The next day, the Woodlands took the five transfers to the National Foundation Festival in the city. The event was huge and spanned over ten blocks of tents, stages, shops, and food stalls. There were street performers lining at every corner. Eugene was running around like a child who had eaten twenty pixie sticks. Kai and Shadoe maintained a friendly banter while Ethan awkwardly followed Dawn around as he debated the thoughts in his head from his friends and his own feelings.
"Dawn, Shadoe, you two girls come with me." Mrs. Woodland grabbed the two girls and dragged them away from the boys who watched in confusion as they disappeared into the crowd and ran into a stall selling clothing.
"Where are they going?" Eugene asked.
"It's times like these, boys, that it's best not to question the womenfolk." Mr. Woodland explained and they all nodded in agreement. "Come on, they'll probably be hungry when they come out of that stall." Mr. Woodland directed them to a food stall. Eugene went to assist Mr. Woodland in purchasing the food while Kai and Ethan dawdled by an apothecary of humorous potions.
"Check this out," Kai showed him a bottle. "It's to make people's noses brown each time they start sucking up to someone. I bet if we gave some to Eugene his would never be pale again." He laughed and put it aside.
"Oh here's one," Ethan held up a green bottle. "This one will make one grow the size of their ego. Let's see how big you can get." He went to hand Kai the bottle.
"Ha ha, very funny." Kai laughed. As Ethan put the bottle back he couldn't help but overhear a conversation between two young men nearby.
"Hey, did you hear?! The Royal Family is going to be here to light the first firework!"
"Yeah, but don't they do that every year?" The other man scoffed.
"Yes but not with the Crown Prince. It's the first time he'll be shown to the public." Ethan's eyes immediately widened in confusion.
"No way! I wonder why they've kept him a secret all these years. You don't suppose it's because he's really ugly and they wanted to hide his hideous face from the public!" The man cackled.
"I heard it was because he's actually crippled." Ethan huffed in anger as he listened to their conversation.
"Well, I guess we'll find out tonight." The two men walked away laughing.
"What are you doing?" Kai came up to Ethan.
"Oh, I heard the Crown Prince is going to be at the fireworks tonight."
"Really? That's a shock." Kai said in surprise.
"Yeah, some guys were talking about it. What do you think of the Crown Prince?" Ethan inquired.
"I don't know, I can't really think much about someone I've never seen."
"Well, what do you think he's like? Why have they hidden him for so long?" He probed.
"I'm sure there's a good reason for it. Why? What do you think?" Kai asked eyeing him.
"Well, I think it was for his protection. He's their only child so it's natural they want to protect the line, right?"
"Right." Kai agreed and looked out to the busy festival. "Whoa." Ethan looked to where Kai's eyes were locked upon. Walking towards them with Mrs. Woodland were Dawn and Shadoe. Mrs. Woodland had bought them new clothes styled in matching fairy garments. The girls wore thin purple and aquamarine skirts with a brown leather tank top that was patterned in leaves and decorative fairy symbols. Flowers had been tied into a few braids that dangled down in their hair and glitter had been blown on to their faces. On their backs were small transparent wings. Mrs. Woodland was beaming with pride while Dawn and Shadoe looked less than pleased to have been made into dress-up dolls. Ethan and Kai stood speechless as they scanned them up and down.
"Say anything and I swear I will punch you in the face." Shadoe warned them. Ethan and Kai looked at each other before pursing their lips together to prevent them from uttering a word.
"Wow! You look so pretty!" Eugene squealed as he and Mr. Woodland came back with the food. Shadoe glared at Eugene who shook in fear from her icy cold death stare.
"Don't you two look adorable?" Mr. Woodland laughed.
"Aren't they?!" Mrs. Woodland grabbed the girls and squished them together like her own personal playthings.
"Kill me." Shadoe muttered under her breath.
“Nah, that would ruin the fun of watching you suffer.” Kai looked away trying to hold in his laughter making Shadoe glare at him.
“Well I think you look very pretty.” Ethan complimented Dawn who bashfully blushed.
“It’s just like what Regina and I used to do for foundation day.” Mrs. Woodland held them in another tight embrace.
“Thank you, Laura.” Dawn hugged her back while Shadoe rolled her eyes and thanked her reluctantly.
The group left to eat their food at the picnic site. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people sitting on blankets and dressed in various costumes for the festival. Everyone was laughing and having a great time. Mr. and Mrs. Woodland left the five transfers alone while they talked with a few old friends they had seen in the mass of people eating.
