“Okay, first, this is the rulebook. You will have to read it and memorize it. Random leaders and teachers can ask you questions about the rulebook. They normally wait till a month after you’ve been here.” He placed a thick book off to the side. “Now, this is your locker key. It is mainly used by students if they have a lot of items needed for classes on a specific day. I keep any items for the student council in mine.” He set down a purple holographic card down on top of the rulebook. “Now, this is your schedule. It seems we have a few classes together and a few classes I’ve taken before, so I can help you with anything.”

‘ Monday, Wednesday, Friday:

0800-0930 Introduction to Magic Wielders and Magic Holders 101

0945-1130 The History of Magic 801

1130-1300 LUNCH

1300-1415 Algebraic Studies 601

1430-1545 Physical Training

1600-1700 Spellcasting 301

1715-1800 Languages 502

Tuesday, Thursday

0700-0830 Introduction to Magic Wielders and Magic Holders 101

0845-0930 Languages 502

0945-1045 Spellcasting 301

1100-1230 LUNCH

1230-1345 Bonding and Releasing 409

1400-1515 Physical Training

1530-1630 Biology 201

1645-1800 Chemistry 902

‘

“Obviously, not every class will deal with magic. We still have math, science, and language classes. The only difference from regular human schools is languages mostly revolve around the magic language and english. Physical training is dependent on your skill level, you will learn yours after the first week of classes. I cannot really help you much with Bonding and Releasing class as that is only for magic holders. All I know is bonds are controlled by the holder. Quinn or Victoria can help you though.

“It’s almost 8 o’clock, so let me show you where your classes will be. As of right now, do you have any questions?” Blaze looked down at me before kneeling to my height.

I stared in thought. Do I have any questions? I am a little confused as to how the whole process works, but I guess I will learn that eventually. I shrugged and shook my head. As Blaze stood back up, my stomach growled loudly. I couldn’t hold back the whimper of hunger pains.

“Hey?” Blaze lightly held my shoulders. “Are you okay? Are you hungry? Did you not eat breakfast?”

I shook my head, “We didn’t have food nor time. My mother always forgets to go grocery shopping and my father works too much to notice.” My voice was soft. I could talk louder, but since I’ve barely spoken, it hurts to be loud.

“There’s a cafe on the campus. We can go there and get you a muffin or something. It won’t be much, but it will hold you till lunch. Hopefully.” Blaze nodded as if to reassure himself before leading us out of the dorm and back outside.

I held the headphones as we walked. It was quiet for a moment. There were trees lining the pathways that crossed their way around the campus, connecting each building with one another. The weather was quite warm with a nice cool breeze. I could tell autumn was near as the leaves were browning and falling onto the ground.

The quiet was short lived as we neared a one story building that seemed to have a lot of outdoor seating and the shops were outside rather than enclosed in the building. There were quite a lot of students and teachers milling about as they headed into the cafe or shops for drinks or food. Cautiously, I placed the headphones on. I was surprised at how well the headphones dampened the noise.

Blaze entered the cafe and went up to the register. I couldn’t hear him as he ordered something. He looked back at me and smiled as he noticed the headphones, then he pointed to the display case. Inside the case were a few options of snacks. I looked at Blaze as I pointed to the chocolate muffin and then held one finger up. I saw Blaze mouth move, asking me something. I shook my head before I went to take the headphones off. My hand was stopped by Blaze who looked worried and shocked at the same time.

Blaze held a finger up before talking with the cashier who gave him a notepad and pen. Quickly he scribbled down something before showing it to me.

‘ Do you want one muffin? ‘

I nodded, “Yes.” My voice sounded muffled in my head.

Blaze nodded before writing again.

‘ Drink? ‘

“Cho… Chocolate milk?” I felt my cheeks heat up. My mother never allowed me to have coffee, all I ever drank was water. Chocolate milk was a sweet luxury for me.

Blaze smiled and nodded before speaking with the cashier again. It was at this moment that I realized I had no money. I poked Blaze until he turned to look down at me, my eyes wide with sadness. At this point he had already handed the cashier a red holographic card.

Blaze’s lips moved, this time I could read them, ‘ What’s wrong? ‘

“I have no money.” I whispered, unaware of how loud I was or the noise around me. These headphones really work.

