Once in a Mouse Hole

Chapter 5

"Hi, as you know, I'm Morgan."

"Hi, as you probably  know, I'm Cora."  

"I wonder what the tribe will be like, its a secret."

"Yeah." 

"The only thing I don't understand is how there is so many different climates so close together."

"I bet it's magic," I informed her. 

"Yeah." 

* * *

We talked for a while until everyone had gotten their tribes. Cameron had gotten water, and the only reason I could come up with was his tiki-doll. Gracie had gotten fire. Oh yeah, it's been like an hour. How could there be so many twelve-year-olds? 

Soon the man spoke again. "Everyone, we will now let you say goodbyes to your families. In thirty minutes we will let you go to your tribes."

I hurried to find Marla and Charlie, and when I finally found Marla, Charlie was already waiting. 

"What took you so long?" He asked. 

"I don't know. Maybe it was because nobody was looking for me."

"Oh no!" Charlie suddenly blurted, "We forgot all the luggage!" He was looking at everyone else, who were getting their suitcases from their families.

"Well, I certainly didn't. I have all of your clothes right here." Marla patted her pocket and looked at us.

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked.

"Don't you remember magic? You know, the whole reason that we live in a tiny Mouse Hole?" Marla told us.

"Let me guess, you shrunk the suitcases."

"Yes. Let's get them out then." She reached into her pocket and took out two tiny suitcases that you would think belonged to a doll. Then she turned to us, "Put these in your pockets. Don't get them out in public, some people would kill to take magic like this."

"Why?" Charlie asked. 

"Well, there is elemental magic, like the Tribes. The Tribes are hot, cold, water, and land, each one has an opposite. This magic, as you can see, isn't using an element. Instead, it's using a rare magic. A magic we shouldn't talk about with all these watching eyes." Both me and Charlie understood. Marla's magic was different. It was hidden. It was secret. And it was dangerous. 

She even had a room made just for it. It was a big, round room that had a cauldron in the middle. She had a few ingredients on the shelves that lined the walls, but nothing like bottled eyeballs or green muck with a body inside. Marla said she was a blue witch, but she said she wouldn't tell us what that meant until we finished learning in our tribes. 

Although she wouldn't tell us what that meant, she wasn't scared to use her magic in front of us. She even taught me a few of her spells. Just the simple ones, though. I could distract someone with the  snap of my fingers, I could give someone luck, or I could give someone misfortune. Those were simple, for me. Charlie could only distract someone, and not very well at that.

"Anyway," Marla continued, "Open the suitcase and it will become big. We can talk more later. Just remember, all you need is one tap."

"Yes, yes, we know," Charlie and I both said. "We're all ready."

"Well good, because your time is almost up, Cora took forever to get here."

"Hey!" I said, angrily.

* * *

"Greens over here. Yes, there. No, over here. Good. Blues, you stand here. No, not you, you're a white. You stand here. Yes, there. Actually, whites, you stand over there, reds will stand here. Reds, come here. You two, wait over there. You will leave last." The man, who I still didn't know the name of, was getting everyone ready to leave. Apparently, the special tribe always leaves last, to "protect it's location" and "keep it safe." I understood, but I couldn't help but be a little annoyed.

After what felt like forever, everyone was finally in their place. "Everyone, meet your guardians. Each tribe has a master, and you must listen to them with all your might, for they are very powerful.

A group of people that had been in the crowd went over to each tribe.  You could easily tell from how they looked that they were magical. A woman stood in front of the plant tribe. She had reddish, brown hair that was put up in a large bun. Her dress was green and went down to her feet, stopping just above the ground. There was a vine circling her waist and adding an earthy feel to her outfit. The same was around her bun. She wasn't slim, but she wasn't very round either. She was the perfect in between. She turned to the group and said, "Hello, there. I'm Mrs. Autumn. Please listen to what I say, it is ever so hard to talk over a loud crowd like this one."

Next to the fire tribe, there was a skinny man with inflamed brown hair, or at least it looked that way. He was dressed in a reddish, brown suit that somehow looked very fancy. He looked sly and possibly mean. 

"I heard that his temper is as hot as his fire. You wouldn't want to make him angry." Morgan always seamed to know everything. 

In front of the water tribe stood a man with bright blue eyes, you'd think he drank the ocean. He wore some sort of jacket, but it looked like his pants were something that you could swim in. 

The woman in front of the ice tribe was definitely icy. She had whitish, blondish hair and a longish dress. She stood quite tall and had light blue eyes. She seemed elegant and like a person that you would want to impress.

Then I noticed all of the other people. There was about a dozen different people standing next to each tribe, and I could only assume that they were the other teachers. I looked around and couldn't see any other people besides the rush of parents and younger siblings file out. As I looked around, I saw a few mischievous kids that were looking at the ceremony. "Who do you think they are?" I asked Morgan. 

"Oh, them? They are from the village.  Most younger kids try to find ways to break into the tribes, although none have made it. Most couples move to the village when they have kids because you aren't allowed in the tribe until you are chosen. Everybody knows that. But you don't..." She turned to me with a surprised look. "And I haven't seen you around the village at all. Come on, tell me! I know something is up." 

This was very bad. If Marla's secret got out, then everything would go bad. People would attack, kill, and steal to get it. Like she had said, her magic was different. It just was. I was really glad that she had taught some of it to me, even though she didn't tell Charlie and I much at all. I could do simple things like distraction or luck, unlike Marla who could do almost anything.

"Uh, not right now. Maybe later?" I quickly tried a spell. I thought over and over again in my head, distract, distract. How was this going to work? I snapped my fingers once and turned to look at her. The snap would signal it, but I still didn't understand why it was so desperately needed.

 "What was that for? Anyway, you better tell me soon." Oh, come on! I guess I should have practiced more. Suddenly I remembered what I was thinking about earlier. "Where is our tribes' master?"

"Uh... That's a good question." 

I turned to the man.  "Do you know?"