Am in a ship waving goodbye to my mother. How emotional she gets. I sighed relieved that now am walking to a place that's far from home. Excited. Anxious. Afraid. But what could possibly happen?
Am Etheldreda Nathan. Yeah, few call me Ethela.
Am the one and only heir or daughter to Nathan and Helena. My birth has always been termed as a blessed, since my mom was known to be a barren woman. I was and will always be their bright happiness. I've always lived a life of being well taken care of and I thank my parents for that.
I've been termed to be a sweet lovely girl but a strange one. Gray eyes that see things I shouldn't possibly see, hands that do things that a girl like me shouldn't do, a mind that holds a strong intuition that people wish they had it. How my mom kept saying I was beautiful. Yes I believe her, but it doesn't matter.
Am eighteen now and am heading to a place that my mom has been dreading for quite sometime. Mostly she really hoped I'd never grow up, because she was scared of what I was to meet when I grew up.
I sighed as I gazed at the sea around me. Luckily I do not suffer from sea sickness. I gazed at the waves and how the color of the sky is reflected on the water to make it look beautiful. A wave that is beautiful only to drown you to death if you are not careful.
When I think of where am headed to, I keep questioning myself. Mostly when I was back home I saw things , felt things that were beyond human capability. When I told my mom, she always said it's normal. But I rarely felt normal.
I took out the card my mom gave to me. I sighed. Banks island. A place I've never been before . She kept saying that was the best institution I had to go to, for that was where I belonged. Belong. I though home was where I belonged. But as for the time I've been with them, sometimes I felt out of place and I would not want to tell them how I feel.
I kept the card back in the pocket and fantasized how the place would be. A normal college, with friends , weird and annoying teachers. I just hoped whatever am going to meet there, won't definitely disappoint me.
I decided to take a nap for a short while so as I could rest my raging thoughts. I sighed peacefully as I slept on a cushion right next to my one suitcase and a bag pack.
As I kept sleeping I saw a way in my dreams of a place I should be. It felt magical. And as I saw myself in it, I saw power.
I opened my eyes to be sure that am not fantasizing all this. Honestly I wasn't.
"Time to go aboard lad," a bearded man said to me . I smiled forcefully and took my luggages and stood up. I gazed at the island before me. It was huge, and it felt, spacious. Very large but few habitation. I kept asking myself , where exactly am I supposed to be?
I got off the ship and gazed around. My mom said they will have a ride prepared for me. I was already tired with this new place let alone stand here and wait for a ride. I didn't even have a phone with me. I stood aside near to a road that I felt was the way to my destination. Am glad my intuition has always been strong.
"Ethela?" I heard a voice behind me. I turned around just to face a huge man with a very long beard and a huge nose. His eyes were small, but enticing.
"Yes.." I said suavely. "And you might be?"
"Jace." He replied as he smiled genuinely . "Your energy is so strong. I definitely felt it. Anyway am your ride to your destination. Please follow me." He said to me as he started walking towards the same road I felt being connected to. Well , it's going to be a tough ride.
He walked past some vegetable vendors and cattle sellers in addition to cons and beggars. The place was old, and the walls used mostly were built of stone. Few people but the place seemed busy.
"So," I asked curiously. "Where exactly are you taking me?"
He chuckled lightly and as he replied. "Home."
I gazed at him curiously and questioned myself if wherever I am right now is a safe place and if the man am associated with right now is a lunatic.
"But where I come from is home." I emphasized
"Was it?" He asked me as he turned to face me. I gazed at him intensely and I decided not to have this conversation.
"Well, it's your first day here. You will find it wrong and even weirder to fit in, but in reality, This is where you belong."
Where you belong. That's exactly what my mom said. I sighed in an irritated tone. I gaze around and kept asking myself millions of questions possibly realizing the man am walking with now won't respond.
"Here is your ride." He said as he opened the carriage door. It was small inside and it wants grand really. I think this was his job, to get students to the rightful place and they wouldn't bother asking the kind of ride he uses.
I got in and felt comfortable. He climbed onto the horse and held the reins, after a while the carriage was off to who knows where.
