Nathan Xavier

April 01, 2016 7:32 PM
Nathan Xavier stood, as he had two years ago, in the landing area for the flying wagons as they arrived from all corners of the United States. International students were responsible for getting into the country by their most convenient method, but once inside the US, they would also board one of the wagons for the final leg of their journey to the school. Also as he had two years ago, the heavy-set middle aged man offered directions to those disembarking.

"Hello and welcome or welcome back to Sonora Academy," he greeted again as another wagon landed and disgorged an assortment of new and old students. "Leave your luggage in the wagon; the elves will deliver it to its appropriate location. New first years, you can head over that way and collect a welcome packet, get some snacks, and get to know your fellow classmates until we are ready to start the Orientation." He indicated a nearby clearing in the Gardens where a reception area was set up with tables of food, a large banner ("First Year Orientation - Welcome to Sonora Academy!"), and a few piles of green folders on the table beneath the banner.

"Returning students, the Cascade Hall has some snacks for you if you're hungry, otherwise you can head up to your rooms and settle in. Prefects or Heads of House should be in the Hall if you need a password. The library is also open if you would rather spend the time until the feast reading." The students split off to their various destinations, and Nathan turned to address the next wagon load of kids with the same instructions.

Eventually, all the wagons were accounted for and he headed into the clearing where the first years had gathered. In addition to the green hedges enclosing the area, and a large maple tree shading the space, as well as the tables and banner, the reception clearing was also decorated with a handful of natural sculptures. They were not necessarily the top scoring sculptures that came out of last term's team event (some of which had walked away as soon as the judging was complete), but they were the ones Nathan had deemed most likely to endure the elements for a year or more. He'd liked all of the results he'd seen and was hoping these showcase ones would survive until the next school wide set of challenges was issued. Reinhardts had contributed to two of them, so there was a good chance those ones might make it that long at least. But even if they all fell apart at the end of the week (unlikely, since they'd made through the whole summer intact), they would, if nothing else, potentially provide conversation starters for the first years who were currently almost all complete strangers to one another.

He let them mingle for a little while longer, giving the last wagon group time to get their packet and a plate, then cleared his throat to gain their attention. Speaking in front of this group was not nearly as intimidating as speaking in front of the whole student body last spring, so his nerves were not nearly as apparent as they had been then. A keen eye, though, could probably note that he repeatedly wiped sweaty hands against his green robes (which were a lighter shade than their uniforms, but close enough that it was fairly clear he was trying to show school spirit).

"Hello, and welcome again to Sonora Academy of Magic," he began with a voice that was deep and loud enough to carry well over this small area without amplification. "My name is Mr. Xavier, and I am the groundskeeper and Head of Teppenpaw House here. I'll be giving you all a little overview of what to expect, then we'll break to continue meeting each other, then we will finish up with a tour of the grounds and school, which will end at our dining hall, the Cascade Hall, just in time for your Sorting Ceremony and the Welcoming Feast."

He paused a moment, less for dramatic effect and more to organize his thoughts and briefly pray he didn't forget any important parts of his rehearsed speech. "This is a school, so I'll start with academics. You should have a copy of the class schedule in your folders. All first years take the same core classes, and most of those will be shared with the second year class, and are collectively known as beginner level classes. In third year, you move up to intermediates and are allowed to select optional elective courses or begin independent studies at that time. In sixth year, you become advanced students and are allowed to drop the courses you don't want to take anymore." This time, Nathan decided not to mention the massive exams that took place at the end of fifth and seventh year, figuring it was too far off to bother scaring them about those already. He only kept in the part about advanced classes because it implied dropping classes wasn't a done thing until that point.

"Also, we have several student run clubs, some of which have an academic focus, like the science club or the book club. We also currently have an art club, an archery club, and House Quidditch Teams. If none of those cover what you would like to do as an extracurricular activity, you may start your own. In the past, we've also had cooking, fashion, and dance clubs. They just need a leader to volunteer to start them up again."

He wiped his palms on his robes again, then went on, "For living arrangements, everyone is split into one of four Houses, chosen by some personal characteristics and values during our Sorting Ceremony later today. Within each House, you will room with those of your year and gender. Each House has three prefects, one from each of the year groups fifth year and up, a Quidditch Captain, and a faculty member called your Head of House, any of which you can go to with questions or problems."

