That night, I repacked all my belongings *sigh* and took out the book Thomas had given me. In fancy gold letters were the words: Silverleaf Academy Student Handbook. According to him, it contained everything I needed to know about the school. Sitting down on my bed, I took it out and began to read.

The introduction claimed that Silverleaf Academy was the most prestigious school for elemental magic in all of Azala. It went on to detail many of the school's accomplishments, like winning the annual Magi-Cup 317 years in a row and having the best BlazeHunt team. I skimmed over these sections and found the school uniforms at the very end of the book. Ugg... The uniforms looked like they came straight out of some posh rich kid school.The girl's uniform was a white sailor's blazer with a black skirt, which happens to be the worst item of clothing ever. (don't judge) On the blazer was what I assumed to be the school logo, a single leaf surrounded by eight symbols. These seemed to be the same ones that were carved in the tree. The section also noted that the shoulder area would be the main elemental symbol of the student. I frowned, annoyed at how the book never bothered to explain what it all meant. It just expected me to know. With a frustrated sigh, I stuffed the handbook in my suitcase and got ready for bed.

The girl's uniform was a white sailor's blazer with a black skirt, which happens to be the worst item of clothing ever. (don't judge) On the blazer was what I assumed to be the school logo, a single leaf surrounded by eight symbols. These seemed to be the same ones that were carved in the tree. The section also noted that the shoulder area would be the main elemental symbol of the student. I frowned, annoyed at how the book never bothered to explain what it all meant. It just expected me to know. With a frustrated sigh, I stuffed the handbook in my suitcase and got ready for bed.

I woke up early the next morning to find my uniform laid out on the bed. I dressed quickly, trying to ignore the knot in my stomach and headed downstairs for breakfast. I found Alice and Thomas already eating their breakfast and hurried to my spot. "How are we getting to the academy?" I asked. With a mysterious smile, Alice said: "You'll see..."

I thought we would be driving or something. But I was very, very wrong. "Over here," said Alice, pushing open the back door. I stumbled out after her, confused. "Wait. Where are we going?" I asked. "You know how your grandfather asked you that random question yesterday? If you had seen the Venus Flytrap? " she said. "Um, yes?" I answered, unsure of where this was going. "Well," Alice pointed at the Venus Flytrap in the garden, "that's kind of like a barrier. To any normal person, the point where the Venus Flytrap grows would just look like a normal fence. But to an Attuned, you would be able to see past it and entered the expanded area behind it." "So that was why I couldn't see the giant tree from the front yard." I said. "Exactly," she replied. "And you will be able to see in just a moment, what the tree is for."

I watched, mesmerized as Alice stepped towards the tree and placed her hands on the symbols. They began to glow softly and she said "Portalius Ouverta". Alice stepped to the side and I saw the space inside the oval of symbols begin to glow and swirl. "It's a portal," I whispered. "Now in you go. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt." Alice said. "Aren't you coming with me?" I asked. "Unfortunately, I won't be going. But you'll be landing in the main hall of the academy where all the new students are, so it'll be fine." The swirling oval of light didn't look very safe, but I tried not to think about it. I gripped the handle of my suitcase tightly and jumped into the tree portal before I decided to change my mind.