“So who’s excited for the fireworks? I know I am!” Eugene jumped enthusiastically in his spot on the ground.
“Meh, fireworks shmireworks.” Shadoe said casually as she chomped down on a tortilla chip.
“Well I am. The fireworks here are always spectacular.” Dawn agreed with Eugene happily.
“Did you hear that the ENTIRE royal family is going to be here?” Eugene sat up on his knees in excitement. Ethan looked away.
“Yeah, but it’s not a big deal.” Kai said standing up. “I’m bored, anyone want to play some waterball?” He asked with a devilish smile.
“I’m game.” Shadoe wiped the chip residue off of her hands and took off the fairy wings that Mrs. Woodland refused to let her and Dawn take off before.
“It’s been so long since I’ve played waterball. Can I be the referee?” Eugene asked looking terrified.
“It’ll give us even teams.” Ethan agreed as he, Dawn, Kai, and Shadoe gathered together. They each put their right fist in the center of where they stood.
“First is rock then rock paper scissors!” They changed and opened their palms to show the item they summoned. Ethan and Dawn smiled happily as they saw a pair of scissors in their hands while Kai and Shadoe each gave a disgruntled sigh from their matching rocks that slowly disintegrated into the air.
“Well, this should be interesting.” Dawn laughed.
“Come on.” Shadoe walked around Kai to their side of the playing field.
“Let’s crush them.” Ethan said enthusiastically to Dawn who punched his fist with hers.
“Alright!” She exclaimed and they hurried to the opposite side. Eugene stood in between the two teams.
“Ok! You know the rules! Teams win points if the opponent fails to catch the waterball! First team to 20 points wins! At the ready!” Eugene called and waved his hands in a circular motion with his palms facing each other to create a spinning ball of water. Everyone prepared to run at Eugene. “Set!” He looked between the teams. “Go!” He threw the ball high in the air and they all ran forward to catch it.
“Misturry!” Kai shouted and suddenly ran in front of her and crouched down so Shadoe could jump on his back and dive through the air to catch the ball. She flipped down to the ground with such speed that Ethan didn’t even see the waterball before it splashed on him. Kai and Shadoe high-fived each other and laughed at the sight of their soaked friend.
“That is so cheating.” Ethan said in shock.
“It is so not, Eugene, call it.” Shadoe looked over to Eugene who was paralyzed with awe.
“One to nothing!” Eugene quickly called and summoned another ball. This time when he threw the ball Ethan and Dawn were better prepared to rush forward and grab the waterball. Dawn spun around to throw it at Kai who quickly caught it and threw it back to Ethan who seemed to want revenge for the first point and threw it back at Kai so fast that Kai ducked revealing Shadoe in line of the ball as it splashed on her. Shadoe laughed from the shock of the water dripping from her and the game continued. Everyone was soaking wet by the halfway point but what they didn’t notice was the crowd of people that had begun to watch and cheer them on.
“Nineteen to nineteen! Game point!” Eugene looked between his friends again as he held the last waterball. “Set!” He screamed hoarsely. “GO!” Eugene thrust the ball high into the air. Each of them ran as fast as they could when suddenly the waterball was grabbed by another person. They split the ball into five separate balls in one swift motion and thrust them down at the five transfers. The crowd of people laughed before turning away to return to their own festivities.
“Mind if I play?” The culprit asked as he landed on the ground. They all wiped their eyes from the water that had splashed them and studied the new addition. The boy’s sandy brown hair lightly blew on his head from the cool breeze revealing his brightly shining amber eyes that were looking to Shadoe and Kai who exchanged confused glances.
“Deryk?” Dawn called and the boy turned to look at her.
“Dawn! Hi! Long time no see!” He rushed up to her and hugged her although Dawn seemed less than pleased to see him.
“Yeah, I think the last time we met was when you and the others decided I wasn’t worthy of your friendship anymore.” She backed away from him bitterly. Ethan, Shadoe, Eugene, and Kai quickly hurried up to them.
“I’m sorry about that, I really am. We were all just so mad that you were going to the famed Bridgestone that we didn’t really consider why. Please forgive me.” He put his hands together to beg her forgiveness. Dawn looked nervously between her friends.
“Yeah, he needs to beg.” The voice of a sour girl rudely said to their right.
“He’s a traitor, too.” Another boy added.
“Ellen, Michael, Hannah.” Dawn started listing the people she saw.
“Dawn, do you know these guys?” Eugene asked.
“We used to go to school together. We used to be friends.” Dawn explained as she glared at her former classmates.
