs Knight didn’t answer as she was busy running around with the students.

“Do it, Fina. We are all trapped.” Zora said

When Fina looked lost, Zora grabbed the potion from her and smashed it on the floor close to the monsters.

Their strength deteriorates and they fell limbless to the ground.

“Oh, that was frightening. Excellent work Miss Alvarez. But how did you know that’s how it should be done?”

“My father was a potion maker”

“Well, then. Times up. I am sure you kids have learnt a lesson today. If the simplest of potions can turn into one eyed monsters when treated wrongly, what will be the result of a very strong potion? And you kids disappointed me. Why would you run away from that if you were supposed to beat the monsters? Consider this your first test”

The students murmured in disagreement.

“The same reason as yours” Talon said “We ran away as par the same reason as yours”

Mrs Knight chuckled.

“Oh, Mr Smith, you never know when not to talk, do you?”

Talon only shrugged.

“Who will clean that?” Nancy Miller asked, pointing her perfectly manicured hand to the monsters that were looking at them with eyes full of pity.

“Oh, the lab fairies will do that. Now, let me release you”

The girl who fainted rose suddenly.

“Oh, I must have passed out. Funny” She said

“LET THEM OUT!” Mrs Knight commanded

The doors opened at once.

As Fina and Zora stepped out, Nancy and her friends attacked them.

“Just because you did that doesn’t mean you are a hero. You will never become one. Elfina don’t want people like you” Nancy said

“And they want idiots like you?”

Fina turned to see the girl behind them, shooting daggers at the four witches.

“Oh, look at the loser who passed out. Even Talon Smith stayed awake” Carrie, a friend of Nancy said.

The girls left after giving them a full hard glare.

“Let’s go to spell class” Fina said

“I will see you soon. My name is Shelly Jefferson”

“Fina Clark. This is Zora Alvarez”

Shelly smiled shyly at them and walked away.

She was the same height with Fina but a bit fatter than her.

“Guess everyone are on their way to class. I wonder where this corridor leads” Zora said as they began to walk and turned a corridor.

Fina looked at their surroundings for the first time.

Unlike the other wall mirrors, this was a bit dark.

Fina………………………………..

“Did you hear that?” Fina asked

“No. Let’s go”

Zora burped.

“Eew, Zo.”

Zora just stuck her tongue at her.

“It’s been a while since I have eaten something I really like”

As they walked away from the corridor, Fina glanced back and saw a ghostly figure appear. With a blink of an eye, it disappeared.

They hurried into spell class and almost blew it up with only ten seconds. Both were surprised when the door open on its own.

They sighed in relief when they entered the class and jumped when they heard their spell teacher’s voice.

“I do not accept lateness. And you are late. Everyone should always be here before me or you won’t be let in at all” He said coldly “It’s David Walker by the way. Everyone take out your wands”

David Walker looked young unlike Mrs Knight who it seems was in her mid forties. David Walker probably looked like he was in his early thirties just like Miss Zedler.

He has short blonde hair with hazel eyes and handsome too with all the junior girls staring at him dreamily.

Before moving to the front of the large white board, he cast Fina and Zora a look and they flinched, moving so quickly to get a seat.

The room was large too with strange writings on the walls. There were rows of chairs and desks. Glass.

Fina and Zora found a seat at the back. A seat in which Zora kept complaining that it doesn’t fit her height.

“Then don’t come late to class again!” Mr Walker said

Every student turned to look at them. EVERY!

And they were many.

Most, they do not know their faces even when their classes have been divided now.

Zora looked at her hands. Probably on the brink of crying.

“In front of you is the school bag.” Mr Walker said and the whole class turned back to him. “It’s been cast with spells. It packs anything so do not get it lost or stolen”

It was as if all the words coming from Mr Walker was filled or packed with ice. He looked stern and extremely unfriendly. And he also looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but teaching a bunch of new students who came late in his first class.

The bag was small but not too small and everyone was given different colors.

Fina stared at her pink bag and then glanced at Zora’s green one.

“Put your stuffs in it”

They all did as they were told.

Their books disappeared in the bag.

“Now, take the book inside the bag”

As they did so, they all brought out a new spell book with blue covers.

“Write” Mr Walker commanded.

They took a pen from the bag.

