Welcoming back on Cascade Hall

Headmaster Bulla

September 06, 2007 9:35 AM

Let the Opening Feast Begin! by Headmaster Bulla

Manfred Bulla, Headmaster of Sonora Academy, remained seated until the last of the first years had been sorted. While the rest of the school had been able to wander into the Cascade Hall relatively at ease, the first years had been held back until the feast was ready to start. At this time they were presented with goblets containing a clear bubbling potion and told to drink up. As happened every year - regardless of some of the more wild stories that some of the students both past and present liked to spread - not long after taking the potion a most remarkable change took each and every student. Rather than remaining their usual colours, their hue from top to toe (including their hair, skin and, according to one curious little boy several years ago, even their nails, teeth and tongues!) altered to reflect the dominant colour of the house they were to join. A bright blue for Aladren, deep red for Crotalus, muddy brown for Pecari and sunshine yellow for Teppenpaw. The effect didn't last for too long, generally no longer than a few minutes, but it was enough that the houses were obvious and the new students could be welcomed by their new housemates. When it was clear that the colours were fading and that seating was being settled, Manfred rose from his seat in the middle of the staff table, took a moment to be certain that his appearance was still neat and orderly and cleared his throat pointedly.

"A new year is upon us," he said, once the students had quietened down. "A new year, and with it new students and new challenges await you all. To our new students, welcome. I am Headmaster Bulla. I'm sure you will enjoy your time here at Sonora Academy, and hope that you will work hard and do your new houses proud. To our returning students, this is a new year to work hard and strive to reach your potential, to make new friends and seek new goals. Indeed, after midterm I will have a very exciting announcement for you all - one which I am sure you will all be terribly curious about until then!" He smiled at the room. It was indeed a very exciting little secret that he was sitting on, but they would learn that for themselves soon enough. It would be something for them to look forward to, and hopefully would inspire them to work hard and enjoy all sorts of areas of the school life. "But that doesn't mean there aren't any announcements for now. Would Mr. Christobel Dupree of Aladren, Miss Jordanna Howard of Crotalus, Mr. Connor Pierce of Pecari and Miss Alexandria Stafford of Teppenpaw please come to the front of the room."

While they were making their way to the front Manfred moved around the staff table, pulling a small box out of his pocket and opening it when all four had gathered around.

"Congratulations," he informed them in a voice intended for them rather than the room at large. "You have all been selected to serve as Prefects for your houses. Remember this is a position of both privilege and responsibility. You will have the power to give and take points, and will be expected to assist your Head of House if a situation arises. I'm sure you will do us all proud."

He handed them each their prefect badges, bronze metal embossed with the badge of Sonora and the word 'prefect' underneath, then straightened himself back up to address the school once more.

"These four will be joining the ranks of Sonoran Prefects. I'm sure you'd all like to offer them some form of congratulations, but as the feast is about to begin I will ask that it not be in the form of mashed potatoes, or indeed any other projectile food. Without further ado," he waved his hand and the feast appeared on each and every table, enough different dishes and drinks that it was unlikely that any of the students would be able to complain about lack of variety. The Prairie Elves under the direction of Tuppy had clearly outdone themselves. "Enjoy."

Subthreads:

Hey, Christobel by Zack Dill with Chris Dupree, Zack

Red as in Danger Will Robinson! by Laurie Cider with Raoul Delachenne

Somewhat disappointed... by Dalila Bastet with Kaylie Brockert, Lexi Stafford

Say hello to the Warren twins! by Renaye and Josh Warren with some Irene Liddowe with Irene Liddowe and those two above ^^, Rorrie Hudson, Josh and Renaye Warren

Welcoming back by Paul and a little Cissy with Red Aarden, Paul

Dream or reality (wotw) by Holly Greer with Chelsea Brockert, Anabel McIntosh, Anabel

And I'm a Fifth Year! by Bella Santoro with Ben Stafford, Bella, Ben

Second year already! by Hyana Kamiya with Damien Hall, Ebony, Hyana

making an evince with my hair (Wotw, can you guess?) by Caedence Redoak with Echo Elms, Nikki Ramirez

Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Benji with Elyse Talbot

The sins of the father... by Claire Villon with Grayson Wright

Arrival by Rilla White with Lydia Krotchet, Maisley & Murray McCallen, Saul Pierce

And here I thought this day would never come. by Tally Adams with Mia Kerova, Tally, Stephen Baxter

Third year, baby! Yeah! by Elly Eriksson with Meredith Lail, Elly

A Dupree in Tepp? by Lucie Dupree with Kasey Braye & Caden Christianson (w/a bit of Cam), Lucie, Kasey and Caden

I'm a what? by Connor Pierce

It's Great to be Back! (wotw) by Talitha Cumni with Oliver Abbott, Talitha

This could be a problem by Zane Cooper with Cecily Smythe, Zane

Re: Let the Opening Feast Begin! by Eavan Valentine with Camren Christianson, Eavan

the family house by Ronen Cooper with Brett Hodges, Jacob Andrews

Time to have some fun TAG: Josiah by Alexis Ashwood with Josiah Ashwood

Here's to another year? [Tag: an Aladren first year] by Lucas Smythe with Thomas Fitzgerald, Lucas

Late post by Briony O'Leary with Pepper Jones, Briony, Adam Brockert

6th year? That's somewhat unsettling... by Jake Santoro with Jennifer Zucchero, Jennifer

No way by Jordanna Howard

39 Headmaster Bulla Let the Opening Feast Begin! 2 Headmaster Bulla 1 5

Zack Dill

September 06, 2007 11:45 AM

Hey, Christobel by Zack Dill

He supposed he should have realized that every year there was a new prefect chosen per house, but somehow, this fact had never registered with him last year or over the summer. Therefore, when Headmaster Bulla introduced the new Alderaanian prefect as Christobel Dupree, Zack made the unwelcome realization that he was not the only one. At first, he sort of grumped to himself about it, but then logistics began to concern him and he waved over the new prefect as he made his way back to his seat after the announcement.

"Hey, Christobel!" Zack called, hoping the kid actually went by that name. He hadn't really paid much attention to anybody outside his own year except Guenther and Ginger and anyone who actually came to ask him something at his prefect station.

"Congratulations on making prefect. Did you want to help collect the kids for Professor Kijewski after the feast, or should I? I don't mind if you just want to go back to the dorm." He would rather do it himself - at very nearly five feet tall, he could actually look down at most of the first years now - but Dupree was the new prefect so it was only fair to let him have a chance if he wanted it.

1 Zack Dill Hey, Christobel 40 Zack Dill 0 5

Laurie Cider

September 06, 2007 12:03 PM

Red as in Danger Will Robinson! by Laurie Cider

The bubbly knot of anticipation, extreme nervousness, and growing hunger was turning Laurie Cider's stomach into a pitiful mess. She hadn't slept at all the night before; her mom and dad had compromised and decided upon a combination of plane flight and portkey to get her to Arizona. Her first plane flight ever, and all by herself! And then there was her second portkey ever as well, which had left her already anxious stomach even more kerfuffled. In between the excitement of looking forward to today and actually waking up and doing today, Laurie had completely forgotten about her body's traditional need for food. As she was your typical healthy eleven year old, her body was very much used to three well-rounded meals a day plus an occasional snack or three. It was voicing its displeasure, even as she flounced from the outrageous wagons that brought her to the school, through to the entrance hall of one of the most unworldly rooms she had ever seen.

It looked like something from a fantasy movie: waterfalls pouring from the walls, marble everywhere, and scores of kids of all ages scattered about the tables. Most it seemed were wearing some variety of robes, although a few, like her, were dressed more of the jeans and t-shirt fare. She felt herself being herded along with the gaggle of other first years toward the man she knew from an internet article to be the Headmaster. Headmaster Manfred Bulla. The name sounded just as funny in her head as it did when read. Laurie listened, without hearing, as the Headmaster made some kind of cursory greeting, and then, quite suddenly, there was a goblet with a highly suspicious liquid in it being shoved into her hands. Her light brown eyes half closed as she gagged down a quick swallow. The response was instantaneous.

Red.

Her eyes shot open wide. Red as in Crotalus. Red as in the house her dad had horror story after horror story for. Red as in the house that had bullied her dad for being from a Pureblood family that was sympathetic to Muggles. And then when it got out that he had actually gone and married one! Well, even though Laurie never dealt with it first hand, and the stories were always told over dinner with a great deal of laughter, she listened well enough to recognize that it had been a pretty strong reaction from certain sectors. She stared at her red hands, and for the first time since June when she found out that she was going to Sonora, she felt unhappy.

She took a seat, her smile more due to habit than real feeling, and pushed back at her dirty blond hair, wishing she had a band to tie it back. Gradually though, as was its way, that excitement from the night before that morning began to creep back in. It had been years and years since her dad went to school. The internet wasn't even around back then- they didn't even have video games!

Having cheered herself up, Laurie settled into the great joy of relieving at least one of her stomach's symptoms. So focused on her meal was she, that she barely noticed as someone flopped into the chair right next to her. Half to herself, she said aloud, "One thing certainly hasn't changed: the food's just as great as when Dad went here. . ."

0 Laurie Cider Red as in Danger Will Robinson! 0 Laurie Cider 0 5

Dalila Bastet

September 06, 2007 3:09 PM

Somewhat disappointed... by Dalila Bastet

Dalila practically skipped into Cascade Hall. She was a fifth year. She didn't know why this was more important than any other year beforehand; She imagined fifth year as being the upper class. Maybe it was because that was the year they took their CATS,; or that it was past the halfway point through their time at Sonora; or maybe it was because prefects are chosen in their fifth year...

Dalila whipped her head up listening intently to Headmaster Bulla's speech, waiting for to evince the news of the new prefects. How cool would it be to be able to take away points (not that she would), to help out students and teachers, to be thought of highly. It would be amazing.

But that doesn't mean there aren't any announcements for now...

Dalila was knocked out of her thojghts and paying full attention. Names were called. Aladren...Crotalus...Pecari...and Lexi from Teppenpaw.

Dalila sank into her chair. She really thought she was going to be a prefect. Not that Lexi didn't deserve it(because she did), it was just that Dalila to be one. She had even completely ignored the first years changing colors. She stared at her empty plate until certain cheers made her realize that the new prefects were returning to their seats. Dalila put on a fake grin and called out

"Hey, Lexi! Good going!" She waved and cheered for a fulled three seconds before plopping herself down and helping herself to the food that had just appeared. After three large mouthfuls of pasta, she looked up.

"Hi!" she said, ignoring her disappointment over the prefect announcements. There would be time to brood later.

0 Dalila Bastet Somewhat disappointed... 60 Dalila Bastet 0 5

Renaye and Josh Warren with some Irene Liddowe

September 06, 2007 3:43 PM

Say hello to the Warren twins! by Renaye and Josh Warren with some Irene Liddowe

Renaye
Renaye stood by Josh's side, holding onto his arm. She wasn't normally nervous. Ever, really. And she even had Irene she could go see all the time! But for some reason her stomach felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls. Josh looked over at her and, even though he wasn't the most expressive guy, he too looked a bit nervous. So did some of the other people too...

"What do you think we have to do?" She asked him. She was still the smallest bit mad at Irene. She had absolutely refused to tell them what the sorting was! She had let something slip about an obstacle course, but that seemed intentional... Irene couldn't get her with that. Please...

Josh just shrugged. Way to be helpful. Raye pushed her blonde hair away from her face. Thanks to the salon lady in the Charlevoix town, she had just gotten these pretty cool bangs. Not the Hi-I'm-in-second-grade-and-my-mom-still-cuts-my-hair bangs, just little whispy ones. Elaina liked to pull on them. That's okay though. Raye know where her "secret" hiding spot is. She keeps everything in there. Money, diary, whatever she doesn't want messed with...

Josh looked over at Renaye with a Please-let-go-of-my-arm look. She did so and went to picking at her nails. Oh man oh man...

"When are they going to--" she began, but stop abruptly as someone, she didn't know who walked in. They were all handed this goblet of some stuff that looked like boiling water. She wasn't about to drink it if it was that hot. But that's what they were told to do. Apparently it chooses your house. Josh shrugged and downed the potion. Renaye watched, interested in what would happen. Suddenly, he started to change colors!

"Whoa! How wild!" She exclaimed, picking up his arm and holding it in front of him. "You turned red!"

Turning to her own goblet, Renaye picked up the potion and downed it. It didn't really taste like much. If anything it had this medicine-like taste to it, which was gross. She waited and, soon enough, her own skin was changing. Red.

"Hey, just like you!" she said, punching him on the arm. Josh gave her a smile. Cool. He was probably happy to have his twin in his house with him. They all entered the hall which was crazy amazing. There were waterfalls on the walls! How cool is that?? Looking around, Renaye spotted Irene at a table with some of the brown firsties. She gave a wave and Josh did too. Red meant Crotalus. Raye ahead to Josh who was already almost to the table full of some of the red people. They took a seat and listened to the Headmaster talk about the new term... prefects... blah blah... happy to see you all... eat.

Josh

It was cool to be in Crotalus. He kind of wanted to be in Pecari because Irene was there, but he wasn't much like her so he didn't expect to go there anyway. Crotalus was cool though. And Raye would be with him. Which is good. Josh looked around at the food in front of him, realizing how hungry being nervous can make you. The butterflies probably steal all the food. Wow. Good. Food. Josh reached forward and piled food onto his plate. He was really hungry.

"So..." Renaye said. "Crotalus! That's good, right?" Josh nodded in response. He heard Raye give a sigh.

"You never talk. You know that right?" She said. Josh rolled his blue eyes at her.

"I talk," he said. She 'tsked' at him. "To me and Irene!" She said. That was true. Only to them. It wasn't that he was scared to talk or too shy or anything, he just did see the point in responding so exuberantely. Girls, though, they seem to find a way to get a response out of him. Somehow, don't ask him why, they just get him to talk. That was probably why he had mostly girl friends. Renaye seemed to be thinking along the same lines. Twin telepathy or something.

"You don't want to be that one guy friend, do you? I begging you, Josh, just be a little friendly!" She said, ruffling his black hair. He let out a short "Hey!" and smoothed it back into place. His hair wasn't really long, but it wasn't really short either, just sort of at his ears.

Over across the hall, Josh spotted someone waving at him. It was Irene! Ah, his favorite cousin (only, but you know...)! He gave a small wave back. He'd have to talk to her soon...

0 Renaye and Josh Warren with some Irene Liddowe Say hello to the Warren twins! 0 Renaye and Josh Warren with some Irene Liddowe 0 5

Kaylie Brockert

September 06, 2007 4:39 PM

You're telling me... by Kaylie Brockert

Although Kaylie had walked in with her younger brother and sister, she was now alone. Chelsea had took off to the sorting goblets straight away, never being one to hang to her siblings much. Somewhat more surprinsingly, Adam had also decided not to sit with her. Kaylie wondered if someone hadn't been nice to him about spending time with her. Or more likely, he was afraid of what Chelsea might say to him. Perhaps Nina hadn't listened to her and got to Adam and "warned him", as Nina seemed to have decided Chelsea was completely evil sometime last year.

She walked towards the Teppenpaw table and sighed. Kaylie didn't really want to deal with most of the older Tepps right now. She was just sitting down across from Dalila when she heard the announcements for prefect..and was unable to resist groaning. Now Kaylie was going to have to talk to Lexi on a regular basis, which was the last thing she wanted to do! Plus Chris had got it too and although she was happy for him, it was now going to be like he and Lexi would be the perfect happy prefect couple.

Normally Kaylie was okay, unless there was some kind of trigger. This was that kind of trigger. All she wanted to do was run out of the room crying but she knew that would be embarassing. Plus, where would she even go? Anyway, she still had to see where her sister went. Kaylie glanced over to the younger girl. Blue. That meant Aladren, which relieved Kaylie a bit. She didn't think Adam would take it well if Chelsea was sorted into Tepp or Crot. After this summer, Lily probably wouldn't take Chelsea in Crotalus well either.

She looked over when Dalila greeted her. "Hi" Kaylie replied glumly.

11 Kaylie Brockert You're telling me... 43 Kaylie Brockert 0 5

Paul and a little Cissy

September 06, 2007 6:48 PM

Welcoming back by Paul and a little Cissy

Paul was looking away from the almost identical looking girl walking next to him into the Cascade Hall. Cissy was still angry at their mother, angry that "money was more important than her", as she had complained aloud back home. Paul knew what it was, she had to marry their mother's friend's son, Hector or Horace or something. The boy was almost painfully nice and only a few months her senior. Paul felt worse for the boy than he did for Cissy. She'd probably be an abusive wife, Paul had thought more than once over the course of the summer.

"I hate him," Cissy bitterly muttered. She no longer had the perfection attitude towards anyone anymore. She was pure anger, realizing that innocence would not get people to trust her. Nor would it get her way. Cissy was no longer afraid to frown or glare, though her favorite activities (of torturing Paul and his cat, and possibly others) wasn't let out yet. "I hate him almost as much as I hate you," she told Paul in more of a whisper. "Of course I'll always hate you most."

What a delightful little sister, Paul frowned. And people wondered why he didn't like to talk to them. Abuse doesn't do much for your social skills. Especially abuse from your younger sister. Cissy latched onto Paul's arm with one hand and squeezed him tight until he winced. She left no marks in public, only a red handprint before leaving him to sit down somewhere else. Crowded with people laughing and playing around. How odd Paul's sister looked sitting, surrounded by happy people. She wasn't cut out for that, and he didn't believe she wanted to be.

The black haired Aladren turned from his sister to take his own place while Bulla started up the feast. All around him first years were turning colors, and Paul couldn't help but smile slightly when seeing some of them turn colors. It was amusing actually. He almost laughed, but Paul didn't exactly feel like laughing right now. He didn't clap when Prefects were called, Paul didn't feel like following along. The only thing he looked forward to at the moment for this year was Quidditch. Paul felt a love for Beating.

Thankfully, food appeared soon and Paul was able to dig in. He was fairly hungry, and never recieved such a good meal at home with such a poor family. He hoped to find a job next summer to at least put more on their plates (as they wouldn't hire a thirteen year old last summer).

0 Paul and a little Cissy Welcoming back 0 Paul and a little Cissy 0 5

Holly Greer

September 06, 2007 7:06 PM

Dream or reality (wotw) by Holly Greer

The problems had begun with the ride over. When Daddy and his wife, Courtney, and Mom and her husband, Michael, and Holly's younger half-siblings, Molly and Danny (with Dad and Mom, respectively), brought her to the pick-up point, Holly hadn't been sure what to expect. Faeries with pixie dust, magic carpets, or an enchanted bed with a bedknob you turned to make it fly would have been roughly in line with her expectations, but a covered wagon wasn't.

Sure, it turned out to fly which, she supposed, made up for the lack of horses but not entirely. Covered wagons were supposed to have horses. Oxen at the very least. Of course, she would have hated to ride for any length of time in a covered wagon pulled by oxen, so she reluctantly forgave the flying and the lack of horses. Flying also made it get there faster and with fewer bumps, so when the wagon eventually landed in Arizona, a trek that would have taken weeks or even months by horse-drawn wagons from Hollywood, only a small handful of hours later, Holly had accepted that the absence of horses had even been necessary. She still didn't have to be happy about it.

Another problem was that Holly discovered she had a fear of heights. She'd flown in planes a few times, when Mom went to a premiere outside of California and invited Holly along, but that was different. There weren't any seatbelts on the flying wagon and she wouldn't have been surprised if the contraption was old enough to have been an original one from the Oregon Trail. She felt like she was going to die every time they hit an air pocket. Plus, her permed hair was blowing around in the wind and Holly didn't even want to know what it looked like. Also, the seats were realistically dirty for the type of vehicle they were using and Holly's new robes (robes!) were getting mussed.

She was glad when they finally reached the school, but that was when she saw the next problem. Her suitcase was brand new, sparkling pink with glitter and her name (Princess Holly Thistle as she preferred, not Holly Greer like all her official records called her) embroidered across the front of it, going diagonally from one corner to the other. Her father insisted on having her legal name in the travel tag with Daddy's address and phone number, though.

Anyway, her suitcase was beautiful and perfect and the ground was, well, dirt. She wouldn't have been concerned but the fellow who went to unload the luggage from the wagon had to be some kind of alien (a month ago, she would have called it a hallucination, but she reasoned that its ability to manipulate the real world probably meant it wasn't that), and not the Mexican kind. It looked a little like ET but with bigger ears and probably a bit shorter. Holly would have guessed that her suitcase was at least twice its size.

"Careful with that," she instructed anxiously as the creature grabbed hold of her luggage and flinched as it staggered a bit under the bag's weight. Fortunately, a real human blond man came by in time to give an assist and the suitcase was placed on its four wheels with no damage done.

Relaxing a little after that, Holly took out a small handheld mirror and comb to fix her hair. She would have braided it if she'd known she was going to be exposed to that much wind. A good first impression was always important, so she yanked the comb through her snarled tangles until her dark brown hair no longer looked like someone had electrocuted her. Pleased that the perm from her mother's wedding last May remained enough to leave her normally straight hair nicely curled for her first day, she took a deep breath and finally began to move toward the school's entrance.

She was culled away from the older students entering at the same time and instructed to join a group of other kids around her age. She didn't pay them much attention though because her eyes were fixed on the walls. Her private school in North Hollywood had been nothing to be ashamed of, but the paintings here were something else. While the portraits of the school patrons back home seemed to be staring at you no matter where you stood, these portraits actually turned their heads and moved about and otherwise did things portraits were not supposed to do.

For a few rough moments, Holly was sure that her therapist's secretary was wrong about her being a witch and Holly really was going schizophrenic. Paintings did not move. It had to be a visual hallucination. Fortunately, the other kids seemed to see them doing the same things, too, so Holly was able reassure herself that it was probably just magic. Either that, or she was still in Hollywood, in a deep catatonic state, and having a very complex delusional dream. She pinched herself to make sure. "Ouch," she complained as the pain evinced that either this was real or her dream was internally consistent.

Not long after that, they were led into a great hall that not even her old private school could match. Holly managed not to gape, however, because not even this place compared to some of the events she'd gone to with Mom, like the Academy Awards Ceremony. Mom hadn't won Best Actress last year, but getting nominated was almost as good. A goblet was passed into her hands and she drank from it as she was supposed to do.

With dismay, she looked back toward the front of the line and saw them all turning various colors. Looking down at herself, she shrieked as she saw that she'd turned brown. Of course, yellow, red, or blue would have been worse. At least some people actually were brown skinned and her hair and eye color didn't clash with her new coloring. Still, she didn't like changing her race without some kind of warning.

Not falling for the trap to judge her new schoolmates based on skin color (even if it wasn't their natural skin color), she instead looked for the important things. Nail polish, fine clothes, neat hair, and good posture. She'd seen from the other people on her wagon that while Sonora Academy might be a boarding school, it did not have discerning taste when it came to selecting pupils. It would not do to sit with uncouth people. Holly was very delicate.

Even if she wasn't crazy like everybody had thought for so long.

Spotting one girl who appeared to fit her specifications, Holly moved toward her. "Excuse me, may I sit with you?" A study of the other faux-brown skinned people had not revealed anyone of equal social class and she was reluctant to have to deal with the masses. Wasn't that the point of private boarding schools? "I am not convinced the others of my coloring have proper table manners and I would rather avoid watching them chew."\r\n\r\n

1 Holly Greer Dream or reality (wotw) 123 Holly Greer 0 5

Lexi Stafford

September 06, 2007 7:25 PM

I'm sorry? by Lexi Stafford

All Lexi Stafford had been expecting when she arrived back was a fairly chaotic meal which would provide her the chance to talk to everyone she had been out of touch with, most notably Chris and Dalila, of course, and perhaps the chance to laugh at the faces some of the first years made when they changed color. No different from the previous years. The fact that she was now an upperclassman was one that she recognized, but that had yet to sink in. She didn’t feel any different, after all, and it wasn’t like she was going to change, so it didn’t seem all that important.

Once the initial excitement of the sorting had passed, Lexi started to zone out, as was her custom, when Bulla started his little spiel. However, the announcement for prefects jarred her out of her reverie. At first, all she caught was that Chris had been named one, and she began to search the hall eagerly to try and catch his eye. She wasn’t particularly surprised by him, or either of the other two appointees. However, the same could not be said when the ‘Dalila Bastet’ she’d been expecting didn’t follow.

“There’s something in the water here. There’s got to be,” she muttered quietly to herself, waiting a second just to make sure she hadn’t misheard. Once it was obvious she hadn’t, Lexi stood up, color coming back into her cheeks some after her initial moment of blanching. Shock did awful things to her appearance.

She managed to stand next to Chris while the headmaster had handed out their badges and the like. They didn’t really get the chance to talk, but the strength in numbers helped some. When everyone was released to eat, she’d been planning to try and talk to him, but then happened to glance at the table she’d just left in time to catch her roommate’s downward glance. While it didn’t conclusively prove anything, Lexi knew Dalila well enough to figure that all was not well.

So she settled for a quick “Congratulations” and a kiss on the cheek before returning to slide into the spot next to her roommate in time for the start of her and, she glanced across the table, and inwardly sighed, Kaylie Brockert’s conversation. The problem wasn’t Kaylie herself, of course, but how awkward things had been between the two of them. Although, of course, if anything could fix that, being prefects together might do it.

So she loaded up her plate, and grinned at the two of them. “Hey, you guys. How were your summers?” Lexi fidgeted with the pin, checking to make sure it was on straight, then realized how that action must make Dalila feel, if she was upset about not getting prefect, so immediately stopped and began to eat.

0 Lexi Stafford I'm sorry? 0 Lexi Stafford 0 5

Bella Santoro

September 06, 2007 8:48 PM

And I'm a Fifth Year! by Bella Santoro

As soon as the wagon touched the ground, Bella got as far away from her brothers as she could. Not that Jake would have tried to hold her up as he was sure to be off looking for his girlfriend, but the twins always had something up their sleeve that caused Bella problems.

Walking into the Hall, Bella paused just inside the entranceway for a moment, trying to see over the heads of the taller students. She was still only five feet tall and the only time it ever bothered her was when she was trying to see through a crowd. Despite her height not changing, Bella's appearance was slightly different from the year previous. Her hair was longer, much longer with a slightly different cut. Her body was more developed, making her look maturer than a fifteen year old ought to. She still wore her makeup the same though, in bright colors and odd designs that, instead of making her look like a clown, really brought out her personality and suited her looks.

Finally deciding that people were far too tall these days, Bella moved away from the door and into the crowd of students. Squeezing her way through a couple of students, Bella made her way over to the Aladren table and seated herself in a semi empty area. She wanted to be sure there was enough room for Ben without seeming to be too eager about it. Her family had ragged on her enough, she didn't want to seem like the clingy girlfriend. Even so, it had been a long summer cramped in three different homes with her large family. Bella missed Ben's companionship.

She watched the first years being sorted. Usually this brought her amusement, but now she felt sort of sorry for them. Some looked excited, others petrified, some confused. She could only imagine how ridiculous she must have looked when she was a first year. Now a fifth year, Bella wasn't all that sure she had much to show for her years here at Sonora. She had a handful of friends and a boyfriend and was somewhat known as the oddball Aladren...but, she supposed she had thought that she'd be something big. Or whatever.

Mr. Christobel Dupree of Aladren, Miss Jordanna Howard of Crotalus, Mr. Connor Pierce of Pecari and Miss Alexandria Stafford of Teppenpaw

Bella blinked and looked up, realizing that the Headmaster had started his speech. After a moment, she realized that he had selected his Prefects for the year and a smile easily crossed her full lips. Clapping, Bella cheered on her friend, Chris, and her boyfriend's sister, Lexi. She would have to remember later to tease him about all this, but the food arrived and Bella dismissed that for now.

Pulling some chicken onto her plate, Bella reached for the bowl of stuffing, but her hand knocked into someone else's. "Oh, sorry!" She apologized, smiling, "You first."

0 Bella Santoro And I'm a Fifth Year! 0 Bella Santoro 0 5

Hyana Kamiya

September 06, 2007 9:29 PM

Second year already! by Hyana Kamiya

No way. Just…just no way! Hyana grinned as she looked around the Cascade Hall. She was back at Sonora!!! And it was her second year. Who could’ve thought a year would’ve gone by so fast? And who would’ve thought she could survive? The first experience she had at Sonora was knocking over Caedence’s drink on her. What a great start of a sort of friendship!

She had tried really hard over the summer to improve on Quidditch, and to catch up on muggle stuff. Well, tried was the key word. Her mother was determined not to let her daughter forget her muggle heritage. So she was being sent homework…muggle homework…at least once a week for her to complete. Hyana guessed it was okay. She was going to learn Spanish, she was already at 10th grade level reading, history, and writing. It would just be another thing to keep up with. Well, it was better to keep her mother happy. She’d been happy all summer with Bryan, and they’d left her pretty much alone. Bryan had tried to be nice to her though, and it was quite weird. As long as she could keep the adults happy, Hyana didn’t care what she did.

Her black hair was pulled halfway back, held by a see through hair tie. She really needed to get a ribbon or something. The bangs kept falling in her brown almond eyes. It was just another annoyance that she would have to get used to. In a plaid skirt, white polo, and black ballet flats under her robes, she was ready for the start of her second year.

She sat down at the nearest table she could find, smiling at all the first years. Even Josiah’s cousin, Alexis. Hyana had decided that the girl only didn’t like her because she was a muggleborn. But she could become friends with Alexis. She just knew it! Soon the first years drank out of their goblets, and had the most wonderful reactions. Hyana smiled. She couldn’t help it. It had only been a year ago that she drank that potion.

The first years got situated, and Hyana turned her attention to Headmaster Bulla. It was pretty much the same speech she had heard in her first year. She knew she’d keep hearing it year after year after year. Still, she couldn’t stop listening. She loved this school too much.

Hyana’s eyes widened in excitement. Well, for the first time, she couldn’t wait until after midterm. That’s when her mom and Bryan would get married. She didn’t want it. She would never accept that man as her father. But, what was going to happen was going to happen. At least this exciting announcement after midterm would keep her spirits up.

She clapped for the new prefects. She had no idea who any of them were. But, they obviously deserved it, so she clapped. Soon they were done with the whole Prefect thing, and it was time to eat. She stared at the food. What to eat?

She grabbed a roll, mashed potatoes, and decided to leave it at that for now. It was better to take it slowly. Biting out of her roll, she chewed happily. She had still had to cook when she was home, and her cooking was nothing compared to this! The person next to her spoke, and she swallowed her roll.

“Yes?” she asked, smiling. “Wasn’t paying too much attention. Sorry.” she laughed. “Just happy to be back.” Yes, she was. And the best part was the fact that she didn’t have a single mark on her! Her mom had only hit her three times, and that was at the very beginning of the summer.

0 Hyana Kamiya Second year already! 0 Hyana Kamiya 0 5

Caedence Redoak

September 06, 2007 9:32 PM

making an evince with my hair (Wotw, can you guess?) by Caedence Redoak

Caedence was glad to be taking the bumpy ride to Sonora. Her shoulders began to relax. Her face grew less tense. She became less wound. She was going home, as Illinois definitely wasn’t home. Sonora was her home. She used to resent it. Now she loved it.

She was the same girl. The same fierce tan eyes, the same blonde hair, the same suspicious wary look about her. She still looked at all the world as one enemy to be defeated. But something was different. She seemed more calm about things. Less likely to fly off the handle for nothing. If a first year decided to spill her drink this year, she doubted it would make her too mad.

Oh yeah, one more thing had changed. As she stepped out of the wagon, she tightened the crimson-and-black swirled ribbon around her pony tail. Yes, her long, bleach blonde pony tail. It stood out in a defiant evince of how she had changed, yet how she was still the same firey girl. She felt naked without her braid, however. It caused her to feel more jumpy. But she felt like lowering her warning sign for once. She knew Elly would want her to. She had grown so close to Elly.

She felt a bit guilty about leaving her mother at home. When she hugged her mom good bye, she actually meant it for once. For the first time leaving her house, she looked her mom in the eyes. She saw the fact that her mother was really going to miss her.

But that wasn’t enough to keep her home. As she entered the great hall, stomach more than ready for the feast, she took her seat. Caedence barely glanced up at the multi-colored firsties before idily wondering where her food was. She calmly listened to the headmaster’s speech, but it was all old hat for her, so she only half listened. The only thing sparking her interest was the promise of excitement at midterm.

She grinned as the awaited food filled the table. She grabbed several vegetable items, still coming off of her low-meat diet. She was glad to find kabobs in the selection of food. She grinned at the memory of Elly cutting the vegetables in odd shapes for her amusement. She had to admit, however, Elly’s kabobs were way better. She glanced up as someone sat next to her. She jumped out of her seat as the person seated next to her spilled Caedence’s drink to avoid the water spilling onto her seat.

“Hey!” she barked glaring at the other person. She closed her eyes patiently then opened them, “Whatever, no prob, get something like a napkin would ya?” she asked shortly.\n

0 Caedence Redoak making an evince with my hair (Wotw, can you guess?) 94 Caedence Redoak 0 5

Nicoletta Dupree

September 07, 2007 12:50 AM

Well, this is just a cheery situation by Nicoletta Dupree

A heavy sigh escaped the rose glossed lips of Nicoletta Dupree, as she pretended to inspect one manicured hand. On the outside, she was still the picture of pretty, once worn as a symbol, now worn as a mask. She wanted to escape everything she was. It was strange to think about, because at this time last term, she had only thoughts of being a proper pureblood, part of which was to become the new leader of her group of friends. This term, she just wanted to avoid them, avoid everyone, but knew it was unlikely to happen, though she wanted to hold it off as long as possible. Maybe she could just hang around Chris and his friends? Lexi had seemed nice enough.

On the note of Chris, she looked up when she heard her brother's name being called by the Headmaster. What was he doing up there? Oh, they were naming the new prefects. And Lexi was one too. She clapped hard, genuinely happy for both. At least there was something good for the year. The summer had held too much of the other. Hard lessons and new perspectives had been learned. She wanted more than she was being offered, deserved more, deserved a chance. Her gaze fell onto her female cousins, Danae and Lucie. She felt sorry for them. Soon enough they would be in the same position she was. It might even be worse for Lucie. She was so sweet and innocent. It was no surprise that her skin had turned yellow. At least the males would have some say, but the truth was, they were all doomed.

The feast officially begun, the brunette didn't bother to look at anyone else. Instead, she took some salad and viciously stabbed at the lettuce with her fork, as her mood shifted from depressed to angry, as it had been doing since she had come home from France. It wasn't fair. The stupid rules weren't fair. Her parents weren't fair. Lucien wasn't fair. Her fork stood midair. Lucien. The thought of him made her lose her appetite. She pushed her plate away in disgust. Now, she wanted Chris. It was awful the way she had been leaning on him for the last month of summer, but he never judged her, not like everyone else did. Looking around she spotted him, but he was talking to someone and it seemed like something that shouldn't be interrupted. Wonderful. Looking around, she spotted Lexi. Chris was dating her, so maybe she could talk to her.

Moving from her table, she made her way over to where the other girl was sitting in time to hear How were your summers?'. Not a pleasant subject in her opinion, but she opted to try and join the group anyway, "Um, hi, Lexi," she state a little nervously, as she shifted feet. "Is it okay if I sit with you?"

0 Nicoletta Dupree Well, this is just a cheery situation 64 Nicoletta Dupree 0 5

Benji

September 07, 2007 2:09 AM

Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Benji

Sleep. He wanted to sleep. But Benji Rowley, much to his discontent, was stuck among a tight crowd of other nervous and eager first years. During the few weeks before today, his mother had been caught up in a frenzy of preparation: Buying supplies, getting what new clothes they could afford, mending old clothes, helping him pack, checking that everything was ready, double-checking, triple-checking... She was as efficient and no-nonsense as always. The night before though, she had suddenly seemed to panic over the though of him leaving. The entire Rowley family had stayed up until 2 am playing Monopoly and watching cheesy old movies simply to please their mother, who was grasping at whatever time with Benji she could force into the day. He was, after all, the first to go off to school.

Then had come the goodbyes early in the morning. Mom got all weepy- everyone else was half-asleep. When she finally let him go, Benji took a portkey to the nearest Wizard Transportation Centre and the wagon had very bumpily covered the rest of the trip. The whole thing was already sort of foggy in his mind. All he could comprehend right now was that they were in a new room. He was lined up with the other first years, there were a ton of older students watching… And that thought managed to snap him out of his daze.

He realized now that they were in an impressively large hall. He had never seen anything like this. Light and colors bounced off of the chandeliers, waterfalls poured out of the walls! Not bad at all. Benji ran his fingers through his spiked hair as he eyed the many students that were already seated. They were waiting for something, he could tell. Someone held an object- a goblet, he realized- out for him. He accepted it and watched suspiciously as the other first years downed the drink. No more convinced, but doing as they were instructed, he took a gulp. A tingling sensation swept across his skin and he shuddered. Then he caught sight of his hand. And his arm. And the rest of his body.
There was no mistaking it.

Benji was a brilliant shade of blue.

Both his parents had mentioned the sorting system months ago, but it only came back to him after he had freaked out for a good half a minute. So blue was… Aladren? Benji strode over to the table, confused. He had never had a reputation for being smart. Clever, maybe. But he was definitely not the studious type. Slipping into a seat, Benji spent the rest of the time more interested in his new skin than the professor’s announcements. He looked up as it started to fade and caught the tail-end of the speech. Right on time too, because with a wave of the hand came the best part of any celebration. Food, glorious food, appeared everywhere.

“Enjoy,” said the headmaster, and Benji dug in without hesitation.

0 Benji Blue (Da Ba Dee) 269 Benji 0 5

Chris Dupree

September 07, 2007 2:32 AM

Is Christobel necessary? by Chris Dupree

Being back at Sonora was a relief for Chris and this was indeed an understatement after the horrors of summer. Along with Nicoletta, he had gone to France to visit their grandparents, though the real purpose was for them to spend time with their prospective marriage partners. For him, this meant Marie, a nightmare in and of herself. For her, he was just another piece of property. He shuddered to think of a life with her.

He knew though that it was important in order for his family to maintain ties, but really, couldn't they have picked someone else, anyone else in her family instead of the wickedest witch of all? If he refused the marriage, however, it would he would potentially be disowned or Devian would become the new future head, neither of which was really acceptable if Chris planned on changing things from within the system. There had to be a way. There just had to be a solution to it all, but it would really test his Aladren brain to find it.

So involved he was that he nearly missed the fact that the Headmaster had called his name. Why was he being called? As he made his way to the front, he noticed three others as well, one of which was Lexi. He gave a small smile at the site of her, but then a frown. He was eventually going to have to tell her about Marie, just like he had done with Kaylie. He knew he should never have let himself get involved in another relationship, but it was to late now.

At the front, he waited with the others, curious as to what was going on. Then, the Headmaster pulled out the prefect badges. Prefect? He was now a prefect? All other thoughts gone. He gave a dazed grin. He had never thought about the possibility of being a prefect, but it was quite the honor. After a quick kiss from Lexi, he headed back to the table only to be distracted by someone calling his formal name. He hated that name. He really didn't care if it was a family name.

Turning to the voice, he looked down upon the other Aladren prefect, Zack Dill, a rather, for lack of a better word, interesting fellow. He gave a grin of greeting in an attempt to be friendly, "Hey, thanks. Just Chris is fine. Um, actually, why don't we do it together?" He would appreciate the experience of the other boy plus the younger kids would be able to recognize both of them if they needed help with something. Also, not to help would have been shirking his responsibilities, which would be very unlike him and would just not do.

0 Chris Dupree Is Christobel necessary? 0 Chris Dupree 0 5

Claire Villon

September 07, 2007 5:27 AM

The sins of the father... by Claire Villon

Claire Villon walked into the hall, her back very straight, her eyes set dead ahead. She had no wish to be in this gaudy place, with waterfalls, of all things, spilling out of the walls. Que c'est gauche, she thought, lifting one delicate black eyebrow in disapproval. But of course the Americans were entirely different as a people from the French.

She would not have been here at all had not her father decided to be rid of her. Claire was evidence of her mother's indiscretion with their Muggle groundskeeper, and no more, though her father had but recently found out. That fight she still remembered. Auguste Villon, her 'father,' had used a number of extremely inventive curses on her mother.

She was lost in thought when it was her turn to be Sorted. She drank the liquid offered and was only mildly surprised to find her flesh suffused in a brilliantly blue color. What a terribly intriguing method: telling one's house by one's stomach. Maybe the liquid had simply reacted oddly with her breakfast croissant, and she was in fact meant to be in that ridiculously-named house, Teppenhaw, which she couldn't even pronounce. Well, at least Aladren had the reputation of intelligence. She was, if nothing else, intelligent.

Shrugging, Claire picked her way over to the Aladren table and sat down, gazing about watchfully. She wasn't able to see the Headmaster give his speech, as she was somewhat shorter than most of the people at the table, and their heads blocked her view. When, as she began to slice delicately into a stalk of broccoli, someone's elbow bumped into hers, she turned her intense black gaze on her interrompeur.

"Pardon me," she said quietly in her accented English, her slightly raised eyebrows giving the distinct impression that the other party was truly the one who ought to ask pardon.

0 Claire Villon The sins of the father... 0 Claire Villon 0 5

Irene Liddowe and those two above ^^

September 07, 2007 6:39 AM

Hey guys! by Irene Liddowe and those two above ^^

Irene sat at the Pecari table, trying as much as she could to keep a smile on her face. Summer was spectacular, that is, until the last week. The huge Quidditch match was fun, tons of it, but she was so distracted that it was hard to really enjoy it. The bruise on her face had begun to fade so it resembled just transparent purple. Irene usually tried to hide it behind her brown hair. She wished that Raye and Josh and Uncle Mike would stop looking at her like a time bomb. They were her family! They were the last people she wanted to do that! But right now, all she needed to concentrate on was Renaye and Josh's sorting.

She watched, a smile on her face, as the first years drank up. Irene noticed Renaye watching Josh wearily, as if not sure what to do. Once Josh changed colors Renaye became very entertained and exclaimed,

"Whoa! How wild!" and drained her cup. Irene blinked. Red? Josh? Crotalus for Josh? If anything she expected Aladren and had a secret hope that he would be in Pecari in her, even though she knew that was a lost cause. That was okay. Raye was a shoe-in. She was always so bubbly and happy all the-- What? Crotalus?? Her too? Her cousins were in the house that had beaten Pecari in the finals? This is was to weird. It had to be a conspiracy against her! Irene saw Renaye looking around for her and Irene grinned back at them, giving them a wave.

She looked around the table, realizing that she wasn't the skinny little first year anymore. She was a second year! That was so cool! She was extremely excited because she had just made the mark for Quidditch try-outs! She felt terrible for Raye and Josh, though... Those poor guys. Josh was a Quidditch machine. That kid was going pro one day and Raye was his partner in crime. Would it be mean to talk about try-outs to them? Irene looked over at them, talking over their dinners and decided to head over.

"Hey!" She said as she arrived near the Crotalus table. She knew some people probably thought, 'What is a Pecari doing here?' Ah well. She threw an arm around each of their shoulders and gave the a squeeze. Renaye grinned at her.