Blaze smiled gently as he shook his head. He got his card back and a black disc before leading me somewhere in the back of the cafe. There were very few people, as most people were outside.

He motioned for me to take the headphones off, so I slowly removed them. The noise was a little loud, but nothing I couldn’t handle.

“Nova? Nova, you are spacing out again.” Blaze snapped his fingers lightly in front of my face. I blinked a few times before looking at him again. “I was telling you how money works here. A lot of the students here are from wealthy families that have magic within their family line. Some don’t. So the school created a way for us to feel like we have money.” Blaze took out his red card. “This is a Red Card. Based on the card determines what you are allowed to buy. Red is the highest and grants you freedom to buy anything on the campus. White is quite average and only limits some purchases. Black is the most restricted one and only allows you to buy food from the cafeteria and the small market we have. Black cards are given to people who get into trouble often.”

I nodded before the black disc lit up. Blaze quickly got up and headed back to the counter. He picked up a tray with our items before sitting back down. I waited as he set the muffin and milk in front of me. I saw that he had gotten some coffee drink with foam and a sandwich of some kind.

“We can eat for a minute before I have to show you around campus and to your classes, okay?” Blaze waited for affirmation, so I nodded before eating my muffin.

~~~

“So, this is your Intro to Magic Wielders and Holders class. It’s just a basic class everyone takes to give you an understanding about the different types and classes that come with being a wielder or a holder. The professor is usually Professor Rendoll. He has been teaching here for years. My mother said her and my father were taught by him. Let’s go in to meet him, okay?”

Blaze led me into the open oak doors into a large room. There were rows of desks and a large blackboard spanned the front of the classroom. Off to one side was a simple black desk with stacks of papers and two small laptops on top. Seated at the desk was an ancient man wearing a simple button up shirt and black trousers, all ironed perfectly. The professor wore horn rimmed glasses that were held by a chain around his neck. There were a few students in one corner, chatting away about something.

Blaze made his way down the carpeted stairs and towards the professor. Upon reaching the desk, the professor stopped reading some paper and glanced up at us.

“Ah, Mr. Royal. Fancy seeing you back in my classroom.” The professor’s voice was as ancient as he looked. His voice shook slightly as he spoke and was low and gentle. He reminded me of what a grandfather would look and sound like.

Blaze chuckled as he shook his head. “I am just here to introduce you to a new student we have. This is Nova White.” He lightly pushed me in front of him and the professor’s gaze fell upon me. He had strange violet eyes that were sunken and surrounded by years worth of wrinkles.

“Oh? Hello, Mr. White. I can tell you are a holder. Quite interesting. We don’t get many holders from unknown family lines. May I ask where your magic comes from?”

I shrugged and mumbled, “My mother said she was a holder. She never explained where it comes from.”

The professor nodded before standing up. He was stocky and short, though not as short as me. “I see. Well, I am Professor William Rendoll. I teach Introduction to Magic Wielders and Magic Holders for new students. Welcome to Whitehall. I know you won’t be in my class for long, but please stay as long as you may and I will see you every morning, bright and early. Oh, do understand, just because this is an introduction to magic and whatnot, I still give out homework just as much as every other professor.” A cheeky smile broke through the wrinkled face before he walked over to the blackboard.

“Let’s go up to the top row, so we can just watch the class for a bit.” Blaze suggested before I shook my head.

“I have trouble seeing long distances.”

“Oh, that’s okay. We can stay as close as you need to.”

I nodded before walking to the stairs that led to the door and sat down on the floor a few feet away from the last step. The board was a good few feet away from me. Blaze couldn’t help the small laugh that left his lips before he grabbed a spare chair and sat beside me. He did offer me a chair, which I declined. I like sitting on the floor.

After a few minutes, a bell sounded in the hallway and dozens of students began piling in and sitting down at the seats, they all wore variations of the skin tight black outfit and red shorts or some form of a shirt. Most tried to stay in the back, but a few were brave enough to sit in the front rows. Or they were the smart ones. After fifteen minutes, almost every seat was taken and another bell rang throughout the hallway.

“Good morning, class!” The professor’s voice was shockingly loud enough to quiet all the chattering students.

“Good morning, Professor Rendoll.” The students responded, some with smiles on their faces and some groaning lowly.

