Soon enough the ballon came to a swift landing at an entrance to a cave. I see Ashley’s mom waving us to come and follow here. Ashley is blushing in embarrassment. “Hello first years. I am about to lead you to the first year lounge. This is not in your dormitories, but where most people hang out after classes and before curfew. After curfew, which is at 10 o’clock, you must return to your respective dormitories. If you still have work to do after curfew, you can remain in the common room of your dorm. Unless you have a note from a teacher, you should only be from your dormitory - meaning that an Athenian should not be in the Mirror Room. Any questions?”
A girl raised her hand. “What happened if you don’t turn in your homework?”
Professor Wang raised her eyebrow. “You get a detention. Every time you get three detentions, a letter is sent home. Every tenth detention is a torture - Professor Cix did not decide that and cannot change that unfortunately. Ares - one of the Founding Deities - decided that his students should be able to endure a whole night’s worth of torture. Professor Cix has tried many times to override that - but it automatically gets carried out.”
The girl shook in fear. A boy asked, “What do we do if we’re lost?”
Professor Wang smiled and said, “Your dorm prefect will hand you a bell which you are to keep on you at all times. If you are lost, ring the bell, and one of our staff will arrive immediately and lead you to the right place.”
Then it hit me - I didn’t know which dorm Asher was in. The boy behind me asked, “How do we communicate with people outside of The Academy?”
“Communication is essential to life here. Sometimes this communication method is used to talk within this school. At each dorm, there is a “Mail Station.” There is a small hole at the top where you put your stone in. The current magic is applied. There is a pad on the desk at the station. You write the person’s name there. Below you write their house. If you don’t know their house, then it may take longer for your message to arrive. If they are out of The Academy, write their address instead. Then the slot below opens and you slide your letter in there.” Professor Wang answered. “Now, now. We ought to get going. Find a table and find a piece of parchment. Write your name on it and come up to this cauldron and place it in there. Dip your hand in the potion and return to your seat.”
I peered into the cauldron as she said this. I saw a purple, bubbling, liquid. All of a sudden a letter appeared in front of me. It read:
Hey Megs,
It’s Asher. I’m a prefect of the Owl Nest. I hope you get in. :) I realized I forgot to tell you my house.
Love you forever,
Winter of the Four Seasons
I laughed. Asher tried to crack jokes that weren’t even funny at all. I guessed he was in the common room. I then raced over to a table with Ashley and we wrote our names on the pieces of parchment with a quill. I put my piece into the cauldron and then soaked my hand in it. “Okay, it seems like everyone has put there name in the cauldron. Right now the potion is sorting everyone into equal houses. When it has decided, your lab coats will change into the color of your house. Blood red for Ares, gold for Apollo, orange for Zeus, pink for Aphrodite, and blue for Athena,” she paused, “Okay everyone! Look at your hands!”
I looked down and in neat hand writing was “Owl Nest.” I looked down at my lab coat and it was now a shade of cerulean blue. My pants remained white as well as my shirt. I looked up at Ashley. Her shirt was stained red. “Ms. Wang, may I have a word with you please?” her mother requested.
Ashley nodded and left the room. Moments later, they returned, Ashley’s cheeks stained in tears. When Ashley just stood at the back, her head in her hands, I figured she abandoned me and searched for my brother. I saw Toby in blood red too. Toby approached me, “Hey smart-pants,”
I replied cooly, “Hey mass murderer,” he knew he annoyed me when he called me that.
He laughed, not understanding I was trying to annoy him. He leaned in to me. “You see, there’s this girl I like. She’s in Blood Dungeon too. She’s that Asian kid over there.”
“Listen Tobs. I talked to her. She’s a player. If you like her you got to be careful.” I explained.
He nodded, then left me there. “All right, ladies and gentlemen. Enough socializing. Your prefects will come momentarily to lead you to the dormitories. As you can see, there are six doorways in this room. One leads outside, and the other five leads to your common room. Please stand in front of the right doorways.”
