Wings of Fire as Humans: Jade Preparatory Academy

Chapter Twenty: Willow Maple

Willow Maple had been waiting in line for more than two hours when her family's turn came to go up to the front. She sighed and followed her mother and father up to the registration desk, where she noticed that there was only one desk. The line would have gone waaaaaaay faster if there were more desks, but apparently Queen Wasp was cheap.

"Willow Maple," her father, Birch Maple, answered for her when the Segara at the front asked.

"Winglet, grade, and class?" he inquired, his voice still incredibly bored. "And I want to hear it from her."

"Jade Winglet, grade nine, and class 9B," Willow said.

"Do you have any pets that will be staying here?" he asked, eyeing her canary, Talkatoo, warily.

"Yes," Willow said.

The Segara nodded, yawned, and after a minute or so of searching, ticked her off on a list he had in front of him. "All right, so you're going to go left. Follow the arrows. You'll get into another line, where you get priority like this one, and you'll go through security like in an airport. They're going to scan your bags and examine your Weapons. Parents aren't allowed past security, so you might as well say your goodbyes here."

Willow fingered her Weapon, a necklace that let her communicate incredibly vaguely with plants - she was nowhere near Sundew's level. Her parents exchanged a glance and then her mother, Cedar Maple, said, "We'll stay with you through the line."

Willow nodded, grateful to have that extra bit of support. She honestly wasn't all that worried about going to boarding school - she'd have her friends, and most importantly, Sundew. But she was mostly worried she'd miss her parents and get homesick, so being able to put off the goodbyes was good. She'd gotten various texts from her friends saying that they were waiting past security, so she'd be able to go straight from her parents to her friends.

Cedar thanked the Segara behind the desk and led Willow and Birch down the road of arrows. They got into the back of a line that was just as long - if not longer - than the one they'd just been in.

Willow decidedly did not complain about the line. She wanted to, but then when she saw Sundew, she wouldn't be able to brag about how she didn't complain.

Her parents complained, though. They complained for the entire hour and a half standing in line until they got near to the front of the line and her parents decided they should leave.

"I'll call you every night," Willow promised.

"I love you," Cedar said, hugging her daughter tightly. Willow wondered whether, if compared with Edaline from her favorite book series, Keeper of the Lost Cities, her mother would win in a strange-hug contest.

"I love you guys too," Willow whispered. Talkatoo squawked in what Willow interpreted to be a sympathetic way.

Birch joined the hug, and they stood there like that until an annoyed Shavar behind them said, "It's your turn."

Willow reluctantly pulled out of the hug, and gathered her stuff, reminding herself that she would have her friends. "I love you guys," she said, her voice wavering as she put her things on the conveyer belt to go through the x-ray machine.

"Weapons over here!" a Zerua security guard called, motioning to a small dish and another x-ray machine. Willow gave her parents a quick hug, said another goodbye, and turned away, taking her necklace off and placing it in the dish on the conveyer belt. Then she stepped through the full body scanner they had set up - into a new life, for the next four years, at least.

One perspective left, and then I'll start doing repeats! Yay! Also, thank you guys so much! Three of my chapters now have 100+ reads!