He had decided not to go into which traits were characteristic of each House this year in the vain hope that maybe that would slow the perpetuation of House stereotypes, though the school literature they had received with their acceptance letters went into those details and had likely already done that damage.

"Houses serve as your family here as you will be seeing quite a bit of one another over the next seven years. Each House earns points for exceptional classwork, behavior and participation in school activities such as Quidditch. Likewise, misbehavior loses points. The House with the most points at the end of the year gets the honor of hosting the House Cup in their commons the next year."

He took a deep breath and finished off with the key facts people probably wanted to know but didn't fit together in any neat categories. "Small fare food like sandwiches and snacks are available upon request in the Cascade Hall at all times between 6am and curfew at 10, but larger meals are marked on your schedule and are only available then. All students are welcome on the House Quidditch teams; no experience necessary. I think most teams have openings."

"If you have any further questions feel free to ask me or one of the other staff members." He took a moment to nod at the other staff volunteers who had chosen to help him chaperone the group during the orientation. "In the mean time, enjoy the food and talk amongst yourselves. The tour will begin in approximately one hour."


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 here is 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:
1 Nathan Xavier First Year Orientation 28 Nathan Xavier 1 5


Killian Everett

April 01, 2016 11:24 PM
Killian hopped down out of the wagon – the MAGIC wagon! – in a daze. He stumbled, almost toppling over on his face when the ground turned out to be farther away than he anticipated. All throughout the flight, he’d tried to wrap his mind around the fact that he, Killian Everett, was a wizard attending a bona fide Magic School. He still couldn’t believe it even though they’d just arrived in a flying wagon of all things.

When they’d first gotten the letter explaining why he was different and inviting him to attend, it set off round two of what he thought of as; The Epic Battle!! Round one began when he was five, and his mom refused to let him attend school even though he was perfectly healthy, thank you very much. Sure, he was a little on the small, weedy side, but in her eyes, she never got over seeing him as a premature baby locked away in a tiny glass box, covered in tubes and wires. For the first five years of his life, he’d stayed under her watchful eye, never allowed to go out and play by himself or do anything that might put a strain on his ‘delicate’ constitution.

For the longest time, his dad went along with it, not wanting to fight her. Then they’d gotten the kindergarten school packet, and Audra tore it in two before throwing the pieces away. She’d informed her husband then and there that he’d be home schooled, and that was that. Killian didn’t remember a whole lot of that time, but he recalled the shouting matches that seemed to happen every night of his fifth year of life.

When he turned six, his dad had enough, and that year Killian finally got to attend ‘big kid school’ with everyone else. The magic letter brought all of the buried anger and resentment roaring back to the surface for his mom, reigniting the flame. But, this time, Randall had an unexpected ally. When he was five, his wishes didn’t matter, but now Killian was 11 and he refused to miss the chance to learn real magic. Together the two males of the household fought Audra to the bitter end until she was once again forced to yield.

An ache flared in his chest when he remembered the tears flowing down her cheeks when she hugged him goodbye. He’d never been away from her for more than a few hours, even spending the night at friends’ houses was forbidden. Now here he was, all alone in a magic school where anything might happen.

All at once, the weight of what he’d done crashed down on him, and Killian had to swallow back a sob. He wasn’t magic, not really! Magic wasn’t even real. Now he was stuck in a strange place full of crazy people, with no friends, far from home, and without his mom.

Killian’s large puppy brown eyes opened wide as he tried to keep the excess moisture from spilling over. He wasn’t going to cry. The wind blew through his dark hair, tousling the curls, and brushing against his suntanned skin like a phantom kiss from his mom, and in that moment, all he wanted to do was get back on the wagon and go home.
0 Killian Everett Is this really real? 354 Killian Everett 0 5


Farrah Welsh

April 03, 2016 2:05 PM
Farrah stood in the middle of the gardens with the rest of the first years. She couldn’t believe that she was here. Here! At Sonora Academy. This was a real place. Magic was real. A couple of years ago, Farrah and her sister, Corra, learned about magic. They had been fighting over skittles and Corra had broken the bag. In a fit, Farrah had stopped the skittles in mid-air to prevent any loss to them. Their father had come into the room then and found out that Farrah was able to do things that she wasn’t aware of doing. It had been a long evening of discussion. Her dad had to explain to her mom that he was a Wizard and that Farrah was showing signs of being a Witch. Her mom didn’t believe him of course, but Farrah was celebrating on the inside. Magic was real! Eventually, her dad had to prove that magic was real, so he had water pour from his wand, the table disappear, and he took mom somewhere with a loud popping sound. After that, her dad told them all about magic. Apparently, only her dad and his twin sister were magical in his family. He chose to live outside of magic while her Aunt Zoey decided to live her life in the magical world.