“Yeah, emphasis on the used to be.” Ellen said harshly. “But it looks like you’ve managed to find your own little troupe of freaks you can fit in with now.”
“What is your problem?” Ethan defensively snapped at them.
“What are even a bunch of prissy Bridgestoners doing here? Shouldn’t you be at Mermaid’s Beach or Silverthistle Lodge?” Michael insulted them back.
“You want to start something with that mouth?” Kai took a step forward aggressively.
“No, but we could start something a little more painful.” Michael smirked and thrust his hands out to hold two fireballs in his hand. Kai immediately retaliated in his own stance with fire.
“Stop it.” Shadoe quickly stood between the two of them ready to block them. “They’re not worth it.” She persuaded Kai to lower his hands. He clicked his tongue in a sign that he would reluctantly stop as he lowered his arms.
“What? We’re beneath you just because we don’t have the cash flow to get into your stupid school? Flametra!” Hannah shouted at Shadoe and suddenly spun her hands out to shoot a violent wave of fire at her. In one smooth movement of her hand, Shadoe blocked the entire wave with an extinguishing barrier. The public school students stood in shock of her effortless power.
“No, you just don’t have the power to back up your mouths. Come on, Dawn.” Shadoe turned around and took Dawn’s arm but Deryk stopped her.
“Hey, I’m with you now, don’t leave me on my own.” He begged but Dawn released her arm from his grasp.
“Now you know how it felt.” She walked away with the other transfers leaving Deryk to dwell in his predicament.
When they arrived back at their picnic spot the Woodlands were waiting for them looking worried.
“Where have you all been?” Mrs. Woodland asked in a panic as she held up Dawn and Shadoe’s wings they had left there.
“We went to play waterball, that’s all.” Dawn explained and sat down looking more than displeased at the encounter with her past.
“Oh, who won?” Mr. Woodland asked cheerfully.
“Well, it kind of ended in a tie. We were interrupted.” Eugene explained awkwardly.
“I could have taken him.” Kai said bitterly.
“Yes and then you would have gotten in trouble with the school for fighting and giving Bridgestone a bad name.” Shadoe argued with a glare.
“So why did you get to fight them then, show off?” Kai retaliated.
“I didn’t fight, I defended. There’s a difference.”
“I was defending, why didn’t I get to defend?”
“Because.” Shadoe said mockingly slow.
“Enough, you two. I thought you were getting along.” Ethan folded his arms.
“Tolerated. I said I would tolerate him.” Shadoe corrected.
“Same.” Kai agreed and turned away from her while the rest of them rolled their eyes and shook their heads in disapproval of their attitudes.
As the sun set everyone was anticipating the fireworks which were always a sight to be seen. These were not ordinary fireworks but made by the fire sprites so they were guaranteed to be beautiful and imaginatively majestic. The Woodlands soon dragged the five transfers to a better spot to see the royal family set off the first firework. Ethan couldn't help but worry in fear of his identity being exposed at a public event. He quickly looked up to the stage as trumpets blared announcing the arrival of the king and queen. Ethan found himself looking up at two strangers. They certainly looked exactly like his parents but there was something wrong. They weren't them. Ethan looked around to see if anyone else could see through the falsehood but no one seemed to notice. He looked back to the stage as his faux-father silenced the cheering crowd.
"Good evening, it is a great pleasure for me and my darling wife to attend this year's foundation celebration. While our history is a long one, we never forget to pay our respects to those who have fought to keep our way of life peaceful and secure. It is also a time to remember the bonds that all magical beings share in this world. While we all have our differences, we all are blessed with our gifts. It is our great pleasure to introduce to you our own gift we are blessed with. My son, and heir to the throne, Prince Gregory Damius Tempestway." Everyone watched in anticipation as the Prince rose to the stage. Everyone tried to bend and look around each other to get a good look at the prince. Ethan was more interested in finding out what exactly was going on and why his parents hadn't come themselves. He knew that when his parents sent out their doubles something was wrong. It was safety protocol. Why would they need to do that here? Ethan began frantically looking around for any sign of danger.
"Ethan, what's wrong?" Dawn asked and Shadoe turned to look at him.
"Something's wrong."
"How do you know?" Before Ethan could answer the trumpets blared again signaling the start of the fireworks. They watched as the imposter prince, who Ethan was insulted by look of the brown-haired, dull boy they had gotten to play the part of him in this charade, waved his hands to light the first fireworks. The fireworks burst up into the air and exploded into a beautiful array of glittering colors that joined together to form a great phoenix in the sky that sang out as a chorus of fireworks blasted off behind it. Everyone stood in awe of the stunning display. There were hoots and hollers of joy and excitement as the show continued. When suddenly there were screams.
