Should be an interesting year on Cascade Hall

Headmistress Powell

May 01, 2009 1:20 AM

Let the Opening Feast commence! by Headmistress Powell

It was a beautiful evening. Sunlight streamed in through the windows of the Cascade Hall, creating a dazzling display of ripples and rainbows as the final rays of the day were reflected by the waterfalls lining the room. Sadi had made her way to Sonora in her usual fashion: Apparition. She was wearing her customary plain brown robes and her graying hair was fastened, as usual, in a neat knot at the nape of her neck. She stood quietly in the far corner of the room as returning students noisily made their way into seats, and the first years were gathered by the door. The new students were greeted by Deputy Head Professor Flatt, and Sadi honestly wasn’t sure which party looked more nervous out of the first years and Henry. She understood the anxiety; she herself was concerned that she might make some terrible mistake during her first day as Headmistress. Hopefully those present would forgive any stumbles.

When all the wagons were empty, Sadi joined her colleagues at the staff table (although she stood in front of it, rather than sat behind) and called for attention. “Settle down, please,” she said, gentle but commanding, as always. When there was enough quiet to be heard without the assistance of charms, Sadi graced the students with a smile. “To our older students, welcome back. To our first year students, welcome to Sonora Academy.” With Henry’s assistance, each new student was handed a goblet full of a clear, bubbling liquid. When swallowed, this potion would turn the drinker’s skin the corresponding color of the House to which they now belonged: blue for Aladren, yellow for Teppenpaw, red for Crotalus, and brown for Pecari.

Most students enjoyed watching the sorting of the first years. Sadi couldn’t deny that the event had held her interest more thoroughly when she’d been Head of Crotalus, and so could identify her future students, but it was nevertheless an entertaining event. Therefore she waited patiently until all the students had settled once more before returning to her address.

“As always, the prairie elves have provided us with a magnificent feast,” she said, hoping to reel in the attention of those whose minds had wandered. “However, before we eat, I would like to make a few short announcements. Firstly, I would like to draw your attention to some changes in staffing this year. Professor Flatt,” Sadi gestured towards her colleague, now seated at the staff table, “will be supporting me as Deputy Head. I ask that you afford him every courtesy he deserves.” The worry about what would happen to the school if the government-appointed Deputy were to be unhappy remained unspoken. “Secondly, I would like you all to welcome Stella Nelson, who will be your new school Counselor. If you are having troubles of any sort, students are welcome to make an appointment to see the counsellor at any time.”

"Next I have a notice for the older students. You may have noticed that Professor Huntley is not with us this year. This is because Sonora Academy will, for the time being, not be offering elective classes." Call it pressure from above, cost cutting, lack of student interest, call it whatever you like - the situation remained the same, and was only made worse when one considered the school's inability to maintain all staff members from one year to the next. "If any students in fourth year or above wish to continue learning either Muggle Studies or Ancient Runes as independent studies, please see me."

“There have also been some alterations in Heads of Houses. Professor Flatt will be leading Teppenpaw, and Professor Taylor will take charge of Aladren House.” Sadi decided that the reasons behind this decision (namely to keep assorting governing bodies content) didn’t need to be shared. “Crotalus students may welcome Professor O’Leary as their Head, and Pecari House will be under care of Professor Baer.” Again, the reasons were not explained, though this time in sensitivity to Professor Baer; Sadi felt the transfiguration professor would be more adept at dealing with the boisterous Pecaris than the obstreperous Crotalus girls.

“Your Head of House will support and guide you during your time here at Sonora, and they are assisted by prefects and the Head Boy and Head Girl.” Bringing us nicely on to the next announcement, Sadi thought, as she reached into the pocket of her robes and brough forth a small box. “Could this year’s Head Boy, Geoffrey Layne, and Head Girl, Briony O’Leary, please come to collect their badges.” Sadi smiled at each seventh year, handing over the large badges bearing the school crest, and accepting the temporary badges they had been wearing until now. She replaced them in the box, where they joined four prefect badges. “Could this year’s prefects please join me to collect their badges. Congratulations to Lucas Smythe of Aladren, Josiah Ashwood of Teppenpaw, Lutece Anthony of Crotalus, and Irene Liddowe of Pecari.”

Sadi distributed the badges with a smile and ‘well done’ for each student. She put the lid back on the box and returned it to her pocket as she waited for the applause to die down before attracting attention for the last time that evening. “Thank you for listening for so long. I have no more announcements to make, so you are free to enjoy your food.” With a wave of Sadi’s hand, each and every table was suddenly groaning under a multitude of dishes, plates and jugs, each filled to the brim with one or another of an impressive variety of foods and drinks. Enough, indeed, that no student had yet found the feast lacking, and no student was ever likely too.

As everyone began eating, Sadi made her way to her own seat, and sunk into it, relieved that the hardest part of her day was over. She poured herself a small measure of good wine, and sipped from her goblet.

\r\n\r\n

Subthreads:

I'm a brown one by Jose Hernandez with Insomnia Zannicci, Tawny Brockert, Jose

getting sorted by Bridjalyn Tuppin with Mike Song, Pepper and Constance Jones, Connie

You go, Irene! Whoo! by Saul Pierce with Elly Eriksson, Irene Liddowe, Elly, Meredith Lail

Sunshine on my shoulders by David Lancaster with Andrew Duell, David

Wow... by Andrew Duell

Step 1: Identify the Possibles by Ian Grimm with Jera Valson, Ian

Pure ecstasy (Ladies) by Chelsea Brockert with Cecily Smythe, Holly Greer

I really am a glutton for punishment. by Helena Layne with Cynthia Smythe, Cynthia

Moody arrival by Juri Dahlgren with Euna Song, Juri

Feeling blue... by Cassandra Kerrigan with Edmond Carey, Cassie

Commencing! by Kyler Kent

Returning one more time... by Allie St. Martin

Me, My Issues, and My Shiny Badges by Geoffrey Layne

Note to self, pay attention to where the fork goes. by Adelita Garcia with Ethan Valentine, Lita

Hmm... by Maiara Landon with Pippa Brockert

Meeting new people by Clarissa Marigold with James Anthony

Should be an interesting year by Briony O'Leary

Finally, my brilliance is recognised by Lutece Anthony with Oliver Abbott, Lutece, Talitha Cumni

Finding Charlotte by Daniel Nash II with Charlotte Abbott, Charlotte, Charlie

Turning Red by Jethro Smythe with Marissa Stephenson, Jethro

0 Headmistress Powell Let the Opening Feast commence! 0 Headmistress Powell 1 5

Jose Hernandez

May 01, 2009 2:53 PM

I'm a brown one by Jose Hernandez

Jose's eleventh year had sort of snuck up on him. He'd been at his latest boarding school (this one for young squibs) on the birthdate in question. His cousins Karen and Jason had thrown him a little party, and then he'd promptly forgotten about the milestone he'd crossed until Saul's Sonora letter came accompanied by another envelope addressed to Jose Hernandez.

Hey, Hose! Saul had yelled out across the campground, waving the unexpected letter over his head. Dude, you're going to Sonora, too!

While Jose had known Sonora existed, of course, and he'd demonstrated that he wasn't as magically inept as Karen and Jason, actually going to Sonora had always seemed like something he'd do when he was older.

Now he was older. At the same school as Saul, who was practically an adult. Dude, that must mean Jose was only a few steps from being grown up, too.

He didn't feel it right now.

He entered the aptly named Cascade Hall with wide brown eyes and a mouth that hung open in amazement. Sure, his cousins had told him about the place, but seeing it and hearing it were two totally different things, especially where Saul and Simon were concerned. They had a tendency to exaggerate. He wasn't sure it was possible to exaggerate this, though.

"Whoa," he said, absently following his fellow first years down the middle of the room. A goblet was passed into his hands an he looked at it doubtfully for a moment before taking a drink of the bubbling brew.

Saul, in an effort not to tell him about this, had managed to spill the beans, so Jose wasn't too surprised when his already deeply tanned skin darkened further to a slightly less natural skin tone. "Pecari," he said, grinning a little. He was only the second California Pierce to attend the school, but clearly the family had a House predisposition.

He waved toward his cousin, then looked around to see who else had turned brown. Taking a seat at a table with some of them, he listened impatiently as the Headmistress talked about all the stuff Saul had already explained to him since their letters had come. Then there was food.

His eyes raked over the offerings and he reached for some steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes and fresh salad and every other dish that looked like it didn't contain any meat or dairy. "Dude, lookit all this." Usually, he had trouble filling his plate without getting specially made meals, but that didn't look like it was going to be a problem here.

Crunching down on crispy raw carrot, he grinned at his neighbors. "Howdy, folks. I'm Jose Hernandez." Despite the name and a physical appearance that clearly spoke of Hispanic ancestry, his accent lacked any Spanish influence and his clothing suggested he was a refugee from a time warp to the seventies. His hair was worn straight and down to his shoulders, complete with a beaded headband. His eyeglasses had a very distinct rose color to them and could have been stolen from John Lennon himself. Though wearing a robe that was obviously supposed to pass as the school uniform, the fabric was rough and the robe had the appearance of being handmade and dyed with all-natural colorings.

His grin was bright and friendly as he addressed his new classmates. "I'm from California. What about you guys? Where are you from? Any sibs or cousins here? I got an older cousin. He's a Pecari, too." He decided against mentioning that Saul was the Quidditch Captain and a prefect. He didn't want to scare his potential friends away. Thank Merlin Saul had lost the Head Boy election. What would that have made people think of Jose, with that kind of thing in the family?

1 Jose Hernandez I'm a brown one 149 Jose Hernandez 0 5

Bridjalyn Tuppin

May 01, 2009 3:18 PM

getting sorted by Bridjalyn Tuppin

Bridjalyn climbed from the wagon and followed the crowd of first years into Cascade Hall. There was an atmosphere of excitement and all the returning students were noisily chatting away, the din was a little intimidating but a hush soon fell as the headmistress started her welcoming speech. Then it was time for the sorting. One by one she watched other nervous looking first years drink the bubbling potion and get sorted. People called out greetings and congratulations. Suddenly she missed her older brother and wished for a moment that she had chosen to go to the same school as him. He might tease her way too much but she could still count on him for support.
With a determined lift of her chin, she suppressed her nervous urge to giggle hysterically or do something else ridiculously stupid and moved forward to drink the potion. Clutching it tightly in both hands she took a hasty gulp. Immediately her skin felt all tingly and she saw her hands go brown. Pecari House! Fantastic! She was sure there would be a lot of action and adventure in that house and her parents would be pleased. Her nervousness vanished, replaced by excitement and anticipation and suddenly she couldn’t wait for the feasting to start, she had been too nervous to eat all day.
\n

0 Bridjalyn Tuppin getting sorted 0 Bridjalyn Tuppin 0 5

Saul Pierce

May 01, 2009 3:22 PM

You go, Irene! Whoo! by Saul Pierce

This was different from the previous six years that Saul had gone to Sonora. One was that he was in his final year and everything had taken on special significance. His last wagon ride. His last Opening Feast. His last chance to watch the Firsties change colors. His last time to be their Tour Guide.

One was that his girlfriend was Head Girl. Briony had gotten a hearty cheer when she was named. Irene had, too, a few moments later. The Pecari Quidditch Team now had a monopoly on the Pecari Prefects. Him, Elly, and Irene were all good friends, so that was going to be way cool this year, too.

But what was really different this time was that Saul was no longer the only California Pierce in the student body. One particular first year was of special interest during the sorting. Saul practically held his breath as Jose drank his potion.

Brown. A slow grin broke across Saul's face. Brown! "Whoo! Jose, yeah!" He pumped a fist in the air and gave his cousin two big thumbs up.

When Irene returned to their table after getting her badge, Saul was still beaming like a proud dad. One of his best friends had made Prefect. His girlfriend was Head Girl. His cousin was in his House. This year was going to be awesome.

"Great job, Irene!" he congratulated her, when she was still a few steps away, but he let her sit down before pointing down the table toward Jose. "See the hippie kid in the John Lennon glasses? That's Hose. Jose Hernandez. He's my little cousin." Jose had only been four when Saul had left for Sonora, so he'd never paid a lot of attention to the kid before, but Jose's acceptance letter had changed all that. Saul had taken the kid under his wing for the rest of the summer and spent hours regaling him with Sonora stories.

1 Saul Pierce You go, Irene! Whoo! 82 Saul Pierce 0 5

David Lancaster

May 01, 2009 3:40 PM

Sunshine on my shoulders by David Lancaster

David Lancaster was no stranger to long-distance travel, having moved more times in his life than he had fingers. Still, this particular journey was one for the books. The transatlantic flight took nearly eighteen hours, included three layovers, and a re-run of the same flight movie six times. But that was military airfare for you- free for dependents, retired military, civil service, and active duty personnel, but not exactly primed for personal comfort. Thankfully, the domestic flight was nonstop, gave out pretzels, and had individual telesets so that David could watch whatever he liked. He ended up staring out of the window for the most part instead, an anonymous piano piece playing through his ear-buds. A small ball of excitement sat in his mostly empty stomach, twisting and knotting with such fervor that the normally still boy was hard pressed not to pick at his nails.

He spent the five hours instead shuffling and re-shuffling a deck of cards, his fingers marked by callouses of having performed the same action so many times. It was a habit from his much younger days, when his thumbsucking was put to a stop by iodine and his security blanket was done away with in the trash. His nervous energy had to find an outlet, and as long as his card shuffling was kept silent, the habit was tolerated. The plane touched down at Phoenix International Airport- Phoenix Sky Harbor International signs on the tarmac corrected him. David bypassed the people waiting beyond the gates, their colored signs and occasional bouquets a familiar sight.

In the handicapped stall of the bathroom, David regarded himself carefully in the mirror. His face, round and full, stared back solemnly. Dark grey smears stretched beneath his brown eyes, and his brown hair, too long by his parents' standards, stuck in matted clumps against his forehead. He withdrew a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush from his carry on, as well as a tiny bottle of shampoo- the only size allowed by airport security at check-in. Within ten minutes, he managed a fair job of re-freshing himself and donning the collared red shirt and now wrinkled khaki slacks his mother had chosen for him.

Three hours later, when he was finished with his first port-key trip ever, David found himself regretting his bathroom visit. Somehow, he didn't think a ride by enchanted wagon was going to make him any cleaner. He was placed near the back of the wagon, a swathe of light coating his left arm. He watched as the slight impressions left by the wagon's wheels disappeared into the desert's endless sand. The Sonoran desert was by no means a Sahara. The earth looked dry and patched, and yet a slim coating of sand erased any signs of their having passed. David realized he ought to try and start some sort of conversation with his fellow riders, but he felt comfortable in his silence. For once, there was no pressure to make an effort.

It occurred to him then, albeit belatedly and distantly, that his parents were very far away indeed.

The school appeared where previously there had been only a middling mesa. Involuntarily, his fingers tightened over his wrists. It matched, in every detail, the pictures his introduction packet had included: more mansion than scholastic building, David counted the two bell towers and the three arches that rose up before them. He knew, from what the pamphlets had explained, that he would soon walk through a front door and that beyond it, he would undergo some sort of initiation that would decide his placement in the school's houses. He'd read over each of the House's descriptions, and despite trying to explain to his parents that he was not able to choose his house, they still decided that Aladren would be the best choice for him, Crotalus coming in a second place. Pecari, they had deemed, sounded far too tumultuous, and Teppenpaw- well, they had no opinion of it at all and that was really censure enough.

David looked on, in silent wonder, as they were led into a room that bespoke every fanstasy story he had ever read come to life. Water fell from the walls in delicate rows, only interrupted by the flooding of light from the many windows. Prisms of color angled their way across the marble floors, and in a mechanical daze, David took the goblet that was handed to him by a smiling professor with blue eyes. His skin, a dusky tan from a summer spent taking tennis lessons, morphed into a vibrant yellow, and smiling to himself, he took a seat with the rest of Teppenpaw House. Despite the awareness of his parents' probable disappointment with his House designation, he felt pleased. His eyes returned to the panel of the professors at the front of the room, and he listened, distracted by the slowly fading yellow of his skin, as various announcements were made. He listened and heard very little of it.

Port-key and wagons aside, the enchantment of his skin was David's first personal encounter with magic, and his hands tingled and his ears buzzed with the feel of it. So this is magic, he thought to himself. This is what it feels like. This is what being a wizard feels like-

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice to his right. He missed the spoken words and stared blankly for a moment at the sudden feast that appeared on the table, literally dozens of platters loaded with every variant of dish he could think of. "Sorry- I was elsewhere," he apologized. "Mind repeating?"

0 David Lancaster Sunshine on my shoulders 0 David Lancaster 0 5

Andrew Duell

May 01, 2009 4:10 PM

Wow... by Andrew Duell

Andrew walked into the Hall with the rest of the first years and was in awe. His mother had tried to give him some sort of idea what he could expect to find, but she hadn't come close. He really had been half expecting some run down old castle filled with ancient, grumpy men and women as teachers. This hall was amazing though, the way the light played amongst the water and the chandeliers. Were they real or just illusions? How did...? He caught himself. He was going to have to readjust his thinking, these things worked by his mother's rules, not his father's.

His attention was pulled away by the Headmistress speaking. She seemed nice enough. He accepted his goblet and regarded it a moment before following the other first year students, and gulping it down.

