Zyn woke up earlier than usual that Sunday. She rolled up to her feet, as she’d been sleeping on the wooden floor. She called out a quick greeting, but received nothing in response. Ren was probably still asleep, considering Zyn had kept her up the previous night. Zyn shrugged and got dressed in a scarlet robe with balls of fire patterned on it. She then went down the stairs to the family room. Soon after, a loud bell rang through the school at 7, signaling that breakfast was being served for the next hour.

Zyn didn’t know if she’d be able to handle eating anything. What if Ak-tu found out that Ren had used her magic to get Zyn enrolled? How was Zyn going to perform any type of magic if she didn’t have it? Would she fail her classes? Would she be forced to wait another year? And what would Ren choose? Would she really wait for her twin to catch up, or move on without her? 

In seemingly no time, Ren was in the family room. Ren looked tired, and her messy hair was messier than usual. She smiled half-heartedly at Zyn, who did not find it in her to return the greeting. The sisters left the tower, locking it behind them, and made their way across the Courtyard to the Eating Hall.

“Well…it’s the big day!” Ren said as they entered. “We’re finally going to get started with school!”

“Yeah,” Zyn replied absentmindedly.

There were quite a few people in the hall already, lining up at the counter on the right side of the room. The students slid trays along the counter, grabbing food as the cooks bustled about in the background. All Zyn could hear was chatter, and she covered her ears and closed her eyes to block the sounds out.

But then all she could smell was food: crispy bread, savory tofu scramble, sweet chocolate and berries from baked muffins… Zyn groaned and shook her head, deciding to breathe from her mouth instead.

“Come on, Zyn,” Ren said, pulling her sister’s arm to lead her away from the door. 

The sisters headed to the counter, Ren grabbing some toast for both of them. They sat down at a table on the edge of the chattery room, but Zyn couldn’t find it in her to eat the bread. After several minutes, she got to her feet and left the Eating Hall without a word. She had barely taken two steps when Ren was at her side.

“Are you still worried about your magic?” Ren asked.

Zyn nodded, pacing in small circles beside the garden. {What if I can’t summon it the whole semester? What if Dad kicks me out of school?} She asked all of this telepathically, unable to form the words aloud.

The two had to step aside as more people arrived for breakfast. Sarala was among the students, keeping her distance from the others. She glanced sidelong at Zyn and Ren, but didn’t make any sort of greeting as she went, though Ren had waved.

“What’s with her anyway?” Zyn muttered, focusing on Sarala to distract herself.

“She’s just…you know…the loner type,” Ren said aloud, before she switched to telepathy. {I’ll help you with your magic, okay? I’ll perform the magic for you, at least until you get yours.}

{But what if that doesn’t happen?} Zyn asked, feeling an anxious knot in her stomach.

{It will.} Ren replied firmly. {It’s only a matter of days, maybe a month at most. In the meantime, I’ll do the magic for you.}

Zyn sighed. So she was going to be cheating in school from the start. She glanced at Ren, then nodded once. 

Ak-tu’s voice suddenly rang through the school. “First-year students, head to the Magic Studies classroom when the bell rings again. I expect to see all of you there by 8. As for the rest of you, welcome back to school!”

Zyn fidgeted uneasily. “I think I’ll just head to the classroom now.”

“I’ll go with you,” Ren said at once.

The sisters therefore crossed the Courtyard again, this time reaching the eastern wall where the Magic Studies classroom sat. The scent of books filled the air, though there were only desks within. The desks were set up in neat rows, while two large tables lay on either end of the room, one in the front and one in the back. There weren’t any decorations along the red-painted walls, only a clock. 

Ak-tu and Khurshid were already in the classroom, talking in low voices at the front desk. Ak-tu was dressed in his usual blue robe with the black sash, wearing a tank top beneath. Khurshid wore his collared shirt with the gold sash, which matched the long stripes going down the sides of his pants. Khurshid angled his large nose towards the twins as they entered.

“You’re early,” Ak-tu said, smiling at his children as he straightened up.

“We like to be punctual!” Ren said with a shrug.

“So what are we doing in class today?” Zyn asked, curiosity making the knot in her stomach loosen a bit. “Should I even call this a class?”

Ak-tu signaled to the table at the back of the room, which contained plenty of sticks. “All first-years will be choosing a wand!”

“Ooo!” Zyn let out a delighted noise and hurried for the table, but Ak-tu snatched the end of her robe and held her back. “Hey!”