It was all so very fascinating. Farrah felt like she was living in a Dr. Who episode. Now she was just waiting for the Doctor to pop in and say that he is a Time Lord. She wondered if there were Time Lords in the Magical World? She would have to write to her dad and ask him about it or find the library and search it out. There was so much here and it was exciting. It was absolutely frightening as well. Farrah didn’t know what or how she was going to handle the change, but she was going to be able to spend the next few months at Sonora and away from her small home in Vermont with her annoying little sister. Corra couldn’t get her here. This was all Farrah.

She was munching on a cookie (her mom never let her snack on cookies!) as she wandered around the area, taking in what she could. Everything was going to be different now. Back home with the other non-magical people, Farrah had been picked on because she had odd features (she used to be called Alien because of her big wide set eyes) and her nerd behavior. She just loved fantasy and science fiction. But it was a small town and very few people enjoyed similar things. But here, maybe she could find someone who shared the same interests as her?

She watched as everyone began mingling together and getting to know each other. Farrah was so nervous about meeting new people. She wasn’t very good in social settings, which was another reason why she was poked fun of in school. Farrah patted down her reddish brown hair to make sure she looked alright. She thought her blue dressed looked nice on her, but her dad said that there were different types of Magical people, some would accept her just as she was while others wouldn’t. She needed to find the ones who would want her as a friend. Looking around her, Farrah had no idea on how to do that.

There was a boy though, he looked a little down. Farrah approached him tentatively. She cleared her throat to get his attention. Attempting to give him a bright smile to cover her nerves, “Hello.” She greeted, hoping that was okay. “I’m Farrah Welsh. I, uh, I was wondering if you’d like a cookie or something?” She asked him. Everyone enjoyed a good cookie.
6 Farrah Welsh My dad says it is! 344 Farrah Welsh 0 5


Killian

April 03, 2016 3:30 PM
Panic loomed large in his mind at the enormity of what he’d gotten himself into. It didn’t help that he could practically hear his mom’s voice telling him all the things he shouldn’t do, all the things that could hurt him, and if he wasn’t careful he might get sick, or have to go to the hospital. Did magic people even have hospitals? Did they get sick?

That thought helped throttled back the fright. Of course, they got sick because he got sick sometimes. Not all the time, but he’d had colds, and ear infections, and once he’d gotten pneumonia. Were there illnesses that only magic people could get? Maybe laughing cough instead of whooping cough? He bit his bottom lip, and hoped none of them were fatal. After finding out about magic, he didn’t want to die from gnome fever or something equally silly.

Before he could get too far into his mental hysterics, a voice jolted him back to the here and now. Her soft voice and bright smile helped him push back the tears, and he found his lips quirking up in a slightly wobbly smile. “Hi, yeah sure. A cookie sounds great. I’m Killian Everett. Can you believe all of this? I mean, I’m not really sure…well you know,” he said, waving a hand at their surroundings. “Do you think this is real, or some sort of new reality show?”

Now that he had someone to share the adventure with, his earlier worry evaporated. Instead, his thoughts turned over the idea of their predicament. Reality shows were getting more advanced every day as they tried to one-up each other, so why wouldn’t one gather up a bunch of kids and spend a few weeks trying to convince them all that magic was real?
0 Killian How does he know? 354 Killian 0 5


Farrah

April 04, 2016 6:55 PM
She had been successful in introducing herself to the boy and with sharing cookies with him! Farrah held out the plate of procured cookies that she had gotten at the snack table. “I hope chocolate chips are okay. I prefer snickerdoodles, but these are just as good of a substitute.” Farrah commented as she took another bite of her own cookie. Farrah looked around the garden again when Killian (what a strange but awesome name!) gestured around. She had to admit, all of this was quite overwhelming, and beautiful, and everything that she had hoped for ever since her dad had told her all about magic.