"GET DOWN!" Shadoe shouted and pushed Ethan and Dawn back from the sudden attack towards the phony royal family. Men in skull masks were attacking all around the crowd and several had jumped on the stage to attack the fake prince.
"What's happening?" Mrs. Woodland screamed in frenzy.
"Go! Just go!" Mr. Woodland commanded and they all tried to run through the crowd. Ethan grabbed Dawn's hand so he wouldn't lose her in the chaos. People were running around frantically trying to get out of the massacre.
"Come on!" Ethan pulled Dawn closer to him as a stampede of people separated them from the rest of the group. All of a sudden there was a blast of an explosion nearby and they were thrown to the brick wall of small shop. "Are you ok?" Ethan groaned and rubbed his head.
"Yeah." Dawn got on her hands and knees to try and stand up when she saw a two feet standing only a few yards from her. They slowly looked up to see the face of Teras' right hand man, Nullens, looking right back at them.
"You! You're alive!" Nullens shrieked.
"Oh no." Dawn gasped. Nullens went to strike at them when suddenly Agent Zero jumped down out of nowhere and kicked Nullens with a great force back into the stampeding crowd. She then pulled out a small wooden block, no bigger than an eraser. She shook her hand once and it expanded into a broom. She handed it to Ethan and nodded her head.
"Dawn, come on, we have to get out of here." Ethan got on the broom and held out his hand to her.
"What about everyone else?!" Dawn panicked.
"She'll see to it that they're safe, won't you?" Ethan looked to the agent who nodded her head.
"Thank you." Dawn bowed her head and hopped on to the broom with Ethan. They kicked off and looked down to the festival grounds. It was utter chaos with people screaming and running as the band of attackers ravaged through the crowd. Dawn could even see at least five of Teras’ beasts searching for whatever it is they were ordered to find. They didn't see Teras though and it would appear that he was not present.
Ethan managed to locate the Woodlands who had gathered Eugene and Kai, but Shadoe was nowhere to be found.
"Are you alright?" Mrs. Woodland grabbed Dawn in a panic.
"We're fine, where's Shadoe?" Dawn asked looking around frantically.
"She's not with you?" Eugene squealed.
"We have to go back and find her." Ethan moved to run back to the crowd but Kai stopped him.
"You can't go back there! It's pandemonium!" Kai argued.
"Just because you don’t care about Shadoe, doesn’t me the rest of us don’t!" Ethan shouted and pulled out of Kai's grasp.
"What about me?" Shadoe's voice came. They all turned around to see her hurrying up to them.
"Shadoe!" Dawn rushed to her friend and hugged her tightly. "Are you ok? What happened?"
"Got separated in the chaos, I’m fine. Are you all alright?" Shadoe scanned them as they nodded in confirmation when suddenly there was a large blast from the festival grounds.
"Come on, we need to get out of here." Mr. Woodland handed each of them their expandable brooms for them to escape on.
“So you’re sure it was Nullens?” Eugene asked as he and the other transfers sat in Dawn’s room discussing the events earlier.
“Positive. He knows I’m alive and he’ll surely go straight to tell Teras.” Dawn wrung her hands nervously.
“But he wouldn’t need you anymore, would he?” Kai interjected. “I mean, the book doesn’t belong to you anymore, isn’t it safely secure in the Flying Castle?”
“Not exactly. He’s probably angry that she’s not dead and would then want to kill her just for the sake of killing her.” Shadoe explained. Ethan tried to hold Dawn’s hand but she jumped up and started pacing nervously.
“Let’s not forget that I bet he’s wondering how in the world is she alive? She did have her neck snapped right in front of him.” Eugene added.
“This year was supposed to be relaxing. It wasn’t supposed to have any more of these problems. I was supposed to just enjoy being a student!” Dawn began panicking.
“Dawn, calm down. It’ll be alright.” Shadoe said casually.
“Alright? How can it be alright?” Dawn shouted.
“Because he’s probably got bigger things to focus on then just killing a little school girl. He attacked tonight without knowledge that you were there. He obviously has other plans.” Shadoe said nonchalantly.
