Nathan Xavier
May 22, 2015 7:45 PM
First Year Orientation by Nathan Xavier
The school was trying something a little different this year. The flying covered wagons that brought the students to Sonora were arriving at each of the standard magical transportation centers around the country a few hours earlier. The pick-up schedule that was sent out with acceptance letters and supply lists had reflected this change in large letters and red ink so it would not be easily missed.So instead of arriving at Sonora just in time for the Opening Feast, they were instead landing on school grounds in the middle of the afternoon. This timing change was implemented to accommodate a new Orientation Program for the incoming first years.
So as student disembarked from each wagon in the Labyrinth Gardens, Nathan Xavier, the school's groundskeeper, was there to offer guidance on the new process.
"Welcome, welcome back, leave your luggage on the wagon, the elves will relocate your belongings to your rooms for you." In fact, even as he spoke there was the popping sounds of elf magic vanishing away the suitcases, trunks, and sundry other items packed into the wagon's storage cubbies. For the older students, the items would be beside their bunks before they even reached the school building. For the new first years, their things would be placed in a temporary storage room until the children were sorted, then delivered to their appropriate room during the Feast.
"New students, please head over there," he pointed out a large clearing around a circular water fountain where two buffet tables had been set up with many varieties of snack foods and drinks. A banner hung over the tables clearly identifying the purpose of the event, *First Year Orientation - Welcome to Sonora Academy!*
"We will begin a brief orientataion program as soon as all the wagons have arrived. Please mingle amongst yourselves and enjoy the refreshments in the meantime."
Once the new first years had departed, he turned back to the older students remaining. "Returning students, you may either get settled in your rooms for a few hours or socialize in the Cascade Hall until the Feast begins. There will be some pre-Feast snacks available there, too, if you get hungry. Please find your Head of House or a prefect to get your password." At least one from each House should be about the wagon landing zone for that purpose, himself included.
After all the wagons had unloaded and he gave the password to the final lingering older Teppenpaws who requested it, Nathan headed over to where the new first years had gathered.
He cleared his throat, cast a Sonoras charm on himself make himself more easily heard in the open space, and began.
"Your attention please. May I have your attention?" He repeated that as necessary until he felt he had achieved his goal. "Thank you. First of all, on behalf of all the staff," he nodded to the several who had stuck around to help him chaperone, "I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all of here at Sonora Academy."
"My name is Nathan Xavier, the school's Groundskeeper. I'm going to start with a quick overview of what you can expect here, then we'll break for a mixer so you can get to know some of your fellow yearmates and continue enjoying the food our Prairie Elves have prepared for you. Then we'll finish off the orientation program with a tour that will deliver you to the Cascade Hall, our dining hall, where we will then commence the Opening Feast and your Sorting."
He paused a moment to let them digest the itinerary, then launched into his 'brief overview' - which, admittedly, was not especially brief.
"Sonora is a seven year magical boarding school. You'll be learning five core magical subjects here including Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. For your first two years, you will take those five classes at beginner level. Beginner classes combine both the first and second year students, so as first years, you can work with students who were as new to this a year ago as you are now and see how far you can advance in just a year.
"In third year, you'll begin Intermediate Classes in the five core subjects, and be given the option to take whichever electives are being offered at that time. If you would like to study an elective class that is not offered, please speak to your Head of House - I'll get to those in a minute - and they can help you set up an independent study program. Intermediate classes combine the students in their third, fourth, and fifth years.
"At the end of fifth year, you will take what is called a CATS test. That's a Critical Assessment of Talents and Skills. It's a standardized tests most American magical schools administer at that time. Your CATS scores will help determine which courses you are allowed to continue into the Advanced classes as many require a minimum test result to continue in that subject.
"In sixth year, you will begin your advanced studies, and you may drop the subjects you no longer wish to take, though you must keep at least two. Advanced classes combine the two oldest years in the school, the sixth and seventh years. At the end of Seventh year, you will take another standardized test called the RATS - the Ridiculously Anal Testing of Skills - which, as the name implies, will be the most difficult test you will ever take in your entire life. Rest assured though, it has not yet proven fatal, so you should all survive it. Your results will, however, largely determine which college, university, apprenticeship, or entry level job you can get when you leave here, so do take them seriously."