I rushed to the doorway labeled “Owl Nest.” Ashley dawdled her way to Blood Dungeon’s doorway and I saw Toby wait for her. He reached for her hand which she took. Then I heard whispers about one of the Athenian prefects. I looked up and saw Asher in his blue lab coat. A gold sash was around him that read “Owl Prefect.”
When he saw me in front of him, his face brightened up and he immediately took me into his arms and kissed me in front of everyone else. The whispers stopped about him. The girl next to him cleared her throat and he released me. It was Maddie. “Hello, my name is Maddie Woods and I am one of your Owl Prefects. My partner is the immature Asher Winters.”
Asher blushed and laughed, “Don’t listen to her. The first thing she did last year was falling out of a balloon because she fell asleep. I’m the responsible one here. So, as Professor Wang has told you, this is the 1st year hangout. Please don’t try to enter the other year’s lounges - the entrance has a spell that will turn you naked. You’ll have to ask for someone to return your clothes to you.”
Maddie laughed. “In my first and second year, I accidentally entered the wrong lounge and no one agreed to give me back my clothes,” she admitted sheepishly.
“Okay so once you enter the dormitory, there are several bells on the table. You need to grab one and put it in the front pocket of your lab coat.”
“Let’s go.”
He lead us to a little brown area. “Because Athena loves owls, she’s made it the transportation to the dormitory. Pick an owl, and remember what he/she looks like. It will be yours for the rest of the year. Us prefects will have to saddle up with somebody.”
I found an owl that was pure white. I patted her on the head and she turned and blinked twice at me. She extended her wings and beckoned me to sit on her. “If I could join you..” Asher leapt behind me and wrapped his hands around my waist.
I saw Maddie join her brother Jamie on one. Maddie announced, “When you’re ready, kick off the floor and the owl will take you to the dormitory.”
I turned around and saw Asher smiling broadly at me. I kicked my feet and pushed us off the ground. We traveled through the clouds and appeared at another brown area. Asher’s voice soared over the owls, “Okay, now get off. Your owls will remain here until you need them.”
Asher let go of my waist and jumped off the owl. He then offered me his hand and he pulled me off. He kissed me on the cheek and whispered, “Until tonight.”
We followed Maddie and Asher to a hay slide. “If an intruder could get pass those owls, which is highly unlikely, this is the final test. Only Athenians know that the slide posses powerful qualities that throws of any intruders unless they are holding the hand of an Athenian.”
She jumped and we saw her slide down. Asher followed, and so did the rest of us. “If you need to get up, just sit at the bottom, like this, and you’ll slide right back up.”
He demonstrated with a cheer and slid back down. “Come on, this way.” We followed the prefects through the hallway which lead to a flight of stairs. “Although each year has a separate lounge, all owls take you to this area. Now, you have to climb the right stairs to get to your dorms.”
We climbed up the set of spiral staircases and arrived at a doorway labeled “1.” I saw Toby lead the way in and there was the common room. There were a couple couches and tables. I saw on one of the tables were a pack of bells. “Come on, grab a bell!”
I rushed and picked the first bell I saw and placed it in my front pocket. Once the table was cleared of bells, Asher directed us to find our names on the door. I found mine on the second door. The gold plate read:
Meghan Buckley
Pearl Issac
Shawn Leenson
Thomas Seamus
There were two bunk beds. I saw Pearl, a blond wavy haired girl, putting herself on the top bed. I decided to take the bottom bed. The boys took the other bunk bed. I assumed Shawn took the bottom one and Thomas took the upper one. Shawn was the red head and Thomas was the black haired kid. I placed my trunk by my desk and opened it. I put the stack of books a stacked it on the desk. I then put the parchment and quills inside my desk, and my clothes in the closet. I placed my stone on my bedside. I returned outside and sat on a sofa. Soon everyone returned to the common room.
Asher announced, “In two hours time, there will be a feast at the Great Hall. I’ll be here along with Prefect Maddie to show you.”