A brief moment passed and Andrew's skin turned a bright yellow. He eyed it with a hint of amusement and found a seat to listen to the rest of the Headmistress' announcements. He made special note of Geoffrey, Briony, and Josiah. It was more of his mother's advise, get in good with the Heads and Prefects and you can get away with so much more. He was beginning to wonder what his mother's school days had been like, prior to his acceptance letter she never spoke of them much.

As the food appeared, and conversations began to strike up he looked at his hand again and asked out loud, as much to himself as anyone else sitting around him, "How long does this color last?"

2 Andrew Duell Wow... 145 Andrew Duell 0 5

Mike Song

May 01, 2009 4:27 PM

Picking a target. by Mike Song

Mike Song began his summer hopeful for two things: no work and plenty of beach time. Four hurricanes, three tropical storms, and five tropical depressions later, and all Mike wanted was to hop a plane to Arizona and board the nearest wagon for school. He had been forcefully evacuated twice, something his mom resisted fiercely against, using words in Korean that others might blush over; while the front yard's one palm tree managed to stay erect, his mother's favorite lemon tree was literally skewered. He'd spent the majority of his break involved in clean-up, and somehow he'd been forced into running the boardwalk tours with his cousin Bae.

Mike had not been pleased.

It was interesting, though, he couldn't help but note, that returning to school as a second year really did change one's perspective on things. He knew where stuff was, had an okay handle on his wand, and had a pile of friends to trade high fives with. Not to mention, he was no longer the lowest on the pecking order. There was a whole new batch of firsties to heckle and lord over. Mike didn't necessarily see himself as a bully, despite having been labeled one in the past. It wasn't like he went out of his way to pick on people- and even when he did, he was generous and indiscriminate with it. His favorite target, namely his sister Euna, was not as available as she once was, and so he was forced to find new ones.

His dark brown eyes scanned the new additions to his table briefly before landing on a short first year- granted he wasn't much taller being only twelve and a boy, but still- with brown hair. Mike fluffed his coarse black hair twice, fighting back a smirk, before heading over to the girl. He stood at her back and waited for the prime moment to announce himself. "Hey, first year," he drawled, enjoying the presumed surprise his sudden interjection might cause. "You're in my seat. I didn't think we'd have rude people sorted into Pecari so soon."

He gave the girl a chance to respond, mostly ignoring whatever she might have to say, before continuing. "It's fine, I'll let you make it up to me. Get me a plate, cheese pizza only, and some milk. And some of those cupcakes with the chocolate frosting."

Mike crossed his arms smugly and forced an irritated expression onto his handsome features. "Hurry it up."

0 Mike Song Picking a target. 0 Mike Song 0 5

Insomnia Zannicci

May 01, 2009 5:29 PM

That's Magic For You by Insomnia Zannicci

Insomnia looked around, totally awestruck, at the magnificent hall. The water that rippled down the walls silkily, gurgling happily as it fell, was just another example of how wacky life had become since her eleventh birthday. Still, it was pretty awesome and had a sort of soothing affect on her. She'd been slightly apprehensive, and the long journey to the Authorised Transportation Centre hadn't helped. Luckily, Insomnia was able to relax and considered this an exciting new experience.

Insomnia eyed the other first years awkwardly searching for family and friends and felt somewhat better. Sure, she didn't know anyone yet, but that could be easily rectified. She grinned at a quiet looking boy to her left and then listened with interest to the Headmistress' speech.

Not knowing much about the houses, Insomnia didn't feel nervous about drinking from the cup, although turning an interesting shade of yellow did startle her somewhat. She looked around, hoping to spot other Teppenpaws' nearby.

0 Insomnia Zannicci That's Magic For You 0 Insomnia Zannicci 0 5

Ian Grimm

May 01, 2009 5:38 PM

Step 1: Identify the Possibles by Ian Grimm

Some people gave the number three power in their lives. They kept to multiples of three in everything- except those involving three sixes- and liked to reassure themselves that while attempts one and two might have failed, attempt number three because it is a three will be granted success. Ian Grimm imagined some of his fellow third years might subscribe to this same sort of reasoning. Personally, he did not. He saw absolutely no difference in numbers, aside from quantifiable value, and so he approached his third year at Sonora Academy as he would with any other year. He tolerated the wagon ride, with its uncomfortable benches and impossible to avoid dust, and watched disinterestedly as the newest batch of first years drank from the goblet. It was of some note to observe that the chosen Deputy Headmaster was most definitely a government insertion, considering the man held the least tenure, and in Ian's opinion, had joined the previous year under dodgy circumstances.

Still, just about anything was an improvement on Thaddeus Flatt, and so Ian merely jotted a few additional details on the younger Henry Flatt in one of his black notebooks before turning his attentions to the dining table. Carefully, he donned his gold rimmed glasses and considered the entirety of the Hall. His grandmother had given explicit instructions and expected his first letter describing his progress within the next four weeks. Ian, as annoyed as he was to be in such a situation, could think of no better time to weigh out potential future partners than at the Opening Feast.

There were the girls in his House, and Aladrens were a fairly decent lot in terms of sense and intelligence Ian reckoned. The two second year girls, though, seemed hardly suitable. One was a Hollywood type and the other barely mentionable. Nothing remarkable there. From his year, there was Jera and Delany. Jera was a possibility he supposed; he skimmed through his notebook and considered his notes. Too few, he decided, to make a definitive decision. Delany was a firm negative; entirely too friendly for his tastes, and he could only imagine that the trait would grow in strength over the years instead of wane. Then there was Chelsea Brockert, a fourth year girl.

Ian spotted her near her usual crowd, and tapping the back of his pen against his mouth, he couldn't help but notice that her 'usual crowd' was actually made up of the sort his grandmother would like. Not necessarily because they were Purebloods- minus that dramatic one from Pecari- but because they exuded confidence. Still, his notes on the lot were fairly scarce, mostly because he hadn't been interested before. They struck him as arrogant, and he did not know whether the arrogance was deserved or merely an affectation. His brown eyes continued their scan of the room, his hand moving occasionally to jot the occasional observation in his notebook, until his gaze settled on yet another viable prospect.

There was absolutely no way, though, that Ian was going to consider her. She was silly and pink and far too annoying to ever be a possibility- in his eyes at least. His grandmother had thought differently. "Oh, Ian darling, a Smythe- she sounds darling, too, and already you're escorting her to a function. Do be sure to take one of our labels from the wine cellar for her parents as a greeting." His grandmother Nora hadn't shut up on the subject for nearly fifteen minutes, and it was all Ian could manage to not crush the teacup she had forced in his hands. But he had self control and his grandmother was far too intimidating a woman to show such carelessness in front of.

Still, Amelia had her purposes. She was female, sort of, and she could at the very least provide some information regarding the rest of her gender. Plus, he had his basket of summer favors to throw her way; it might be enough to buy her attentions long enough for the job. She did seem to like the previous summer's donations. This year, the basket included a jade pendant encrusted with tiny chips of diamonds, a delicate collection of chocolate truffles, and some other items he hadn't cared to identify but had been assured by his mother would be received warmly. Ian began to put his notebook away, capping his pen, when he was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder.

Irritated, Ian paused in his preparations. "What?" he asked, his tone not exactly friendly.

0 Ian Grimm Step 1: Identify the Possibles 110 Ian Grimm 0 5

Chelsea Brockert

May 01, 2009 5:51 PM

Pure ecstasy (Ladies) by Chelsea Brockert

A excedingly large and excedingly jubilant smile spread over Chelsea Brockert's face as she saw the staff seated at the table. There was one noticeable absentee-a certain ancient,crude,and bigoted History of Magic professor.

Could the rumors have been true? Was her arch-nemesis really gone? As Headmistress Powell's speech began, Chelsea's happy suspicions were quickly confirmed. Sonora was now a Flatt-free zone. (Well, okay, Old Flatt-free...but Henry was hardly the same as his uncle, much like she wasn't the same as any of her relatives. The important thing was he was gone !) She didn't really think Flatt the Younger deserved to be either Head of House or Deputy Head since he was brand new and Chelsea suspected it was a government installation but it hardly mattered. All that mattered was that his vile uncle was gone.

And yes, now Aladren was stuck with Taylor as a Head of House and Chelsea was none too fond of her either, but anyone or anything, even the foulest tounged Jarvey would have been an improvement over Old Flatt.

She couldn't help but think this wonderful situation was the doing of her and her friends. Chelsea had worked harder on that than she ever had on anything in her life, including school work. The Aladren turned to her friends "I believe this calls for a celebration." They deserved it. They deserved to reward themselves for a job well done.

11 Chelsea Brockert Pure ecstasy (Ladies) 108 Chelsea Brockert 0 5

Pepper and Constance Jones

May 01, 2009 5:55 PM

Target lost by Pepper and Constance Jones

It was with very mixed feelings that Pepper returned to school. She could only hope that the debacle that had happened with Briony at the end of last term was going to remain there. It had become generally known in the aftermath that the cookies had been spiked, so at least she had that defence for making her outburst, even if it couldn't excuse the content. She supposed it was sort of a relief for it to be out in the open (so long as the 'open' remained between her and Briony and didn't spread to Saul), however, it hadn't felt like a very positive experience at the time. But the main reason that she wasn't sure quite how to feel about this first day back was bobbing up and down enthusiastically beside her. Connie, her youngest sibling, had turned out to be the second magical person in their family and was starting Sonora. Pepper was sort of proud of her and sort of glad to have someone else in her family to share it all with. But she'd got so used to it just being her, as the years ticked by without any more of her siblings getting invited to the school, that she'd begun to think of it as something unique to her. Not that she minded Connie in the sense that she was jealous at having to share, it was just odd. It was like coming home to find her in her room, or having read her diary (something magic had, thankfully, kept her out of for the last few years). She also felt a little anxious. The magical world could be dangerous and unpredictable, particularly to Muggle-borns and she didn't like the idea that, as she was now in her final year, she would have to leave Connie on her own in it so soon.

Connie, however, seemed like she would cope with it perfectly well. She was already disentangling herself from Pepper as they walked up towards the school, running to stick her nose into this, that and every darn thing going, giving Pepper a shrewd inkling of which house she was going to be in.

“Con, I have to leave you here and go sit with my house. You wait to be sorted,” Pepper said, hesitating only slightly over the word. She knew Connie would take it all in her stride but she did worry about the shock the process would cause her. Although she knew the first years weren't meant to know anything, she hadn't been able to help telling Connie that something would happen but she wasn't to worry about it – it wouldn't last.

“Ok, see you later,” Connie nodded. Her tone suggested that Pepper was fussing over nothing and that she would be just fine if she'd go off and leave her. The quick squeeze around Pepper's waist for reassurance before the older girl could slip away into the crowd suggested that she was glad to have her there though. Lining up with the other first years, she took the potion. Pepper's warning had suggested that this would do something to her. But she'd also said it would be ok and not only did she trust Pepper but obviously it was, otherwise something would be wrong with Pepper still. She took a few gulps of the liquid and, on lowering the chalice, saw that her skin had turned a deep brown. She glanced from side to side. It looked like it was about the most normal colour she could have gone (which was sort of a shame) – some of the other brown kids didn't even look that different to someone with a heavy sun tan. She imagined though, that with her red hair and what should have been pale skin, she looked most peculiar and a little like she'd swum through mud.

Forgetting that the brown meant something other than being brown, she automatically trotted over to where her sister was sitting.

“I'm brown. Oh, yours are all yellow,” she said, suddenly remembering that this showed where she was meant to sit. “Which table's mine?”

“That one, see?” said Pepper, pointing out the Pecair table. “Just go and find a seat.”

“Anywhere?”

“Anywhere,” Pepper nodded, giving her a little pat on the shoulder. Her fingers barely made contact with the younger girl's shoulder, as Connie was already bounding off to find someone to sit with. Striding confidently towards the Pecari table, she came up behind a boy just in time to hear him telling a still vaguely brown girl – presumably a fellow first year – that she was in his seat.

“My sister told me we could sit wherever we like!” she burst out before really thinking about it. Although, if she thought about it, Pepper wouldn't tell her something that would get her into trouble and Pepper was the oldest in the school, whereas this boy didn't look much older than the girl he was now ordering to get him some food. “And she's way older than you, so I think you've made a mistake,” she informed him, setting herself down beside the girl. “Don't get his pizza. I don't think you have to really,” she reassured her.

0 Pepper and Constance Jones Target lost 0 Pepper and Constance Jones 0 5

Jose Hernandez

May 01, 2009 11:55 PM

It's magic for us all by Jose Hernandez

Upon pausing long enough to actually get a look at his neighbor, Jose was surprised to find she still had a bit of yellow coloring to her skin. She must have gotten misdirected earlier when they moved to sit down. As she didn't seem to have heard his introduction (which was a little disheartening, really, because it meant he hadn't captured her attention and what kind of performer did that make him?) Jose cleared his throat and waved a little to get her to notice him.

"Hi," he greeted, as that was only polite, then grinned and indicated the rest of the table with a wide gesture. "You wandered into Pecari territory. But don't worry. We don't bite. And you can stay if you want. Saul said they're not strict about sitting with your House here. Saul's my cousin. He's a seventh year and a prefect, so he prolly knows what he's talking about." Which really only meant that Saul would know it if he was embellishing the truth, but Jose didn't think that was the case this time.

"I'm Jose. What's your name?"

1 Jose Hernandez It's magic for us all 149 Jose Hernandez 0 5

Helena Layne

May 02, 2009 12:46 AM

I really am a glutton for punishment. by Helena Layne

Pretending to be Amy Fox in a spoof play where Fox was made out to be a love-struck failure of a serial killer was, all things considered, a pretty dumb thing to do. Pretending to be all of that a year before taking over as one of the four Quidditch captains was like asking the real Fox to test out her aptitude for single homicides.

As Helena had gone with that second course of action at the end of her fifth year, she figured she had very little left to lose. With that thought, which was a lot more comforting than she suspected it should have been, in mind, going into the Cascade Hall with a sparkly party tiara on her head was much easier than it sounded in theory.

Ignoring any odd looks her choice of headdress earned her and trying not think about the way the firsties would all label her as "the crazy older chick", Helena made her way over to the Crotalus table and sat down. After pausing to straighten her tiara - if she had to wear the thing, then she might as well wear it properly - she began laying out her place as always, with the utensils all neatly aligned and her napkin spread evenly across her lap. It was for a single evening. She could work on reclaiming her dignity, what was left of it, tomorrow.

Though still thrown by the absence of Headmaster Bulla, who had been virtually the only member of staff who'd been part of Sonora for longer than she had, Helena turned halfway in her seat to listen to Professor Powell's speech. With every change her former teacher and Head of House listed, she was more and more convinced that it wouldn't hurt a thing to go on thinking of the Headmistress as 'Professor Powell'; this was a lot to wrap her mind around at once. Missing classes, rotating House Heads (she felt a deep sense of pity for the unfortunate Professor O'Leary as soon as she heard where he was being reappointed; though Nicoletta and her clique were gone, there were still plenty of Crotalus girls who weren't at all like his nice little Teppenpaw daughter), a complete newcomer becoming Deputy Headmaster, and all of that before they got to her brother's Head Boyhood not being either the worst joke ever or a clerical error.

Shaking her head as the food appeared, Helena was serving herself lasagna when she caught the eye of the student in the seat across from hers. "Hi," she said, doling out the rest of her portion and offering the person a smile "Have a good summer?" No one, after all, had ever thought to call her shockingly original.

16 Helena Layne I really am a glutton for punishment. 88 Helena Layne 0 5

Insomnia Zannicci

May 02, 2009 6:20 AM

I never could follow directions by Insomnia Zannicci

Insomnia smiled sheepishly at the boy next to her. "Ehm... oops I guess? I'm Insomnia, but friends call me 'Nia"

Suddenly the table in front of her groaned under the weight of dishes full of steaming food, chocolates and cookies and items she couldn't even name.

Insomnia looked around the room carefully and realised the Teppenpaws were at the other end of the hall, and to her eyes it seemed like there were masses of them. She grinned, at ease with the Pecaris.

"Looks crowded over there so I reckon I'll hang out over here for now." Insomnia reached across the table and took a handful of grapes. "This is pretty cool isn't it?"

0 Insomnia Zannicci I never could follow directions 0 Insomnia Zannicci 0 5

Juri Dahlgren

May 02, 2009 12:13 PM

Moody arrival by Juri Dahlgren

Honestly, Juri didn’t know which was worse – being at home or being at Sonora. All the changes served to turn his good mood sour. He had thought coming back would be a relief from everything occurring at home. His parents had begun arguing more, which was saying something. His father didn’t want him to come back to Sonora. He still refused to believe that magic actually existed. He thought that Juri was being sent to some sort of cult school that filled his head with foolery. He had called her an unfit mother and had gone so far as to threaten pursuing custody of his son.

So, of course, he had been looking forward to returning to Sonora. It was an escape from the tension that had come into everyday of his summer. He craved the stability offered. The stability no longer existed. Maybe if things at home were different, the changes at Sonora wouldn’t have bothered him so much, but as things stood, they only served to agitate him further. He didn’t understand why Bulla couldn’t stay the Headmaster. He didn’t understand why Powell couldn’t stay the Acting Deputy Headmaster. He didn’t understand why there was someone completely new as the DH. He didn’t understand why he had a new Head of House.