"Hey, Irene!" She said. Josh smiled too and Irene ruffled his black hair. He gave a small groan and smoothed it out.

"So how you guys feeling?" She said.

"This is pretty cool!" She said. And Irene had to agree. Yes, the sorting was pretty cool...

OOC: Sorry to cut this sort early. I have to go to school =/

0 Irene Liddowe and those two above ^^ Hey guys! 0 Irene Liddowe and those two above ^^ 0 5

Zack

September 07, 2007 9:11 AM

Chris, then by Zack

"Chris, got it," Zack confirmed when the other prefect corrected him. That was easier to remember and less of a mouthful anyway (not that Zack had any problems with his memory). He nodded agreeably to the compromise suggestion of them both helping with the first years as well. This was why he loved his House. Everyone was so clever. "Great idea." He grinned a little and admitted to his secret joy of the task, "I like being taller than most of them."

He waved at an empty chair nearby and asked, "Do you want to talk shop and get everything sorted out right away, or did you have people you wanted to catch up with? We can meet up after the kiddies are put to bed if that's better for you." Zack didn't really care either way. Talking about prefect stuff was better than sitting by himself or trying to make conversation with people he didn't know that well.

His own friends were unaccounted for unless and until Guenther showed up, and Zoey usually skipped these feasts even when she wasn't in a cast. He didn't really have any other friends except Ginger and she usually sat with the Pecaris for the Feast.

0 Zack Chris, then 0 Zack 0 5

Dalila

September 07, 2007 3:19 PM

Don't be sorry... by Dalila

Kaylie muttered a grim greeting back, but Dalila couldn't understand why she would be mad. She thought for a few seconds and then remembered that she had dated that Chris boy that had just been made prefect. And when Lexi sat down near them, Dalila remembered that Lexi was no seeing him. Everything was coming together. It was hard to grow up.

Dalila swallowed another mouthful of pasta and looked up at Lexi. "Umm..." she started, but Lexi's shiny bronze prefect badge caught her eye and she lost her train of thought. She shook her head and continued.

"It was good...great even. How was yours?"

0 Dalila Don't be sorry... 0 Dalila 0 5

Rilla White

September 07, 2007 5:18 PM

Arrival by Rilla White

Rilla had recently just arrived at school. The trip over had certainly been an odd one. This being her first year, and the fact her mother told her nothing about the school, Rilla was completely confused. She stood amid a bunch of first years of varying shapes and sizes. Being short Rilla had to kind of look up to see what was going on.

After a few minutes, she was handed a goblet. She really didn't understand why they were standing around with drinks but she went with the flow. She looked into her glass, and hesitatingly drank it. As she did, she noticed someone in front of her turn a bright blue. Shocked, she nearly dropped her goblet when she noticed herself turning yellow.

Apparently, this was all part of the show. After finishing the odd drink she followed the other yellow students to a table, where she sat and listened to what the Headmaster had to say.

0 Rilla White Arrival 116 Rilla White 0 5

Chris

September 07, 2007 5:21 PM

Most excellent by Chris

Chris smirked slightly at Zack's admission. It had to be somewhat hard being a sixth year and being so short. He wondered if he often got mistaken for a younger year. Though, if he pondered it farther it might have been a blessing in disguise. Maybe you got treated younger too. He was only a fifth year, but he felt like he was growing up to fast, too much was expected of him.

He didn't have long to think about this, as Zack presented him with the option of staying or going at the moment. He looked towards where Lexi would be sitting. She seemed to be distracted and she was sitting with...Kaylie? Going over there wouldn't have been awkward in the least bit. Spending time with her later might be a better option. He didn't want to get between the two girls more than he already had.

Sliding into the seat Zack had offered, he gave a grin, "Never put off tomorrow, what you can do today and all. So, what was it like last year?"

0 Chris Most excellent 0 Chris 0 5

Tally Adams

September 07, 2007 7:16 PM

And here I thought this day would never come. by Tally Adams

Tally wasn't exactly tired when the wagons landed, but her body ached from the rough ride to make her just want to skip the feast and lay down for awhile. It was always a long ride from New York to Arizona, and every year Tally always hoped that it would get better...it never did. As soon as she was out of the wagon, Tally stretched her body out, trying to rid herself of the throb in her butt and back.

It didn't really help.

She adjusted her top and pulled on her school robes. She was still on the edge about whether she felt comfortable being back her or not. The last couple of years Tally had felt like an outcast. Always the outsider looking in at everyone else. Never really fitting. This summer had been the first summer in a long time where she felt normal. Wanted.... Loved. Of course, it helped that they were doing 'family therapy' and everyone was working hard to get their family back on track. Plus, Dr. Quack was easing up on her a bit because she really was doing better about controlling everything.

And then there was Jason.

He promised to write to her over the school year. Tally wouldn't hold it against him if he decided against keeping in contact, but still... she couldn't prevent the smile from forming whenever she thought about him or the small excitement that leapt in the pit of her stomach at the idea of him writing to her. Apparently she hadn't quite gotten rid of her little school girl crush.

Walking into the Hall, Tally didn't even pause as she made her way through the throng of students until she reached the Teppenpaw table. She sat at the first empty seat she could find and waited. Her green eyes scanned the hall, landing on people she knew and pausing only momentarily on those she didn't. She was a sixth year now, which was an odd thought, and that much closer to getting into a University specializing in Healing. It was a weird thought, but Tally was practically terrified at the idea of ending her schooling here at Sonora and moving on to a college where she wouldn't know anyone.

Listening quietly to the speech, Tally clapped when appropriate but otherwise had no real reaction. Though, she was a bit surprised that Lexi had been elected Prefect, with her Quidditch history, Tally thought that might have automatically ruled her out. Amusing rule. Tally was sure Chrissy would feel more at ease now with being a Prefect.

The food arrived and Tally let all her thoughts disappear while she fed her stomach. A long ride in the wagon, a sore butt and back, and Tally's stomach was screaming in hunger.

6 Tally Adams And here I thought this day would never come. 41 Tally Adams 0 5

Elly Eriksson

September 07, 2007 7:42 PM

Third year, baby! Yeah! by Elly Eriksson

The beginning of term marked the end of what had been one of the most fantastic summers of Elly’s life so far. It started off with a visit to the beach with her Dad, led into Caedence coming to visit, moved on to visiting her Grandma, then playing in a fabulous Quidditch game with a group of her friends from Sonora, and finally staying with Echo. All in all, it had been indescribably fun!

Even the wagon ride back to school was far more enjoyable in the company of Echo and Saul. Elly had talked non-stop almost the entire journey; considering she’d spent the past few days with the same people that was quite an impressive feat. She’d lost them in the jostle into the Cascade Hall, though (that and she’d stopped to peer at some of the new firsties).

Only a couple of inches taller than at the start of the previous year, Elly hadn’t grown much, yet was still the tallest girl in her year. Some of the boys seemed as if they were starting to catch up with her height, though, which was nice. Elly’s hair had grown back out, too, from when Mere cut before midterm, and the summer sun had ensured a heavy spread of freckles over her less than usually pale skin. Unable to let go of the summer, Elly was wearing a pair of navy cotton shorts and a yellow tank top under her robes; her hair was tied back from her face in its regular haphazard fashion.

As she made her way across the Hall to an empty seat, Elly was grinning from ear to ear, calling out greetings and waving frantically to anyone and everyone she knew. By the time she sat down she was exhausted already. “Gonna get me an early night tonight,” she said cheerfully.

0 Elly Eriksson Third year, baby! Yeah! 92 Elly Eriksson 0 5

Lucie Dupree

September 07, 2007 8:44 PM

A Dupree in Tepp? by Lucie Dupree

All the way to school, she had talked her brother's ear off. She would have done the same to Danae, but the older girl generally didn't pay her any mind. Lucie Dupree was so excited. It would be her first year at Sonora. Now, she wouldn't have to settle for the stories that Devian and Danae told. She would actually get to be a part of it!

Arriving at the school, the first years were separated from the rest of the years, which meant separation from her siblings. She gave a wave before heading off with the others. She was bubbling with anticipation. Devian had said that the first years drink a potion to find out what House they belonged to. She couldn't wait. When she was given the drink, she eagerly took it, waiting to see what color her skin turned. Would she be an Aladren, like Devian, or a Pecari, like Danae? Yellow. Yellow was Teppenpaw. She was a Teppenpaw! She had her House, such a lovely sentiment, her House.

With the others, she headed into the Hall, which had waterfalls. She wasn't surprised, both because she had grown up around magic and because she had already been told, but it was still pretty. Her blue eyes looked around at all the students, wondering where her siblings and cousins were. She wondered if any of the cousins were in Teppenpaw like her. She never saw much of them since they lived in different areas. She lived in Ontario, Canada while the closest relatives, the twins, lived in New York.

Once seated at the table, she adjusted her new pretty robes, before looking around further. She didn't see any of them. Only slightly disappointed, and an easy brushoff, she took the spoon to plop some mashed potatoes on her plate. Yummy. She took a few bites, now very interested in the students around her rather than her family. She looked curiously at each one. Most seemed older, but spotting someone nearby that looked her age, she opted to start a conversation. It was never to soon to begin meeting people, even though the trip had been slightly tiring.

Giving a small yawn, the usually bubbly blonde wiped her blue eyes of any tiredness before turning to the other student, "Hi, I'm Lucie. I'm a first year."

0 Lucie Dupree A Dupree in Tepp? 114 Lucie Dupree 0 5

Connor Pierce

September 07, 2007 8:46 PM

I'm a what? by Connor Pierce

He had never thought he would say it, but Connor was more than a little glad to be back at school. The summer break had been weird, and not in a good way. Seeing his mom get married had been bad enough before she tearfully insisted on telling her husband why Connor really went to boarding school, and, somewhere between his stepsister finding his yearbook and his older sister letting slip that his other sister had started dating, things had just gotten weirder and worse from there. Transfiguration was a lark in sunny pastures compared to putting up with all the drama.

The Cascade Hall was as magnificent as ever as he found a seat and began waiting, without a great deal of patience, for the Sorting to finish and the feast to appear. He had never gotten sick from riding the wagons, and it had been way too long, or at least felt as if it had been much too long, since lunch. Even so, he couldn't help noticing how small the first years appeared. Had the people in his lot really been that little at eleven? It seemed impossible.

Once the multicolored midgets figured out where to go and had settled into their own seats, Bulla stood up to begin his annual speech. Connor brushed off the welcome-and-be-good-citizens speech as usual - Muggle teachers gave very similar speeches on the first day, and he'd heard far too many to be fascinated by any one - and was about to start speculating on what the Headmaster had up his sleeves for the second half of the year when, at least as much to his surprise as anyone else's, he heard his name being called with three others'.

He knew, of course, that prefects were selected when they entered their fifth year and were informed of this at the same time they were put on brief display before the whole school, but he'd never considered the possibility that he might become one. Even with two only two people to select from, it didn't make sense. He had passed everything, but his grades were nothing special, and he didn't have a lot of rich relatives to keep happy. He had never gotten into much trouble, but neither had Adam. Since it was unlikely Bulla was about to have a quadruple expulsion, though, it was the only explanation that made sense. He went forward with the others, trying not to look too surprised.

It was weird to find himself being addressed even semi-directly by Bulla, but he did his best not to show that either. Taking the bronze badge with a nod and taking a great deal of care not to look at any of his fellow new prefects or into the crowd, he made his way back to his original seat as quickly as he could without losing all claim to dignity - he supposed he'd have to think about that kind of thing, now - and sat back down. It took an effort not to wince at the mention of projectile mashed potatoes; he didn't want Morgaine to get any ideas.

Knowing Morgaine, though, he would be in store for a lot worse than flying food if she decided he needed bringing down a rung or two; he had yet to figure out how she and Gwen could possibly have the same parents. Deciding that anything Gwen's alleged sister did to him later would be for later whatever he did, he served himself some of the mercifully un-projected mashed potatoes.

0 Connor Pierce I'm a what? 68 Connor Pierce 0 5

Meredith Lail

September 07, 2007 9:15 PM

That's the spirit! by Meredith Lail

It was sad for Meredith to say that the only bright side to her summer had been the Quidditch game at Irene’s house and meeting Abigail. Not Abigail Emma. Just Abigail. Actually, Mere just called her Abby. It was something of a tradition at Ms. Corona’s to address the girls by their first and middle names, but Mere hated it. Abby held fast to that rule and despite Mere insisting on just plain Meredith, Abby couldn’t help but call her Meredith Hannah all summer.

Abby made Ms. Corona’s bearable for Meredith, especially after realizing she made the top girls’ bad list. They were the three girls at Ms. Corona’s who were like the heads of the school, just under the instructors. They had picked on Mere stealthily from the very first day when it was obvious she didn’t want to be there as if that had offended them greatly. Mere couldn’t do anything back since the new girls were under almost constant surveillance to ‘ensure a strong start on the road to proper etiquette.’

But the final straw was when a week before leaving, Meredith found a bundle of letters on her bed with a note attached from Bethany Marie, Rachel Yvette, and Sarah Lily saying they had made sure to cut any contact from the outside that would make her learning process any slower than it already was. First of all, that was a lie. Mere was learning just as well as the others even if she didn't want to do it. Second of all, that meant none of her friends had gotten any of her letters! That was going too far. Mere had to make things right, but she didn’t think she could do it on her own.

Mere had somehow convinced Abby to help her get back at the top girls. With only a few close calls, they ended the summer at Ms. Corona’s with a bang, especially for Bethany Marie, Rachel Yvette, and Sarah Lily. Rather than receiving tiara’s as graduates of the school, they received bucketfuls of the nail polish the instructors were teaching the girls to ‘emphasize their beauty’ with. It was a fun story to share with Elly, Echo and everyone when she arrived for the game. That was, of course, after her pretend show greeting that included a curtsy, despite wearing shorts, and shaking hands as she had been taught. She held the façade pretty well if she did say so herself before she just had to start laughing.

But now that Meredith was back at Sonora, she couldn’t be happier. The effects of Ms. Corona’s weren’t too drastic. Just longer hair now tied in pigtails with her beater hair ties and an unconsciously more graceful walk. The rest of her looked almost exactly as it had in June just an inch taller. Tee shirt, jean shorts, and worn sneakers. Mere saw Elly in the massive crowd of students and eased her way through it. She slid into the seat beside her friend as she spoke seemingly to herself. She was past the feeling of ‘I haven’t seen you in so long!’ since they had just met up days earlier, but she still missed her friends a lot.

“Tired already, Elly? What on Earth were you doing over at Echo’s house?” She joked with a mischievous smile.

0 Meredith Lail That's the spirit! 0 Meredith Lail 0 5

Red Aarden

September 07, 2007 10:07 PM

Remember me? Embarrassed by long absence by Red Aarden

OOC: Sorry, RL invaded... I've responded on the Quidditch Pitch as well, if you didn't see it.

Well. Summer was over. Not that Red had even really noticed that it had started. Dad was in physical therapy most of the time--they said he needed a lot because of the severity of the injuries last winter--so most of the time Red was stuck at home in their little apartment, going practically out of mind with boredom. She eventually struck up a quasi-friendship with some boys from their new neighborhood and introduced them to the glories of stickball (it really WAS better than video games, she'd always maintain). They'd been moderately saddened to see her leave for her "old-fashioned boarding school," but probably had forgotten about her by now. The thought was unnaturally depressing, and Red tucked her hair behind her ear.

Apparently the summer had changed her; when her family friend Godewyn Schuyler had visited the Aardens in the beginning of August, his eyes had practically bugged out of his head. At thirteen she'd hit a growth spurt, and even though she was now only slightly shorter than average for a girl of her age, she felt monstrously tall, and insisted that none of her sneakers have any heel on them at all. Her hair was longer, and becoming a darker shade of red; some of her baby chub had been melted away by a long summer of playing hard from noon til dusk (at the very least). And last--and most embarrassingly, by her thinking--she'd begun sprouting [i]breasts[/i]. Merlin, were they annoying! They'd appeared practically overnight, prominent enough that it had become necessary to go on an utterly humiliating bra-shopping trip with a neighborhood woman, who had been mother-henning Red all summer given her father's absence and/or illness.

So now she stood in the Cascade Hall, arms tucked over her breasts as if to squash them against her chest, shifting from foot to foot and looking around at the others, wondering if they felt like they'd changed as much. She didn't feel like Red anymore--was it significant that even Godewyn had begun calling her Scarlet?

An irritated mew drew her attention down to the bag, slung over her shoulders and across her chest to bounce on her hip. She flipped the top open and peered down at the small, unhappy cat inside, pressing a finger to her lips. "Shush, Anke. I'll slip you some turkey if you behave!"

The cat mewled sullenly, but settled on its haunches as best it could in its unsteady carrier.

When she looked up, her eyes fell almost immediately on Paul, the Aladren boy who was, sadly enough, the closest to a friend she'd made last year. Not that he was a bad person or anything--a little reticent, a little troubling, but nice enough. Just bad that he was her closest friend at this school, and she didn't even know his last name...

There was a girl who resembled him clinging to his arm, and she thought she saw him wince as the girl clutched at his arm briefly, then sauntered away. Paul watched her go and then sat down himself. Red headed towards him, but was cut off by the beginning of speeches--Dad had always taught her that it was impolite to move around when someone was speaking to an audience, so she lingered in the doorway until the speeches were over and the prefects announced, then plopped down into a chair beside Paul as he filled his plate. From the bag, Anke growled angrily at the rough treatment, and Red snaked a hand into the bag briefly to pat the cat's furry head.

"Hey, Paul," she said with a smile that didn't, she hoped, come across as too tentative. She'd thought about him over the summer, but would he even remember her? Especially when she wasn't either buried in her studies or wearing a man's nightgown and a skully on the Quidditch Pitch? "How was your summer?"

She helped herself to a generous portion of rice and beans as she waited for an answer, sneaking a piece of turkey from a nearby platter for Anke.

0 Red Aarden Remember me? *Embarrassed by long absence* 0 Red Aarden 0 5

Grayson Wright

September 07, 2007 10:37 PM

...shouldn't affect the son? by Grayson Wright

For the first time in two days, Grayson Wright was entirely silent. He had been asking his cousin questions faster than she could answer them only a few minutes earlier, but there had been something wrong with his voice ever since he, like all the other first years, was held back while Anna went on to the Cascade Hall. Rough-tempered and easily irritated as she was, Anna was family. While she had been with him, he'd had someone familiar to stick to so he could forget that he was, for the first time in his life, away from home and his parents. Now that she was gone, the full impact of being at school had hit him, and he was, quite frankly, terrified.

Though he gaped along with almost everyone else, even the wonders of the Cascade Hall failed to really distract him from his bleak study. The tables, filled with faculty and older students, intimidated him a little. He couldn't see Anna anywhere in the green-clad crowd, but couldn't focus on finding her. She had said the Sorting only hurt for an hour or two, but he thought she'd been joking...it was hard to tell, sometimes, with her, especially lately. She had been in a foul, tragic mood ever since that night he heard her crying, and she hadn't exactly been thrilled with life before that.

He shook his head slightly as he took a chalice, full of a clear, bubbly potion he didn't recognize, and concentrated as much of his attention as he could on not dropping it. A thing he was sure of was that, no matter what being Sorted involved, Anna would never speak to him again if he made a fool of himself, and she'd probably beat him up, too. Gray had never tested the theory, but he strongly suspected his cousin would hit hard and that she knew just how dependent he was on his glasses.

After glancing nervously along the row of first years, Gray stared into the chalice. He knew what he had to do; the bit that might prove problematic was doing it. These scenarios, though they worked very well in stories and history, didn't appeal to him much in real life. Trying hard to steer clear of thoughts involving several hours of pain and, if none of the Houses would have him, possible death, Gray took a deep breath, held it, and drank down the potion as quickly as he could.

After several seconds of anxious anticipation went by with no trace of agony, he forced himself to open his eyes. The effect was instantaneous: he let out a small yelp of shock and was halfway through taking off his glasses for a quick cleaning before he realized that the people around him had also assumed unnatural coloration. Flabbergasted, Gray was only able to stare at his suddenly blue hands for a moment before he began putting together what it meant. The notice he and Anna had made about Quidditch had been, like a fair bit of his cousin's wardrobe, blue and black. Anna was, as she liked to tell people, an Aladren. Therefore...

"Good job, kid!" she shouted along the table as he threw himself, grinning, into a chair. Grayson waved back, too pleased with his Sorting and relieved about being Sorted to get angry with her for messing with him. Maybe he'd get mad at her later. He was still grinning against his will when a man, who was soon identified as Sonora's headmaster, stood up to give a speech. Gray didn't catch all of it - his ears were ringing oddly, as they usually did once the danger was past - but he got the point, and happily started to dig into the feast once it appeared.

This was just like a story, he thought. Get rid of all the sturdy tables, and this could be one of the rooms the rich purebloods in the East held parties in. Though a pureblood himself, Gray had only read about and sometimes heard from Anna about such gatherings; the Wrights weren't the people to go to parties. He thought he liked this better than the idea he had of parties; there weren't as many weird rules, and he didn't have to worry about using the wrong fork and causing a scandal. He had just started to compose a letter to his mother in his head to tell her all about it when he accidentally knocked into a girl's elbow.

His borderline-ecstatic balloon got a puncture. Of course he'd demonstrate his talent for finding something to bump into no matter what he was doing at a feast with an utter stranger who immediately struck him as someone from a bit higher up the socioeconomic ladder than himself. How very wonderful. "S-Sorry," he said quickly, noticing that he'd begun to stutter again and becoming more adgitated by the discovery. "Accident." At least he hadn't spilled a drink on anyone. That had happened at home on several occasions he didn't like to think about.

Figuring he might as well get used to talking to strangers now, since he was going to be doing a lot of it for a long while, he focused on getting the words out at a reasonable pace and with the correct number of syllables. "I'm Gray," he said, trying to ignore her eyes. They were close to the same color as his, but that was where the resemblance came to an end. They did remind him a bit of Anna's, though, if she was in an off mood. "Grayson Wright, actually, but Mom and Aunt Annie are the only ones who call me that." He was not to babble. Babbling was bad, nearly as bad as mumbling or stuttering. "Er - what's your name?"

16 Grayson Wright ...shouldn't affect the son? 113 Grayson Wright 0 5

Elyse Talbot

September 07, 2007 11:17 PM

Re: Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Elyse Talbot

The first thing that Elyse did upon entering Sonora was thank the gods that she was out of the sweltering Arizona sun. Rummaging through her duffel bag, she retrieved a handkerchief from her collection of essentials and carefully patted the drops of sweat off her forehead. There was no doubt that her face was burned beyond comprehension; she could FEEL the epithelial tissue turning an unattractive shade of pink. Ugh, the disadvantages of being fair-skinned. Elyse's complexion was particularly sensitive to sunlight; so pale that if she flattened herself against a white wall, she would practically blend in. At least, she would blend in if her haircolor DIDN'T resemble the exterior of a firetruck.

All Elyse had thought about on the wagon-ride to Sonora was going to her dorm and taking a long, cool shower. Now, standing in Cascade Hall, she felt as if she had stumbled upon a larger-scale model of a shower stall. It was heaven. It was like asking for something and then getting ten times better than what you'd expected. Elyse considered this to be a sign that her first year in Sonora would be a fruitful experience.

Almost immediately upon arrival, she was presented with an ornate goblet and told to drink its contents. She peered suspiciously at the liquid; almost certain that this was sort of dodgy potion. Hesitant to subject herself to any unknown magic but unwilling to seem rude, Elyse raised the cup to her mouth, paused, looked to see if everyone else was unnerved by the potion, and then sipped it slowly.

Hmmm. No taste. It was like sipping water. Feeling thirsty again, she figured that it was safe to drink the rest of the potion and gulped it down. A second later, Elyse experienced a curious prickling throughout her body, as if there was something flowing through her blood vessels. Shaking her head in confusion, she raised her right hand to rub her forehead...

...and immediately squawked in surprise.

"AHH! MY SKIN'S BLUE," she thought panickedly. Looking up to see if anyone was staring at her, she almost made another embarassing noise when she realized the person next to her was bright yellow. Scanning the crowd of students, she realized that several of the other students were turning various shades of primary colors, sitting in rows and rows of tables like a long line of UNO cards. Several of them were shaded blue like her and they were all shuffling over to a particular table in the back. 'That must be the house table,' Elyse concluded.

Adjusting the strap of her duffel bag, she manuevered her way to the congregation of fellow blue-skinners. Still a bit puzzled as to whether or not she was in the right spot, she tapped a random boy on the shoulder.

"Sorry to bother you, but, uh...is this where all the blue people go?"

0 Elyse Talbot Re: Blue (Da Ba Dee) 0 Elyse Talbot 0 5

Zack

September 07, 2007 11:36 PM

Verily by Zack

Chris opted to join Zack, though he did glance toward some girls sitting at another table first. Zack didn't try to guess the reason for his decision (people were far less easy to understand than the subjects taught at any school) and got right to answering his question.

"It's pretty easy, actually. Just don't get in trouble and if Professor Kijewski needs help with something, we're probably going to be her first picks. Like, last year, we had a new kid who had English as his third language, so she asked me to keep an eye on him and make sure he wasn't having any difficulties understanding anything. If something like that comes up again, she'll just call us over and talk to us about it.

"Otherwise, it's just basically making yourself available to help out anyone in our House who needs it. I've set up a Prefect Station in the library where people can find me almost every day during certain hours. I put up a notice to that effect in the common room. Last year my hours were between end of classes and start of dinner, and Saturday mornings when there wasn't a Quidditch game."

Zack shrugged, "Whether you want to do it that way or not is probably up to you. I was never outright told to actually have scheduled hours or anything, I just thought it was cool to do it like that. I don't think any of the other Prefects have Prefect Stations. Mostly, I just get people asking where to find specific books anyway since I'm doing it in the library."

Realizing his plate was still empty, Zack collected some turkey and mashed potatoes before asking, "Was there anything you have questions about?"

0 Zack Verily 0 Zack 0 5

Talitha Cumni

September 08, 2007 12:10 AM

It's Great to be Back! (wotw) by Talitha Cumni

Talitha hurried into Cascade Hall. She couldn’t wait to see her friends again and hear about their summer. Her summer had been exciting and busy and fun. It had also been a strange and confusing summer.

Her Walk had gone well. The worst thing about it was the loneliness. She had never, ever been completely by herself for as long as a week before. The best part was finding an owlet that fell from its nest on her way home. Mother had healed its broken wing and the muggle vet taught her how to take care of it. She never realized how much work babies were! The little puff ball hadn’t even grown out all of its flight feathers. The vet (who lived in the community and understood the magical link between owls and wizards) explained that she would have to teach it to fly and hunt before it would be any good as a messenger owl. She still hadn’t named it for fear of getting too attached, but it decided that it was definitely attached to her and it was thriving either thanks to or in spite of her ministrations.

Her time in the sweat lodge rewarded her with an incredible dream journey with visions that were scary and wonderful at the same time. Her new name was also scary and wonderful, mostly because she feared she would never live up to its meaning. After a long talk with her parents and Nana, she decided to keep it as a precious secret and remain Talitha for now.

Her potlatch lasted three days. Her family gave away tons of stuff they’d made or bought all year in preparation for her big day. Nobody could complain that her father was stingy and didn’t deserve his status in the community. Everybody, rich and poor, close friends and strangers were loaded down with gifts. She received a pile of birthday presents herself. They included three brooms (which she promptly gave away to the neighbor kids who liked to fly), and several duplicate gifts she planned to pass out to friends at school.

The strangest thing about her twelfth summer was the way it made her feel. She thought she would be so changed…transformed some how. But honestly, she felt no different the morning of her birthday than she did the night before. She was still just…well…Talitha.

There were a few changes that happened gradually over the summer. For one thing, she was a bit taller, still small for her age, but at least there was some progress. Something else was happening to her that deep down, Talitha found she liked. She was thinning out in the middle and curving elsewhere. Not that much yet, but it made her feel prettier, more grownup.

Today, instead of the usual braids, she wore her warm brown hair in soft curls that cascaded past her waist. Time spent outdoors gave it natural, almost blonde highlights and deepened her complexion. Her eyelashes were naturally long and dark, so she needed no mascara, but put on a touch anyway just because she was allowed to now. A touch of lip gloss that added shine but no color was carefully applied before she entered the hall. Talitha wasn’t one to be vain about her looks, but she had to admit it was fun to be able to use a touch of makeup for special occasions like the Opening Feast.

Finding an open spot at the Crotalus table, Talitha sat and began to fill her plate as soon as the sorting and the Headmaster’s speech was through. Her excitement about the midterm surprise was evinced by her smile that made her dark eyes sparkle and her dimples deepen, she turned to her neighbor and asked, “So what do you think the big announcement will be?”\n

0 Talitha Cumni It's Great to be Back! (wotw) 102 Talitha Cumni 0 5

Zane Cooper

September 08, 2007 12:16 AM

This could be a problem by Zane Cooper

Zane looked around the Hall, brown eyes wild, seeing a slightly different scene than the rest of the students did. It was in fact his eyesight that was the cause of his concern.

Where others saw red, he saw a deep goldish brown. Where they saw green- he saw a faded, cream color. Blues appeared faded, purple appeared as a grayish blue.

Though Zane would never admit it to anyone outside his family, he was colorblind. Well, red-green colorblind, to be accurate. The technical term was deuteranopia, and according to the family healer, it was caused by missing m-cones in his eyes. Whatever those were.

And, while it could cause a bit confusion on a normal day - today it was quite a serious problem. How was he supposed to know what house he was in, if he couldn't see colors like everyone else could?

His older brother - Law - had told him all about the sorting process, of course. A second year Teppenpaw, he was just the type of friendly and considerate person to do that. Law could be a pretty cool older brother, though somewhat over-bearing at times.

And now Law was nowhere to be found. Zane stood on tiptoe, but he was short, even for a first year, and could not see above the crowd. He figured he must look kind of pathetic - his mousy brown curls blown frizzy from flying earlier this morning. Tightening his grip around the little bubbling goblet anxiously, he wondered what he should do. What if he was the only student in all of Sonoran history to never know which house he was in? He could never play for his house Quidditch team, because he wouldn't have a house to be affiliated with.

He looked for his cousin Ronen in the masses. Ronen had taken the wagon from New Jersey, not Oregon, like Zane and Law had. So Zane hadn't seen his cousin yet. Ronen was smart - what would he do if he were somehow in a situation like this? Find a clever way to turn it in a joke, probably.

And then he had an idea. It was so bad, it just might work.

He tapped the shoulder of the closest person to him with his free hand, and brought the goblet to his mouth with his other at the same time. Wincing as the strange drink went down his throat, he closed his eyes tight and hoped for the best.

"Hey," he said, covering his eyes with his hand, trying his best to sound joking and cool, and barely accomplishing it, "So what color am I? Brown? Yellow?"

0 Zane Cooper This could be a problem 0 Zane Cooper 0 5

Damien Hall

September 08, 2007 1:24 AM

I turned the color you did last year! by Damien Hall

Damien was far from home, and his family. He was very nervous when he arrived at Sonora. Damien ran his hand through his shoulder length blonde hair and looked down at his chest to a pendent that was a sterling silver eagle. Squeezing it tightly and looking at the ceiling of the Cascade Hall, Damien let a single tear fall from his face. ‘I miss you mom,’ Damien thought as held the pendent. His mother was killed in a car accident when he was six. Damien wished she could have been there when he left for school.

Damien let go of the pendent and stepped forward to get his potion. Damien’s dad told him all about the sorting and how it was done so he wasn’t scared. He took the potion and drank it all in about two gulps. He waited for his color to change. Then it happened, from top to toe Damien changed it to a vibrant blue. “So I’m in Aladren like my dad.” Damien said to himself.

Walking around the hall to looking for an open seat, Damien saw one next to a girl. He figured she had to be at least a second year since she wasn’t shaded in a color at the moment.

Damien sat down in the open seat just as Headmaster Bulla started his speech. He listened to the speech with minimal attention. Damien was just so hungry he couldn’t wait for the feast to start.

When he was done and the food appeared, Damien just ogled at the different food that there was available. He had never seen so much food before. Damien’s father was a good provider, but never had the money to make some of the dishes he saw when the food appeared.

Scooping and grabbing food like a poor starving child, Damien took a little bit of everything he saw in front of him. “Wow there is a lot of food.” Damien sad to the girl next to him.

“Yes?” the girl said next to him. Before Damien got a chance to answer, the girl started rambling some nonsense about being happy to be back. Despite the fact she wasn’t paying attention, Damien decided to introduce himself. “Hi, I’m Damien Hall, first year.” He said trying to be as polite as he can. He just didn’t want to make an enemy on his first day.\n

0 Damien Hall I turned the color you did last year! 0 Damien Hall 0 5

Echo Elms

September 08, 2007 1:37 AM

A fine start to the.. oops! by Echo Elms

The last two weeks of the summer had been awesome and Echo was sorry to see it go--though he was also sort of relieved it was finally all over. Now, nothing else could possibly go wrong, or, at least, nothing that could prevent him from coming back with Brett, Saul, and Elly on the wagon this year after spending time together in his homedown of Sundance, WY.

As soon as they arrived in Cascade Hall, his recent summer group had scattered and he was left standing near the hall entrance looking into the buzzing crowd with flashes dancing through his head of hands reaching toward him in front of a big plywood wall, and Janice, the girl from his summer program, leaning into his space--and he thought for a second he was going to choke on the pleasant Sonora air.

It's worse, he thought, horrified. The last few weeks it had seemed the same, even calmer because now his friends all knew--or, at least, Elly did. But now, confronted by a large bustling crowd for the first time since the end of Spring... it was definitely far worse.

When it gets real bad, he remembered one of the other kids saying, You know, like, you can't breathe bad? I try to make it a game.

Like that kid in Les Mis? Janice had asked, You know, he sings that song: And little people know when little people fight. You know the song?"

Echo didn't know the song, but they were all stuck there for two weeks with not a lot to do except stupid activities, so she spent the next hour and a half telling him all about the kid and how he collected bullets on an active battlefield. So now he knew he probably wouldn't ever read Les Miserables because it sounded depressing like whoa and Janice started crying in the middle of her story so, like, yeah. Not on the top of his list.

So a game?

Here's a great game: let's play walk away and get a hold of yourself, he thought sarcastically. So he did. He went outside and sat on the steps for a couple minutes and tried to think of some rules and convince himself that the game idea was worth a try. Rule number 1: You can't stop moving forward until you find a seat. Rule number 2: You can't bump into or touch anyone on the way in. Rule number 3: You have to sit near someone you know, you can't just take the seat closest to the door. Rule number 4: You are hungry. You have to stay long enough to eat something.

Okay. There. It was a plan. Things were always better when there was a plan. This time, Echo didn't stop at the doors (his big mistake last time), but plunged into the crowd right away. It actually wasn't as packed as his panicking brain imagined, and he had only one or two close calls he spied an empty seat next to Caedence.

Caedence was never such a welcome sight. She supplied fulfillment to his rule number 3.

He sat down, and his now jittery hands and limbs, in an attempt to pour himself a cup of much needed water--promptly knocked over Caedence's glass. He closed his eyes and inhaled, knowing that this was not a good start to the year. Especially not with Caedence.

“Hey!” she barked glaring at him, and then collecting herself with some effort. Normally, Caedence by herself would be enough to scare the daylights outa him, especially in that tone of voice, and when she collected herself it was even worse because it just proved how unpredictable she could be. “Whatever, no prob, get something like a napkin would ya?”

Echo immediately grabbed at a couple napkins (it took a couple swipes before he was coordinated enough to pick them up) and started blotting at the puddle. They just pushed the liquid around so he left them on top of to soak up the mess. "Sorry, Caedence," he apologized and found another napkin for her seat. As he leaned over, for all he remembered to keep his elbows in, he forgot to watch his knees and bumped one of them into the person next to him. He (Echo, not the guy who hardly noticed) jolted back upright, face turning pale--an uncommon coloring for him.

I can do this. Why can't I do this?

"Uh," he said, nervously scratching the bridge of his once broken nose. Hadn't she just seen him being more or less a normal human being like just a few days ago? "Yeah. So...," he looked down at his hands, which he seemed to only have moderate control of just now and set them back to work on the napkins and cleaning up. "Great start to the year, right? How bad did I get you?"\r\n\r\n

21 Echo Elms A fine start to the.. oops! 93 Echo Elms 0 5

Eavan Valentine

September 08, 2007 1:52 AM

Re: Let the Opening Feast Begin! by Eavan Valentine

Earl and Eavan walked into Cascade Hall together, like every year for the past three years, but unlike those other years, Earl just gave his little sister a quick shoulder squeeze and wandered off to his table, absently staring a group of older Teppenpaws girls. Eavan giggled at her brother's actions, but felt a bit lonely without him sitting next to her during the Opening Feast. She sighed rather loudly and began walking over to her table.

She sat down and began looking around the hall for a sign of Earl. He was hard to spot considering how tall he was. She waved, but he didn't seem to notice her. Relaxing back in her seat, she waited quietly for the announcements to be made and the feast to start. She should have made more close friends. Gil had been distant towards the end of last year and he was the only real friend she had made. Red and Amber, her roommates, had already made friends and never really talked to her.

Eavan paid no attention to the announcements and immediately began piling her plate full of mashed potatoes, veggies, and something that looked like a skewer of meat. but she picked at her food for a bit until she felt eyes on her. Eavan looked up for the source of the stare.

"Oh, hi."

0 Eavan Valentine Re: Let the Opening Feast Begin! 86 Eavan Valentine 0 5

Benji Rowley

September 08, 2007 2:36 AM

Red, white and blue? by Benji Rowley

Benji was at last fully awake thanks to the savory aromas wafting in from every dish around him. He had already piled on a good helping of all the essentials, though he was without doubt going to need seconds. There were so many options!

Sure, none of it was as good as dad's cooking, but nothing ever was. And this meal was a definite contender for second place in Benji’s rankings. Now that his one-track mind had transferred from Sleep mode to Food mode, Benji stuffed his face shamelessly. From behind him came a tap on his shoulder.

“Sorry to bother you, but, uh...is this where all the blue people go?”

Benji turned to face the stranger, still chewing on a mouthful of a bread roll. Like his skin, hers had started to fade. Beneath the blue tinge he could still detect her bright red hair. Every repetitive lecture on etiquette was lost on Benji, and he replied with his mouth still full.

“Mmmhmm. Stans fer ‘Ladren.” He almost turned back to his food right away, but realizing that she probably needed to sit, he scooted to the side.

0 Benji Rowley Red, white and blue? 269 Benji Rowley 0 5

Claire Villon

September 08, 2007 4:16 AM

Not according to the Bible, sadly. by Claire Villon

"Hello, Gray," Claire said carefully, eyeing the uncomfortable-looking boy sitting next to her. She ran a negligent hand over her ponytailed black hair, instinctively checking the suitability of her appearance before introducing herself, trying to minimize her distinctive French accent. Unfortunately, she had only ever spoken English with her older brother, who had a similar accent. "I am Claire Villon." It was strange to realize that here in the States, people would not automatically recognize her last name.

She held out one small hand politely and nodded to the boy. Politeness had been ground into her from a young age, and such behavior was second nature. This did not seem to be the case for the boy sitting next to her, but one never knew; he could well be from an influential American family. Not that she would care about it, but her mother would be anxious to have her make connections of importance.

"May I ask," she said, forcing herself to speak to him now that they had introduced themselves, though she really wanted to be alone, and was embarrassed at using English, in which she was less eloquent than French, "where you are from? And what you enjoy studying? Or other activities which interest you?" These were safe phrases; she knew they were correct. In any case, she was far better at understanding English than speaking it.

0 Claire Villon Not according to the Bible, sadly. 0 Claire Villon 0 5

Cecily Smythe

September 08, 2007 6:03 AM

No problems, only solutions by Cecily Smythe

This was totally the most exciting thing that had ever happened. Cecily had on her brand new robes, all fresh and starched, measured exactly to fit. She had on one of her several new pairs of shoes, too – the black leather buckle-ups with a row of small white hearts across the strap. Her mother had even taken pains to French plait Cecily’s hair that morning, too, so she looked neat as could be, her chestnut brown hair fastened firmly in place.

The entire wagon ride to get to the desert, Cecily had sat next to her cousin, keeping up a steady stream of conversation.

“I’m so excited, Lucas! I hope I get sorted into Aladren with you. It’ll be so much fun and we can spend all day talking together and playing together. You can help me with my homework, too! It’ll be like having a big brother of my very own! Ooh, are there unicorns at school? Daddy said I might get to see a unicorn. I miss Heidi, she’s all alone in the stables, and I know she’s getting lonely. Amelia said she’ll look after her, though. Amelia will come here next year, too. Won’t that be fun? I hope all three of us are in Aladren. That would just be the best! Hey Lucas, how much longer till we get there?”

Her cousin hadn’t appeared especially interested in what she’d been saying though, so it was no great loss to Cecily when, upon arrival to the school, she lost sight of him. She was drawn together with the rest of the first years, instead. Cecily’s brown eyes sparkled with wonder as she entered the Hall for the first time – that was an experience she would be unlikely to ever forget: the waterfalls glistening all around the room, the happy chatter of all the older students; it was fantastic beyond words!

It felt like an eternity before the goblet was passed to Cecily. Her insides twisted up like a croissant as she took it into her hands, and tasted the sorting potion.

“Oh my word,” Cecily squeaked, as her whole person took on a deep red tint. Red meant Crotalus. She was in Crotalus house! Not with Lucas in Aladren after all, but in Crotalus! That was even better!

Before Cecily could become too excited, however, the person standing next to her caught her attention, as they tapped her shoulder. Cecily wasn’t sure if it was nerves or whether the boy was trying to be funny, but he asked Cecily to tell his house for him - wouldn’t look for himself. For the briefest second, Cecily thought about telling the boy he had turned brown, and was in Pecari house. Seeing as he would realise she was lying the second he opened his eyes, though, that plan was immediately discarded. Besides, Cecily didn’t want people to dislike her on her very first day of school.

“You’re red, just like me!” she exclaimed instead, in a high, excitable voice. “We’ll be in Crotalus House together, isn’t that great? I’m Cecily Smythe,” she said, extending her hand for the boy to shake. Then she didn’t let go, and pulled him by his hand to the nearest empty seats. “This is going to be so much fun!”

0 Cecily Smythe No problems, only solutions 122 Cecily Smythe 0 5

Oliver Abbott

September 08, 2007 6:22 AM

Yeah, it's not too bad by Oliver Abbott

It was good to be back, Oliver supposed, duly. His brother and sister wouldn’t be bickering over him, and his parents wouldn’t be making a fuss. There were lessons, though, which the summer had been delightfully lacking in, and there was no swimming pool at Sonora like there was back home. Oliver had friends at Sonora, which he regarded as a high positive. Julian’s friends had been in and out all summer – Oliver had gone to school with all of them before, and, if it weren’t for Sonora, he’d still be at school with them now. They called greetings to him as they passed, and sometimes he joined in whatever they were doing, but they weren’t friends with him, exactly. They knew him as Julian’s weird brother who’d gone off to boarding school somewhere – that was all.