“No,” Farrah agreed with a small giggle as though they were sharing a secret together. She couldn’t believe any of this at all but here she was! She was at Sonora! She was going to learn all about magic and then she could shove all in her little sister’s face! When she was older and allowed, of course. Her hazel green eyes widened when Killian asked about whether or not this would be a reality show. If he knew about Television, it must mean that he was associated with the Muggle (Farrah still thought this word was super weird and she didn’t understand why it was chosen to label the non-Magical ones) World just like her!

“My parents would never agree to do a reality show.” Farrah replied. She was allowed to watch television, but never such things like those particular shows. They told her that they were terrible for her imagination. They preferred her to watch her science fiction or fantasy shows. “Maybe a game show, but not reality television.” Farrah expanded on her thought. “Anyway, this is all very real. My dad is a Wizard and he showed us magic! And then, when I got my letter, he took me to the Magical city to get my supplies and it was amazing.” Farrah admitted, leaning toward him and in a loud whisper. She was still nervous to admit that they were magical. Her father told her that Non-Magical people didn’t understand magic, that it frightened them, so they did crazy things as a result. From her father’s explanations, Non-Magical people could not get into Sonora, so her mom would never be able to visit her here like her dad could and that made her sad, but it also meant that the crazy people couldn’t get in and hurt her either.

Farrah took a breath. She was excited, so she was talking much more than she would normally feel comfortable doing with a stranger. But she had no one else to share this time with and so coming across another person who didn’t know this made her excitement feel equal with him. “What did you think of the wagon ride?” Farrah had been petrified that they would fall, but it had all been so fascinating.
6 Farrah Because he's a Wizard! 344 Farrah 0 5


Killian

April 04, 2016 10:51 PM
“Chocolate chip’s one of my favorites. I’m surprised they aren’t made out of some sort of magic chocolate. Maybe a single bite would make our hair turn green.” Grinning, he gave her hair a teasing look after she’d taken a bite of the cookie. Much to his disappointment, her hair’s hue remained consistent and didn’t suddenly turn into a new and exciting shade.

After giving it some thought, Killian gave a decisive nod of agreement. “Yeah, I agree. Mom would have a kitten if she found out this whole thing was rigged,” he leaned forward a little. “To tell you the truth, she kind of flipped over the whole thing anyway. She didn’t think it was real. But Dad pointed out all the crazy stuff that I’ve done, can you believe I made a dog float to the ceiling once? My sister got a mean little yip dog and it kept biting my ankles. Then it just started to float away. Anyway, we got it all explained and everything, so here I am!” He left out the bitter fights his parents went through. It all worked out in the end, so there was no reason to bring it up.

“Is he really? That’s amazing! It must have been so cool growing up with magic. I’m the only one in my family with magic, so this all sort of fell out of nowhere, you know?” Killian wished the rest of his family was magic too, that would have been the best. Then he could have known all about it from the start. “Wow, do they really have whole towns that are magical? I bet that was so cool.”

He tried to imagine a town full of magic, and his mind instantly locked onto Disney World. They’d gone there two years ago for vacation, and he thought maybe that’s what a real magic town would be like, except without the crowds. “Crazy! How do they make them fly? Do you think it’s like Peter Pan and they use pixie dust?” Killian tapped his lips with his pointer finger as he tried to figure it out. “I can’t believe none of the normal people ever noticed wagons flying about.”
0 Killian Really? Are you sure? 354 Killian 0 5


Farrah

April 06, 2016 7:53 PM
Farrah was relieved to hear that the cookie selection was to his liking. She would have felt terrible if she offered him a cookie and it turned out that he didn’t like them. That would be no way to make friends. His remark made her hesitant to take another bite though as she didn’t want to walk around with colored hair and have people stare at her. She knew that such things could happen in this world. Her dad said so. Thankfully, nothing seemed to have happened so far. Farrah gave a relieved smile. “Wouldn’t that have made quite the impression?” Farrah joked, “But, I’m pretty sure there are weird treats that do that sort of things. I’m not sure what they are though because I haven’t had any.” Farrah explained.

She was really happy to be talking to Killian this afternoon because he was also from the Non-Magical world and understood the strangeness of this all. “Oh, I know what you mean.” Farrah agreed when he mentioned how upset his mother had been. “My mom was so upset at my dad when he finally told her everything. He had to prove to her that magic is a real thing. It took some convincing, but she eventually believed him and forgave him.” Even though Farrah played all of it off as no big deal, it really had taken her mother a long time to forgive her dad for hiding something so important from her and their children.

