by Nissa Gordon
"So you're not looking forward to going back?" Alex asked.
"I don't mind going back," Stuart answered.
"What about all your friends, you'll get to see them properly," Will pointed out.
"So yeah...are you going to tell us how they choose you for the different estates?" Alex asked excitedly.
"It's a secret," Infidus told them. "You'll find out when you get there, just like everyone else,"
"That isn't fair," Alex said annoyed, as he had hoped that they might let them in on the big secret considering that they were now on their way.
"Dad wouldn't tell me either," Will told him shrugging; he hadn’t really expected to get anything out of his uncle, as he was just as tight lipped as his dad, even more so.
Will was getting bored, they had been in the car far ages, driving closer to the coast the whole time, and now they had turned off normal roads and were going down a dirt road and a thick fog had rolled in suddenly kind of like from no where; but Infidus still seemed to know where he was heading, even though they could hardly see anything.
"Is this normal?" Alex asked trying not to sound so nervous, because he thought that it was really weird.
"Yes," Stuart answered smilpy.
"How much further?" Will asked.
"That light there, it's the car park," Infidus told them.
Will and Alex sat up straight and looked out through the middle, at first neither of them could see the light that he had mentioned, but then just as suddenly as it had appeared the fog vanished before them and they could see a huge busy car park. There were cars parked up everywhere and kids with cases talking with their parents.
"This is the dock?" Alex asked confused then pointed to the left. "There coaches..."
"Yes, to make it easier to get here; people are coming from all over," Infidus told them as he slowed down entering the car park for an empty space. "They all come here, no matter where they live, then you travel to the school on the ship."
Will and Alex looked through the back window following the direction to where everyone was heading, but neither of them could see a ship on any kind just a large wooden building that everyone was entering.
"Try not to look as though this is your first time doing anything magical," Stuart told them.
"We're not!" They both shouted at him.
"That'll be enough of that," Infidus told them sternly as they stopped and he turned the engine off. "You were both told to behave remember, and you haven't even left the car."
"Sorry," Will mumbled as he opened his door, the smell of the ocean hitting him straight away, but he still couldn't see it; the fog was still surrounding the outer edges like a barrier, so that no one would be able to see in unless they were magical.
Infidus got out of the car and went around to the boot opening it for them as they followed; he pulled the cases out one at a time and then closed the boot once more, like it hadn’t been any trouble to pull three heavy cases out of it.
"Wow, he didn't even use magic...he must be strong," Alex said impressed that he was able to lift his case, when his own dad couldn't; his mum had ended up bringing it down the stairs with magic which of course had annoyed his dad.
"Of course he is," Stuart said as though this was obvious.
"Okay now," Infidus said as he turned to Stuart. "Behave and do well in your classes,"
"Always," Stuart said glaring at Will, then turned back to his dad. "I'll see you in a couple of months then...I'm going to find my friends,"
"Okay then," Infidus nodded then turned back to Will and Alex. "Do you want me to walk you over?"
They both looked at each, as though wondering if they needed him to.
"I can watch from here, I won't be leaving until the ship sets off if you need me for anything," Infidus told them, he understood that it wasn’t really cool to be walked over, though some of the first time parents often did.
"Oh...okay then," Will said. "We'll see you at Christmas,"
"Thanks for the ride," Alex said waving as he struggled to turn his case around almost tripping up over it. "I can't believe how heavy this thing is...I think it weighs more than I do."
"It's that cauldron thing and the book," Will agreed as they slowly made their way over to the dock where everyone else was heading.
"Have you seen Troy's car anywhere?" Alex asked as he scanned the area, but there were just too many of them and they all kind of looked the same to him.
"Not yet," Will said looking around as well, while also trying to make sure that he didn't walk into anyone.
The entrance to the dock was crowded with parents saying goodbye to their children for the first time getting all upset, while the older students pushed their way through to get in, not seeming to have the same problem with their own parents.
Lucy was among them, she kept looking over her shoulder, her sister and brother had already gone on ahead looking for their friends; her younger brother Craig was stood beside her mum upset because he was the only one who weren't allowed to go yet considering that he was two years younger than her.
"Now I want you to remember to write to me every week," Joyce told her again as she hugged her.
Charles put a hand on her shoulder and she stepped back letting go of her so that he could speak. "Lucy I want you to remember everything that I said,"
Lucy nodded, she would have preferred something a bit more than an order, but it was the best that she was going to get from her dad, as he was kind of stiff at times. "Of course dad. Right...err...I'm going to get a cabin and see if I can find anyone that I know,"
"Be safe dear," Joyce told her kissing her once more before Charles could pull her back, and Craig pulled on her as well.