When Oliver had received an unexpected owl inviting him to go to Irene’s house to play Quidditch, he had been pleased, yet at the same time, nothing short of astounded. Oliver tried to remember if he’d ever even spoken to Irene. They were in the same year, and so had shared all their classes for several months. They’d both done that Novelling thing (she’d been one of the crowd of Pecaris that had made Oliver rather nervous), and both of them were reserves for their respective house Quidditch teams. It was none of these reasons, though, that encouraged Oliver to accept the invitation. He’d received the owl at breakfast with his siblings. Julian had done a double-take as the bird swooped in to deliver the letter, but otherwise ignored it, almost studiously. Charlie had cooed at the bird and was practically in awe of her older brother for being able to receive mail in such an interesting manner.

“It’s from a friend inviting me over to play Quidditch,” Oliver had told them proudly, knowing they wouldn’t be able to point out that Irene wasn’t technically a friend. After that he had to go, firstly to prove to Julian that he did have friends who wanted to see him over the summer, and secondly to prove to Charlotte that Quidditch was cooler than anything Muggles had to offer.

So he’d gone and enjoyed himself with people (mostly that same lot of Pecaris, he’d noticed) who he now knew a little better. Coming back to Sonora again would at least make him feel like he had friends, again. Oliver was looking forward to seeing Gwyneth and Talitha. God help him, he was even looking forward to seeing Lutece, and that was a disturbing thought indeed.

Not long after making his way into the Cascade Hall, Oliver located Talitha, and headed directly over. He waited until the Headmaster’s speech was over, and he’d applauded loudly for Jordanna being made a prefect, before he spoke, though.

“So what do you think the big announcement will be?” Talitha asked him.

“I dunno,” Oliver replied, pushing his new glasses – they had smart black frames, and the lenses were thinner than in his last pair – back up his nose. “Maybe a duelling competition, that would be cool,” he added, grinning. “How was your summer?”

0 Oliver Abbott Yeah, it's not too bad 99 Oliver Abbott 0 5

Elly

September 08, 2007 6:42 AM

Spirit fingers! by Elly

Elly grinned as Mere sidled into the seat beside her. “Tired already, Elly? What on Earth were you doing over at Echo’s house?” she said.

Elly poked her tongue out at her friend. Such comments had suddenly increased since the publication of the yearbook, and that horror that had been Elly and Echo’s pictures next to each other right in the centre of the cutest couple page. Elly had initially supposed that just because she and Echo spent so much time together, people they didn’t know very well might have assumed they were a couple. But now their friends – especially Saul – had started making comments, and Elly wasn’t sure where that left her. Mostly she was worried that Meredith might feel left out, in an odd sort of fashion. There was, obviously, nothing between Elly and Echo aside from friendship. Elly was sure Mere knew that, but still… Secondly Elly was worried how Echo would take it. He had certainly done his best to shift the conversation in other directions whenever the yearbook had come under discussion, but his behaviour hadn't changed at all while he was around her, so Elly guessed him to be fine.

"Not all that much," Elly said. “Played a lot of foot- soccer,” she adjusted, “and erm… just stuff,” she said, shrugging. They hadn’t done anything particularly mention worthy – it was just, as Elly had so eloquently put it, the usual stuff. “I think I’m tired out of excitement or something,” she said, and then sat quiet for a moment while the Headmaster began his speech.

“Ooh, a surprise after midterm! Sounds exciting,” she said to Mere, as she reached for a tray of boiled potatoes.

0 Elly Spirit fingers! 0 Elly 0 5

Kasey Braye & Caden Christianson (w/a bit of Cam)

September 08, 2007 9:15 AM

Yellow??? by Kasey Braye & Caden Christianson (w/a bit of Cam)

Kasey and Caden travelled to school most of the way with Camren. The three had talked about everything and anything. With the exception of how the two firsties would be sorted. Camren knew that Caden would be scared to drink the liquid if Camren told her what it did. Camren had been. So she kept the conversation to what school was like and all about her friends.

Camren told them about Hyana, Beth, Talitha, Irene and Caedence. Camren chattered excitedly to her sister and cousin until they were separated because she was now a second year.

Kasey and Caden listened quietly to Camren, only interrupting to say things such as, "Really?" or "Wow!" in response to Camren's words.

Kasey knew that Caden didn't like to talk as much as she did. Kasey also knew that Caden was scared. Caden's thumb entered her mouth, a sure sign of her fright. Kasey sighed and kept chattering about what school would be like. "Imagine it! We're finally going to school! Caden! This is great! We're going to learn just like Camren! I'm so excited!"

Camren smiled at her cousin. She was trying so hard to get Caden out of her shell and Camren appreciated everything she tried. "You know, I was scared too when I first went to school. Then remember how scared I was when I started here too?" Camren added. "But I love it here. My friends are great, and you'll get to have some of your own too!" Camren pulled her sister's thumb out of her mouth with a smack that was Caden's lips shutting on air.

Caden shrugged and put her thumb back into her mouth. Kasey smiled kindly at her cousin. "It will all be okay. Really Cade..." Kasey said.

"I dunno..." Caden whispered, though if anyone else was listening they wouldn't have understood her. But since Kasey was Caden's cousin, and Camren her sister, they both understood what Caden had meant by that.

"Look! We're almost there! We have to be!" Kasey said, smiling and dragging Caden to a window as Camren left them. 'Thank you!' Camren mouthed to Kasey as she shut the door behind her. Camren hoped that they would be okay. When the two first years were separated from the second year Kasey took control of the conversation.

"We're gonna have so much fun Cade! I'll bet we'll be in the same house too! And we can have the same friends and hang out together and everything!" Kasey added happily as they were handed something to drink.

Kasey was thirsty, had been for some time so she took it eagerly. Caden, on the other hand was wary. She held it in her hand, shaking slightly. "Come on, one, two, then we drink, okay?"

Caden shook her head no.

"Come on. One, two, three." Kasey said as she drank her liquid, and pushed Caden's cup to her mouth and forced it open. "I'll bet this is the way we see what house we're in!" Kasey said as she noticed that the other first years were changing colors. "Wow! This is cool!" Kasey added as she saw herself and Caden turn a light shade of yellow.

"Teppenpaw! We're in Teppenpaw! Just like Camren!" Kasey jabbered on happily. "See! Everything will be okay now!" Kasey smiled broadly and dragged her cousin to follow the other yellow first years to a table.

Kasey and Camren locked eyes from across the room and Kasey smiled broadly, holding up the yellow arm that hadn't been dragging Caden to the table and Camren smiled back happily. 'They're in Tepp!' Camren thought excitedly.

Kasey pushed Caden down into a chair next to another girl and sat next to her on Caden's other side. Kasey looked around the room once she was seated and smiled. It was so pretty! Words couldn't describe it. Kasey turned back to Caden, who was sitting sucking her thumb and looking at her lap. When the girl next to Caden spoke, Caden jumped up and landed practically into Kasey's lap.

"I'm sorry, my cousin is a little jumpy. I'm Kasey and this is Caden." Kasey said. "It's nice to meet you." Kasey smiled at Lucie and wondered if she would end up one of their first friends. Kasey held out her hand to shake Lucie's and smiled to her. "Caden's sister is here already, she's a second year. She's in Teppenpaw too, just like us." Kasey glanced to Caden, hoping that her cousin would at least say hello to Lucie, but she knew as she looked at Caden that she wouldn't say a word. "Caden! This is Lucie. She's a first year too. See? She's still a little yellow. Just like us!"

Caden glanced up, tried to smile through her thumb, then looked back down at her lap.

"I'm sorry. Don't mind her. She's scared. That's what she does when she's scared." Kasey said as she apologized to Lucie. "Don't think she's weird or anything. She'll warm up. She will."

0 Kasey Braye & Caden Christianson (w/a bit of Cam) Yellow??? 0 Kasey Braye & Caden Christianson (w/a bit of Cam) 0 5

Camren Christianson

September 08, 2007 9:49 AM

Wow... by Camren Christianson

Camren travelled to school most of the way with Kasey and Caden. The three had talked about everything and anything. With the exception of how the two firsties would be sorted. Camren knew that Caden would be scared to drink the liquid if Camren told her what it did. Camren had been. So she kept the conversation to what school was like and all about her friends.

Camren told them about Hyana, Beth, Talitha, Irene and Caedence. Camren chattered excitedly to her sister and cousin until they were separated because she was now a second year.

Kasey and Caden listened quietly to Camren, only interrupting to say things such as, "Really?" or "Wow!" in response to Camren's words.

Camren knew that Kasey had noticed Caden's fright, but she kept trying to calm her cousin down. Camren smiled in thanks to Kasey as the younger girl chattered away to her sister.

Camren smiled at her cousin again. She was trying so hard to get Caden out of her shell and Camren appreciated everything she tried. "You know, I was scared too when I first went to school. Then remember how scared I was when I started here too?" Camren added. "But I love it here. My friends are great, and you'll get to have some of your own too!" Camren pulled her sister's thumb out of her mouth with a smack that was Caden's lips shutting on air.

Caden shrugged and put her thumb back into her mouth. Kasey smiled kindly at her cousin. "It will all be okay. Really Cade..." Kasey said.

"I dunno..." Caden whispered, though if anyone else was listening they wouldn't have understood her. But since Kasey was Caden's cousin, and Camren her sister, they both understood what Caden had meant by that. Camren knew she had to leave them and pointed Kasey towards the window.

"Look! We're almost there! We have to be!" Kasey said, smiling and dragging Caden to a window as Camren snuck away from them. 'Thank you!' Camren mouthed to Kasey as she shut the door behind her. 'I hope they'll be okay!' Camren thought as the door clicked behind her.

Camren watched as the first years drank the potion. She had found where her cousin and sister were standing and watched as they turned yellow. 'YES! They're in Teppenpaw too!' Camren thought happily to herself. 'I can keep an eye out for them and really take care of them now. This is wonderful!' Kasey smiled broadly across the room at Camren and Camren smiled back at her as they walked toward the Teppenpaw table.

Once the girls had sat down Camren couldn't see them anymore, but she still felt secure. That nothing could harm her sister or her cousin. "We're finally safe." Camren said with a soft sigh.

The food arrived and Camren loaded her plate with anything she could grab. Worrying about her sister and cousins house had made it hard for her to eat earlier. Camren was now hungry enough to eat everything in the Hall. She was happy that Caden would now be under her watchful eye. Now it was only her Momma and the twins to worry about.

Camren had taken an empty seat next to an upper classman that she didn't know. Normally she wouldn't have done such a thing, but she had grown up a bit this summer. Perhaps because of the twins, or maybe cause Momma had basically needed as much help as she could get from her eldest child. Camren felt more like a Momma then ever and somehow had gotten some courage from this.

"Hello." Camren said to the upperclassman who replied back. "I'm Camren. I'm a second year." Camren said carefully. She didn't want to interrupt the student's thoughts, but she felt the need to be more grown up. 'Making more friends would be a good way of doing that.' Camren thought as she waited for the upperclassman to speak.

0 Camren Christianson Wow... 0 Camren Christianson 0 5

Mere

September 08, 2007 11:24 AM

And these are gold. by Mere

Mere stuck her tongue out right back at Elly. Of course everyone had seen the yearbook. Honestly, Mere wasn’t sure how Elly and Echo in the cutest couple spot came about. She never really thought of them romantically matched. As far as she could ever tell, it was just friendship and it was always the three of them. Sure each had other friends, but she thought it was just common knowledge that it always came back to Elly, Meredith, and Echo. Mere thought the couple thing was kind of funny, which was why she poked fun about it. It wasn’t real. Maybe everyone thought their matching initials would make them a cute couple.

“And erm…just stuff.” Mere repeated in a dopey sounding voice and laughed. “Just kidding. I can believe you’d be tired. You had a busy summer.”

The Headmaster started his speech, choosing new prefects. Mere figured she would never hear her own name being called. It didn’t make her upset. She knew she wasn’t really prefect material. The Headmaster was also being cryptic about an announcement over midterm. Mere frowned a little at that. Curiosity tended to gnaw at her until she knew whatever it was she wanted to know.

“Ooh, a surprise after midterm! Sounds exciting,” Elly said and Mere nodded and looked around for some food of her own.

“I wonder what it could be. Maybe a big school trip. That would be cool.” Mere finally spotted pasta and began to help herself. “They might take us to the ghost town that’s supposed to be around here.”

0 Mere And these are gold. 0 Mere 0 5

Caedence

September 08, 2007 2:33 PM

Elly anger management works wonders, don't you agree? by Caedence

"Uh, Yeah. So..., Great start to the year, right? How bad did I get you?"

Caedence recognized her tentative fellow third year, Echo. Figures, the guy was a total klutz. Didn’t he and Elly meet due to a spilled drink? Caedence recalled hearing something like that.

Caedence smirked, looking at the small spill on the back of her jeans. “Totally soaked,” she rolled her eyes, “No, I’m fine. Really. Though you do like to make an impression on a person don’t you?” She smirked. Control the anger, she told herself. He didn’t mean to spill, and it’s not his fault that he knocked his drink over on her.

“You seem much more twitchy this year, you know that?” She commented, noticing his shaking hands. “You weren’t so twitchy at Irene’s.” She added.

Taking the napkins from his hands, she swiped the rest of the water off her seat and laid them back down on the table over the spill. She self consciously touched her pony tail. It felt so strange, but she was also starting to get used to it.

She turned back to the food on her plate. Grabbing a carrot stick, she munched on that a bit. “I feel like a rabbit, but Elly got me used to veggies,” She said, a half smile on her face.

Caedence wished that Scrap was in the hall with her. She hoped the elves were smart enough to be careful with his carrier. She would have to hurt them all if they even dared hurt her cat (she didn’t think it was a kitten anymore, it could eat adult food, she knew that).

“So what was your summer like Echo? Besides the game.” She asked, taking another bite of carrot while waiting for him to speak.\n

0 Caedence Elly anger management works wonders, don't you agree? 94 Caedence 0 5

Elly

September 08, 2007 2:35 PM

Seventy Six Trombones by Elly

Mere nodded, and said, “I wonder what it could be. Maybe a big school trip. That would be cool.”

Elly nodded and continued to pile her plate high with assorted vegetables. She wondered if there was a school trip where they would go. She’d heard that the astronomy professor had taken the fourth and fifth years on a filed trip last year. That sounded wicked fun.

“They might take us to the ghost town that’s supposed to be around here.”

“That would be awesome,” Elly enthused, pouring herself some juice. “To have a look around, I mean. Shopping would be fun, too, but alas I have no money.” She grimaced before starting her meal. She would love to go shopping in a wizarding town, though – she’d heard other students talk about them, but Elly would know where to go find one. Since seeing a couple of unusual-looking folk get on the tube over the summer, Elly had her suspicions about Camden, but her mother never let her go there, so she wasn’t likely to get a good look around, anyway.

“So,” Elly said after a couple of mouthfuls, “tell me about this school for ladies, or whatever.” She grinned at Meredith, teasing her. Mere had told a couple of funny stories at the Quidditch game, but the girls hadn’t had chance to discuss it in detail yet. “It must have been so much fun.”

0 Elly Seventy Six Trombones 0 Elly 0 5

Elyse Talbot

September 08, 2007 3:14 PM

Running out of blue-related titles? by Elyse Talbot

As soon as the words left Elyse's mouth, she felt the tips of her ears prickling in embarassment. 'Uh...is this where all the blue people go?' Just because she was supposed to be a naive, bumbling first year, that didn't mean she had to play the part to a tee. She regretted not researching Sonora before leaving her house. There was nothing that irked the fiery-haired lass more than being clueless.

And now that she thought about it, didn't her mother explain that some students would just automatically dislike her if she clued them in on her Muggle father's influence? Did all pureblood students know about the sorting? She imagined they would, considering they'd have more access to this sort of information. Was it a bad idea to reveal how confused she was?

However, all her worries were put on hold when the boy turned his head and spoke with a pile of half-chewed food still in his mouth.

“Mmmhmm. Stans fer ‘Ladren.”

Elyse couldn't help it. It was just like something her younger brother, Andrew, would do. She felt a bit more comfortable after seeing something that reminded her of home. The right corner of her mouth turned upward and a small bit of the real Elyse peeked through.

"Um...I'm sorry, I couldn't really catch it. You're sort of spraying it, rather than saying it." She replied with a good-natured giggle.

0 Elyse Talbot Running out of blue-related titles? 0 Elyse Talbot 0 5

Echo Elms

September 08, 2007 4:14 PM

Elly's a people healer. by Echo Elms

Echo jerked his hand away as Caedence took over the napkins and finished the job with a few efficient strokes. She was not, as she claimed sarcastically, totally soaked, and she seemed to have a handle on herself, which was most unlike her. She looked different, too, but he couldn't put his finger on what was causing that impression. Maybe it just the storm cloud above her head neglecting its shadow casting.

“You seem much more twitchy this year, you know that? You weren’t so twitchy at Irene’s,” Caedence said. If Echo didn't know better, he'd have thought she cared. Twitchy. That was the same word she used on him last year in DADA.

He didn't comment and settled back onto his seat and carefully pulled one of serving plates near him so he swipe a piece of fish. Caedence commented on veggies and Elly before asking, "So what was your summer like Echo? Besides the game."

And Echo was surprised to find that he actually wanted to tell her. He looked around and, loud and excited as everyone was, decided it would be an okay time for it--the only time for it.

"I," he started. Okay, so he wanted to tell her, but he didn't know how much he wanted to tell her. He narrowly shifted to avoid someone's stray elbow as they passed by the table. And just how did you tell someone you were in a mental hospital? When he'd told Elly, he'd just had to write it down and send it through cyberspace. There was none of this, seeing the reaction on someone's face. Although, with Caedence, he was pretty sure she would laugh, not give him pity (which was sort of why he wanted to tell her).

"It was okay," he tried, "I mean, with Elly and Saul at the end was great, and then the quidditch. The rest of the summer..." Echo glanced down to see his fork miss the piece of fish on his plate again. He put it down and folded his arms tightly instead. He managed a brave half smile at Caedence, and deliberately lightened his tone, "I was in and out of psychiatric institutions." The last two words came out really quiet. He tried to make it more normal with an innocent I don't know how that happened shrug.

21 Echo Elms Elly's a people healer. 93 Echo Elms 0 5

Chelsea Brockert

September 08, 2007 4:23 PM

And so it begins... by Chelsea Brockert

The moment Chelsea arrived at the Hall, she was brought to the goblets with the other first years. She noticed that some seemed scared of this. She gave them a superior look and downed it like Grandpa Frank and her cousin Marshall had downed the booze at her cousin Oliver's wedding. What babies some of those others were! She had even seen one girl's mouth being forced open by another. That was so pathetic . Chelsea was pretty sure even Adam hadn't had that done. Of course he wouldn't have had anyone to do it for him anyway, but she knew that at least her brother tried to maintain some dignity. Or was at least excessively paranoid to the point where he wouldn't want to make the wrong move and be tormented. Chelsea gave the girl a look of total disdain.

Her skin was flushed a brilliant blue now. Chelsea wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. Respectable purebloods tended to be Crotali. Those were the kind of friends Chelsea wanted to make (though thanks to her parents' overly tolerant upbringing she'd be friends with even half-bloods or muggleborns who acted right, in other words, like her. ) On the other hand, Adam and her second-cousin Lily were both there. They were embarassing . Even though her brother was better than that freaky little girl who had her mouth forced open, he was still a wimp. Lily was a filthy half-blood (Chelsea didn't have a problem with proper acting ones, but she didn't like having one as a relative ) and a barbarian who enjoyed injuring others.

She wouldn't have wanted Teppenpaw, either,not that she'd ever have been put there. Chelsea was sick and tired of being in the shadow of her "perfect" older sister. Kaylie was such a goodie-goodie too. The only good thing was that she was so naive, gullible and trusting, that she saw everyone as good and Chelsea could easily fool her. She was sort of enjoying how Kaylie was coming apart at the seams, even though she wanted to see her sister married to a nice pureblood like Chris Dupree.

Plus the freaky girl and her friend were in Teppenpaw too. Ew!

As her glance fell on her brother,sitting alone of course, a malicious smirk formed on her lips. People were always trying to build Adam's self-esteem by telling him he was smart. Now Chelsea could have some fun by saying since she was in Aladren, that made her smarter than Adam was.

Chelsea settled back on a chair. None of the new Aladrens looked particularily like people she was eager to greet. She ordered a salad and began to eat, when someone spoke to her

Excuse me, may I sit with you?"

She looked the girl up and down, before deciding she passed inspection. "Yes, you may."

"I am not convinced the others of my coloring have proper table manners and I would rather avoid watching them chew."

Chelsea laughed genuinely. Not too loudly though, as that would not have been ladylike. "You got sorted into Pecari didn't you? They aren't well known for their manners, table or otherwise." She commented before introducing herself. "I am Chelsea Brockert of the Colorado Brockerts. Although my parents, siblings and I live in Portland, Oregon." Their technical branch was Colorado, no matter where her own immediate family lived. Saying Portland Brockerts or Oregon Brockerts was reserved for her little brother, Evan, when he had a family of his own, if that was where he chose to live.

11 Chelsea Brockert And so it begins... 108 Chelsea Brockert 0 5

Holly

September 08, 2007 5:29 PM

In the beginning... by Holly

Holly looked down at her hands when she was asked if she was in Pecari and found that her skin had returned to her normal tanned hue. "Is that the brown one?" she asked, uncertain, as she took the seat across from the girl who had also stopped being blue. Holly was a bit relieved that it was only a short-lasting effect.

She was a bit taken aback by the introduction and she was certain just saying Holly wasn't going to cut it for her own. She debated with herself how to answer, whether to give her real but exceedingly boring name, or to answer with the one she had taken to calling herself by. She decided to go with the later. 'Greer' was hideously dull and surely any resulting confusion later could be easily explained once the other girl understood what a burden the unattractive name was.

"I am Holly Thistle of the Hollywood Thistles," she said, mimicking the form Chelsea had used, "My father, step-mother, half-sister, and I live in North Hollywood, however," she explained. She wondered if she should add where her mother and step-father lived, but she wasn't sure exactly which city Michael's house was in. They all sort of ran together near LA.

1 Holly In the beginning... 123 Holly 0 5

Raoul Delachenne

September 08, 2007 8:10 PM

Bonjour! by Raoul Delachenne

Raoul Delachenne was completely dumbfounded. Nothing could have prepared him for his first portkey trip from California to Arizona, plus the flying wagon trip taking him to the actual school. True, he was rather sore from all the bumps along the way, but even sore muscles couldn’t diminish his happiness. He was a wizard! He had magic! Not even his parents could say that! It was amazing.

Yet, as he had done so many times since receiving his letter, he found his thoughts straying to his real parents. Were they magical? Were they, what was it called, ‘purebloods’? Were they ‘muggles’? He didn’t understand many of these odd words.

He was so far away from his home, which caused him to tremble in fear. It wasn’t staying at school for long lengths of time, back home he went to school until 17:30, or 5:30 in America, and he would go to school on Saturdays as well. It was the fact that he was in America, far away from California, the only place he had ever lived besides France. He had moved to California a little less than a year ago, because of his father’s work. He had taken several lessons to improve his English and had just been accepted into a normal school when he received his letter.

His eyes gazed around the Cascade Hall. “Mon Dieu!” He breathed. It was beautiful in here! The waterfalls gently cascading down the walls, the chandeliers sent light bouncing around the room, reflecting off the gently rippling water. The marble under his feet made him feel as if he was in the house of a millionaire. He couldn’t believe that this is where he was going to live for most of each year every year for seven years! The thought almost made him faint in happiness.

He was handed a goblet full of some strange clear liquid. He wasn’t too sure what to do, but drinking it would definitely be a good idea, since he saw other students drinking theirs. “SACRE BLEU!” he yelped as he saw his already tan skin deepening to a dark muddy brown. Even his blonde hair was turning brown. He looked around and saw the other kids in different primary colors, or brown. “Je suis brun!” he added, quite unnecessarily.

He wasn’t sure where to sit, however he needed to find a place, as the headmaster was now speaking. “Pardon,” He said to the person sitting at the end of a table he saw several brown people go to. He would find a better seat after the headmaster was done. He clapped politely while the prefects were named, even though he didn’t know the four of them.

After the speech was done, Raoul got up to find a better spot, and one with a plate, as he was rather hungry. He sat down next to a girl who he could have sworn was red a few minutes ago.

“One thing certainly hasn't changed: the food's just as great as when Dad went here..."

“Bonjour, mademoiselle, Je m’appelles Raoul…oh pardon, I did not realize I was speaking in French. I’m Raoul, and I couldn’t help overhear you. I take it you are born into magic?” Raoul asked politely as he dished himself up some of everything he could reach.

OOC: Translation… I better get used to this, haha.

Mon Dieu: My god

Sacre Bleu: What in the world (general translation

Bonjour mademoiselle, Je m’appelles Raoul: Hello, miss, my name is raoul

Je suis brun: I’m brown!\n

52 Raoul Delachenne Bonjour! 125 Raoul Delachenne 0 5

Zane Cooper

September 08, 2007 8:42 PM

Excellent by Zane Cooper

Zane opened his eyes slowly to see a very enthusiastic brunette before him. She told him he was in Crotalus. Strange, he didn’t remember hearing of anyone in his family being sorted into Crotalus before. Most Coopers went into Pecari, aside from Law, who had followed his mother into Teppenpaw. But there was no precedent for a Cooper in Crotalus. Surely his parents would think he was joking when he wrote home to tell them about it. Not even Ronen’s dad, Uncle Terri – the most sensible of all Coopers – had been sorted into Crotalus.

For a minute, Zane believed that the girl was lying. But then he realized that her skin was the same strange hue as his was. Whatever the house was, they were certainly in the same house together. It would probably be safe to follow her to whatever house they were supposed to be in, and find out if she really was telling the truth then.

“Erm, sure I guess. I’m Zane Cooper,” the stout boy replied as he shook Cecily’s hand. And before he could say anything else, he found himself being dragged along to a pair of empty seats. Why did girls have to be so pushy? His girl cousins – particularly Hannah and Naomi – could be much the same. He sighed; poor Hannah, her birthday was on Christmas, and she had missed the September cut off date to come to Sonora this year. She’d have to wait until next year to join the other Coopers. It was a pity really; she was almost as dedicated to playing Quidditch as Zane was, he would have loved to practice with her. His teeth gritted as he thought of the recently placed age limit on Quidditch, loathing whoever had thought up that dumb idea.

“Yeah, should be cool,” Zane agreed, still miffed that there were no hopes of playing Quidditch next year, “I heard that Quidditch is supposed to be excellent here – they have a real Quidditch Pitch and everything.”

Zane himself had never played on a Pitch – they’d only had vacant lots back home. And now it seemed he still wouldn’t be able to play on a real Pitch for a whole year.

0 Zane Cooper Excellent 0 Zane Cooper 0 5

Grayson Wright

September 08, 2007 9:14 PM

That's true. by Grayson Wright

Now that it was evident the other first year - Claire - had no immediate plans to bite his head off, Gray found that he could pay attention to things like her accent. Between that and her surname, it seemed like it would be a good guess to guess that she was foreign. If she was, he would have to be careful what he said and how, because, as he'd learned from his grandmother, non-Americans had trouble working out what he was trying to say when he really got going. Actually, if it came to that, even other Americans had trouble with that from time to time.

"Hello, Claire," he said, following her lead. Gifted though he was at talking the ears off family members, he had never really had an opportunity to develop outside social skills; his mother had never let him mingle with unrelated children during the formative years, and all of his cousins were too far away to see often, leaving him to a house of adults who let him get on with amusing himself. He was unfamiliar with the accepted practices of his peer group, a lack he had not noticed or cared about until now. He shook her hand, hoping he wasn't supposed to kiss it instead.

She was certainly the most polite person he'd ever met. He'd never had anyone ask if they could ask him what they wanted to know before in his life; at home, everyone phrased things as an order, and Annie was the only person who didn't consider "none of your business" an acceptable answer. His aunt, a former Crotalus, liked to pretend she was a lady, which, now that he thought about it, probably had something to do with why she and his cousin got along so poorly. Anna knew real ladies, or had before she moved in with them.

"I'm from California," he said. "North California - we're sort of out of the way. Er - I like History of Magic, but they don't offer that here...Transfiguration looks really interesting, but my cousin says it's really hard. She's a fifth year now." He nodded in her direction. "Anne. She's the captain of our House Quidditch team." Though Gray had never been interested in sports himself, he still said it with a measure of borrowed pride. "Er - I like stories. I write some, but they're not much good...reading's better. What about you?"

16 Grayson Wright That's true. 113 Grayson Wright 0 5

Mia Kerova

September 08, 2007 9:56 PM

You're happy to be back too or am I missing sarcasm? by Mia Kerova

Some might say right away it was Mia Kerova, brand new sixth year walking into Cascade Hall. Others might disagree, at least for a moment because with the dark blonde highlighted hair, twice pierced ears, the pleated skirt under her school robes stopping an inch shy of her knees, and a new bounce in her step, it certainly didn’t look like the same Mia that left Sonora Academy just a few months prior.

Actually, it wasn’t exactly the same Mia. She had done a lot of thinking and perspective changing over the summer and now that she was back at school, there were a lot of things that would be different, including her. Others may not notice right away except outer changes, but maybe they would see it as the year progressed. A different, more assured Mia. It didn’t matter though. The change wasn’t for them. It was for her.

Mia sat at the Pecari table quietly since her throat was sore as she was, once again, on the tail end of a cold that hit her just as she got back from Puerto Rico. She must have picked up some of Dino’s luck or lack of. She ran a finger over one of her ears and the pair of small gold hoops going through it while observing the Hall. The first years, who looked awfully small for some reason, were given their goblets and sorted into their houses. Mia smiled as a few students turned brown and joined her house. A few more names she had to memorize. She had done a good job of memorization last year when she became a prefect.

That reminded her. New prefects would be picked this year. After a vague touch on an upcoming announcement at midterm, four more students were called up by the Headmaster and Mia became very conscious of the badge pinned to her robes. She applauded the new prefects, especially Connor who would probably be helping her out, and then the food appeared and they were invited to eat. That one thing never changed. She still didn’t have much of an appetite. If her mother couldn’t force it down her throat, (which she still did from time to time) Mia didn’t have to eat it if she wasn’t hungry. She would end up picking at a few things that night. Her excuse was eating a big breakfast.

Mia looked around at people eating and talking happily to their friends about their summers and how excited they were to see each other again. Mia felt content sitting there on her own, but as her eyes skimmed the Hall she saw Tally who she still considered her best friend at Sonora. Maybe if they could talk more, she could understand why when they did talk, Tally looked upset. She didn’t want to lose one of very few people she could really call a friend at Sonora Academy. Mia felt bad that she was so thrown off by the summer, she hadn’t sent owls and that was her fault (all the craziness last year wasn’t her fault), but new year and new her. She got up and crossed over to where Tally was sitting and sat in the seat beside her.

“Hey Tally.” Her voice was a bit raspy from coughing all week. “Sorry for the lack of owls. I got a little caught up this summer. Surprise trip my stepdad sent us on. How are you? Handling the crowd alright?” She knew big groupings of excited people could be rough on her.

0 Mia Kerova You're happy to be back too or am I missing sarcasm? 0 Mia Kerova 0 5

Talitha

September 08, 2007 10:06 PM

Not bad at all (WotW II) by Talitha

“A dueling competition would be fun.” Talitha agreed and helped herself to more chips. With the exception of the barbeque and her birthday cake, food was always too healthy at home. One of the pitfalls of living with a Healer for a mom was one ate well, but certain things kids loved were forbidden in the home. Chips, pop and anything with processed sugar were rare treats if allowed at all.

“How was your summer?” Oliver asked.

“It was busy and fun.” Talitha grinned and shrugged. Of course, she could have chattered on and on about her adventures, but there was a lot about her life and people that others outside her community didn’t seem to easily understand. “I turned twelve this summer and that’s a big deal in my community. I got loads of presents. There were a ton of people. You know, I never realized how big a family we had until they were all together in one place.

“How did your summer go.” Talitha asked as she looked up at her friend. He seemed a bit taller too and there was something different… Well, the hair was shorter, a bit neater than when she waved goodbye last spring. There was something… else.

“Hey, you got knew glasses! Wow!” Talitha blurted out and then suddenly became self conscious. Sometimes her enthusiasm over road social graces and it embarrassed her when she slipped like that. Her cheeks colored slightly evincing her chagrin. “I mean,” she began again in a much quieter tone of voice. “I mean, they look really nice.” \n

0 Talitha Not bad at all (WotW II) 0 Talitha 0 5

Talitha
September 08, 2007 10:08 PM

Talitha
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Written by:

OOC sorry by Talitha
About the Italics goof. :)\n

0 Talitha OOC sorry 0 Talitha 0 5

Eavan
September 08, 2007 10:31 PM

Eavan
Peripheral
Written by:

Wow? by Eavan
It was a younger girl. A second year from what she said. Eavan smiled politely. "Eavan Valentine. Third year." Striking up a conversation would make her feel less lonely. Right? She thought so.

Eavan noticed the two little girls sitting next to Camren and figured them to be relatives of hers or at least she knew them.

"Are these your sisters?" Eavan pointed to the two girls; one, she noticed, was sucking her thumb. "I have twins brothers myself, but they're not old enough to be here yet."

0 Eavan Wow? 0 Eavan 0 5

Ronen Cooper
September 08, 2007 10:54 PM

Ronen Cooper
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

the family house by Ronen Cooper
“Aw, don’t leave MacaRoni,” the eight year-old squealed, using her favorite nickname for her big brother as she held him in a tight hug, “It’s too boring here without you.”

Ronen laughed at the girl whose olive complexion, brown Cooper eyes and dark curls were identical to his own (though her tresses were somewhat longer). His own shaggy dark brown curls fell into his face as he looked down on her, “You know, you can’t get all excited for me to come back if you don’t let me go in the first place.”

Naomi giggled; she was more than used to his strange sense of humor. Five-and-a-half year-old Aliyah, who really wasn’t paying attention, joined in the laughter as well, if only to feel more grown up. Currently she was hugging Ronen’s right leg. Three year-old Greg had himself wrapped around the left one.

“Enough, enough,” his mother said in her accented English, picking up Greg in her arms, “We don’t want to make Ronen miss his wagon, now do we?” The two girls began giggling again, but they backed off, and took to grabbing onto their mother’s robes instead.

Leah Cooper put her hands on the shoulder of her oldest child, muttered something to herself in her native Farsi, before speaking to her son, “Now, I promised myself I wasn’t going to get too emotional about this…”

“Ma,” Ronen groaned melodramatically, a smirk upon his face.

“…But if I hear from your school that you are getting too cocky or correcting your teachers again or being disruptive in class, so help me I will-”

“Love you too, Ma,” he grinned that cocky yet somehow charming grin of his that still won over some of his teachers.

“And you know that your Dad really wishes he were here right now, but his job..”

He nodded, giving his mother a peck on the cheek, “Yes, Ma.”

Five minutes later and he was on the wagon to Sonora Academy. It was a bumpy ride, and some of the other students were queasy, but Ronen thought it was awesome. Yes, Sonora was definitely going to be so much cooler than Muggle school. He understood that his parents wanted him to be educated in his Muggle heritage – his father was a halfblood, and his mother was a Muggleborn – but it was really boring, and much too easy.

A couple of hours later he found himself in Cascade Hall, drinking down a goblet of weird bubbly stuff. He of course, had waited for other kids to drink their own goblets first to see what happened, and so he wasn’t surprised when his skin began to change color. Darker and darker it grew, until it became the muddy brown of Pecari House.

Pecari – the traditional Cooper house. No Cooper had been sorted in there since his late Uncle Teddy had been sorted. Now Ronen got to carry on the tradition. Nice. This meant he really was a true Cooper – his parents would be proud. Well, his dad more than his mom – she didn’t always appreciate the Cooper recklessness and spontaneity. But his mom would definitely be happy, he was sure of it. He wondered what house Zane was sorted into. His cousin was also a first year, but Ronen hadn’t seen him yet.

Sitting down at a table, he turned to the kid next to him, “Hey – don’t ya think this place is awesome? Way better than any Muggle school.”

0 Ronen Cooper the family house 124 Ronen Cooper 0 5

Lucie
September 09, 2007 12:04 AM

Lucie
Peripheral
Written by:

Like sunshine by Lucie
Lucie tilted her head curiously at the girl with the jumpy reaction, pondering why she seemed so scared and why she was sucking her thumb. Was she really that frightened? She just assumed that it was a given that when one was eleven years old they went to a magical school.

As though reading her mind, the girl on the other side offered an explanation and introduced each of them. So, one was Kasey and the littler one was Caden. Both 'K' sounds, which could certainly get confusing and they were cousins.

"I have family here too. Devian, my brother, he's in Aladren, and Danae, my sister, she's in Pecari. I also have cousins in the other three houses, but I don't know them very well," Lucie explained, as she counted them all subconsciously on her fingers.

When Kasey apologized once more for Caden, Lucie thought she might have a hard time since she was going to have to share a dorm room with the other first year Teppenpaw girls. Lucie, on the other hand, couldn't wait to meet them. Maybe she would even have a best friend, which would be amazingly awesome. Actually, she would be okay with a person in another House too, if they clicked in personality. She had never had one before unless one counted Danae, but she usually was told to get lost in that instance. Not very friendly at all.

0 Lucie Like sunshine 0 Lucie 0 5

Lexi
September 09, 2007 12:30 AM

Lexi
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Combining by Lexi
Well, Dalila seemed to be alright, which was an enormous relief to Lexi. She could live with Kaylie disliking her, because that was something that Lexi had only herself to blame for at least part of it. Dealing with a bitter roommate, on the other hand, wasn’t something that she could even pretend to be capable of dealing with.

“That’s good,” she replied between bites of her own. “Mine was pretty uneventful, all in all. Spent a lot of time with my brother’s friends playing quidditch, but that was about it. So, what made it so great?”

She was then interrupted by Nicoletta. She wasn’t great friends with the girl, but they got along well enough, which was fortunate, given Lexi’s relationship with Nicoletta’s brother. She was slightly surprised by the Crotali’s request, but managed not to show it. “Of course, Nicoletta. We were just talking about our summers. I’m fairly certain it was Kaylie’s turn.” She smiled at the older girl. “So, how did yours go?”

0 Lexi Combining 0 Lexi 0 5

Benji
September 09, 2007 3:38 AM

Benji
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: -3

thought the last one was clever... by Benji
"Um...I'm sorry, I couldn't really catch it. You're sort of spraying it, rather than saying it." She replied with a good-natured giggle.

Benji was used to remarks like this from family. It was exactly what his sister would have said under the circumstances, and he probably would have shot back a joke had it been her. Unfortunately, family members were about the only people he had learned to tolerate teasing from. Was she laughing at him? Yeah, maybe he should have followed the advice of countless mothers across the world and “not talked with his mouth full,” but still… He had been helpful, right? Making a point to swallow everything before speaking again, Benji replied.

“Aladren. It stands for Aladren,” He sent her a slightly scornful look. “Shouldn’t you know that kind of thing before coming here?” Benji, who had been raised in a town primarily populated by muggles, was perfectly aware that not everyone had a source for learning about the school. It really wasn’t her fault. But his pride had been hurt, and snappy remarks were all he could manage in trying to restore it.

Then again, he was being kind of unfair. And Izzy would probably give him torture if he mentioned that he had scared off the first person he met at Sonora. Trying to think of a way to cover up the last comment, he noticed the still-empty space he had made and glanced at the girl again.

“Aren’t you going to sit?” Well, it was a start...

0 Benji thought the last one was clever... 269 Benji 0 5

Ebony
September 09, 2007 7:25 AM

Ebony
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Another year! by Ebony
Ebony was so glad to be back, not only in America, but also back at school. Her summer had been spent as usual with the family in England, where she was insulted, belittled and made to feel as low as a house elf.

It didn't help matters that the moment they arrived at her grandparents house her grandmother had looked down her pointy nose and said,

"I see that a year at an upstanding Wizarding establishment hasn't improved your countenece."

Frustrated and tired from the journey via plane to England and then dirty from flooing to several different addresses before reaching the family mansion made her answer before her father stepped in to keep things under control.

She had looked at her grandmothers strict dark blue robe, with a small hat perched sideways on her head, in accordance with fashions of young females in England, and slowly looked her over from head to toe a look of boredom on her face.

"I see after a year your taste in robes hasn't improved either."

The instand the words left her mouth she knew it was the wrong thing to do. Her relatives who were surrounding them in the hallway all gasped and her father placed a hand on her shoulder. Most likely to stop her from talking further but also to show he was going to protect her from the death glares she was being shot. Her grandmother hd recovered herself after a few tense moments and had swept away, but that single comment hadn't made the summer any better.

Thankfully it was all over and she had another year to think of things to say to her grandmother when she had to go back next year. Ebony found it easier to cope with the summer now she knew she wasn't going to be seeing her grandmother every week like before they moved to America.

Looking around the Hall, Ebony immediately spotted her friend Hyana already seated at the Aladren table and rushed over just as the first years stepped up to be sorted. Ebony stayed silent during the sorting and during the Headmasters speech.

Food appeared and before she could say hello a first year, who was still a faded blue spoke first.

"Hi, I'm Damien Hall, first year."

After Hyana had responded, Ebony spoke, as it sounded as though Hyana was still in her own thoughts and not back yet.

"Hello Damien, I'm Ebony." Ebony held out her hand and continued speaking whilst also smiling at Hyana. Ebony flicked a lock of her long black hair over her shoulder, her green eyes smiling warmly. "Are you glad to be here or a little homesick to be leaving behind your family?"

Ebony, herself, was glad to be back, she loved her parents but they were now back at work and Ebony wanted to get back to learning.

0 Ebony Another year! 0 Ebony 0 5

Brett Hodges
September 09, 2007 10:51 AM

Brett Hodges
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Welcome to Pecari... do you play soccer? by Brett Hodges
Brett came in with Echo, Saul, and Elly but broke off quickly to see if he could track down Irene. When he found her, though, she was hanging on her cousins--a couple of new Crotali he'd met at the quidditch party over the summer. Instead of approaching, Brett found somewhere where he could wave to her when she was done. He also saw Hyana around somewhere, but she was talking to Ebony and a new kid, and Ebony was so pretty he got all confused when he tried to talk to her, or in her general vicinity. His roommates he planned to catch up with later on.

One of the new kids sat down next to him, with his skin a Pecari brown. “Hey – don’t ya think this place is awesome? Way better than any Muggle school,” the kid said.

Brett smirked at him and said lightly, "Don't be so sure. Muggle school is the awesome." And for a guy who defined awesome as having a soccer team, muggle school rocked the monster socks off Sonora. The current plan was to leave Sonora after his third year so he could go back and try out for the school team and be with his Sundance boys.

The problem was that Irene was here. And so was Echo and Derek and Jae and Oliver and Hyana and Elly and Meredith and... well anyway, there were people here he didn't want to leave. And it wasn't like his game was getting better from years of not playing. Last year, he would have been a shoo-in on the middle school team. This year he wasn't even sure he'd make the second cut. By high school, he might not even make the first. And if he couldn't make the high school soccer team, leaving Sonora would be pointless.

Last year he'd gotten a soccer game going in Labyrinth Gardens--it was mostly first and second year Pecaris. They definitely needed an in with the new firsties if they were going to get a couple of full teams going.