Everything was topsy-turvy and it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He wasn’t even hungry as he scooped some of the fruit onto his plate, but it was something to do and it certainly beat brooding alone in his room. He stabbed a piece of cantaloupe angrily. Actually, it beat brooding with company in his room. He didn’t have a problem with either of them, but Danny seemed a bit snooty and Quentin, well, there were way too many words to describe that boy. Suffice to say, at the moment, he would just end up becoming frustrated with him and all of his literal interpretations. No, it was best to stay here.

He went to spear a green grape when something horrific happened. The fork didn’t go through the piece of fruit, but rather caused it to go shooting off like a rocket. If he had time to hope, he would have hoped that it didn’t hit anyone, and as luck would have it, he got his wish, but for the cost of something possibly worse. It landed in a nearby drink causing the contents to splash out around it. One wouldn’t have thought something as small as a grape would have had as much effect as it did since it might quite possibly have splashed onto the person. “Sorry. I don’t know what happened. Did anything get on you?”

0 Juri Dahlgren Moody arrival 127 Juri Dahlgren 0 5

Cecily Smythe

May 02, 2009 2:46 PM

Here come the Girls by Cecily Smythe

Cecily's plans of having the Ladies round for a sleepover during the school holiday had been thwarted by her parents extending their beach holiday. It wasn't as if Cecily was complaining. The petite brunette returned with her first genuine beach tan and felt more relaxed than she had in a good long while.

True enough, she was back at the place which forced her to wear a uniform and had even subjected her to severely unpleasant times in the past, but Sonora also meant daily communication with some of the best people in the world. With a beaming smile, Cecily sat down opposite one of them: Chelsea Brockert, as they waited for the feast.

"I believe this calls for a celebration," Chelsea proposed.

"Too true," Cecily replied, knowing exactly to what her friend was referring. "I've brought some seriously naughty snacks with me that I thought we could eat in the gardens on an evening during this week." Yes, being at school did have its advantages. "I propose that we invite Addie; she was so sweet at the end of last term. If we can reach her soon enough we ought to be able to prevent her from trying out for Quidditch." She smiled brightly; absolutely nothing could go wrong today.

"How has everyone been?"" Cecily asked despite being in contact with her friends over the summer. Written correspondence just wasn't the same as being in the same room.

0 Cecily Smythe Here come the Girls 122 Cecily Smythe 0 5

Cynthia Smythe

May 02, 2009 2:56 PM

And I'm the punishment for glutton by Cynthia Smythe

"For Merlin's sake try not to make a complete idiot out of yourself," Cynthia snapped. Then she stalked away from the crowd of first years before anyone could associate her with one of them. She knew it was only a matter of time before their family relationship was discovered, but if Cynthia could do anything to extend that period then she would try her very hardest.

Irritated and stressed far more than she'd ever been before (which was really saying something), Cynthia sat with rather more force than was necessary into an empty seat among her Housemates. She tried to avoid her roomates because they were all imbeciles, but seeing as she didn't plan on communicating with anyone anyway she didn't care with whom else she was seated.

Boredly paying attention to the Headmistress' address, Cynthia did her best not to watch her brother's sorting too closely. He was in Crotalus; well that was both good and bad news, she supposed. Afterall, she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on him if he were in any other House - though that of course indicated she now had no excuse not to look out for him. At least Crotalus was respectable; she might have died if he'd been in Teppenpaw.

At long last the food came. After a summer of eating nothing but salad, Cynthia was longing for some real food. She had her eye on the dish of lasagne, but some other girl got to it first. In a moment of bad judgement, Cynthia caught her eye, and was then subjected to pleasantries.

"It was perfectly adequate," Cynthia replied, loathing that she hadn't been interested enough to put names to faces; until she knew to whom she was speaking, her name dictated she must be polite. "Could you pass me the lasagne, please."

0 Cynthia Smythe And I'm the punishment for glutton 103 Cynthia Smythe 0 5

Euna Song

May 02, 2009 3:50 PM

It is the age, after all. by Euna Song

Euna Song held the postcard close to her eyes and then further back, switching between the motions as the plane began its descent. The card depicted the typical Florida scenery: a palm tree caught at sunset, with the roll of a cresting wave behind it. She had prepared several such postcards over the summer, and numerous times she had brought her pen to its small open canvas only to put it back again. It was an impossibility for her to not have been on speaking terms with her House mates, in particular those in her year. She had bought the postcards on a sudden impulse, the thought being that she would send a brief line of greeting and warm wishing to each of them, in hopes that she might begin her second year with something more than mere acquaintance with those same people.

Instead, she had chickened out, and the postcards remained blank.

"Euna!" She lifted her dark eyes blankly. Her brother frowned in irritation. "Get. Up. The. Plane. Has. Landed."

Frowning herself, she pushed the postcard into her carry-on and stumbled after her brother, who continued to mutter insults regarding her intelligence the entire trip down the tarmac. It was easier the second time around, she decided. Finding the port-key and spotting the watch-guard witch posted near it took only a few seconds of consideration. Even the nauseating tug that came near her bellybutton only left her disoriented for a few minutes instead the prior year's half hour. Euna even managed to enjoy the wagon ride, her ears listening to the soft hum of conversation that- this year- did not sound quite as foreign. The terminology was no longer alien, it was something she was a part of.

Throughout the entire welcoming speech, even through the announcements of new House heads and appointed prefects, a comforting warmth sat in her chest. She felt genuinely happy to be back at Sonora; her brother's normal taunting hardly fazed her. She gave a small wave when she saw Lita, and a small smile when she spotted her dormmates further down the table. That same small smile remained fixed as she considered the table's choices in food, hunger a secondary thought to the day's many emotions. It still felt strange to her to feel so at ease, so contented. Somehow, in those ten months away from home, she had learned to be happy and not feel guilty over it.

It felt good and nice and warm and all other sorts of tame words, but she cherished it nonetheless. She cherished the feeling, fragile as it was, and so it came as an almost brutal slap in the face when a spray of her pumpkin juice caught her across her cheek, the lower portion of it staining the starched white collar of her shirt. The amount of liquid spilled was negligible, not even remotely torrential, but the interruption, sudden as it was, left her feeling close to tears. She blinked rapidly and dabbed at her damp cheek with a napkin. “Sorry. I don’t know what happened. Did anything get on you?”

Euna turned her gaze toward the apologizing voice. It was Juri, one of her housemates, one of the people she had bought a postcard for and never sent. "Uh, Juri, no, it's okay," she reassured with a shake of her head. "Just surprised me really- a little got on my collar, but it was going to need to be washed anyway."

Her voice ended awkwardly, and by habit, her gaze dropped to her lap. "Did you have a good summer?"

0 Euna Song It is the age, after all. 0 Euna Song 0 5

Cassandra Kerrigan

May 02, 2009 5:42 PM

Feeling blue... by Cassandra Kerrigan

Coming to Sonora caused mixed feelings within Cassandra. She had always known that one day she was going to have to go off to a magical school. The only other option was to be homeschooled, but her father didn’t have the time to teach her. Though, he did have the money to hire someone, which she had tried to argue. However, it was pointless to try to argue with an experienced attorney. It usually meant she lost. Besides, as he had pointed out, it would do her some good to expand her horizons and to try something new.

As she looked around nervously, there was no doubt that all of this was certainly new. She glanced around at the water coming down from the walls, the man greeting them, and worst of all, the seemingly numerous older students. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, she didn’t have to worry about it for long before a goblet was shoved into her hands. She looked at it wearily. She didn’t like things that she had no control over. She didn’t know whatever was in this cup would do. She didn’t want to drink it, but she had very little choice.

With a wrinkled nose, she brought the goblet to her lips and let the liquid slide down her throat. Horror sprang over her face as she watched her skin turning blue. She bit down on her lip to prevent tears from springing forth. She didn’t want to be blue! Looking around, she saw that everyone was changing colors. Okay, it wasn’t her. Had she not paid enough attention? All of the blue ones were heading towards one table and she turned to follow them. Cautiously, she sat down among some of the other blue colored and normal colored students.

Feeling calmer as her skin slowly returned to its normal fair shade, Cassandra turned her attention towards the Headmistress. She didn’t pay much attention to the announcements over staff changes since it really didn’t affect her. She didn’t know any different, but she did pay attention to when the Heads and Prefects were announced. She made a note of Professor Taylor being the Head of Aladren and it was good to know the Head Boy was also in Aladren. That would make it easier if she had any questions. She hated waiting.

Her stomach gave an angry growl. Apparently, her stomach hated waiting as well and she was glad when they were told that they could eat. Hungrily, she dug into the mashed potatoes and took two helpings of them. She didn’t bother with anything else and began to work on the food. It also gave her a chance to scope out the other students. She wasn’t sure what to think of them or what they were going to think of her. She was so busy trying to figure out the others that she failed to notice someone talking to her or rather at her. Her attention on them, she apologized, “Sorry. I…what were you saying?”

0 Cassandra Kerrigan Feeling blue... 144 Cassandra Kerrigan 0 5

Edmond Carey

May 02, 2009 8:48 PM

Me, too. by Edmond Carey

If Edmond had grown up with his parents - or even with the main line of the Virginia Careys - the crowd assembling in the Cascade Hall would not have seemed intimidating. As it was, he could never remember being around this many people at one time. The vastness of the scene alone was enough to make him want to cling to his sister, and the sheer volume of the room was worse. Morgaine, who knew how this strange new place worked, seemed like the only safety in the world from Edmond's standpoint.

Since he had known her primarily through the mail until the previous month and didn't want to look completely pathetic, though, he just sort of nodded blankly when Morgaine, whose imperious manner did as little to suggest that they were in any way related as her dark coloring and fine features did, told him to do as he was told and swept off to join her own House. He remembered its name: Pecari. And Gwenhwyfar, that other sister of his, had been in Crotalus. If he did not go into one of their Houses, he would go into either Teppenpaw or Aladren. Those were the two other House names. Reviewing those cold facts made him feel calmer and less adrift as he and the other first years were lined up.

When it was indicated that they should all drink the bubbly potions they had been provided with, Edmond took his in the same way he took medicine: quickly, trying not to taste it. That didn't quite work, but at least the potion didn't make him feel sick. For a moment, it seemed to be doing nothing, but then Edmond saw the purpose of it. He was turning blue, and since he wasn't excessively cold, the potion was all he could attribute the change to.

Blue, according to the Sonora Academy information packet he had memorized by the end of July, was one of the two colors associated with Aladren House.

Looking over its table, Edmond decided he was okay with the look of Aladren. Though still bigger than the groups he was used to, Aladren didn't appear to be a very big House. That made it immediately more comfortable than the tables brown- or red-hued students were flocking to. It was also supposed to be defined by intellectual giftedness. While that was at least a little intimidating, Edmond had come in with enough pressure on him to succeed that the idea of an academically inclined House was almost comforting. In such a place, he'd be less tempted to let his studies go.

After the Headmistress' speech, Edmond knew a lot of names, but could only firmly attach three of them to a face. Those three were Headmistress Powell herself, Briony O'Leary, and Geoffrey Layne. He knew he would figure out who all of them were soon, but at the moment, it seemed like a daunting, if not impossible, task. This whole first day of school thing, which he had been looking forward to for months, was really turning out to be overwhelming.

He was grateful to turn his attention to the food. Eating a meal was something he could do. Julia, his guardian's wife, had pounded proper table etiquette into him years before he had even thought of Sonora Academy. Besides, it had been an incredibly long time since lunch, and the food the kitchens had prepared looked and smelled delicious. Because they had been placed relatively close by, he decided to have some of the pork and potatoes first.

As he looked up from his plate, he found his sister, in her seat across the Hall, looking at him, her green eyes sharp. Edmond couldn't read her expression at all, but the intense look she was giving him recalled him to his manners. It was proper to attempt conversation at the table when in strange surroundings. Noticing that the girl seated directly across from him was also eating potatoes, Edmond decided to try to talk to her.

"The feast is very good, isn't it?" he asked.

For a moment, she didn't respond, and he thought he might have met his first truly rude person. Before he could get too interested in the occasion, however, the girl noticed him, apologized, and asked him to repeat himself. Edmond, not wanting to make enemies on his first day the way Gwen supposedly had, obliged. "I said, the feast is very good, isn't it?"

0 Edmond Carey Me, too. 143 Edmond Carey 0 5

Jose Hernandez

May 02, 2009 10:38 PM

Then you're in the right crowd by Jose Hernandez

Jose grinned and repeated, "Nia, got it," when she offered her nickname. He was secretly a bit relieved that he wouldn't have to call anybody by the name of a sleep disorder. Her parents must have been even crueler than Aunt Georgia and Uncle Greg who named their four boys John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Those names at least sounded normal until the brothers all started performing together in a band. The Nowhere Men almost hadn't had a choice about becoming a Beatles cover band.

"I answer to Hose, too," Jose returned, more because he felt she had earned that knowledge by telling her full name than because he actually liked to be called by his own nickname. "Like what gardeners use to water their plants." Or, more pertinently, like the first syllable of his name, but that was so boring. He had a couple of origin stories for the name, if she asked, but since none of them were true, he didn't offer any of them without being prompted. The truth was just that his cousins were too lazy to say his whole name, and what kind of story did that make? A very dull one, that's what.

"And it's way cool here. The waterfalls on the wall are awesome. And there's enough vegan food that I don't need to get anything made special, like at my last couple of schools. And, dude, those wagons were great. It kinda felt all Oregon Trail, but, you know, flying. So, you got any sibs or cousins or anything who came here before, or are you the first of your family at Sonora?"

1 Jose Hernandez Then you're in the right crowd 149 Jose Hernandez 0 5

Insomnia Zannicci

May 03, 2009 4:55 AM

Strange names are all the craze by Insomnia Zannicci

"Well if I do have any, I don't know of them" 'Nia grinned mischievously. "I'm adopted"

Insomnia smiled at the girl seated next to her, "Sorry, me and Jose have been a bit rude, what's your name?"

She then piled some lasagna and salad onto her plate. "I've been craving lasagna for weeks! This place is psychic"

She looked around again at the walls and other tables, and wondered when she'd have to rejoin the Teppenpaws. She was getting on quite well where she was she thought, and she'd like to chat to Jose a bit more.
'Nia didnt want to seem rude, but she was really uncomfortable calling a boy 'Hose', she just knew that everytime she said it she'd think panty hose. Trying not to seem as if she was making a big fuss 'Nia asked "Does anyone just call you Jo?"

0 Insomnia Zannicci Strange names are all the craze 0 Insomnia Zannicci 0 5

Bridjalyn Tuppin

May 03, 2009 8:53 AM

wonderful by Bridjalyn Tuppin

For an instant Bridjalyn froze and her back tensed. The drawling voice continued “Its’ fine I’ll let you make it up to me...”
Bridjalyn relaxed and almost laughed aloud. What had she been doing missing her brother? Clearly there were enough losers round here that she wouldn’t even notice his absence! And here was one presenting himself to her on the very first day of term like a sacrificial lamb. She tossed her hair and turned to look at him with a steely glint and was pleased to see that he wasn’t much older than her. That meant she would have a few years to mess with his head!

Before she could respond to his comments, another brownie who had come up behind him told him “My sister told me we could sit wherever we like, and she’s way older than you...” The girl slid in beside her. She looked fun and with all that red hair she probably wouldn’t back away from a fight, but it was a good thing the brown was fading fast as it really didn’t suit her.
Bridjalyn grinned widely at her “Thanks! I won’t” “My name is Bridjalyn. It’s great to meet you! What’s your name?”
As she spoke she glanced back at the boy wondering how or if he would respond to his failure and also wondering what tack she herself should take. She was glad they had been interrupted before she could carry out her first plan of getting the food then dropping it all over him. That wasn’t a very subtle or intelligent idea and besides for all she knew he would be able to clean it instantly with magic or something which would make it no fun. Maybe her new friend would have some ideas.

\n

0 Bridjalyn Tuppin wonderful 0 Bridjalyn Tuppin 0 5

Bridjalyn Tuppin

May 03, 2009 11:08 AM

Friends? by Bridjalyn Tuppin

In a sudden mercurial change of heart Bridjalyn decided to try being friendly. After all the boy was probably just having a bad day or coming down with something or maybe he was just like her brother and it was lack of food making him cranky. She really didn’t want her first day in a new school in a new country to have problems. She remembered how annoyed her parents had got over their regular calls into parent teacher conferences at her primary school because of her feud with that idiot in her form and how they had made it very clear they would not be happy to be called to America for similar reasons.
She leapt up and flung her arms around the boy in a huge hug, before giving him a kiss on each cheek ,(If she was completely honest with herself she was hoping he would be a tiny bit embarrassed by her exuberant greeting, after all he had been rude),
“I think we got off on the wrong foot. I’m Bridjalyn. Come and sit with us” she encouraged, “there is lots of space and lots of pizza, enough for everyone. So you’re in what, the second year? What’s it like at this school? I can’t wait for lessons to start. Which do you reckon are the best? She hoped her rapid fire questions would put him in a daze so he would sit down and eat and forget about anything else.
She grinned at the red haired girl again.