"Bye!" Craig shouted.
"See you at Christmas," Lucy said waving as she started walking off pulling her case along with her, trying to make her way through the other students who all seemed bigger than she was.
Lucy could just make out that there was a large room up ahead, that was if she could get up the ramp and into it, then she needed to find her best friend Jessica as she was sure that she was already here somewhere among all of these people. She near enough dragged her case up the ramp only knocking into a couple of people, but it was their own fault considering they wouldn't move out of her way.
An older tanned boy rushed past, looking through the crowds with another falling him. "Damn it...where is he?"
"It's only early Tunji...give him chance to get here," the other lad said as he trailed after him.
Lucy stared after them for a moment before she carried on, she had no idea why they would be getting so worked up already when the ship hadn't even left dock yet; they had like an hour before it was even time to leave.
"Damn it! At least watch where you're going!" a boy shouted angrily just in front of her.
Lucy looked around pushing to get through, the boy was a little taller than she was and had black short hair and was already in his school uniform; the girl who had knocked into him only looked the same age as herself, meaning that she was new as well and she was almost in tears. Her hair was longer, just past her shoulders and a lighter shade of brown with red highlights.
Lucy was just about to say something when another girl came up behind him and kicked him in the back of his leg, she looked just as fears as the boy, but she had blond hair in a similar style to her own just a bit longer. He turned ready to yell at whoever had kicked him, but held his tongue as she glared up at him with her hand on her hip.
"Why are you shouting at people? Is this what you normally do?" the girl demanded making him take a step back.
"Selena..." the boy said as calmly as he could.
"Wow! No way...you're actually bullying the first year girls that's a new low for you Seth!" another lad shouted as he came over to join them, with his two friends.
"What's it to you?" Seth demanded.
"So, you're not a morning person then?" Travis said smirking at him.
"You know we were jus
t fine," Selena told them as she stepped around Seth to the other girl. "Hi, I'm Selena,"
The girl dried her eyes on her sleeve. "Libby..."
"Selena..." Seth said annoyed.
"Wait a minute, you two know each other?" the first boy asked surprised, that he would actually know such a cute girl.
"They're brother and sister, can't you tell?" Lucy told him, though she did know that they didn't really look anything at all like each other, but whatever, it was true.
"Are you serious? How can you have such a cute little sister?" Travis asked looking between the two of them; he so couldn't believe that they were related. "Liam, Reed...come on...you don't think they're really brother and sister do you?"
"Probably not," Liam said.
"Stranger things have happened," Reed said holding his book to his chest.
Lucy smiled at Reed. "Hi, I'm Lucy Shepherd,"
"Oh, hi..." Reed said a little surprised.
"I'm...err...I'm sorry for walking into you," Libby mumbled nervously.
"Oh, you can walk into him as much as you want; he's in Disa...we don't like them," Travis told her smirking.
"So, you're in Cadell then?" Lucy asked.
Seth grabbed his sister’s arm and tried to pull her away but she wouldn't go with him. "Yes those idiots are...come on Selena; we better get a cabin,"
"No...that's fine, I'll get one with them," Selene told him nodding at Libby and Lucy.
"Will! Alex!" Lucy shouted waving standing on her tip toes so that she could be seen.
"You alright there, or do you want me...? Hay, it's that girl who hit you with that book," Liam said laughing.
"Oh yeah." Travis said as he stepped around Lucy to get a better.
Lucy stepped around him as he made her way over to them, not caring if she wheeled her case over him, he had stepped in front of her. "Hey guys...I was wondering if you want to get a cabin with us?"
"Yeah sure...after we find Troy," Alex told her.
"Hey girlie, not packing anymore books?" Travis teased.
"What sort of girl name is Will? What's it short for?" Liam asked confused.
"Girl? You do know that he's and he, a boy; like you two," Lucy told them; but from the looks on their faces they didn't seem to believe her. "How stupid can you be?"
"No way, they actually think that he's a girl," Selena said smiling. "I guess my brother was right about them,"
"What?" Travis shouted angrily.
"Liam!" Tunji shouted through the crowd.
Liam stepped behind Reed, he didn't mind him most of the time, but the guy was way too much. "Can't he even wait until we get to school?"
Tunji and Scott pushed their way through the crowded space, not many giving way for them, but they still managed to get through tripping over several cases in the process.