"All right, that's academics. For general residential life, food is available in the Cascade Hall. There are specific times when breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served, but sandwiches, fruit, and snacks are available anytime between five am and curfew at ten pm. You may also request food from one of the elves. We have Prairie Elves working here at Sonora, which are a close cousin to the House Elves some of you may be familiar with. They handle the cooking in the kitchens, the cleaning inside the school, and help me with grounds maintence. They can be excitable but are generally very helpful to have around."
"Sonora has four Houses and each student will belong to one of them. Your House will be like your family here. You may earn points for your house during class and for exceptional behavior as well as some other activities. The House that accumulates the most points during the year will win the House Cup, which is a trophy displayed in the common room of whichever House won it last.
"The Four Houses are Aladren, Teppenpaw, Crotalus, and Pecari. There are a number of factors that go into determining which House you get sorted into, but to put matters into simplest terms, Aladren students are generally the ones who most enjoy learning, Teppenpaw students are generally social people, Crotalus students tend to be responsible, and Pecari students often like to try new things. There will, of course, be exceptions, so don't be too concerned if you get put in a House and don't believe you fit that single quality. And do try to remember there are smart people outside of Aladren and friendly people outside of Teppenpaw. No House has a total monopoly on their characteristics. You'll be living with each other for seven years. Get to know one another; don't just make snap judgements based on your classmate's House Badge."
Nathan took a deep breath, "Almost done, I promise. Extracurrularly, Sonora offers a variety of clubs. Keep an eye out for announcements on your House bulletins. Any student is welcome to create their own club as well if one does not already exist for your interest, you just need to find a staff advisor and a place to meet. Each House also has a Quidditch team, which is a wizarding sport played on flying broomsticks for those of you who don't know. First years are very welcome to join, so don't hesitate to sign up when the sheets go up. We're not a big school, so every House has openings this year." Aladren and Pecari had both graduated players last year, and Teppenpaw and Crotalus needed every body they could put on a broom if they hoped to have separate teams this year.
Nathan rubbed his hands together, "Okay, I think that was everything I wanted to cover. If you have any other questions feel free to ask me or one of the other staff here to help you. Now go mingle with each other, make friends, collect a map and the class schedule from the table over there, and I'll get your attention again when it's time for the tour and the Feast."
OOC (Out of Character):
Welcome first years to Sonora! You can post a reply here to ask staff questions or meet your new classmates. This thread is intended for first year students to have a chance to try out posting and get a hang of the site before we throw you into the big Opening Feast next week, which is open to the entire school population and can be a bit overwhelming. So post, enjoy, have fun! Everyone is here to happy to help out, so if you've got a question, put it on the OOC or try to catch somebody in the Chatzy and we'll try to get you an answer as quick as we can.
Subthreads: The Orientation by Seven Grayscale with Ingrid Wolseithcrafte
Curiouser and curiouser. by Laila Kennedy with Dustin Newell
An unfamiliar social situation by Louis Valois with Arne Reinhardt
Isn't this exciting? by Emilia-Louise Scott with Micah Breckinridge
It only goes downhill from here. by Wu Peizhi with Kira Spaulding
Unsolicited pressure. by Abigail De La Garza
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Nathan Xavier
First Year Orientation
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Nathan Xavier
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Laila Kennedy
May 26, 2015 1:09 AM
Curiouser and curiouser. by Laila Kennedy
As a five year old, popularity comes with whose parent brings in the best snacks and who’s best at sharing. As an eleven year old, moving away from a familiar small, Muggle town after finding out one is a witch, it becomes a little more difficult. Growing up, Laila had not been one immune to being different. However, she had never imagined it would be anything as different as being a witch. Her poor mother, bless her soul, was probably having fits at that very moment, sending her daughter off to the dangerous world of magical boarding school. Laila smiled sadly as she looked out of the (flying!) wagon window. It was a weird feeling, leaving Turner’s Point for Sonora Academy. When the school official had first shown up on her doorstep she had been hesitant at first, reluctant to believe that the fits she’d been experiencing’d had anything to do with magic. Her parents had been even more astounded as she had never told anyone about the “fits” preferring to keep it a low profile in the nosy town that she lived in.However, something about the letter and the explanation was…reassuring. There was finally a reason for the odd things that happened to her when she got emotional, and she was going to go somewhere she could learn how to keep that in check. The entire time she was packing and trying to help her mother come to terms with it, Laila felt relieved. That didn’t stop her from trying to reassure herself though that it was all God’s plan for her, that this was the way things were meant to be and that it didn’t mean anything. She just wouldn’t be attending Our Lady of the Lake in the fall, like all the other Catholic students in town, that was all. Even thinking that felt weird, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She felt as though the whole wagon was staring at her, as though they knew. Of course, that was silly—everyone here was magical, her being a witch wasn’t anything different, it was ordinary, and she was going to have to get used to that.
