Winston Academy Middle School: Year 1

Chapter Eleven: Exams, Ugh. -Not

The end of November means that exams are around the corner. To a lot of people, that's not fun. But when you're very smart, and you go to Winston Academy, they're not so bad.

Math, Science, English, and Mythology were pen and paper tests, while the rest were practical.

For General Magic, we had to identify different spells and cast them on the correct situation as needed. Sphinx Class is all about riddles and puzzles, so we were asked to solve three riddles chosen at random.

The Language's exam is to open a portal by speaking it, then going through. The portal has to end up at the teacher's room. The marks range in relation with how close the portal is to the destination, from full marks being in an one-and-a-half meter radius of the teacher's room to barely any when your portal doesn't work at all. Before you ask, there are spells on the portal-way so that it won't teleport students to the North Pole or the Sahara or something.

On to the fun ones, for Defence 101 we had a group test where five Hybrids had to defeat one large monster dummy. We could choose our own team, so I went with Michel, Kaiden, Willow, and Felice.

Our monster was a snake with heads on both sides, but we destroyed it like a doll (it WAS actually an animated doll, but you get what I mean). The five of us had fought a lot of creatures because of that invasion, so it was not hard.

"Full marks! Well done, children." Ms. Thistleworth praised.

Finally, what I would consider the most fun was Werewolf Training. Mr. Goodwill had set up this huge adventure course consisted of a few parts. There is a navigating part, a climbing part, and a survival part. You have to do it alone, and wolf form is necessary to complete it.

"Excelent performance, Skyler. You truly have what it takes to be a werewolf protector."

Our very last exam was actually Math, so after the bell rang and we were asked to leave the exam room, most people cheered and got really rowdy.

"Now we wait for the results." I stated.

"Oh, don't get me thinking about that." Willow grimaced.

"We'll be fine." Michel shrugged.

"Yeah." Kaiden agreed.

"Well, that's easy for you guys to say. You're all smart and stuff." Amber said worriedly.

"Just forget about it for now." Joan advised.

"So, guys, are you going home for the holidays or what?" Fredrick changed the topic on purpose.

"Me and my sisters are going on a trip with our parents, so we are." Ruby smiled.

"Well, my mom and dad are both werewolf protectors, so around Christmas they are quite busy. I'll be staying here." Michel explained.

"My parents both work here. My mom is the Elf Studies supervisor, while my dad is the nature club PIC." Kaiden shared.

"I just knew that..."

"I'm going home for the whole week of Christmas." I told them.

The week after our exams, all the results came out.

It's no secret I got amazing grades, even amongst the 8th and 9th graders. I aced Math, Werewolf Training, and Defence 101. I almost got full marks for The Language and Sphinx Class, and the rest were all about 95 percent each.

Most people went home from the beginning of the holidays, so the academy went back to being nice and empty. Kaiden, Michel, Joan, Jasmine, and I were the only ones in our group who were left at Winston Academy. I didn't mind the empty dorm AT ALL.

We spent our days playing outside in the snow, building snowmen and having snowball fights. Kaiden and Joan used magic to pile the snow in one place as a sledding ramp. We loved it.

After we were all cold, we would go inside and drink hot cocoa and eat whatever we could roast in the dining area's fireplace. Marshmallows, leftover breakfast sausages, pieces of bread.

Honestly, during Christmas break, I almost completely forgotten about the locket. It's just such a cheerful time of the year. You can't possibly think about things that are too ominous. Michel and Kaiden also didn't seem like they had thought of the locket during the break.

By the way, the snow is beautiful at the academy. Kaiden and I go out to take photographs almost every day. My camera got quite icy after a while though, so we didn't do it for too long.

"Wow, that actually looks really good." Joan commented on a picture I took with the lens frosted over.

"This one too." Jasmine showed one that Kaiden took of a pine tree with snow on it.

"And that one."

In barely any time my camera's memory got really full. I made a mental note to transfer the contents to my laptop when I went home.

"What do I bring..." I said to myself.

"Camera, my phone..."

In the end I barely packed anything, since I had what I needed at home, and I was going to come back anyway.

"That should be good enough." I decided.

"Skyler, when are you leaving again?" Jasmine questioned.

"Monday. I'll be back on Sunday." Then I walked over to the guys.

"Keep an eye on the situation, okay? If you guys desperately need my help, just contact me anytime. I'm hoping you won't need to, though." I instructed.