"Liam, I was getting worried," Tunji said dramatically.
Will and the others edged away from them, not wanting to be caught up in whatever it was that was going on.
"Err...how do you all know each other?" Libby asked still a little nervous.
"Our families know each other," Alex told her.
"I've just met them," Selena told her.
"Jessica!" Lucy shouted and waved again as she spotted her best friend. "Oh...look, Troy's with her,"
"Great, now we can find the cabins," Will said as he led the way over to them, making a path for the others. "I thought you would have gotten here before us,"
"Mum got a little upset," Troy admitted.
"My mum did as well," Jessica told them as she joined Lucy. "I was kind of scared that I wouldn't be able to find you with all these people here...I didn't realise how many would really be going to school,"
"There's seven year groups and six estates, so obviously they're going to be nearly a thousand of us," Selena told her a matter-of-factly.
Jessica and Lucy looked at her and then at each other before they carried on walking, following the flow of students.
Selena followed closely behind them with Libby at her side. "I know I'm right,"
"See you found Lucy," Troy said smirking as they followed.
"Actually...she spotted us," Will told him.
"She's scary that way," Alex teased.
Lucy turned around making them all stop. "I'm not scary." The three of them looked at her as though she had just proved their point. "What? It wasn't like you were whispering...I can hear just as well as the next person..."
"Wow...how long have you known each other?" Libby asked excitedly, realising that they really did know each other. "Are you all from magical families as well?”
"Yes and forever," Lucy answered.
"How do you know that I'm from one?" Selena answered.
"Well...err...you know...you're either from one or you got that book about the school," Lucy said off handily.
"I got that book...I haven't read it yet though," Will admitted.
"You actually bought a book about the school?" Alex teased smirking at him.
"My sisters already had it, but didn't bother reading it," Troy told them, and then noticed that they weren't moving. "What's going on?"
Selena stood on her toes to try and see over the heads in front of her, but she still wasn't tall enough. "I think they're only letting one group go through at a time, we'll have to wait,"
"My sisters never said anything about this...but they didn't really tell me much," Troy admitted.
Lucy turned around seeing that they weren't going anywhere. "Clair and Jake didn't tell me anything either, they wouldn't even tell me how we're sorted into the estates,"
"What's the point in having older brothers and sisters if they don't tell you anything?" Alex said annoyed; he didn't have any himself but his friends did and he wanted to know just like they did.
"It's supposed to be a secret, to test us," Selena told them; they all rounded on her, as if hoping that she would tell them. "I don't actually know what it is...it's just what my dad said,"
"Mine too," Lucy said disappointedly. "But everything is a test to my dad,"
"She has got a point there," Troy agreed as they all knew first hand what her dad was like with his tests.
Chapter Six
About twenty minutes later they finally reached the front of the line and was allowed through as a group, they all stepped forward pulling their cases behind them into a large lift that didn't have any buttons to direct it to the right floor; before any of them had even realised the doors slide shut with a bang and they started to move up.
"I was wondering why it said on the tickets that we were leaving so late, even though we were all here so early," Selena said holding onto the rail that ran around the wall.
"Dad said that they had increased security," Lucy told them.
"My dad said that as well," Will told her.
"Security...?" Libby asked worriedly.
"Not all non-magic’s are alright with us, but your parents must have been alright with finding out about you or you wouldn't be here," Lucy said smiling.
"Actually I'm not sure how they reacted at first..." Libby told them honestly. "Me...I was so excited...I was going to get to learn how to do real magic, why wouldn't I be?"
"You know, so were we...this is the best school," Lucy told her. “It was actually proven last year, with the annual trails and everything,”
"My dad freaked out again," Alex told them.
"Still?" Lucy asked surprised, she just didn’t understand why he hadn’t excepted all of this already.
"Do you come from a mixed family?" Selena asked surprised.
"Yeap, so does he," Alex answered and nodded at Troy.
The lift came to a shuddering holt, they all looked around wondering how the doors were supposed to open, a moment later they slide open onto a deck with a couple of dozen students their own age walking around; the sign on the wall read 'FIRST YEAR DECK'.
"Well I guess this is our floor," Lucy said nudging Troy in front of her to get out.
"I'm g
oing, give me a second," Troy told her as he got his case moving again.
Alex and Will went out first with Troy behind them having a little trouble with the wheels on his case, then Lucy and Jessica with Selena and Libby at the back. As soon as they had left the lift, the doors closed, none of them heard it moving, but that didn't mean anything because it hadn't really made any sound when they were in it.