“You made a dog fly?” Farrah asked, her eyes wide with amazement. “I’ve never done anything quite as drastic as that, but it was enough little weird things for my dad to notice… and the fact that I stopped a bunch of Skittles from falling by freezing them in mid-air.” Farrah added with a giggle. She had always thought she was special. She felt different. Sometimes she imagined that she was a Superhero because of all the weird things that happened around her that worked to her advantage. She never imagined that it was Magic though.

“Oh, I didn’t grow up with Magic.” Farrah corrected. “I only found out about it a couple of years ago by accident.” She confessed. “Daddy had told us that the reason he never said anything was because after he graduated from school, he chose to live life with Mom - who isn’t Magical - and left magic behind. He didn’t think me or my little sister would be Magical because everyone else in our family isn’t magical except my Aunt. She’s my dad’s twin. But I ended up getting it after all.” And hopefully my sister never will Farrah added silently in her head. “So, he had to fess up about it all.” From what her father mentioned about the secrecy thing that Magical people had, she couldn’t really blame him for not mentioning it, but she could understand her mother’s anger about being kept in the dark too.

“There are lots of Magical towns!” Farrah advised, showing her excitement. “It was like a circus or something. There were things flying around, all sorts of weird animals, people dressed up in crazy getups. There were books on spells and the wand shop… oh! How did you like trying out different wands?” Farrah asked suddenly, forgetting his question about the horses momentarily.. She thought that the experience was extremely weird, but when she found her wand, something just felt right about it.
6 Farrah I'm definitely sure 344 Farrah 0 5


Killian

April 07, 2016 9:57 AM
Killian chuckled, “Yeah that would have been a great way for the teachers to get us all talking.” Back in school, he remembered how awkward the first couple of days a new year could be, especially when joining a new school. He’d had personal experience with it after he’d been transferred to a private school in third grade over an accident. One of the other kids bumped into him while they were all climbing on the jungle gym during recess, and he’d fallen, breaking his left arm in two places. She’d freaked, certain it was the result of bullying, and wouldn’t hear a word otherwise. So he’d been pulled out of public school and moved into private.

The first day of private school had been full of the sort of awkwardness he’d expected to feel here. New kid in a new place and all that. At least he wasn’t the only newbie. All the first years were new, so hopefully they would all start out the same, instead of him trying to fit into already established friend groups. It hadn’t worked out all that well, and most of his school life was spent drifting along the edges of those cliques, never quite finding the place he fit. Maybe Sonora would be different.

A grin flared across his face. “Maybe we’ll find some of those strange treats sometime and try them out together.”

He gave a sympathetic nod when she confessed that her mom wasn’t thrilled with the magic world either. “I guess moms are supposed to worry, and magic is kind of a big deal. It’s not like moving to a new town or dad getting a new job, you know?”

“Well, nothing quite as cool as flying. Have you ever seen the clips with the dogs in outer space? You know, drifting around in zero gravity? It was more like that. His little legs were paddling, but not helping out much, and he just sort of floated, like a balloon until he reached the roof and started rolling around up there. It really was kind of funny.” At least, he’d thought so at the time. His sister was not nearly as amused by the situation.

“That’s pretty awesome,” he said, imagining skittles all hung in the air. “Talk about tasting the rainbow!”

Finishing off the cookie, Killian listened as she explained about her dad. “That must have been hard. Now that I know about magic, I’m not sure I could go back into the real world and pretend it doesn’t exist.”

His face brightened, and he couldn’t quite hide his sheepish smile when she brought up wands. “That was amazing and crazy. I mean, I’ve never tried to buy something that when you picked up the wrong one, fire flew out the end. I almost set the poor clerk guy on fire. Did you get a pet? I really wanted one of the owls, but dad said not this year.”
0 Killian Too cool! 354 Killian 0 5


Farrah

April 10, 2016 4:27 PM
“Oh yes, like sort of an ice breaker game, only it’s with physical transformations.” Farrah wasn’t exactly sure how fun that would have been. She didn’t necessarily enjoy how she looked all the time, she would have found it unnerving to suddenly have a different hair color, or eye color, or shaped nose. Her parents always tried to remind her to appreciate herself, especially after heavy bouts of bullying that she endured. Those came and went, depending on the school year. Farrah’s parents did well financially (her father was a vet and her mother a nurse, after all) so most people respected that enough but there was a mean crowd and if she was in their line of sight, there was no saving her. Physical appearance was their way of torture, hence the nickname Alien, but with her parents support, she was learning to accept herself. Being thrust into this world and then suddenly have her appearance change unexpectedly would have been rather jarring.