“How would you know? You don’t understand what he wants! You don’t understand anything! You’ve never even met him! You don’t know what he’s capable of! All you do is make sarcastic comments and do whatever you want because that’s just the Rimanis thing to do! You don’t even have any feelings!” Shadoe stood up slowly without any readable expression on her face. Dawn’s eyes widened as she realized what she had said. “Oh Shadoe, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it!” Dawn tried to beg forgiveness.
“You’re right, I don’t. Thank you for telling me or I might have actually given a care about your safety.” Shadoe pulled her expandable broom from her bag, shook it once to elongate it and took off through the open window leaving the other transfers in shock of what result the entire attack on the Royal family had actually led to.
Ethan jumped as thunder boomed through the air. He stood with the Woodlands, Eugene, Kai, and a very depressed Dawn at the boarding dock for the Bridgestone Academy transport. Shadoe was nowhere to be seen since the argument. Ethan put a comforting arm on Dawn’s shoulder as he watched her scan the crowd of umbrellas for any sign of Shadoe, but it would appear Shadoe did not want to be found by them. He thought about how much Dawn’s words must have actually hurt her. Sure, Shadoe rarely acted emotional. He had never seen her cry and she rarely laughed. Shadoe was logical and sarcastic. Ethan had always been curious about how Shadoe had become who she is but never knew how to bring it up without invading her privacy. Ethan respected Shadoe but for Dawn, Shadoe frustrated her. The two of them were unlikely best friends thanks to their room assignment at Bridgestone and Shadoe’s constant assistance in protecting Dawn. Of course, Dawn was grateful for Shadoe and she looked up to the half-Rimanis like a sister but for Dawn it was aggravating when Shadoe could act so casual about serious situations. Rimanis people often do not fret over the small things and Espers are often over-emotional because what they feel is amplified. It was only a matter of time before Dawn would explode her feelings at Shadoe.
Ethan sighed, he only hoped Shadoe had cooled off and things would return to normal as soon as they returned to school.
“What’s with all the security?” Eugene asked as they noticed through the passing umbrellas several Royal Guards patrolling outside of the sub.
“It looks like a boarding check.” Mrs. Woodland said.
“But that’s what the boat staff is for. Why are they here?”
“Probably because of the attack.” Mr. Woodland explained. “Come on, let’s get you off to school.” He led them towards the line to board. Dawn turned left and right looking for Shadoe.
“She’s not out here, Dawn.” Kai said.
“How do you know?”
“I can smell her, remember? The stench of a Rimanis?” He explained. Dawn scrunched her nose in disapproval of his words. “She’s not here, she’s probably already in the sub.” Dawn looked down in depression.
“It’s ok. We’ll talk to her.”
“No, I will. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have said those things.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll forgive you.” He put his hand on her shoulder and guided her to the sub where they were promptly asked by the guards to show their school identification cards and palms.
"Why our palms?" Dawn looked confused as the Royal Guard rudely took her hand and examined it. She watched as the iris' of his eyes turned a fiery orange.
"Royal Guards are professionally trained palm readers but instead of seeing your future, they can see directly into your thoughts and desires. It's a way to detect dark warlocks and witches." Ethan explained.
"I see." Dawn was given her hand back and they walked into the sub where several other students were bustling around looking for their friends and room to sit in. "Shadoe!" Dawn shouted as she spotted the half-Rimanis girl. Shadoe looked over to the four of them before turning away and walking up to the second level leaving Dawn and the other transfers in a stale state of rejection.
Ethan looked out at the window as the sub moved through the water. The blue color was calming for him even though the tension surrounding him and his friends was almost to an agonizing point.
"We should just find her and talk to her." Eugene huffed.
"No, you saw how she looked at us. It's pretty clear she doesn't want anything to do with us." Kai growled in frustration.
"It's my fault. I'm sorry, guys." Dawn apologized.
"No, it's not." Ethan tried to comfort her.
"Actually it kind of is." Kai staggered to say.
"Look, Eugene's right. I should just go find her and talk to her. I'll fix this." Dawn stood up and opened the door but jumped back as two Royal guards burst through.
"Palms and ID cards." They demanded.
"Again? But we were already checked when we got on!" Kai argued.
"Just do what they say." Ethan quickly handed over his card to them and held out his palm. He nodded at Kai to do the same who rolled his eyes and obeyed.
"What's with the tight security?" Kai asked.
"It's nothing to worry about. You're perfectly safe. No walking about." The guards finished checking Eugene and Dawn before leaving.
"Yeah right."
"You don't believe them?" Dawn asked.
"Whenever Royal Guards or regulators say you're safe, you're not." Kai flopped down on the seat.