"But," he said to the new Pecari, "Pecari is the best, so you lucked out. You play soccer?"\r\n\r\n

0 Brett Hodges Welcome to Pecari... do you play soccer? 0 Brett Hodges 0 5

Camren
September 09, 2007 11:15 AM

Camren
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I didn't have any other ideas... by Camren
Camren looked from the older student, then turned to the other side of the table and tried to spot her sister and her cousin. Finally she spotted Kasey's head nodding to another first year from the looks of it. She was still tinged in a shade of yellow. Camren smiled then turned back to the older student who was speaking to her.

"It's nice to meet you." Camren said, smiling at Eavan, then turning back to try to spot her sister next to Kasey at the end of the table.

Eavan must have noticed Camren looking at Kasey and Caden, because she had asked if they were her sisters. "The chatty one is my cousin Kasey, the one with her thumb in her mouth is my sister Caden." Camren said with a small sigh. 'Caden would have to stop sucking on her thumb if she didn't want to be made fun of at school...' Camren thought as she listened to Eavan talk about her twin brothers. "I have a younger brother and sister that are twins too! They were just born. How old are your brothers?" Camren asked, trying to keep her eyes off of Caden for the moment. Camren knew that Kasey had this under control, and Camren needed to make some friends too, just like her sister and cousin. Camren smiled at Eavan and waited for her answer.

0 Camren I didn't have any other ideas... 0 Camren 0 5

Kasey and Caden
September 09, 2007 11:35 AM

Kasey and Caden
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Or a smiley face! by Kasey and Caden
Kasey watched as Lucie tilted her head at Caden. Kasey felt it was important to explain that Caden was a little nervous. "It's not that she didn't know she was coming to school, she did, but she's just a nervous person." Kasey added.

Caden listened quietly with her thumb in her mouth as Lucie and Kasey spoke to eachother. Caden just wanted to go home. 'I want Momma...' Caden thought, trying to keep the tears from running down her face.

Kasey smiled as Lucie talked about her brother and sister, then about her cousins. "It's really cool to have family where you're going." Kasey added. "It helps one feel better if they get lonely."

Kasey was glad that she had met Lucie. She seemed like a cool girl. Kasey couldn't wait to make more friends! Kasey turned to Caden and noticed that she looked upset. "Whats wrong Cade?" Kasey asked.

Caden looked at her cousin and pulled Kasey's head closer to hers. "I want my momma..." Caden whispered to Kasey.

Kasey looked at her cousin with care in her eyes. "I know Cade, but we're at school now! This is soo cool! We've always wanted to be here, remember?" Kasey asked. Kasey glanced at Lucie, apologetically. Kasey wondered if Lucie had any ideas to calm Caden down, but was wary to ask. Kasey didn't want Lucie to think that Caden was slow or anything. In all honesty, Caden was bright, very bright.

Kasey glanced down the table towards where Camren sat with another upperclassman. Kasey tried to get her attention, but to no avail. Sighing, Kasey turned back to Lucie.

"She's just really nervous..." Kasey said, looking at her cousin.

0 Kasey and Caden Or a smiley face! 0 Kasey and Caden 0 5

Alexis Ashwood
September 09, 2007 11:37 AM

Alexis Ashwood
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

Time to have some fun TAG: Josiah by Alexis Ashwood
Sonora Academy. Alexis was very unimpressed. She already knew everything about this place, and was not happy to be going. Sure, Sonora was a really nice school, but she did not want to go to a school with…Josiah.

She hated him. The only benefit for her being in the same school as him was the fact that she could make his life miserable. She couldn’t take away all his friends. That Hyana girl would be a problem in that plan. She had met her over the summer, and Alexis despised the mudblood right away.

Still, even with her in the picture, her end goal was to make Joey, oh he hated it when she called him that, utterly and completely miserable. And this opening feast was her first chance.

At the very beginning, she found a goblet forced into her hands. She looked at the liquid in it. No one had told her about the sorting, that wasn’t something she was afraid of. She closed her golden brown eyes when she took a drink, and once she opened them, she saw that her entire body had turned red.

Crotalus.

That didn’t surprise her. Not one bit. She examined her hands. Even her fingernails had turned red, matching her already long red hair. Well, this was boring. Why not have some fun? She spotted Josiah, sitting at a table, and quickly found her way over to him, grinning in her pureblood way.

“Hello Joey.” she said, sitting next to him. The red on her skin hadn’t faded yet, and she smirked at the color. “Surprised? I’m not.” she commented. Then the headmaster began to speak. So she had to listen.

Welcome, blah blah blah, work hard, yada yada yada, surprise after midterm, sort of interesting, new prefects, who really cared, food. Finally. Alexis didn’t eat much, she was focused on keeping herself pretty, but she made a salad and such and began to eat. She poured herself some pumpkin juice, and then “accidentally” knocked it over on Josiah.

“I’m so sorry Joey!” she exclaimed, making her apology pretty convincing. “I didn’t mean to spill that on you, honest.” She stuck out her bottom lip. Oh, he’d be mad, she was sure of that. She didn’t care though. This would be too much fun for her. And, being the younger one, she could make anyone feel sorry for her. She so had the advantage against him. She gave him the sweetest look she could.

"So, are you gonna spend time with me this year Joey?" she asked. "Mom says she wants us to spend more time together. Can we?" If they couldn't, she would target his friends, and make them dislike him. Josiah, that bloodtraitor, was not allowed to have any friends. Ever.

0 Alexis Ashwood Time to have some fun TAG: Josiah 117 Alexis Ashwood 0 5

Jacob Andrews
September 09, 2007 12:05 PM

Jacob Andrews
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I play soccer! *jumps up and down happily* by Jacob Andrews
No way no way no way no way no way NO WAY! Jacob looked around in amazement. This was Sonora? Water was coming off of the walls! People were in robes, and he had a stick thing people called wands. He secretly wondered why it was a wand. Could he just pick a random stick off the ground and call it a wand? And he heard people talking about quit tag. It had something to do with brooms. Was it a new version of tag? Quit tag. It sounded fun!

He had been herded in with the other first years, and they were given a drink. He looked at it with his head tilted to one side. Was this a test, like in The Princess Bride, where he had to say if there was poison in his drink? That wouldn’t be fun. He didn’t know how to do that. He didn’t want to die! But everyone else was drinking out of their cups, so Jacob quickly did, and was disgusted by the taste. It was yucky!

But then his hazel eyes widened. He was, like…brown! How had that happened? All he did was drink out of the cup! Oh no. He looked wildly around. Everyone was turning different colors! What were the colors supposed to mean? Was it poison? He was gonna die! They were trying to kill him! He stood and waited for his body to freeze up, or just something.

Nope. Nothing.

Okay, so he wasn’t going to die. That made him kind of sad though. He wanted to know what it would’ve been like to die by a weirdo potion that turned people different colors. Well, knowing that that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon, he followed a brown boy to a table with a normal colored boy. He sat down next to them.

The principal began to speak, introducing himself as Headmaster Bulla. Headmaster? Weird. Well, everything here was cool and weird. So he liked the headmaster. He was hungry, he realized, in the middle of the speech. So then he let his mind wander.

What would they serve in a magic school? His mom told him not to eat any sweets, or things with sugar because, well, it wasn’t safe for the people around him. He went crazy. But he couldn’t help it! What was he supposed to do? If there was a big chocolate bunny in front of him, he wouldn’t be able to resist it. Last time he had some candy, he had somehow ended up in a tree. He had no clue how he got there, seeing that he was on the other side of the street, but someone had come out of a car and began yelling at him when he was in the tree. How much sugar is in magic candy?

Food appeared. He looked around, very surprised. Where had it come from?! Next time, he’d just stare at the plate. The food wouldn’t sneak up on him next time! Someone spoke next to him, the brown boy, “Hey – don’t ya think this place is awesome? Way better than any Muggle school,”

Jacob raised an eyebrow. “Mud gull?” he asked. “Is that some type of bird? It sounds like, totally coolio!” he grinned, rubbing the top of his messy brown head, and his hair was brown before he turned brown, so that didn’t scare him. His hand was starting to turn back to normal, and he was grateful. It meant that he wouldn’t die some weird death.

The boy next to the brown boy spoke, talking about mud gull school. Jacob listened, trying to understand what they were saying. Then the boy said to the brown boy, "Pecari is the best, so you lucked out. You play soccer?"

Jacob’s mouth dropped. Soccer! He understood that word!

“Dude, dude, dude!” he exclaimed. “I play soccer! I love soccer! I’m glad people here know about soccer. The only sport I hear anything about is Quit Tag, and that has to do with brooms, and I don’t know how you can play a sport on a broom. And what’s a mud gull? Seriously, I’m not playing dumb! I just am!” He took a deep breath.

“I’m Jacob. People call me Jake. I don’t care what you call me. What’s a Pecari?” he tilted his head to one side, grinning like mad. He had no clue what anyone was saying, but he was still gonna have fun here!

0 Jacob Andrews I play soccer! *jumps up and down happily* 0 Jacob Andrews 0 5

Lucie
September 09, 2007 1:38 PM

Lucie
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Written by:

pardonnez-moi (thread wrapping) by Lucie
Blue eyes looked curiously back and forth between Kasey and Caden, as she took another bite of mashed potatoes. Her spoon facing down, it was held a moment longer in her mouth, as thoughts were processed. Perhaps, she was making Caden more nervous. While Lucie had no problems with those she didn't know, she knew that other kids did. Maybe she should leave? She didn't want to seem rude to Kasey, but one less person might make Caden feel better. Besides, she could go seek Devian and tell him all about the other two girls and her new House.

Finished with her dinner, it was decided. Lucie took the napkin from her lap and wiped her mouth. She ran her tongue over her teeth for good measure to make sure no food was stuck, which could always be potentially embarrassing. Most embarrassing things could be laughed off, but for her that wasn't one of them. Finally, a brief check of curls and she knew was set to go. She didn't have a strong care about appearance, but her mother had impacted on her the need to look at least well groomed.

With this, she gave a brilliant smile to her companions while simultaneously excusing herself and apologizing for it, "I do apologize, however, I must go find Devian. I am sure I will see you shortly when we go to our dorms. Caden, I do hope you feel better. Talk to you both later."

With this, she was out of her chair, skipping in one direction, long blonde hair the last thing to be seen.

0 Lucie pardonnez-moi (thread wrapping) 0 Lucie 0 5

Mere
September 09, 2007 1:44 PM

Mere
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That's quite a few trombones by Mere
“Aaaawww,” Meredith dragged on over dramatically when Elly said she had no money for a shopping trip. She smiled and reached for some chicken to add to her plate as she spoke. “Well if worse comes to worst, I’ll buy you a few things if we go. Okay? I have to make up for not being in touch almost all summer.”

And then Elly brought up Ms. Corona’s School for Zombie Princesses. As much as Mere didn’t like the place, she could admit there were a few laughs. Abby and her cameras snapping pictures of everything. She got a great shot of the top girls in Class 6 covered in nail polish. She was a nice girl. Her only problem was that she talked too much and that defined her as ‘weird’ to the other girls. When Meredith returned, not looking like her very soul had been sucked from her body as she claimed she might, a permanent smirk had been plastered to Faye’s face. And somewhere in there, there was a thankful look that Meredith wasn’t mad anymore.

“Oh it was ever so delightful,” she answered in the same faux tone as when she greeted everyone at first at Irene’s. “I learned how to walk and how to sit and how to speak, and how to ‘emphasize my beauty.’” Mere rolled her eyes and went back to her normal voice. “I’ll admit not all of it was bad. A lot of the girls in my room were nice. Oh!” Mere reached into her robe pocket and pulled out a packet of muggle pictures. “Abby sent me a bunch of pictures she took. I thought you might want to see them. If you thought Echo’s glasses were funny, you’re going to love what they made me wear everyday.”

The pictures were mainly of the Class 1 girls in their room or just around the school’s halls or lawn. They were all wearing their white blouses underneath peach vests with a patch of the school’s emblem sewed to the top left. They also wore the matching pleated skirt, beige Mary Janes and white knee socks. A fair few pictures were of just Mere and Abby as the two girls had bonded a lot over the summer. All of the pictures were labeled. In the first one Mere stood next to a girl with curly brown hair and green eyes in between their beds and in uniform. It was labeled: “Abigail Emma & Meredith Hannah-Class 1 Room”

0 Mere That's quite a few trombones 0 Mere 0 5

Lucas Smythe
September 09, 2007 1:59 PM

Lucas Smythe
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: 12

Here's to another year? [Tag: an Aladren first year] by Lucas Smythe
Lucas absentmindedly drew circles on the table as he watched the new first years being sorted into their houses. He watched his as his cousin, Cecily, took a sip from the goblet, and narrowed his eyes a little as she began to glow red. He had hoped to be in Crotalus himself, but his brains obviously outdid his powerthirst where sorting was involded since he had become an Aladren.

He watched Cecily, gritting his teeth a little. His parents hadn't been completely thrilled when he was sorted into Aladren, but it wasn't like they were angry with him either. Once they've heard about Cecily's sorting though, he was sure that he'd be hearing their speech on the subject again.

Life at Sonora was sure to be a little less normal this year - if it was ever normal to start with, that is, but with Cecily here..? She was sure to make his life more interesting to say the least, but whether for better or worse, he was almost certain it would be the latter.

She was annoying - she hadn't stopped talking at him the entire journey to the school. Maybe he would have replied every now and then had he got the chance, but she was keen to blabber on continueously the entire way.

Lucas sighed and pushed his fringe from his face. He decided to ignore Cecily for now and focus on the first years that were turning blue, and whether any of them looked worth talking to.

As all the first years began taking their seats, Bulla stood up and began his speech. Lucas listened half-heartedly, only perking slightly when he mentioned something about a surprise or... or something.

After the man had finished speaking, Lucas turned to the person next to him - a new first year, as it happened. "Hey, welcome to Aladren," he said, offering his usual weird half-smile and removing his fringe from his eye once more. "I'm Lucas."

0 Lucas Smythe Here's to another year? [Tag: an Aladren first year] 96 Lucas Smythe 0 5

Claire Villon
September 09, 2007 2:29 PM

Claire Villon
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Most of what I say is true. by Claire Villon
"Ah, Californie." Claire nodded at Gray. He seemed to stutter a lot, but was a relatively pleasant sort of person, as far as she could tell. "I am from Avignon, France," she added. Not that he would probably know where that was. "Transfiguration is an intriguing subject. My brother is an animagus, you know," she added somewhat proudly. She did not add that he was currently exiled from France for brutally hexing a Muggle. The family skeletons could stay firmly in the closet, as far as she was concerned; this place might as well mark her fresh start, away from the rumors surrounding her family amongst the French purebloods.

"Mais... my own favorite is Charms," Claire said thoughtfully, serving herself a helping of potatoes and cutting into one. "Very interesting and more... versatile, is perhaps the word... than Transfiguration. In my opinion, au moins." She blushed. "I apologize, I forget the English for it. In any case--" She rushed on, popping a bite of potato in her mouth to over her embarrassment. "I like to read also. I do not write--though one of my ancestors was a famous poet. I do like to make up spells!"

Claire ended on rather a brighter note than her usually impeccable, monotone manners allowed. Spell creation (at which she was, of course, a complete novice) was one of her favorite activities. To date, she had thought up a new variation on the bread-buttering Charm and the candle-lighting Charm, but she had big plans for the future, once she learned more magic.

0 Claire Villon Most of what I say is true. 0 Claire Villon 0 5

Laurie Cider
September 09, 2007 2:36 PM

Laurie Cider
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[Insert Floridian word for hello="hi"] by Laurie Cider
Laurie had finally finished partitioning off her peas from the glob of mashed potatoes. She preferred her plates to have separate sections for each dish, but the Sonoran plates were all 'one big happy family-ish.' Some of the students' plates, she saw with outward shudders, had gone the tornado route of food piling, with everything touching and running into each other. No order whatsoever.

“Bonjour, mademoiselle, Je m’appelles Raoul…" Laurie gaped at the boy. What on earth was he speaking? Was that latin or something? The blond haired boy went on though, "Oh pardon, I did not realize I was speaking in French. I’m Raoul, and I couldn’t help overhear you. I take it you are born into magic?”

Laurie gave herself a second to digest both the switch from what she now knew as French to English, as well as the peas she had been working on just a moment earlier. She tucked a flyaway bit of hair behind an ear, and tried to answer.

"Um, I guess? Well, not really. I mean, my dad is, but my mom's all Muggle. She's a bank-teller, she's so normal." She rushed on, knowing that she wasn't making any real sense. Time to put it in a sensible explanation. "Okay, so my dad's from a family that's all magical. But he married my mom, who's not magical at all. So that would make me a half-blood. Thing is, both of my older brothers are, too, except I'm the only one to show a magical inclination. Unless Tim's hiding it because he's a creep like that."

She cocked a suspicious eyebrow at her plate. The peas were most definitely not behaving as they should. "Oh, and yeah, my name's Laurie Cider, newest inductee it looks like to the Crotalus House." And, considering some of the other reddened students from before, Laurie felt that she might be one of the few roundly normal ones.

Appearances can be deceiving though, she knew, and so she decided to stave off full judgment until after at least the fourth impression. "Oh, oh, also! I completely didn't understand the French part. Was 'Raoul' your name or is it some kind of verb that stands for 'to run' or 'to make sauces'?"

0 Laurie Cider [Insert Floridian word for hello="hi"] 0 Laurie Cider 0 5

Kaylie
September 09, 2007 3:20 PM

Kaylie
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 16
Birthday: July 14

I think I'm going to be sick... by Kaylie
No,no,no,NO! Why did this have to be happening? Why did Lexi of all people have to sit by them? Kaylie could handle Dalila, obviously, otherwise she wouldn't have been sitting down by her in the first place. Lexi was another story. She pushed her food around on her plate, suddenly wishing Adam was still clinging to her and she could just go sit by him.

It had been stupid to sit down by Dalila in the first place. Kaylie knew Lexi and Dalila were roommates and friends. Still, Lexi could have sat with...Lily or something. Or Kaylie should have.

To make matters worse, Nicoletta Dupree had just asked Lexi if she could sit with her. That meant the two girls were probably friends as well now. Nicoletta probably liked Lexi more than her and preferred that Chris was dating her instead of Kaylie.

She looked up when Lexi, of all people, asked how her summer was. It helped that Lexi hadn't mentioned spending time with Chris. Kaylie took a deep breath and managed to keep her voice steady. "Well, my cousin got married and my little sister, Nina, stood up and announced to all the guests that he was gay."

11 Kaylie I think I'm going to be sick... 43 Kaylie 0 5

Ronen Cooper
September 09, 2007 3:46 PM

Ronen Cooper
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

I... don't by Ronen Cooper
Ronen shook his head at the first boy to answer him, “Nah man – not any Muggle school I know about, anyway. Way boring, and way too easy.”

He stopped short, shoving some mashed potatoes in his mouth to keep it from blurting out anything else. The dark-haired boy didn’t want anybody thinking he was some super-nerdy Aladren, or anything. That had kind of been a problem back at Muggle school in the early years, it was not uncommon for other kids to pick on him because he found the schoolwork easy, and to some extent, enjoyed it. So he had used his brains for other things – like figuring out the best ways to cause chaos in the classroom. That kind of thing forced him to be especially imaginative, and he found well-thought out pranks to be terribly fun. Plus, the other kids had learned not to pick on him anymore, either.

Ronen grinned, “Yeah, I know all about Pecari, just about everyone in my family’s been in here,” he couldn’t hide the pride he felt for making the family house, but the pride was followed by an unenthusiastic shrug, “I played in gym class, but we Coopers are more of a Quidditch playing family.” Ronen didn’t care to mention that he rarely played himself. He loved the game just as much as any other Cooper did, but he thought he was much too clumsy, and a danger to society when on a broom. It was downright embarrassing, almost as embarrassing as being called a nerd.

Ronen rubbed his hands together. They were getting lighter in color, till they faded to their usual olive color. His brown eyes gazed upon a rather enthusiastic boy who went on and on about Mud gulls. Huh? Oh, he meant Muggles! The kid had to be a Muggleborn, then. But wouldn’t he have learned what a Muggle was by now – wouldn’t somebody have told him? Ronen’s mom said that when it was time for her to go to school, a wizard had come to her house to explain about the wizarding world. Ronen’s mom was a Muggleborn too. Maybe times had changed, after all, his mother hadn’t been in school for a while now.

“Muggles,” Ronen pronounced clearly, “It means people who can’t do magic, like us.”

Ronen winced at the severe butchering of the name of the sport that had put the Cooper family on the map a decade ago. It still amazed him to this day that people – including Muggles – could live their entire lives, and not know anything about Quidditch.

“Brooms fly, man,” Ronen explained, “Well, magic people can fly on brooms, anyway. And the game’s called Quidditch; it’s played in the air, obviously, on a Quidditch Pitch. And Pecari is the name of the house we’ve just been sorted in.” At this point, he was just trying to turn the conversation away from soccer. He didn't play either sport, really, but at least he had a lot of general knowledge about Quidditch.

Piling more mashed potatoes onto his plate, he realized he was forgetting something, and then he looked up at the other two guys, “The names Ronen, Ronen Cooper. Should’a mentioned that earlier, I guess. And you’re not dumb, Jake, you’re just… clueless, I guess,” he said, unsure if that term was any better, “Didn’t anybody come to your house to explain stuff to you when you got your letter? I thought they did that with all kids from Muggle families.”

0 Ronen Cooper I... don't 124 Ronen Cooper 0 5

Raoul
September 09, 2007 3:48 PM

Raoul
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Caedence

Age in Post: 11

Gee, that sounds like a simple translation by Raoul
"Um, I guess? Well, not really. I mean, my dad is, but my mom's all Muggle. She's a bank-teller, she's so normal. Okay, so my dad's from a family that's all magical. But he married my mom, who's not magical at all. So that would make me a half-blood. Thing is, both of my older brothers are, too, except I'm the only one to show a magical inclination. Unless Tim's hiding it because he's a creep like that."

Raoul blinked a few times. He caught about half of what the girl said, and not due to the language either. She spoke so fast, it would be difficult for even an English person to keep up with her. How was that humanly possible?

Finally the girl paused to introduce herself. "Oh, and yeah, my name's Laurie Cider, newest inductee it looks like to the Crotalus House."

“I see,” Raoul lied.

"Oh, oh, also! I completely didn't understand the French part. Was 'Raoul' your name or is it some kind of verb that stands for 'to run' or 'to make sauces'?"

Raoul laughed, “Oui, yes, Raoul is my name. Raoul Delachenne. Again, my apologies. It is my habit to speak French, as I was raised there. I have lived in California only a short time, and I find myself babbling on with other people just staring at me, nodding sometimes,” He laughed again.

He frowned, “Are there problems with your peas? You keep shoving them around and not eating them…” He asked quirking an eyebrow. Grabbing a glass of apple juice, he took a sip. Sighing, he wished that he could find some more foods like he had at home. “I think the food here’s yummy, but I wish there was some good onion soup or bouillabaisse…” he looked at the table, as if hoping his wishing would make the food appear. \n

52 Raoul Gee, that sounds like a simple translation 125 Raoul 0 5

Lydia Krotchet
September 09, 2007 3:52 PM

Lydia Krotchet
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Like wow, yeah hi! by Lydia Krotchet
Lydia bounced into the hall, accidentally (but loudly) emitting a squeaked 'wow!' as she took in the room's appearance. The floor was marbled and there were waterfalls on the walls and it was all just beautiful, though she couldn't help feel that there wasn't enough pink, and some decorative plants could really do the place some good.

With her naturally tanned hand, she took hold of her dark reddish brown wavy hair, currently loose, and twisted it around itself into a makeshift ponytail to keep it out the way. Her deep blue eyes darted excitedly in all directions - she was really here. She had come to a magic school.

"This is so cool!" she exclaimed to nobody in particular, before being handed a goblet of... some sort of liquid. She tilted the vessel to her lips and took a small sip, one hand absentmindedly fiddling with her large silver hooped earrings. As she moved her hand back down, she noticed that she had gained a yellow tinge to her skin. She looked down at the rest of herself and began giggling when she saw that her entire body had become yellow, even her fluffy pink jacket had taken to the new hue.

Lydia thrust her goblet toward somebody else and jogged happily over to the Teppenpaw table, still glowing a little bit yellow. "Hi!" she giggled some more, looking at a few of her new housemates. "Hi!" she took a seat, "I'm Lydia!"

She stopped talking as the headmaster stood to speak and listened to what he had to say. As soon as he had finished his speech, she smiled brightly around the table. "Hi! I'm Lydia Krotchet, I'm from LA but I lived in Africa for a year but now I live back here in America! I've so been looking forward to coming here and meeting everyone! Like, wow, this is going to be so cool!"

She stopped to take a breath and turned to the girl next her. "Hi, what's your name? I'm Lydia." She grinned - school was going to be so cool.

0 Lydia Krotchet Like wow, yeah hi! 0 Lydia Krotchet 0 5

Eavan
September 09, 2007 4:00 PM

Eavan
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Neither did I : ) by Eavan
Oh...so they were her cousin and sister. Eavan mouthed an 'O' and felt slightly embarrassed that she assumed they were twins. But she felt a lot better when Camren said she actually did have twin siblings. Eavan smiled and answered quickly.

"Oh, they're nine, and a handful. Elliot's like five minutes older, but he follows Ethan around like a lost puppy. I can't wait until they get to come here. I'll have at least one year with all my brothers at Sonora." As further explanation, she added. "I have an older brother here. Earl. He's a Crotalus fifth year."

Feeling she had gone on long enough, Eavan fell silent for moment and looked back at Caden and Kasey.

"It must be nice to have your family in the same house as you."

0 Eavan Neither did I : ) 0 Eavan 0 5

Brett Hodges
September 09, 2007 4:00 PM

Brett Hodges
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Brett the Guide? by Brett Hodges
Brett could totally mess with these guys. The one further down, Jake, he had no clue, just like Brett'd had no clue last year when Saul the Guide gave him and the other firsties their first tour on their way to their first class.

Jake played soccer. That was awesome. Brett leaned forward so he could see the excitable kid.

"Pecari," he explained, "is going to be the first House to have a soccer team. No magic, just athletics--like the mugs intended. And check it out: some words you have to know around here, Jake. Muggles are people who can't do magic and are oblivious to the magical world. So I'm telling you this, right, so your family is probably muggles. That makes you muggleborn--unless your family's not telling you something. My parents are squibs, which means they were born into magical families but didn't have magic. I was raised muggle. With me so far? Muggle--non magical. Squib--not magical from a magical family."

"And Quidditch--that's like quid (like squid without the s) and itch (like the chicken pox). Quidditch. Okay, so Quidditch is like this game that people play on brooms. It's cool and there's a lot of books on it in the library. But, it's not as awesome as soccer, which for some reason wizards know nothing about at all."

Which brought him to his point. "And that's why I am starting up a soccer group. I'm Brett by the way. You guys should join up. It's going to be in Labyrinth Gardens, you don't have to come every time. It's just fun. I'm hoping if I can get enough interest, we can get a few teams going and play regular."

Okay, so he was making up his soccer group as he went along so he just completely contradicted what he said at the beginning with Pecari having the first soccer team, but whatever. It was all good if there was an interest, and he'd work out the details later.

0 Brett Hodges Brett the Guide? 0 Brett Hodges 0 5

Brett Hodges
September 09, 2007 4:05 PM

Brett Hodges
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[OOC: Ignore this one... I was the slower] (nm) by Brett Hodges

0 Brett Hodges [OOC: Ignore this one... I was the slower] (nm) 0 Brett Hodges 0 5

Dalila
September 09, 2007 4:09 PM

Dalila
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This could get ugly... by Dalila
Dalila answered Lexi's question with only "Adam and I went to a Hex con--" when Nicoletta Dupree walked up and asked if she could sit with them. Dalila grinned and nodded, glad to have more people to talk to. She was about to go on again, but Lexi switched the subject to Kaylie. Dalila shrugged and bit into her pasta again while grabbing a spoonful of veggies. She could tell Lexi all about her summer later on. That was the wonderful thing about sharing a room with someone.

Halfway done with her chewing, Dalila almost choked with laughter. "And how old is your little sister?" Dalila asked Kaylie between fits of laughter. Kids say the darndest things...

0 Dalila This could get ugly... 0 Dalila 0 5

Tally
September 09, 2007 4:31 PM

Tally
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It's neither really, honeslty just surprised. by Tally
Tally, lost in her thoughts and eating her food in silence, hadn't even noticed the arrival of Mia. Six years ago, Tally had met and befriended Mia in this very hall. That night had been an amusing night where Mia had found herself covered in paint because of some juvenile prank pulled by a couple of Pecaris. Somehow, over the years, the two girls had remained friends. Though that word was used liberally these past couple of years considering the girls hardly ever spoken.

Her eyes glanced at Mia when she spoke so that Mia was aware she was listening. Tally put her fork down and turned slightly in her seat to give Mia her full attention. It was only after she turned that Tally noticed the physical difference in Mia's appearance. She quirked an eyebrow at the change, but made no comment on it. Tally wasn't one to talk, last year she had come to Sonora where makeup and skirts. Though she hadn't changed her hair or anything, she was still trying to become something more.

She shrugged when Mia spoke, "It's fine. It's not like I went out of my way to send you any owls either." Tally commented, her voice friendly. "Life gets in the way." Tally paused and looked down at her food. Remembering her summer for not the first time brought on a smile. She couldn't remember being this happy from coming back to school from home. Last time, Tally had been so miserable she had cried herself to sleep. Of course, that was during Christmas and everything seemed to have been collapsing around her, but it was amazing what a few months could do to fix everything completely. Or nearly completely.

"Anyway, I'm fine. Dr. Quack says I'm doing pretty well with learning to block things out. The only time it seem to be a real issue is when it's sudden and I don't have time to prepare myself. for it." Tally told Mia. "Surprise trip? That sounds like fun. Where'd he take all of you?" Tally asked, figuring that perhaps Mia needed someone other than her boyfriend to talk to. Tally was actually surprised the two of them weren't cuddled together in a corner like they had been for the last couple of years.

0 Tally It's neither really, honeslty just surprised. 0 Tally 0 5

Nicoletta
September 09, 2007 4:37 PM

Nicoletta
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Just a tad by Nicoletta
Since Nicoletta heard the tail end of Lexi's summer question, she was greeted with hearing 'Adam and I'. Nicoletta nearly blanched and it had made asking to sit with them all the more nerve wracking. She wished that she had realized Lexi was sitting with Dalila. She knew exactly who the Adam was. It was once her Adam, but as of the end of last year had been seen an awfully lot with Dalila. Nicoletta's stomach gave a funny flip. It was odd to think about Adam. She had thought about him all summer, had hoped that somehow things could work out between them. She had even bought him a present while she was in France, praying it would serve as an icebreaker, something of a forgiveness one. But she knew with Dalila's sentence that it was most likely improbable.

What was worst was that no one had known about the relationship. The only people that knew that she was in a relationship were her roommates and they thought it was with Lucien, which was partially true. Bah, she didn't want to think about him. She didn't want to think about either one at the moment. Everything was just so painful. She wanted to cry, but she refused to. She had already shed enough tears over summer. Blinking them back and trying to get ahold of herself, she stared at the table, barely listening to what Kaylie was talking about until Nina's name was mentioned. Chris had met her family and talked about it afterwards. That was the summer when they had been a serious couple, not destined to last due to their family. She looked towards the older girl, wondering if she had felt this way. How much had it hurt her? Then, a glance at Lexi, how serious were Chris and her? Would she get hurt too? Nothing good seemed to come of the ignorant traditional ways. Oh, if she had just learned this lesson sooner, then maybe she wouldn't be feeling this way now.

Dalila's question broke up her pity party, asking about Nina's age. Not meaning to, but remembering, Nicoletta answered, "Seven." She met Kaylie's eyes. "She's seven, right?"

She had met Kaylie and Lexi's eyes, but was avoiding Dalila's. She hated, yet didn't hate the girl. It all felt strange. Dalila didn't know, so Nicoletta couldn't fault her for it, couldn't call her any nasty names for it. Besides, Nicoletta knew she only had herself to blame. But at the same time, if Dalila hadn't come along, then maybe she would have had a chance. She wished she could be six again when things were so much simpler.

0 Nicoletta Just a tad 0 Nicoletta 0 5

Laurie Cider
September 09, 2007 4:39 PM

Laurie Cider
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I do it for the lulz by Laurie Cider
Laurie nodded with some understanding. When her oldest brother, Bryce was fifteen, they'd sponsored a Romanian boy for six months. At first, he'd only speak haltingly, and then, with gestures that needed no translation, berate himself in Romanian for a few minutes. It took nearly two months before Laurie, who had been nine at the time, finally understood anything he said- English included. Raoul's English was much better. He even used contractions.

"My peas?" she began in response to the inquiry. "There's nothing wrong, except I don't like my food to touch. I mean, the dish is peas, not mashed potatoes and peas. I prefer for the flavors to be separate."

She stated this with such a matter of factness that one could quite plainly see she saw nothing neurotic in the behavior. "Onion soup? Bleh. Bouillabaisse, now I've had that twice, when my dad was writing one of his cookbooks." She pushed her half eaten plate aside, and grabbed a fresh one. On this one she put only chicken, and then proceeded to take off all the skin.

"My dad writes these crossover cookbooks for Muggles and Wizards alike. 'Course, the Muggles who buy them have to be in a wizarding bookstore to get them, but anyways. Like two years ago, he wrote one on slowcooker- crockpots?- recipes, so it was full of stews and stuff. He wanted to do bouillebaisse, except in his recipe he took out the shellfish and added double-ended newts. It wasn't half bad, either."

She imagined, what with Rauol being French and all, the idea of eating amphibians wouldn't cause the usual 'ew, gross!' response that the mentioning of such things normally prompted. Laurie remembered her mom's reaction when she found out what the secret ingredient had been. Her father wasn't allowed to use the kitchen for a full month.

"You know, if the elves here (I think they're called Prairie-Elves) are anything like some of my grandparents' House-Elves, I bet you could get one of them to make you up something special." She supplied an optimistic grin to further accent her suggestion. "How long were you in France, anyway? And where exactly?"

0 Laurie Cider I do it for the lulz 0 Laurie Cider 0 5

Brett Hodges
September 09, 2007 4:46 PM

Brett Hodges
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Written by:

You're missing out. by Brett Hodges
Brett ignored the first kid's further comments about muggle school. Brett had found school to be easy too... or, at least, easy enough that he didn't do an ounce of work and still pulled off his Cs. Boring? Not with Zander, Tyler, and Brandon in class, it wasn't.

Brett leaned forward to get a look down the table at Jake the Muggleborn and missed his chance to recruit him to his as yet unformed soccer group because his mouth was full. Later, then. Maybe he could get them both yet, if he was patient.

"Didn’t anybody come to your house to explain stuff to you when you got your letter? I thought they did that with all kids from Muggle families," Ronan added after he quickly explained a bunch of the stuff.

"Yeah, they do," Brett spoke up, "But some of the people they send are useless and don't care a lick if the mugs know anything when they get here."

Brett had been spared being clueless on his first days by an emergency visit to see his father's mysterious family in California. As it turned out, Brett's parents were both Squibs. His father had been disowned from a proper wizarding family when he didn't get his letter (officially, anyway, they never sent him away). He was now a coordinator of the Squib Rights Foundation in California (little did Brett know). His mom's family was none too prestigious, producing more Squibs than wizards, so when she didn't get her letter they rejoiced in having produced another activist. His mom met his father while working for the Squib Rights Foundation, but they divorced a few years later and she became a muggle elementary school teacher in Sundance, Wyoming.

If it weren't for his family ties, he'd have shown up just as clueless as some of his friends had.

0 Brett Hodges You're missing out. 0 Brett Hodges 0 5

Chris
September 09, 2007 5:57 PM

Chris
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Written by:

So, do I qualify as an alien? :P by Chris
Fairly easy sounded good to Chris. He would be responsible and uphold his prefect duties, however, easy meant time that he could devote to other things, such as studies, working out, and Lexi. Though, he still wasn't sure exactly why he had been chosen for the task. He has always done well in classes, but that was nearly a given of being in Aladren. Otherwise, he didn't feel he had anything that had really made him stand out. If anything, in their House and year, his friend, Bella, was the one that did, but there really was no point in worrying about it, as what was done was done.

As he listened to Zack describe how he had tackled the obstacle, Chris had to admit it was rather clever. He had gone past the station a couple times last year, but had never thought much about it since it didn't really apply to him and besides, he really didn't spend much time in the library, especially after it became the break-up place. He much preferred the Hall (he was a growing boy), the Common room, or the outdoors.

He supposed that even if he didn't do a prefect station, he should at least try and make himself available. So, to Zack, he said, "I'll probably stick around the Common room and make myself available that way. I'm usually there anyhow."

Taking a cue from the older boy, he grabbed broccoli and chicken. He really didn't like turkey. Once he and Zack were both finished, he was asked if he had any questions. Did he? It had all seemed simple enough. "Not at the moment."

0 Chris So, do I qualify as an alien? :P 0 Chris 0 5

Thomas Fitzgerald
September 09, 2007 7:38 PM

Thomas Fitzgerald
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

Hear, hear. by Thomas Fitzgerald
Though the paintings there didn't move, the windows weren't covered in water, and the people were, for the most part, a lot older, the vestibule and Cascade Hall made Thomas think of the capitol building in Missouri. He had only seen it in person a few times, but between them and his grandparents's pictures, he still remembered what it looked like and found himself reminded of it. He had to work hard not to laugh at the look he imagined would cross his grandfather's face if, in a moment of monumental stupidity, he made bold enough to compare the capitol to anything magical in front of the old man. His grandfather didn't much like magic.

Like many others in the line of first years, Thomas eyed the chalice he was given suspiciously. Logic said it was probably a potion, and he'd read more than enough of his Potions textbook to know that he didn't necessarily want all of the things that could go into potions inside him. He'd taken potions when sick before, but that was before he'd read what went into some of them. As all the others were starting to drink, though, he made a face and drank the entire dose at a normal pace, careful not to gulp it and make himself sick.

He watched with interest as his hands and arms started to turn blue. The people around him were also turning colors left and right, some of them the same sapphiry color that he had. It was like they were four separate species, only vaguely shaped the same. Shaking his head at the thought, he made his way to an empty seat. He listened politely to what the Headmaster had to say, was just as interested as the next person what the "surprise" they might have after midterm was, and turned eagerly to the feast once it made its appearance. It felt like a lot longer since he'd last eaten at home than he knew it had been.

He was sampling a baked potato when the boy next to him - not another first year, he thought, but not much older in any case - turned to him and spoke. "Thanks," he said. He thought it a stroke of luck to have ended up talking to a person from his own House. It was more practical than the alternative. "I'm Thomas." He did not see any need to announce that he'd been named for Thomas Jefferson. He knew the family was proud of all his grandfather had done in his life, but it seemed like it was taking it a little far to name every male grandchild he had after a Founding Father. "Is the food always this good?" he asked.

0 Thomas Fitzgerald Hear, hear. 109 Thomas Fitzgerald 0 5

Nikki Ramirez
September 09, 2007 8:54 PM

Nikki Ramirez
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Written by:

Time heals all wounds (title sux i no) by Nikki Ramirez
Nikki climbed the steps that led her into Sonora Academy and what would be her third year. The all black attire she had worn at the end of last year (after she had come back from Mexico) was gone. Instead she wore a small tee-shirt in Aladren blue and pair of khaki carpi's under her robes. She still missed Abuelo but she had accepted his death, and knew he was in a better place.

Nevertheless, this summer had certainly been different. Last year had been Benito's first year at uni, and Julio's last at Youmans. This summer, instead of Abuelo out working around the ranch, it was Julio. Papi was now head of the family, and Julio would someday inherit this title. Abuela, understandably, was less lively than he had been before Abuelo's death. Benito had brought a girl home this summer. Nikki knew it was serious if he had invited a Muggle to the ranch, especially in present circumstances.

Nikki's summer had been a perpetual casserole dinner. For some reason everyone thought that it was necessary to bring casseroles to families of people who had died months before. Because of this, Nikki had barely had anything to eat other than casserole all summer. As she entered the Cascade Hall her mouth began to water at the scents of the food drifting up from the kitchens below.

She looked around for a familiar face. She didn't see the twins, but she spotted Caedence and Echo and began to make her way towards them. She stopped and sat down in front of Caedence just n time to hear Echo whisper, 'I was in and out of psychiatric institutions.'

"Better not let Leo hear that." she joked, suspecting her friend would just love to hold this over Echo's head. Instantly she realized she sounded insensitive and added, "It's okay you know." she told him in a comforting voice. "You shouldn't have to feel ashamed about it. I know it's not the same but I'm bipolar. I've been on medication and in therapy since I was about five. If that's any consolation."

0 Nikki Ramirez Time heals all wounds (title sux i no) 0 Nikki Ramirez 0 5

Echo Elms
September 09, 2007 10:46 PM

Echo Elms
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Echo Elms

Age in Post: 13

What about old ones? by Echo Elms
"Better not let Leo hear that," came Nikki's unexpected voice and Echo's insides might have sunk or clenched or flip flopped or something else, but he hardly noticed because they were already pretty busily doing whatever they could to make him as jumpy and awkward as possible. Still, Nikki was not one of the people he wanted hearing about his summer. She seemed nice and all, but he didn't really talk to her that much, and she was friends with Leo, so it was sort of weird. And Leo... last year he and Leo did such a good job avoiding each other that Echo had sort of forgotten about being scared of him. Where was he, anyway? Probably standing right behind him, with his luck. He turned and looked, but if Leo was in earshot, that's not where he was hiding.

"It's okay you know," Nikki continued and went on to say she was bipolar, on meds, and in therapy and stuff.

"Really?" Echo asked, surprised. Except for the whole hanging out with Leo thing, he'd always thought Nikki was pretty normal. He wasn't sure what bipolar meant, honestly, and wasn't sure if he should ask, so he didn't. "I just started all that, but I guess I should have like four or five years ago. My parents found out about my... that I can't do the physical contact thing. My brain doesn't process it right." There. That was a nice mega-normal way to say that--if a mega-normal way existed. It didn't include words like fear or phobia or terrified or nervous breakdown or other things that made him sound like a complete wimp (he was fine with the actual being a wimp, but he'd prefer not to sound that way).

He gave Caedence a sidelong glance and added to her, because she'd asked earlier, "Hence the twitchy." Speaking of the twitchy, it was not getting better. Hopefully, people would start clearing out soon so he could eat without worrying about stabbing himself with his fork (though he was actually more concerned about looking even more klutzy than he did when he spilled Caedence's water all over her earlier). The food looked so inviting, too, and his stomach was starting to get impatient, but he kept his arms folded and tight. No shaking, no twitching. Where were the prefects? Surely the first years were done eating by now?\r\n\r\n

21 Echo Elms What about old ones? 93 Echo Elms 0 5

Kasey and Caden
September 10, 2007 1:03 AM

Kasey and Caden
Peripheral
Written by:

But... by Kasey and Caden
Kasey looked from her cousin to Lucie, whom she hoped would be a friend to both of them. Kasey didn't know what to do. This was an odd sensation to Kasey. Usually she knew what to do with everything, and this, more than Caden's behavior, scared Kasey.