\n

0 Bridjalyn Tuppin Friends? 0 Bridjalyn Tuppin 0 5

Mike

May 03, 2009 11:39 AM

Possibly; it all depends. by Mike

Mike, as much as he was loathe to admit it, might have miscalculated slightly. Plainly, he forgot to take into account that first year Pecaris were a slightly different breed from other first years. His House, after all, wasn't exactly known for its meek and mild demeanor. It certainly didn't seem to help matters in the least that they were quick to join into packs, which were fairly difficult to inspire the right sort of nervous fear in. A friend in tow and all of that other muck.

But his mood was peckish, and having his attempt thwarted first by one first year female and then plainly ignored by the original target left him feeling only the more mulish. His state was no further improved by the apparent cheerfulness of the two firstlings, who proceeded to exchange introductions- and just what sort of name was Bridge-alien anyway? He hoped it had some foreign rooting, and wasn't more of the same strange disease in names that half the school seemed to carry. At least his name had a proper reason behind it- it was perfectly normal in Korea, and he had found a serviceable way to Americanize it.

Obstinately, and showing more than a fair amount of immaturity, he started to push his way into the small space that separated the two first years from the other half of the table. Mike was thrown off guard, however, when he was suddenly attacked. Not only did the girl literally throw herself at him, she proceeded to assault him- that is, assault his cheeks, with kisses. He had some vague notion that exchanging kisses was some sort of European thing, but it just wasn't done on this side of the Atlantic, a fact he tried to reinforce by prying her arms off of him and putting a good two feet of space between them.

"Listen," he started, slightly flustered, "you can't just go about attacking-"

But she was already talking a mile a minute, and Mike was distinctly reminded of his neighborhood grannies who spent their mornings breaking peas and cackling over their evening dramas. This first year- Bridge-alin it sounded more like this go around- seemed, impossibly, twice as annoying. There was no question; he had miscalculated indeed. He could only hope that Red- he could think of no other creative non-name to give the other first year- wouldn't be the sort to encourage it along.

"Stop." He held up a hand, effectively drawing attention to his words. "First rule: no touching of my person. Second rule: try taking the questions in small bursts, like say, one at a time, and then maybe you'll get an answer." Disgruntled, he nevertheless finally took the offered seat- the very one he intended to slither his way into minutes before. The persistent pangs in his stomach won out over any further arguments with his slightly bruised ego.

"And to answer your insane amount of questions: yeah, I'm a second year; it's like any other magic school: we learn stuff about magic; and I don't have a favorite." His irritation was evident in each pronounced syllable. "And before you go off again, it's Mike Song. Now Red," the name slipped out unintentionally, "can you load my plate here with three of those pizza slices by your elbow? Those cupcakes, too." He took care of getting the milk himself; he didn't care what anyone said: nothing was better with pizza than milk.

0 Mike Possibly; it all depends. 0 Mike 0 5

Andrew Duell

May 03, 2009 12:42 PM

Better now by Andrew Duell

Andrew looked at the boy sitting next to him who had just turned to him. He was one of the other first years that had also changed yellow. It looked like he was back to normal though, why was his own lasting so long?

"I was just wondering how long..." As he spoke, his skin finally started to shift away from matching his blond hair, and back to his normal tanned shade. "Oh, nevermind, there it goes." Andrew grinned, giving him a bit of an impish look, his hair which was once carefully under control was now freeing itself to do what it wanted with every move of the boy's head.

"My name is Andrew, what's yours?" His stomach growled at the same time, and he begain filling his plate.

2 Andrew Duell Better now 145 Andrew Duell 0 5

Kyler Kent

May 03, 2009 2:20 PM

Commencing! by Kyler Kent

Kyler wasn't the same kid as last year. Too much had happened for him to resist growing up a little. Mom and Dad didn't have the and anymore. From now on, it was Mom or Dad. Kyler knew it was for the best. He knew that Mom could finally let herself relax at home. He knew that Dad was living in Miami now. He knew that, now, it was Mom and him, toughing it out. The day Dad left, Mom looked so confused. Kinda like she was happy that he left, but figured that wasn't how she shouldn't be feeling. So Kyler gave her an excuse to feel happy: "Hey, Mom, Mommy, Mama, let's go see the Rockies." They must have been climbing rocks for hours. The view at the top never looked better.

Nevertheless, there was nothing to be down about now. Mom was happy, Dad was wherever doing whatever, and Kyler didn't have to worry about being "man enough" for Dad anymore. Whatever. Not like he was twenty-two or anything. He was thirteen (which still seemed like it was too old for him). Kyler still felt like he was eleven, walking through the magical halls for the first time. It sucks he could never learn the magic properly.

Kyler kept his chin up as he walked into Cascade, his walk implying he had all the confidence in the world. He took a seat at the Pecari table, not really sure who he was sitting by. The Headmistress made her announcements, etc, etc... Kyler cheered as his teammate, Irene, was named a Prefect. This year could turn up. Just because his family had changed doesn't mean his friends will! Kyler's friends were pretty wicked anyway. Speaking of wicked, food appeared on the tables. He grinned down at the assortment of foods and loaded his plate with all the foods he loved. This year, he didn't make the mistake of eating then greeting. He turned to the person next to him and said, "Hey! So good to be back, you know?" before filling his mouth with cheesy potatoes.

0 Kyler Kent Commencing! 0 Kyler Kent 0 5

David

May 03, 2009 3:00 PM

Excellent to hear. by David

"The yellow. . ." David started slightly. He'd been so focused on the sensations the potion had left him with that he missed the absence of its more obvious marker. He could think of no mundane equivalent that could read a person's personality in such a way. At least not in such an immediate way; there were personality tests and IQ tests and all sorts of other tests that had been created that could quantify an individual in some manner, but David liked the wizarding way of it. A potion that changed the color of your skin for a brief time seemed far more personal, far more friendly than a clinical score card.

"Thanks," he replied, falling too easily into a pattern he had repeated the entire summer- and nearly every summer of his life thus far. "I'm David, most recently from Aviano Air Force base. Just transferred in, so you could say this is my second move of the summer." The standard introduction, with a few additions, was given in his normal tones, the circumstances of his background having made David comfortable with the process. It was nice, though, he noted to himself, to get to share the distinction of being new with an entire class.

David regarded his salad solemnly, his thoughts considering. Perhaps. . . friendships were easier this way, with the yearly inductions and House designations. Like were matched with like. Perhaps. . . this time around. . .

Gathering himself, he posed the question: "Where abouts are you from?"

0 David Excellent to hear. 0 David 0 5

Tawny Brockert

May 03, 2009 4:06 PM

Mine is starting to look more normal by Tawny Brockert

The moment she'd gotten on the wagon earlier that day, Tawny had gotten away from her sister. She had pointedly sat as far away from Pippa as she could get and had ran ahead of her with the other firsties once they got there.

To anyone, it might have looked like Tawny was excited, but that wasn't the case. She wasn't entirely sure she even really wanted to be at Sonora. The last year, without Pippa at home, had been really nice. Tawny was the focus of attention for something other than being in trouble. Really, it wasn't as if she tried to break stuff, usually. She couldn't help it if they made her mad and her magic made things explode. Maybe if her family didn't favor Pippa all the time, Tawny would be less upset and the dishes would stay intact.

Now, she was at Sonora. A whole new set of comparisons would begin. Not only would Tawny be compared to Pippa in demeanor-Pippa was always the good one which made Tawny the bad one-but now there was stuff like grades and friends and other achivements. To beat her sister, Tawny would have to work much harder on schoolwork than she had any desire to. At least she had shown magic before Pippa had.

She got in line with the other firsties and took a goblet. Tawny drank down the strange liquid. She was familiar with taking potions being from a pureblood family so it wasn't like she had anything to be afraid of, she knew that was how they were sorted.

Her skin flushed a deep brown. Pecari! Tawny didn't know much about them aside from they were generally not considered respectable, and less so than Teppenpaw, where Pippa was. Part of Tawny had wanted to be in Crotalus, because that was generally considered the best house in pureblood circles. Even though Tawny didn't actually like the pureblood circles very much, she still figured her grandmother at the very least would be more pleased with her sorting than Pippa's if she'd been in Crotalus. On the other hand, she actually disliked the perfect proper pureblood type and was glad not to have to be around them. Still, now Tawny would be marked as disreputable by her family while Pippa would still be the unfailingly good and kind one. Sortings that justified the roles they'd been always cast into.

Tawny plopped down on the bench, forgetting any ettiquette training she'd ever had. What did it matter now? Pecaris didn't care about such things and truth be told, neither did she really. She surveyed the dishes in front of her. Nothing was really what she was used to and she decided on the lasagna that seemed to be fairly popular.

A boy who'd previously been turned brown like herself began to speak. Tawny was about to answer when it became clear that he was speaking to someone else, a Teppenpaw that was seated next to her, instead of with her own housemates. She didn't get why precisely, maybe the other girl didn't want to sit with a bunch of goodie-goodies like Pippa.

She took a helping of the lasagna and some garlic bread and settled in to eat, listening in on the conversation that her neighbors were having without really meaning to. It wasn't as if Tawny could block it out when they were sitting right by her.

That's when the Teppenpaw spoke to her.

"Sorry, me and Jose have been a bit rude, what's your name?"

"Tawny" The Pecari replied. "Tawny Brockert." She didn't bother asking for their names as she'd heard them say them already.

11 Tawny Brockert Mine is starting to look more normal 148 Tawny Brockert 0 5

Helena

May 03, 2009 4:56 PM

Yay. by Helena

It was perfectly adequate.

The only members of the privileged classes Helena had ever had much to do with were Geoff Spindler and, less happily, Lila St. Martin, but that sounded to her like a polite way to say it had been either hideously boring or just hideous in general. It was good to be back at Sonora. She had come close to missing all the craziness of her House.

"Sure thing," she said, passing the lasagna over. Though a part of her brain tried to tell her otherwise, Helena felt sure she had seen the girl sitting across the table before even though she couldn't immediately recall a name. As she knew the names and faces of most of her Housemates - she'd enjoyed people-watching from the start - she had to assume this meant the girl was one of the transfers. Because most of her energy had been devoted to her CATS, Helena had yet to learn all of them. Even, apparently, the Crotalus ones.

She knew - in a loose sense of the term - Annabelle Winslow from sharing a room, and then there was Steven, who she was careful to avoid like plague, and then there was this girl, who she thought was now a fifth year. She really ought know the people in the year below hers...

Oh, well. Helena took a bite of her dinner to taste it and almost immediately looked up again. "Could you pass me the salt?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

16 Helena Yay. 88 Helena 0 5

Insomnia Zannicci

May 03, 2009 5:37 PM

Awkward already, and it had started so well. by Insomnia Zannicci

'Nia could tell by the other girl's body language that the girl didn't really understand why she had stuck around after being told she was at the wrong table.

This made 'Nia feel slightly awkward, as she wasn't sure what would be worse - moving now, or moving later? Would the Teppenpaws be unfriendly? Would she actually get in trouble for sitting at the wrong table? It was just a meal, surely it wasn't all that important where she sat and who she made friends with?

Hiding her newfound awkwardness in a bite of lasagna, Insomnia swallowed before answering. "Nice to meet you Tawny, to ask Jose's question, do you have family here too?"

'Nia carried on acting like she was oblivious to her own discomfort and focused intently on peeling a grape. A Grape? oops.

0 Insomnia Zannicci Awkward already, and it had started so well. 0 Insomnia Zannicci 0 5

Allie St. Martin

May 03, 2009 5:46 PM

Returning one more time... by Allie St. Martin

Maybe it was just because she knew it was the last time she would see it after a summer away, but Allie's first thought upon seeing the Cascade Hall was that it had somehow gotten even more beautiful over the past two months. For the first time in forever, she really noticed and appreciated all the waterfalls cascading down the windows and the marble floors and chandeliers. The school was nicer, in its own way, than most estates she had been on.

At the same time, though, the Hall also seemed...welcoming. Familiar and safe and warm. That was a far cry from the way it had seemed on her first night at Sonora, when she'd gone to pieces in front of an older girl because the Sorting had separated her from Lila. So much had changed since then. At her first Opening Feast, Lila had all but had to push Allie toward the Teppenpaw table, but at her final Opening Feast, she was the one who left Lila at the door.

She was going to miss this place, there was no doubt about it. For now, though, she was just going to enjoy the feast soon to be set out for them.

The Headmistress' speech made her a little sad for no good reason she could pinpoint, but the main attractions of the event mostly took her mind off that. The main attractions, of course, were Briony's installation as Head Girl and the announcement of the new Teppenpaw Head of House.

Since she hadn't taken History of Magic after her CATS, all Allie knew about Professor Henry Flatt was that he'd taught some classes for Professor Thaddeus Flatt during the second half of the previous year. She had also heard he was really a Cabinet man, not an educator. His sudden elevation to the post of the Deputy Headmaster suggested it was probably the truth, though his appearance didn't really scream 'ruthless politician' to Allie.

Well, Teppenpaw had always been a quiet House. If there was something afoot to make the Cabinet send a man into Sonora, the new Professor Flatt wouldn't find it in Teppenpaw. That much, at least, Allie was sure of.

Crotalus, on the other hand...

Though she was supposed to be on a strict diet - her mother was determined that she and Lila would look good while they made their debut over midterm - Allie had already decided a single proper meal wouldn't be the death of her when all of the dishes appeared on the table. She'd decided that a long time earlier, knowing she wouldn't be able to resist all of the smells of the Opening Feast. Since her estimation about her willpower had been quite accurate, she began filling up her plate at once.

Seeing that the breadbasket was too far away for her to get without leaning over the table, Allie caught the eye of one of the people on the opposite side of it. "Would you please pass me the bread?" she asked.

16 Allie St. Martin Returning one more time... 76 Allie St. Martin 0 5

Geoffrey Layne

May 03, 2009 8:09 PM

Me, My Issues, and My Shiny Badges by Geoffrey Layne

The Cascade Hall was a chaotic mass of noise and people as the students split up with siblings, reunited with friends they hadn't seen all summer, and tried to find their House tables. Being the Head Boy did nothing whatsoever to speed the process up for Geoff; inching a way through the throng was just as slow and difficult as it had been every single year he'd attended Sonora. In fact, he thought it might've gotten slower and more difficult, because his role as Head Boy meant he couldn't, in a tight spot, try to push people out of his way. Instead, he had to smile, nod, and wait on an opening.

When he finally reached the Aladren table, Geoff gratefully took the first open seat he saw. A second later, though, he was back on his feet and moving over without even thinking. After another moment, he realized his own stupidity and, in another moment of not thinking, swore under his breath.

He had moved because the first seat had, before graduation, been Anne's.

He almost moved back right then, but figured he had already made himself look odd enough. Instead, he gave the place on his right a baleful look, as though it was to blame for his subconscious having a sick sense of humor. Anne had picked, for no apparent reason, that one spot as hers, and even now that she was gone from Sonora and, apparently, his life, he still thought of it as hers. It was understandable - in six years, he could count the number of times he hadn't had the seat he was currently in and she hadn't been immediately to his right - but irrational and more sickeningly sentimental than those stupid romances Helena liked to read.

Get a grip, Layne, he thought, turning to greet the person on his left. She's gone, and she won't even give you the time of day it takes to write two lines on a sheet of parchment. Move on already.

He meant to do just that. Really. He even managed it until Powell - now Headmistress Powell - started listing all the changes Sonora was undergoing. New leadership. New people. New Heads of Houses. New class selections. He could almost see Anne's expression, and it wasn't pleased. She would hate this. Anne had always hated change, however good. She got so attached to things...

He shook the dark thoughts of Anne aside as he heard Powell call his name. Here, at least, was one thing she would have been happy about. She had been ecstatic at his election.

Before he pinned the permanent badge to his robes, Geoffrey looked it over as if to make sure it was the real thing. As there appeared to be nothing wrong with it, he put it where it belonged, beside the Quidditch captain's badge he really doubted he would ever feel right wearing, and was surprised by his own lack of elation. After so many years of seeing a Head Boy's badge as the ticket to a future better than what he came from, the real thing seemed no more than a trinket.

He returned to the table just as the food showed up on it. Suddenly, he was starving. After making a selection of the nearest dishes he knew Anne had never been crazy about, he began to eat enthusiastically, completely missing what one of the other diners said to him. Since he did realize that someone had spoken, though, he looked up from his plate to see who it had been and what they had wanted. "Pardon me?" he said. "I missed that."

16 Geoffrey Layne Me, My Issues, and My Shiny Badges 72 Geoffrey Layne 0 5

Jose

May 03, 2009 10:12 PM

What's awkward? by Jose

Jose had made a face and shook his head 'no' when Nia asked if he'd ever been called Joe. That would be worse than Hose. While he might be Hispanic in genes only, if his parents had wanted him to be called Joe, they would have named him Joe. Jose and Hose at least had character.

Then, turning his attention to the girl Nia addressed, Jose felt a little bad for leaving her out. "Hey, Tawny," he greeted cheerfully in turn. "Sorry 'bout leaving you out. I got distracted when I saw she was yellow." He tilted his head toward Nia. "It's good to meetcha. Welcome tp Pecari." He frowned slightly. "Can I say welcome to Pecari when I've only been a Pecari for five minutes? Well, I just did, so I guess so." He grinned brightly, and repeated more firmly, "Welcome to Pecari."

"And I second Nia's question."

