The School for the Gifted (Book One and Two)

Chapter 3: The Home Land

When Giselle approached the podium after her name was called she felt a knot forming at the center of her throat. Professor Cornelius waited there holding her schedule with the ridiculous smile across his face.

Giselle felt an all the eyes of every student on her. She wondered what they were thinking and if she looked decent enough to be in public.

After receiving her schedule she sat back down next to Nathan and Jonah who were comparing the thin white piece of paper that had their classes written on it. Everything was written in cursive but Giselle could just make out what each line read.

9am - 10am: History of the Home Lands [BUILDING 3]

10am - 11am: Perfecting your element [BUILDING 5]

11am - 12pm: Battle and Training [BUILDING 7]

12pm - 1pm: Lunch

1pm - 2pm: History of Elements/Gifted [BUILDING 2]

Giselle folded the tiny piece of paper and stuffed it into her pocket before realizing that Jonah had turned to her. She remembered the buildings and how each of them had a large bright number in front of their entrance door. She guessed this was the reason.

"So what do you have first?" Jonah asked her.

"History of the Homelands." She muttered.

Jonah frowned. "Darn, I have Spells and Enchantments."

Giselle glanced at the bright pink watch on her wrist. She grinned remembering it was a birthday gift from her mother. The smile quickly faded when she remembered she wouldn't ever see her again.

The watch read 8:50.

"Now that you have your schedules, you should head to your classes." Professor Cornelius said. "I shall be in my wing if needed."

Little by little each student escaped the Main hall and headed to class. Giselle let out a sigh and said goodbye to Jonah and Nathan who had different classes.

Giselle felt frustrated, not knowing what to expect.

* Later *

The history of the homelands building was medium sized. Once walked in you were in a classroom the size of any average one except the ceiling were high and looked like a chapel. At the ceiling were pictures of angels circling like a painting by Picasso.

There was a chalk board at the end of the room and several wooden tables with seats for four that were around the room. Giselle wasn't the first one who had arrived. She sat in the middle of the room next to a boy and a girl.

On the board in golden letters was 'Zeptoria'. Giselle sighed to herself knowing that what Jasmine was babbling about was true.

The boy grinned at Giselle "First year?" He asked.

Giselle nodded. "Yes."

"Welcome to Gifted Academy." The boy said. "I'm Zach."

Zach's hair was blonde, not too long but not to short. His eyes were onyx or a mixing shade of yellow, almost hazel. His light skin looked beautiful in the lighting. The girl next to him looked exactly like him, almost a clone except her blonde hair was long to her shoulders and she had a birth mark the shape of a star on her left cheek.

"You guys are -"

"Twins." They said in unison.

Giselle felt a little flustered and caught of guard.

"This is my sister Zoey." Zach said. "And you are?"

"Giselle."

"Ah, what do you specialize in?" Zoey asked enthusiastically.

Giselle grinned for the first time she smiled since being here. She snapped her fingers and a quick tingling sensations aided her as a short flame showed up on her fingers.

They both nodded in unison, clearly impressed.

"What do you do?" Giselle asked.

Both of them glanced at each other and then turned back to Giselle. Quickly a flash passed through their pupils and their eyes flickered without blinking like a television set. Then the room’s lights were off and they were together in darkness with only the windows and the sunlight from outside lighting the room.

An old woman walked into the room just then wearing a long white dress. Her hair was short and she had eye glasses on that matched. She walked to the front of the room and smiled.

"Zach and Zoey, turn the lights back on, please." She scolded.

Instantly the lights came back on.

"Electricity?" Giselle asked.

"Yes." They both said in unison once again.

"Now class," The woman started. "I am Ms. Ambrosia, your History of the Home lands professor."

The class grew quiet.

"Zeptoria, as some of you may know while others don't." Ms. Ambrosia continued. "Is your homeland."

"The land where most of you were born while others were born into the real world, or adopted, but besides that Zeptoria is the land of the gifted, the land where when you graduate you shall live with other people and children your age." She said. "Zeptoria is the place where people of all powers live, they are separated from the real world so that they won’t be judged, and so they can live in peace, because humans do not know of Mythical creatures that do exist, such as Warlocks, Wizards, Vampires and etcetera."

She paused to take a breath. "Zeptoria, is the land of your kind, your second home from the Academy, the only place you are free to go after you graduate." She said. "But as you know the Royal Family of Zeptoria make the rules, not I nor Professor Cornelius."

A hand shot up from the front of the room.

"Yes?"

"Who is this Royal Family?" a young girl asked.

"The Queen and her followers." Ms. Ambrosia said. "They run the homeland, and make all the rules us gifted must follow, they keep Zeptoria in order."

"Where is Zeptoria?" The young girl asked.

"Ah." Ms Ambrosia said. "Right above earth but below heaven, of course, the only way to get there is by the gifted plane or a car that has the fuel of all the elements - Earth, Fire, Electricity, Water, Ice, and etcetera."

"It is a small Island lying in the sky right below Heaven, hidden in the clouds." Ms. Ambrosia continued. "It is a magnificent and beautiful place, the place of all creatures and gifted, the place where you are free to live, free to be whom you want to be and live a normal life among the gifted."

Giselle felt shocked, almost as if she would pass out. Zeptoria? Home Land? What!? She thought. She couldn't believe what she was hearing and she couldn't believe that because of a Royal family she wasn't allowed to live in earth with real people. It was all so far away to her but something about it seemed familiar, like she knew it was all true. A part of her brain helped her accept the information and clicked as Ms. Ambrosia continued her lesson on the Home Land.

Giselle believed her and didn't understand why. She felt an undying thump in her chest telling her that Zeptoria might have really been home, a place that since being here seemed so familiar to her.