"Do you have a problem with Royal Guards?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah, I do." Kai folded his arms.
"Well I guess finding Shadoe is out of the question since that guard doesn't want us moving." Eugene sighed. Dawn looked to the door leading to the hallway and let out a breath of disappointment. Ethan leaned over a put his hand on hers and nodded encouragingly. Dawn half smiled as she sat back to wait for the transport to arrive at the school.
When they finally arrived, Dawn and Ethan separated to their new Dorm rooms before opening ceremony. When Ethan and Eugene walked into their new room they found it was different than their room last year. Compared to it this room was significantly larger and had better furnishings. The beds, closet, and desks were bigger. The beds had freshly pressed sheets and the curtains of the room were draped in a deep royal blue which shut out all light if closed. There was even a sink and mirror cabinet in the corner of the room. Eugene looked at the new additions with joy.
“Wow, I didn’t think this stuff happened until fifth year.” He ran into the large closet and looked around.
“I guess it happens sooner.” He looked out the window and knew this had to be the work of his parents. He would have to send them an angry message about what it means to be inconspicuous. He saw that on the lake there was a newly built red brick bridge with a sign that read "Redmund Memorial Bridge", no doubt for their deceased fortune-telling teacher from last year. He sighed and his mind drifted to the thought of Dawn and if she had managed to speak with Shadoe yet in their room.
Dawn walked into her new room but it was the same as ever. The same beds, same desks, same closets. Same roommate who was nowhere to be found. She sat down on her bed and sighed. Dawn waited and waited for Shadoe to walk through the door but to no avail. Soon it was time for opening ceremonies and she met up with Ethan and Eugene again. Kai had gone to sit with Leland and Daniel.
The three transfers studied the cafeteria decorations. This was their first opening ceremony which was notably different than the second semester opening ceremony. The walls were draped in shimmering fabrics with balls of light gliding slowly in front of them illuminating the hall with a plethora of colors. The walls and paths were lined with exotic flowers and topiaries of dragons representing the school symbol. The podium in front of the teacher’s seating was decorated in a beautiful arrangement of flowers and miniature dragons formed by enchanted petals that allowed the little fire-breathers to wander about and fly around it. The tables were each adorned in linens of the school colors, gold and green. The round tables seated ten to a table and at the center of each table was a small sculpture of a creature representing the year of the students sitting there. For their table there was a bronze Pegasus calmly laying down in the center. Across the other tables they could see unicorns for first years, phoenixes for third years, a Cerberus for fourth years and the fifth years had dragons. Dawn leaned over to Ethan.
“Do you see Shadoe?” She asked and Ethan scanned the crowd. His eyes found in shock that Shadoe was sitting with a group of other girls in their grade whom Shadoe had never even spoken to, let alone sat with.
“There she is.” He pointed to the last table for second years. Dawn could barely believe that Dawn was sitting with a group of girls known throughout the second year class as the Babbling Force led by Erica Bolt, Jenna Caulfield, and Desiree Gold. The girls at that table were known for their abilities to chatter on about pointless subjects and even now Shadoe looked incredibly bored while sitting with them. However, most of them did not even notice Shadoe’s presence. Dawn smirked as it was the effect she had on most people as she recounted the countless times it would seem Shadoe had appeared out of nowhere but it was her own failure to really notice she was there the whole time. Soon their attention was taken to the podium as Principal Crane began his opening remarks.
Ethan’s thoughts drifted to the memories of last year’s events as Principal Crane greeted everyone. He wondered if the Flying Castle agents or the Royal Guard would be able to catch Teras soon. It was obvious now that the Foundation Day Festival was a plan to catch him that failed. Instead, it played to Teras’ favor by the discovery of Dawn’s beating heart. Would he come after her again? Would he come after him? If his goal is to destroy the Royal Family then of course he would. The real question was if he figured out that the people at the festival were fakes. The thoughts began to give him a headache so he tried to shake them away and focus on the ceremony. He had been thinking so hard he had missed the entrance of the new first years and Principle Crane was wrapping up the introductions of the new transfers. There was a significant amount more at this time than there had been at his entry to Bridgestone. He studied the new students. There were fourteen entering in the fourth year class, and twelve entering the third years. There were never any fifth years because it was forbidden to transfer in your last year so fourth year was the last chance you had. In the second year category there was only one, Dawn’s friend Deryk. He watched as Deryk smiled and waved to Dawn who returned the greeting as he took the chair they had originally saved for Shadoe.