As the carriage kept going I felt tired and bored. I decided to take a nap so as I could get ready to embrace that place they all emphasize as my new home.
My short nap was interrupted by the bulky voice of the man.
"Rise and shine beautiful!" He exclaimed as his eyes beamed at me. I gazed at him warily.
I stretched myself a bit before I got of the car. As I stood out of the carriage I took a few seconds to recognize the place before me. It was deserted and ahead of us was the tallest wall I've never seen in my whole entire life of growing up.
"Excuse me?" I asked warily. "Where are we?"
He chuckled again this time much more higher. "Home my dear girl." He said to me. "Use the card to show you the way. Use your power to open the gate."
He said as he climbed on his horse and left. I sighed. What is this? Where is my mother taking me to? A new place known as home , a weird home to be exact, with a tall wall like the Jericho one. Use your card . I said to myself. I opened my bag pack and took out the card. I gazed at it for a few seconds and realized it had a code. I gazed at the wall, and how the bricks had been designed. All I had to do was press the right brick to reach my destination. I sighed and exhaled deeply because I shouldn't mess this up. Who knows where I'd land?
I closed my eyes and focused my fingers on the card as I trailed the code on it. I felt it at the tip of my fingertips and I formed a brick way to open the gate. When I opened my eyes I felt the intuition leading me to the right bricks to push .
"Okay, here goes one." I whispered to myself as I held the first brick. It moved a bit. I exhaled and inhaled.
"Two," I said walking toward the second brick. Just like the first it moved.
"Okay. The last one. It better work." I said hopefully as I touched the last brick. After seconds a trail formed on the bricks and the bricks started moving. After a while I was welcomed to a very tall building glaring at me with gray, red, black and white colors emanating from its walls. I took my luggages and walked inside.
After walking a few steps away from the wall, the wall enclosed it's path once more waiting for a next arrival. I gazed in front of me , where a huge tall building gazed at me with it's gray, black, white and red colors. The bolded letters were HOUSE OF WAZDRA. I sighed with frustration. I gazed at the card from my mom and gazed at the building again. A curious mind like mine had a lot of questions that needed answers and staring at this building wasn't going to give me any. So I walked towards it, only to meet a long corridor as an entrance. The corridor had people in it and most of them were of my age. As I climbed the stairs most of them gave me peculiar glances that I could not fathom. But anyway I couldn't get answers from peering eyes for they were uncomfortably gazing at me.
I asked one of the teenagers where I could definitely do a registration and he showed me around the corner. I muttered thanks and walked towards the corner only to meet a wall staring at me. I kept on getting frustrated more. What did that person think I was, a fool? I sighed woefully as I closed my eyes to allow relaxations. My intuition felt life beyond the wall. I opened my eyes only to see a door in front of me. At first, it wasn't there.
I walked towards the door and opened it. I met a shelf full of books and candles and bottle jars with things I didn't know. I walked in and beside the shelf was a woman busy writing something on a pice of paper. I cleared my throat to get her attention.
"Have a sit," she said as she kept on focusing on her paper. I sat down and waited.
"Etheldreda Nathan." She said as she took off her glasses and kept them on the table as she brought all her attention to me. "I'm so pleased to see you here."
"Oh. Nice to meet you too." I replied hesitatingly.
"I don't think if we've met before.."
"No we haven't." She interrupted me. "I was informed of your arrival." She said as she beamed.
"Welcome to the Wazdra recruits my dear. My name is Silvia. And I would love that if you call me by my name. No need for formalities."
"Wazdra.." I said to myself. She smiled at me genuinely . "You'd love it here. Audrey please show her around the campus." She said as she went back to her writings. I gazed around to see a third party but there wasn't any one else around .I was about to call her name when...
"Hey!" A girl's voice said behind me. I turned around half astounded. She wasn't in the room..
"Am Audrey." She gave me her hand. I shook it. She laughed as she said. "It's a trick. Don't worry, you'll learn about it."
"Oh." That's all I managed to say.
"Well we don't have all day, please follow me." She said enthusiastically as she walked towards the door and opened it for me. I got out and as she closed the door , I was very anxious to know about this strange place.
