It's dark and silent.
Almost painfully silent. Her feet step forward slowly, her steps crooked from the stones and cracks in the cold ground underneath them. It's freezing in the dark. She shudders; her bright blue eyes try to absorb some sort of light.
But all she sees is the soft glow of gold. A dragon's head sitting in front of her above a door that appears out of nowhere.
Teagan reaches for the handle with cold clammy hands and opens the door with the golden head on it.
The door doesn't open.
And she's suddenly thrown back by an invisible force that takes the air out of her lungs and sends her screaming through a glass floor that shatters around her and the silence.
Teagan bolts upright, breathing irregulars and ragged, her throat dry as she tries to remember where she is.
Her room, she feels underneath her, her bed, her blanket... She's home.
Not in a dark unknown place. But home.
She wipes at the sweat on her brow and rolls over to the cold side of her pillow with a groan, her fluffy hair covering her face.
She's tired of this strange dream. . . It's haunted her all summer and she's not sure she can handle it anymore.
Then she remembers. . . . Teagan sits up and grabs her wand from underneath her pillow, lighting the end with a small glow, she glances at her calendar and groans again.
Summer vacation has ended.
She flops on her bed with a loud thud and poof.
She's starts school today.
Somehow. . . That doesn't make her feel as excited as she'd hoped.
-----
"Bags, check- underwear-"
"Muuuum"
"Check. Wand, check, extra portion kit, check, books - check and your permission slip for any field trips you might have - check. Oh, I can't believe summer ended already. Feels like you just got home yesterday darling." Alice sighs as she adjusts her daughter's headband over her frizzy mess of beautiful red hear.
Teagan smiles at her mother and shrugs. "I suppose time flies when you don't want it too."
Her mother smiles sadly and clasps both hands on Teagan's face, squishing it between them making the fifteen year olds lips pucker unattractively. "Don't worry dear, this year will fly too and you'll graduate before you know it. We're so proud of you and your father and I-" the woman casts her eyes back to the tall gentleman behind her who's casually adjusting his cufflinks pretending not to listen. She sighs.
"We know you'll make us proud this year as well."
Mr. Monicroff hears the words 'make us proud' and smiles at his daughter. "Your mother's right, come now, We'll be late if we don't get across the veil now."
Teagan sighs and lifts up her bag and bed roll as her mother levitates the rest of the bags to stack them into their car. Teagan takes her seat behind her parents and the engine starts with a sputter as they drive down the familiar Naturals Street.
Teagan watches the cobbles stoned street wiz by and waves at some of their neighbors, all of them Naturals without the barest hint of an idea of what Teagan and her family could do.
Such was the way of the treaty for centuries since the great wars.
Naturals don't know about Magics anymore and Magicals keep the secret if they live on the other side of the veil.
Monicroff's were one of the few families that left the Magicals side of the Veil after the war. Teagan doesn't know any other Magicals here though.
Suddenly, her father takes a sharp turn towards a dead end alleyway, it's dark with a cracked road, as the car clunks along, Teagan wonders what a Natural would think if they saw them here. Especially when they drive directly into the solid brick wall and go through it.
It's an illusion of course. . . even though not just anyone can go through the brick wall. The veil keeps this magic in place so the Naturals are never able to see to the other side.
Which is where they crossed over.
Teagan takes in the familiar tingle of the air as their car transforms into a carriage along the way and she breathes in the sights that she's missed all summer.
A few flying horse drawn carriages swooshing above in the clear blue sky. Dwarves with their wares and magical wish bells, stores with potions and wands cluttering the shelves, a fortune teller with the ability to only see ten seconds into the future.
Teagan smile's at the newspaper boys and their winged baskets. She misses this place. The air itself makes her feel like she belonged as it enters her lungs and gives her that comfortable tingle.
As if she's being recharged.
Before she knows it, they've arrived in front of Ridgemoor Acadamy gate. Teagan climbs out, recalling her first year with a punching sense of de ja vu. It made her feel giddy as she pulls out her potion case and walks through the gates alone, leaving her parents to get the rest of the bags.
Here we are.