0 Jose What's awkward? 0 Jose 0 5

Adelita Garcia

May 03, 2009 11:12 PM

Note to self, pay attention to where the fork goes. by Adelita Garcia

Adelita’s summer had been absolutely perfect. She had gotten the solo for the recital since her teacher was quite impressed at her pointe skills, so come the end of the summer, Lita was able to have the spot light on her for a change. It made her feel better about being at Sonora. Last year, Lita had been so worried that not being in her dance class would cost her a spot there permanently. She had an irrational fear that she would forget how to dance while she spent her days at Sonora. But, earning the solo in the recital squashed her fears.

And now that she no longer had that insane fear, she was more than excited to be back at Sonora as a second year. Being a first year had been alright. Everything had been new and exciting and she had met quite a few amazing people with whom she called her friends. But being a second year meant that she was established, at least on some level, here at Sonora. She didn’t have to worry about making the wrong impression any longer. Of course, she was well aware that being a second year wasn’t anything remotely special, but she felt that stating she was a second year gave her more authority than when she said she was only a first year.

She sat at the Crotalus table next to people she was comfortable with and a bit aways down from where her Tios were. Now that her Tia was gone from Sonora, Lita didn’t have the barrier there to help her keep her Tios from being over-protective of her. Although, Tio Jose promised he’d leave her be while in the commons.

Lita sat quietly while the sorting went on, watching what the first years went through the color changes and giggling at their reactions. She wondered if she looked so foolish the year before and decided not to think about that too much. Instead, she just took in the moment. Soon enough though, the speech and the sorting was done and the food filled the plates in front of her. She couldn’t eat just anything, but she picked out some foods that were good for her and still appealing. Like grilled chicken. She missed her Mama’s seasoning, but at least it was better than just salad.

Reaching her fork over to grab some chicken, Lita accidentally jabbed someone’s hand with her utensil. Realizing her error quickly, Adelita dropped her fork, “I’m so sorry!” She exclaimed, “I didn’t get you too badly, right?”

6 Adelita Garcia Note to self, pay attention to where the fork goes. 136 Adelita Garcia 0 5

Maiara Landon

May 04, 2009 9:00 AM

Hmm... by Maiara Landon

Being sorted, however interesting, was just another time to feel inadequate. She knew no one, was afraid to speak to anyone, and wasn't sure what house would be easier to blend into. Standing out was usually a bad thing where she was concerned, her non-magical schools a warning in her mind. Taking the sorting potion was akin to jumping off a cliff, the sudden feeling that she had no control and was at something else's mercy. Her hands turned a vibrant shade of yellow and she sighed happily that it was over. Teppenpaw.

She suddenly became aware of the fact that she had zoned out everything around her. Many students were laughing and smiling, catching up or just taking in the marvelous Hall. How she longed to be as happy as them, not held back and reserved. She took in the sights like all the other newbies, mentally preparing herself for the year. The food in front of her was much better than what her other schools had served and she dug in, tucking her curly brown hair behind her ears, not used to such quantity.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, maybe it wouldn't turn out like the last three schools. She could start over here, get friends and be someone. Perhaps, being surrounded by people like her, people with magic, she could fit in. She was quick, she could learn to be like them, like the bright, bubbly kids who were surrounded by friends. Her green eyes scanned the room. Now, to start a conversation...

0 Maiara Landon Hmm... 0 Maiara Landon 0 5

Holly Greer

May 04, 2009 9:35 AM

Unbridled joy by Holly Greer

There was always a certain amount of nervousness and dread involved with returning to Sonora. Home was safe. Home had Wendy. Home had Dad and Courtney. Home had Mom. Home had all her pretty things.

Sonora had Flatt and DADA and Potions and The First Year With The Spoons. And Ms. Yuma said she wasn't going to be there anymore, and she was one of the handful of people that made Sonora tolerable (after Raoul, the Ladies, and Alexis, of course).

So it was with a bit more trepidation than normal that Holly sat down amid the Ladies of the Fourth Year Court. A glance at the Staff table proved that Ms. Yuma was gone, and Holly bit her lip, trying not to cry over it again. Fortunately, the sorting of the first years was able to distract her, and after that, the new Headmistress Powell made an amazing announcement.

The beautiful, the wonderful, the fabulous Henry Flatt was going to be their Deputy Headmaster. And Professor Flatt the Awful was nowhere in evidence, plus he wasn't acting as their Head of House anymore. Instead, they had Professor Taylor, who reminded Holly a bit of her father, and who taught one of the very few classes that Holly did not hate. Plus, Powell introduced the new guidance counselor and the woman looked reasonably nice and easy to talk to. Holly's distress turned into a happy smile, which was only very slightly dimmed by the news that her electives (the other two classes besides Charms that she could tolerate without drugs) were being discontinued. Well, independent study was probably better anyway.

Her happiness rebounded fully when Chelsea confirmed her own conclusion that Flatt the Wretched was gone by a call for celebration. Holly nodded along with Cecily's agreement and smiled more, even though she wasn't entirely sure what to make of 'seriously naughty snacks' - well, swimsuit season was nearly over. A few chocolates probably wouldn't kill her. "Sure," she agreed, "Bring Addie." Holly honestly wasn't even sure who Addie was - Adelaide Laurent maybe? - but if the other Ladies thought she was acceptable company, Holly trusted their judgment.

1 Holly Greer Unbridled joy 123 Holly Greer 0 5

Ethan Valentine

May 04, 2009 11:14 AM

Note to self: avoid sharp objects by Ethan Valentine

Summer had been dull. No vacations. No old siblings going crazy. Very few twin antics. Like every summer beforehand, he and Elliot had been forced into a day camp all summer. It was just like regular school, but instead of math, it was kickball. And instead of English, it was craft time. It didn't sound so bad when Ethan thought about it in his head, it was more the fact that they scheduled in the fun. Couldn't they just go to the park and find something to do? Having tag from 9-10:30, then crafts from 10:30 to noon, then lunch til one, etc...made every seem over-calculated. It took the fun out of it.

Then he had to watch Earl pack up all his stuff and leave for college. Ethan was too young to really remember when Eddie left. He was just gone one day, to not be heard from since. But Earl, he remembered, he knew. It was his big brother and somehow going to college seemed a lot worse that just going off to Sonora, though Ethan was also too young to remember that much either.

The wagon landed with a dull thud in front of the school and Ethan barged his way past two people to get off first. He hated those wagons. Why couldn't they fly fist class wagons? Something with velvet cushions and hot stewardesses handing out peanuts and soda. He felt Elliot hot on his tail and put him into a headlock, giving him a quick noogie and releasing him before Elliot's loud expletives caused too many people to look their way. Ethan received a hard punch in the arm in return, and both made their way to their respected tables, waving fondly to each other.

He grinned watching the shocked faces of the first years as they changed colors. Some looked rather upset by the change. Ethan had found it very cool when he suddenly looked like a boiled lobster. Apparently others didn't feel the same way. Ethan refused to clap for anyone he didn't know during the new Headmistress's speech, though he could see Eavan and Elliot over at the Teppenpaw table clapping politely. Of course they would; they're Teppenpaws. He smirked to himself and that smirk turned into a grin as the table instantly filled with delicious food. After a summer of his dad's failed attempts at cooking and take-out, this was truly something to clap about.

Ethan picked up his fork and stabbed the biggest piece of chicken he could find, but the sudden pain in his hand caused him to drop his fork and cuss. He shook out his hand to ease the pain and looked at who would be stupid enough to think his hand was a peice of grilled chicken.

Oh...a girl. A pretty girl, who was sorry. Ethan sighed. He couldn't get mad at a girl. He assessed the damage to his hand. He could still see the little indentations the prongs had made, but no real damage.

"Naaa. It's nothing. Don't worry about it." He held out his hand to show her before picking up his forked chicken again and placing it on his plate. "I'm Ethan, by the way. It's kinda stupid that we've been in the same house for a year and still haven't spoken."

0 Ethan Valentine Note to self: avoid sharp objects 138 Ethan Valentine 0 5

Elly Eriksson

May 04, 2009 12:21 PM

Go Irene! Go Pecari! waves a flag by Elly Eriksson

The song zipadee doo-dah was playing on repeat in Elly's head, and she was aware she might have irritated one or two people by humming it on the wagons. Never mind; they'd all forgive her soon enough. Elly was unreasonably cheerful - the excited bounce in her step made her usual bouncy steps look like a trudge in comparison. "One year older, not at all wiser," she told Irene as she linked arms with her friend and marched them into the Hall.

Though on further reflection, Elly might concede that perhaps she was a bit wiser this year. Having spent the entire summer travelling from place to place, with nowhere to call home, she felt as though she'd really managed to get to know herself. Oh, she knew how cliched that sounded, but being with Meredith's family, knowing what they'd gone through, and seeing Caedence being a part of a whole new family (again, knowing what they'd gone through) put Elly's own bizarre family life into perspective. Yes, she argued a lot with her mother, and yes her father was away more than he was home (wherever home might be), but they were still a functioning unit. Of sorts.

Then being with the California Pierces had been a real experience. Elly had certainly got her exercise there, carrying around stage equipment practically every day. But then she'd eaten twice as much as usual too, with all the veggie food on offer. Exercise was high on the agenda at Irene's too, with daily Quidditch games, and the monster game during the last week of the holiday. These friends had what Elly would have called 'unusual families' too - yet she was getting it now; the happily married with 2.4 children was a total myth. Nobody really lived like that.

Still, the biggest surprise had been when Echo had joined them. Not only was it very strange to see him again after so long, but then she'd learned that he'd had a girlfriend. It was a very peculiar sort of jealousy that Elly had experienced. Yes, she admitted being jealous, but not because she'd ever wanted to be Echo's girlfriend - her love for him had always been entirely platonic. But there was this other girl who got to be around him all the time, and Elly felt... well, replaced. She knew it was ridiculous and she hated herself a little for it. That's when she realised that selfishness had many forms. As a person who'd always tried hard not to be selfish, Elly found herself consciously assessing her decisions thereonin. It was exhausting.

With everything that had gone on over the summer, Elly was utterly relieved to be back at school. She hugged Saul on sight and sat next to him, making sure Irene sat nearby. Then she preceeded to zone out, as usual, for much of the speech., She cheered for Jose when he was sorted into Pecari (she could almost feel the pride radiating from Saul) and cheered louder when Irene was named prefect. "Knew you'd get it," she told her friend when she rejoined them. Elly grinned widely. "This year is going to rock so hard."\r\n\r\n

0 Elly Eriksson Go Irene! Go Pecari! *waves a flag* 92 Elly Eriksson 0 5

Connie

May 04, 2009 1:17 PM

on whether you stop being a jerk or not? by Connie

Before Connie had a chance to say that her name was Connie and that she'd thought that that was a funny name because her parents were obsessed with giving them all “interesting names” but she'd never even heard of 'Bridjalyn' as being a name before and could she call her Bridgie, the girl had jumped out of her seat and started planting kisses on the boy who'd been trying to boss her around. Perhaps the girl's name wasn't the only peculiar thing about her...

She was rather amused however as the boy writhed in obvious embarrassment and stated that the “first rule” was not to touch him. It seemed Bridgie had hit on the perfect way to fight back against his attempt at a tyrannical reign over them. For every time he bossed them around, they would just have to pay him back with unwelcome affection.

“Connie,” she corrected him and answered Bridgie's earlier question. Adding under her breath “Do they charge for the words “please” and “thank you” where you come from?” as she held up the plate of pizza slices for him. It was out of his reach, so that was fair enough, but there was no way she was going to load his plate for him. He could do it himself or go hungry, and he certainly wasn't going to get away unscathed for his rudeness.

“He's a bit of a riddle isn't he?” she added to Bridgie, balancing the plate of pizza slices on some others in front of Mike so he could take them if he wanted. “And as we're only allowed to ask one thing at a time, I suppose we'd better conduct some original research.” Her hands had returned to her lap and, under the cover of the table, begun sneaking towards Mike's ribs, “For example, I think we should find out whether he's ticklish,” she grinned, getting stuck in to the task at hand.

13 Connie on whether you stop being a jerk or not? 0 Connie 0 5

Andrew

May 04, 2009 3:40 PM

Food is good by Andrew

Andrew munched away contently on the food he had piled onto his plate for just a moment. Mom really needed to learn to cook like this. He had only been a homemade concoction or two away from attempting something desperate. He wasn't quite sure what that thing was yet, and thankfully now he didn't have to worry about it... for the moment.

He turned back to David, "I'm from California, Mom runs an odds 'n ends magic shop in Barstow." Andrew paused a moment to clear some more food off of his plate. "Dad's an engineer in LA."

"Your family is military?" He asked with a smile, "That's pretty cool. I bet you get to see a lot of different stuff. Where all have you been?"

2 Andrew Food is good 145 Andrew 0 5

Insomnia Zannicci

May 04, 2009 4:05 PM

Wow, I'm full by Insomnia Zannicci

'Nia wiped her hands on the napkin to get off all the sticky grape juice and blushed. Luckily Jose was speaking to Tawny and it seemed like neither of the pair had noticed her mistake. She shut her eyes and breathed deeply a few times. She sighed inwardly, now was probably not the time to come down with a headache.

Insomnia pushed her empty plate away, finished off a last couple of grapes and picked up her glass of limejuice. She sipped hesitantly, the bitter stickiness reviving her somewhat. Glancing at her watch, she realised it was no longer working. "Damnit, I should have known not to bring digital!" she thought to herself, wondering when the feast would be over. She was curious now about the common rooms, sleeping arrangements, and even the other Teppenpaws. She'd decided that she'd just sneak in with them when they were shown round and hope no one important noticed.

Still, no one seemed to be moving just yet so Insomnia stayed put, wondering why it was taking Tawny so long to answer a simple question about family.

0 Insomnia Zannicci Wow, I'm full 0 Insomnia Zannicci 0 5

Irene Liddowe

May 04, 2009 5:45 PM

blushes and grins by Irene Liddowe

The summer passed reliably quickly, as always. Living in Michigan for more than half her life, Irene had grown accustomed to the insanely long winters and the way the summers simply flew by. There was no stopping it. It just happened. She had spent her summer like always: Quidditch with the twins over the pond, swimming, camping, the annual Quidditch-fest, and simply spending quality time together. But all good things must come to an end eventually and, fortunately for Irene, she had Arizona’s company to return to, giving her a good extra month of summer weather while Michigan began her cool-down. Irene entered the halls of Sonora, her blue-green eyes taking in its familiar surroundings. Cascade was already buzzing with post-summer greetings and calls to friends that had been missed.

Speaking of missed, Irene couldn’t help but let her mood fall slightly. The date, September first, had always meant a little more than just the start of term. It had always meant that another year had successfully gone by together. Brett was off to bigger and better things, she knew. Yes, maybe she was still feeling the effects of his absense. Seeing him over the summer was quite the reality check. She felt like the only on in Pecari's fifth year. Goodbye's had been emotional. So maybe she had gotten a little teary eyed. That was allowed.

Nevertheless, Irene cleared her head of all thoughts that might possibly bring her down. As Renaye had so sweetly pointed out, “The kid wasn’t God, Irene. You’ll live.” Irene took a seat at the Pecari table, keeping her eyes open for the bright red hair that was Elly or the cheerful sound of Saul’s voice. It was hard to believe that they were sixth years already. It was even harder to believe that she was a fifth year! Where had the time gone, honestly?

The new Headmistress began her speech and the Hall fell to a hush. A new Flatt had joined the staff, as had a new guidance counselor. Irene applauded politely with the rest of the group. The Headmistress’s words hummed in her ears as Irene kept her eyes on the front table. It wasn’t until her name was spoken that Irene felt her heart jump. “Irene Liddowe of Pecari.” That’s what she had said. She heard Saul’s voice call out a congrats. Wait, she was a Prefect? Irene couldn’t help the smile that fell on her face as a result of a nice mix of accomplishment and flattery. It was hardly believable that they had picked her. Irene made her way to the front, feeling as if she was walking on air. This year was going to be different. She could feel it. This would be a good year. Dad was on the sober-track, she still had terrific friends, and she had just accepted her badge from the Headmistress. Yes, this would be a good one. Who needs boys anyway?

Irene took a seat next to Saul, suddenly finding it impossible to shrink the smile on her face. The congratulations caused her cheeks to warm as she shared her thanks with both Elly and Saul. "Thanks guys! This is fantastic! I never thought I'd be chosen as a Prefect." To be honest, Irene hadn't thought about it at all. To be honest, she wasn't exactly sure if she was going to be good at it. She would make time though. Between owling Dad, Quidditch, taking on Brett's soccer scrimages (she had been practicing over the summer), and the Fury!, she would find time.

"This year is going to rock so hard." As the girl Irene considered her best friend spoke, she felt her mood elevate even more. "You're so right. I can just feel it! Come midterm, this school is going to be one huge party!"

0 Irene Liddowe *blushes and grins* 106 Irene Liddowe 0 5

David

May 05, 2009 2:35 PM

Well, <i>good</i> food is good. by David

David tried to place Barstow, geography being one of the few subjects that he didn't need to try hard at. After spending eleven years moving, it was hard not to get a grasp of the global situation- physical and otherwise. But San Diego had been five years ago, and all he could really recollect was that Barstow was to the north and inland. Los Angeles wasn't nearly as difficult. He'd had a brief, but intense, relationship with LAX when he'd been separated from his parents during a layover in New York, at JFK. Somehow, at eight years old, he'd managed to board the wrong plane and end up across the country.