Lucie looked back and forth between the cousins, and Kasey knew it. Caden, on the other hand, hadn't even let her eyes stray from her lap. Kasey practically pleaded with Caden to try to be friendly, but to no avail. Kasey watched as Lucie ate, and as Caden stared at her lap. Kasey couldn't even eat herself she was so worried about what would happen. Would Caden stop her from making friends of her own? Was Caden going to drag her down? Kasey wanted friends, and she didn't want to scare Lucie away. But Caden just wasn't ready for it. 'Maybe Auntie should have kept Caden back another year...' Kasey thought as she noticed Lucie wiping her mouth with her napkin.

'She's gonna leave... I'll never have any friends if I have to watch after Caden all the time! School is going to be awful!!!!!' Kasey thought, as her face fell at Lucie's apology. Caden had just ruined Kasey's first chance at a real friend at school...

"I guess it's okay..." Kasey said as Lucie walked away, blonde hair flying behind her. "Caden... Come on... You HAVE to try... Please..."

Kasey was begging, and Caden didn't know what to do or say. "M- maybe I'm just not made for school..." Caden mumbled with a slight stutter to her cousin.

Kasey sighed and looked at her cousin helplessly.

0 Kasey and Caden But... 0 Kasey and Caden 0 5

Camren
September 10, 2007 1:18 AM

Camren
Peripheral
Written by:

It's all good! by Camren
Camren noticed that Eavan looked a little embarrassed by assuming that Caden and Kasey were twins. "Really, it's okay. Don't feel bad about it. You'd never guess that Caden and I are only a year apart." Camren said, shrugging with a sigh. "Since what happened with Dad, she's been acting like this. I'm really worried about her." Camren added quietly to Eavan.

Then Camren told her about Crispin and Caitlin. She couldn't help but gush about her twin siblings. Infants or not, they were cute. Camren asked Eavan about her brothers and listened carefully as she told her about them. "Elliot seems to be like my sister Caden. She follows me like that. Kasey too." Camren smiled as Eavan seemed excited about having all her brothers there with her. "That's cool! I wish I could have all my siblings here with me too, but that will never happen." Camren said with a sigh. The twins were only infants. "You have an older brother too?" Camren asked. "Thats awesome! I've always wanted an older brother! What's it like?" Camren asked. She couldn't believe that she hadn't met Eavan before now. She seemed like an awesome girl. Maybe Eavan would even become her friend? Who knew?

Eavan was silent, and Camren wondered if she had somehow made Eavan uncomfortable. She noticed that Eavan was looking at Caden and Kasey. 'Did she wish that she had sisters like I wanted brothers?' Camren wondered as Eavan spoke.

"It's nice so far. I mean it's only the first night, but it may be fun." Camren really wasn't sure. Camren was really worried about Kasey and Caden. Kasey would want to play Mommy, but she would get frustrated that she couldn't have her own life too. Caden would bring Kasey down, Camren knew it. Camren sighed a deep sigh and looked gloomily at her lap.

'What will this year bring?' Camren wondered as she waited to see what Eavan would do or say.

0 Camren It's all good! 0 Camren 0 5

Lucas
September 10, 2007 4:50 AM

Lucas
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Well... yes. by Lucas
"Thanks, I'm Thomas." The other boy offered in reply to Lucas' welcome. Lucas smirked a little as the first year continued, asking about the food.

"Well," Lucas pondered that for a second or two, "yeah, I guess so, but after you've been eating it all year then you kinda get used to it and it's not so special anymore, if you get what I mean... it's hard to say since I've only been a year myself, though," He smiled a little - it seemed that he'd learned to actually speak to people this year as opposed to last year's stammerings and pointless nonsense that always managed to escape his lips. Either that, or this was just luck.

"Sooo..." Lucas began again, half wondering what to eat and half paying attention to the other boy. "Where are you from? I'm from Illinois."

Pushing his fringe from his eye, Lucas ignored the younger boy long enough to begin eating and to stealthily glance around to the Crotalus table to see what his cousin was up to and, though he hated to admit it, to see if she was doing alright.

He turned his attention back to his food and wondered whether it was healthy to eat if he wasn't actually all that hungry. Possibly not, but it tasted nice.

0 Lucas Well... yes. 0 Lucas 0 5

Irene Liddowe
September 10, 2007 6:21 AM

Irene Liddowe
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by:

Age in Post: 12

I guess I am too... *sad* by Irene Liddowe
Irene looked over from the Crotalus table to see Brett surrounded by a few firsties. She ruffled Josh's hair again and told Raye she'd catch up later before heading back to her home table. As she walked up she caught the last bit of Brett's sentance,

"But some of the people they send are useless and don't care a lick if the mugs know anything when they get here."

Irene looked confused for a moment and took a seat on the bench. "Did you just say 'mugs', Brett?" She said with a small laugh. She looked over at the others first years and gave them a smile.

"Hey guys," she greeted them, "Welcome to the best of the best!" She looked over to Brett. "I hope you informed them that we are the best, right?"

This was all very true. Irene had no doubts that Pecari was the pinacle of awesome. She was very happy that the people were friendly, some of them almost too friendly. But these were all good things. Friendly people were always fun to be with. They didn't mind if you popped up and started talking because they do the same thing. Irene loved being around people whose favorite thing was to be around people!

0 Irene Liddowe I guess I am too... *sad* 106 Irene Liddowe 0 5

Cecily
September 10, 2007 1:34 PM

Cecily
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and fun fun fun! by Cecily
“I heard that Quidditch is supposed to be excellent here – they have a real Quidditch Pitch and everything,” Zane said.

“Oh really?” Cecily asked, adjusting her new robes more comfortably since she’d sat down. “I’m not very interested in Quidditch,” she said, looking back to Zane, and starting to fidget with the tuft of hair at the end of her braid, “or any other sports, really.”

Cecily allowed herself another swift glance around the Hall. The waterfalls were still amazing her, but now she was equally interested in the other students, those older than her who had lots of magical experience. Cecily spied Lucas sitting over with some other Aladrens, and he was looking her direction. She waved enthusiastically at him. “That’s my cousin,” Cecily said to Zane, to explain her actions. “He’s in Aladren. I think that must be because he’s smart. Everyone was expecting him to be Crotalus, like they all expected me to be in Crotalus, too. My sister’s coming to Sonora next year. Daddy says we’ll be in Crotalus together, but he was wrong about Lucas, so who knows? Do you have any family here?”

Cecily said all of that quite rapidly, without pausing between sentences, which is how she had a tendency to speak. When she was done she looked directly at the boy seated next to her and fixed him with an unblinking gaze.

0 Cecily and fun fun fun! 0 Cecily 0 5

Briony O'Leary
September 10, 2007 2:26 PM

Briony O'Leary
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by:

Age in Post: 14

Late post by Briony O'Leary
Summer had been great. Last summer, they had spend most of their time fixing up the cabin, so Briony hadn't gotten much of an opportunity to meet any of the local children. This time had been completely different. Nearly every day she had gone swimming or into the nearby town with them. She had even learned to ride a bike, a very new, very muggle, experience, something she was sure her mother must have once done. The only unfortunate thing was having to hide the ability to do magic. Of course, the cover story was easy enough. She went to a boarding school where her father taught.

With the summer over, though, Briony was glad to be back at school. She couldn't wait to begin learning and she missed the library terribly. She really was geeky sometimes. Though, if she admitted it and once in a while she did, she had was also looking forward to seeing a certain boy. She wondered if he had changed at all over the summer. She had changed only very little. She was a bit taller and had filled out more. Her red hair was longer and now contained natural highlights from the sun. Skin was still fair, though, and easily burned. A sunblock charm, performed by her father, had become her best friend.

Briony didn't get much time to dwell over the events of summer as the Headmaster began his speech. When the prefects were announced, she clapped for each one. She didn't really know Christobel or Jordanna, but she knew of Lexi since they were in the same House and only a year older, and she had worked with Connor last year in Muggle Studies. Next year, she bet it would be her roommate, Pepper, going up there. Every year, the other girl led the first years around on a tour. Briony admired her for her take charge nature and obvious sweetness to do such a nice thing. She wished she could be like that instead of being more reserved.

With a sigh, she helped herself to some of the salad. As she was chewing, a thoughtful expression on her face, thinking about everything the new year was to hold. Thoughts soon lead to daydreams, which she was startled out of when someone sat down beside her. She gave a slight jump of fright, which caused her to tip her bowl making some of the lettuce spill. Wiping it up with her napkin, she apologized to the person, "I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz." Except on the ice, then it was a complete other story.

0 Briony O'Leary Late post 75 Briony O'Leary 0 5

Oliver
September 10, 2007 2:44 PM

Oliver
Peripheral
Written by:

Perhaps even a little bit good by Oliver
Oliver nodded politely as he listened to Talitha talk a little while about her summer. She said something about not realising how many people were in the family until they got together. Oliver idly wondered how many people were in his family. Not his immediate family, obviously, because that was his parents and Julian and Charlie. The only other relative Oliver had ever spoken to was his Uncle Raymond, and he couldn’t even recall whether he was part of his mother’s or his father’s family. There must have been others, though. Grandparents, for example – everyone else had grandparents. It had never really occurred to Oliver to ask where his where – were they dead? Maybe they lived far away? He wasn’t sure, but he was starting to get some strange ideas about the rest of his family, whoever and wherever they were. He might even have the enthusiasm to investigate it at some point in the future.

When Talitha got round to asking Oliver about his own summer, he hesitated before answering. It had been okay in the long run – he’d gotten in a couple months’ worth piano and violin lessons, and done lots of swimming, to try and see him through until he could next go at midterm. He’d spent time with Charlie, which tended to be fun, and he’d caught up with some Sonorans towards the end, too.

Before he could voice any of his part-formed thoughts, though, Talitha burst forth with an exclamation about his new glasses. Oliver couldn’t help but feel a little flattered that she’d noticed them. That she thought they were nice nearly made him blush – but not quite. This was the girl who he’d duelled with, after all.

“Er, thanks,” he said instead, reaching up to readjust them yet again. “I think they look okay, too,” he added, shrugging in an attempt to look blasé, but failing to suppress a grin.

“My summer was okay,” he continued with the previous conversation, “but it’s good to be back. My family don’t really get magic,” he said, sighing a little. He started to help himself to some quiche and salad, trying to think of something more to say, but failing abysmally. Instead he concentrated on his food, waiting for Talitha to fill the conversational gap. Girls were better at that sort of thing, anyway.

0 Oliver Perhaps even a little bit good 0 Oliver 0 5

Zack
September 10, 2007 4:42 PM

Zack
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Written by:

I thought only Stephen was an alien. Are you one, too? by Zack
Zack nodded, agreeing that the common room was a good place for him to loiter in case anybody wanted to talk to him. Zack had the library covered six days out of seven (and even on Sunday, Zack was usually still at the same table anyway, just without his sign) so having Chris there too seemed rather redundant.

Besides which, the library was quiet and public enough that some people might not feel comfortable talking there. Not that the Common Room was a lot better, but at least only Alderaanians would be likely to pass through. Anything really sensitive would probably be brought to Kijewski anyway, and Zack was just as glad about that.

He finished chewing his current bite of turkey, swallowed, and took a sip of his milk (pumpkin juice just struck him as weird and he'd never grown a taste for it despite its inexplicable popularity in magical circles) to wash it down before nodding again in response to Chris's assertion that he had no questions. Now that business was settled, the social nicety was to keep talking about something of interest to them both.

Unfortunately, Zack knew next to nothing about Chris, they were in different class years so they couldn't really talk about classes, and he doubted Chris played D&D or Oblivion. On the other hand, there was one topic almost every wizard could talk about and Zack seized on it. "You play Quidditch?" Zack was about 60% sure Chris wasn't on Alderaan's team, but he looked a little too familiar to just have seen him in the common room. He wanted to say Keeper, but Hyana was the Keeper so that couldn't be right.\r\n\r\n

0 Zack I thought only Stephen was an alien. Are you one, too? 0 Zack 0 5

Elly
September 10, 2007 5:11 PM

Elly
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Enough for a parade *grin* (WotW) by Elly
Elly laughed at Mere talking about her summer school. She also accepted her friend’s statement that ‘not all of it was bad’ at face value – Meredith was one of those people who would be likely to find fun in any situation, especially if there were other people there her own age. This point was further evinced by the photographs Meredith proceeded to show to Elly.

“If you thought Echo’s glasses were funny, you’re going to love what they made me wear everyday,” she said. Elly bit back the reply, already forming on her tongue, that she’d never thought Echo’s glasses were funny. But this was Meredith, and she knew that anyway. Elly realised she had started to become a bit touchy about Echo – she thought it had something to do with his phobia, and how it had invaded his summer. Perhaps she was just being protective. She quickly pushed the retort back out of her mind and focussed her attention on the photos Mere was now showing her.

“Oh, how lovely you look,” Elly said loudly, mimicking the airy voice Mere had used just moments ago. “I mean, going to school over summer is bad enough,” she said, back in her usual voice, “but making you wear a uniform, too – that’s just cruel.” Nevertheless, Mere was smiling on all the pictures, and Elly was glad she’d managed to have a good time, despite everything.

“You know, it doesn’t look as bad as you’re making out,” Elly said, grinning as she passed the photos back. “Except for the uniform, obviously. Hideous.” She shuddered.

0 Elly Enough for a parade *grin* (WotW) 0 Elly 0 5

Ben Stafford
September 10, 2007 5:50 PM

Ben Stafford
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: 15

I know, isn't it odd? by Ben Stafford
Short people needed to carry around neon signs with them, or so Ben Stafford reasoned as he kept trying in vain to find his nearly notoriously short girlfriend. Not like Bella herself wasn't neon or colorful enough, it was just that shorter people tended to get lost in a sea of students such as the one that was surrounding Ben. He had left the wagon as fast as possible with a quick word of goodbye to his twin. Ben knew fully well that Lexi had her own business and boyfriend to attend to, and therefore didn't feel any remorse about his speedy departure.

In all honesty, Ben couldn't have been more excited to be back to school. He was a fifth year, and while that meant evils like C.A.T.S. and increased course load, it also meant that, well, he was a fifth year! Of course, returning to Sonora also meant the realization of a long-awaited reunion between Ben and Bella. Still looking about the room, he finally saw the dark-haired girl was already seated at the Aladren table. With the boyish eagerness of a first year, Ben immediately bounded over to where Bella was sitting and seated himself.

"Bella!" he said, a smiling glowing on his face as he kissed her cheek, "You look wonderful. How was your summer?"

Ben was awaiting her answer when Headmaster Bulla began to speak. He listened with casual indifference, his mind firmly set on Bella seated next to him. Ben's mind kicked into gear with the announcement of prefects. Ben hadn't expected to be a prefect, at least, not really, but when he heard Lexi's name being called, he couldn't help but be a tiny bit jealous. It seemed unfair to Ben that his twin, who was on their father's academic probation, would get prefect and that Ben, whose grades had never been anything less than immaculate, wouldn't. A twinge of jealousy pricked at Ben, then quickly disappeared as everyone began to applaud.

"Way to go, Lex!" he shouted in the din, clapping whole-heartedly. Perhaps maybe now their father would lay off Lexi a bit about her marks in school, and let her play quidditch with Ben without having to do so "illegally".

"Anyway," Ben continued after Bulla had concluded his speech, picking up a pitcher of pumpkin juice, "Your summer- how was it? Trip to Spain and all that again?"

0 Ben Stafford I know, isn't it odd? 58 Ben Stafford 0 5

Pepper Jones
September 10, 2007 6:02 PM

Pepper Jones
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Rhy

Age in Post: 14

Timely reply by Pepper Jones
Pepper's first job on arriving at school had, as always, been to nip up to the owlery and send a quick note home. Her parents weren't out right afraid of any of the wizarding things she had had to encounter in her daily life at Sonora, but they worried, the same way they would have done if she'd had to take a normal coach to school, or do things like chemistry classes where she could blow herself up. She sometimes thought they might have a slight edge more concern because the magical world was so alien to them, but it had never seemed to be anything that her letters couldn't reassure them on.

The note dispatched, full of hugs and kisses for all, Pepper had hurried off to the opening feast, slipping through the tables as the first years were sorted. She paused long enough to reassure a couple that their colours would fade out before the classes next day, meaning that dinner had been served by the time she got around to choosing a seat. Spotting her room mate, she decided to slip in next to her. Having shared a dormitory for four years now, she was friendly with Briony, although she wasn't sure she'd go so far as to say they were friends, as they didn't seem to spend much time together outside of their room. It was something she was rather sorry for, because the more time she'd had to observe her, the more Pepper had come to realise that Briony was a little on the timid side. She was exactly the sort of person that she would have usually reached out to, but she herself had been rather anxious of the other girl at first, as she wasn't confident at forming friendships with people her own age. The fact that Briony had been forced upon her as a peer, and thus scary, had blindsided her a little to the fact that the other girl might have wanted some looking after.

"Hiya," she smiled, as she slid into the seat, the grin quickly fading as Briony sent salad spinning across the table in reaction to her greeting. "It's ok, really," Pepper blinked, as Briony apologised. Her smile had faded not because of the mess but because she'd felt bad for obviously startling the other girl out of her reverie. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump. Did you have a good summer?" she asked, glad that the holiday gave them an easy starting point.

13 Pepper Jones Timely reply 74 Pepper Jones 0 5

Paul
September 10, 2007 6:19 PM

Paul
Peripheral
Written by:

... who are you again? ; ] by Paul
Paul was glad to eat, and when he first came here he ate like he'd never seen food in his life. Which, to be honest, was sort of true. Rather, before coming here, he'd never seen food (or tasted food) as good as this. Even his sister had commented on it this summer (which he thought was cruel to their parents, they tried to make the food into as much a rich man's banquet as they could, then again Cissy was cruel). Her had piled turkey and gravy on his plate, mashed potatoes and beans, and corn onto his plate, and smiled. Food, luxury food.

Right as Paul had cut some turkey and stuffed it in his mouth, the girl he met out on the Quidditch Pitch sat next to him and greeted him. He only remembered her name (Red) because that was what Cissy called that Elly girl. He felt sorry for this Red at that. But felt more embarrassed for himself, as he had food in his face. Paul probably looked foolish and unlike himself now. Instead of his normal coldness, the luxury food had filled his with warmth. Normally he didn't care, people didn't notice anyway because people didn't talk to him. Which was okay.

After a hard swallow (which made his throat more sore than it should) he aknowledged the girl with a nod, and a brief, "Hello Red." Paul wasn't much for conversation, rather he was very awkward and clumsy with it. Red better not hope for a long, friendly chat, because she would be sorely displeased. "My summer was okay."

Though Lussni had found his way into Grandfather's (the ghost that inhabited their house) room and Paul had to rush in and get him. Nearly being hit by the many things in that room Grandfather threw at people who walked in. He made sure no one went into his room, and if they did they'd be hit hard. Mother often came out with angry bruises making the mistake to want to clean in there.
Also, Cissy made a point in learning a new spell. It wasn't overly painful, but it was rather uncomfortable. He and Lussni could vouch for that.

Actually only him. His cat couldn't talk.

"How was your summer?" Paul then asked, trying to act as though he was enjoying conversing with someone. Which he didn't, it was much to hard. Nervously, he picked at his black hair, trying to think of something to say. "Er... you start that Anti-Sonora Club yet?"

0 Paul ... who are you again? ; ] 0 Paul 0 5

Eavan
September 10, 2007 6:36 PM

Eavan
Peripheral
Written by:

It certainly is. by Eavan
Eavan frowned. What did Camren mean by introducing her father into the conversation. She waited for Camren to elaborate. Maybe she was just the type of person that feels comfortable telling certain things about themselves. Eavan wasn't that way. She didn't know of a single person who knows great amounts about her. Maybe not even Gil.

The elaboration on her father never came, so Eavan just shrugged it off. She wasn't going to ask her to go into details if she didn't want to.

"Yeah...I love Earl, but I guess we're growing apart as we get older. We used to be really close, until Earl came here. And then we got sorted into different houses. Plus, I wish I had sister. It's super hard being the only girl." Eavan shrugged nonchalantly.

"You'll never have that problem with at least some of your family in the same house. But it might annoying after a while." Eavan grinned and and bit off a piece of the meat form her skewer.

0 Eavan It certainly is. 0 Eavan 0 5

Lexi
September 10, 2007 7:55 PM

Lexi
Peripheral
Written by:

You don't say by Lexi
Alright, so maybe her plan wasn’t helping things much. Kaylie seemed far from thrilled with her presence, which Lexi would have realized was going to happen if she’d just stopped and thought a moment before joining her and Dalila in the first place. She glanced over at her boyfriend, thinking forlornly how much more fun she’d probably be having if she had chosen to sit with him, but then returned to the conversation at hand. After all, it was too late to do anything about it now.

She raised an eyebrow at her roommate when Dalila mentioned going someplace with Adam. She knew the two of them had gotten closer over the end of the past year, but she hadn’t realized that they were that close. There was definitely a need for a roommate gossiping session after the feast, that was for sure.

Lexi had just taken a sip of water when Kaylie told her story, so ended up nearly choking on it from trying not to laugh. Once she’d gotten herself under control (and managed to stop nearly coughing up a lung), she grinned at the older girl. “That’s amazing. I mean, I’ve heard my fair share of really amusing coming-out stories, but that one-that one might take the cake.” After pausing for a second, she realized that probably wasn’t a topic of conversation most people heard a lot about, so figured she probably should elaborate. “My mom’s in the theatre business, so at parties and such, that’s one of the things at least half the people there have experience with, so,” she shrugged. “That’s what they talk about. Still, I didn’t know that you had a younger sister. I thought it was just you and Adam. That’s really cool. She sounds like a rather adorable kid, except in your cousin’s opinion, I suppose.”

Starting to feel a headache coming on from trying to balance everyone, she turned back to Nicoletta. “So, how about you? Did you and Chris do anything fun over the summer?”

0 Lexi You don't say 0 Lexi 0 5

Bella
September 10, 2007 7:56 PM

Bella
Peripheral
Written by:

Very! We're like, upper-classmen now... by Bella
Bella's face almost instantly brighted when Ben made an appearance. Her face reddened slightly in mixed emotions of sheepishness and clear excitement when Ben kissed her on the cheek. She would have preferred a full out kiss, but knew that having to do so in the middle of the Hall in front of the Professors probably wouldn't have made a very good impression. So, she would save that reunion for later.

After Bella had apologized for bumping hands with someone else, she returned her gaze onto her boyfriend. She thought for a moment on how to answer his question. For the most part, her summer had been completely drab. The same as it always was. Her family as nosey as ever, the constant traveling and moving around from place to place. Always crowded, always noisey. Bella never had a moment to herself. It was really rather annoying for a teenage girl.

"It was the same ol', same ol'" Bella answered looking rather put out before suddenly brightening again. "Oh yeah! Mama bought me something for my birthday. It's a cool little muggle gadget." Bella dug into the pockets of her robes before she located the device and pulled it out. "Now what was it called again..." Bella pursed her lips in thought for a moment, studing the hot pink rectangle in her palm. "Oh right, iPod, or something. This can hold over a thousand songs! This guy at the music store, helped pick out a bunch of muggle...er...music square thingies that hold the music. And el amigo de mi Tío programmed it to work with magic." Bella explained to Ben happily.

Bella was actually quite proud of her gift. It was really the only thing that had kept her sane during the summer holidays. She tucked it back into her robes. "So..." Bella leaned in closer to Ben simply because she liked getting reactions from him. Always had. "Sleepy do, how was your summer? Miss me terribly?"

0 Bella Very! We're like, upper-classmen now... 0 Bella 0 5

Zane
September 10, 2007 8:29 PM

Zane
Peripheral
Written by:

If you say so by Zane
Zane had to admit he was disappointed when Cecily declared her disinterest in Quidditch. In fact, he was disappointed when anyone declared their disinterest in Quidditch. It was a fast, intense, strategic game, and it was played in the sky. What was there to dislike?

Looking around the Hall, he finally found his brother sitting with the rest of the Teppenpaws. Making eye contact with his brother, he gave him a nod of recognition. Zane just wasn’t one to wave with any sort of gusto; he was a bit more serious than that.

So when he saw Cecily waving, it was no surprise that he raised his eyebrows. He supposed it made more sense, considering she was waving to a relative. Girls seemed to be really excited about everything they did. Zane didn’t get it. The brown-eyed boy didn’t get very much about girls, if he really were to think about that. He supposed that enlightenment just came with age. At least, that’s what his dad said.

He struggled to keep up with Cecily as she babbled on and on. Was it really humanly possible to talk so fast? Or had somebody put a hex on her, or something? Zane glanced from side to side, but couldn’t see anyone brandishing a wand. Yep, Cecily’s speed-talking was completely natural.

What was worse, she didn’t blink, and it was rather intimidating, really. For a moment, he couldn’t meet her unyielding gaze, and had to blink a couple of times before recomposing himself.

“My brother – Law – is in Teppenpaw, like Mom. My cousin Ronen is here too – he’s a firstie like us. Haven’t seen him around though,” he looked around once more, as if Ronen would suddenly materialize before him, and turned back to Cecily, “Wonder what house he got into. He’s way smart, but I wouldn’t figure him for an Aladren. Doesn’t like to study or anything like that.”

0 Zane If you say so 0 Zane 0 5

Jake Santoro
September 10, 2007 9:04 PM

Jake Santoro
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 16

6th year? That's somewhat unsettling... by Jake Santoro
Jake hopped off the wagon with the same sort of confidence he had always had. Jake could claim that it was just a confidence he was born with (and that would be somewhat correct), but it was also because of how his life was going. He was seemingly well liked amongst his peers, was Captain of his Quidditch team, and had a smart and hot girlfriend...

Yes, he was confident. Some of it from his own life and self, but it was mainly because of how well he seemed to fit in at Sonora. It was the sort of confidence that teetered from time to time, but otherwise remained brilliantly whenever Jake was walking through the halls or sitting with his friends or playing the game he loved.

Jake left his siblings quickly, calling out to them as he did, but he knew they each had their own agendas. Bella seemed eager to meet back up with her boyfriend and friends. Jake was actually relieved that Bella had branched out (though he was a little put-off that she had a boyfriend and was only friends with boys... of course, her family was a majority of guys, so Jake shouldn't really question it) and found a nitch where she belonged. And over the summer Matt had gone off and played a game of Quidditch with his school friends, so he seemed to be doing rather well too. Josh... well, Jake would keep on eye on his youngest brother just to be sure he was making a place for himself as well.

Jake made his way over to the Teppenpaw table as was the appropriate for the time being. He listened quietly as the Headmaster began his speech and clapped enthusiastically as Lexi was made Prefect. He felt a sort of Kinship for his fellow Beater and would look out for her if need be. But, there was also the added fact that Lexi was Ben's sister and Ben was Bella's boyfriend. They were siblings of a couple, they were bound to have a few moments of awkward conversation when it came to their families.

As soon as Bulla finished his speech, Jake stood to make his way over to the Crotalus table before Lizzie beat him to it. On his way, he saw half of his team sitting together. He was about to make his way over to say hello to Dalila and congratulate Lexi on her Prefect status, but the sight of Kaylie stalled him. He still thought Kaylie to be a little odd after what had occured last year and, truth be told, was still avoiding her because of it. Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorned, and all that jazz.

So, Jake opted to keep moving and would say hello later when the timing was right. Taking his time, Jake made his way through the tables and swarms of students until he could finally reach the girl he had been thinking about all summer.

6 Jake Santoro 6th year? That's somewhat unsettling... 42 Jake Santoro 0 5

Brett Hodges
September 10, 2007 10:27 PM

Brett Hodges
Peripheral
Written by:

There you are! by Brett Hodges
Brett grinned widely at Irene, and congratulated himself on a plan well executed. Hanging out at this table had gotten him a chance to talk to Irene after all.

"I did," Brett confirmed, "Mugs. It's Sundance slang for really awesome people. There's a story: last summer, before I ever even heard of Sonora, Echo slipped up and said something about muggles. I popped out old trusty," he held up his ever present, yet ever hidden, pocket dictionary and thesaurus, and looked around at the new kids to let them know this story was for them too, "but he's like, 'Nah, man, don't even bother. You won't find it.' So then he tells me this word 'muggle' means 'a really cool person or close friend.' And I'm all like, 'I've got to start using this word.' So I do, and me and the guys we shorten it to 'mugs.' Then I get my letter, show up here, and find out what it really means. Weird, right?"

Brett tucked his dictionary back in his pocket. He had a bigger one for his book bag, so soon he could start having that one around instead. The writing on the mini could be tough to make out.

"Hey guys. Welcome to the best of the best!" Irene said, and she looked back at Brett again, and he wondered if she thought of him as one of her mugs. "I hope you informed them that we are the best, right?"

"It goes without saying, but I said it. Guys, Pecari is the bomb. This is Irene and she's a second year. She's way awesome." He smiled at her, looking for a reaction to his compliment.

0 Brett Hodges There you are! 0 Brett Hodges 0 5

Grayson Wright
September 10, 2007 10:32 PM

Grayson Wright
Staff
House: Aladren
Subject: Charms
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

That's good to know. by Grayson Wright
France. He'd been right, then - Claire was European-born. He couldn't figure out exactly where in France she'd said she was from, as French words tended not to be pronounced exactly the way they were spelled, but he was sure he had heard her say 'France'. They had some interesting history in France, though he hadn't read much of it. Grayson made himself a mental note to do that sometime before the year ended. If his cousin's stories about Sonora's library had even a loose basis in truth, it ought to be big enough to have something on the topic in it.

He listened as she went on about her brother the Animagus, her fondness for Charms, poetically-inclined ancestor, and penchant for making up spells. His eyes widened behind his glasses at the last one. "Cool," he said without thinking, then realized it was probably an idiomatic expression. His grandmother got confused by slang sometimes. "It's really, really interesting," he corrected himself. "The only magic I've ever done was accidental."

The food here really was excellent - though not, he thought loyally, as good as his grandmother's. He wasn't too worked up about his mother's honor, because even she admitted that the only thing she was worse at than cooking was spells - a cynical joke his father and aunts didn't approve of at all. The flavors weren't quite what he was used to, and he could see more than one totally unfamiliar article of food on the table, but he could definitely get used to this. Would they put as much effort in when it wasn't a special occasion? He paused to swallow some of his own potatoes, then turned his attention back to the conversation.

"Charms is really useful," he said. "Mom's always wishing that she - " drat, he didn't want to admit his mother was what she was now - "was better at them. Our book makes it sound like it shouldn't be too hard, but I think that the textbook people might write them that way on purpose." He wasn't sure if he could see the point or not, since there would probably be one person it made feel stupid for each one it helped, but there was nothing he could do about it now. Maybe when he was older, he could write textbooks... or he could not. It sounded dull. "That's cool about your brother, too. What's the poet's name? I might've heard of him." He didn't think it was too likely, but Gray thought it sounded like the correct thing to ask.

16 Grayson Wright That's good to know. 113 Grayson Wright 0 5

Irene
September 11, 2007 6:30 AM

Irene
Peripheral
Written by:

I got lost. They took down the arrow signs! by Irene
Irene listened to the story as Brett told her about the Muggle slip up.

Then I get my letter, show up here, and find out what it really means. Weird, right?"

Irene gave a laugh. "Weird? How about hilarious? I remember when I found out about my magic," she said, not really beliveing she was about to talk about mom, "My mom had told me to go upstairs because she had to tell my dad a secret. I was almost five. So, being only "four-and-three-quarters" and way curious, I listened in on my mom telling my dad she had magic blood. That's when they found out I was listening because I got so excited I ran downstairs and asked if I could be magic too," she finished, smiling at the memory. It was nice to talk about mom without being all depressing to the people she was talking to. Heck, these first years didn't even know about her mom, her dad, her uncle, or anything that happened last year with the commitee.

"It goes without saying, but I said it. Guys, Pecari is the bomb. This is Irene and she's a second year. She's way awesome."

Irene grinned at him and gave him a playful punch on the arm. "In case Brett hasn't introduced himself, he's a soccer hero and completely awesome!"

Irene was going to add "Secret conqueror of dust mites" but they would have no idea what that meant. She wasn't even sure if Brett remembered. If not, she'd remind him later.

0 Irene I got lost. They took down the arrow signs! 0 Irene 0 5

Nicoletta
September 11, 2007 7:50 PM

Nicoletta
Peripheral
Written by:

Oh, but I do by Nicoletta
The simple question of about summer became a loaded one after the one she had. The original plan had been to send Chris and her to France to stay with their grandparents. Chris would begin learning what his one day duties were as well as to meet Marie. For Nicoletta, she was to be introduced to society and to spend time with Lucien. Nothing had gone well.

Well, that wasn't completely true. The party had gone according to plan. She had worn a beautiful pale blue dress, her dark hair worn up, and she had even had a tiara. She had felt like a princess. That was until Lucien had ruined it all. She had seen the real him and she certainly didn't like what she had seen. It gave her the creeps and she knew there was no way that she would be able to spend the rest of her life with him. Even though, it wasn't cold in the Hall, she gave an involuntary shiver at the thought.

After that night, she had begun to view her grandparents in a different light. She had never thought about their relationship before, but now it had become of high importance. It was obvious that they weren't in love, as they were so formal with one another. They seemed so distant with one another. She didn't want that. She wanted more, something like what she had experienced with Adam. Something Lucien would never be able to fill, never be able to understand. She wasn't even sure if he was capable of love.

There were secrets running rampant too, such as the mysterious photograph. One day she had seen her grandfather staring wistfully at it while sitting at his desk. When she had entered, he had quickly put it away and avoided any question of it. Later, she had sneaked in. The photo was of a female, a little older than her with similar features. She had a smile on her face and she radiated with exuberance. There was also a male who was looking at her with adoration. She wondered who they were. She supposed it could have been a younger version of her grandparents, but the guy didn't look like her grandfather at all.

Turning it over, an address was on the back with a name. Isabella Dupree, which meant she knew now that it wasn't her grandparents, but who was it? As far as she knew, both of her grandparents were only children and they had three boys, no girls. So, who was she and why did she have the last name Dupree? She had managed to write down the address before she heard someone coming. She had quickly shoved the photo back into the drawer. Nicoletta planned on trying to write to her while at school, so the owl couldn't be intercepted. She was going to get to the bottom of this secret at least.

But now was not the moment to worry about it. Tucking a strand of hair behind one ear, Nicoletta glanced at Kaylie before answering for she knew the other girl knew part of the reason. "We spent the summer in France with our grandparents. It was about as much fun as a Howler. I'm defiantly glad to be back at Sonora." Maybe, was the mental addition.

0 Nicoletta Oh, but I do 0 Nicoletta 0 5

Chris
September 11, 2007 8:28 PM

Chris
Peripheral
Written by:

If I was, would I tell? by Chris
Chris was in the middle of chewing when Zack asked about Quidditch. He adored Quidditch, but it was hard to talk about with a mouthful. Once he swallowed and took a gulp of juice, he gave a grin. "I used to be on the team. Two years, actually, as Keeper, then I had to stop. I'm thinking about trying out again. You play Seeker, right?"

He couldn't remember if Zack had played while he was on the team, as it had been so long ago. Even if he had, he probably wouldn't have noticed him much in that position. It was one of high importance, as if you caught the snitch, it was an additional 150 points and in most cases that constituted a win. However, it seemed less involved since no one was trying to score against or steal the quaffle. He supposed that there may have been some aggression between Seekers though.

0 Chris If I was, would I tell? 0 Chris 0 5

Briony
September 11, 2007 8:49 PM

Briony
Peripheral
Written by:

Not as timely, but not very long by Briony
Surprising as it was that someone had sat down to her, more surprising was the who. Her roommate, Pepper Jones. It was odd to have shared a room with someone for three years, going to be the fourth, and barely know anything about them. She knew that Pepper led the first years. She knew that Pepper was on the Quidditch team. And she knew that Pepper...okay, so that was about the extent of what she knew about her roommate, which was rather sad. Maybe Pepper felt the same way. It really was about time they got to know one another.

She gave a less apologetic grin. "It's fine. I shouldn't have been daydreaming while eating. It can be rather dangerous."

'Well, that was lame, she thought. She hoped Pepper didn't think she was to weird for it, but was glad to be asked about summer. "Great. Swimming and bike riding at our cabin. It was a real blast. Though, I'm glad to be back. I bet this year is going to be tough with CATS coming next year. So, how was your summer?"

0 Briony Not as timely, but not very long 0 Briony 0 5

Stephen Baxter
September 11, 2007 9:19 PM

Stephen Baxter
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Emily Lewis

Age in Post: 16

Just dropping in for a second by Stephen Baxter
Stephen hadn't spotted any of his friends right off upon arriving in the Cascade Hall, but he hadn't let it bother him. He'd found a seat, dutifully snored through the beginning of the speech, clapped the new prefects and cheered the coming of the food. He was halfway through his first plate when he spotted Mia sitting with Tally. Mia. He had to talk to her. He'd considered just using Sanders, but then Alan had explained why that wasn't a good idea. And, he'd made a fair bit of sense too, Stephen conceded. Snatching up a mini-apple pie, because the first one had been really good, he stood and made his way over to where the girls were sitting, also spotting where the Craven twins were on his way and making a mental note to head over there soon.

"Hey, Tals. How're you doing?" he said, with a grin at Tally before letting it slide to Mia. "Don't worry, I'm not going to interrupt for long. Just wanted to say hi. And... Mia, you doing anything tomorrow night? I've got a stack of meetings with this professor and that during the day, but I figure I should schedule in some catchup time with you as well."

Saying 'we need to talk' just wasn't going to happen. For one, it sounded so final. For two, it was the kind of thing that girls tended to say.

He noticed a glint of gold.

"You got your ears pierced?" he asked, surprised. Then he noticed more. "Twice?" And she was looking really tan too, and her hair... was different. And there was something on her hand. He felt a faint stirring of interest, but chose not to explore it right at that moment. "What was I saying? Oh yeah. Tomorrow night work for you?"

39 Stephen Baxter Just dropping in for a second 49 Stephen Baxter 0 5

Zack Dill
September 12, 2007 1:26 PM

Zack Dill
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Nathan

Age in Post: 16
Birthday: November

Perhaps not, but I'd be the one to believe you if you did by Zack Dill
"Yeah," Zack agreed. "I've been the Seeker since Anne was made captain." That was his second year and Chris's first, so they'd evidently been together on it for two years. It was remotely possible that Zack ought to make more of an effort to get to know his teammates.

"I don't think I even signed up that year," he added, reminiscing when it occurred to him to wonder why he had signed up that first time, before he'd known there were aliens involved, and it suddenly came back to him that he hadn't. "I went to the try-outs to watch Zoey and got drafted." He grinned a little, "But really, I had to respect a sport that puts such an emphasis on a position designed for the undersized."

"What about you?" he asked, genuinely curious about his fellow Alderaanian, "Were you always a fan of Quidditch or did someone drag you into it at some point?" Theirs was, after all, the home of the bookworks. Surely, there couldn't be very many natural jocks in it.

1 Zack Dill Perhaps not, but I'd be the one to believe you if you did 40 Zack Dill 0 5

Chelsea
September 12, 2007 1:56 PM

Chelsea
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 11

...I wasn't supposed to be evil. (Wotw) by Chelsea
Chelsea raised her eyebrows at Holly's introduction. "I've never heard of a Thistle family. My mother's family is from Northern California so I'm pretty familiar with pureblood families located there. You're muggle-born aren't you?" She went on. "And yes, Pecari is the brown one. I turned blue, so I am in Aladren myself. We're considered the brainy house. I'm not sure how I was placed there, because school work is hardly my top priority, but the goblet has spoken. Likewise, I am not sure how you, with your manners and dress got placed in Pecari, which is far from full of the respectable. I think there are a few, but very few." She nodded back to the others. "Red people will be in Crotalus and yellow ones go into Teppenpaw."

She leaned back in her seat and considered things. Holly might be a muggle born, yes, but Chelsea could tell that somehow she had managed to evince manners and breeding and seemed to have status amongst the muggle community. (She had been told that there were upper-class muggles just like there were upper-class purebloods) What the new Pecari was lacking, was probably a basic understanding of the magical world she was now a part of. Chelsea could help Holly and teach her how to understand the magical world that she was now a part of.

"Oh and a muggle-born is someone who has no magical relatives, such as you. It's considered very rare that a muggle-born will have magical relatives, except their own children someday. A pureblood, such as me, is someone whose family is all magical. A half-blood is a combination of both, like the offspring of a muggle and a pureblood. That's the simplest way to explain that, but there are other ways to be one, like if a muggle-born married a pureblood, their children would still be half-bloods. One must have four magical grandparents to be considered pure. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me." Chelsea gave Holly another genuine smile. After all, Chelsea was an Aladren, which meant she was smart, and she was pureblood, so she could tell Holly just about anything she needed to know about the magical world.

11 Chelsea ...I wasn't supposed to be evil. (Wotw) 108 Chelsea 0 5

Kaylie
September 12, 2007 3:24 PM

Kaylie
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 16
Birthday: July 14

So ugly it makes Spanish homework look attractive... by Kaylie
Kaylie met Nicoletta's gaze. "Yes, that's right, seven." She was a little surprised Nicoletta had remembered. She turned and addressed Lexi, this time without really looking at her. "Yea she's a cute kid. Actually, I have four other siblings besides Adam. Chelsea just started here this year, she was sorted in Aladren. Then there's Nina, Hope, who is four, and Evan, who is two." She took a sip of her beverage. "The wedding itself was quite an affair, full of memories that nobody will forget for years to come. The bride and groom got married anyway, but my cousin and uncle were really mad and the bride was embarassed beyond belief." There had been wands drawn and the like. More than one duel had broken out, one of which had nothing to do with her younger sister. It hadn't even been Nina they were truly mad at but Marshall who had been saying for years that his brother, Oliver, was gay.

She fell silent as Lexi asked about Nicoletta's summer and the Crotalus began to talk.

"We spent the summer in France with our grandparents. It was about as much fun as a Howler. I'm defiantly glad to be back at Sonora."

"With Marie?" Then, realizing her words, Kaylie put her hands to her mouth. She hadn't meant to say it aloud, but Chris had broke up with her because of the girl, and so on. When Kaylie thought with her head rather than her heart and emotions, she knew very well it was Marie, not Lexi, who she should be jealous of. However, Kaylie didn't have to see Marie and Chris. She knew virtually nothing about the girl other than she was French and betrothed to the guy Kaylie still had feelings for, whereas Lexi was there and she had to see them and be reminded. The logical part of her could almost sympathize with Lexi, as she was going to get her heart broken the same way when Chris married Marie. She wondered if Lexi even knew. She had to, Chris would have been honest with her like he had been with Kaylie.

And if she didn't before, she certainly would now.