Teagan's grin nearly splits her face as she takes in the main entryway, the giant gold and wood bridge is closed, families, new and old, clutter the court yard. New ones stand around in strong bouts of tears, the old ones with less tears but still having heartfelt good byes.
The dragons twisted around the towers look larger this time though. Teagan's mind flashes images of the golden dragon head she's become familiar with seeing every night and she wonders if there was such a thing.
"Here we are." Her father says with a breath as he drops her things neatly on the ground. He turns to Teagan and opens his arms for her. He's figured out affection when needed.
Teagan hugs her father willingly and the man dares to kiss her on top of her head in public, which is quite a bit of progress.
"Now, let me look at you." He pulls back and smiles at his growing girl. He almost feels nostalgic about it and Teagan swears his eyes get a bit shiny.
"My little Mage. . . You'll be a full one in no time. I remember when you barley reached my knee and accidently sneezed your first spell."
Teagan groans in embarrassment as her mother laugh sweetly at them. "Father, please." She hopes no one is paying attention to them.
"Alright, alright, come here." He pulls her into a side hug and her mother joins them.
"What are we?"
"Monicroff's."
"And Monicroff's are?"
"Perfect in their own way."
Her father grins at her. "So you will be?"
"Teagan Monicroff."
"That's right."
Teagan smiles brightly as she pulls out of her family circle and goes to levitate her bags ready, she takes out her wand and beams at her father, she accidently flicks her wand to the side in an attempt to show off and smacks someone in the face.
"Oh, my I'm so sorry, I-" she stops and looks up.
"Monicroff?"
"Scarrow?" She blinks in surprise, surprise she had to look up instead of directly in front, for one thing. Scarrow got. . . tall over the summer. Unsettlingly so.
Weirdly tall, and still as pale and skinny as ever. His height doesn't suit him.
"Did you say 'Scarrow'?"
Teagan startles when her father puts a heavy hand on her shoulder, his matching blue eyes locking onto Scarrow's pale green.
Teaga'ns mouth drops when she notices the boy actually deflate, and look down - in some form of accepting submission? It's not a good look for him.
"You wouldn't happen to be Leon Scarrow's son, would you?" Mr. Monicroff says, his hand is heavy an her shoulder.
The boy nods, not saying anything, his dark lashes cover his eyes so Teagan has no idea how much malice or disgust could be hiding under them.
"I see." Her father's tone could have meant a thousand different things. With just those two words Teagan felt strangely prideful and a little bit guilty.
"Excuse me, sir." Scarrow says, his tone strangely polite if plenty stiff, as he nods and walks briskly away.
Teagan wonders what that's all about.
She looks up at her father to find he's looking down at her in a rather thoughtful look. "You know him, then?"
"Since day one."
Her father seems to get apprehensive over this for no reason. "What's you relation with the boy?"
"No relation. Just rivals. Enemies really." She says calmly, wondering what ever could put that concerned look on her father's face.
He seems to relax at her words and smiles. "I see, well, it's to be expected."
Alice pipes up now, "Oh, come now Christopher, just because you and his father were mortal enemies doesn't mean Teagan needs to be as uncivil." She clearly doesn't understand the need for a perpetual rival in the Monicroff bloodline.
Father gives Teagan a secretive smile. "Your mother's right of course, do be civil to the lad dear, you are a lady bred for polite society after all." He leans down and whispers so his disapproving wife won't hear. "Crush him at everything."
Her mother gasps.
Teagan grins and nods.
The bells chime and the gates rumble open with loud clattering, birds flutter out and Teagan smiles in anticipation as the dust they drop on them shrouds her and all the other students.
Some gasp in delight. Others look bored, someone starts crying, must be a first year again, and others actually start twirling as if they're a princess in a movie, that was the second year boys.
Teagan sneezes when - poof, there she was in her official second year colors. Green, black, and gold. She has a purple shirt this year with a black robe and skirt. Her waist cinched by a gold sash.
"Welcome to Rigdemoor Academy!"
Professor Gripes booming speech starts and Teagan cannot help but smile.
Last year seems so far away after all.