“You can’t choose before everyone else gets here,” Ak-tu pointed out in amusement.

Zyn huffed in annoyance. “I wasn’t going to choose. I just wanted to look. There are so many wands!”

“You’ll get your chance,” Khurshid said calmly, running a hand over his buzzcut head. “But we first need to go over the school rules, schedule, and all that.”

Zyn sighed. “Fine,” she muttered, slumping down in a chair at the front of the class. “Is it time yet?”

Ak-tu glanced at the clock on the wall above the front desk. “7:58,” he read. “One more minute, and the minute-bell will sound before the final bell.”

The words had hardly left his mouth when the minute-bell rang. It was different from the first bell they’d heard that morning. It was short and sharp, whereas the first bell (and the final bell that rang seconds later at 8) sounded like a drawn-out echo. 

Zyn counted the first-years as they entered. There were nineteen students, which meant that there were twenty-one first-years altogether when including herself and Ren. It seemed the first-year group would be smaller than usual that year, as Zyn was quite certain the other years had more students.

“Welcome to the school, everyone,” Ak-tu said warmly once they had each taken their seats. “As you should know, I am Ak-tu Caihong, and this is Khurshid Jihan. I’m going to go through my list to make sure you’re all here. Just raise your hand when I call your name.”

He picked up a mirror from the desk and opened the attendance sheet. “Abhainn, Midnight? Caihong and Caihong, I know you’re here. Clay, Cypress? Sorry—C3?”

The redheaded boy, who was sitting right behind Zyn, raised his hand and said, “I am present.”

“Dattem, Ayl? Eenzaam, Zijdezacht?” Ak-tu continued down the list, looking up after saying each name to make note of the different faces. “Fubhuki, Kumo? Gatin, Ro-nael? Hajar-Ramliun, Alqamar? Jay, Cyan and Ebony and Scarlet? Triplets, are you?”

“Yes,” three voices from the very back replied, each in different tones.

“Fascinating!” Ak-tu continued. “Kilima, Ash? Kiran, Sarala? Niebla, Rosa? Paanee-chamak, Tulasee? Ravford, Beanna? Retsel, Meadow? Rulek, Mernao? Senzakou, Raimugi? And finally, Wuolf, Frost? Good, everyone’s here!”

Ak-tu set the mirror on the desk and went on. “Everyone got their school rules when receiving their room keys and IDs, yes? Does anyone have any questions about them?”

“It was very self-explanatory,” C3 spoke up.

Ak-tu gazed around the room, but nobody else said anything. “Very well, but I’d still like to highlight a few of the rules.

“While you are here, you are not to leave the school, unless one of your parents comes for you. If you suffer an injury, you will see the healer on site, Fern Oakley. Ms. Oakley’s Healing room is in the entrance building, near the Admin Office. It’s labeled on the map handouts you all received.

“I also want to point out that magic is not allowed outside of classes for first-years during the first month of school. We don’t want to have any accidents here, so please, do not use your magic unsupervised. Once you are allowed to use your magic, we ask that you only do it for schoolwork.

“All food is served in the Eating Hall at specific time slots, with 7-8 being breakfast, 12-1 being lunch, and 5-6 being dinner. You are welcome to hang out in the Eating Hall as long as you’d like—so long as you’re not missing class, of course—but food will no longer be served after those times. If you have a food allergy, please let us know.

“As you have already been told and undoubtedly noticed, we have rising platforms instead of stairs. These elevators just need to be told where to go. Please do not order them to go up and down for the fun of it; playing with the elevators will result in an automatic referral. So please be courteous to the other students and wait your turn.

“Finally, should you need any assistance, whether it be for homework or problems with other students, you can always come to any of the teachers. We do not have specific offices, but you can find us if you ask a frogoyle. For those that don’t know, a frogoyle is a small statue that looks like a frog with fangs. They’re all around the school, and can guide you to any teacher—they are essentially helpers to both teachers and students. You can also go to the Counseling Office, especially if you’re having trouble in classes or with your mental health. A frogoyle is always stationed there to help you set up an appointment. Any questions?”

C3 raised his hand so quickly, that Zyn could feel the wind on her neck. She wondered if he used air magic unknowingly.

“Yes, C3?”

“Are there spirits at this school? When looking at the reviews on the air-net of this place, I saw that there had been sightings of a few spirits. I wanted to verify if this was true or not. Are these frogoyles you mention spirits?”