She raised her eyes and caught the gaze of the younger of the two Reinhardts. Laila made a face in response and looked back out the window though she was sure Arne was still staring at her as though trying to find something wrong with her appearance. She tucked a brown curl behind her ear, reaching her hand up to double check the headband to make sure it was perfectly in place and put her hands back down in her lap to smooth out the fabric of her dress. Her stomach turned as the wagon prepared to land and she closed her eyes, fingers clasping an imaginary rosary as she silently said a Hail Mary just in case something malfunctioned (because she still didn’t quite understand how magic worked) and the wagon crashed.
Nevertheless, the wagon landed perfectly fine and she disembarked and headed towards the water fountain around which the other new students were gathering. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she spotted the buffet tables and remembered that she hadn’t eaten anything since the previous night’s salmon dinner. Her fingers itched to take a plate and something to eat to tide herself over until the dinner that inevitably would have to be served to them, but politesse forced her to restrain herself. She stood a little off to the side, observing the other students, unsure as to who to talk to, half wanting to engage with Arne Reinhardt so that she’d have someone to talk to, half wanting to ignore his existence like she normally did.
After a moment’s contemplation, she made her decision, but before she could direct her feet in the direction she wanted to go, the man who had directed them towards the fountain cleared his throat. She carefully noted the various staff members he pointed out, hoping that she wouldn’t have a hard time remembering their faces and wondering which of them were teachers and which were in charge of feeding them. Then again, she re-thought, as Mr. Xavier went on to explain the classes and layout of the next seven years, that was how Muggles school worked, perhaps all teachers at magical boarding schools were required to know how to cook, she thought, maybe they took shifts. She couldn’t be sure—the whole thing was still new to her.
She nodded along politely as she listened, forehead puckering at the mention of House Elves and Prairie Elves. Elves were real? And she had just gotten over her belief in Santa Claus, a tradition her mother hated but her father insisted on and her brother still believed in. She sighed as Mr. Xavier continued to talk about things that went over her head. In the end, Quiddwitch and House Cup tournaments were all the same to her and she was still trying to keep up with all the various names he kept spitting out, but she did her best anyway not to look too panicked in case it gave Arne Reinhardt something to lord over her later.
When they were dismissed to mingle, Laila walked towards the buffet table, eyes searching for something familiar amongst the treats offered. She selected what appeared to be a small hand pie and picked up a glass of juice that was equally orange to the filling oozing out of the pie. Orange? She raised the cup to her lips tentatively and almost immediately sputtered when the liquid touched her tongue. It wasn’t a bad taste, in fact it was kind of good and spiced, but not at all like the clear, tart taste of orange juice that she had expected. Startled, she shifted to raise the napkin wrapped pie to her mouth. Pumpkin. She eyebrows lifted in understanding—the taste of the juice was similar to that of the pie and she smiled in a little bit of amusement—that the orientation was so Halloween in style was funny. Would every day of the rest of her life be like this, she wondered, like Halloween? The idea was certainly an interesting one to ponder over.
OOC: Not god-modding since Laila & Arne are both mine and come from the same town :)
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Laila Kennedy
Curiouser and curiouser.