Farrah was genuinely glad that the first person she spoke with here was Killian. She had no idea if they would end up in the same house or not, but she really hoped that they did. If she could manage to make it out of this place with one really great friend, she considered herself a winner. “I’ll see if my Dad can send us some.” Her dad seemed opened about talking about magic ever since he had to tell the truth about it, so she felt that he would be willing to do her that favor. If not, she could always ask her Aunt Zoey.

She nodded along with his assessment of the situation. He had a point. Magic had been a large part of her father’s youth and important, but for some reason, he hadn’t felt it necessary in his life. Her aunt, however, had. Farrah had always wondered why it was that she couldn't stay with her aunt occasionally in NYC or see where she worked as a Senior Editor for her magazines. Now she understood. It was all in the magical part of NYC and Farrah hadn’t been allowed there. Things would be different now though! “I guess my dad was just hopeful that it would never come up.” Farrah replied.

“I don’t think I’ve seen those clips, but I think I get what you mean.” Farrah stated, picturing it in her head. “We mostly watch cat videos.” Farrah gave a nervous giggle, feeling a little dorky admitting to that. She had spent the entire wagon ride like an outsider, uncertain as to what she would talk about with people only to find that the first person she has met, grew up in the Non-Magical world too. It was really quite a relief.

“I don’t think I ever asked him how he could do it. I mean, it was probably a little weird since my Aunt decided to stay with Magic, but since no one else is Magical, maybe he just sort of forgot?” She knew that wasn’t actually possible. She could never forget all of this. “You know, like, if I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist?”

Farrah laughed into her hand, trying to keep from being too loud in case they got into trouble or someone thought their conversation was stupid. “Actual fire? That’s so crazy! I picked up a wand and things just started flying off the shelves. The shopkeeper ranked it right out of my hand to stop it from destroying anything.” Farrah remembered being so frightened at the time because it felt more like a ghost had just thrown a tantrum rather than the stick in her hand and she didn’t know what to do about it. “No, I didn’t get anything like that.” Farrah admitted, looking a bit put out. With her dad being a Veterinarian, one would think he would be okay with it. “Dad said that school owls work just fine and I’m not allowed any pets until I’m older. Can you believe there’s no internet here? We have to like, hand-write things!” Farrah was miserable about that bit.
6 Farrah Agreed! 344 Farrah 0 5


Killian

April 12, 2016 11:08 AM
Delight flashed through him when Farrah agreed to ask her dad to send them some magic candy. Schools, at least in his experience, didn’t offer a whole lot in the way of sweets for the kids. Probably because they didn’t want a whole pack of magical children hyped up on sugar bouncing around turning people purple. He also doubted they’d be allowed to wander off to a magic store to buy sweets on their own. Since his family was all non-magic, he couldn’t even send a letter home to beg for sweets, so he’d owe Farrah a big one if she managed to score a stash for them.

Killian laughed with her about the cat videos. Even though his sister was so much older, she still loved watching youtube cat clips. “Can’t go wrong with a good cat video!” he offered. There were a lot of funny ones. He’d seen a series of videos where people sneakily set cucumbers next to unsuspecting felines, who, upon seeing the alien vegetables, promptly jumped out of their skins.

“I guess that makes sense,” Killian said with a small frown. It seemed like magic was a pretty big elephant in the room. Kind of hard to ignore in his opinion. Even when he didn’t know about magic, he’d still been intensely aware of the strange things that happened around him sometimes, and he loved coming up with different theories to explain them away. Everything from poltergeists to him being half alien had been entertained at one point or another during his childhood.

Killian was in the middle of giving a sympathetic nod at not being allowed to have magic pets when Farrah dropped a bomb shell. He gaped at her in utter horror. “No internet,” he squeaked. Yes, his dad made him keep his laptop at home, but that was expected. At his old school, the students were issued school laptops for their work. He’d assumed the same was true here. Now his mind tore through all the information and came to a terrible conclusion. This wasn’t a school at all, nor was it a reality show. Nope, it was something so much worse. It was a rehab center for children addicted to gaming. All his WoW CDs were packed away in his luggage, waiting to be installed on a computer that would never come. This was cruel and unusual punishment! Okay, yes, so he’d spent more than a little time this summer locked in his room playing video games. That didn’t mean he was addicted. The cold sweat itching his back at the thought of not being able to play the game for who knew how long called him a liar.