Ak-tu frowned. “Spirits live around us on a daily basis. You might see them, especially when you’re living in the middle of the forest. The frogoyles are not spirits, though they are enchanted by spirit magic. Now—”

“But do any spirits work here?” C3 pressed. 

“Why would you ask that?” Khurshid inquired.

“The reviews mentioned that some of the teachers had purple eyes, and—”

“I have purple eyes, and that does not make me a spirit,” Ak-tu pointed out. “The purple eyes thing is merely a myth.”

“Eye color makes no difference,” Khurshid added. “Especially to me.”

Zyn rolled her eyes. {C3’s gonna be that annoying nerd, isn’t he?} She heard Ren chuckle softly beside her.

“Now—”

“Oh!” C3 interrupted Ak-tu again. “I have one more question.”

“Yes?” Ak-tu asked patiently, while Khurshid looked a bit exasperated.

“Do spirits eat food?” C3 queried. “And if so, what kind of food do they eat? Are they carnivores, like the lions I’ve read about? Or are they herbivores, like us? Would they eat processed food, or only natural food?”

Ak-tu stared at C3 for a long moment, then said, “That was more than one question. Anyhow, I hope you aren’t intending on looking for a spirit and feeding it. Spirits don’t have to eat, like we do. Spirits can eat if they want to, and they can eat whatever they want at that. Most are herbivores, simply due to it being easier to eat plants that aren’t fully alive like animals are. 

“Now…” He paused significantly here, clearly waiting for C3 to interrupt again. “…we will tell you about the school schedule you’ll be following. You will be enrolled in the same classes, apart from your choice of elective classes.”

Khurshid took over the conversation as Ak-tu reached for a wooden water bottle. “You start off Moonday morning with Magic Studies, Magic Channeling, Plants, and Potions. After lunch, you’ll go to two Kung Fu classes. The first choice of elective are the two Tai Chi classes, which are after Kung Fu. You can otherwise choose two Art classes; all Art classes are on Freday, and upper-year students are in these classes as well. First-years otherwise only have classes on Moonday. Second-years have class on Trizday, third-years on Waddaday, and fourth-years on Thorsday.

“Magic Studies is the study of magic, obviously. Magic Channeling goes into how to use your magic and will be hands-on. Plants and Potions are very similar, as you study plants that you’ll be using in the potions you brew. 

“Kung Fu is all about self-defense, and magic will later be added in, as magic is primarily a defense mechanism. Tai Chi is another fighting art, but goes more slowly than the explosive Kung Fu. If you have a disability that prevents you from doing Kung Fu (even with adjustments), you will be enrolled in Tai Chi instead—though I believe all of you here are fine with doing Kung Fu. Magic martial arts is reserved for high-ranking students. Any questions?”

The room was quiet, so Khurshid pressed on. “Now, take out your mirrors, or come to the front for a piece of paper. You will write down your name and which two elective classes you want to take. You can take as many electives as you’d like.”

Only Sarala went to the front for paper, as the other students pulled out their mirrors. Zyn glanced over at Ren, who held the family mirror out between their desks, so they could both use it.

“Like I said, Tai Chi already has two classes to it. If you want to take Tai Chi, you don’t have to worry about taking any other classes.”

Ren instantly tapped the mirror several times, writing out “Tai Chi” in the writing app. Shrugging, Zyn told her telepathically to add it for her as well. She wasn’t too keen on the idea of moving slowly, but if Tai Chi was slow and meditative, maybe it would help her find her magic.

“The Art classes we offer here are Drawing and Painting (which is one class), Cooking, Writing, Fashion, Choir, Band, and Theatre (which is two hours long, as opposed to every other class being one hour). 

“Once you have written your electives, send them to Mr. Caihong with the air-mail button. His air-mail address is aktu-caihong/caihong-academy/net. If you wrote it down, you can just turn in your piece of paper.”

Zyn glanced at the classes Ren had put down for herself. It turned out that she wanted to take all of the Art classes. 

Zyn grinned and muttered, “Same.”

Ren nodded and added Zyn’s name to the air-mail message, before sending it off.

“Any questions?” Khurshid asked again.

Nobody said anything.

“I will get these schedules made up for you,” Ak-tu said, tapping his mirror. He took the piece of paper from Sarala, who sat at the far end of the classroom. Then, he hurried out the door, calling over his shoulder, “I’ll be back soon!”