Chapter 3: Celestria Jolenta

“I am your academy administrator, Mr. Dawson.”

Everyone turned their heads to look at a man who stood at the top of a large and tall staircase. He was an older man with a bald head and a mustache so green that I couldn’t help but stare.

“I hope the second-year students gave you a warm welcome,” he said. “As many of you may know, Oswalda is a six-year academy. Not everyone makes it through all six years, but if you do, you are special indeed. That being said, when you’re at the academy, it doesn’t matter what type of family background you come from. Here, everyone is equal and shall be treated as such. I hope you keep that in mind. Now head down the hall and walk through the glass doors. Over the hill to your left is where you shall find the arena. Master Bavol will be waiting for you there.”

The crowd started to move, and I moved with it.

“You just elbowed me. Watch it!” a girl hissed in my ear. She was tall, slender, and blonde. Her eyes were blue, and the skirt of her gown was as beautiful as she was angry.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

She looked me up and down. “Equals?” she said and scoffed. “How could someone of my stature ever be equal to someone like you?”

“And what statue would that be? The one that the village hounds piss on?”

Students cleared a path for a girl with light-brown hair and deep emerald-green eyes. Just like the blonde, she was clearly from a wealthy family. Perhaps even wealthier because her gown, the color of the evening sunset, seemed even more exquisite.

“What?” the blonde hissed again, the wordplay clearly lost on her.

“Never mind.” My savior turned to me. “I’m Celestria Jolenta. Don’t let this one get to you. She’s just mad because now that the prince is attending the academy, she won’t be the only one stalking him and vying for his attention.”

The comment must’ve stung because the blonde huffed again and stormed off.

“Hi. I’m Hollis Alvin,” I told Celestria and drew closer. “Is it really true that the prince is here?”

“Yes, Tanner Thornton, the Prince of Berwick, is here. Well, not here presently, but he’s going to be taking classes with us,” she said and looked around as if she hoped to see him.

I should’ve known. The royal family had a magical lineage. Every single member of the family had attended the academy, so of course the prince would too.

“His twin was supposed to attend too, but you probably know the story…”

I might’ve been antisocial, but it only meant that I had more time to read up on the history of our kingdom. It was such a sad tale. Almost every member of the royal family was born a twin. In Prince Tanner’s case, he had a twin sister. She would’ve eventually ruled over us, since unlike other kingdoms, Berwick was ruled exclusively by queens, not kings. Unfortunately, when the twins were a year old, someone kidnapped the princess.

Armies searched for her day in and day out, but eventually even the royal family lost hope. She was likely killed, although her body was never found. The kingdom mourned the lost princess to this day.

By the time we reached the arena, my clothes clung to my sweaty back. It was no more than a large, empty dirt field where grass struggled to grow. The stands that surrounded it were made to accommodate a large audience.

A building sat on the far left. The students argued about its purpose with great fervor.

“Shut it!”

A small woman in a blue dress stepped into the center of the arena. Her straight blonde hair was tied into a tight ponytail. A pair of square-framed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose.

One moment, she looked perfectly human. The next, she had turned into a magnificent lion. She roared as her mane blew in the wind, the sound making us take a few steps back and freeze in place. Then, just as fast as she had morphed into the animal, she morphed back into a small woman.

“I am Master Bavol, the headmistress and the shifting master. This is Master Sinnie, the healing master.” She pointed to a woman in a slick emerald dress and a braid next to her.

“Your potions master, Master Rhoslyn, is experiencing travel complications, but you’ll meet her soon enough.”

“Before we give you your room assignments and show you to your dorms, there are a few things we need to go over with you,” the master continued.

“The road ahead will be difficult. The masters will push you, hard. You will have classes every day, and yes, they might make you question everything you thought you knew about yourself and the world. However, we are here to guide you because Berwick needs you, especially now that Arachnid spies have become a very real threat.”

Whispers spread across the arena. Next to me, Celestria stiffened. “What do you think the spies are after?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly.

The Arachnids despised us for many reasons, one of them being the fact that we could wield magic and they could not. I supposed that would’ve made anyone jealous, and it definitely explained the need for an enchanted barrier that could determine one’s bad intentions. But sending their spies to an academy filled with magical beings? That seemed like a suicide mission.

“Within the next few days, you will be tested, and you will start attending classes. The people you see here will become your family, and the academy will become your home, although for how long will depend on your talents,” she said. “Speaking of home, the girls’ quarters are to the right of the area, and the boys’ quarters are to the left. Each room has three beds. When I read your name, form a line of three.”

Master Sinnie handed her a scroll, and Master Bavol began to read off names. When she got to mine, she also called Celestria and a small, cheerful girl with an adorable pixie cut who ran up to us right away, beaming. She hugged Celestria. For a split second, I thought that she wouldn’t hug me. After all, I was used to being ignored back in Madison. I was wrong because she pulled me into a tight hug too.

“I’m Kenley. I can’t wait to get to know you both. Let’s get the school year started!”

Once the master got through the entire list, we were given an hour and a half to find our assigned dorms and settle in before dinner.

Our room was huge compared to what I was used to at home. There were three beds, three desks, and three wardrobes. Mine fit all of my things, and there was still room to spare. As for Celestria and Kenley, no matter how much they struggled to get their pretty dresses, shoes, and knickknacks inside, the wardrobe doors just wouldn’t close.

“Should we try a spell?” Celestria asked.

“You have powers?” I asked.

Celestria shrugged. “I can only do small things. Light a candle. Pick up a rock. Definitely not anything that would help me with ~this~ situation,” she said, eyeing the overstuffed wardrobe like she was expecting it to explode at any minute. “Kenley?”

“Yeah, don’t look at me. Minor magic is all I’m capable of,” Kenley said and slumped down on her bed.

“You can use my wardrobe if you want. It’s half-empty anyway,” I told them as I ran my fingers over the Oswalda uniform someone had laid out for me at the foot of my bed—a pair of black slacks, a loose-fitting black shirt, and a leather belt.

“I knew I liked you the moment I saw you, Hollis,” Celestria said and squealed with excitement, then started piling shoes onto the bottom shelf.

“Same!” Kenley said and followed suit. “What about you? Do you have any powers aside from being the best roommate ever?”

“I don’t have a single magically skilled family member, so you’ll probably be getting a new roommate soon.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself,” Celestria said. “The masters aren’t called that for nothing, you know. They have ways of drawing out powers you didn’t even think were there.”

Once all our things were put away, the three of us stood by the window and took in the grounds.

Magic was all around us. It drifted in the wind. It filled the orbs that floated above our heads and lit up the room. Even though I didn’t have any magic, I loved feeling it on my skin and in my bones. I wanted to believe Celestria’s words so badly. If she thought that the masters could discover magic in someone like me, then maybe it was true.

~Don’t kid yourself~, I thought, ~because the harder you hope, the more it’s going to hurt when Oswalda breaks your heart and kills your dreams.~