11 Kaylie So ugly it makes Spanish homework look attractive... 43 Kaylie 0 5

Adam Brockert
September 12, 2007 4:20 PM

Adam Brockert
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 14
Birthday: March 5

Not very good... (Wotw) by Adam Brockert
He had started the year by doing something quite unusual and different for him, which was not sitting by Kaylie. If Adam was honest with himself,(and Adam did have a tendency to be so within his own world view) he and his older sister had been growing apart since she had began dating that boy. It wasn't that Adam didn't care about her, he'd comforted Kaylie the best he could (which he was sure wasn't good at all) but it was just the natural progression of things. Plus, people would think he was pathetic for clinging to his older sister at age 14. He was just plain too old for it.

Of course, that didn't mean Adam had anyone whom he could go and sit with, given the whole school didn't like him much. He couldn't simply go up and join anyone he really didn't know or for that matter did know for fear of rejection. So therefore he was sitting alone, an evince of his inner awkwardness and social inadequacy.

At least Adam was sitting alone until Chelsea's cold gaze settled on him. He'd seen her turn blue and had sighed with relief. Having her in his house would have been just too much. However, when he received her glance, Adam knew he had to move, otherwise he'd have to deal with Chelsea tormenting him.

He looked around desperately for someone to go move and sit by. Spotting Pepper, Adam's face relaxed and he got up nervously and walked over to her.

That's when Adam also noticed Briony O'Leary was there. They'd met before but he was pretty sure he'd screwed up majorly then, of course. "Um, P-pepper," Adam began, his voice shaking a little, "C-can I join you?" He desperately wanted to believe Pepper liked him yet, but she may have gotten sick of him and stopped. As for Briony, he wasn't sure what she thought either way, but considering that it was him, it probably wasn't good.

11 Adam Brockert Not very good... (Wotw) 78 Adam Brockert 0 5

Caedence Redoak
September 12, 2007 5:49 PM

Caedence Redoak
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by:

Age in Post: 13

How about when the violent girls try and embarass you? by Caedence Redoak
Caedence frowned at Echo’s reply to his summer. She had no idea about what a ‘psychiatric institution’ was, but she guessed it had something to do with his no touchy feely-ness. She opened her mouth to ask him why he had to whisper it, and why being in a ‘psychiatric institution’ was so bad when Nikki joined them.

She didn’t really know much about Nikki, as she hadn’t talked much to her in all three (had it really been that many? Caedence couldn’t believe it) years they were at school. She saw her around, of course, but she didn’t really know the other girl.

Her face morphed from it’s easy going expression to a more hostile face. She didn’t want to start a fight with Nikki, but unlike Echo, she didn’t know if Nikki was on Elly‘s list of people to not beat up. After all, she didn’t know if Elly was friends with Nikki or not, so Caedence didn’t have to go out of her way to be nice. She didn’t openly glare at the girl however, but she wished dearly that she had her braid at the moment.

So she was bipolar? That was interesting. That was one thing she did know about. She never knew Nikki was bipolar however, but then again she didn’t know the Hispanic girl all that well anyways. People are sure open around here, aren’t they? How did she know Echo or Caedence wouldn’t go around telling everyone? How could she be so trusting. She remained in her stony silence while she waited for Echo to talk.

She listened calmly to Echo as he explained. So she was right, it was because of the no touchy thing. "Hence the twitchy." Caedence felt a smirk creep across her face.

“Echo, we can both probably hear your stomach, why don’t you take some food, huh? If it’ll make you feel better, I can scoot over.” She offered, inching towards the person on her other side to emphasize the offer.

“And you shouldn’t feel bad about the whole twitchy thing, though. You know, it’s like cooties; you grow up and stop being so wimpy or you’re stuck being a baby the rest of your life. You either gotta buck up and say ‘whatever I don’t care that I can’t be touched’ or you just gotta go around tucking your arms in tight. It’s your choice how you want to live your life. I won’t be all ‘oh you poor guy’ you know, but I saw you got some skills in quidditch, and I hope you can get over this no-touching-brain-malfunction-thing so you can join up. It’s good you went to whatever you called it, cause that means you’re willing to fight it. It’s just one more enemy to be defeated. You either win or lose, but you cant sit there and offer it a free punch each time you’re confronted with a situation with touching people.” Caedence coached. It sounded unkind to anyone who didn’t know Caedence well, but this was her version of a pep talk.

“Besides,” She let her wolfish predatory smile grace her features, “The cutest couple should hug for their next yearbooks poses” She winked at him.\n

0 Caedence Redoak How about when the violent girls try and embarass you? 94 Caedence Redoak 0 5

Raoul
September 12, 2007 6:16 PM

Raoul
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Caedence

Age in Post: 11

*blinks* Iulz? Is that anything like lol? by Raoul

Raoul was beginning to think this girl was slightly odd, but he had no problem with that. Jacques, his best friend from home (France that is, he still didn‘t think of California as home) , was the exact opposite. He would mix up everything up on his plate. Personally, Raoul had no qualms about his food touching on his plate so long as the juices from the fruit didn’t run into anything. He hated that. Especially if it made his baguettes soggy.

She didn’t like le soup a l’ongion? Was she crazy! Onion soup was the best! Especially with the special cheese that Mama put on it. It was delicious! But of course, here in America, they didn’t know at all how to make onion soup. The spices were all wrong! The onion was way over powering as well.

Laurie’s family sounded interesting. He had to laugh at her story about her father’s experimentations. Newts, huh? Maybe it would taste like frogs legs? He liked those the one time he tried them, despite them having rather little meat on them. He would love to suggest it to Papa, however he doubted that a muggle could get the ingredients.

"You know, if the elves here (I think they're called Prairie-Elves) are anything like some of my grandparents' House-Elves, I bet you could get one of them to make you up something special. How long were you in France, anyway? And where exactly?"

He doubted that these prairie elves would be able to help him out, and if they could, they would probably make it the American way. “I was born in the states, but my parents adopted me when I was a baby. According to them, when I was about a year and a half old, they moved to France, where they grew up and met. I was raised there, near Dijon, until a little less than a year ago when I moved to California.” He explained

OOC: Yeah, I haven’t ever lived in France, so I’m working on limited knowledge, lol, so forgive any bad details.
\n

52 Raoul *blinks* Iulz? Is that anything like lol? 125 Raoul 0 5

Thomas
September 12, 2007 7:10 PM

Thomas
Peripheral
Written by:

My title generator's broken down. by Thomas
The degree of idiocy inherent in making dinner conversation about dinner didn't escape Thomas' notice, but it was a bit late to do anything about it. He nodded, cutting a steak as he did. "Yeah," he agreed, mentally noting Lucas's year. "A couple of my cousins kept telling me school food was awful, but another one said it was all right. Glad to see Abby was right about something, for once." He'd always found Abigail and her better-than-thou attitude annoying, but he could be prevailed upon to admit it when she was right.

The question about where he was from caught Thomas halfway through a mouthful of meat. His parents had drilled decent manners into him, so he finished it before making a reply. Quite apart from the rudeness of it, it was usually either hard or downright impossible to figure out what people who talked with their mouths full were getting at. "Missouri," he said finally. "My mom's from Illinois. It's not too bad where my grandparents live." That was stretching the truth a little, given how much he preferred home, but...

"This is supposed to be the smart House, isn't it?" Thomas asked. "Mom and Dad were both Crotali, but my Aunt Ava was in Aladren." Of all the people he could resemble, he found it odd that it was her. Ava wasn't, or so he'd always been told, intentionally unkind, but the fact remained that her fan club's membership was extremely low. Her life revolved around the possibility of profit, and she was infamous for buying cheap presents and returning expensive ones she was given. Thomas liked money, but not that much.

0 Thomas My title generator's broken down. 0 Thomas 0 5

Jennifer Zucchero
September 12, 2007 7:28 PM

Jennifer Zucchero
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by:

Age in Post: 16

As was last year, and next year will be, I imagine by Jennifer Zucchero
While it was slightly terrifying in the same ‘where has time gone’ way that each successive year at Sonora had gone for Jennifer Zucchero, the beginning of sixth year seemed a bit of a let down compared to the year before. After all, fifth year had meant that she was an upperclassman, her team had won the quidditch cup, and she’d taken the CATS. After all that excitement, it was hard to be intimidated by sixth year.

Again similar to previous years, Jennifer was rather glad to be back at school. This summer had taken a lot more out of her than those so far (although, with any luck, the complications about her vacation wouldn’t start now that she was back at Sonora). First, of course, she’d had the month with her father, which hadn’t gone quite as planned, but it hadn’t been precisely bad.

It had just taken her a bit longer than she had expected (and her father would have liked) for Jennifer to get used to her new stepmother, but she’d managed it in the end. Well, kind of. Mostly she’d just tried to avoid being alone with Camila for as much as possible. The Brazilian woman was nice, she really was. It was just…she had just been trying to hard to be all buddy-buddy. Still, she made David Zucchero happy, so Jennifer had tried, and generally succeeded, in playing along with her, even when it drove her a little crazy.

Her time with her mother had been fairly routine. Various parties and other pureblood functions made up the most of it, although there had been the change that Christine hadn’t been pushing her daughter quite as much toward the eligible sons of her friends. Definitely one of the nicer parts of being in a relationship. And speaking of which…

She’d been one of the last off her particular wagon, and she’d realized it would have been a rather futile mission to try and find Jake before the feast. So Jennifer sat and waited through the sorting and Bulla’s speech, clapping politely for the four new prefects, though her attention was on other things (or people). When they were finally released to go eat, Jennifer began to look around to try and locate her boyfriend, only to discover that he was already making his way toward her.

Jennifer waited patiently (well, mostly patiently) until he’d reached her part of the table and sat down. “Hey, Jake,” she said, beaming up at him. “How were things with you over the summer?”

0 Jennifer Zucchero As was last year, and next year will be, I imagine 48 Jennifer Zucchero 0 5

Dalila
September 12, 2007 8:03 PM

Dalila
Peripheral
Written by:

So ugly it makes the Elephant Man look like Brad Pitt by Dalila
Dalila shifted her gaze from Kaylie to Lexi to Nicoletta, wondering what was going on. Who was Marie and why did Kaylie look so depressed. She and Ben broke up ages ago...it couldn't be that. She was making herself dizzy scanning back and forth, so she turned to Kaylie.

"Who's Marie?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. She turned to Nicoletta, whom Kaylie's question had been directed. "Is she a relative or something?"

Dalila usually wasn't good at realizing things or reading people, but the tension in this group of girls was palpable. She didn't like it and suddenly wished that summer had never ended. She wished that she was spending the afternoon at Adam's house teaching him how to play basketball and waiting for his mother to call dinner. For the first time since getting her letter, Dalila was not looking forward to this year

0 Dalila So ugly it makes the Elephant Man look like Brad Pitt 0 Dalila 0 5

Mia
September 12, 2007 8:06 PM

Mia
Peripheral
Written by:

If only I could reply that quickly... by Mia
Mia took a glass and poured herself some water as Tally answered her. Life did have an annoying habit of getting in the way of things. She was happy to hear Tally was all right. It seemed like she was finally getting the hang of the empath thing. Mia remembered being decidedly nervous when she first saw Tally’s reaction to the crowd four years ago before she told her about being an empath. Mia still thought it was neat, but Tally called it a curse. It was reasonable, she supposed, since it seemed to cause her so much grief over the years, but Mia still held that the worse she viewed it, the worse it would be. But apparently Tally had mostly solved that problem.

"Surprise trip? That sounds like fun. Where'd he take all of you?"

“He took us to his house in Puerto Rico. He used to live in one of those hidden magic cities. The house was just off the beach, which was awesome. It was fun...and enlightening.” Mia laughed mainly to herself. “I got—”

But before she could point out a few of the things she got, if it wasn’t already obvious, they were interrupted. And by Stephen no less. She was hoping to run into him soon. He said hi to the girls and turned to her. Seeing him made everything that happened over the summer feel that much more real and definite and the only way to go from there was forward. She was absolutely sure of that much at least.

He seemed to get a bit side tracked when he pointed out her earrings and Mia smiled, fingering her hair behind her ears so they were completely visible now. She gave a humored nod for each of his realizations. She had been silently hoping for reactions like that. She liked her earrings and her hair and the tattoos that were still hidden by her robe sleeve and her shoe. It was that giddy feeling of having something new and wanting to show it off without being obvious about it.

"What was I saying? Oh yeah. Tomorrow night work for you?" Being brought back to why he had come over, the giddiness dropped a notch or two. She figured they needed to talk anyway and the sooner, the better.

“Yeah. Just come find me when you’re through with the professors. I’ll make a point to stay near the common room.” She took her glass and drank, briefly soothing her sore throat. She inwardly sighed, but didn’t let any last minute maybes sway her. Yeah, they did need to talk. There was something she needed to confirm. According to his letter, Stephen had done some thinking over the summer too. Maybe they had similar thoughts.

0 Mia If only I could reply that quickly... 0 Mia 0 5

Echo Elms
September 12, 2007 8:59 PM

Echo Elms
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Echo Elms

Age in Post: 13

I was wondering about that one, too by Echo Elms
Caedence smirked at him. Smirked. Here he was freaking out about crowded Cascade Hall and all the excitement and elbow bumping and admitting he was in a mental ward over the summer and she smirked at him. And then she insulted him in the next breath.

Echo kept his arms tucked in, but he a sideways smile crawled to his face as she gave him her advice. This was why he liked Caedence. She had no pity for anyone, least of all him, and she saw life as an ongoing battle against an enemy. Having been raised by pacifist parents, it wasn't a view he jived with very well (initially he thought her comment about a free punch was about a fruity red beverage), but it did offer an interesting perspective. And when she scooched over to give him more elbow room, he was pretty sure she wasn't going to use her new information to torture him. Or, at least, not yet.

“Besides,” Caedence finished, "The cutest couple should hug for their next yearbooks poses."

Did it just get really warm in here or was it him? He didn't know what to say to that. Did Caedence know something about Elly liking him that way? Had she said something this summer? Or did she know he'd been crushing on Elly since that first day when she spilled juice on him in Cascade Hall? Brett knew, because he was the mega observant. Saul knew, because he had assumed they were going out over a year ago. Caedence? Did she know? She didn't know. She couldn't know. She was just teasing him and now he was blushing and, drat, if she didn't know before she knows now.

"Very funny," he said, and tried to recover his lost ground on the plane of normalcy. In his efforts, he unfolded his hands and picked up his fork, forcing it steady, and took a cautious bite.

Elly hugged him last year about this time. It was one of the most terrifyingly exhilarating moments of his life as he saw Elly running at him and was quickly engulfed in warm, soft Elly arms... and she was so happy and he almost had a panic attack--he did have a minor one, but he managed to keep it under wraps--and he still remembered exactly where she touched him, and the feel of the folds of her shirt on her side as he hesitated between hugging her back and leaping away. He did neither, just standing there, playing the wide-eyed possum.

So Caedence knew about the touchy now. That was good. That was one more down, two if you counted Nikki (and she could count, he guessed, even if he hadn't intended to tell her in the first place). A piece of fish dropped back on his plate off his fork. He frowned at it and stabbed it again. Now if he could survive this "Cutest Couple" ordeal without Elly finding out that he secretly wanted them to be a couple all along and that he was rather liking having her in his yearbook next to him--all of these being facts he would never own up to in front of her--then this could still be a good year.

And it was cool that Caedence thought he had quidditch skill, even if he didn't think he could ever play on the school team. She seemed to think otherwise. That was cool for her. She could think that if she wanted. And she was right about a lot of stuff, which was weird because he hadn't expected her to be perceptive about people stuff.

Echo didn't feel like making small talk. He knew Caedence had no patience for it and he couldn't think of anything to say to Nikki besides, How was your summer? or Third years, huh?

Actually, third year was significant. When he swallowed his mouthful, he asked Nikki and Caedence, "We get to choose new classes this year, don't we? What do you think you'll take?"

21 Echo Elms I was wondering about that one, too 93 Echo Elms 0 5

Ronen
September 12, 2007 9:51 PM

Ronen
Peripheral
Written by:

I always hate it when they do that by Ronen
Ronen listened attentively as the two older students told their stories. Meanwhile, he took the opportunity to fill up his plate with vegetable soufflé and rice. He looked around hopefully for some baba ganoush, but in vain. He sighed; he hadn’t realized that when he came to Sonora, he’d give up one of his favorite home-cooked dishes. Maybe he could convince his mom to send him some? He’d try for it whenever he got around to writing her a letter.

“Hey Brett, hey Irene,” he said again, if only to help him match the names to faces. There were so many kids here; he didn’t know how he was going to be able to remember who everyone was. He figured he’d settle on learning the names of his housemates first, then work his way through the rest of the school.

“Oh, I know all about the awesomeness of Pecari, my dad told me,” he grinned, pleased that he had managed to make it thus far without doing something horribly clumsy. It had to be a record for him, “How come your mom didn’t tell your dad earlier?” he asked with good-natured curiosity, “Grandma Loraine told Grandpa Wes she was a witch before they were even married. Grandpa Wes thought it was totally cool, of course. He’s a bit of an oddball,” he laughed.

His Muggle grandfather was totally captivated by magical culture, and he had adapted well for someone who had only been introduced to that world in his twenties, and had no ounce of magical blood in him at all. Dad said the attraction was formed because Grandma Loraine had been a witch, and through magic, Ronen’s grandfather had found a connection with his late wife again. There was also the fact that Wes had four young magical children who needed to learn about their heritage – meaning he had some learning to do as well. Ronen wished he could have met his grandmother; she must have been a pretty cool girl if Wes was compelled to give up the comforts of the Muggle life to explore the magic world for her and their children. But his grandmother had died decades before he had ever been born.

0 Ronen I always hate it when they do that 0 Ronen 0 5

Nicoletta
September 12, 2007 9:52 PM

Nicoletta
Peripheral
Written by:

So ugly that I have no comparison by Nicoletta
Nicoletta was only mildly surprised at Kaylie for mentioning Marie, which wouldn't have been so awful if not for the fact that Dalila, the girl that she was attempting very hard not to shoot daggers at with her blue eyes, asked. It was really a question that she didn't want to answer. It would just make her look like the Hen that she was rather than the person she was trying to become. However, she couldn't not answer it either. Kaylie knew exactly who Marie was and while she doubted any ill intention from the girl, it probably wouldn't be best for Lexi to hear it from her.

So, with a delicate shrug of her shoulders and a mental apology to Chris, she fixed her gaze on Lexi and began slowly as she tried to word what she said carefully, "Marie isn't a relative and she isn't what I would call a friend. In fact, Chris despises her, but he had to be around her for most of the summer, because...well...Marie is the girl our parents chose for him just as Lucien used to be chosen for me."

She wasn't really sure what else to say. She didn't want to hurt Lexi, but it couldn't be avoided forever. In nervous habit, her hand went to play with the necklace that she had worn last year. The locket was gone now, but she had opted not to replace it with anything else. Fancy jewelry was going to soon be a thing of the past once her parents found out about Lucien.

0 Nicoletta So ugly that I have no comparison 0 Nicoletta 0 5

Hyana
September 12, 2007 10:29 PM

Hyana
Peripheral
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Another dollar? by Hyana
Uh oh! She had just ignored a first year. Hyana turned red. And it was a new person too. She turned an even deeper shade of red. What to do now? The kid was younger than her for crying out loud! She didn’t need to be scared of a little first year!

“Hi, I’m Damien Hall, first year.” He introduced himself politely. Trying to open her mouth to speak, Hyana took a couple of deep breaths, then Ebony arrived. She secretly thanked whoever made Ebony choose to come to them. Her friend took over for a moment, allowing her to have time to calm herself.

“I’m Hyana Kamiya.” she introduced herself after Ebony, smiling at the boy. Her face was turning back to it’s normal color now. Good. She really didn’t want to be labeled twitchy. “I’m a second year in Aladren. So is Ebony.” She smiled back at her friend.

Ebony asked a question, and Hyana automatically opened her mouth to answer, then thought about it for a second. Ebony wasn’t asking her! She shut her mouth again. From now on, she’d count to three before she spoke. After Damien responded to Ebony, she counted to three.

One…two…three…

“So, Damien, is there anything you want to know about Sonora?” she asked the first year quite confidently. “The who’s who and things that professors will more likely than not tell you? I wrote a book about my first year at Sonora, and I’m hoping to put it out in the Aladren commons for a first year to read soon, so I guess it’s okay to ask me.” She took a deep breath, surprised that she was able to string that many words together at one time.

One…two…three…

“But if you want to ask a prefect, I’m sure you can. Zack set up some kind of station or something in the library. I guess you can talk to him.” She shrugged at the end and took another bite of her roll, looking around the Cascade Hall.

Caedence was talking to Echo and some other girl she didn’t know, Brett and Irene were talking to a couple Pecari first years, and Josiah was…of course. Alexis had decided to torture her cousin right away. Hyana watched Alexis knock her juice purposely onto Josiah in slight anger. This was too unfair. And she wanted to be friends with Alexis, so she couldn’t step in. Sighing, she turned back to Ebony and Damien. She didn’t ask Ebony about her summer. She figured that they could catch up on that later.

0 Hyana Another dollar? 0 Hyana 0 5

Jacob
September 12, 2007 10:39 PM

Jacob
Peripheral
Written by:

This thread like...exploded! by Jacob
Jacob listened with interest. So muggle meant non magic people, like his mom! And people actually flew on brooms?! Wickedly totally awesomely cool! And he had been sorted in Pecari house. Good to know.

“I thought that drink was like the thing where you have to tell if there’s poison in your drink or not.” Jacob said, nodding after every few words. “Like in The Princess Bride.”

“Didn’t anybody come to your house to explain stuff to you when you got your letter? I thought they did that with all kids from Muggle families.” Ronen asked. Jacob tilted his head to one side.

“No. My dad’s a wizard.” he said simply, still confused. “My mom’s a muggle though. Do you think they explained it to her? Should I be taking notes on this?” Then a girl sat down with them. He waved at her with a big grin. She was pretty! Well, lots of girls here were pretty. There was that Asian girl, the red head girl spilling her drink on someone, the blonde girl with the ponytail. Yes, there were lots of pretty girls.

Jacob carefully made a connection between Irene and Brett as they spoke. But what connection was it? He knew there was something. What? What? What? Brett complemented her, and she joked back. Oh, this was in movies all the time. Why couldn’t he think of it?! Ronen spoke, but Jacob was concentrating hard on figuring out how to describe his thought.

Which was important. Because usually he didn’t think. He just…spoke.

“I got it!” he exclaimed suddenly. Looking directly at Irene and Brett, he pointed at the two of them. “You two are dating!” He nodded, excited that he had come to such a wonderful conclusion. “I’m right, aren’t I Ronen? Huh, huh, huh?”

OOC: My author is like, extremely busy. She's going to a new school and all, with hours of homework a day. And she agreed to do community service and stuff. Sometimes I think there's something wrong with her. Anyway, I may be slow sometimes at responding, so I'm real sorry!

0 Jacob This thread like...exploded! 0 Jacob 0 5

Lexi
September 12, 2007 10:43 PM

Lexi
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Getting out while I still can by Lexi
Lexi had known no good could come from sitting with her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. Deep down inside, she’d known. However, she’d thought at first that it was just because she was slightly afraid of having to face Kaylie, and how guilty the other girl could make her feel. She hadn’t really considered it might be something like this.

Things didn’t start to sink in for several moments. She caught the name, and that Kaylie had looked embarrassed afterward, but she’d assumed, like Dalila had, that Marie had just been a friend or relative. She realized how mistaken she was as Nicoletta went on to explain just who this mysterious girl was.

It seemed a rather archaic tradition, having someone ‘chosen’ for someone else. And it helped a little that, according to his sister, Chris hated the girl. Still, it wasn’t the girl so much as the fact that Chris hadn’t ever bothered to mention her. Lexi wasn’t an idiot, she knew that this wasn’t really a serious relationship the two of them were in right now. But still…

She also couldn’t shake the fact that Kaylie had been told. Lexi had never asked Chris just why the two of them had broken up, judging that it was none of her business. It had to be over this, since Kaylie and Chris hadn’t spoken that she knew of since their relationship ended. That meant….could mean, Lexi corrected herself, just could mean, that Chris had actually cared about Kaylie, or that the relationship was serious enough that he couldn’t honestly keep it up with that kind of information. Which meant, by deduction, that Lexi was just for random fun. While that seemed a bit paranoid, and far too callous for Chris, it still hurt her pride, just a bit.

Fortunately, she was saved from having to answer by the professors standing up and calling their first years to them, which meant she, as a prefect, should probably be heading along as well (and, if not, then she had an excellent excuse). “Well, guys, I have to be going,” she said, still seeming cheerful, if slightly puzzled by this new development. “Prefect stuff, and all. See you later!”

She then stood up and made her way outdoors to the hall. However, as it just so happened, she had to pass by Chris in order to get out. Deciding that it would be best to talk this whole thing through as quickly as possible, she leaned over when she passed him and whispered. “We need to talk. Soon.” before continuing out to the hallway.

0 Lexi Getting out while I still can 0 Lexi 0 5

Dalila
September 13, 2007 12:16 AM

Dalila
Peripheral
Written by:

*headdesk* Oh God... by Dalila
Mouth dropped and eyes wide with shock, Dalila just sat there, staring at Nicoletta in disbelief. Why would parents do that? They were fifteen for Merlin's sake! This was not what she was expecting and now thought that sitting between Jake and Jennifer would have been preferable to this.

She turned to Lexi, realizing that her stunned expression meant that she hadn't known this. "Lex-" Dalila said, but Lexi jumped up saying something about prefect duties. Dalila no longer felt jealous about Lexi being made a prefect.

She turned to Kaylie. Did she know before? She didn't seemed all too shocked. Was that why they broke up? Dalila swallowed and looked back at Nicoletta.

"Do you care that you're being forced to marry someone?" Dalila asked, feeling somewhere between anger for Nicoletta upsetting her roommate and best friend, and pity because for having to marry someone against her will.

"Do you care that your brother has to, even though he's found other perfectly nice girls?" She was leaning towards anger. She looked over to where Lexi had vanished into the crowd leaving Cascade Hall. "Do you care at all?"

0 Dalila *headdesk* Oh God... 0 Dalila 0 5

Nicoletta
September 13, 2007 12:46 AM

Nicoletta
Peripheral
Written by:

It was coming by Nicoletta
Nicoletta turned narrowed blue eyes on Dalila. How ironic that it was she asking her if she cared. Of course, she cared. She cared enough to tell Lexi before Kaylie or someone else did, even though she knew Chris was going to be angry with her later for he had wanted to himself.

"Upsetting Lexi was not my intention," she said cooly, calmly, falling back onto Pureblood mannerisms as a defensive measure. "However, she had to know before she heard it from someone who really does want to hurt her, because there are a couple that will try."

She paused a moment. Dalila wouldn't understand the traditional ways. 'Ways that are no longer yours,' she reminded herself. Continuing in a softer, gentler voice, "I care about Chris, but he has to choose. He will either marry Marie or be disowned. Those are the choices. I made mine already and now it's his turn. I hope that he will choose the same for he would be unhappy otherwise."

The message was subtle, but there. Her choice was to be disowned, outcasted from her family. Now, all she had to do was tell her parents. She was waiting on Chris' decision before she did though. If he opted against marriage, then they could figure out what to do together, because they wouldn't be able to return home come summer. If it was just her, well, she didn't know what she was going to do. It wasn't like she could stay with Jordanna, Catherine, or even Gwen.

0 Nicoletta It was coming 0 Nicoletta 0 5

Dalila
September 13, 2007 1:13 AM

Dalila
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Did it have to get here so fast? by Dalila
Dalila thought Nicoletta was acting way too unemotional considering that she had come to this table asking to sit with them and ending up making her brother's girlfriend run off. Maybe she was just that mean...Dalila didn't want to think that way.

Married or disowned? Were those the only choices of a pureblood of good standing? Dalila was happy her mother had chosen a muggle. And the rush of pity returned.

"It's really sad that you'd choose your family over yourself. You see like a really nice person, despite all this stupid pureblood marriage stuff. If you get some sense knocked into you, call me. I'd like to be your friend." Dalila swallowed hard. Most everybody had left, and Dalila followed suit, turning away from Nicoletta and walking towards the door.

Oh wait...Kaylie.

"Hey, Kaylie...you coming?"

0 Dalila Did it have to get here so fast? 0 Dalila 0 5

Laurie Cider
September 13, 2007 2:41 AM

Laurie Cider
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Omg, just google it. Enjoy the lul-catz. by Laurie Cider
Laurie's eyes widened. Born in the States, then in France, and then back again to California. She imagined the insane amount of flying that must have been involved. Unless, of course, Raoul's parents had gone the portkey route, which, she surmised, was probably far more timely a transportation choice. But since he was adopted, maybe his parents weren't wizards themselves.

She looked at her classmate with interest. His past was like one giant mystery! Maybe he'd been separated at birth. Or maybe he was the illegitimate son of an orthodox Pureblood patriarch. Maybe he was someone's long lost twin! The possibilities were endless, and Laurie, with her great fondness for any and all mysteries, found herself getting caught up in the imaginings of her mind.

She knew enough though, not to voice any of these wonderings aloud. Instead, she continued with her introductions, feeling a tad silly with the formality of it in some ways. "I've never left Florida before- that's where I'm from. The furthest I've been from home before was Tallahassee, last Christmas." The entire Cider family had gone on a university tour for her brother Bryce who had just finished taking his SATs. She had actually made use of her winter jacket for the first time in two years. She'd even needed gloves at that!

"But this is pretty incredible stuff, isn't it? I mean, all of this," she gestured to the room surrounding them. "I at least had a bit of an idea of what to expect, because of my dad and all. But they don't even have tv's here, or computers. I haven't had to write anything in ages- not to mention, I think I'm going to go into video game withdrawal before the week is out. My dad warned me that electronics probably won't work due to all the charms on the place."

Laurie puffed a brief sigh, and arranged her chicken skin into a neat pile next to the picked-dry bones of the chicken breast. "It's hard to be negative, though, what with the very awesome fact we're going to learn how to use our magic- not mention fly! I so can't wait to learn to fly. And Quidditch, do you know, I've never seen a game. Have you?"

0 Laurie Cider Omg, just google it. Enjoy the lul-catz. 0 Laurie Cider 0 5

Stephen Baxter
September 13, 2007 4:30 AM

Stephen Baxter
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Emily Lewis

Age in Post: 16

You do well enough, Princess by Stephen Baxter
Stephen resisted to reach out and have a proper examination of Mia. All these interesting new changes, and just when things were heading in a new direction. He almost considered changing his mind, but, when he paused to think about it for a few seconds, he realised that his interest in the new Mia didn't change other things. His grin adjusted into a simple smile.

"Yeah. Just come find me when you're through with the professors. I'll make a point to stay near the common room."

He noticed the scratchy quality of her voice and reached out to tap her on the nose once she'd put the glass back down again.

"And maybe you should do some visiting yourself - down at the hospital wing. What's with you and coming back to school sick all the time? Look after yourself, ok? I'll see you tomorrow night." He nodded and grinned at Tally one more time. "See you around, Tals."

Double-checking that they hadn't moved, he headed off in the direction of Sorrel, Ash and a bit more of the feast.

39 Stephen Baxter You do well enough, Princess 49 Stephen Baxter 0 5

Irene
September 13, 2007 6:40 AM

Irene
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Written by:

Explosions are good sometimes =) by Irene
“How come your mom didn’t tell your dad earlier?”

Irene opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Why hadn't she told dad? It's not like they hadn't been happy before. They were perfectly fine before Mom died. But Dad get angry sometimes... Instinctively, she brushed her hair over her bruise again. Mom had probably been scared, but Irene wasn't about to go explaining this to the first year.

"I dunno," she replied. "Maybe it was the timing or something--"

“I got it!” The first year boy pointed at Irene and Brett. “You two are dating!”

What?
"What?" Irene said, blushing furiously. No, they weren't dating. She liked him, yeah, but why would the kid think they were dating? Was she being that obvious? Raye had guessed it the day of the Quidditch match, but Irene just assumed it was her cousin's knowledge of her. Irene felt the insane urge to laugh, not in a cruel way, but in a wow-this-is-awkward way.

OOC: Got to cut this short. School is calling.

0 Irene Explosions are good sometimes =) 0 Irene 0 5

Pepper
September 13, 2007 7:34 AM

Pepper
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Written by:

Always good to see you (and WotW) by Pepper
"Oh, it's hazardous," Pepper agreed with Briony, "Can lead to forks into the roof of the mouth, the accidental tasting of unpleasant and undesired foodstuffs," she grinned, hoping that Briony appreciated the humour, and didn't think she was laughing at her. Or patronising her. Pepper always had to be careful, especially when trying to cheer someone up or make them relax, that she didn't slip into the style of someone doing the same for a six year old.

"That sounds fun," she acknowledged, in response to Briony's description of her summer. Before she could elaborate and tell her roommate what she'd been up to, a little voice managed to make itself heard behind her. Even without looking, the stuttering and awkwardness with which the question was posed would have evinced its being Adam who stood there, and a glance over her shoulder confirmed it.

"Hi," she replied, "Of course you can join us," she added, making sure her smile was on full wattage and her voice filled with enthusiasm at the idea. It might have looked kind of odd to Briony, but she knew that it had probably taken a lot for Adam to come and ask her, and she wanted to make sure he knew he really was welcome. "Do you know each other?" she asked, "Briony, this is Adam. Adam, this is Briony," she added, just in case. "We were just swapping summer news," she added to Adam. "Mine was fun," she continued, trying now to appear like she was speaking to both of them. "Just lots of playing with the sibs, going to church, avoiding answering questions about my school. The usual. What did you get up to?" she asked Adam, hoping he didn't feel too put-on-the-spot by the question. It seemed friendly and inoccuous enough to her. \r\n\r\n

0 Pepper Always good to see you (and WotW) 0 Pepper 0 5

Talitha
September 13, 2007 9:42 AM

Talitha
Peripheral
Written by:

Good...yes I like good by Talitha
Talitha finished the food on her plate and debated if she wanted more chips or switch from salty to sweet and help herself to some ice cream. She couldn’t help but feel sorry for Oliver. It must be tough for someone to live in a family that didn’t understand magic. If they couldn’t understand magic how could they understand the child who possessed it? It must be kind of weird for him to go back and forth between school and home, like living in two different worlds.

Talitha wondered if Oliver wanted to talk about it or forget it. He was definitely on her friends list, possibly moving up to the very good friends column, but they were still getting to know one another. Aside from greetings in the Hall and Crotalus common room, the only time they’d really spent together was in DADA class last year. Bizarre as it seemed, she was closer to Lutece now than Oliver, even though being in his company was a lot less stressful. She didn’t feel like she had to walk on eggshells when she had a conversation with him.

“Oh, guess what?” Talitha said, brightening. “I’ve got my own owl. Its just a baby yet. Do you want to see it when we get back to our rooms?”

\n

0 Talitha Good...yes I like good 0 Talitha 0 5

Anabel McIntosh
September 13, 2007 11:15 AM

Anabel McIntosh
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

And then there were three. by Anabel McIntosh
It had all started with the murder of Kay Love. Although quite young at the time, Anabel could still recall her father's reaction to the news that there had been a murder at Salem, and that her cousin Leslie had witnessed it no less. Several generations of McIntoshes had attended Salem. It was given that she would be attending the school as well. But on that day, her father began to question the safety of the school and the administration's standards.

It had only become worse as the years continued and more incidents occurred. One by one, her cousins Trey and Lizzy had too departed for Salem. The school began to be covered in the media and her father's reservations regarding the school became louder and more pronounced.

Her father put his foot down finally following the battle. Anabel, unable to fall asleep, had decided to sneak downstairs for a glass of water. Finding her parents in deep conversation, Anabel had remained outside the kitchen doors, hidden in the shadows. 'Students,' he had stated to her mother, 'should be safe in their environment. The faculty at Salem should have done everything in their power to keep those students safe. Trey and Elizabeth were there. I don't understand John. He knows the risks and yet continues to send them back.'

Her father had paused then, his jaw setting as he stared straight at her mother. 'I don't care if our family has been doing so for generations. I won't have Anabel attend that school.'

Anabel had gone to bed that night full of nerves and endless, unanswerable questions. When she awoke the next morning, she had finally come to a decision as a grin formed on her face. Unlike her cousins, who had been dragged down by the reputations of former generations, she would have the opportunity to attend another school. She would be the first, the only.

And she couldn't wait.

***

Breathing in deeply, Anabel held her head high and entered the school. Being the first McIntosh to attend a school besides Salem, she would have the welcome opportunity of making her family's mark on this new school. She could set the pace, avoiding the legacy left by her family and the shadow of her elder cousins. She was the first, the brightest, the only.

Smoothing her robes, Anabel prepared herself for the revealing process. Unlike her cousins, she had arrived at school unaware as to what house she would be entering. The anxiety and excitement were nearly consuming her. As a means to distract herself, Anabel found herself measuring up the students surrounding her. Her nose wrinkled at a few- she hoped they wouldn't be in her house!

Squaring her shoulders, she turned her attention to the chalice being offered to her. Brow quirking, she considered it for a moment. Looking around her, she noticed that other students had already begun to drink theirs. She couldn't let them outdo her. With a mock salute of the chalice, Anabel downed the contents.

Moments passed before she noticed that a change had occurred. Her eyes easily landed on the manicured hand holding the goblet and widened as she realized that it had turned a bright shade of red. Closing her eyes momentarily, she tried to remember exactly what she had read about each house. Red was…Crotalus; she was almost positive. She hoped the house would at least be acceptable to her.

Entering the hall, Anabel noticed that the other first years were moving off to their respective houses. She stepped forward and began making her way to greet her housemates. She had only made it a portion of the way before she paused, hearing the conversation between two of her fellow first years. “One must have four magical grandparents to be considered pure. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me,” the girl in blue was saying to one in brown.

Taking just one more glance at the group of Crotali, Anabel decided she’d much rather spend the feast with these girls. Waiting for a break in their conversation, Anabel smiled brightly before introducing herself, “Anabel McIntosh, of the Georgia McIntoshes. Would you mind terribly if I joined you? Some of the other first years seem to be…” she paused as she tried to think of an appropriate word, “strange.”

0 Anabel McIntosh And then there were three. 120 Anabel McIntosh 0 5

Holly
September 13, 2007 11:49 AM

Holly
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Nathan

Age in Post: 11

Welcome then by Holly
Holly was about to ask Chelsea what she meant when that was made unnecessary by a helpful explanation that came without prompting. It made sense, she supposed, though she wasn't sure she like the implication that she herself wasn't 'pure'. Of course, as none of her grandparents had magic, perhaps that simply meant she was a pureblood muggleborn. Yes, that made sense. Her blood wasn't mixed either.

Before she could think of a question to ask or thank Chelsea for her offer - both of which she intended to do - another girl joined them, sporting the red skin of which was the one Chelsea had said? Croatatius? No, Croatalius? No, Crotalus. That was it.

Holly smiled at her in warm greeting because she, too, seemed to exhibit all the earmarks of the upper crust. She even used the same formula that Chelsea had used to introduce herself. "Hello, Anabel," she said, "you may certainly join us. I am Holly Thistle of the Hollywood Thistles. All eight of my grandparents are non-magical." Because that was twice as many grandparents as most people had, she added in explanation, "My parents are both re-married."

1 Holly Welcome then 123 Holly 0 5

Mere
September 13, 2007 1:17 PM

Mere
Peripheral
Written by:

A parade! We should make banners. by Mere
Meredith mimed a curtsy in her seat when Elly commented on how ‘lovely’ she looked in that same tone. It was just so easy to make fun of. That was probably part of the reason Mere wasn’t drained of her soul. If she could find something to laugh about, then she could stay sane and stay Meredith, the nearly polar opposite of just about everyone there. She even got Abby, who loved every aspect of Ms. Corona’s, to laugh at a few of the over the top instructors and the top girls of Class 6. There was a point where it was just too much to hold back a laugh.

“I know!” Mere exclaimed about being forced to wear the uniform. “And if it wasn’t those uniforms, it was ball gowns. It’s really a lot harder than it looks to walk in those things. And then they added the shoes with the huge heels.” Mere shook her head with a small smile at some funny memories that didn’t seem nearly as funny at the time. “Well, I understand why mama loved it so much. Ms. Corona’s must’ve be heaven on earth for her.”

“You know, it doesn’t look as bad as you’re making out. Except for the uniform, obviously. Hideous.”

“Maybe it’s a ‘had to be there’ kind of thing. I mean, yeah, it wasn’t as completely horrific as I thought it might be at first, but I’d definitely rather spend my summer playing Quidditch with you and Echo and everyone or at least practicing with Ms. Laura.” Mere shrugged and accepted the pictures back. “If mama decides to make me go again, feel free to take my place. You can see what it’s like and have your own lovely uniform.” She laughed and began looking through the pictures herself while taking a stab at some of the pasta on her plate.

“And what about you? What did you and Caedence do this summer?”

0 Mere A parade! We should make banners. 0 Mere 0 5

Claire Villon
September 13, 2007 3:45 PM

Claire Villon
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I did say 'usually.' by Claire Villon
"Ah, well..." Claire blushed. "I admit I do not know very much Charms, but my family has a large library, and my brother has helped me also. His name is Francois Villon--after the poet of the Renaissance, very long ago. He was the beginning of our bloodline. You probablement do not know; he wrote for example 'Regrets,' and the 'Ballad of the Hanged'--he was a criminal, and so, Villon..." She trailed off. "It is in English, 'villain.'" She blushed again, though there was no way Gray would make the jump to assuming that her brother was also a criminal, though he was. However, that part of his life was in the past; he was currently an upperclassman at Sapienti University, still exiled from France.

"And your family?" she added, changing the subject and turning to Gray with her chin propped thoughtfully up on one hand. Claire had finished eating for the moment, and wanted to wait for dessert in any case.

0 Claire Villon I did say 'usually.' 0 Claire Villon 0 5

Nikki
September 13, 2007 5:09 PM

Nikki
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Written by:

Why the hurtfulness? Can't we all just get along? by Nikki
When Caedence gave her monologue about overcoming enemies, Nikki found she had to agree, to some extent. Her policy was that she didn't care who knew about her condition. Mental illnesses were diseases. A person with schizophrenia or bipolarity had nothing more to be ashamed of than someone with cancer or Parkinson's disease. If others didn't see it that way, then that wasn't her problem. If they wished to be prejudiced and ignorant, why should she care?

She was about to tell Caedence and Echo this, when the former said something that made her visibly freeze, and she knew a blush was creeping up her cheeks.

'The cutest couple should hug for their next yearbooks poses.'

Leo. Nikki's mind sent her back to the end of last year, when she had cried in Leo's arms and he had comforted her. She could feel her heart speed up slightly at the thought. Nikki forced herself to calm down and looked across the table at the other two. Caedence looked pleased with herself, and Echo looked as uncomfortable as she felt. She suspected he felt the same way towards Elly that she did towards Leo. Of course, she kept this thought to herself, for multiple reasons.

'We get to choose new classes this year, don't we? What do you think you'll take?' Nikki heard Echo say and instantly relaxed. New classes, that was a good topic. Perfect way to calm down an Aladren, mention schoolwork.

"I'm pretty sure I'll just take Ancient Runes." Nikki responded, "My mom's a Muggle, so there's really no point in me taking Muggle Studies, and my brother Julio took Divination and hated it. He said, and I quote, 'It's a load of crap with no real purpose in life.' He told me not to waste my time with it. What about you guys?"