“I do not want a single sound to be heard from any angle” Mr Walker said “And I do not tolerate lateness in my class”

He glanced at Fina and Zora as he said it and they shivered.

Both wonder which was creepier between Mr Walker and Miss Zedler. They went for the latter.

As he spoke, a black quill was writing his words on the board even though he was not looking at it.

“No one will ask questions until permission is granted and if I see that you are sloppy, I will definitely kick you out of my class. Definitely”

The whole class was eerily silent.

“Good” Mr Walker said with a very stiff expression.

“We will start with the Easy spells or the POCULUS” He said “I presume you all know how to use your wands right? Don’t answer. That doesn’t concern me. As long as you listen attentively, you will get it.”

He went to take a seat beside the board.

“Don’t be fooled. It might be called ‘easy’ but it’s not easy. Magic in Elfina is very tricky. If you don’t take easy magic spells seriously, they won’t work. The energy behind a spell is your own focused will and longer spell do make it easier to stay focused. Concentrate more to give it the power it needed. Concentration matters”

He brought out his own book wand and motioned for them to raise it up.

“Poculus is always a normal day spell. It’s important and if you don’t get it, you might as well give up now.”

When no one made any move to walk out, he continued.

“The pronunciation matters. If you do not get the way it’s pronounced, the spell is nothing. Wrong vocalization might be dangerous and others might be harmless. It depends.” Mr Walker said, crossing his legs.

“The staircase needs your destination to work, so you concentrate harder. Your mind says the destination and you add Poculus to your spell. If you get the wrong vocalization, it won’t take you anywhere and if you get the first half of the pronunciation, it will take you up a bit and push you off in the middle. Any questions?”

No one answered.

“Good. The pronouncement is the most important. And there is the mind spell which you can do if you do not want to vocalize but only if you are good at it. Not just good. Expert in it. Because you will need to depend on your intuition especially if you are in danger and if you cannot handle the mind spell part, you will endanger your life. Thoroughly. So don’t bother with it. I doubt you will be in danger at all if you do not stray or put your nose to where it doesn’t belong”

That was a clear warning to all of them- Fina thought.

They all watched as Mr Walker waved his book wand.

“You shouldn’t wave your wooden wand like a drunkard. Just some little twists of the wrist and you are fine”

“What spell is that?” He asked

Nancy Miller raised her right hand.

“It’s Miss –

“I never ask you to tell me your name. It’s a thing I will know based on how I see you. Based on how good you are. You will have to earn it yourself. And I don’t see that happening anytime soon”

“It’s ‘AZEMTRUM POCULUS’”

“Wrong”

Jackson raised his left hand.

“AZEMUM POCULUS”

“Wrong”

A red hair girl raised her right hand.

“AZEMBUM POCULUS”

“Wrong”

Half of the class got it wrong.

“I had a feeling this would happen” Mr Walker said with a smile.

Not a smile.

A very satisfied smirk. Like their failure appeased him.

“I never thought it would be this-

“It’s ’AZEMBRUM POCULUS” Fina whispered to Zora. “It’s an opening spell. All the windows opened slightly when he waved his book wand”

That stopped Walker from completing his statement.

The fact that the student had gotten the spell doesn’t amaze him but the fact that she had noticed the slightly opened windows made him a little shocked. The student is perfectly good in noticing things- He thought to himself.

He had made the window to open slightly with his mind connecting with his book wand.

“I really hope you will always speak up.” He said

He looked at Fina’s direction and she looked down at once.

“Very well, it’s ‘AZEMBRUM POCULUS’. It’s an opening spell. You all try it. The Aries first”

They all got it wrong.

“I have neutralized the spell effect so there won’t be any trouble. Shame. The last junior Aries were the best in spells. It’s a very big thing if your house is known for something great. It earns you the Guardian’s Queen Love”

The Aries all bowed their heads in shame.

“Bryce Parker, Ozias Black, Tyrell Swift, Xavier Starr and Kit Martinez. They are all in INTERMEDIATE but it’s as if they are in SENIOR LEVEL 3. Sometimes I tend to forget that when I’m in senior level 3 class. I look for them.”

For Mr Walker to praise someone- Fina thought, They have got to be extremely good.

