COMPLETED! Since she was a little girl, Velvet has been reading stories about great wizards and witches of Rumerra's past, wishing every night to wake up one day and be blessed with the affinity for magic herself. Unfortunately, the odds are stacked...
"Can I have a word with you, Velvet? You too, Penelope."
"What?" The moping girl looked up with a furious expression.
"It really was not nice of you to shout that in the middle of Velvet's presentation. But it was also not nice of you to be so rude to Penelope," she said looking at the girl at the door. "I want you two to get along and apologize to each other."
"Like hell!" the blonde girl jumped up from her seat. "I'm not apologizing to this weirdo!" She pointed toward Velvet.
"Well, then I am not apologizing either! You are just awful!"
"Girls, I cannot allow this! If you cannot get along, then maybe you should both go outside to cool off and I will have a word with your parents."
"Fine by me!" Penelope stormed off, pushing Velvet out of the way before disappearing out the door.
"Ugh. This did not go well." The teacher scratched her nose and pushed her glasses back up.
"It's alright, you are doing your best." Velvet tried to comfort her. "That's just how Penelope is. I'm sorry that I caused a scene, but I really had enough of her today. I don't understand why she is like this. Why can't she just leave me alone?"
"You're surprisingly mature, did anyone tell you that?" The scholar gave her a gentle smile. "And your vocabulary is just amazing for someone your age. How often do you read, if I may ask?"
"I read every day," she responded.
"And how many books have you read?"
"I don't know. I read most of the books in the magic section in the town's library. But they really don't have that many. Our town is not exactly fond of magic, is it?"
"Most books in the magic section..." the woman muttered to herself in disbelief. As an avid reader, she knew the town's library like the palm of her hand. And although she was far from a magic enthusiast, she knew what kind of books they stored in the magic section. Those were books on theory, history of magic, spells, potion making, herbs and the like—books which are not meant for just anyone, let alone a child. She looked up at the girl with newfound respect.
"You know, this town used to have a lot more wizards and witches back in the day. My grandfather was one of them."
"Your grandfather was a wizard?!" Velvet immediately perked up.
"He was. But as you can see, I have not been blessed with magic abilities myself. Neither was my father before me. Looks like old grandfather was the last in the line of mages for our family."
"Sorry about that."
"Oh, don't be sorry!" the teacher laughed. "I don't mind at all. Life is a lot less complicated this way. You know what they say, with power comes responsibility. And it can get you in a whole lot of trouble too. But don't let that discourage you! You will be a great witch, I can tell!" She paused for a moment before continuing. "Listen, the reason why I told you this was because I still have some old books left from my grandfather. I can imagine they don't have these in our library. If you want, I can bring them here for you. You will probably have more use for them than I do."
"Would you really do that?!" The girl's face lit up with glee. "Please, I would gladly read them!"
The woman smiled. "Then it's a deal! I will bring them here tomorrow and you can pick some out—or just take all of them."
"You are too kind!"
"No worries, I love to pass on knowledge. And it's rare to find someone as eager to learn as you are." She looked out the window where the other kids were playing. "You should go outside and join them. Books are good for knowledge, but knowledge in itself is not everything. Remember to learn from experience as well."
"Thank you, I will remember that!" Velvet said as she made her way to the door. She went down the hallway and to the main entrance, leading to the courtyard. The bright light blinded her momentarily once she stepped outside, but all she had to do was adjust her big pointy hat to shield her eyes.
The kids were running around and playing. Some with a ball, others with whatever it is they brought for today's presentation. Marco was holding up his shield, while Horace was pretending to attack him with his blunted iron sword. Natalie and a bunch of other girls were playing with her doll.
The young witch-to-be was walking between them all, munching away at her big apple when suddenly, someone pushed her from behind, causing her to fall forward. This time, however, she dropped the apple and her staff soon enough to catch herself on her hands before her nose met the ground yet again.
"Ow! What gives?!" she grunted as her knee got scraped. Turning around she saw Lucas, one of the strongest boys in the class, towering above her. Beside him stood none other than Penelope.
"Let's see who's tough now!" she said, smiling wickedly and patting Lucas on the back. "Good, good, now do what I told you and you will get another one!"
"What is the meaning of this?!" Velvet snarled. She already knew it meant nothing good for her but decided to ask anyway.
"Nothing against you, Vel," the boy said. "But Penelope here offered me a silver piece to do this. And another one if I do this..." He grabbed the pointy hat by its tip and yanked it off her head before she even realized what happened and handed it to his accomplice.
"Hey, give that back!" Velvet protested.
"Not a chance!" The smug girl denied her request and added, "You humiliated me in front of everyone and now I will do the same to you!"
The other children began gathering round, some puzzled by what was happening, others snickering quietly. Velvet didn't really understand why many of them didn't like her. Maybe they feared her? Thought she was strange? Penelope was a much less likable person than she was at first glance but most of them still sided with her for some reason.
"How about this?" the hat thief said. "I'll give you your stupid hat back...if you apologize to me right here in front of everyone!"
"Apologize for what?!" the, now hatless, girl barked at her while getting back on her feet. "I didn't even do anything. You are the one who started all of this!"
"Oh, is that so?" Penelope said sounding completely uninterested. She was examining the newly acquired item in her hands. "What in Rumerra is this thing made out of? Looks like some pieces of throwaway leather stitched together. Gross!"
Velvet reached out to grab the hat, but Lucas caught her arm with a firm grip. "Let go of my arm! And give that back, it's mine!"