0 Nikki Why the hurtfulness? Can't we all just get along? 0 Nikki 0 5

Tally
September 13, 2007 6:55 PM

Tally
Peripheral
Written by:

*Feels the role of the Third Wheel coming on* by Tally
Mia seemed to only have just started talking about her summer when they were interupted by Stephen. If this had been the old Tally, she would have gotten angry and excused herself from having to deal with the two of them together. But, this was the new Tally. She could still feel the angry pulls somewhere in the pit of her stomach screaming that Stephen could talk to Mia anytime he wanted, but she ignored them.

She greeted Stephen with a smile and turned away from the two of them. It was clear that they needed to say something to each other and Tally didn't want to be the awkward third wheel in a conversation. Of course, that didn't mean that turning away from them suddenly meant she was deaf. She heard what they were saying and a frown appeared on her lips.

Tally had always just assumed the two of them were happy. Sure, what happened to Stephen was bound to cause a rough patch, but she figured they would work through it. Of course, Stephen had always seemed like the sort of guy who became bored easily and eagerly seek out something new that would catch his attention. Perhaps he grew up a bit?

"Bye Stephen." Tally responded to his retreating back. She watched him for a moment before returning her gaze on her friend. "Talk? Sounds serious." Tally stated, but she would leave it up to Mia to elaborate. She wouldn't want someone prying into her life unless she left the door open for them to do so. She hadn't even told anyone about Jason and doubted she would. She wasn't embarrassed by him or anything that they had done, but... Tally just didn't think people would understand where she was coming from with all of that.

"Anyway, what's with the new look?" Tally asked, generally interested in what Mia had to say. "And what were you saying about your summer? Something about a house on the beach..."

0 Tally *Feels the role of the Third Wheel coming on* 0 Tally 0 5

Claire Villon
September 13, 2007 10:44 PM

Claire Villon
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ooc: Er, 'I did say 'most'', that is (nm) by Claire Villon

0 Claire Villon ooc: Er, 'I did say 'most'', that is (nm) 0 Claire Villon 0 5

Brett Hodges
September 13, 2007 11:04 PM

Brett Hodges
Peripheral
Written by:

Maybe that's why exploding snap is so popular by Brett Hodges
You two are dating! the first year exclaimed out of nowhere. No. Where. Nowhere.

Brett started and just stared at him for a second or so before he thought of some way to handle it. Irene was blushing, which made his insides do this weird thing where they stopped existing. Irene giggled nervously, and he stopped playing possum and leaned toward the first year, "Shh!" he hissed, and he explained to the first year in a stage whisper he was sure Irene could hear, "Keep it down," he turned his head so he could half smile at her, "She doesn't know yet."

It never even occurred to him that she might say no when he finally asked her out. He liked her and she hadn't seemed to mind, so clearly she must like him too. End of story. It was really just a matter of the right moment. Right now, was not the moment he had in mind. He'd figured he'd wait at least another week before asking her. Maybe more, depending.

But he wasn't about to deny anything right now just because the timing wasn't right. No way. He was so staking his claim. Irene was his. No trespassing.

He grinned at her and waited for her answer to his unasked question.

0 Brett Hodges Maybe that's why exploding snap is so popular 0 Brett Hodges 0 5

Irene
September 14, 2007 6:40 AM

Irene
Peripheral
Written by:

It would makes sense by Irene
"Keep it down," he turned his head so he could half smile at her, "She doesn't know yet."

Wow. Irene couldn't really believe this was happening. This first year was beginning to leap to the top of her Favorite First Year list! There was this crazy awesome, but kind of awkward, turn in the convorsation. In response to Brett's "whisper", Irene laughed a little.

"Hey, hey," she said, "Secrets don't make friends!" But the end of her sentance trailed off. Brett had this look on his face that was sort of unmistakable. He was grinned over at her. What? No. way. Did he really mean...? She thought he did, that look was practically screaming it at her! Irene couldn't help the smile spreading on her face. She had expected some things from Sonora in her return, but getting a boyfriend at the opening feast wasn't exactly what she had expected! It was surprising, but completely welcomed! Suddenly, Irene knew exactly what she wanted to say,

"For real real?" She said. She didn't bother waiting for an answer. The answer didn't really matter. "Yeah," she said, a grin on her face. She really couldn't believe that just happened! Who cares her dad showed up at her house over the summer? She didn't need him. All she needed was her Uncle and these people at Sonora. This was going to be a good year.

0 Irene It would makes sense 0 Irene 0 5

Red
September 14, 2007 1:55 PM

Red
Peripheral
Written by:

Har har. Very funny. *sticks out tongue* by Red
Red almost laughed at the look on Paul's face. He'd always seemed so distant, so aloof, that to see him with a face full of food was... amusingly humanizing. She couldn't withhold a smile, and hid it the best she could by inching her chair in better and situating Anke's bag comfortably on her lap. Spotting some pudding, she couldn't help but take a heaping spoonful, savoring the first taste of chocolate as Paul swallowed hard, greeted her, and gave her an unnaturally brief update on his summer.

"That's good," she said with a grin, flicking a bit of chocolate off her lower lip with one finger. "My summer was--"

Oh, bugger. That's right. He still thought she was a pureblood living with a Squib, didn't he? An uncle or something. Godverdomme, she should really learn to remember these stories! Had she said aunt?

"--decent, I guess. Spent most of it with Godewyn." Lie. She hadn't seen the werewolf since she'd left New York, and she hadn't had an owl from him in ages, either. She knew he was still owling her father, Nicolaas--she'd seen the letter--but no sooner had she opened it than Nic had yanked it away, unwontedly frantic, folded it up and stowed it in his dressing robe's inner pocket. She hadn't tried to spy again since, but she itched with curiosity everytime Godewyn's owl showed up. "Got a good bit of Quidditch practice in, too. You going out for the team this year?"

She blinked at the mention of the Anti-Sonora club, then grinned. "Haven't started it up yet. Don't think the professors would really approve, do you? Maybe I should just find a few interested students and we could take it underground... wear balaclavas and have a secret handshake and stuff," she joked. "What sayest thou, Paul?"

0 Red Har har. Very funny. *sticks out tongue* 0 Red 0 5

Elly
September 14, 2007 2:56 PM

Elly
Peripheral
Written by:

Ooh, banners! And flags! by Elly
Elly’s horror at the mention of ball gowns and heels probably was evident in her expression. Her mother frequently tried to force her into dresses, and even heels, occasionally. The truth was that Elly’s legs were so long, white and skinny, that she hated them being put in a skirt of any sort. It used to only be short skirts that put her off, but the restrictive quality of longer skirts soon added them into the general field of dislike. High heels were more of an impracticality for Elly than a dislike; she was already taller than everyone her age, and didn’t need heels to increase her height advantage, not to mention she couldn’t walk in them, anyway.

“If mama decides to make me go again, feel free to take my place,” Meredith said.

Elly laughed. “Yeah, they’d love to have me,” she said, shaking her head in dismay. “Just don’t tell my mum about it, okay? It sounds like the sort of thing she would actively encourage.” Elly grimaced. The chance that her mother would ever speak to Meredith was, in itself, slim, so Elly didn’t feel especially threatened by the idea. It was, however, still disconcerting to imagine herself wearing that frightfully dull uniform.

“What did you and Caedence do this summer?” Mere asked.

“Not much,” Elly replied, once she’d swallowed her mouthful. “Actually,” she said, starting to laugh at the realisation, “we were pretty girly ourselves. Did some shopping and styled each other's hair…” She laughed loudly, looking at Mere to see her friend’s reaction. “I have photos, too, but not with me. Well, I have a photo – I encouraged Caedence into one of those instant photo kiosks – you know them?” With Meredith being raised in a magical family, Elly was never sure whether she would be familiar with some Muggle phenomena.

“We did shopping, watched films, talked, ate, had milkshakes,” she shrugged again. “I think it was good for Caedence, you know. She wasn’t half so scary as normal.”

0 Elly Ooh, banners! And flags! 0 Elly 0 5

Raoul
September 14, 2007 7:43 PM

Raoul
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Caedence

Age in Post: 11

I googled it! Arent you proud? by Raoul
"I've never left Florida before- that's where I'm from. The furthest I've been from home before was Tallahassee, last Christmas."

Raoul found this surprising. He had been all over Europe, once his parents offered to take him to China on a tour they were checking out. He didn’t want to go, however, saying that he’d rather see Russia or Africa. They never got back to Raoul on that one.

"But this is pretty incredible stuff, isn't it? I mean, all of this. I at least had a bit of an idea of what to expect, because of my dad and all. But they don't even have tv's here, or computers. I haven't had to write anything in ages- not to mention, I think I'm going to go into video game withdrawal before the week is out. My dad warned me that electronics probably won't work due to all the charms on the place."

Raoul laughed. How could she watch t.v. or play video games when there was exploring to do? She lived in Florida, what better place to explore than the beach? Raoul loved learning surfing, and he was starting to get better at it. He could balance on the surf board for a few minutes without losing his balance, plus he met this cool older kid at the beach who gave him pointers. It wasn’t like he didn’t have beaches in France, but he didn’t go often as he didn’t live near them.

"It's hard to be negative, though, what with the very awesome fact we're going to learn how to use our magic- not mention fly! I so can't wait to learn to fly. And Quidditch, do you know, I've never seen a game. Have you?"

Raoul grinned madly, “I do want to learn this quid-ditch, I have never seen a game,” He pronounced the word ‘quidditch’ as two words, “My parents are muggles after all. Both of them. But why would lack of television be a problem? Or video games? We could go out exploring, you and me! We could see if there are any hidden passages or see if we can find the way through the labyrinth gardens? Or wander the grounds and see if there’s some exotic new creature to meet and play with! There’s tons to do! And we can do magic and stuff too!”

He laughed, taking another drink of his juice. “So…me and the other brown people, that puts us in the same house right? Since red is Crotalis, blue is that smart house, Aladren, yellow is a bright and bubbly color, no doubt a teppenpaw, so brown puts me in Pecari. Since you know stuff about this school, what’s Pecari going to turn out to be like?” He asked, picking at a roll of bread on his plate. \n

52 Raoul I googled it! Arent you proud? 125 Raoul 0 5

Caedence
September 14, 2007 8:12 PM

Caedence
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by:

Age in Post: 13

*bows* it's in my nature hun by Caedence
Caedence felt slightly pleased at the reaction Echo had to her teasing. Was it her, or did his cheeks look rather red? Surprisingly, Nikki’s face also turned crimson. What did she have to do with Echo and Elly? Or was she thinking of her how boyfriend? Did Nikki have a boyfriend?

She resisted laughing at Echo’s poor attempt at looking cool again. Very funny? At least he could be creative. Oh well, he was too busy being embarrassed, which was her goal.

Then Echo changed the subject. Nikki said that she was going to take Ancient Ruins, but not muggle studies or divination. Caedence thought Nikki’s brother had a good opinion. Divinations sounded like a bunch of crap. Really, predicting the future? Puh-lease! It made Caedence think of destiny, which was messed up in itself. If all they had to live was their own destinies, then what was the point of being able to make decisions? And how far did destiny extend? Did it go down to pre-destining her very choice to be munching on bread at the moment? Drinking water? Breathing? It was all crap. After all, was it her mother’s destiny to get sick? Her father’s to hate his child? No, Caedence didn’t think so.

“Well, I might take muggle studies, after all, it would be almost like a comedy. Unless our teacher is muggle born. Can you imagine it?” She made her voice all high and airy “’Isn’t it amazing? This micro waves food until it is hot then you may eat it!!! Ingenious! How do they do it?’” She took her fork and stabbed the chicken on her plate, twisting off a piece. She thought a moment while she chewed.

“Divinations,” she continued, “Just ties into the whole destiny thing. Not my idea of a cool class. And since math isn’t my forte I may or may not go to Ancient ruins. It all depends.”

She turned to Echo, “So you gonna go to muggle studies for entertainment? After all, I know Meredith will go, at least I think, which means that Elly will probably sign up. The trio has to stick together right?” She asked.
\n

0 Caedence *bows* it's in my nature hun 94 Caedence 0 5

Mia
September 14, 2007 9:29 PM

Mia
Peripheral
Written by:

Aw, there's no need for that. by Mia
As Mia looked back from her glass she felt a tap on her nose and was taken aback for a moment. She looked up at Stephen with a raised eyebrow, but her mouth still pulled into a smile. He mentioned for her to go down to the Hospital Wing. Sick all the time? She pretended to look affronted, but it was clear she was only kidding. It happened once, okay twice, before and he had taken it upon himself to half drag her to the Hospital Wing the first time. She wasn’t sick the second time or this time. Just getting over being sick. At least the first time it had gotten her away from an awkward sitting with the Cravens. She gave a small wave when he left, but continued to watch his retreating back for a few moments longer.

Tally’s voice brought her attention back to the table.

“We can talk seriously sometimes.” Mia played it off lightly, running her finger along the rim of the glass. But she didn’t want to deal with that just then where people were sitting all around and could start stupid rumors that could lead to stupid drama. She refused to turn whatever would happen into a big deal. It just wasn’t going to happen. When Tally spoke again, Mia moved right along.

“Uh,” she tried to remember what she had been saying before Stephen came. “Well I was going into how I was hanging out with my stepbrother and some of his friends in the city. That was pretty much the gist of the summer. Either we were at the beach or in the city. Mostly the beach. A lot of cool stuff happened there like the fireworks. So awesome. And they had a party for my birthday. We hung out in the ocean and then had a bonfire.” She stopped as she had gotten off track.

“Sorry. Anyway,” she brought herself back “we were walking around the city one time and just decided to do something fun and different. And this happened somehow.” She used one hand to point to her ear and the other to hold up a piece of her hair. “Actually this happened later.” She shook the hair she was holding. “First it was bright fire engine red streaks.” Mia shrugged and smiled. “It was just for fun. Mine is nothing compared to what my friends Patricia and Lucy did. I have pictures in my suitcase. I’m in the middle of making a scrapbook.”

“And your summer? It couldn’t all be with Dr. Quack.” She needed the break from talking. She was considering taking up Stephen’s suggestion to go to the Hospital Wing to get something for her throat.

0 Mia Aw, there's no need for that. 0 Mia 0 5

Grayson Wright
September 15, 2007 2:55 AM

Grayson Wright
Staff
House: Aladren
Subject: Charms
Written by: Grayson Wright

Age in Post: 11

Should I be worried now? by Grayson Wright
Like the rest of his family, Gray wasn't entirely sure of the French word for French, much less anything else about the language, but he hadn't spent most of his life buried in books for nothing. He had long since learned to figure things out from context, and the jump from 'probablement' to 'probably' wasn't a very big one. He shook his head at the poem-names, then wondered if he should clear off when Claire started to blush. When his girl-cousins started up with the blushing, it usually meant nothing good for him.

"Haven't heard of him before," he confirmed instead.

It was his turn to go a little red when she asked about his family, though he didn't know why. "Er - well, it's not too interesting, really. I think our last name has something to do with a person who makes something, but none of us that I can think of are really artistic. I'm the ninth boy they've named Grayson, though, and there's been a lot of Annes ever since we left England. I've always heard that they're after people who tried to curse the family, but it doesn't really make sense to me." He stared meditatively down at his plate for a moment, then shrugged. "I'm an only child, but that's not usual for us. Dad's got five siblings."

16 Grayson Wright Should I be worried now? 113 Grayson Wright 0 5

Josiah Ashwood
September 15, 2007 1:04 PM

Josiah Ashwood
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by:

Age in Post: 12

Maybe for you by Josiah Ashwood
Josiah was happy to be back at Sonora. The only minus? His cousin was going to come. But that could be tolerated, so long as he still had charms club to go to. Speaking of which, Josiah looked around cascade hall, looking for a very familiar pink bubble hat. He frowned. Where was it? It wasn’t like it was difficult to miss!

Josiah felt a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. Not again! They couldn’t lose another good teacher again! After Deck left? And who was going to sponsor his charms club? What was he going to do?

He had time to worry about that later, however. He sat down next to a fellow Teppenpaw and waited for the sorting to finish. Just last year he had turned yellow. It seemed so far away, yet it also seemed just like yesterday. He laughed lowly to himself as he recalled spitting his color changing potion all over Tally. It was the most embarrassing thing ever!

Suddenly and all too familiar redhead girl was coming over to him. Well.. redhead and face arms and everything. Figures that Alexis was a Crotalis. That’s were she belonged. Amongst all the other stupid pure-brained purebloods. Sure there were a couple cool Crotali, but they were few and far between. He sent her a sharp glare in warning not to come over, but she did anyways.

Hello Joey He winced, she knew he hated being called Joey and only tolerated it from his little cousin. Surprised? I’m not.

“Not at all, it fits you dear Lexi,” He said venomously.

He listened to the Headmaster’s speech, deliberately ignoring Alexis. The thought of something happening over midterm was exciting. However, the Headmaster didn’t say where McKindy had gone. Joy was looking so forward to the nice guy in the bubble hat. Josiah sighed.

Just when he was about to load up his plate with something to eat, he got an unexpected bath. “Lexi!” he growled, wiping off what he could with a napkin.

“I’m so sorry Joey I didn’t mean to spill that on you, honest.”

“Yeah and you’re the heir to the Ashwood line,” He grumbled sarcastically.

"So, are you gonna spend time with me this year Joey? Mom says she wants us to spend more time together. Can we?"

“I’ll spend as much time with you as I spend with Brett Hodges, promise,” Josiah said, putting as much sincerity into his words as he could. He knew Alexis would have no clue who Brett was, so it was a valid promise. And since Brett didn’t seem to like him, it was even better for the promise.

“So why aren’t you making connections with very important people over at the Crotalis table? I’m sure Aunt would love it if you found a proper boy to be betrothed to.” Josaih said, trying to not lace his voice with any venom at all, hoping she’d take the hint and leave.\n

0 Josiah Ashwood Maybe for you 97 Josiah Ashwood 0 5

Rorrie Hudson
September 15, 2007 2:57 PM

Rorrie Hudson
Peripheral
Written by:

Can I intrude? by Rorrie Hudson
Rorrie was ecstatic. She was finally away from her family for a whole year! She wouldn't have to deal with her parents screaming, her sister's whining, the "Have you unpacked that box yet?!"... It was good to be away. Nevertheless, Rorrie was still a bit freaked out. She was starting at a magic school with little to no knowledge what the heck she was going to learn! Sure that person had stopped by, but she was still trying to comprehend the whole "Congrats! You're a witch!" concept...

Rorrie was a little confused at the goblet she held in her hands. Drink it would be the usual immediate reaction, but this was a magic school! Maybe they had to pull a frog out of it or something... Oh. Nevermind. They were told to drink it, so that was simple enough for her. Rorrie gulped down the potion, not paying any attention to the taste. All around her people begna to change colors. Rorrie assumed it would just go away, or so she hoped. She looked down at herself to find that she had turned, head to toe, a bright blue color. Apparently that meant Aladren! Good good.

Rorrie sat down at the table, eating anything that looked delicious in the smallest way. She nervously tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. She hated it when her hair got in her green eyes. She looked around the hall, taking in the waterfalls on the walls, but as she turned she saw a head of black hair that looked extremely framiliar. She knew someone back home with that hair! Could someone possibly be here with her? She got up and headed towards the person who looked crazily like Andy. It wasn't like they were the best of friends, but she was willing to find anyone right now. She tapped the person on the shoulder.

"Andy?"

0 Rorrie Hudson Can I intrude? 0 Rorrie Hudson 0 5

Maisley & Murray McCallen
September 15, 2007 4:15 PM

Maisley & Murray McCallen
Peripheral
Written by:

Yes, more twins. Apologies to everyone. by Maisley & Murray McCallen
“Oh my god...”

Maisley entered the Hall with a spring in her step. Well, assuming the spring was capable of launching a boulder into the air. So more like a catapult. A very large catapult.

Maisley entered the Hall with an enormous catapult in her step. She simply couldn't believe she was here, in Arizona! Land of the... desert. Well, it didn't sound impressive, but it certainly was to her. She had grown up on the Scottish countryside, and with a family of seven living on the money brought in from their family-run apothecary, travel was rarely more interesting than a trip into Glasgow. She couldn't believe her luck. "It's not as big as Hogwarts," her brother Murray observed in his cheerful, Scottish lilt. She frowned at him. He wasn't too bad as brothers went. He was usually good for a laugh, he always went along with her various ideas, and he was fun to be around. Not to mention that his energy level came fairly near to matching her own, which was really saying something. He wasn't supposed to be a bad sport.

“Stop whinging,” she ordered him, poking him in the arm before seizing two goblets and handing him his. Their eyes met.

“Count of three,” ordered Murray. “One…”

“Two…” they said together.

They drained their glasses without bothering with the number three. Instantly, both siblings turned a distinct, muddy brown. “We’re in the same house!!!” Maisley shrieked in excitement, bouncing up and down. They high fived and made their way to some empty seats (well, more like quietly raced each other via shoving each other out of the way than ‘made their way’ really. But for the twins, that was really very usual behaviour).

“And I wasn’t being a bad sport Maze,” Murray added as they sat down. “This is going to be awesome. I did want to go to Hogwarts though. It's in a castle. Would have been wicked cool," he pointed out reasonably. "Did you see those suits of armour when we were there for Coira's graduation?"

“’Course I did. But this is better." Murray shrugged noncommittedly. “Anyway,” Maisley continued, “You know we could have gone if we really wanted. I asked you.”

“No we couldn’t. I know Dad wouldn’t have let us,” Murray said, reaching

“Just because he doesn’t like the new Hogwarts headmaster doesn’t mean Mum wouldn’t have made him let us go-” She stopped as the headmaster began talking. She turned to her brother and said “shhhh!” Murray cast her an indignant look before looking up.

When he was finished, Maisley flipped her black hair out of her face (a rather girly gesture which would have caused her to send a look of pity toward any female using it, but was entirely unaware of in herself) and reached for the food. Murray, however, had a thoughtful expression on his face. “Exciting announcement… if it’s after midterm, why’s he bringing it up now?” His sister shot him a look of surprise.

“Does it matter?” she questioned with her mouthful of food.

His face cleared and he grinned. “Nope.”

“Hi! I'm Lydia Krotchet, I'm from LA but I lived in Africa for a year but now I live back here in America! I've so been looking forward to coming here and meeting everyone! Like, wow, this is going to be so cool!”

The twins glanced at each other, eyebrows raised. They didn’t have to be able to read each other’s thoughts to know exactly what the other was thinking. Americans.

Maisley turned to Lydia, not bothering to notice that she was already talking to the girl on the other side of her. “Hi Lydia,” she said brightly. “I’m Maisley. This is my brother Murray,” she added, jabbing her brother’s arm. They had little to no family resemblance, so she always felt that this fact needed to be pointed out. With his dark red hair, freckles, and hazel eyes, he would be hard-pressed to look any more different than her black hair, pale complexion, and blue-green eyes without switching ethnicities entirely. Murray lifted a fork in salute.

“Charmed,” he muttered with his mouth full of broccoli.

0 Maisley & Murray McCallen Yes, more twins. Apologies to everyone. 0 Maisley & Murray McCallen 0 5

Alexis Ashwood
September 15, 2007 8:32 PM

Alexis Ashwood
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by:

Age in Post: 11

Why, yes it is. Try to have fun. by Alexis Ashwood
That glare was just the thing Alexis needed to keep up her torture. She had plans, oh yes she did, and just knowing that her presence was enough to make Joey angry was enough proof for her that they would work. His wince as she called him Joey make her grin. So he still hated it. Good.

“Not at all, it fits you dear Lexi,” he replied to her, making her angry. He knew that no one was allowed to call her Lexi. Ever. Sitting down next to him, she pinched him very hard on the arm before the headmaster began to speak. He was already making her angry. Not a smart choice for Josiah this early in the year.

She spilled her drink on him, and he cried out, “Lexi!. Again. She glared at him, golden brown eyes burning in anger, and knocked down his drink too. “I’m so sorry Joey!” she exclaimed a second time. “I’m such a klutz today! It’s probably because I’m so nervous about this new school.” she began to pout, her eyes changing into big and scared ones. She was such a good actress.

“Yeah and you’re the heir to the Ashwood line,” he muttered sarcastically. Alexis frowned, and turned to her plate of food. “Just because you’re the heir to the Ashwood line doesn’t mean you need to rub it in.” she said angrily, stabbing at her salad with her fork, pretending it was Josiah’s forehead. He hung out with a mudblood, disgraced the family name, and he was still the heir, just because he was the oldest? She didn’t understand it. Alexis glared at her salad. She would be the heir soon. She would prove that she was the better Ashwood.

She then began her act again, asking Joey a question, and was very pleased with her answer. She grinned happily and wrapped her arm around her older cousin. “Thank you so much Joey! Please, tell me, who is this Brett Hodges? I haven’t heard of him before. Is he a new pureblood family?” He had better be a pureblood. If Josiah spent time with this boy, then Alexis would have to turn him against him.

Josiah asked her a question in return, and Alexis giggled. “Oh, you know me Joey. The only boy I’d ever want to spend time with is you, dear cousin.” She then stood to kiss him lightly on the cheek. He was her cousin after all. It wasn’t anything bad, because it didn’t mean anything. It made her sick to her stomach to even perform the action. How naïve eleven year old girls could be.

“But if you really want me to leave, the only person I know is Hyana.” Alexis pointed out, her eyes dancing cruelly. “I could go talk to her. But she looks like she’s having such a good time. And look, she’s making a new friend. He’s kinda cute. Do you really want me to interrupt things?” And by interrupt, it was quite obvious that if Alexis went over to Hyana, she would treat her even worse than she was treating her cousin. If Joey really wanted to dump her onto her friend, that was his choice. But she knew that Joey didn’t want her to get hurt.

And she knew that he knew that Alexis would torment Hyana to tears before the night was out if she went over to Hyana’s table.

0 Alexis Ashwood Why, yes it is. Try to have fun. 117 Alexis Ashwood 0 5

Claire Villon
September 15, 2007 8:53 PM

Claire Villon
Peripheral
Written by:

Only slightly. by Claire Villon
"Wright--that does mean 'maker,'" Claire said, mentally referencing some of the history of English she had memorized. "And five siblings must have been nice, it is hard to be alone sometimes," she allowed. After all, she was ten years younger than Francois, and while she knew he loved her, they had never been terribly close. Claire had, in fact, grown up substantially alone, apart from tutors, House Elves, and sundry Villon cousins.

She turned her attention back to her plate, able to think of nothing more to say--only to find that it had cleared itself, and the table was now set with desserts. "Oh!" she said involuntarily, staring at a large chocolate gâteau, her favorite.

0 Claire Villon Only slightly. 0 Claire Villon 0 5

Josh and Renaye Warren
September 15, 2007 9:52 PM

Josh and Renaye Warren
Peripheral
Written by:

Of course! by Josh and Renaye Warren
Josh turned around at the tap on his shoulder and the sound of a voice saying, "Andy?"

A girl stood in front of him, looking curiously at him. She was pretty. She has brown hair and green eyes... Her eyes looked kind of like Renayes, but Raye's were darker, with sme brown thrown in. But apparently this girl had no exrteme sense of reccognition. He furrowed his eyebrows. Andy? Not exactly... Four letters, but the wrong ones.

"No..." He said slowly. "Josh."

Renaye looked from Josh to the girl, smiling lightly. She had that look about her, like she was about to embarrass him... He gave her a look that would hopefully shut her up...

"But you can call him Andy of you like," Raye said, grinning at the girl. "What's your name?"

Josh gave her a glare. "Josh works too..." He said quietly. Renaye had this way of picking out the girls he would like, and she always tried to pair them up. It was a good intention, but really, he kind of wanted to do it himself. She tells him that it's not her fault that twin telepathy gives her the signals, and since she has the signals, why not follow them? To which Josh rolls his bright blue eyes and tells her she's weird, to which she grins and ruffles his hair. He hates it when she does that...

"So what house are you in? Crazy the way the sor tus, huh?" She said, still smiling at the pretty green-eyed girl.

0 Josh and Renaye Warren Of course! 0 Josh and Renaye Warren 0 5

Tally
September 16, 2007 12:56 AM

Tally
Peripheral
Written by:

Well, now there isn't. It's hard to tell sometimes by Tally
Tally was rather doubtful that the two of them ever spoke seriously to one another. But, then again, Tally had pretty much kept her distance from the two of them whenever they were together so that she didn't have to be a witness to their relationship. It wasn't an intentional thing, as Tally had avoided everyone in order to protect herself and become warped in her own sense of reality.

That was something she was still trying to work on.

Tally listened quietly as Mia spoke about her summer. She unconsiously moved her fork around her unfinished dinner as she did so. Mia's summer sounded fun. Tally was envious of the fact that she got to spend so much time on the beach. Tally lived in a small muggle town on the lake, so she was always near water, but it wasn't like an actual down on a hot, sticky, tourist beach or anything like that.

When Mia started pointing things out to her, Tally's eyes flicked around to each indicated place. She knew the hair was different, but Tally hadn't realized Mia didn't have her ears pierced prior to this. She just assumed everyone had them done when they were younger. She had her's done when she was just a baby. Her father had been against it but he said that her mom had thought of it as a right of passage for a girl. Clearly not all mothers thought that way.

"Sounds like you had a blast." Tally commented quietly when Mia had finished. "My summer wasn't nearly as fun-filled as yours." Lies. Tally's summer had been the best summer she had had in years. "A lot of it was with Dr. Quack. We did sort of a family therapy thing cos he said I had abandonment issues. Which is true, I totally do." Tally admitted with a small chuckle. "Last midterm I had a meltdown and nearly didn't come back here. I couldn't handle it. Luckily though, summer was much better. I got a part time job working in a local cafe at the mall. Dr. Quack said it was the best thing for me."

Tally smiled at Mia as she said this. Summer had rejuvenated her. "And then, of course, Josh and Stacey were around to keep me company. They're getting married, you see. She's not so bad and she was there for me when I needed someone." Tally paused for a moment debading on whether or not to continue. Mia hadn't known anything of what had gone on last year for her own reasons. Tally hadn't sought her out for help either considering Mia was one of the ones Tally had believed to have abandoned her.

"And then there was Jason. He was the best part of it all." Tally finally said, deciding that, eventually, Mia would find out about him. There were promised letters and a lovely picture of the two of them smiling into a muggle camera sitting on her desk up in her dorms that only Kaylie would see.

0 Tally Well, now there isn't. It's hard to tell sometimes 0 Tally 0 5

Oliver
September 16, 2007 7:46 AM

Oliver
Peripheral
Written by:

Good it is then. by Oliver
Just as Oliver had anticipated, Talitha did manage to pick the next topic for conversation. He hadn’t expected to be about baby owls, but he wasn’t complaining. Talitha offered to introduce them afterwards, when they returned to the commons.

“Sure, okay,” Oliver replied. He didn’t have anything against meeting a baby owl. “Hey, you’ll be able to keep in touch better with your family now, right?” he added, seeing as that was what most students used their owls for. He wondered if he had an owl if his parents would bother writing to him. As it was, Oliver didn’t communicate with them much while he was at school, but he did send letters to his younger sister, Charlotte. She loved receiving owl post, and she was fond of Oliver, so he wrote mainly to amuse her. There was another reason behind it, though – Oliver really wanted his sister to come to Sonora and learn magic with him. He didn’t think the way that his parents hadn’t supported his decision to attend was fair; neither did he appreciate having been raised as a Muggle when he could have been playing Quidditch and wizards chess and exploding snap and gobstones and all the rest of it. When he wasn’t feeling resentful, though, Oliver did appreciate that all the Muggle sports he’d grown up with, and loved to play, wouldn’t have been available if his parents had raised him wizard. There were two sides to every coin, or however that saying went.

“Have you got any siblings?” Oliver asked then, suddenly ashamedly aware that he didn’t know much about Talitha at all. They’d been in the same house and year, shared all the same lessons, and although he liked her a lot, couldn’t really say that he knew much at all about her. He knew she had a cool wand, though.

0 Oliver Good it is then. 0 Oliver 0 5

Echo Elms
September 16, 2007 10:39 AM

Echo Elms
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Echo Elms

Age in Post: 13

Your destiny, perhaps? by Echo Elms
So everyone was dead against Divinations? Weird. Saul loved it. Of course, parts of his family did fortune telling for a living, traveling around to fairs and stuff. Overall, though, Caedence didn't seem to sure which classes she would take. Echo hadn't had much time to think about it, yet; his summer had been concerned with other things.

“Divinations,” Caedence continued, “Just ties into the whole destiny thing. Not my idea of a cool class."

Echo had to disagree with that and with what Nikki said about it. What was wrong with destiny, anyway? Destiny was an important part of life. You needed to be aware of it or you'd end up off-track and miserable. A way was marked out for every person--didn't they know, that?--and you chose whether or not to walk your path. His dad said divinations was all about being spiritually healthy, not about finding out the future. Not surprisingly, his parents thought he should take Divinations.

"And since math isn’t my forte I may or may not go to Ancient ruins," Caedence continued, "It all depends. So you gonna go to muggle studies for entertainment? After all, I know Meredith will go, at least I think, which means that Elly will probably sign up. The trio has to stick together right?”

"Maybe," he said, "But not if we can only take one or two of the classes. I really want to take Divinations. And I'd rather take Runes than Mug Studies."

He wasn't sure if he should defend that particular choice or not. What would he say, though? He had a feeling he should take it? Or that his dad would approve of it? Or that Saul had convinced him? Or that Professor Yuma seemed nice? Or...?

"Saul says its good," he explained, "And it's a lot different than some of the other classes we take. Variety's good, right?"\r\n\r\n

21 Echo Elms Your destiny, perhaps? 93 Echo Elms 0 5

Cecily
September 16, 2007 10:46 AM

Cecily
Peripheral
Written by:

I do. Don't you agree? by Cecily
Cecily found her new acquaintance’s behaviour a little unusual. He didn’t look at her while she was talking, and didn’t make an awful lot of eye contact. Lucas was like that too. Maybe it was just something boys did? Cecily knew that girls were far better at communicating - her mother always said so. He did at least respond to her question, though, which was more than could be said for her cousin.

Zane talked a short while about his relatives, how he, too, had a cousin at the school, and a sibling. He said that his parents had been to Sonora, which told Cecily that he was a pureblood, like her. She didn’t really understand what being pureblood meant, but she did appreciate it was something the two of them had in common.

“Do you like to study?” Cecily asked Zane, spurred by the description of his cousin. "I don’t; I think class work is dull. I’m really looking forward to Care of Magical Creatures, though. I have loads of pets at home but I wasn’t allowed to bring them to school with me.” She pouted at the admission of such an obvious disappointment, gazing to Zane for either his answer to her first query, or response to the inexcusable cruelty on the part of the Headmaster for parting Cecily with her beloved pets.
\r\n\r\n

0 Cecily I do. Don't you agree? 0 Cecily 0 5

Nikki
September 16, 2007 4:43 PM

Nikki
Peripheral
Written by:

What is destiny anyway? by Nikki
From what Caedence said, Nikki got the feeling that she didn't believe in destiny. Nikki wasn't sure if she agreed with that or not, mainly because she didn't know if destiny existed, or what it was. People always said God had a plan for everyone, but they also said that He had given people free will. How exactly could both of those be true.

'...math isn’t my forte I may or may not go to Ancient ruins,' Caedence said, 'It all depends. So you gonna go to muggle studies for entertainment? After all, I know Meredith will go, at least I think, which means that Elly will probably sign up. The trio has to stick together right?'

'Maybe,' Echo said, 'But not if we can only take one or two of the classes. I really want to take Divination. And I'd rather take Runes than Mug Studies. Saul says its good,' he explained, 'And it's a lot different than some of the other classes we take. Variety's good, right?'

"Well, Divination might be different here than at Youmans," Nikki admitted, "But I still don't think I'll take it. And from my understanding, Runes is more about translations and languages than math. Arithmancy is more math. I kind of wish we had it here, I'm really good at math."

She suddenly remembered something from her letter this year. "We have History of Magic required this year, don't we?" She asked, though she knew the answer, "What do you think that'll be like?"

0 Nikki What is destiny anyway? 0 Nikki 0 5

Talitha
September 16, 2007 5:57 PM

Talitha
Peripheral
Written by:

well..then...good by Talitha
Talitha grinned. “It will be a few weeks before I can even think about it delivering mail. I have to teach it to learn to hunt and fly first. When I found it, its wing was broke and it will be a week at least before its real feathers come in. The vet in our community explained it all.”

It would be nice later when it could send messages back and forth. The school owls were in such demand that is was hard to get one when you needed them. At least the little puff ball was eating real food now. Mashing bugs and worms, chicken and fish was so disgusting.

Talitha was a bit surprised when Oliver asked if she had any siblings. She didn’t know if he had brothers and sisters either. Funny thing about going away to school. It seemed to separate family and friends like they were from two different worlds. She really didn’t know a whole lot about anyone here, no matter how close she felt toward her friends, she didn’t really know anything about them.

“I’m an only child.” she said in between licks of ice cream. “Mother and Daddy didn’t meet until they were in their thirties, so its just me. What about you, do you got any brothers and sisters?”
\n

0 Talitha well..then...good 0 Talitha 0 5

Camren
September 16, 2007 5:59 PM

Camren
Peripheral
Written by:

Sooo sorry 4 the delay... by Camren
OOC: I'm soooo sorry for the delay! RL has become MUCH more complicated since I last posted... I will try real hard to be online and regularly checking, but it may be quite hard for a lil while...

0 Camren Sooo sorry 4 the delay... 0 Camren 0 5

Camren
September 16, 2007 6:10 PM

Camren
Peripheral
Written by:

oops! by Camren
OOC: I didn't mean to hit the enter key... I'm not using my computer right now, so I am not used to the keys...

BIC:

Cam noticed Eavan's frown and Camren shook in shame and fear. She knew that she had done it now. Surely Eavan had heard her mention her father... 'What if Eavan didn't want to be my friend anymore because I didn't explain about Dad?' Camren thought, heaving a sigh of dread.

Camren hadn't even realized that Eavan had started talking about her brother until she talked about how close they were till he came to school. "I'm sorry... I should have been paying better attention..." Camren said, getting all worried that there was a chance that her new friend didn't want to be that role anymore. Camren was getting upset about how she was acting and didn't know how to fix her friendship with Eavan, if there even was one left.

"I- I think I know what you mean..." Camren started, then paused to close her eyes tightly, trying to force herself to get calmer.

Camren listened to what Eavan said about having family in the same house and Camren nodded. 'Maybe she's not mad at me after all?' Camren thought silently as she opened her eyes again to see Eavan grin and bite off a piece of meat. 'She can't be mad at me, look at her!' Camren thought with a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, it's just weird is all." Camren said. 'I wish I knew how I could explain it all to her without anything going wrong for it. But I mustn't. I have to forget it. All of it.' Camren thought, smiling a small smile towards Eavan. "So! What do you like to do?" Camren asked, in an effort to change the subject.

0 Camren oops! 0 Camren 0 5

Jordanna Howard
September 16, 2007 10:39 PM

Jordanna Howard
Alumnus
House: Crotalus
Written by:

Age in Post: 15

No way by Jordanna Howard
For the first time, Jordanna was trying her best to remain inconspicuous. Presumably everyone knew about her family’s misfortune over the summer, and if they didn’t, they were probably didn’t matter anyway. She was tired of her family’s name popping up alongside charges of fraud, smuggling, and even tax evasion. She was tired of hearing about her cousin Isaiah, and his alleged embezzlement of what was left of the Howard fortune. Sure, it appeared that her parents weren’t directly involved in any charges, being more towards the middle of the Howard hierarchy – but it still hurt. The blond had spent the majority of her summer days inside that horrible little split-level her family had moved into, pretending the rest of the world didn’t exist.

And she was certainly worse for wear. As much as she tried to appear as if nothing was wrong, she simply didn’t have the budget anymore to replicate her past styles. She was wearing blue robes from last year, and yellow hair lankly fell down her back. Buying the products she used to buy was now out of the question, and she was left to conserve supplies. But Jordanna Howard had never had to conserve anything before, and most of her make ups and hair products were slowly being replaced with generic and less expensive ones.

Just as she was doing her best to be as unobtrusive as a Howard could be, the headmaster called her name. She froze.

A year ago, this would have been perfect. She would have relished the attention, this long walk up to the front of the hall. Jordanna would have looked forward to the new powers the prefect badge would give her. Now it seemed like a cruel joke Sonora was playing, mocking her in front of the whole school. It just wasn’t fair!

Now that all the attention had been so maliciously called upon her, she could just hear everyone gossiping, and the nasty things they would say. To say she was ready for it would be a lie, but certainly she expected it. It was exactly what she might do, had some other girl been in a similar position.

Prefect’s badge gleaming against slightly wrinkled robes; she returned to her seat and looked down at the table. She didn’t want to look up, in case she had to witness anyone talking about her. Jordanna just couldn’t tolerate that.

0 Jordanna Howard No way 65 Jordanna Howard 0 5

Anabel
September 17, 2007 12:28 PM

Anabel
Peripheral
Written by:

Thanks by Anabel
Taking a seat, Anabel listened as Holly introduce herself. The Hollywood Thistles. Well, she had never heard of them. It was easily explain, however, when Holly continued, stating that her family was non-magical. "Ah, so you're a Muggleborn," Anabel stated. "Well, welcome to the wizarding world," she finished, smiling broadly.

Being Muggleborn wasn't so terrible though, Anabel reminded herself. Her Aunt Miranda was one, and she was perfectly acceptable. Of course, Holly had stated that her parents were re-married, which of course meant that her parents had divorced. Divorce was something that just wasn't really done in the wizarding world, at least not between the most exclusive families. However- Holly had said that she was from Hollywood. Hollywood, she recalled, was an area for the powerful and posh Muggles. The ones that were known to star in those movies.

Smoothing her hands softly over her robes- Anabel was relieved to note that the bright red was fading away- she looked at Holly once more, smiling as she inspected her. The girl was of the upper crust, of that she was certain. From the way Holly dressed to the way she spoke, it was evident that she was beyond acceptable company.

Her smile warmed. "Isn't Hollywood where they make some of those Muggle movies? My cousin has taken me to a few of them and they were pretty neat. Have you seen many?"

\r\n\r\n

0 Anabel Thanks 0 Anabel 0 5

Eavan
September 17, 2007 3:25 PM

Eavan
Peripheral
Written by:

Fear not the oopses of the enter key :) by Eavan
Eavan looked at Camren. There was something strange going on with her, but Eavan had no idea what. But Camren changed the subject, which was fine with Eavan. They had just met and it was the first day back to school; Eavan didn't feel like solving other's people's problems just yet. So she smiled.

"Well, I really like hanging out with all my friends, and being outside. And I like Quidditch. I would play, but I don't want to play against my brother." Eavan shrugged. "I guess I'm not that interesting. What about you? You have anything you really like?"

