The Magic Academy

Chapter 1: Rain

This will most likely be the only A/N I leave in the new chapters, so I'll keep it short. This first chapter is edited and extended, and there is more coming your way. Enjoy!

~QueenOfDarkChocolate

•~•

   Rain. There was nothing I hated more than that ugly gray sky, the chilly breeze, and the fat drops of water that fell from the clouds. Water was so not my thing. At the beach, I stayed up on the sand, either reading a book or napping. I usually came home with a pretty nice tan. When I went with my friends to the pool, if I even agreed to go, the most I did was sit on the edge, watching my feet float around in the cerulean water. What I despised the most, however, was rain. Unlike a trip to the beach or a day at the pool, rain was unplanned, uncontrollable. No sitting outside on the hammock with a book, no playing basketball in the driveway with Owen. One week left of summer vacation, and all I could do was sit inside.
   Sometimes I wished I was more like my younger brother Jake. All he did was play video games, or watch YouTube videos. The rain was just an excuse to sit in front of the computer all day, or play Minecraft with his friends on Xbox for hours. Even Owen, my older brother, could always find something to do. But being indoors was a agonizing for me. All I wanted to do was be in the sun twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
   But today, I was sitting at my desk, idly doodling on a piece of lined paper. The weatherman said the rain would last for at least two more days, and that some areas would most likely flood. Even when it stopped raining, the grass would be muddy, and there would be puddles everywhere. It looked like I would be stranded indoors until freshman year started, and I couldn't possibly hope to find time to relax during my first year of high school.
   Interrupting my thoughts, Jack leaped onto my desk, scattering papers and pens everywhere. From there he hopped onto my bed, scattering black hair all over my comforter. He curled up and glared at me. "Dumb cat," I muttered, getting on all fours to pick up my supplies. Mom had to be the only person to like that cat; She was the only reason he was still in the house with us. Jack was going to be thirteen years old next week, but was as agile and mischievous as a kitten. He seemed to really have it out for me.
   As I reached behind the desk to pick up any pens back there, my fingers grazed a book wedged between my desk and the wall. Using both hands, I managed to slide the book up the back of my desk. The cover was so coated in dust that I almost couldn't read the title. I blew away some of the dust, then coughed. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Definitely not my favorite of the series, but I usually took good care of my books. How had it ended up behind my desk, and how long had it been there? Ah, the mysteries of the world.
   Absent mindlessly, I fingered through the pages, skimming over paragraphs, remembering my favorite scenes. "What I wouldn't give to go to a school like Hogwarts," I sighed, closing the book and putting it down on my desk. The truth is, the mystery of the book behind the desk was the biggest mystery I'd ever experienced. What bookworm wouldn't want something more exciting to life than school and vacation?
   I turned around when I heard the door open. "Julia, lunch is ready. There's chicken with spicy barbecue sauce and coleslaw. I would hurry; Owen's already devoured half of it," said my mom. Then she headed back downstairs to the kitchen, leaving the door open. I got up and went to the bookcase on the wall, squeezing The Chamber of Secrets in between The Philosopher's Stone and The Prisoner of Azkaban. The third book had always been my favorite. The way time travel connected with the events that occurred earlier in the story never ceased to blow my mind. I must have reread that book at least four times in fifth grade.
   With plenty of struggling on his part, I picked up Jack and headed out of the room, saying "Don't be a sour puss, it's lunch time!" I laughed at my own pun before running down the stairs. Mom was a good cook; I couldn't let Owen eat all of the food!

•~•

   The next day, I was graced with a break in the clouds. The sun came out for a few hours, and my dad decided it would be the perfect time to wash his car. Apparently, he told Owen that the two of them could go for a drive with Owen's new permit if he helped wash the car, so Owen was out there too, shirtless of course. What a show-off. I didn't have anything better to do inside though, so I decided to go out and help. I walked out the front door in an old T-shirt and shorts, figuring I'd end up getting soaked. I was right.
   When I walked down the driveway, Owen looked up from a bucket of water and grinned at me. He picked up a big yellow sponge and flung water at me, getting my shirt thoroughly soaked. Those car sponges held a lot of water. I didn't bother fighting back; Owen would enjoy it, and it would start and all-out war. So I picked up a pink sponge, dropped it in a bucket of soapy water, and fished it out again. "Put on a shirt, freakshow," I growled at him. All he did was laugh.
   From the other side of the car, my dad called, "Thanks for coming out to help, Jules. 'Hope it's better than sitting inside."
   Suddenly, we heard the front door slam. Owen and I looked up to see Jake standing at the top of the steps with his arms crossed. We looked at each other, amazed. Jake never left a screen of his own free will, much less come outside. Dad stood up from scrubbing the wheels. "Thanks for coming out to help, Jakey," he said happily, a goofy grin on his stubbly face.
   "Mom made me come out," Jake grumbled in reply, picking up a sponge and tossing it from hand to hand. "And I told you not to call me that."
   "Such a moody 11-year-old," whispered Owen, and I snickered. Unfortunately, Jake heard me, and threw a wet sponge at my back. Now my shirt was pretty much drenched. Once again, I didn't argue.
   With the four of us working together, we finished washing the car within the hour. By then, my old gray Converse were soaked through, so I headed to the garage to get a different pair of sneakers. "Why don't you grab some towels, Jules?" called my dad. "Let's dry the car too!"
   As I grabbed the towels from a shelf near the shoe rack, I heard Jake whine, "But it's gonna rain again later!" He was so childish. I came out of the garage and placed the towels on top of the car. I was heading back towards the garage to get my sneakers when I was doused with water, and it tasted bad. I whipped around to see Owen sniggering, holding an empty soap bucket. I was tasting soap. Before I could say anything, Jake threw two sponges at me, taking me by surprise and making me stumble. And, as if the situation couldn't get any worse, my foot landed in a bucket of water on the ground. I glared at my brothers, then attempted to pull my foot out of the bucket. "How the hell...?" I muttered, hopping on one foot, trying desperately to pull my foot out.
   "Just sit down, honey," said my dad, coming over to help. There was no way I was sitting down on the wet driveway, even if I was already soaked. I finally managed to get my foot out of the bucket, but fell and landed in a puddle, despite my best efforts. Then I saw Jake recording everything on his phone. That pushed me over the edge. I chucked the bucket into the garage, almost knocking out my dad in the process. Maybe that was a bit much, but I couldn't help but feel like that bucket was the cause of all my pain in that moment, and throwing it dispersed that pain, like the action was some kind of force in itself. I stormed towards the boys, but stopped in my tracks when Jake let out an ear-piercing shriek. I turned in the direction he was facing and I felt my eyes widen. The bucket I had just thrown, that ordinary, orange Home Depot bucket, was on its side, lying on the floor of the garage.

   And it was on fire.