He paused, mid-chew to consider. Perhaps that had been when his magic had first manifested itself, some sort of spell or charm or whichever that made him invisible, or unnoticeable.

"Stateside, I've lived in Virginia Beach, San Diego, and Pensacola. Overseas, it's been Germany-" David touched his brow and reflected, "- twice in Germany- both times in Heidelberg, Okinawa in Japan, and now Aviano in Italy. I don't think I can really count Italy just yet, though. I was only there for the summer, really, so . . ."

He cast his gaze down the table, watching briefly the interactions of his House seniors. He found the seeming normalcy of their actions difficult to balance with the still surreal surroundings. It still seemed incredible to him that more people did not know about the existence of magic. He'd tried searching for information on the internet, one of the few sources in his life that he felt to be infinite. For the first time that he could remember, all of his searches failed. Beyond pages describing fantasy stories- which really, now that he thought about it, weren't so fantastical after all- and religious practises, he hadn't found anything that spoke of, definitely, the Magical World.

It was puzzling, but intriguing, too.

"So your mom then, she's a witch?" David asked, going back to Andrew's earlier comment. "Did she go to Sonora, too, when she was younger?"

0 David Well, <i>good</i> food is good. 0 David 0 5

Pippa Brockert

May 05, 2009 5:04 PM

Welcome by Pippa Brockert

Pippa watched as Tawny joined the other first years, feeling a pang of sadness. The fact that her sister had pointedly ignored since they'd gotten up that day and seemed to hate her hurt her more than any physical injury the younger girl had accidentally inflicted on her over the years. Pippa wanted them to be close but Tawny seemed quite opposed to the idea.

She sighed and sat politely listening to the new Headmistress's speech, clapping for the new prefects and Head Boy and Girl. Pippa scanned the group of new firsties for Tawny and watched as her younger sister turned brown, meaning she was in Pecari. Even though she felt guilty and mean for thinking it, because it meant that Pippa didn't think her sister was very nice, she had known Tawny would not be in Teppenpaw with her.

Pippa glanced across the table at the unfamilar girl who had turned yellow. To the older Teppenpaw, she seemed kind of nervous. Pippa had felt that way just last year herself and her heart went out to the new girl. She gave the first year a friendly smile, "Hi, welcome to Teppenpaw. I'm Pippa."

11 Pippa Brockert Welcome 132 Pippa Brockert 0 5

Andrew

May 05, 2009 7:37 PM

Relativity is a wonderful thing :) by Andrew

Andrew listened with rapt attention as David rattled off all of the places he's been. Andrew was a little envious, he had only bounced between Barstow and LA. Not that he hadn't gotten to see some of the world when it came to visit LA, but he hadn't figure out yet if tourists were the exception or the rule from the places they lived.

"Mom is a witch," He replied between mouthfuls of food. "She didn't come here to Sonora though." He paused both eating and talking for a moment to think. "She said she came over to the U.S. when she was about twenty or so. From somewhere in Europe I think, I guess she went to school over there. I'll have to ask her when I get the chance. She's never really talked about it much."

He resumed cleaning off his plate, "You've seen some of Europe, do they have a lot of schools like Sonora over there?"

2 Andrew Relativity is a wonderful thing :) 145 Andrew 0 5

Juri

May 05, 2009 11:37 PM

I can't wait to grow out of it. by Juri

While Juri’s apology had been sincere, the look on his face read otherwise, but when he realized who it was that apology was directed at, his gaze softened. Euna. There was the obvious detail that she was female. His mother had taught him well. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t rib them the same way he would another guy. He remembered his manners. But aside from that he liked Euna. She was probably the quietest person he knew apart from himself. She was also seemingly the shyest person he knew or at least he thought so.

Her question threw him for a loop even though it really shouldn’t have. It was a simple question, the type that everyone would be asking everyone else. Shame he couldn’t say that he had a great summer and go on and on about things like camping or swimming. Instead, his summer had been full of negative feelings, which wasn’t exactly what someone wanted to hear all about. At the same time, he didn’t like lying. He found it a pointless practice, because even a white lie could blow up in one’s face later. Besides, facing his dad’s wrath about it tended to be unpleasant.

Not really wanting to tell the truth and not being able to lie, yet wanting to say more than the typical ‘fine’ left him in quite the conundrum. The fact that he wanted to say more was odd in and of itself since he was by nature a quiet boy. He moved some of the fruit around on his plate, maybe a second longer than to be normal, before replying, “Um, it was what I expected to the extreme, I guess. My parents are divorced so it was more or less being shuffled back and forth and not really having enough time with either.”

He gave a slight shrug as though it weren’t really important, but he had to wonder if that was part of the problem. If he spent more time with his father, would it make a difference? Would he have been able to convince him that Sonora was really a great school, one of the finest for magic? Or at the very least be able to convince him that he wasn’t going to some sort of pretend school? And there he went again, back in his own head. He gave a half grin to Euna to apologize for his rudeness. “So, how was your summer?”

0 Juri I can't wait to grow out of it. 0 Juri 0 5

Clarissa Marigold

May 06, 2009 2:25 PM

Meeting new people by Clarissa Marigold

Clarissa Marigold walked into the dining hall late. Everyone looked up at her when she came in. Clarissa blushed. Then she heard her name being called. She lined up in a queue where a tall guy was standing. The first years were chatting amongst each other, then Clarissa realised they were drinking from a goblet. She listened for her name as others were called out to drink.. Bridjalyn Tuppin, Jose Hernandez, Insomnia Zannicci... Clarissa Marigold. She stepped forward and sipped from the goblet. All of a sudden Clarissa turned a bright blue meaning she was in Aladren house. Clarissa followed the other blue first years to the Aladren table and sat down to listen to Headmistress Powell finish her speech. Then there was food! Hot cross buns, icecream, chocolate, all delicious! Clarissa filled her plate with all sorts of delicacies and new things to try. Her appetite seemed to be larger than usual.

0 Clarissa Marigold Meeting new people 0 Clarissa Marigold 0 5

Cassie

May 06, 2009 3:03 PM

Good to know I'm not alone. by Cassie

At the question, Cassie’s fork paused over the potatoes as she glanced down to them before her brown eyes shifted to the boy again. She hadn’t really had much of the feast aside from one dish, but the statement was agreeable. “Yes. The potatoes are very smooth. My dad never makes them like this. When he tries, they always end up half cooked and lumpy.”

In truth, they never had feasts like this or even a mini version of one. Her dad just didn’t have the time to and Julianna only made simple meals since she had a lot of other work to do in addition to caring for them. Not to mention, she had her own family to take care of when she got home from work. It was no wonder that she didn’t want to have to cook two meals, let alone one being elaborate.

Though, when they went to her maternal grandparents’ home, it was another story altogether. Every time, there was a huge dinner filled with all of their favorites and her grandmother fussed over them. It was probably because they didn’t go there very often anymore. Not since her mom had split a couple years ago. Seeing her pictures, her room, and her things was just too painful for them all.

When her mom left, she and her sisters had become closer as a support system for each other whereas before they had squabbled constantly. Cassie wondered if coming to Sonora would change all of that. She supposed it already did since she didn’t have anyone here. It was rather disorienting to suddenly find oneself in the midst of strangers rather than family, but everyone had to start somewhere.

Would the boy in front of her become friend or foe? Or would he merely drift into the vast sea of unknown faces? Though, one way or the other was more likely since they were obviously in the same House, but of course, a stepping stone of introductions was necessary. Besides, not to would be incredibly rude. “I’m Cassandra Kerrigan, but I go by Cassie.”

Cassandra sounded just so formal sometimes. It sounded like the sort of name that some snobby person would have and while there were many words to describe her that wasn’t one of them. Though, she was sure that a lot of people would say that it fit Veronica. She tended to look down her nose at others for not having as much and often she got Delilah to follow along.

That was how it had been for as long as she could remember. Veronica was the leader of the two and Delilah the follower. Even when they were younger and Delilah wanted to go out on an adventure, she would stay home and play dolls with her sister, because that’s what Veronica wanted. She couldn’t imagine what they would do next year if they ended up in separate Houses.

“What do you think our House will be like?” Cassie asked, beginning to worry some. Through all of the chaos of the day, she had never considered one very important fact. She was going to have roommates. She had never shared a room in her entire life. What if they were really mean, or worse, messy? She didn’t think she would be able to handle that. She was a complete neat freak. What depressing thoughts!

0 Cassie Good to know I'm not alone. 0 Cassie 0 5

Lita

May 06, 2009 6:41 PM

Aren't notes to self great? by Lita

Lita turned to find it was one of the Valentine twins with whom she had so carelessly stuck her fork into. She always got the two of them mixed up in class, mainly because she didn’t know them. Even though her Tios were twins, she never actually saw them as such because they were so different. They were always just Tio Jose and Tio Mateo. But with the Valentines, they had the same face and, as far as she knew, the same personality.

She smiled when the Valentine twin told her not to worry about his hand. Well, at least he wasn’t screaming at her and making a scene. That was something. Boys were rather frivilous sometimes. They hit people for fun. They didn’t like cute kittens. They didn’t like the color pink. They didn’t like nicknames. There were a lot of things that Lita didn’t understand about boys and found to be very silly, but she was quite happy that the Valentine twin was not yelling at her for her klumsiness.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ethan.” Lita said, greeting him with a genuine smile. At least she had a name, but she doubted that would help if she were ever in a room with just the two Valentine twins. “I’m Adelita, and you’re right, it’s weird that we never worked together in class or anything. But, you do have your brother, so I suppose he’s your automatic partner.” Lita added without really thinking about it. Although, Charlie was her best friend and Lita was pretty sure she had never worked with her in class. Was that strange? Probably not. Last year was the year to meet people. Working in class with new partners was the easiest way to do that. After all, that’s how she had met Nathaniel, Daniel, Juri, and Euna.

“I met your er…brother? Last year.” Adelita informed Ethan. “Well, technically, I never really spoke to him, but we worked on the Concert together.” She wasn’t really sure why she felt it important to say that at all, but for some reason, mentioning the fact that she knew his family on some level meant more of a connection. “Anyway, are you happy to be back at Sonora or do you miss summer already?” Lita asked while she cleaned off her fork and went to grab some chicken again, this time careful of where she actually stuck her fork.

0 Lita Aren't notes to self great? 0 Lita 0 5

Edmond

May 06, 2009 9:42 PM

That would be sad. by Edmond

Edmond wasn't sure what was more worthy of interest: lumpy potatoes, the thought of which almost made him shudder - a dish called 'creamed potatoes' was not supposed to be full of lumps, and Edmond disliked things that weren't how they were supposed to be - or a father who cooked. He wasn't at all familiar with his own father's habits and talents, but in five years, he had never once known Robert to enter the kitchen. That was Julia's domain.

He decided to go with the potatoes. "That sounds terrible," he said. "Julia - my, er, aunt - makes them that way if she gets behind with the rest of dinner, and my cousin Jane and I can barely eat them."

“I’m Cassandra Kerrigan, but I go by Cassie.”

Edmond smiled, the expression lighting up his green eyes. A social encounter had reached introductions without a disaster caused by him. He would have to write Jane and let her know, once and for all, that years and years of manners training had a practical use after all. "I'm Edmond Carey," he said. "I go by Edmond. It's nice to meet you, Cassie."

Though there were five distinct kinds of Carey, Edmond did not include a branch. It was, in his opinion, entirely too complicated to get into.

He had been born in Georgia, the only son and heir of the patriarch of the Savannah Careys. He'd even lived there a long time, but then his sister Gwenhwyfar had almost been disowned and something bad had happened to make Thomas, a very powerful man and the head of the whole Carey family, decide it would be better if Edmond was brought up with a modestly-incomed sub-branch of the Virginia Careys. Since Thomas' word was pretty much law in the family, he'd been with Robert and Julia since a month before he started his study of German.

Though he was not brought up wealthy, a lot of emphasis had been placed on bringing Edmond up well-educated. While Jane had been allowed to play outside, or with her dolls, he had been learning foreign languages. Now, he had schedules down in writing for when he was supposed to have mastered a wide range of other concepts over the course of the year, and in the summer, he was to made his first foray into less simple mathematics. He had been brought up, in all practical ways, as a Virginia Carey, but someday the father he could barely remember would die and he would have to go back to Savannah and take over as patriarch. He had to be well-educated.

There were a lot of things, actually, that he had to be on account of being born who he was. It was kind of annoying.

"Aladren's known as the academic House," Edmond said when Cassie asked what he thought the House would be like. "So we'll probably be expected to do well. It should be quiet for studying, so that'll be great - for me, at least. I'm not used to a lot of noise. It was just two of us at home for years, so..." he realized he was talking too much. "I apologize," he said. "That was off-topic. How do you think it will be?"

0 Edmond That would be sad. 0 Edmond 0 5

Euna

May 07, 2009 12:45 AM

Nah- teen drama's where it's at. by Euna

Euna hadn't peaked in the fourth grade when her teacher had the class close their eyes and raise hands if their parents were divorced or separated, yet statistics claimed that half of her class would have raised a hand. Hers had certainly lifted; she somehow doubted, though, that any of her classmates- her brother excluded- shared her particular circumstances. Single mothers, or divorcées were common enough, but rarely did one claim the other half died when he merely took off. The charade existed in an extreme, the family altar even holding a pictured frame of a man whose shape mouth and nose she carried. Even without a father, though, Euna seldom felt the absence. Her uncle played the part well, and except for the yearly prayer spent bent over incense by the altar, she very rarely gave the man a thought.

Her brother, she knew, felt very differently, and as she listened to Juri's careful response, she wondered whether all boys felt the separation from their fathers so keenly. Would she, too, have that buried touch of something caught in her voice if it had been her mother who had abandoned them? She lifted her gaze from her lap during the brief pause, her head tilted in consideration. Perhaps, in a strange way, she was luckier than some. It was easier to not miss what was never there; surely being separated from, and having to choose between, two parents routinely must cause the hurt to stay far closer to the surface, a constant ache that never really has the chance to heal.

She felt the truth of her thoughts all the more so when Juri smiled; Euna returned the expression timidly. "Very long, and still, too short. The hurricane season hit us hard this year. It only let up these past two weeks, really." She hesitated, worrying her lower lip, before finally reaching into the bag at her feet and withdrawing the postcard left there for safe-keeping. She handed the card across the table; the postcard's typical Florida scene of palm trees, surf, and sunset was interrupted by a Hi from Key Largo! banner in the corner. "It's where I live. Normally, during the summer, I help my mom and uncle with the food stand they run on the boardwalk, but because of the storms, most of our time was spent doing repairs."

Again Euna paused, rallying her courage and once more reproaching herself for lacking the fortitude to send the postcards as she'd originally intended. "You can keep it- the postcard that is, if you like."

0 Euna Nah- teen drama's where it's at. 0 Euna 0 5

Ethan

May 07, 2009 1:21 AM

I wouldn't remember a thing without them by Ethan

"Adelita," Ethan said with his bad Spanish accent, rolling the name over his tongue carefully. "Pretty name for a pretty girl." Ethan liked flirting with girls. They got embarrassed or shocked. Any reaction was funny as hell, as long as they don't profess their love back. The last thing he wanted was to have a girlfriend. He back up his compliment with a grin.

"Yeah, Elliot's my other half etc...it get kinda boring after a while. Found that out last year. This school likes to have the students work in pairs a lot. It gets old after a while. I've lived with the guy for twelve years. I'm ready to branch out." He shoveled a large forkful of chicken into his mouth, swallowed and then took a few gulps of pumpkin juice.

"My brother? Oh Earl! Yeah, I don't know how he ended up in that thing. He's not really the spotlight type. I think my sister coerced him into it somehow. That's her over there, with Elliot." Ethan pointed over a few people's heads to the Teppenpaw table where Elliot and Eavan were seated next to each other, but talking to separate people. Eavan's prefect badge gleamed in the chandelier's light. "She's a prefect and kinda pushy, but she's not bad. You have family here, right?" He knew that mostly siblings all went to the same school and he remembered both Earl and Eavan mentioning that there was a girl in his year belonging to a large Hispanic family. And Lita looked to be the only one who fit that description.

"Happy? I don't know. I mean, it's school, but it's not like regular school. Never learned how to make things float in elementary school. I guess I don't really like being in any place for too long." Ethan took another long drink from his goblet of pumpkin juice. "What about you? Glad to be back?"

0 Ethan I wouldn't remember a thing without them 0 Ethan 0 5

Maiara Landon

May 07, 2009 4:16 AM

Yay by Maiara Landon

Turning in shock, Maiara opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Someone had spoken to her. Smiling back, she extended her hand. "Thanks. I'm Maiara." She fought the natural blush she got whenever she was addressed. People in the orphange didn't speak to her much and the people who did usually got adopted soon afterwards.

She herself had never been adpoted by a hopeful couple. She had been adpoted by the owner of the place, Miss Hannah. Miss Hannah was a suspicious woman and never liked to chat. Gossip was below her and her snappy nature put friendship in the same category. Maiara had learned well from Miss Hannah that silence was a virtue.

She squashed the urge to be suspicious as well, taking the oppurtunity to make friends perhaps to spite her mother. Miss Hannah wouldn't like to hear of her mucking about in 'affairs that didn't concern' her, affairs like idle chatter, but the punishment couldn't be higher than the gain. And besides, she didn't have to tell mother everything that had happened at school. Her grades would be a good enough subject.