"Too bad, it's mine now!" The blonde girl stuck her tongue out at her. She then looked to her left. The stony pathway leading to the school courtyard continued further there with a few lonely houses on the left and right. After that, it disappeared into a nearby forest in the distance. An idea popped into her head and a sly smile formed on her face, signaling immediately she was up to no good.
"Say, you said you would like to go on adventures, right?"
"What are you getting at?" The cloaked girl ceased her struggling and looked at her, visibly confused. She didn't like at all where this was going.
"Let's go on one right now! And who knows, you might even get your hat back in the end!" she announced happily and ran off.
"Where are you going?!" Velvet called after her. Lucas seemed just as surprised as her. It didn't seem that this was part of their original plan. She used this moment of confusion to break free of his grasp and started pursuing the girl, but more importantly, her lost hat.
"Lucas, get over here!" Penelope shouted to the boy from the edge of the courtyard. "I'm not paying you to stand there like an idiot!"
"C-coming!" he yelled and started running as well. Away from the school and down the path they ran, the girl with the hat in the lead, followed by an angry and annoyed Velvet, followed by the boy who didn't actually know why he was running apart from being promised a monetary compensation. After passing a few houses, the edge of the forest was drawing closer and closer. At this point, Velvet was completely out of breath and was forced to stop to catch some air.
"Hah...hah...damn!" she huffed and leaned onto her staff. "I had no idea...she was so...athletic."
The blonde girl took the chance to catch a break as well. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and looked back towards her pursuer. "Phew! I thought...she'd never...stop." She panted, also looking pretty worn out. But despite the exhaustion, she didn't let a chance to gloat slip away. "Hey...slow Crow! What's...the matter? Can't...keep up?"
The panting girl was too tired to respond. Finally, Lucas caught up to them, his face completely red. The summer heat and a cloudless sky didn't do them any favors in their unconventional exercise routine either. After catching her breath a little, Velvet attempted to be the voice of reason.
"We should really go back! They will be looking for us!"
"What's the matter? I thought you liked adventures! Are you scared?" Penelope taunted her. She signaled the boy to come closer and handed him the hat when he did. "We're going to hide this somewhere in the woods. If you ever want to see it again, you better come looking for it!" she said in a mischievous voice and trotted off further down the path. The boy followed her with the hat in his hand like a loyal servant, but he had an unsure look on his face as they entered the dark forest.
"This isn't funny!" Velvet yelled after them. But she got no response and had no choice but to follow them. The thought of simply turning back crossed her mind, but if that meant losing her prized possession, it was not an option.
She picked up her pace and tried to catch up to them. Of course, Penelope would not let that happen. If Velvet walked faster, she would too, if she ran, she would run as well, adding the occasional taunt here and there. This back and forth was going on for quite some time, the forest getting thicker and thicker as they went on. The path changed from a stone-tiled one, to a plain forest path covered with leaves and the undergrowth was starting to cover it on both sides.
While the beginning of the forest was bright, it was now starting to get increasingly difficult to see deeper down the path and Velvet was beginning to feel uneasy. The bird chirping which was heard at the start of the forest died out and was replaced by eerie sounds which sent chills down her spine.
Every so often she would hear a crack when she stepped on a dry stick, which would cause her to jump. Penelope's taunts were ironically starting to be the most comforting sound her ears picked up, because they were the only thing reassuring her that she was not alone in this dark, damp forest. She tried calling after them several times, first demanding, then almost begging them to stop, but the desperation in Velvet's voice seemingly increased as the distance between them grew. The taunts were getting quieter and quieter and Velvet dreaded the moment when she wouldn't be able to hear them at all. Sure enough, to her great dismay, that moment came sooner, rather than later. And when it did, she finally couldn't take it anymore. All alone in the middle of the forest, she crouched down on the leafy floor and wept.
What should I do now? she thought. Deep down she knew the answer. Sitting here and crying won't do her any good. But regardless, she couldn't stop the tears from falling. After a few minutes she composed herself and wiped her eyes with the oversized cloak, which was now dirty and torn, having been caught by the thorns of the undergrowth several times while she was making her way through the forest. She mustered up the courage, stood back up and looked ahead. Then turned around and looked behind her.
I can either turn back and follow the path out of the forest or go further and hope I find them. Those are the options I have.
She decided to do the latter. Sucking in a deep breath, her advance deeper into the forest continued. The path was now hardly noticeable and she had a hard time sticking to it. Thick leaves blocked out the sunlight, making it seem like it was almost nighttime. The scenery reminded her of some of Thoracc's adventures she read about. But thinking about it only made her feel more uneasy, as normally always something bad happened in a situation like this, when someone was traversing the forest alone. What would Thoracc do right now? she pondered. That's right. He would use a spell to light his way.
She knew which spell it was too. As a matter of fact, she knew all the spells he used and how to cast them. Often she would practice 'casting' them at home. But the gift of magic had not yet been bestowed upon her, so it was all in vain. This didn't stop her from trying, though. Raising her staff in the air she whispered, "Illuminus."
But nothing happened. The forest remained dark. She sighed, feeling silly for even trying. Of course nothing would happen. What did I expect would happen?
Such were her thoughts as she continued marching forward into the unknown. A good few minutes of walking later, she began to see a flickering light to her right, a fair bit away from the path. She could have sworn she also heard voices coming from that direction. Were they her schoolmates? But they did not have a light. Did they light a fire? What if it was someone or something completely different? Something dangerous. A mixture of anxiety and excitement washed over her at the thought.
Velvet thanks you for reading this part of her story!
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