“They can’t do that,” he cried. Heck, he couldn’t even remember the last time he had to hand write something. By the fourth grade he’d mastered keying, and all his school work had been completed on his school laptop. “It’ll take forever to hand write assignments,” he whined, trying to think up an excuse that didn’t involve his absolute need to play video games.
0 Killian I wish my dad was a Wizard 354 Killian 0 5


Farrah

April 14, 2016 8:27 PM
Farrah relaxed a bit when Killian didn’t make fun of her for watching the videos with various cats in it. Some people found that to be lame or ‘something little kids watch’ as some of her classmates used to say to taunt her. It wasn’t like she was still watching Dora the Explorer or anything. Her parents blocked a lot of content on tv and limited their access on the internet, so cat videos was a safe thing for her to watch.

She assumed that Killian would have known that magic and Muggle technology didn’t work together. There were magical items that worked like non-magical items, such as watches and radios, but they weren’t run the same way. Her dad had bought her a watch that would work on magic and a radio (although they called it something else in the magical world, it looked like a radio to her). He thought it would be easier on her to be able to listen to music or ‘shows’ while she was doing her homework and since there weren’t any regular clocks, it was better that she had a working watch too.

“I’m sorry.” Farrah replied, watching Killian have a moment while he tried to take in the fact that there would be no computers or email or games. Farrah had been upset about it too when her dad had told her about it. She thought writing out assignments would be the absolute worst. Writing was okay, but based on the supplies that her father had picked out with her, there were no pencils to allow her to erase mistakes. So, she would have to scribble out or restart her work repeatedly because she wouldn’t hand in anything that was too messy.

“My dad told me because I asked him why I needed all the weird paper and old pens if I was just going to do everything on the computer.” Farrah explained. “He said something along the lines of magic messes with the workings of technology so things like a clock won’t work unless it’s a magical clock.” Farrah shrugged. She didn’t really understand it herself, but her dad said that it was just something she would get used to over time. Her father was rarely on the computer or even watched tv and she figured it was probably because he had learned to entertain himself in other ways.

Boring.

“He told me that there were fun magic games though.” Farrah offered. “Like, the kind that explode and stuff. He said that even magical chess is different, the players move on their own!” Farrah gave him an excited smile. “Maybe we can learn some of those together?”
6 Farrah It has its pros and cons 344 Farrah 0 5


Killian

April 17, 2016 3:33 PM
Killian had to give it to the girl, at least she was trying to make the best of a bad situation. Bad? More like a horrible nightmare for which there was no escape ever. It’s just ten months. No time at all, not really. Then I’ll have all summer to play, he tried to convince himself. It wasn’t working. Not one little bit. Ten months might as well be ten years in the gaming world. He’d get kicked out of his Guilds! He’d lose all his friends!

To put it another way – Killian’s life was over. Everything he’d worked for over the past three years (when he was first introduced – aka addicted – to the game) was officially flushed down the drain. He might as well cancel his subscriptions and trash the characters all together at this point. By the time he finally got back to it, everyone would be miles ahead of him if any of the people he gamed with were still around. Knowing his luck, they’d all be poached over to some other game, one he didn’t know and wouldn’t have a chance to excel at before he was once again locked away in this crazy place where something as basic as electricity didn’t work.

Killian would have been more accepting, and honestly more understanding if they’d told him they didn’t have modern plumbing. He’d be willing to run outside in the middle of the night to use an outhouse and bathe in a wooden bucket. No problem. But no electricity? Cruel, it was cruelty beyond measure, and if he’d known about this beforehand he would have sided with his mom no questions asked.

Still, it was done now and even if he wanted to run away back to the real world, he had no idea where he was. It wasn’t like flying carriages had to follow roads. He knew they were in Arizona, but aside from that? He had no a clue. Not that it mattered anyway. An 11-year-old wouldn’t be able to get far, and even if he did get away, where would he go? His parents would probably send him back. If they didn’t, his mom would still freak out about him running off and he’d lose his gaming privileges anyway. No matter how he twisted this Rubix cube, there was no solving it. He’d have to remain gameless until summer.