0 Maiara Landon Yay 0 Maiara Landon 0 5

Briony O'Leary

May 07, 2009 10:58 PM

Should be an interesting year by Briony O'Leary

Excitement and sadness surged through Briony at the start of the Feast. It was hard to believe that this would be her last one at Sonora. Next year at this time, she had no idea where she would be, but it wouldn’t be here. Perhaps, she would be in college. Or perhaps, she would be studying creatures on some remote island. Who knew? She certainly didn’t, but what she did know is that she had a mission to accomplish before the year was over.

It was one that she wasn’t looking forward to doing, not in the least. It was also probably a good thing that she was now clapping for her father’s new position as Head of Crotalus, because it would be weird if he was still the Head of the house her potential ex was in. She had no idea if Saul really would be or not, but them breaking up might occur after what she planned to do. Though, she really owed it to Pepper to do it.

During the summer, she had managed to push back the memories of her end of year conversation with her roommate, but for the last two weeks before school begun again, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. The problem with thinking about something like this too much was the guilt that formed. There was the guilt for dating Saul. She felt like she had gotten in the way of Pepper being with him, being with the one person she had said she could talk to.

Then, there was the guilt over being Head Girl. The reminder obvious as she had to make her way up to where Headmistress Powell was to collect her badge. Her blue eyes shifted uneasily to where Pepper was. This had to be horrible for her. She had probably imagined herself coming up here to collect the badge that was now pinned to her robes whereas she had never thought about it. She had always assumed that it would be Pepper.

Once she was seated, she glanced over to Pepper once more. There was nothing that she could do about the Head Girl position. She couldn’t very well try giving the badge back to the Headmistress stating she didn’t want it. Seriously, had anyone ever actually turned it down? However, there was something she could do about Saul guilt. It was going to be unpleasant, but she was going to convince Pepper to tell him. Otherwise, she would tell him herself.

It wasn’t for completely altruistic that she was going to be doing this. Oh, no. Relief of guilt was certainly selfish and very unTeppenpawish, yet there was more to it. Dating Saul was soiled. She remembered the way Saul had looked at Pepper. So, what if the only reason he was dating her was because he didn’t know that Pepper had liked him as more than a friend? What if she was second choice and only because her feelings were as transparent as plastic wrap?

The only way to know was to put everything into the open. She knew there was a possibility that the relationship would end. She didn’t want to think of how painful that would be, but the truth was always better. Besides, maybe Pepper would be a little happier and not dislike her so much. Otherwise, the year was going to be incredibly unpleasant for both of them. They were a reminder to each other of what each had and the other wanted.

Of course, Pepper didn’t realize what exactly it was that she had that Briony wanted, which was better all around lest she ended up making Pepper feel even worse than she already did. She gave a heavy sigh. When was graduation again? She tried to think of exactly how many days it was and in doing so, didn’t realize that someone was calling her name. Focusing on the person, she gave a wane smile, “Oh, hi. Sorry, I…have a lot on my mind. Have a good summer?”

0 Briony O'Leary Should be an interesting year 75 Briony O'Leary 0 5

Saul

May 08, 2009 9:42 AM

Oh, are we waiting on me? by Saul

Saul nodded and grinned in complete agreement of the year's excellence. "Absolutely," he confirmed verbally, before popping a slice of pepperoni into his mouth. The elves had evidently heard of its perfection, because it seemed to be available at almost every dinner now, and tonight's feast was no exception. If that wasn't proof of the school being one big party, he didn't know what was.

After swallowing it down with a sip of his pumpkin juice, he leaned in toward his friends. "So, since I'm not the Head Boy after all," a slight grimace was the only sign of his disappointment on that front, but it vanished nearly as soon as it appeared, replaced by genuine excitement and optimism as he continued, "I'll have tons of time for Scrimmages and Fury. We're still planning on getting those up and running again, right?"

As they'd all seen each other only a week or so ago at Irene's for the Quidditch get-together, and having exchanged a few owls even since then, he didn't bother asking after their summers. But the year's plans were definitely in need of discussion.

1 Saul Oh, are we waiting on me? 82 Saul 0 5

Elly

May 10, 2009 8:36 AM

I was just waiting on this scrap of free time by Elly

Was it wrong for Elly to feel sort of pleased that Saul wasn't Head Boy? Yes, it would have been great for him if his campaigning had won him the position, but Elly quite enjoyed a little gentle rule-breaking, in which Saul was almost always involved. She felt bad enough with them both (and irene now, too) being prefects, but if Saul had been Head Boy it really would have put a damper on things. Elly was thrilled for Briony though, and had no objections at all to watching Geoff Layne add another shiny badge to his collection. Besides, as Saul pointed out, now there would be more time for him to join in Scrimmages and Fury.

"For sure," Elly replied, nodding hard while pouring some juice - not such a good plan as it turned out, but a wave of Elly's wand soon sorted that. "I'm gonna sort some posters or something for a general creative writing club. Then we can all do the Fury as usual, too." Though Elly herslef wasn't a keen writer, she hoped some of the younger years might appreciate the new club. Then if anyone was really enthusiastic they could continue it after Elly had left Sonora.... which was starting to get too close for comfort now. These had to be the best days of her life. They would be over in two short years - and Saul would be leaving in a just a few months. That was the saddest thought Elly'd had all day. Well, she would deal with it the only way she knew how.

"So, we've got to cause some serious trouble this year, right?" she grinned at Saul. "Anything you say goes, Saul the Guide. What's your fancy?"

0 Elly I was just waiting on this scrap of free time 0 Elly 0 5

Lutece Anthony

May 10, 2009 9:39 AM

Finally, my brilliance is recognised by Lutece Anthony

Lutece Anthony was a fifth year, properly old enough by her parents' standards to have a boyfriend, and properly old enough by her own standards to be a full-functioning adult, thank you very much. The summer had been punctuated with brief, loud arguments with her parents, generally addressing things along those lines. Of course, because her parents had finally and officially split up (and were only waiting on the court to make it legal-official)it meant having the arguments separately. Although, to be fair, the arguments usually differed. With her dad it tended to be things more along the lines of boys and makeup--to Lutece's profound embarrassment, her father knew exactly who she liked and exactly why she wanted the makeup from the catalog. The one lead into the other, and the resultant argument usually meant Lutece would be spending a few hours fuming, soaring around the indoor Quidditch Arena that her dad had found for her. The Floo Network was pretty much the most amazing thing ever, and Lutece could not have been happier coming home from school and being told that her dad's new apartment had been connected.

The fights with her mother were fewer and farther between, mostly because Lutece and James spent most of their time living with their father. Their mother wanted absolutely nothing to do with the 'magic thing' and made it very clear that Liss and Grace were the only ones really welcome to stay with her. Grace, James's twin, and still sulking that she hadn't got the magic too, hadn't spoken to her siblings the entire summer. Lutece felt bad for James, but was willing to write of Grace as being a sulky brat. After all, that was how she was acting.

Either way, Lutece was thrilled to be back at Sonora. She had her school robes on, of course, as she walked back into the familiar Cascade Hall. Wand in her pocket, hair curled slightly and tied in a half-back, blue-green eyes slightly accented by green eyeliner. Not over the top, but enough that Lutece thought she looked very mature. Definitely fifteen. It was so exciting, to walk into the Hall and realise that she was at the top now. A bit nerve-wracking to realise she'd be taking some major tests at the end of the year, but kind of exciting too. The Crotalus had spent much of her summer with a tutor to help get her marks up this year, and she'd actually discovered that she enjoyed Transfigurations and Potions.

Summer and newfound maturity aside though, Lutece couldn't help but be excited beyond all belief as she heard her name called...PREFECT! She was prefect of Crotalus?! The girl pushed a few stray strands of her light brown hair out of her face and made her way up to Headmistress Powell, cheeks glowing brightly with excitement and pride. Proudly pinning her new badge of office on her robes, Lutece took a moment to grin at it giddily. She'd never have thought...surely Talitha was a better candidate? Regardless, the fifth year floated back to her seat on a cloud of elation, fluttering back down to earth as she took a seat at the Crotalus table and turned the the person beside her. "Could you pass the chicken," she asked cheerily, hoping they would comment on her badge.

0 Lutece Anthony Finally, my brilliance is recognised 100 Lutece Anthony 0 5

Saul the Guide

May 10, 2009 10:05 AM

Ah, very good. by Saul the Guide

Saul laughed and leaned out of the way as Elly spilled her juice, managing not to get splattered. "Missed me!" he teased while she cleaned it up. Though, as the trio told it, such an action was how the EEs and Meredith had all become friends in the first place. Except they'd probably stayed messier longer because she hadn't know that spell back then.

He nodded along with Elly as she talked about the additional creative writing club, and then the Fury as usual. He vaguely recalled that they'd already talked about this somewhat after Echo and Brett left, but it was good to have the refresher. He'd been kind of distracted back then.

His grin widened and he perked up in even greater interest though when she said, "So, we've got to cause some serious trouble this year, right? Anything you say goes, Saul the Guide. What's your fancy?"

She obviously hadn't forgotten his plan for a senior prank.

"Okay, so I've been thinking about it all summer. I came up with a couple of ideas, but I haven't really narrowed them down any. First one is, I train Roni to do some kind of mischief. I'm not sure what, but he's pretty clever for a mouse. But I might do that anyway, even if its not part of my senior prank. This summer, I taught him how to identify and attack tofu.

"The next one - which would get back to me in an instant, but that's kinda its whole appeal - would be to turn all the food in the Hall into pepperoni for a few minutes during dinner one night. That would be a really tricky bit of transfiguration, just based on the volume of food, but I'm actually really good at transfigurations if I get enough practice, so I think I can probably pull it off, even if I have to cut it down to one or two tables at a time.

"And my last idea was that the Quidditch team could do something during our last game. Like, I don't know, something that wouldn't disqualify us or get us into too much trouble, but would stand out and get people to notice. Like maybe we could all wear cowboy hats or change the color of our uniforms or something. Or - and after our last game, I was thinking of doing this as game strategy - we could all call each other by secret names so the other team doesn't know who we're calling for assistance.

Or, here's an idea - I don't know how many people we could get to go along with it, but maybe we could exchange names around Pecari for a day, and we'd only answer to our borrowed name, and if anyone tried to call us by our real one, we'd try to 'correct' them. Depending how into we want to get, we could even go to their classes instead of our own. So like, if I was pretending to be Matt, I'd go to all the classes Matt goes to and tell people I was Josh's twin brother, and try to talk in Spanish, and stuff like that. Like when identical twins try to pretend to be each other, only it's more obvious, because we don't look anything alike. We'll obviously have to pick a day when there aren't too many scheduled tests, if we go for that one."

1 Saul the Guide Ah, very good. 82 Saul the Guide 0 5

Oliver Abbott

May 10, 2009 10:31 AM

Revelations all round by Oliver Abbott

Oliver and Charlotte agreed they both had more than magic in common; they were both pathetic. Julian had been first to point it out in one of his grumpy moments, but neither of his younger siblings could honestly argue that he was wrong.

After Oliver didn't know what - his sister had apparently been too ashamed to say - Charlie had developed a strange obsession with one of the boys in her year, and had dealt with this by getting back together with Kevin for the summer, to Oliver's disgust. His sister was, well, annoying beyond all reason, but he knew she was smart and not so bad looking, and so why did she insist on dating losers like Kevin?

Oliver himself had simply had trouble believeing that he'd found the same girl attractive since first year, and still hadn't asked her out. He was so far beyond sad. Yet it had brought on one of those weird brother moments that he and Julian were having so few of these days. The boys had spent an entire hour looking for a present for Julian to give to Amy - the new love of his life - and he'd encouraged Oliver to buy something for Hannah, too. Oliver had relented and spent his allowance on something he wasn't even sure he would ever have the courage to give. Julian was right; he was pathetic.

After the wagons landed, Oliver waved vaguely to his sister and trudged off to the sit with his Housemates. Barely even registering it, he sat next to Lutece and spent the Headmistress' speech cleaning under his fingernails with the end of his wand. He was roused back to the present when Lutece got called to be prefect. Really? Lutece? Oliver frowned. Yes, he was arrogant enough to believe he would have been a better prefect than Lutece. A small, jealous and disappointed part of Oliver even thought those weird transfer chicks might be a better choice than Lutece. But there was another small voice reminding him that just because he'd had issues with Lutece it didn't mean that everyone else did. In fact, by the time she was on her way back from collecting her badge, Oliver had managed to collect himself enough to look up and congratulate her. And that's when he noticed: Lutece was hot. Not pin up hot like the posters on the back of Julian's door, but hot in Sonora standards, for sure.

"Could you pass the chicken," Lutece asked then, and Oliver hadn't even registered there was food on the table. The present he'd bought for Hannah was gift-wrapped in his robe pocket, and Oliver couldn't take his eyes off Lutece. Merlin murder him.

"Yeah," he managed, reaching for the meat and passing it to the new prefect. "Um, congratulations," he smiled in the least goofy way he could manage. "Prefect. That's, um... good summer?"\r\n\r\n

0 Oliver Abbott Revelations all round 99 Oliver Abbott 0 5

James Anthony

May 10, 2009 10:43 AM

And we're happy to meet you too! by James Anthony

It was James Anthony's second year at Sonora, and as the boy made his way into the Cascade Hall, separately from his fifth-year sister, he was glad to be back at the school. The summer had not been a fun one, between Lutece sulking around the house (or Flooing in and out, depending on her mood), their parents officially being separated, and his twin sister wanting to have nothing to do with him, the blue-eyed boy had been forced to spend his own summer holed up in his room, studying. On the plus side, he felt confident that he had now mastered Algebra and Algebra-based physics, with the help of one of his dad's Trekkie friends. James himself was not a huge Star Trek aficionado, but he did appreciate that his father was perhaps the geekiest person on the planet, and took advantage of that.

Either way, it was back to Sonora. He had made a few acquaintances over the summer and was keen on getting back. Maybe the whole making friends thing would go a bit better this year. Although the bespectacled 12-year-old was a self-proclaimed nerd, James was not inclined to sit around with his books in Aladren all day, refusing to make friends. After all, having a social life was very important, and the connections he made here could easily pass on to the rest of his life. That sort of thing.

Seating himself with an empty seat on both sides of him, more to encourage people to come talk, James rested a cheek on his open palm as he listened to the Headmistress speak. He hadn't been a fan of Bulla much; the old guy had his head stuck way too far up the narrow canal of tradition, from what James could see, and the younger Anthony was no more a fan of that than his older sister. Having said that though, James didn't know the new Headmistress, so the change could have been for the worse. He would have to wait and see. It was exciting though, to hear that Professor Taylor, the Charms teacher, would be taking over as Head of House for Aladren this year. She was James's favourite professor, and an absolutely brilliant woman. Much better than the previous Head, who'd disappeared halfway through to have a baby anyway.

Lutece, prefect? James's light brown eyebrows stood in shock at this news. He hadn't thought his sister was nearly smart enough for that sort of thing. And she barely had any friends! Well, no matter. If Lutece could make Prefect her fifth year, it just proved that it would be easy for James to do the same. The school probably looked for leadership things, helping first years and stuff, club involvement. Doable. James wanted to get involved in a club or two anyway, and the Opening Feast was a great way to start off the leadership circuit. Even though he was only a second year, the boy was confident that he knew more about Sonora than most of the firsties. Start from the bottom, work your way up.

Luck! A little blue first year girl walked over and took the seat next to him. Blue, of course, because of the whole bit with the goblet of potion. To the second year's utter amusement, the first year seemed entirely perplexed by the sheer amount of food on the table. Better now than never, he supposed.

"Hey there," James smiled genially at the girl as she piled food on her plate. Most of it looked like pure sugar. Silly first years, but he supposed they would grow out of it at some point. "if you eat all that much sugar, you're going to crash," he informed her, not patronisingly. "and you're probably going to have a late night of it, meeting your roommates and such. I'm James Anthony, by the way. Second year Aladren." Another friendly smile.

0 James Anthony And we're happy to meet you too! 126 James Anthony 0 5

Daniel Nash II

May 10, 2009 11:29 AM

Finding Charlotte by Daniel Nash II

Their first date had been an unqualified disaster. He'd been rude and moronic and a total jerk. He was surprised she wanted anything further to do with him, but Charlie Abbott had replied to every letter he sent her over the summer, and it seemed to him like she wasn't plotting to kill him, so here he was. He forwent sitting with the other Aladrens and instead headed over to the tables tradionally reserved for Crotali. He was careful to avoid Holly and her friends and found the one person at school that he hadn't mentioned one word about to his parents or siblings.

Even when his dad asked who he was writing to, he lied and said Taylor. It would have been too mortifying to try to explain the date.

Fortunately, whatever had come over him that last day of school hadn't been in evidence while writing the letters, so he was hopeful that with a few pages of background history and summer activities between them, his initial idiocy would not return when he came face to face with the girl again.

"Hi, Charlie," he said, and so far that was good because his mind was thinking 'Please don't be a moron, please don't be a moron, please don't be a moron.' He smiled and ran his hand through his hair - an affectation that he'd picked up from Nate during the summer episodes; the fan sites said he looked delicious when he did that (he was fairly sure they meant gorgeously handsome in a sweetly apologetic way, since it was a gesture he usually made when Nate was feeling sorry or embarrassed, but one should never entirely discount cannibalistic tendencies from someone who writes such comments at a fan site).