“They competed a lot. They still do. They have always wanted their house to be at the top. Trust me; they have earned more than the Queen’s love. The Guardian Queen cherishes them a lot. The leading house in Elfina is the Capricorn house but it varies. Aries, Capricorn, Virgo and Leo always compete with each other but right now, it’s the Capricorns”

Mr Walker sighed and smiled.

A real smile this time. It lit up his face and he looked more handsome than ever.

“Don’t let us forget the girls too. Bridget Faye, Coco Bell, Camilla Rose and Kathleen Osborne. All are born exceptional. Intelligent and talented. They make their house proud”

Mr Walker smile vanished as he looked back at them. As if he is just noticing their presence for the first time.

“The Virgos are next”

Few of the Virgos got it right, a thing in which Mr Walker still shook his head at.

Whatever impresses him is a great mystery- Fina thought.

The Leos got it right except a few. The Geminis ruined everything.

None of them got it. Mr Walker wiped his face in utter frustration.

“Capricorn? You do know that this will be recorded to your houses right? It gives your various house points which will signify your rank for the week.”

The Capricorns tried. Only three got it wrong.

“Not bad. But still terrible.”

Mr Walker yawned.

“That’s enough for today. Assignment!”

They all jumped at the sudden loudness of his voice.

“I want you all to learn more about the spells and should be recorded in your note. Learn thirty easy spells by tomorrow. Each student will be called out to perform.”

Then, he smirked at everyone.

“By the way, It’s your first test” Mr Walker said “You are free to blow it up. Dismissed”

They all stood frozen for a while until…

“Well, you do not want me to cast the spell of forgetfulness on you, do you? Miss Slayer won’t be happy her new students are all dull brained.”

They practically flew out of the class.

*******

They all walked out of the castle to see Miss Slayer waiting for them. Her long gold hair shone in the sun and she stared at them with her hazel eyes.

Then, her mouth curved up in a smile revealing two dimples. She looked Mr Walker’s age but quite younger.

Her flying attire includes a red gown with slits at the sides with dark blue jeans and red sneakers.

“Hello, newbies. I am Miss Lala Slayer and I will be teaching you how to fly plus Etiquette classes.” Slayer said

She whistled and young flying cheetahs descended from where they were flying.

“Wow….”

Most couldn’t hide their amazement and they didn’t bother to. They were awestruck at the flying cheetah’s beauty.

“Each student should pick a cheetah. When you get on them, you will be bonded with them. They will be yours till your last breath. The flying cheetahs are extremely loyal but they can lose their composure sometimes. It might be something you did or they didn’t belong to you in the first place. It’s important you do not take the one that doesn’t belong to you. It might harm you. Be careful with your pick”

Fina watched as Zora moved in front of a flying cheetah and gently rub its head. It smiled at her and she breathes a sigh of relief.

The students picked their flying cheetahs but Fina only stood, watching them all.

Then, her birthark began to itch. Fina rubbed on it gently but it didn’t stop until she looked up and saw a flying cheetah staring at her in a corner.

The flying cheetah didn’t look away as she walked to it. She was about to touch it when someone bumped her off.

Fina stumbled and looked up with angry eyes at the person.

It was Nancy Miller.

She smirked at Fina and flipped her red hair.

“This one is mine”

“I found it first” Fina countered

“I touched it first”

“It doesn’t belong to you”

Nancy rolled her eyes at her.

“And it belongs to you?” She said “This one is a rare beauty.”

It was true. The flying cheetah looked different from the others in a unique way. It was the only one that had different eye colors.

“You will only get hurt”

“And who will hurt me? You?” She asked and shrieked in laughter.

Miss Slayer seems to have heard her because she moved all the way to them. Now, all attention were on them again.

“What’s going on here?” She asked

“I found it first” They both said in unison.

“It doesn’t belong to you, Miller. Stay away.” Fina said

“And it does to you, Clark?” Nancy asked.

Her friends chuckled and Shelly shut them up with a sarcastic remark.

“I touched it first, Miss Slayer. Fina Clark loves to take things that are mine. She’s a jealous hypocrite”

“Seems to me you just explained yourself in two words” Talon Smith said

Everyone gasped but Talon only shrugged.

“What? I never lie” He said

“Who touched it first?” Miss Slayer asked

Nancy smirked.