"So what's your name?" She asked me
"Etheldreda." I sighed. "Ethela in short."
"Okay Ethela. Welcome to the house of Wazdra where magics get to know their potentials and live a new life that they belong in."
"Magics?" I asked as I chuckled sarcastically. "Wow. More surprises."
"It's not surprises. I mean have you never felt out of place when you was at your parent's home?"
"I was, but I never thought to be a magic..really.." I said as I rubbed my temples. This is going to be a long day.
"You have a powerful force Ethela. You staying back at home would have arised worry to the white witch ministry."
"So there is also ministries here?" I questioned dumbfounded.
"Two. White and black. White deals with clean magic but black uses dark magic."
"Okay." I said as I exhaled loudly. Will I be able to take all this.?
"I know it's too much to take in, but because this is where you belong, everything will fall into place." Audrey reassured me.
She took me to the classes where she explained each had a group of eight students only. This is because most of the recruits need to learn about their magic potentials fully. She said in our class I was the seventh recruit, so one to go.
She emphasized that each class had its library with all the books needed to learn different kinds of magic. That is white magic.
"And the black ministry don't touch any white.?" I asked curiously.
"They don't. They stick to dark."
"Okay." I replied as I thought of how one decided to choose dark magic instead of white magic.
She took me to the arena where most recruits did practices on their magic level for the monthly competitions. After the Arena she took me to the huge dinning hall, where each table had eight chairs.
The place was huge and I had started to get tired when she smiled at me suavely.
"What is it?" I asked her .
"This is the best part." She said as she took me to the library. I asked her why the library was important at this time and all she said was "you'll see." Well I decided not to ask any further.
We walked towards the library and as we got in, I met people sitted being enclosed in huge books. Thinking of books, I love stories but reading this encyclopedia of magic..only tightened my stomach muscles.
She stood at the center of the room and motioned me to sit beside her. I took a chair and sat. After minutes, the whole lot in the library gazed at me simultaneously. I gazed at Audrey,with a scared facial expression and she gave me a smile.
"It's an attention spell. " she whispered back to me. The people came to sit at the center forming a circle.
"How have you guys been?" Audrey said excitedly.
"Great." Some replied in unison.
"This is Ethela and she is a new recruit and she is in our crew, well Ethela, do you mind saying hi..?"
I cleared my throat and smiled forcefully. "Hello guys, am Ethela and I come from England. Honestly I don't know what's going on.." I laugh nervously. "But I hope that as the day goes by I'll be able to fit in." I replied and exhaled .
"Great." Audrey said as she gazed at the crew members.
"So it's time for an introduction."
"Am Lilian." A girl with blonde hair said to me.
"Am kian." The guy next to him replied. He had brown haired color, well trimmed,thin broad face.
"Am Lester." The guy next to Kian replied. He had dark hair, was well hung and had enticing blue eyes. I blushed profusely.
"Am Kayla." A girl with red hair and green eyes. Smiley face.
"Am Adrian." Next to Kayla and the last guy. Brown skin color, dark hair and brown eyes.
"Okay this is our team Ethela."
"Should we throw a party tonight?" Kayla asked enthusiastically. "You know for welcoming her."
"It's prohibited. Right now parties are to be done after a team has won a monthly competition." Kian replied to Kayla.
"I think we should just focus with the monthly competition." I said valiantly. Audrey smiles at me.
"Well. She's got the guts. I hope we win this time." Lilian said to Audrey.
"Yeah," Adrian replied.
All this time they spoke, my mind was wondering to what my eyes sought to see. Lester. He never said a word all this time just busy with his book. FOCUSED. I thought. He then glanced at me and when our eyes met, I couldn't gaze away. He smiled at me and he went on reading his book. I found myself intrigued with his smile that I smiled back dumbfounded.
"Well Ethela. Time to get some rest. The coming days are the busy days." She said to me as she headed towards the door.
"Nice to meet you all." I said as I walked away. They nodded silently and went on reading.
As I got out the door, I kept wondering if really this is where I should be.