Chapter 2

The Introduction part I

     Haley, a 15-year-old girl has the ability to talk to animals and was off to her first day at a strange new school, alone. Garsworth, school for the young, gifted witches and wizards was a prestigious school. Haley has heard of the school from her parents through stories of how they met and fell in love. She was in utter and complete shock when she received the letter of her acceptance. She recalled that it was a Sunday afternoon.

* * *

            “Haley,” her mother called up the stairs. “There’s a letter for you,” her dad was at the blender and her mom went back at the cutting board while her little brother was at the table playing on his Nintendo DS.

            "Really? On Sunday ?” Haley came gallanting down the stairs, putting her hair up at the same time. “From who?”

            “See for yourself,” her dad smiled from the kitchen and dropped in some chopped fruits, some ice cream and juice.

            "What’s with the smile, Dad?” Haley asked skeptically, ripping the envelope open.

            "We just found out that you’re actually not part of this family. You’re just a creation that Mom and Dad accidentally took by mistake from the hospital. The government called and says we can annihilate you right now,” her little brother said without moving.

            “Hmm, such big words for a little eleven year old boy, Zak,” Haley read the letter. She screamed at the exact same moment her dad turned on the blender.

            “I told you making smoothies would be a good idea, Darian,” her mom smiled at Haley’s dad.

            “I’ll never doubt your wisdom ever again, Salina,” Darian grinned back at her. “Zak, smoothies are done. What flavor do you want?”

            "Which one doesn’t have pineapple?”

            "This one,” Salina handed Zak a green concoction as Darian turned the blender on another time. Then she went over to Haley and hugged her. “Congratulations sweetie. We’re so proud of you,” she yelled.

            “I’m not,” Zak shouted.

            "Well, 2/3’s of us are proud of you.”

            “Mom, that’s a ‘D’.”

            "Well, yeah, if you put it in grade form,” Darian called over the blender. "But if you put it in decimal or leave it as a fraction, it’s a whole lot more convincing.”

            “No, actually sweetie, if you put it in decimal form, it’ll still be bad,” Salina yelled.

            “Well then, leave it as a fraction,” Darian shrugged, roaring.

            “Wait a minute,” Haley said, once the blender died down. “I thought I was gonna go to Sangiltdan, with all my other friends.”

            "Well, sweetie, it’s your choice, really,” Salina said, sipping through something purple while handing Haley something red. "But if you pass up on this, you won’t be allowed in anymore. Well, not when you turn it down on your first acceptance letter. It’s a very prestigious school, remember hon?”

            "Well then, what should I do?”

            "You can always go for the first year, and if you don’t like it there, you can go to Sangiltdan,” Darian chimed in. "But pal, I can almost guarantee you, you’ll never want to leave that school. Trust me.”

            "And me. I met your father there on the train ride in my third year. Your father was in his fourth, right? Yeah, a year older than me. I guess you can call it love at first sight. Right sweetheart?” It was a little too late, Darian already started up the blender. “Pea-brain. I still can’t figure out how I got attracted to him.”

            "You don’t remember mom?” Zak said. "You saw him dueling at school, and you guys ‘connected’ after you two sparred each other.”

            "Oh, that’s right,” Salina turned back to her daughter, smiling. “I knocked him unconscious. I told him later that somebody’s sword flew out of their hand and the hilt hit him on the head. But I think that’s a secret we should keep away from your father. I don’t want him to know that I almost killed him.”

            "You got it Mom, but what should I do? Can I really go for a year? And if I do, can I really leave? What if I liked it, but I’m not good enough? And they kick me out? And everybody will laugh. Then I’ll be a social laughing stock. ‘FIRST GIRL KICKED OUT ON FIRST DAY’ ”

            "That’d make an interesting headline,” Zak inputted, taking his face away from the screen and turning around in his chair. “If you can’t cut it as a witch, they can strip your powers and you can always become a news reporter for a normy paper.”

            "Well, here’s the first headline: ‘ELEVEN YEAR OLD BOY TURNED INTO AN AQUARIAN MAMMAL AND SHOT UP TO THE SUN’.”

            “Please, you can’t turn anybody into any animal yet.”

            “Too true, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try, can I?” she threatened.

            “Mom? Help?”

            “Sorry kiddo, you got yourself into this. You know I can’t do anything to stop your sister,” Salina folded her arms, smiling. “Besides, you and I might learn something from her. Like that floating invisible table.”

            “Let’s see, what words shall I use?” Haley advanced, drawing out her wand. "How ‘bout, Shinkron Belltroum?”

            "Is that even a real spell?” Zak asked, getting up.

            “Who knows,” Haley shrugged.  “I just made it up.”

            "What?!” Zak shouted, ran and Haley ran after him.

            “Remember how juvenile we used to be?” Salina asked, turning around to her husband.

            “Nope,” Darian said, with kiwi rings on his eyes and an orange rind in his mouth, turned to make him look like he’s smiling. “Can’t seem to remember those days.” Darian took off the fruit and grinned at her. “Must’ve slipped my mind when you knocked me unconscious, huh Salina?”

            “Uh, yeah,” Salina looked really apologetic. “About that, hon, I was gonna tell you, but it just didn’t seem to come up.”

            "Oh,” Darian mocked her. "So, when were you, you know, going tell me about that? When I go to the doctor’s next time and he says that I might die from brain deformility?” Darian was now advancing on her.

            "You know that’s not going to happen,” Salina backed away. "The nurse said you would be perfectly fine.”

            “Let’s see, what was that one spell that turned someone’s lips into mud?”

            "You seriously wouldn’t do that would you?” Salina cowered into the hallway.

            “Ah, that’s right,” Darian drew out his wand. "It went something like Minkshkoock Harem.”

   Salina screamed and ran. “Get away from me!”