“I did” She replied

“I am afraid you will have to replace another Miss Clark”

Fina shrugged.

“It’s all about the training anyway” Fina said

Nancy smirked and stared her down.

“Okay. Gently put your right leg beside your flying cheetah and it will bend for you to climb.”

Fina found another flying cheetah and did as they were told.

Guess I was wrong after all- She thought.

“Okay. Touch its neck and the reins will appear then give it a little tug and it will fly slowly. Slowly since its young and still not that strong”

They all did as they were told.

When they all start to fly mid air, some of them began to giggle.

“Fun, right?” Miss Slayer asked as she looked up at them.

They went higher into the air till they could touch the clouds.

“Descend” Miss Slayer said

They all descended slowly.

“Now, get off slowly”

They all got off the cheetah.

All. Except Nancy Miller.

“I am stuck” She said in sheer panic.

“What do you mean you are stuck? That’s impossible.” Miss Slayer said “Get down, Miss Miller”

Nancy tried but couldn’t get off.

Everyone panicked.

“Goodness! I have never seen this before in my life. Someone get Mr Walker!” Miss Slayer shouted.

The flying cheetah raised its wings and thrust so hard into the air it rob them off their sight for a second.

Up in the air, they could hear Nancy scream and they all watch in horror as the flying cheetah moved wildly in the air.

Sometimes it flew upside down and sometimes, it flew side wards.

Nancy screamed all the way.

Then the real torture began as it began to twirl so wildly in air. It hits the castle glass a couple times and showed no sign of coming down anytime soon.

Fina briefly glanced beside her and saw Talon and Shelly with a satisfied smirk on their faces.

They righted themselves when they saw her fully staring at them. Both turned red as if they were caught stealing.

Mr Walker, Miss Zedler and Mrs Knight rushed out of the castle with some seniors behind them.

“Faye, Osborne. Stop the cheetah!” Mr Walker commanded.

Bridget Faye flipped her shoulder length white blonde hair and waved her glass wand. Kathleen Osborne tucked her dark bob hair behind her hair and did the same.

The flying cheetah stilled in air for a while then began to move vigorously, suddenly more worse than before.

They tried another spell but it didn’t work.

“Oh yes!” Miss Slayer shouted suddenly.

She turned to Fina and Fina automatically stepped back.

“Try to stop it” She said “Uh… the flying cheetah feels its owner’s emotion” Miss Slayer rushed

Fina looked at her as if she was crazy and then at the cheetah and back at Miss Slayer again.

“I’m not like that and I don’t feel like that” She said

“Yes, of course. You are calm” Miss Slayer said

Just as Mr Walker moved forward to cast a strong spell on the cheetah with his book wand which, obviously could harm the cheetah, Miss Slayer practically pushed Fina to the front and raised her left hand.

The flying cheetah stilled and gently descended to where they all stood.

Miss Slayer glanced at Fina with a questioning look.

“What?” Fina asked.

“Go save Miss Miller”

Talon snorted loud and clear.

“I had rather eat my cat” He whispered but everyone heard him loud and clear.

Miss Zedler Grey cat screeched in her hand and glared so hard at Talon but Zedler only stroke the cat which Fina replaces extremely creepy.

Both looked dark and frightening.

Fina walked slowly to the flying cheetah as if she was going to be executed and the cheetah watched her every steps.

When she finally gets to it, she could see Nancy have already passed out.

She raised her hand to the cheetahs head and it smirked at her which was extremely weird as if it had tortured Nancy on purpose.

It nodded to the side giving her permission to get Nancy off with its smirk still on its face.

Fina dragged Nancy down and she fell to the ground.

As she stepped aside to pull her up, the cheetah glared at her and she practically flew back to her mates.

Mr Walker was the one who carried Nancy Miller back to the castle.

“Whew. That was terrifying.” Miss Slayer said

“That was fun” Zora said

Fina glanced at her.

“Scary. I meant scary” She corrected at once.

She looked up when she felt some gazes on her.

Xavier and his friends with Bridget and Kathleen were staring at her.

But it wasn’t Xavier stare she found odd. It was the boy with the blond hair and amber eyes.

The boy was beaming ear to ear at her.

Fina looked away and back to the flying cheetahs which were making their way back to their dwelling place.