“I was afraid you wouldn’t let me sit with you.” Deryk said bashfully.
“Well, I’m no stranger to being the outcast of Creekland High but I wouldn’t want you to be an outcast here as well.” She said.
“And I am truly sorry about what happened before.”
“It’s all in the past now.” Dawn smiled and looked over at Eugene and Ethan who were staring between them.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t have the chance to introduce myself before. I’m Deryk Larkson.” He held his hand out to Ethan.
“Ethan Storms.” Ethan hesitantly shook his hand. Eugene energetically reached out for Deryk’s hand.
“I’m Eugene Fuzzle, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”
“The pleasure is all mine.” Deryk said politely. “Forgive me if I’m mistaken but at the festival I thought you had a couple with you? Do they go to school here as well?”
“Couple? You think Shadoe and Kai are a couple?” Eugene laughed.
“They weren’t? My mistake, I assumed with how close they seemed at the festival.” The three transfers burst out laughing.
“They despise each other.” Ethan laughed and Deryk smiled at his mistake.
“Kai is over there,” Dawn pointed to Kai who was sitting with Leland and Daniel. “And well Shadoe and I sort of had a fight but she’s over there.” Dawn pointed to where they had last seen Shadoe only to find that she was no longer there. “Or she was.”
“She does that a lot.” Eugene leaned over to Deryk to explain.
“Does what a lot?”
“Disappear and reappear when she feels like it.”
“What is she a ghost?”
“No, she’s just good at being quiet.” Dawn explained.
“When she wants to be.” Ethan added. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a clearing throat. They looked behind them to see Rosaline standing and smiling at Ethan.
“Hi Ethan.” She batted her eyes.
“Hi Rosaline.” Ethan politely smiled. She looked over at Deryk and then gave a look to urge Dawn to introduce her.
“Oh, Rosaline, this is Deryk Larkson. Deryk this is Rosaline Drewlis.”
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” Deryk held out his hands.
“The pleasure is mine. As your Student Council second year representative I’d like to say welcome!” She shook his hand proudly.
“You’re on the student council now?” Dawn asked.
“Don’t act so shocked. If you had actually be paying attention in Social Magicks last year you would have known about the elections which brings me to my next point.” She turned back to Ethan.
“We need a male rep for the second year class.”
“They didn’t vote one in last semester?” Ethan asked.
“Well it was James Doyle but he didn’t come back to school this year.” She explained.
“Why not?” Deryk asked.
“Oh some silly thing about losing an arm in that beastly invasion in the library last year.” Rosaline brushed off with a wave of her hand.
“That’s not some silly thing, Rosaline, that’s a big deal.” Dawn said in shock.
“Well it doesn’t matter. He’s not here to take his place which is why I was wondering if you,” She turned back to Ethan with a sigh, “would fill his place?”
“Oh.” Ethan looked at him.
“I’ll do it if you don’t want to, Ethan!” Eugene jumped up.
“No one asked you.” Rosaline growled through her teeth and Eugene slowly sat back down in depression.
“Well I think it’s a great idea. You seem like a responsible student council type to me.” Deryk interjected.
“Doesn’t he?!” Rosaline squealed with joy. “We could spend all this time together, we could change the entire school together, Ethan!” She clutched onto his arm. Dawn rolled her eyes and returned to her food. Rosaline squeezed his arm tighter. “Please, we really need someone and you’re the only boy I know that’s student council material.” Ethan looked over at the other boys at their table who shook their heads and turned away.
“Alright, I’ll do it.” Ethan sighed and agreed causing Rosaline to squeal with joy.
“Great! Our first meeting is tomorrow after classes in the student council office.” She hugged Ethan before running off with joy.
“You’re ok with this, right?” Ethan leaned over to Dawn.
“Why wouldn’t it be? It’s not like you have to ask my permission to do things. Student Council is a great opportunity for you. I’m sure you and Rosaline will make a great team together as second year reps.” Dawn babbled and shoveled food into her mouth. Ethan sat in confusion but slowly turned back to his food.
“Dawn, do you think you could show me around the school?” Deryk asked. Dawn looked back at Ethan before standing up.
“Sure, let’s go.” She pushed her chair in as Deryk followed her out of the cafeteria. Ethan looked to Eugene.
“Is she mad at me?” He asked and Eugene nodded his head. “What did I do?”
“Agreed to allow Rosaline to take up all of your time.” Eugene gave him a disapproving look.
“But it’s just student council. I’ll still be able to hang out with her.”