Well, perhaps not entirely gameless. “Exploding games?” That might have some potential. And he kind of liked the sound of talking chess pieces. “Hey, do you think they have a magic version of Dungeons and Dragons?” That would be an amazing magic game!
0 Killian What cons? 354 Killian 0 5


Farrah

May 03, 2016 6:34 PM
Farrah didn’t think Killian was handling the news of no technology or electricity very well and she nervously contemplated if she should have said anything at all. Hat if he decided magic wasn’t worth the sacrifice? What if he left Sonora over it? Then Farrah would end up losing the only possible friend she may have made or ever make at this school! It was a selfish thought, she knew, but she couldn’t help it. This place was new and scary and Killian was the first person she had met so far and they were already getting along so well.

It wasn’t that she didn’t agree with him. Farrah loved technology. She loved music and movies. She loved playing games on the computer and watching videos. It’ll be much more difficult not being able to call her mom to talk to her about stuff and get her advice, or even hear her voice. That, she thought, would be the most difficult part about all of this. She wouldn’t be able to talk to her parents or her friends. She couldn’t even send anyone an email! None of her friends understood why she was being sent away and on top of that, she told them that the school did not allow the use of telephones or emails, so the only form of communication would have to be through written letters. Not that she could provide them with an address to send said letters. Of course not… everything had to be sent through her parents. Her friends thought she was lying and were mad at her for part of the summer. There was nothing Farrah could do or say to prove that she was being honest or to make her friends feel better about it.

Farrah stood awkwardly next to Killian while the news fully sunk in. She had all summer to deal with it and knew communication went through owls, but she still had to adjust to everything else, evening the lighting. Her dad told her that the lighting was by candlelight and from firelight. Farrah knew that her eyes were going to have a hard time adjusting to taking notes and doing homework via flame (not to mention, using a quill that her dad had to teach her out to ink properly…), but there was little else she could do. There was going to be an awful lot of adjusting for her to do. There was so much awesomeness that came from magic, but she also felt like she was going to be living in the Middle Ages without electricity and internet. Oh well, at least they had running water and working toilets.

“Oh, um…” Farrah mumbled, thinking over what she could remember her dad telling her about the available games in the Wizarding world (or, the ones he played anyway). “I don’t really remember my dad saying anything about that, but it’s completely possible. Maybe that’s their version of Monopoly?” Farrah suggested. “You know, since all that stuff is probably real for the magical world in a way that Monopoly teaches us about banking and owning property and stocks or whatever, maybe Dungeons and Dragons is their Monopoly?” She didn’t know much about how Dungeon and Dragons was played other than it had like a Goblin and a Wizard of some sort involved in it and she couldn’t really see Magical people playing it the same way Non-Magical people did considering some of those things were real to them, but she could be incorrect in her assessment. “It’s worth checking out, I think.” She added, to show Killian she was interested in learning more.
6 Farrah He can literally read my mind. 344 Farrah 0 5


Killian

May 04, 2016 3:38 PM
Suck it up Butter Cup. His sister’s voice sounded in his mind, cutting through the swath of feeling sorry for himself. She always said that when he whined about their mom not letting him do one thing or another. Now he wouldn’t be able to play his games, but so what? It wasn’t the end of the world no matter how much like the end it felt like.

And there was still magic, it had to be good for more than starting fires and making irritating little yip dogs float. If they didn’t have any amazing games already, then he would make them. With magic, games could become fully interactive. They could make illusions that would stalk people through the garden, and use their wands to shoot the monsters. Not to mention there were plenty of places around the place where a princess could be stashed and then saved. Yes, he WOULD make the best of this and not call him mom – not that he could call her, even if he wanted too. That thought almost sent him back into his dark mood, but he fought it back.

He would not cry or act like a big baby, he wasn’t a mama’s boy no matter what his sister said. He could do this.

He would.

Farrah startled a laugh out of him when she said DnD might be their version of Monopoly. “Yeah, I like that. Instead of being sent to jail, the character gets turned into a frog! Anyway, what kind of classes do you think they’ll have? Maybe Spell Slinging 101?” He grinned, imagining himself standing on a dusty street, wearing a well loved cowboy hat and wiggling his fingers, waiting for the sun to shift just a little more and mark the start of the duel.
0 Killian Yikes! 354 Killian 0 5