“You know, I wouldn’t have minded if that continued for years” Shelly whispered in her ear, a wicked glint in her eyes.

“Back to your classes everyone.” Miss Slayer said You are dismissed”

Zora held Fina’s hand and they both walked back into the castle.

As they walked beside the students, they could hear them murmuring about what happened.

Certainly, Nancy Miller friends would have fed them the wrong rumour since they seem intent on ruining her name.

“Fina Clark, right?”

They both turned to see one of Xavier friends walking to them. The one with the blond hair and amber eyes.

His eyes twinkled as he smiled at them and when he stopped in front of them, Zora sucked in a breath.

It seems Zora has a thing for all the seniors- Fina thought.

“That must be you, then. And I guess this beautiful miss beside you is….

“Zora Alvarez” Zora filled in excitedly.

“Right. You must have met Xavier already. He’s my lovely roommate since junior year”

“Xavier?” Fina asked

“Xavier Starr. I am Tyrell Swift”

“So, that was a wonderful show. I hate when people takes what’s mine too. And there have been a lot actually. Where are you going? Let me honour you with my wanting to be your loyal escort”

“You are such a gentleman” Fina said

“Well, that’s the magic of Miss Slayer. She can turn a rogue into a gentleman in a week.” Tyrell said “Shall we?”

“So, how are your lessons?” Tyrell asked as they walked into the elevator.

“Mystery” Fina replied

“I understand” He said. “Mr Walker may be quite strict”

Fina and Zora looked sharply at him.

“Quite?” Fina asked

“Then how about Miss Zedler’s class?” He asked again and pressed a button.

Before they could reply, the elevator shook.

Fina and Zora bumped into Tyrell.

“Still haven’t gotten used to it. It will take time. The first time Black rode an elevator, he was screaming his mother’s name. How bad could it be?”

The lift stopped and opened.

“He wanted to go back home” Tyrell said “I was hoping you will be my friend. If you want me to help you with anything, I am always in the library. In the fourth section. The seat by the window. My escorting ends here”

His brows creased.

“At four. I trust you will be there”

Tyrell didn’t wait for their reply and walked away.

“Tyrell Swift wants to be friends with us? Why?” Zora asked

Fina only shrugged.

*******

“How are we going to learn all this thirty spells within twenty four hours? It’s not like our brain was magically carved.” Talon whined.

The school library was the biggest library in Amenix. Filled with rows and rows of books on glass shelves. There were steps to climb in order to reach the highest rows of the books.

The walls were quoting famous scholars on it. The windows high and magnificent.

There were different sections in the library. Reading tables and chairs filled everywhere.

Unlike the other rooms in Elfina, the library was a bit dark.

They have been in the library for an hour now with not much success.

“AYUNUP POCULUS” Zora said

Fina waved her wooden wand.

Their books began to float in air.

“That’s the moving spell.” Zora said and quickly jotted it in her book.

“AYUNUP ESTERIDUS MANIFSA” Fina whispered

Fina waved her wooden wand again and the windows clacked open. A heavy wind blew in.

Some students rushed to close the window but it clapped violently .

“What spell is that, Fina?” Zora asked in sheer panic. “I can’t replace it anywhere. It’s not in the spell book”

“I don’t know. I just had it stuck in my head”

“It’s a strong spell.”

They turned to see Tyrell Swift behind them.

How did he walk behind them without any sound?

“It’s a strong spell.” Swift said again.

“Oh, I didn’t realize” Fina said slowly

“You said you had it stuck in your head.” He said, his lips curving into a slow smile.

“No. I must have heard it somewhere” Fina replied

Tyrell raised a brow.

“I don’t believe you.”

He waved his glass wand and the wind stopped.

“I can teach you strong spells if you like. The quicker you learn it, the better it will be for you when the time comes”

“When the time comes…” Zora said and trailed off.

“No place is safe forever. It’s like saying everything’s permanent, which it’s not”

They all blinked in total confusion.

Tyrell laughed as if this was just casual talk to him.

“Pardon. My father is a Philosopher. I must have had it in my blood.

“Excuse me. I do not mean to be rude but can we have some space?” Talon asked “Mr Walker gave us a very important assignment”

“Sure.” Tyrell said “POCULUS, right? It’s been quite a while since I’ve done any easy spells.”