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Laila Kennedy
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Dustin Newell
May 26, 2015 11:03 PM
And curiouser still. by Dustin Newell
Pale green eyes darted scrutinizingly around their surroundings, the freckled nose beneath scrunched critically. Dustin thus far had found no apparent fault in Sonora, but he was very keen on confirming this opinion; after all, he, as the Newell family heir, deserved nothing but the best. And while she may not have held quite exactly the same level of importance as he, his cousin Makenzie, a rising third year Crotalus student, would not have examined as thoroughly as he intended to. Her standards were admittedly a bit lower than his own.He decided that he liked this Mr. Xavier well enough and would not have minded ended up in Teppenpaw, although from what Makenzie said, he did not see that to be a likely outcome. He anticipated joining her in Crotalus, and if not there, then Aladren. He tried to consider the possibilities logically and maturely, his two favorite ways to consider things, when contemplating his future Sorting, and in the end, he decided that it was not worth worrying too terribly about because no amount of worrying would change the end result.
So instead he remained calm, or at least calm by his own standards as he continued to monitor himself: Stand up straight. Arms to your sides. Chin up. Eyes forward. Appear attentive. And my God, stop slouching--you aren’t doing your spine any favors. Perhaps it was a bit hard on himself, but Dustin simply considered it a part of his high standards; they applied to himself as well.
Another thought occurred to him suddenly. Pay attention. But by this time, Mr. Xavier was done, and the first years were effectively released to the concessions and conversations they desired. Finding no one around who immediately drew in his eye, Dustin decided to turn to the snack arrangement. As he approached, however, he noticed a girl who appeared to be having some funny experience with her drink and snack. He glanced into her cup and noticed the orange coloration of the liquid. That could only mean one thing. “Excuse me,” he said politely, showing no hint of the excitement he felt. “Is that pumpkin juice?” If so, Sonora was winning some definite points by serving one of his favorite drinks.
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Dustin Newell
And curiouser still.
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Dustin Newell
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Laila Kennedy
May 27, 2015 5:28 AM
I’m guessing you’re no Cheshire Cat? by Laila Kennedy
While she was contemplating the idea of having Halloween every day for the foreseeable future, someone asked her a question regarding her juice. Her hazel eyes looked up and landed on the boy standing next to her. The first thing she noticed was his impeccable posture and she smothered the giggle the rose to her lips. She’d only ever seen boys with that good of posture at her ballet school, and even then they didn’t seem to stiff. Miss Theo had worked tirelessly to insure that her students perfect their posture and positions while still maintaining a natural air. Laila briefly wondered how the class was doing—even though she would have quit anyway had she stayed in Turner’s Point to take up cheerleading, she still would have at least seen the others around town, and the thought only made her feel especially homesick.“I suppose so,” she replied, not really sure if it was pumpkin juice since although she thought it did taste like pumpkin a little she’d never actually had that particular food in juice form and therefore wasn’t exactly an expert on what was and wasn’t pumpkin juice. She looked behind her and realized that she was standing in front of the drinks.“It’s pretty good, would you like some?” While talking she had glanced behind her and realized that she was in the way of the table. She turned so that she could grab the drink if that’s what they other student wanted, but didn’t make the shift too obvious so that in case he declined she wouldn’t look odd. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize I was blocking the drinks.”
After he answered her question, she stepped aside so that others could access the table if they wanted to, and she nodded in a slightly awkward manner. She didn’t really know how she was supposed to continue the conversation. Were magical boys just like regular boys? She didn’t really know since her only experience with magical boys had been the Reinhardts but then again she hadn’t known they were magical for most of her interactions with them and finding out really hadn’t changed their behavior at all except that Arne seemed to think it was okay to bother her more so than he’d done before which had already been an annoyance. She chewed her lip worriedly and looked around the gardens as though they might hold the answer to her stuck conversation skills.
“It’s real pretty here,” she commented. It was probably safe to complement the garden, she figured. After all, there was no way anyone could take what she’d said in a bad way and she really did think that the garden looked pretty. She looked back towards the boy and tilted her head while she observed him. His freckles kind of reminded her of her cousin on her dad’s side, Ryan, and his eyes were the palest shade of green she thought she’d ever seen in a face before. She blushed slightly when she realized she was staring, her cheeks tan from the summer she’d spent outdoors hiding the flush well, and looked away quickly.