Maddie continued, “For now, introduce yourself to people and meet some friends!”
The hushed whispers turned into loud talking in the house of smarts. Asher rushed over me and lifted me up in the air. He kissed me on the cheek, and told me, “Now, go make new friends.”
A girl raised her hand. “What happened if you don’t turn in your homework?”
Professor Wang raised her eyebrow. “You get a detention. Every time you get three detentions, a letter is sent home. Every tenth detention is a torture - Professor Cix did not decide that and cannot change that unfortunately. Ares - one of the Founding Deities - decided that his students should be able to endure a whole night’s worth of torture. Professor Cix has tried many times to override that - but it automatically gets carried out.”
The girl shook in fear. A boy asked, “What do we do if we’re lost?”
Professor Wang smiled and said, “Your dorm prefect will hand you a bell which you are to keep on you at all times. If you are lost, ring the bell, and one of our staff will arrive immediately and lead you to the right place.”
Then it hit me - I didn’t know which dorm Asher was in. The boy behind me asked, “How do we communicate with people outside of The Academy?”
“Communication is essential to life here. Sometimes this communication method is used to talk within this school. At each dorm, there is a “Mail Station.” There is a small hole at the top where you put your stone in. The current magic is applied. There is a pad on the desk at the station. You write the person’s name there. Below you write their house. If you don’t know their house, then it may take longer for your message to arrive. If they are out of The Academy, write their address instead. Then the slot below opens and you slide your letter in there.” Professor Wang answered. “Now, now. We ought to get going. Find a table and find a piece of parchment. Write your name on it and come up to this cauldron and place it in there. Dip your hand in the potion and return to your seat.”
I peered into the cauldron as she said this. I saw a purple, bubbling, liquid. All of a sudden a letter appeared in front of me. It read:
Hey Megs,
It’s Asher. I’m a prefect of the Owl Nest. I hope you get in. :) I realized I forgot to tell you my house.
Love you forever,
Winter of the Four Seasons
I laughed. Asher tried to crack jokes that weren’t even funny at all. I guessed he was in the common room. I then raced over to a table with Ashley and we wrote our names on the pieces of parchment with a quill. I put my piece into the cauldron and then soaked my hand in it. “Okay, it seems like everyone has put there name in the cauldron. Right now the potion is sorting everyone into equal houses. When it has decided, your lab coats will change into the color of your house. Blood red for Ares, gold for Apollo, orange for Zeus, pink for Aphrodite, and blue for Athena,” she paused, “Okay everyone! Look at your hands!”
I looked down and in neat hand writing was “Owl Nest.” I looked down at my lab coat and it was now a shade of cerulean blue. My pants remained white as well as my shirt. I looked up at Ashley. Her shirt was stained red. “Ms. Wang, may I have a word with you please?” her mother requested.
Ashley nodded and left the room. Moments later, they returned, Ashley’s cheeks stained in tears. When Ashley just stood at the back, her head in her hands, I figured she abandoned me and searched for my brother. I saw Toby in blood red too. Toby approached me, “Hey smart-pants,”
I replied cooly, “Hey mass murderer,” he knew he annoyed me when he called me that.
He laughed, not understanding I was trying to annoy him. He leaned in to me. “You see, there’s this girl I like. She’s in Blood Dungeon too. She’s that Asian kid over there.”
“Listen Tobs. I talked to her. She’s a player. If you like her you got to be careful.” I explained.
He nodded, then left me there. “All right, ladies and gentlemen. Enough socializing. Your prefects will come momentarily to lead you to the dormitories. As you can see, there are six doorways in this room. One leads outside, and the other five leads to your common room. Please stand in front of the right doorways.”
I rushed to the doorway labeled “Owl Nest.” Ashley dawdled her way to Blood Dungeon’s doorway and I saw Toby wait for her. He reached for her hand which she took. Then I heard whispers about one of the Athenian prefects. I looked up and saw Asher in his blue lab coat. A gold sash was around him that read “Owl Prefect.”
