The group surges forward, breaking the line we were in and forming a loose circle around Arielle on the wide walkway. The Guardian kids, including Caelum, are closest to Arielle now. I'm trying hard not to stare at that boy, but I'm failing. He's got a light tan that compliments his green eyes, and the kind of face you just kinda wanna stare at.
I avert my eyes and linger at the edge of the group. Vivian's still sticking by my side, looking crestfallen from that Jazmin encounter.
"I'm Arielle, and I'm a first year Guardian graduate student."
A few kids start murmuring and look impressed—they're all the kids that don't seem to be part of the "royal" group. Arielle straightens her shoulders, looking extremely pleased with herself. Smug.
The bitchy girls are rolling their eyes at the excited kids, and I decide I dislike them even more.
"I'm here to give you a quick peek at the Hall of Arrangement," Arielle says. "You'll be able to tour the full campus and your assigned dorm after you pass the Entrance Trials. Once we're done viewing the Hall, we will return to the buses out front. In the welcome packets that were mailed to you, you were assigned group numbers and received keys to your temporary lodging. When we return here, please find and board the bus displaying your group number. It will take you to your cabin, where you will find your luggage, as well as any boxes you may have sent ahead."
Guess that explains why no one has a backpack or a suitcase.
"What's your number?" Vivian whispers, her still-sad puppy eyes staring out at me from behind her black glasses.
"I forget," I mumble. "I have it in my backpack."
She wrinkles her brow and for the first time looks at me with real suspicion.
Thatta girl. Finally getting it. I don't have a number, I never got a welcome packet in the mail, and I'm feeling more and more like an imposter. 'Cause I kinda am.
"Well, I'm with group eleven," she says.
Arielle begins to walk, and a loose line forms again with Vivian and me at the end of it.
"Some of you may have visited us before," Arielle says, her voice carrying with the breeze, "but for those of you who have not, this is the main walkway you will use to get to all your classes and the dorms. It connects with every building on the Academy campus, as well as the Hall of Arrangement. We use it so as not to damage the Redwoods' root system. Leaving the path or touching the trees here is a punishable offense. However, if you enjoy hiking, we do have recreational trails set aside outside the main campus for your enjoyment."
Interesting. And I approve of their respect for the trees. But damn, I really want to touch one now!
All the students grow quiet as we walk, and I'm happy for it.
I inhale deeply, relishing the scent of the trees as branches sway high above us. Sunlight dapples the wooden boards and warms my face.
This is amazing. I glance up, marveling at how high the branches go, glimpsing the blue sky and clouds above.
The buzz in my chest has taken over my whole body, and I have to try to keep my face straight and not skip like a child. But I wanna.
What would it be like, waking up to this every morning? To this view outside my dorm room. To the scent of the Redwoods and this fresh air coming through my window on every breeze.
I'd get up and walk to wherever breakfast is, then to all my classes. In my free time, I'd take long, soothing walks on all the recreational trails.
I let out a sigh of happiness. Yeah, I'm Walter Mittying, so I'm leaving out all those other parts... the parts with the actual classes and studying and tests, but whatever.
There's a longing growing inside me... a real longing to actually stay here.
I want this to be my home, at least for a little while.
I want to pass the Trials.
Vivian has perked up again, and I give her a real smile. She grins and injects a little bounce back in her step.
Hey, maybe I can even make a friend. You never know.
We walk for a good ten minutes, passing several connecting walkways but never taking them. I'm continually seeing bits of buildings in the distance, but Arielle isn't naming any of them for us, so I guess I'll find out about those later on the campus-wide tour she mentioned.
Arielle finally chooses one of the side paths, leading us to the left and down a new walkway. The trees begin to thin a bit, and little gasps erupt from the people at the front of the line.
When I see what they're seeing, I understand why they're excited.
Rising up before us is a giant dome, built in a clearing. I don't know how many stories high it is... It might be as tall as the main building and just as wide.
It seems to be made entirely of smooth glass, but it's mirrored glass, so it's reflecting the trees that encircle it as well as the blue sky and clouds above. The boardwalk extends right up to the mirrored surface, but I can't discern any way in.
This mirror effect's creating the illusion that somehow the dome exists and yet doesn't exist at the same time. This thing's straight out of a sci-fi show... except for the fact that it's on a magickally cloaked base.
A base owned by people claiming to have ancestors from another planet.
Oooh. Holy shit!
I think that makes me part-alien.
I let out a loud laugh and immediately clamp a hand over my mouth.
Arielle shoots me a disapproving look, 'cause everyone else is staring at this place in quiet reverence.
Oops, I'm being inappropriate.
I so need my meds.
"Welcome to the Hall of Arrangement." Arielle says to everyone, thankfully ignoring me again. "This is the sacred place where Guardians maintain and repair the Aegis. Guardians serve three-year terms here, and then, of course, must serve in other capacities before it's safe to return."
"Why?" Dammit, I didn't mean to say that out loud.
Arielle raises an eyebrow at me. "Have you already forgotten the lessons from your Pre-Magick classes?"
Laughter ripples through the group, and my cheeks are burning again. What else did they all learn in high school that I missed? Arielle's waiting for a response from me, but I keep my mouth shut so it doesn't betray me again.
Arielle sniffs. "Guardians working on the Aegis must manage enormous amounts of Elemental Magick, and this takes a toll on their health. But it's obviously the Aether that causes the most damage. As I'm sure you know, Aether is highly lethal. Working in teams of four is the only way to distribute the damage it inflicts, but even then, accidents and deaths do happen. And so, three years per decade is the maximum term any one Guardian may serve in order to lower the risk of death."
Okay, then. Guess that's why there's no House of Aether Magick.
I nod and do my best not to look at anyone else. I can feel them all staring.
"This is the main entrance," Arielle continues. "Please keep talking to a minimum once we're inside. If we're lucky, we'll see a Guardian team in action."
There's some intense whispering, and then everyone falls silent again.
Arielle pulls a wand from beneath her robe with a seriously theatrical flourish and waves it in front of the glass like she's auditioning for lead mouse in Fantasia.
I suppress a giggle at her ridiculousness and try to look as serious as the other kids. But I'm giddy, full of nervous energy and excitement, so it's pretty hard to keep calm.
Arielle's lips are moving in time with her elaborate movements, but I can't hear the words she's saying from my spot at the back of the group.
The mirrored glass suddenly dissolves into an open oblong doorway.
We follow Arielle inside.