“Have you forgotten that Rosaline is not a fan of Dawn? She’ll use this student council thing to keep you away from her and closer to you.”
“She won’t. She’s not that petty anymore.” Ethan tried to convince him but the words didn’t even sound convincing in his own mind.
“We’ll see. But as your best friend and roommate,” Eugene leaned over to him. “I know how you feel about her, so should she.” Eugene stood up to leave Ethan in his thoughts about his feelings towards Dawn. He lowered his head to the table in frustration only to forget that there was a plate of mashed potatoes waiting to smash against his face. Ethan groaned at his idiocy before wiping it away with a napkin trying to ignore the laughter and mocking hollers of the students around him.
“This is the library,” Dawn gestured to the school’s library as she gave Deryk a tour of the school. “It’s famous for its collection of first edition classics and a rampage of mutant beasts that tried to kill me.” Dawn said lightly making Deryk chuckle. “Through the window you can see the flying grounds where a jealous classmate tried to kill me with a broom disorientation spell.” Deryk nodded as he looked through the window. “And just on the other side of the mountain is the cave where-”
“I get it. A lot of things tried to kill you.” Deryk smirked and sat down on a bench.
“Sorry, I guess this school isn’t really filled with fun stories. Most of my memories hear involve running, panicking, and trying not to die.” Dawn sat down next to him with a sigh.
“Well you managed.” He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“Yeah.” Dawn looked away knowing it was a lie. She hadn’t managed it. She did die. Sure, she was brought back to life but only by the extremely lucky coincidence that her parents had concocted the first ever revival potion in magical history.
“You’re different, Dawn.” Deryk took his hand away. “You’re not the same bookworm I used to know.”
“I wanted to be, but I wasn’t allowed to be. There was too much on my mind. Even when I finally thought I would have some peace and quiet it all starts up again.” Dawn curled up onto the bench.
“The attack at the festival,” He spoke in a sudden realization. “was that towards you?” Deryk jumped up almost in an accusing tone. She saw his fists curled in so tight that his knuckles were completely white.
“Deryk? What’s wrong?”
“Dawn, tell me right now if you were the cause of the attack at the festival.” He ordered.
“No, I wasn’t the cause of it.” Dawn explained in utter confusion. Deryk relaxed as she confessed. “Deryk, what’s the matter?” Deryk looked away and tightened his fists.
“At the festival that night when the attacked happened,” He slowly explained taking in a breath to calm his anger. “My mother was taken by him.”
“Taken?” By the looks of his face Dawn knew what he meant. She had been murdered. “Deryk, I’m so sorry.” Dawn stood up and gave him a tight hug. “I know exactly how you feel.” Deryk put his arms around Dawn and held her closer to him, hiding his face in her shoulder for comfort. “You’re very strong, Deryk.”
“What do you mean?” He loosened his hold of her to look at her in the eyes.
“When it was my parents, I had a few months to recover, build up the strength to come to school. It’s been so fast for you and you still had the strength to come here.”
“Yes, well.” He let go and looked to the window. “It’s what she would have wanted.” Dawn walked to his side and returned the comforting hand to his shoulder.
“I’m sure it is.” She smiled up at him.
“I’m glad you’re here with me, Dawn.” He turned to her and took her hands. “I don’t think I would do well if there wasn’t someone I knew here.”
“Well I’m here for you.” She said reassuringly.
“There’s another reason I’m happy to be here.” He looked at her right in the eyes and the look he gave her was sending shivers up Dawn’s spine. He was unable to continue as the sound of a clearing throat echoed through the hall. They both looked down the hall to see Shadoe standing there watching them both carefully like a hawk hunting its prey.
“Shadoe!” Dawn exclaimed a little louder than she had anticipated.
“Curfew is going up soon.” Shadoe explained quickly and turned away.
“Shadoe, wait! I’m-”
“I suggest you return to your dormitory immediately. Principal Crane is not lenient on those dawdling about the school after hours.” Her tone was so strict and fearful.
“Shouldn’t we go back together, you know, being roommates and all?” Dawn folded her arms. She was so frustrated with Shadoe; her roommate who wouldn’t even accept an apology like a mature human being.
“I’m on patrol.” Shadoe turned around and revealed a pin of a dragon on her blazer. The pin was for the student council safety guard.
“You’re on the student council, now?”
“What’s it to you? Now go back to your dorms before I have to write you up.” Shadoe folded her arms.
“Yes, sir.” Dawn said mockingly and stormed out of the school with Deryk following in confusion.