When he saw me in front of him, his face brightened up and he immediately took me into his arms and kissed me in front of everyone else. The whispers stopped about him. The girl next to him cleared her throat and he released me. It was Maddie. “Hello, my name is Maddie Woods and I am one of your Owl Prefects. My partner is the immature Asher Winters.”
Asher blushed and laughed, “Don’t listen to her. The first thing she did last year was falling out of a balloon because she fell asleep. I’m the responsible one here. So, as Professor Wang has told you, this is the 1st year hangout. Please don’t try to enter the other year’s lounges - the entrance has a spell that will turn you naked. You’ll have to ask for someone to return your clothes to you.”
Maddie laughed. “In my first and second year, I accidentally entered the wrong lounge and no one agreed to give me back my clothes,” she admitted sheepishly.
“Okay so once you enter the dormitory, there are several bells on the table. You need to grab one and put it in the front pocket of your lab coat.”
“Let’s go.”
He lead us to a little brown area. “Because Athena loves owls, she’s made it the transportation to the dormitory. Pick an owl, and remember what he/she looks like. It will be yours for the rest of the year. Us prefects will have to saddle up with somebody.”
I found an owl that was pure white. I patted her on the head and she turned and blinked twice at me. She extended her wings and beckoned me to sit on her. “If I could join you..” Asher leapt behind me and wrapped his hands around my waist.
I saw Maddie join her brother Jamie on one. Maddie announced, “When you’re ready, kick off the floor and the owl will take you to the dormitory.”
I turned around and saw Asher smiling broadly at me. I kicked my feet and pushed us off the ground. We traveled through the clouds and appeared at another brown area. Asher’s voice soared over the owls, “Okay, now get off. Your owls will remain here until you need them.”
Asher let go of my waist and jumped off the owl. He then offered me his hand and he pulled me off. He kissed me on the cheek and whispered, “Until tonight.”
We followed Maddie and Asher to a hay slide. “If an intruder could get pass those owls, which is highly unlikely, this is the final test. Only Athenians know that the slide posses powerful qualities that throws of any intruders unless they are holding the hand of an Athenian.”
She jumped and we saw her slide down. Asher followed, and so did the rest of us. “If you need to get up, just sit at the bottom, like this, and you’ll slide right back up.”
He demonstrated with a cheer and slid back down. “Come on, this way.” We followed the prefects through the hallway which lead to a flight of stairs. “Although each year has a separate lounge, all owls take you to this area. Now, you have to climb the right stairs to get to your dorms.”
We climbed up the set of spiral staircases and arrived at a doorway labeled “1.” I saw Toby lead the way in and there was the common room. There were a couple couches and tables. I saw on one of the tables were a pack of bells. “Come on, grab a bell!”
I rushed and picked the first bell I saw and placed it in my front pocket. Once the table was cleared of bells, Asher directed us to find our names on the door. I found mine on the second door. The gold plate read:
Meghan Buckley
Pearl Issac
Shawn Leenson
Thomas Seamus
There were two bunk beds. I saw Pearl, a blond wavy haired girl, putting herself on the top bed. I decided to take the bottom bed. The boys took the other bunk bed. I assumed Shawn took the bottom one and Thomas took the upper one. Shawn was the red head and Thomas was the black haired kid. I placed my trunk by my desk and opened it. I put the stack of books a stacked it on the desk. I then put the parchment and quills inside my desk, and my clothes in the closet. I placed my stone on my bedside. I returned outside and sat on a sofa. Soon everyone returned to the common room.
Asher announced, “In two hours time, there will be a feast at the Great Hall. I’ll be here along with Prefect Maddie to show you.”
Maddie continued, “For now, introduce yourself to people and meet some friends!”
The hushed whispers turned into loud talking in the house of smarts. Asher rushed over me and lifted me up in the air. He kissed me on the cheek, and told me, “Now, go make new friends.”