“So,” she said, leaning back on her heels while she quickly fisted and then released the white dress she was wearing. It was probably one of her favorite dresses because of the beads that formed detailed circles and hexagons on the bodice. That some of the beads were pink didn’t even change her opinion on the dress even though she really didn’t care for the color because the majority were a pretty metallic-y gold. “Excited to be here?” It was kind of a lame question, she supposed, but there really wasn’t much else she could think of to talk about.
OOC: If Dustin said he wanted some juice you can assume Laila handed him the cup.
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Laila Kennedy
I’m guessing you’re no Cheshire Cat?
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Laila Kennedy
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Dustin
May 31, 2015 7:49 PM
I'm fairly certain I'm just a young wizard. by Dustin
Given that his peer did not sound terribly confident in her confirmation that the beverage served was pumpkin juice, he assumed she was not of a magical background. He was pretty sure it wasn’t commonly consumed in Muggle culture, although he was not certain. That was all right with Dustin, really. He held no ill will toward Muggleborns; it simply meant he probably shouldn’t marry her, but given how far off even a betrothal was for him at this age, he wasn’t concerned. The Newell family was fairly liberal in that regard, it seemed.“I would like some, thank you,” he answered, happily accepting the offered cup. “And don’t worry about it,” he added in regard to her blocking the table. The brunet was actually rather glad to have this conversation, and had the path been more available, he might have simply passed her by. Dustin was not one to particularly seek out friends, and if he did, it would be more for societal gain than actually desiring company, but this girl seemed decent enough to have a conversation with here, especially given how nervous she might have been about coming to a new school.
“It’s real pretty here.” His pale green eyes glanced at their surroundings, and he smiled. This Garden--this school--was actually quite lovely, he had to admit. Dustin looked back at her and prepared to respond, but he noticed that the girl was somewhat staring at him, and he found himself a bit jumbled up. So instead of a verbal response, he simply cleared his throat and hoped she would continue. Which she did, fortunately. ”So. Excited to be here?”
“Yes, actually,” he responded honestly. “I’ve heard some pretty good things about it. My cousin Makenzie is a third year, and she’s very happy here.” He opted to exclude the fact that Makenzie was nearly always happy in her odd bubbly sort of way, instead letting the girl imagine the best scenario. It was the least he could do, he felt, to not weigh her down with his general skepticism of Makenzie’s opinions. “What about you?”
OOC: Assumption taken, thanks.
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Dustin
I'm fairly certain I'm just a young wizard.
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Dustin
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Laila
May 31, 2015 9:54 PM
Darn and I was so excited by Laila
The boy she was talking to was rather nice and Laila smiled. Perhaps the sullenness was just an Arne thing—certainly Tobi seemed to be nicer even if he was extra quiet, and their younger siblings had always appeared to be decent enough kids. Laila smiled to herself—she was saying kids like she no longer was one. But then again, she felt much more grown-up today than she had felt yesterday and she figured that was probably because she was in a new place all alone and wouldn’t be going home for a long while. Was this what it was like to go to college? She asked herself.The boy explained that his cousin already was at Sonora and enjoyed it a lot. She nodded but was somewhat sad as she realized that this only reinforced her previous suspicion that he was familiar with magic—her first clue had been his familiarity with the pumpkin juice. “I think it will be nice,” she said smiling brightly trying not to show her worry. She had never spent the night at anyone’s house before, her mother believing that if she stayed under a secular roof even for a night it could end in disaster. Even getting her mother to be okay with Sonora had been a difficult battle, Leonora had only relented once she was assured that the official would try their hardest to get Laila to church every Sunday.
“You have a cousin here,” she said after a beat. “That must be nice, all I have are the Reinhardts but I don’t really know if I’d count them or not.” It was a difficult, awkward situation. She had certainly not been friends with Arne in school and Tobi had always been so reverent that it was hard to feel as though she could talk to him. Yet they were the only familiar faces amongst the crowd and she wasn’t sure how much she wanted to stay by Arne’s side. Likely she’d try to find him later on that night to clarify a few questions she wasn’t sure she felt comfortable asking anyone else, but other than that she didn’t know if she’d even see him around school that often. The class size seemed to be relatively small but even in their small class size back home she’d barely spoken to him.