0 Eavan Fear not the oopses of the enter key :) 0 Eavan 0 5

Oliver
September 17, 2007 6:45 PM

Oliver
Peripheral
Written by:

... yes by Oliver
Talitha explained that she was an only child, which put Oliver at ease a little. After all, it would have been really embarrassing if she’d talked about her siblings loads and he’d just forgotten about them. Of course he should have anticipated that the question would be returned to him – that was, after all, how conversations usually went. For some reason, though, that thought hadn’t occurred to him, and so when Talitha asked about his family, Oliver said nothing for a moment. He cast a furtive glance at Talitha, wondering what he should do. He could just neglect to mention that Julian was his older brother, to save on the awkward questions, but he would have to keep track of what he’d told everyone, which was far more effort than just telling the truth. Plus if Charlie did come to Sonora, like Oliver hoped she would, then everyone would find out, anyway. Talitha, Oliver decided, was a nice enough girl, and in the interest of friendship there was probably no harm in telling her.

“I have a little sister, Charlie,” he said, preferring to concentrate on helping himself to chocolate pudding for dessert, rather than look at Talitha, “and an older brother, Julian.” He paused a moment, wondering if he should say anything else. “Julian didn’t want to come to Sonora,” he continued, “but I’m hoping Charlie will. She’ll love it here.” He adjusted his glasses yet again.

0 Oliver ... yes 0 Oliver 0 5

Paul
September 17, 2007 7:24 PM

Paul
Peripheral
Written by:

*grin* I know I am by Paul
Paul cut his turkey and ate the last few pieces, before putting a few more on his plate to cover in gravy. He couldn't help but love food. What idiot wouldn't love this food? It was amazing. Paul was still eating, looking at Red, but not really paying attention to what the girl was saying.

Summer questions were so generic anyway. They were just things you asked when you couldn't think of anything else. It's not like people actually spoke in great detail their summer, unless something really good or bad happened they wanted to gush out to their "bff like duh". People normally lied about things anyway. A Godewyn, simple answer, Quidditch, even more simple. She asked if he were going out for the team, here was something Paul could answer easily without lies.

"Of course," Paul said, not able to help a tiny smile at himself. "Quidditch is pretty much the only reason I'm still in school," okay that wasn't entirely the truth. Paul adored Quidditch though, and though he wasn't a strong boy, he loved Beater. It helped vent frustrations. And it was also an easy subject to go on. "What are you trying for?" Paul asked, immediately thinking she remembered he was Beater (that was so obvious, he didn't feel the need to waste breath on it).

At the Sonora-haters, Paul threw in a small, awkward laugh. He didn't know a few things Red said, but he got the gist of it. It felt odd from him though, even a fake laugh. "Sounds good, you know anyone else with a loathing for Sonora. And no, we aren't inviting my sister." He was only half kidding about their joke. She wasn't here, but if for some reason their was a club Paul wanted to join, he'd never invite that girl. He did hate his sister after all.

0 Paul *grin* I know I am 0 Paul 0 5

Zane
September 17, 2007 9:37 PM

Zane
Peripheral
Written by:

If it should please by Zane
Well at least they could agree upon something. Academics weren’t very high on the stout boy’s list of priorities, and he thought of school as a place where he could hone his Quidditch abilities in refereed matches. This would be the place where he could showcase his talents to some scout, get signed by a team, and have an all-star career. He’d do so well, and make so money, that he could retire by the time he was thirty-five, and never have to have a job again. Maybe he’d go into retirement for a while, and come back as a coach later on…

“Yeah, I agree, studying is the worst. I’d rather be outside, any day,” he nodded, “Don’t have any pets at home – but I heard the Care of Magical Creatures class is supposed to be really cool. My brother says people call it Comec, or something.”

Zane didn’t like talking about his brother too much. It wasn’t anything against Law, they were really close, but back home things were different. Back home, Zane was the cool kid who everyone wanted on their Quidditch team because they knew how good he was. Law was kind of in the background, also playing Quidditch, but mostly just cheering his little brother on. And keeping Zane out of trouble. Zane smirked. It seemed his brother had gotten all the cautiousness in their family, and there wasn’t any left over for Zane. Law was constantly reprimanding Zane for trying tricks that seemed to dangerous, but Zane was more confident. How could there be any danger when you flew as well as Zane did?

0 Zane If it should please 0 Zane 0 5

Chelsea
September 18, 2007 1:00 PM

Chelsea
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by: Allegra Brockert

Age in Post: 11

You're welcome. by Chelsea
Chelsea's brown eyes glittered as she smiled widely up at Anabel. A McIntosh was someone from a prominent family, the South she believed. She wasn't as familiar with the family as she was with some others aside from that they were purebloods given they didn't attend Sonora before. However, she knew full well they were important and Anabel seemed to have class.

She waited as Holly finished and then introduced herself. "I am Chelsea Brockert of the Colorado Brockerts." Chelsea assumed Anabel would have heard of her family, being that she had heard of Anabel's. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Anabel."

Chelsea listened as Anabel mentioned Hollywood being place for posh and powerful Muggles. Nice! That must be why Holly had proper manners. She herself had never seen a movie and really wasn't sure what they were. To her, learning about Muggle culture simply wasn't that important. Of course, now she might have to in order to better understand Holly's life a little. The important thing was that at least she seemed like one of them in attitude and style, no matter what her background.

11 Chelsea You're welcome. 108 Chelsea 0 5

Jake
September 20, 2007 7:36 PM

Jake
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 16

Well, you're the smart one, you would know best by Jake
"Hey Jennifer." Jake greeted with a grin of his own and a kiss on her cheek. The two of them had never been open about public displays of affection. They left that to their own private time where they rarely had to worry about interuption. Bella had actually made fun of him for being so reserved when it came to showing his feelings, but Jake figured, what was between him and Jen was between him and Jen.

"My summer was alright. Did the usual." Jake answered her, grabbing some food as he did. He was a growing boy, after all, and the ride on the wagon would make anyone hungry. "Anita says hi, by the way." Jake told Jennifer, looking at her and remembering just how irritated he had actually been over the summer and just how irritated everyone else was at him. But, he would keep that to himself. Jennifer already knew that he had issues with her and Felipe. He didn't want to bring it to her attention right after not having seen her for two months.

"Spain was amazing though, next summer you ought to come out for a visit. You'll be in England, right? It's just a little hop away and I'm sure our Parents would be happy for a summer reunion." Jake half joked. Truth was, Lupe was a bit uncertain when it came to Christine. It might be simply because Lupe was so used to their family because bold and outgoing that someone who, at first meeting, was reserved and picture perfect, well... even to a mother of nine, it was a bit intimidating.

Jake started eating, but paused in mid-bite, "How was the wedding and the 'Wicked' Step-Mother?" Jake asked Jennifer. He had, of course, received letters about it all, but he was sure Jennifer would be more open about talking about it in person than on paper.

6 Jake Well, you're the smart one, you would know best 42 Jake 0 5

Jennifer
September 21, 2007 7:38 PM

Jennifer
Peripheral
Written by:

Glad we've agreed on that by Jennifer
Jennifer just murmured a “mmhmm” when Jake claimed his summer had been pretty much the same as usual, and couldn’t help but grin when he mentioned Anita’s greeting. Jennifer loved that girl, she really did. The two of them had been owling each other part of the summer, and Anita had shared her…frustrations with some of Jennifer’s boyfriend’s behavior most willingly. She wasn’t going to bring her knowledge to light right now, of course, but there was probably going to be some moment, when both she and Jake had gotten back into the pattern of things, when it would have to come up.

“I know for a fact that I definitely did not refer to Camila as my wicked stepmother,” Jennifer asserted, more forcefully than probably warranted, but, given how bad she felt about the way she’d behaved toward her new stepmother, it was somewhat understandable. “And she and my dad are doing well, last I heard. The wedding went fine. Rather uneventful, actually, since the only people there were a few of my relatives on his side, and a couple of hers.” Jennifer shrugged. “Anyway, like I told you, Camila and I didn’t become particularly close.”

She considered Jake’s other idea with far more enthusiasm than she’d given about her summer. “Yes, I believe I’m going to be with my mother again, although there’s nothing definitive yet.” She rolled her eyes. “Gotta love those unspecified custody agreements. Anyway, if I am in England, then I’d love to come visit you in Spain. That is, if your parents would be alright with it.

“Actually, on that subject, I’ve been thinking. I want to learn at least a little Spanish before I see your family again, just so I won’t be as much of a burden, with you having to translate everything, and I was wondering, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble on your part, if you’d be willing to help me. I mean, at the very least, it’ll be easier learning from a native speaker rather than from a book, or something, not to mention far more fun.”

0 Jennifer Glad we've agreed on that 0 Jennifer 0 5

Holly
September 23, 2007 5:57 PM

Holly
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Nathan

Age in Post: 11

And so we are three by Holly
Anabel and Chelsea both seemed like more than decent people, Holly was pleased to note. Both were properly mannered, well dressed, and fine company. Anabel even seemed to know a little bit about Hollywood, which would save a lot of explaining. "Yes, Hollywood is where the muggles," she put an extra bit of emphasis on the strange new word, "make movies. My mother is an actress. She's been in tons of them, though I'm only allowed to watch the ones that are PG."

For Chelsea's sake, because she seemed to know as much about the muggle world as Holly did the magical one, she added, "That means there's very little violence, bad language, or nudity and is suitable for children. She's in a bunch of dramas that get a little explicit, which I think is why she keeps getting divorced. Michael is step dad number six." She held up a thumb on one hand and all five fingers on the other to demonstrate the number of remarriages Holly had lived through (her own dad was husband number 3). "But that's pretty normal for Hollywood celebrities. It's the paparazzi, you know? Every little thing gets blown out of proportion and is in the news for weeks. Michael's also an actor, so the tabloids are already talking about how rocky their marriage is even though it's not, yet."

She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "Daddy's the District Attorney of Los Angeles, and he isn't in the news half as much and when he is, it's about work, which is why his second marriage is still going. And my step-mother, Courtney, owns her own catering business and isn't in the news at all, so her first marriage is doing great."

1 Holly And so we are three 123 Holly 0 5

Talitha
September 23, 2007 9:05 PM

Talitha
Peripheral
Written by:

Yes? by Talitha
Talitha nodded, wondering how she should respond to what Oliver said. She remembered last year when she didn’t want to come to school. He parents made her, even though daddy had his reservations about sending his little girl away to a boarding school. She would forever regret allowing her fears to get the better of her that first term. Ever since, she had this notion she was playing catch up when it came to making friends and joining in activities.

She could understand some one not wanting to come, but as she learned, you never know whether or not you’ll like something until you actually try it. Now she was very grateful her parents made her. Oliver seemed bothered by his brother’s decision not to come, but did he consider her a good enough friend to confide in her?

“That’s too bad about Julian,” Talitha decided to word her sentence so he could lead off which ever way he was most comfortable with. “But it would be great if Charlie came. Is she much younger than you?”
\n

0 Talitha Yes? 0 Talitha 0 5

Oliver
September 24, 2007 11:37 AM

Oliver
Peripheral
Written by:

No? by Oliver
“Too bad about Julian,” Talitha said, and Oliver was surprised, though perhaps relieved, that she didn’t ask any questions about him. “But it would be great if Charlie came. Is she much younger than you?” Talitha asked.

“Um, she’s three years younger,” Oliver replied, happy to be talking about his sister – that was easier. “So she’ll be here not next year, but the year after, if she comes. Um, yeah…” he trailed off.

He considered saying more and opened his mouth to do so, but then closed again. He pushed his blond hair back from his face, and then decided that he did want to tell Talitha after all. “Um, well it sort of depends on if my parents let her come,” he said, in a bit of a rush. “You see, my family have always been magic, my Uncle Ray says. But my parents didn’t, um…” Oliver didn’t know the particulars himself, so he shrugged, and glazed over them, “they didn’t like being witch and wizards anyway. So they act like they’re Muggles now, and they brought us all up as Muggles and stuff, but we knew about magic anyway, so it seems really stupid if you ask me.” Oliver took another breath – his was becoming agitated and he needed to calm down.

“Anyway, when Julian was old enough to come here, my parents said they thought it would be best for him to keep on at Muggle school, so he did. But I wanted to come here, and it took me a lot of persuading to get them to let me.” He paused again for breath, and tried again to keep his voice level and speak more slowly. “So I don’t know if they’ll let Charlie come or not,” he eventually made his point.

Oliver looked down and realised he’d been a bit vicious with his chocolate pudding. He quickly laid his spoon down, no longer fancying dessert. Then he raised his eyes to Talitha’s to see her reaction. Oliver thought his parents were stupid, and he was annoyed at them for not appreciating that their children weren’t Muggles, now matter how much they wanted them to be. He wondered how the situation would seem from someone else’s point of view.

0 Oliver No? 0 Oliver 0 5

Saul Pierce
September 24, 2007 5:13 PM

Saul Pierce
Alumnus
House: Pecari
Written by: Nathan

Age in Post: 14

I found you by Saul Pierce
Saul had been watching the firsties. Specifically, he was watching the brown ones. One girl ran off to talk with an Aladren and a Crotalus. One boy ran off to sit with a Crotalus. Two others sat at the Pecari table as they should, but Brett got them first. That was when Saul noticed the pair of brown firsties running off to join the Teppenpaws. (This was mostly due to the fact that he'd been watching two other Teppenpaws, both with lovely red hair, who lived in the same dormitory, but it still made him irrationally nervous to see them talking together. He also became irrationally jealous when Adam Brockert soon sat down with both girls. And just how had Adam come up with the courage to sit with both of them when Saul hadn't been able to?)

Anyway, his spying on the beautiful Briony and Pepper was interrupted by two brown kids running past them and sitting down next to a pair of yellow kids a little further down the Hall. Taking the excuse to get closer and maybe overhear if the Briony, Pepper, and Adam were talking about him, he got up and switched seats right after Connor and the others were named prefect.

The midterm surprise intrigued him, too, but that was months away and he promptly forgot about it as he sat down on the other side of the new Pecaris. "Hey, dudes," he greeted with a bright grin then mentally yelled at himself for his unintentional mimicking of his younger cousins' way of talking. He might be a Californian, but he was not a surfer. (Neither were his cousins, though that didn't seem to stop them from saying 'dude' at the end of every sentence.)

"Welcome to Sonora Academy," he continued, intentionally not using the word this time around, "and Pecari for you two," he added to the no-longer-brown first years. "I'm Saul, a fourth year Pecari, so if you've got any questions, be sure to ask. And watch for me tomorrow morning, I'll be giving breakfast tours." Adding to the two Teppenpaw first years on their other side, Saul added, "And so does Pepper, usually, she's that one," he pointed out the girl of his dreams (well, one of the two) that he'd been watching earlier, "so you Teppenpaws should keep an eye out for her. She's really nice and a great help if you need it."

1 Saul Pierce I found you 82 Saul Pierce 0 5

Talitha
September 25, 2007 6:57 AM

Talitha
Peripheral
Written by:

Oh No! by Talitha
Talitha’s eyes stung at Oliver’s words. Impatiently, she wiped the sympathetic tears that threatened to fall. How sad, how unfair! Oliver’s confession sounded as though his parents were ashamed to be magical and were’re doing their best to instill that same shame in their children. She had heard that parents of muggle born children could feel that way. Wizarding parents felt ashamed sometimes if their children were squibs. But she had never, ever heard of Wizarding parents who were not proud to have magical offspring

Her tiny fists balled up to quell the urge to throw her arms around Oliver a hug him until the sad look on his face went away. People had a right to chose their own path. His parents might choose to live without magic, but they had no right to choose that course for their kids. They should be allowed all the options that they’re gifts and talents offered!

“I’m so sorry, Oliver,” Talitha’s voice came was almost a whisper. If she spoke any louder her voice might crack and crying might make him uncomfortable. Sometimes, being a girl stunk. She took a breath and tried again. This time her voice came out more confidently. “I hope Charlie can come. It would be so great for both of you. Wouldn’t it be awesome if she ended up in Crotalus?”

\n

0 Talitha Oh No! 0 Talitha 0 5

Briony
September 25, 2007 7:40 PM

Briony
Peripheral
Written by:

Yes, it is by Briony
An amused grin formed on her lips at Pepper's jest. It was refreshing to have someone understand the value of such things. Though, she was curious as to why it had never really come out in the entire time they had shared a dorm, but supposed it wasn't that important, as they were talking now.

Well, had been until they were interrupted by a small voice. Looking up, Briony saw Adam Brockert. She gave a friendly smile for she wasn't upset at all over his joining in. She didn't say anything though for he had addressed her current companion. She waited, as Pepper spoke, welcoming him. Of course, the introductions were unnecessary, but it wasn't surprising Pepper wouldn't know that. She and Adam had only worked once together, in Potions, and therefore, didn't know him all that well, other than he had seemed rather jumpy.

She gave a small wave to the boy, "Hi, Adam. Yes, how was your summer? Good, I hope?"

0 Briony Yes, it is 0 Briony 0 5

Mia
September 26, 2007 9:34 PM

Mia
Peripheral
Written by:

Yeah, but it may be easier soon. by Mia
Mia wasn’t a hundred percent sure if the shock was obvious on her face, but if it was, it was only slight. A lot less than how she really felt. She had no idea what had been happening to Tally over the past year. Abandonment issues? A meltdown last midterm? She wouldn’t go so far as to say that it was entirely her fault for missing these things. A conversation took two people and the times when Mia didn’t think it was an overload of schoolwork or much time spent with Stephen keeping them apart, she had some lingering feeling that Tally was avoiding her. Because of Stephen? She hoped not, but didn’t think it was the most improbable thing she could think of. She hadn’t meant to drop everything for him if that was what she had done, especially not Tally. That was something that would be scrambling around her mind for a while. It all just seemed like a happy blur, at least until the mess at midterm.

It stung a little when Tally said this Stacey had been there when she needed someone. She made sure not to show that on her face, rather looking relieved that Tally at least had someone to talk to if she wouldn’t talk to Mia. Her mouth gave the smallest twitch like she was going to say something about it, about everything Tally had said that Mia had no idea about, but she thought better of it and stayed quiet. She felt better just sitting there because at least Tally was telling her now. She just kept her fingers crossed that if Tally would talk to her now, she would know she could talk to her again.

Tally certainly didn’t look like she had had a meltdown. She looked pretty happy to Mia. This past summer must have been good for more than just Mia. There was something about it that was making things different and better. Just like there seemed to be something about last midterm that made things suck out loud.

“The best part of it all, you say?” Mia grinned teasingly when Tally mentioned a Jason that sounded like a definite high point of the summer. She hoped that if Tally was mentioning than she was willing to tell the story. Mia felt considerably more comfortable talking about that than the meltdown or why Tally hadn’t thought Mia could be there if she needed someone. Maybe because it was a common ground between them. The boys involved with the past summer seemed like what made it different and better. Dino certainly wasn’t a sour point. Or Mia was just honestly interested. She never had a chance to compare things like that with anyone except Megan.

OOC: I’m sorry this is ridiculously not on time. I won’t bore you with overused excuses about school, just an overused sincere apology.

0 Mia Yeah, but it may be easier soon. 0 Mia 0 5

Jake
September 27, 2007 3:57 PM

Jake
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 16

I just do what the Master tells me by Jake
"Well, I don't have a step mother, but all the fairy tales claim them to be Wicked." Jake explained. But, he also knew Jennifer well enough to know that even if she didn't write it out or say, the feelings were still there. She didn't necessarily hate her step mother, but there definitely weren't feelings of love either. "I'm glad the wedding went well. Nothing like a Santoro wedding, I'm sure." Jake said with a grin. Jake doubted any wedding could ever trump a wedding dealing with his family. They weren't luxerious by any means, but they were crazy and full of good times and great people.

Jake's grin widened. "My parents love you. They say it's good that I'm dating someone with sense. I think they were afraid I'd fall for someone with...er, less brain power." Jake said with a slight shrug. His parents hadn't been too fond of his CATs scores, and had stated that dating Jennifer ought to start giving him more sense. They said this all with love, of course. "And Abuelo Dezi has been asking about you, wondering when he can 'see your pretty face' again. But Hector claims we've gone and scared you off." His family enjoyed teasing Jake, but for awhile, Jake had been slightly nervous that his family had really scared Jennifer off (or his forced confession to Juan). And any teasing done this summer only made Jake all the more anxious knowing she was down having a relatively good time with her ex-boyfriend.

"Huh?" Jake mumbled, chewing on a piece of chicken. Born and raised in America, Jake still missed his mom's cooking. Spanish food always had more kick than American. "You want me to teach you? Me?" He looked dubiously at Jennifer. "You do recall my CATs scores, right? You honestly want to put your faith in my abilities to teach you something?"

6 Jake I just do what the Master tells me 42 Jake 0 5

Oliver
September 27, 2007 4:21 PM

Oliver
Peripheral
Written by:

I'm afraid so. by Oliver
Talitha was great. Oliver hadn’t ever really gotten on well (or at all) with girls, but with the lack of boys in his House and year he supposed he was going to have to start making friends with girls someday, but he hadn’t really expected them to be good friends – more sort of acquaintances. Talitha was really cool, though, the way she just took what Oliver was saying and didn’t make a fuss over it. She conveyed her feelings about his parents well enough, about how she thought it was unfair and stupid too (or at least that’s what Oliver had translated it to be) and then promptly turned the subject back around to something positive again, about how cool it would be if Charlie made Crotalus.

“Yeah,” Oliver replied, even managing a small, lopsided grin. It felt good to have got the little rant out of his system. “Thanks,” he said afterwards, hoping she realised what he was thanking her for, because he certainly wasn’t going to explain – he still had his pride.

“I’m sort of done here,” he said, gesturing towards his mutilated pudding. “Wanna go back to the commons and play Gobstones or something? My uncle gave me a set,” Oliver said, smiling now as he prepared to leave the table.

OOC: You can wrap it up now if you want - I'll leave it up to you.

0 Oliver I'm afraid so. 0 Oliver 0 5

Brett Hodges
September 28, 2007 9:31 PM

Brett Hodges
Peripheral
Written by:

SAH-WEET! by Brett Hodges
Brett wouldn't have asked Irene to be his girl if he hadn't assumed she'd say yes. But. Still. Like, whoa, right? It wasn't like he'd practiced at all. He didn't have to say any of his mad rehearsed awful poetic stuff that woulda been out of character like mad whoa. Thanks to this firstie over here, he got to be all one with the smooth skills.

For real real. That's right, just like Irene said it. For. Real. Real.

Of course, now that she was his girl he didn't know what to do. They were all like grinny and what, and together, and... yeah.

"Cool," he said.

So now he could tell people they were going out. He didn't have to worry about her moving on to some other kid. She was his. That was good. Now he could... uh?

Talk about anything else, because it was going to get weird in like two seconds.

"Oh!" he said, pretending to think of something. Then he did. "Remember last year we were talking about cross training? I brought tons of stuff, like baseball mitts and bats and plates, hackeysacks, soccer stuff, wiffle ball, volley ball--but not a net--and badminton, handballs, lacrosse sticks, a football, other stuff. I got this big trunk this summer to put it all in. We could go through it sometime."

0 Brett Hodges SAH-WEET! 0 Brett Hodges 0 5

Irene
September 29, 2007 12:10 PM

Irene
Peripheral
Written by:

Chyeah =D by Irene
Irene got to thinking. Now they were together, but there was still so much she hadn't told him yet... They only people who knew about her dad was her family, Caedence, and Camren. And everyone at that interview. She wanted to tell him, but she didn't want him to be weirded out. No one knew where the bruise on her face really came from. Josh had bravely taken up the blame. But she'd cross the Truth Bridge when they got to it. Right now, she was just happy about everything around her!

Oh no... That weird awkward silence thing... She hated those.

"Oh!" Brett said. "Remember last year we were talking about cross training? I brought tons of stuff, like baseball mitts and bats and plates, hackeysacks, soccer stuff, wiffle ball, volley ball--but not a net--and badminton, handballs, lacrosse sticks, a football, other stuff. I got this big trunk this summer to put it all in. We could go through it sometime."

"Whoa! How'd you manage to get all of that here?" She said. He would have had to have brought another trunk, which would be a pain. She could barely stand her one trunk, which she would have to unpack...

"We'll definitely have to reenact the soccer game from last year!"

0 Irene Chyeah =D 0 Irene 0 5

Jennifer
September 29, 2007 5:33 PM

Jennifer
Peripheral
Written by:

I have trained you well by Jennifer
“Yes, well, Jake, believe it or not, fairy tales are, on occasion, proven false,” Jennifer replied, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She knew it wasn’t fair to get this exasperated with him over something that wasn’t related at all to him, but the conversation was getting awfully close to the truth. “And, no, nothing like a Santoro wedding. I’m fairly certain that either side of my family could manage something like one of those. No offense to your family, of course,” she added quickly, realizing that her comment could be easily misconstrued to be negative. “They were all amazing. My family just isn’t as involved in everything like they are.”

She blushed violently when Jake told her of his parents’ opinions. “Really? They do? I mean…what, did you never tell them about our fight last year?” She’d been a bit worried about that when she’d first met everyone, since she admitted she had acted completely ridiculously about that, and that the Santoros would think poorly of her because of it. They hadn’t seemed like it, but she hadn’t expected those kinds of compliments.

Her blush only got worse as Jake went on to mention his grandfather and uncle. “Don’t worry, I’ve hardly been scared away,” she managed after a second or two. “I mean, I’m not going to lie, there were a few times things were overwhelming for a minute, but that’s hardly enough to manage to scare me away. I mean, if either of our families were to manage to drive one of us off, I’d think it would be mine, unintentionally.” Her mother had liked Lupe and Jake, but Jennifer wasn’t sure how much of that had come across. Christine was a rather formal person, and Jake hadn’t even met her father yet.

When Jake started going on about how he might not be the best person for teaching her, she actually did roll her eyes, though did it indulgently. “Yes, I’m sure I want you to help me, even remembering your CATS scores. I’m sure you’d do fine at it. I mean, I can always try and manage on my own, but,” she gave him a mock-mournful look, “just having someone to correct the butchering I’m sure I’m going to subject the language to would be helpful. Besides, you need to have more confidence in yourself. Grades don’t say everything about intelligence. Your CATs don’t mean you’re dumb, Jake.” She’d worried a great deal over the summer about how his scores had affected him for the worse. She knew how Jake could get, with feeling like he was unintelligent, but, despite what he seemed to think at times, Jennifer at least knew it wasn’t true. However, convincing him of that could be easier said than done.

0 Jennifer I have trained you well 0 Jennifer 0 5

Tally
September 29, 2007 9:11 PM

Tally
Peripheral
Written by:

Quite Possibly, but maybe not. by Tally
Tally chose to ignore the emotions that were present on Mia's face. She knew that it had been selfish of her to not tell her friend about all the things she had been going through, but... it was also a psychological issue that Tally was dealing with. Her anxieties for where she stood amongst those she cared about had taken over her life to the point where she felt she couldn't deal with it any longer. Had Stacey not been there for her, Tally wasn't sure she would be here now.

And, it felt good telling Mia about it now, after it was all said and done and she was on her way to recovery. It meant that Mia didn't have to feel like it was her problem too the way that Tally's family had. Instead, it was something that Tally had dealt with and now just needed to talk about it. Or, at least, catch Mia up on it. It had taken Tally a long time to realize it was something she needed to go through in order to get to the place she was at now. A place for her family to be at together.

"Yes." Tally replied. Jason had been the cherry on the ice cream for Tally. "I actually first met him during Midterm. He stuck up for me. But, we met again the first day of summer and kept running into one another pretty much everyday there after." Tally admitted, the smile still present on her face.

"I don't even know how it happened, but suddenly we were dating. I didn't complain though. He's 18 and a senior in High School." Mia was a Muggleborn, so Tally knew that she would understand what a Senior was. "Daddy did a check on him too, which was embarrassing, and then asked me all sorts of questions about our relationship, which made it all the more embarrassing." Tally admitted with an amused chuckle.

"Anyway, Jason was good to me. Real good. Didn't pressure me, didn't ask questions. And when I was ready, he was good about it." She didn't realize that her last statement could be used for all aspects of her's and Jason's relationship. She doubted there were any others in their year whom had gone as far as she had. Though, with some of them, it was hard to tell. "We broke it off our last night of summer because we both agreed long distance relationships wouldn't work, but... we promised each other letters and to stay friends."

Tally grinned at Mia. She was at her happiest since, well, probably since her first year at Sonora. "Anyway, you seem happy too. I guess the summer did us both some good."

0 Tally Quite Possibly, but maybe not. 0 Tally 0 5

Jake
October 02, 2007 7:34 PM

Jake
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 16

Do I get a treat? by Jake
"Okay, okay! Relax, I was only joking." Jake responded, knowing Jennifer well enough to be able to read her when she was getting angry. Something that he had easily picked up on the year previous when they had gotten into a large fight. Jake was careful now to avoid those emotions when it came to Jennifer. "It's not that they are involved in everything, it's just how we are. It's our culture. Family is everything." Jake explained.

Most people of Pureblood status, came from families that only spoke to one another when absolutely necessary. There was no hugging, not laughing. It was empty and cold. But any Spanish Pureblood (or even non-Pureblood) family Jake had ever known, they were the exact opposite. Family came first. Touching was natural. Laughing and hugging were a must.

"No, I didn't tell them." Jake told her, looking almost hurt by it. "What happens between you and me, stays between you and me. I mean, I can't say whether or not Bella or Anita said anything, but I doubt that they had. My parents were just excited to know that I'm willing to introduce you to everyone." Which was true. The fact that Jake had come right out and said that he wanted his girlfriend to come to the wedding had been a total surprise to his family. Jake had never been one to come out and admit to anything remotely personal.

When Jennifer had declared that she hadn't been scared away just yet, Jake grinned and pulled her in close so that their foreheads were nearly touching. He gave her an eskimo kiss that was slightly less innocent than one may expect before leaning in the rest of the kissed her on the lips. They hadn't kissed since the end of the school year, after the CATs had finished and they were both happy just to be done with it.

He pulled away from her when he remembered that they were in Cascade Hall with professors and his various siblings. Once of whom would be sitting at her table if he hadn't gone off to sit with his twin. Jake was trying to be better about being more open with their relationship. But it was a work in progress.

Jake sighed. He didn't think he'd be all that helpful for her when it came to learning her Spanish. Sure, it was his first language, but it was one thing to speak something natually and another to teach someone else to speak it at all. "Alright, if you really want to learn it. I'll try my best, but don't blame me when it all comes crashing down."

6 Jake Do I get a treat? 42 Jake 0 5

Ben
October 03, 2007 6:03 PM

Ben
Alumnus
House: Aladren
Written by:

Age in Post: -3

I know, right? by Ben
"Huh," he sipped his pumpkin juice, "That's quite a gadget! I'm impressed your Tio's friend got it to work like that."

Ben looked on curiously as Bella showed him her... what had she called it? UPod? If it weren't for the fact that his mother was a muggle, Ben supposed that he would have been very impressed with the invention. He supposed that he probably should have known more about the toy, considering it seemed like all of his mother's friends had them, but then again, he'd never really considered himself part muggle. Of course, he'd also never seen one that had been magicked into working off of something other than battery power. It was funny how the muggle world came up with tricks to getting so close to magic, but never quite figured it out.

"Of course I missed you," Ben didn't miss a beat, "And my summer was the same as it always is- some time in London, some time in Manhattan... Altogether quite boring. Though I did get to work in some good 'quality time' with my grandfather, which, as you could imagine was fun."

Locating Bella's hand, Ben laced his fingers between hers. She had such small hands! But then again, Ben was rapidly approaching six feet tall, and his hands were on their way to being large, like his father's. The summer sure had grown him out, tanning every added inch along the way. Ben smiled at Bella, just taking in her being. He really had missed her over the summer, especially when it was just Lexi and their British friends hanging out together. Bella just had that je ne sais quoi that, in Ben's opinion, couldn't be replicated or replaced.

"Anyway, you pumped for this year's quidditch tourney?" Ben moved the conversation towards his element, "I mean, I know you're biased and all, but who do you think's going to take all this year?"

0 Ben I know, right? 269 Ben 0 5

Jennifer
October 03, 2007 8:38 PM

Jennifer
Peripheral
Written by:

Maybe when we're alone by Jennifer
Jennifer smiled, if a bit sheepishly and apologetically, at her boyfriend. “I’m sorry, Jake. I know you were joking. I just...overreacted, that’s all. It was a bit of a strange summer, and I’m still trying to get used to having a stepmother, even if I’m only going to see her a few months out of the year. I didn’t mean to take it out on you, really.” Now she felt bad. She seemed to have a habit for getting angry with Jake over things that only barely had to do with him, and, if she had been him, she’d have stopped putting up with it, and her, a long time ago. However, Jake was apparently a glutton for punishment.

She felt even more guilty when Jake looked hurt after her apparent unintentional accusation. “I’m sorry,” she was compelled to say, even if he hadn’t outright complained about it. “I’d just assumed, considering what you just said about the family-based culture, and the fact that you have three siblings at the school, that they would have known about it somehow.” To her, it was a reasonable assumption to make, although that wasn’t taking into account Jake’s usual desire not to do things in an open way.

Apparently he was disregarding that desire currently, though, since public displays of affection were on that list of ‘to be avoided whenever possible.’ She was more than a bit surprised when he kissed her, considering that, while both of them generally not to get into those kinds of things with others around, she had always thought he’d had more of a problem with it. Still, she could hardly blame him. It had been a very long summer.

Jennifer didn’t say anything else to his pessimistic attitude. Time would tell, she figured, and she had enough faith in her own abilities with regard to languages to make up for whatever inadequacies he felt he possessed. To continue now would, at best, result in a stalemate and, at worst, another argument. They’d managed to avoid any of those as of yet, and Jennifer was hoping that they might manage a whole week of the new school year this time, at the least.

It was about that time everyone else seemed to be finishing up, and people were heading out of Cascade. Of course, Jennifer didn’t really have any place she had to be, since she wasn’t that concerned about the quidditch sign-ups, which were her only responsibility, and could easily be done later that night. Still, that didn’t mean there weren’t other things that could be done… “Hey, Jake, you ready to go?” she asked, hand on his shoulder. Now that the feast was over, after all, it would be only too easy to find a quiet spot and have a proper welcome back.

0 Jennifer Maybe when we're alone 0 Jennifer 0 5

Jake
October 06, 2007 12:01 AM

Jake
Alumnus
House: Teppenpaw
Written by: Amelle Nicchi

Age in Post: 16

Hey now, don't say it unless you deliver it. by Jake
"It's fine." Jake commented with a shrug. "I was trying to make a joke out of a situation that you are having a hard time dealing with and that was insensitive of me." Jake said, almost repeating word for word something that Anita had said. She had yelled at him for moping around about a situation he was being insensitive about. Why Anita suddenly came to Jennifer's defense, Jake had no idea, but he had started avoiding her after that.

He had enough women in his life always telling him what to do or being angry with him for unknown reasons, but he never thought Anita (his only Allie when it came to his family) would be one of those girls too. Especially since she knew how difficult it was for Jake to know that Jennifer was in Brazil with Felipe

"Yeah, my family would love to know what's going on between the two of us, but I don't tell them. They respect that. I mean, like I said, Bella might have told them something, but they would push me into talking. They are all like Juan." Jake stated, an unfamiliar dark look entering his features when he spoke of his eldest brother. The family avoided all talk of him after the huge blowout after Paco's wedding. Things had gotten awkward for awhile, especially for Julia who was stuck in the middle between their parents and Juan.

Jake quirked an eyebrow at Jennifer. It was their first day back already they were beginning to go back and forth with heated discussions. Jake didn't want them to fight this year. He wanted this year to be simple and fun. "I'm ready to go. Where do you plan on taking me?"

6 Jake Hey now, don't say it unless you deliver it. 42 Jake 0 5

Bella
October 06, 2007 1:16 AM

Bella
Peripheral
Written by:

It's like, crazy whoa. by Bella
"It's his job...sort of." Bella stated with a slight shrug. Technically, his job was dealing with enchanted muggle artifacts that wizards or witches charmed to attack muggles for the sack of amusement. But, working in his area for as long as he had, he had learned a trick or two about how to make magic work with muggle devices. It was quite the thing to watch. "He even showed me how to work at-erm-puter or something. That was fun too."

Bella was a girl who did have brain power, but whenever she spoke about muggle things she felt like an absolute idiot. Muggle music square thingies and puters or something... she was like a very blonde girl with a fake tan. She wanted to smack herself for using such terminology, but she just could never remember the words.

She listened intently as Ben described his summer. She couldn't really understand why being with his grandfather would be boring, as his voice depicted. Bella loved spending time with her grandparents. They always told all sorts of stories from their younger years or when their parents were young. Abuela Ibbie was the one Bella was named for and the two were awfully alike. "Is he not fun?" Bella asked, obviously perplexed by such a thing.

The two of them had been dating for a little over half a year, but even after all that time, Ben's simple gesture of holding her hand still made Bella so happy. "Le eché de menos" Bella said quietly as she watched their linked hands for a moment. She scooted closer to Ben so that she was right up against him and rested her head against his shoulder while he asked her about Quidditch.

"It should be good this year, I think. Crotalus put on a heavy front last year and even though the Pecari's have a strong team, they haven't been able to win a Championship in quite some time." Bella commented. She might have quit the team back in her third year, but that didn't mean Bella stopped loving the game. "Anne's going to be a pain to live with this year. She gets so stressed when it comes to Quidditch. Since Aladren hasn't been a top team, she's going to be miserable. Lucky you." Bella said, glancing up at Ben with a teasing smile.

0 Bella It's like, crazy whoa. 0 Bella 0 5

Jennifer
October 08, 2007 5:30 PM

Jennifer
Peripheral
Written by:

What, 'maybe' is a promise now? by Jennifer
Jennifer started to open her mouth to insist that, no, she really was just being overly sensitive, and then though better of it. Merlin, the two of them were a right pair. Wouldn’t it be just like them to have a full-out argument the very first day back about who was at fault over another disagreement? Well, actually, not even just like them. It would be just like her.

So she shrugged as well. “Thanks. I’ll get better about it. Give me a month” or twelve “And you can tease to your heart’s content.” She smiled at him, but was still puzzling a bit over what he had said. Not the sentiment- that she understood. But the way it was phrased sounded more like Bella or Anita than him. Still, there wasn’t really any way to ask about that without having it sound insulting, or at least none she could think of, so Jennifer let it drop.

“Well, it’s a good thing that your family respects your right not to talk,” she continued with a bit of smile, though she hadn’t missed the change that had come over Jake when his older brother was mentioned, and she rubbed his back comfortingly. Still, a small summer anecdote on the subject couldn’t hurt. “I didn’t get quite the same treatment with regards to you from my father. Pretty intense interrogation throughout the month I was with him, actually.”

Best not to mention that part of the purpose of the grilling, David had claimed, had been to determine whether Jake was good enough. No matter how many times Jennifer insisted he was, it would only serve to freak her boyfriend out. Same for the mild interest Felipe had shown, in a completely platonic fashion. “Of course, it probably helps your case that your family’s actually met me, and has had a chance to form their opinions, for better or worse.”

The small smile she’d had earlier widened when Jake asked where she planned on going, and her eyes twinkled a mite mischievously. She rose from her seat and, grasping his hands, pulled him up as well. “No place in particularly. Just thought we might go try to find someplace where we’re not surrounded by friends, family, professors, and the like.” She let the suggestion hang. He wasn’t a unintelligent boy. She had full confidence in his ability to pick it up.

0 Jennifer What, 'maybe' is a promise now? 0 Jennifer 0 5

Camren
October 11, 2007 11:14 AM

Camren
Peripheral
Written by:

Thanks muchly! by Camren
OOC: I'm SOOO sorry about how long it took for me to get back to you!!! RL has interrupted my whole life, but I should be back in the swing of things now, I hope... I hope Eavan's not mad at Camren or anything!

BIC:
Eavan looked at Cam and Camren looked back down at her feet. 'She must think that I'm crazy or something... I have to pretend that everything is okay.' Eavan smiled at Camren, but since Camren was still looking down at her shoes, she missed the smile.

Camren looked back up and asked what Eavan liked to do. Camren listened carefully. She liked knowing about what people like and dislike. It helped her to know who the people were around her. Camren smiled at Eavan's answer to her question. But the smile turned upside down when Eavan asked about her.

"Um... Anything I like?" Camren said softly. "I like hanging out with my friends too..." Camren said. She didn't know what else to say. She really didn't know what she liked and didn't like anymore. She didn't like who she was lately, but she really wanted to change. Maybe becoming friends with Eavan would help her become stronger? Especially since Caden and Kasey were at school now too. Camren looked at Eavan and swallowed some saliva. Shrugging, Camren continued. "I'm not really sure what else I like to do. I'm still trying to figure it out. Ya know?"

0 Camren Thanks muchly! 0 Camren 0 5

Headmaster Bulla

Let the Opening Feast Begin! by Headmaster Bulla

Zack Dill

Hey, Christobel by Zack Dill

Laurie Cider

Red as in Danger Will Robinson! by Laurie Cider

Dalila Bastet

Somewhat disappointed... by Dalila Bastet

Renaye and Josh Warren with some Irene Liddowe

Say hello to the Warren twins! by Renaye and Josh Warren with some Irene Liddowe

Kaylie Brockert

You're telling me... by Kaylie Brockert

Paul and a little Cissy

Welcoming back by Paul and a little Cissy

Holly Greer

Dream or reality (wotw) by Holly Greer

Lexi Stafford

I'm sorry? by Lexi Stafford

Bella Santoro

And I'm a Fifth Year! by Bella Santoro

Hyana Kamiya

Second year already! by Hyana Kamiya

Caedence Redoak

making an evince with my hair (Wotw, can you guess?) by Caedence Redoak

Nicoletta Dupree

Well, this is just a cheery situation by Nicoletta Dupree

Benji

Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Benji

Chris Dupree

Is Christobel necessary? by Chris Dupree

Claire Villon

The sins of the father... by Claire Villon

Irene Liddowe and those two above ^^

Hey guys! by Irene Liddowe and those two above ^^

Zack

Chris, then by Zack

Dalila

Don't be sorry... by Dalila

Rilla White

Arrival by Rilla White

Chris

Most excellent by Chris

Tally Adams

And here I thought this day would never come. by Tally Adams

Elly Eriksson

Third year, baby! Yeah! by Elly Eriksson

Lucie Dupree

A Dupree in Tepp? by Lucie Dupree

Connor Pierce

I'm a <i>what?</i> by Connor Pierce

Meredith Lail

That's the spirit! by Meredith Lail

Red Aarden

Remember me? *Embarrassed by long absence* by Red Aarden

Grayson Wright

...shouldn't affect the son? by Grayson Wright

Elyse Talbot

Re: Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Elyse Talbot

Zack

Verily by Zack

Talitha Cumni

It's Great to be Back! (wotw) by Talitha Cumni

Zane Cooper

This could be a problem by Zane Cooper

Damien Hall

I turned the color you did last year! by Damien Hall

Echo Elms

A fine start to the.. oops! by Echo Elms

Eavan Valentine

Re: Let the Opening Feast Begin! by Eavan Valentine

Benji Rowley

Red, white and blue? by Benji Rowley

Claire Villon

Not according to the Bible, sadly. by Claire Villon

Cecily Smythe

No problems, only solutions by Cecily Smythe

Oliver Abbott

Yeah, it's not too bad by Oliver Abbott

Elly

Spirit fingers! by Elly

Remember me? Embarrassed by long absence by Red Aarden