“Now, yesterday we went over orientation and what I expect from my students. I will repeat it in a condensed version since we have a new student today. Everyone, kindly welcome Nova to our class.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to me. “Welcome, Nova,” they all sounded kind enough, but I could feel the confusion throughout the crowd.

“To reiterate, I expect a hundred percent participation from all my students. I give out homework a few times a week. This will mostly be essays and a few projects throughout the year. If you are ever struggling or don’t understand a topic I cover, please ask questions. No one should ever fail this class. Now, let’s get into today’s topic. Lesson 1, What is the difference between a wielder and a holder? Can anyone tell me?”

A dozen hands shot up.

“Miss. Noelle?”

A stick thin female stood up. Her hair was black as night and she wore a red button up tucked into what looked like red jean shorts. “A magic wielder is someone who has the ability to take magic and perform spells. A magic holder is someone who has magic held within them and allows a magic wielder to use their magic. A magic wielder cannot perform magic without a holder.”

Her voice was like honey, thick with an accent and sickly sweet. I do not think I will like her.

The professor nodded. As he spoke, the blackboard began filling with words in elegant cursive. “That is mostly correct. Thank you, Miss. Noelle. Now, the only thing missing was that a magic wielder can perform magic with a holder, but it will only be simple spells that a bond is not needed in order to perform. To explain further. A magic holder is the only one to create a bond with a magic wielder. If you are a holder, you will learn how to complete this in Bonding and Releasing with Professor Knight. If a wielder and a holder have a bond, it opens a world of magic for the wielder. Well, this all depends on your type or class.

“Wielders have different types and holders have different classes. Most of you will be type B or class B. These just mean you will have an average amount of magic or magic abilities. Very few of you will be type C or class C. These people will have low amounts of magic or very little magic ability. On the other side, some of you could be type A or class A, high amounts of magic and magical abilities.

“As of right now, none of you will know your type or class until the end of the month. But this will be done in your physical training class. It is a very basic test and it will determine how the rest of your learning and training here at Whitehall will be. In case anyone is curious, I am a Type A wielder. My wife is my holder and we have been bonded for a very long time.”

A few students chuckled and awed at the comment. It was interesting that he was a wielder. I would’ve thought he was a holder, but oh well.

On the blackboard were similar words to what the professor had been explaining. I could see the students writing it all down.

“Now, a magic wielder,” the professor continued talking as Blaze tapped me and motioned for us to leave.

As quietly as possible, we left the classroom and headed down the hallway.

“Interesting?” I shrugged as we walked up a couple of flights of stairs. Blaze chuckled, “Since it’s tuesday, we will just stop into your other classes that you don’t have today later on. Next is languages.”

After a few moments, we stopped a single oak door. Blaze knocked lightly before the door opened. Inside were a few rows of students and two teachers.

“Oh, Mr. Royal, what a pleasure. What brings you into our classroom?” One of the professors smiled. She was plump and had rosy cheeks and ginger hair pulled into a messy top bun.

“Hello, Professor Tully and Professor Leon. Sorry to interrupt. I’m here to introduce the new student to the class and to you both.”

“Oh! A new student!” Professor Tully exclaimed brightly as she waddled her way towards the door. She grabbed my hand and shook my hand excitedly. “Oh, welcome, welcome. I am Professor Minny Tully. Oh, it is so nice to have someone new and fresh. Oh! I am so sorry.” She quickly dropped my hand as Professor Leon had placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Sorry about her…?” Professor Leon started before looking towards me.

“Nova… Nova White.”

“Mr. White. Nice to meet you. Minny is always excited for anything and anyone. She tends to forget that she can’t terrify the students. Should've seen her yesterday.” Professor Leon chuckled as the plump woman huffed and made her way back to the front of the class. Professor Leon followed. He was a stocky male with no hair and simple brown eyes.

“Feel free to sit anywhere while you watch, Mr. White and Mr. Royal.” Professor Leon stated before the two professors got back to standing next to each other.

I made my way to the front and sat down on the floor. Both professors and the students all stared at me before going back to the lesson.

Blaze sat down next to me and leaned over to whisper into my ear, “You are very strange Nova. In a good way, don’t worry.”

I could feel my cheeks heat up as I tried to pay attention to the professors.

Stay Tune Part 4!