She glanced quickly towards where Arne was standing in his typical ultra-casual pose, hands in his pockets, slouched and leaning against an invisible wall. She nodded her head and looked back to the other boy. “Nope, I don’t think I can count them at all. We’re too…”she searched for the appropriate word but all she could come up with was “different.” She smiled. “What house is your cousin in?”
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Laila
Darn and I was so excited
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Laila
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Dustin
June 01, 2015 12:26 AM
Wizardry is more exciting than any cat! by Dustin
Having never interacted with someone of non-Pureblood origins, Dustin wouldn’t have had high expectations for what a conversation would be like. Of course, having nothing to go on, he would have had no expectations. He held no prejudice, but he also had no information. However, even with some information, he would have never expected a Muggleborn (or perhaps halfblood raised Muggle; he didn’t know) to be so smiley and nice. Dustin convinced himself rather thoroughly that was the reason he continued this conversation, not out of manners or because this girl had a pretty smile.Oddly enough, she still knew some people at Sonora, a family of students named the Reinhardts. The name sounded faintly familiar, to his surprise; in the back of his memory, Dustin could recall hearing the name pertaining to someplace Western. Or European. Or both? He knew all the families that immediately pertained to his family in the midwest, but he was still learning the names and roles of those elsewhere. He did his best to learn them, but it was going to take time.
He let the comment about being “different” confirm his suspicions on blood types but said nothing on the matter. “Makenzie’s in Crotalus,” he answered. After saying her name, it occurred to him that he hadn’t actually introduced himself. How foolish of a perfect heir! Even with the confidence her blood was not Pure, he was setting himself up with a bad precedent. “I’m Dustin, by the way,” he added in perhaps the most casual introduction he had ever given. He rectified that a moment later. “Dustin Newell of Michigan.”
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Dustin
Wizardry is more exciting than any cat!
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Dustin
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Laila
June 01, 2015 8:55 PM
I don't know about that... by Laila
So, the green-eyed boy's name was Dustin. It was a nice name, and it reminded her of the family's golden retriever, Dusty, so even if she hadn't been taught to not judge immediately based on her first impression (Arne didn't count, he'd had numerous first impressions, she tried to excuse herself to God) his name would have made all right with her. "Really?" she asked, the happiness showing on her face. "My dog's name is Dusty, well one of them, anyway. He's the sweetest dog I've ever had. I'm Laila Kennedy," she said offering her hand to shake. "From Washington."She had an aunt who lived in Michigan once, she thought, but then again it might have been Wisconsin and either way the aunt had ended up moving back to Turner's Point after a few short months of trying to live outside the town so Laila didn't really think it counted as actually living there--more like an extended vacation. No one ever left Turner's Point--except for herself and the Reinhardts, it seemed. But then again her mother was from Italy and the Reinhardts' father was from Germany, so it wasn't as though they came from the same expectations to grow up and remain in the little town.
"I'm not from a magical family," she admitted as she took another sip of the pumpkin juice. It was growing on her, it really was. And growing on her enough she was starting to think that she might try one of the more adventurous looking snacks. After all, she had already tried some rather gruesome sounded dishes when Nonna was cooking and she didn't think that the school would put something too outrageous at a welcoming feast especially if Muggleborns weren't something completely unheard of--that was, if she listened to what the school official'd had to say. "Is that like a big deal here?"
The school official had done his best to assure Laila that Sonora would be a nice, welcoming place to be and had also offered to try and make accommodations for her religious beliefs, but even though Laila was a generally trusting person she didn't know how much to believe the official. After all, lying wasn't supposed to be something that was okay, but the official had acted like it wasn't a big deal lying to Muggles about magical powers. The worst part of it all was that Laila's parents had decided that her younger brother was too young to fully understand everything and therefore they'd wait until he was old enough to explain to Gabriel where it was Laila had really gone. In the meantime they simply said she was away at a boarding school. Gabriel had been one of her best friends, he had always been prepared to take the dogs down to the beach or through the woods and he'd always been there if she wanted a hug or a laugh.
"The hardest part about coming out here for me is leaving my brother, I think," said Laila. "What about you?"
OOC: I swear I named her dog Dusty before I knew Dustin was a thing lol. I just have a penchant for choosing names similar to names other authors like haha
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Laila
I don't know about that...
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Laila
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