They all looked at him.

“Mr Walker said an easy spell is a normal day spell. It’s important and we do it every day. It’s like the chemistry of life” Fina said

“You got it wrong. I didn’t mean easy spell in the ‘it’s my every day thing way but in its class lecture thing’” Tyrell said “I will take my leave. Good luck”

Talon Smith runs his fingers through his hair.

“Is it just me or do I really feel that the hairs at the back of my neck are up in a ‘that boy is creepy kind of way?’” He asked

“Hello. We are the Rashford twins. How do you do?”

“That is what is called ….” Zo said and trailed off

The twins have brown hair mixed with purple and Aquamarine eyes. Both were tall and a bit in the chubby side.

They took a sit next to Talon and he almost jumped out of his chair.

“Fina Clark”

“Zora Alvarez”

They all turned to Talon who looked as if he has swallowed the wrong pill.

“Talon Smith”

They gave him a very creepy smile and turned back to Fina.

“Are you studying for Mr Walker Class?” They asked in unison.

“Yes.” Fina said

“I am Julie and this is Juju” One of them said

They didn’t bother asking for their names because they can’t tell whom from whom.

“Mr Walker is a bit strict but he is really handsome. The junior students have been talking about him. The girls” They said in unison

Zo couldn’t stop blinking and Fina feared that her friend’s eye would get stuck if she doesn’t stop.

“We have already studied the thirty spells. Do you know that there are ghosts in the Gemini house?”

“Are you trying to scare us?” Talon asked

The twins suddenly looked frightened.

“There are lots of ghosts in the Gemini house. Sometimes, we hear them cry in the night. It’s a really scary sound”

Fina leaned in closer to them.

“These ghosts…what do they sound like?”

The twins stared at her for a while, debating whether to tell or not.

“They sound horrifying. Like they were murdered unjustly. Scared, pitiful and sometimes anger”

Talon, Fina and Zora glanced at each other.

The twins’ hands were shaking now.

“Do you remember when Mr Walker said we won’t be in danger if we don’t put our nose where it doesn’t belong?”

“It’s a warning” Fina said

“Last night, one of the Geminis senior was murdered.

Talon fell off his chair while Fina and Zora blinked in disbelief.

“Are you trying to scare us?” Zora asked shakily

“Not at all. They said it was strong magic. That it was accidental. Her twin was devastated. We don’t know much”

Talon righted himself.

“We should go.”

“Wait. Why did you tell us about it?” Fina asked

The twins beamed at her.

“We got you. That was a joke” They said and walked away.

“Well, that’s borderline creepy” Talon said

They studied more until Fina gave in to her yawns.

She met herself in one of the dark corridors of Elfina where she saw the ghostly figure. She walked into the corridor and the cheery and light feeling of Elfina descended into a dark and gloomy one. It was eerily silent but she kept walking.

Fina…….

The voice called again.

Fina moved deep into the darkness and the ghostly form appeared again. Then, with a blink of the eye disappeared into the darkness.

Fina heard a scream and ran towards the voice, almost tripping on her feet in a hurry to save the person. As she came into view with the victim, she froze on her spot.

There hanged a very large spider on the ceiling spinning a student into a cocoon. The student body stopped moving and became perfectly still in the giant spider web.

Then, the giant spider turned its beady eyes at Fina and surged forward in extreme fury.

Fina gasped for breath as she came back to reality. Talon and Zora have also fallen asleep beside her and there was no longer anyone in the library.

She stood carefully, not wanting to wake Zora and Talon and walked to the spiraling shelves.

Fina……………..

She moved back to their table and took her wand preparing herself for anything that could happen then walked back to the shelves.

Her fingers streamed through books after books absently until it touched a rough leather book. Fina pulled the book out from the shelf and looked at it.

It was old, the cover worn out and extremely dusty. She found it odd that an old book was found in the midst of all the new books. Every books on the shelves were completely new.

Fina put it back and turned to go back to their table but stopped suddenly when she heard her name again.

Fina………..

She turned back to the shelves and placed her ear close to it but nothing happened.

Then, she looked in front of her and saw the old leather book there.

Fina picked it up again and wiped the dust from it.

It was a diary. An old diary from…

Carly Brooklyn