"Do you mind if I sit with you?" Another positive indication that he wasn't going to lose his sense this time. He suspected he would have just sat down if he'd had the same lack of manners that had afflicted him during their ill fated first date. "I can't guarantee anything yet," he confided, "but I believe I have my idiocy under control today."

1 Daniel Nash II Finding Charlotte 130 Daniel Nash II 0 5

Lita

May 10, 2009 10:47 PM

They save me from making the same mistake. by Lita

For all the years that Adelita had to introduce herself to people or listen to her parents introduce her to people, she never picked up on the fact that her name might be a little odd to hear or say for others. People put the accent of her name in different spots making it sound like a whole different name. It amused her more than anything to hear it, especially since she could have been given a completely difficult Spanish name. Still, it was nice to hear people try it, even if the natural accent for her didn’t come naturally to them.

Adelita blinked at Ethan for a moment when he complimented her looks. She could feel her cheeks burn slightly from it and couldn’t quite figure out why. He hadn’t been the first person to ever say she was pretty. She heard it all the time from her family and her Instructor. Maybe it was because she didn’t know Ethan that she felt somewhat embarrassed by the compliment. “Oh, thank you.” She replied a little uncertainly.

She giggled a little when Elliot commented on the classes. It was true; Lita couldn’t remember any class last year where she didn’t have to work in pairs. Ethan was right; they pretty much always worked with another classmate. Well, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Lita liked to meet knew people even if she was a little intimidated from time to time. “Yeah, I suppose that would get old after awhile. I mean, it would be nice to have that already made friend/partner while here at Sonora, but sometimes it’s good to meet new people too. You know, step outside of your box or whatever that term is.” Adelita commented while munching on a bit of her chicken.

Adelita glanced over at the Teppenpaw table where Ethan was pointing and vaguely remembered the girl he was pointing at as the one whom came to visit Spain with her Tios a couple of summers ago. “Family?” Adelita questioned blankly for a moment. “Oh, you mean my Tios?” She asked rhetorically. Adelita pointed to her Tios who sat together looking as though they were having another mild argument with one another. “Tio Jose and Tio Mateo. I think your sister is friends with my Tios.” Adelita commented in a matter-of-fact tone with a slight shrug. “My Tia graduated last year, she was Head Girl, and next year, my sister, Dulce, will be here.” She was just blabbering now, but it couldn’t be helped. Family was always important. “They have a different last name than me though, Santoro.”

Munching happily on her dinner, Adelita listened to Ethan explain whether or not he was happy to be back at school. “I was home schooled before Sonora, but I definitely like it here better. The only thing that makes me not like being here is the fact that I don’t have my dance classes anymore.” She admitted looking very put out by the thought. “I know this won’t happen, but I have this huge fear that I’ll totally forget how to dance while I’m here. So, I have to practice a lot while I’m here to keep in shape with it.”

OOC: Hey, just so you know, I still plan on posting Bella, I just have been so busy with RL stuff that I haven’t had the time to sit down and work her out. Sorry, I’ll try within the next couple of days though!

0 Lita They save me from making the same mistake. 0 Lita 0 5

Ethan

May 11, 2009 3:47 AM

Wish it worked that well for me. by Ethan

Ethan grinned as Lita's cheeks darkened slightly. "No prob," he replied to her thanks. He leaned across the table and grabbed a roll, buttered it and took a huge bite as he listened. "I like being outside the box. Less cramped," he grinned at his own play on the concept.

Ethan was soon glad he had gone to a school in which Hispanic people were the majority or else he would've been really confused as to what a tio and a tia were. And since he was a tio himself, it would've been embarrassing to have to ask what one was. "Yeah, Eavan has a huge crush on one of your tios. Matt this. Matt that. It gets old. My brother just graduated too. I actually think he went to your tia's house last spring break. She's the singer, or something, right?" He remembered Earl going to see her at some club and neither he, nor Elliot or Eavan were allowed to. None of them were of age and they had spent the evening watching Finding Nemo and throwing popcorn at each other.

Ethan arched an eyebrow when Lita said she danced. Ethan himself had played a ton of DDR, but as for real dancing he lacking. "Dancing, huh? Like hip hop? or like that ballroom stuff? I wish I could help you remember, but I don't think I'd be much help," he said with a shrug and a smile.

OOC: It's okay. I'm a very patient person...sometimes :P

0 Ethan Wish it worked that well for me. 0 Ethan 0 5

Meredith Lail

May 11, 2009 11:46 AM

Very good indeed! by Meredith Lail

Meredith couldn’t quite explain it. The summer had simply flown by at such an awing speed that she almost couldn’t recall what happened. Well, a few things stood out of course. Seeing her friends was amazing as always, especially seeing Echo and Brett after so long. There was a point after a Quidditch game where she certainly felt it the next day and walked around limping with her knee brace. And having Elly over brought a new cheer to the house, brighter than the long since mostly-recovered cheer that her home usually had. It almost felt completely normal again and it was nice.

Before Mere knew it, September 1st rolled around and she was in her sixth year at Sonora Academy. Time sure flies when you’re having fun and Sonora was just one exciting thing after another. She didn’t even want to think about leaving next year or think about her friends leaving that year like Saul. It would be so different around here. She would save those thoughts for a later time.

Mere thought she saw Elly’s red topped beacon as she entered Cascade Hall, but was caught up in a throng of students—many of whom were shorter or at her height, which was a momentary shock for her—and couldn’t reach her friends before speeches and whatnot began so she grabbed a nearby seat at the Pecari table, paying little mind to the announcements as she often did. Of course she heard Irene’s name and cheered loudly for her friend. It was a little weird how most of her friends were in some position of power and yet they caused the most “trouble” in the school.

When the Headmistress was through, Mere snagged a piece of pot pie before skipping down the row to where her friends were and sitting across from them as Saul was explaining some neat prank ideas. After scratching her cheek where her lengthier ponytail had smacked her, she waved to them all with a cheery smile and a thumbs up at Irene, but waved for Saul to continue instead of a verbal greeting.

“Do zoun—!” She paused and swallowed her mouthful before trying again. “Those sound like fun! I really like the Quidditch idea. You could get real creative with costumes we could wear while winning the Quidditch final.” She laughed as she often did with her friends, blue eyes sparkling.

0 Meredith Lail Very good indeed! 0 Meredith Lail 0 5

David

May 11, 2009 12:26 PM

Butterfly in China = Hurricane in Florida? by David

David considered his plate, his expression thoughtful. He had experienced only two kinds of schools overseas: Department of Defense ones, and the local schools of the host country. DoD schools were fairly run of the mill; of course classes were much smaller than public schools, the teachers were generally better educated, field trips were the stuff of pipe dreams, class materials were of the highest quality, school budgets had few restrictions-

David put down his fork, bothered. When broken down, his schooling hardly seemed 'run of the mill' after all. Why had it not occurred to him before? Perhaps with parents who saw every baseline, despite varying levels of quality, as merely average, he had overlooked the obvious.

"Sorry," he said after another moment of reflection, the rudeness of his pause finally catching up with him. "I take it you mean other magic schools? I'm a, uh, Muggle-born?" David stumbled over the alien term. "So I didn't know of any of this before this past July. I imagine there must be other schools, though. World's too big not to, right?"

It seemed, though, that Sonora had its fair share of international students. Were magical academies not divided by districts like most other schools? Or was it a free-for-all in terms of registrations; as long as there was space, it didn't matter which school was chosen. Was the curriculum made up locally, or were there international standards in place? How was anything even governed? For not the first time, he felt his excitement overshadowed by the floundering lack of knowledge he had.

"Do you know how this works exactly- the school I mean?" David asked. "The information packet went over the names of the classes, but it's still pretty foreign to me."

0 David Butterfly in China = Hurricane in Florida? 0 David 0 5

Lutece

May 11, 2009 3:33 PM

Well, I've never given you a dull Opening Feast, have I? by Lutece

Oh! Lutece had been so astonished and excited about the prospect of having become Crotalus Prefect that she hadn't even noticed she had returned to sit next to Oliver. Her cheeks quickly became a pale pink, not a full-blown blush but certainly enough to be noticeable. Tucking imaginary strands of hair behind her ear, Lutece giggled, horrified that she sounded a combination of flirty and nervous. Well, at least to her ears. You could never tell what boys would pick up on though, right? At least that's what Teen Witch Magazine had spent an entire three pages on last month. The fifth year anxiously hoped that her trust in the magazine was well-founded. For all her prolonged interest in boys, fashion, and other stereotypically 'teenage girl' things, Lutece Anthony had never actualy...had a boyfriend. Part of that was because all the boys in her class at Sonora were ugly, gay, or Oliver. And part of that was...no, that was all of it, really.

"Thanks," Lutece chirped, helping herself to the chicken Oliver had passed her. "and thanks," she added, gazing down at her partially-full plate almost shyly. Oh gods, what to say now? Thankfully, Oliver took the initiative in mimicking conversation. Unfortunately, it involved her summer. Well, how had her summer gone? Not that badly actually. "Okay, my mother and dad officially split, but dad's new apartment is hooked up to the Floo and he found an indoor arena I can Floo to for Quidditch, so that's good." umm...keep talking? "I'm a bit worried about James though, Grace is being a bit of a, well, you know." the girl rolled her green-blue eyes, lamenting the obnoxiousness that was younger girls. "How's your sister doing? Um, Charlie right?" James had mentioned her once or twice.

It was odd, Lutece thought reflectively, helping herself to some salad as well, that she and Oliver had known each other for so long. They had spent quite a few Opening Feasts together. They had gone from hating each other to tolerating each other. They had even played Quidditch together. Well, not played exactly, since Lutece was always on reserves. But practised. And at the same time, it kind of felt like he was one of her only friends at Sonora. Well, because he was. How had she gone from being so popular in elementary school to being so nobody at Sonora? And how in the world had she become prefect when she didn't have any friends? To be fair, the was Talitha, and of course sort of Oliver, but still.

0 Lutece Well, I've never given you a dull Opening Feast, have I? 0 Lutece 0 5

Charlotte Abbott

May 12, 2009 4:11 AM

Being Found by Charlotte Abbott

With a muttered 'See you later' to her brother, Charlotte made her way down to an empty seat away from Oliver. Their age gap meant they didn't socialize much at school, and that was fine with both of them. After spending the whole summer with her brothers Charlie felt like she could use some alone time.

Though she wasn't alone for long; Daniel came right over and said hi. "Hello," Charlie replied, a delighted smile spreading its way across her face. "No, I don't mind." She noticed it was difficult not to act like an excited school girl when that's exactly what she was, but at least Charlie felt as though she had some control over her actions this evening.

" I have my idiocy under control today," Danny said. This was much better; he was being far more normal - more like when they'd spoken in classes - than on that disaster of a date that Charlie had been trying so hard to forget. She'd suspected for quite some time now that the fault hadn't been theirs; Oliver had told her about several other odd things that had happened to people at about the same time.

"I make no promises either," Charlotte replied, "but I feel like I've got a good grip on myself." She smiled again; it had been nice writing to Daniel over the summer. And she would never admit it, least of all to Daniel, but she'd developed somewhat of an addiction to Street Beat. She was always dancing when it had been on - her ballet debut had gone fantastically well - but she'd watched previous episodes on YouTube.

"So," she said lightly, trying to find something that she could talk about that they hadn't already mentioned. "Glad to be back?" Lame, perhaps, but it was a start. "I'm so excited to catch up with my friends."

0 Charlotte Abbott Being Found 135 Charlotte Abbott 0 5

Jera Valson

May 12, 2009 4:26 AM

Step 2: Learn some manners? by Jera Valson

Jera was feeling both unusually nervous and unusually excited about the new term. She was also feeling unsettled after the summer, which had been an unpleasant rollercoaster of a season. While spending time with her father had been fun beyond anything, Jera had been absolutely forbidden to do any magic whatsoever in case she got her mother into trouble. She knew that legally she wasn't supposed to do any magic, but she'd never thought the occasional charm to keep her in shape would do any harm. She only hoped her grades this year wouldn't suffer from her wand's lack of use.

Worse than that, the druids a bit further up the mountain, with whom Jera had always gotten along very well, had shunned her because she was, according to them, no longer a child, and had not properly followed the proper rituals to become a true witch. So with her only nieghbours within about ten miles not communicating with her at all, Jera had been rather lonely.

Worse even than that, her cousin Reuben had been admitted to hospital at the start of the summer, and died two weeks ago. It was sad, but it wasn't a surprise; he'd been ill for three years already, and Powell men never lived very long. Though it did mean that Aunt Amy had been over all the time and crying a lot.

All in all, it was a relief to be back at school. Of ourse she was now on a tighter leash than ever - with her Ma standing up at the front of the Hall addressing everyone, Jera knew she had to be an exemplary student. She looked on this as a challenge and a responsibility.

After the speech, Jera found herself seated with some older students who seemed to be getting along very well. Not entirely comfortable right there, she stood from her seat and moved down the table to find somewhere less awkward to sit. As she passed one of her yearmates, she noticed he'd dropped some stuff under his seat that he might not be able to see. She tapped him on the shoulder to tell him so, and was greeted with a rude and abrupt response.

"You dropped some things," she responded with a frown, pointing to the boy's belongings. "I didn't have to tell you that, you know. I was trying to help."

0 Jera Valson Step 2: Learn some manners? 112 Jera Valson 0 5

Jethro Smythe

May 12, 2009 4:49 AM

Turning Red by Jethro Smythe

He didn't think that being under a silencing charm for the entire journey to school was strictly necessary, but Jethro had always let his sister take care of him and she always knew what was best. She lifted the charm before she went to go and sit with her friends, but Jethro knew she'd had reason for not wanting him to speak, so he carried on with this practise. In silence he turned his gaze on those around him, all of them first years about to start school here at Sonora. Everyone looked different, which Jethro found mildly surprising; he'd expected them all to have something that made them stand out from everyone else. That wasn't so - they all stood there in their identical uniform robes, but the person inside each robe was entirely new. Interesting.

In fact the whole place was entirely new. The Hall had waterfalls down the sides and big chandeliers. That was impressive. It was so impressive that Jethro didn't want to leave this room. Would they let him stay in here? Or maybe the room wasn't like this usually at all, and it was only made like this so that first years, like himself, never wanted to leave. That was a clever trick.

Jethro's head was starting to feel full with too many thoughts, so he was happy when someone passed him a goblet full of a liquid that he was supposed to drink. Instantly forgetting about the first years and the waterfalls and the chandeliers and rooms that could change, he gulped down the liquid and instead enjoyed its bubbly texture. Jethro closed his eyes to better experience the sensation, and only opened them again when he heard a nearby gasp. Gasping usually meant something exciting was happening, and Jethro was curious to find out what it was.

He never did discover what it was that had caused the gasp, because when he opened his eyes, he noticed that his hands were red. He blinked a couple of times to be sure. They were red as a strawberry. Then Jethro rolled up his sleeves to check, and he noted that his arms were red as if they'd be badly sunburnt. Then he checked his ankles. Yep, they were red too, red as blood. Weird. He couldn't tell for sure, but Jethro assumed that he was red all over, from his pointy chin and big ears that gave him a look rather like a rodent, down to his toes.

A quick glance about him made Jethro a little more alarmed, because he wasn't the only red person. All the first years were turning strange colors. This was highly unusual. Forgetting for a moment that he wasn't supposed to be talking, Jethro took a step closer to the nearest other red person, and said to them, "My hands and arms and ankles are red as strawberries and sunburn and blood."

0 Jethro Smythe Turning Red 146 Jethro Smythe 0 5

Cassie

May 12, 2009 8:17 AM

Yes, it would, but now I get to be happy. by Cassie

Carey? He couldn’t be related to the very Careys that she read about in the socialite section of the newspapers, could he? Realizing that it was quite possible, a certain sort of shyness and anxiety seemed to grip her. Her family wasn’t anywhere near the level of being featured in the papers. While they had a more than comfortable life, they weren’t a famous wizarding family by any means. At most, her father was mentioned in passing as defending on person or another in a court case, but they weren’t high profile trials and most were settled out of court.

Cassie decided that the best course of action was to ignore what his last name was. If he were related to the high profile Careys, she wouldn’t know what to say and it would create a new sense of awkwardness. And if he weren’t, then it would only serve for a different sense of embarrassment for she certainly knew how to put her foot in her mouth. She settled for simply saying, “It’s nice to meet you too, Edmond.” She half wanted to say Edmond Carey, because she liked the way it sounded. It seemed so stately a name.

Of course, she refrained from doing so since it would probably make her seem weird. Veronica had been kind enough to tell her that she more than likely wouldn’t make any friends since she was such an oddball sometimes. Well, what did she know anyhow? She seemed to be doing okay so long as she remembered to do the simple things such as breathing. Oh, and actually answering the person she was speaking to so that there was a conversation rather than him just talking at her. That would have been mortifying to both parties.

She nodded when Edmond mentioned that Aladren was the academic House. That was a more than excellent thing. Julianna had always called her smart, but now it was like having real proof that she was. Her dad would probably be pleased to read about it when she wrote home. Though, now she had to be worried about whether or not she would do well. What if a mistake had been made and she really didn’t belong in Aladren? What if she ended up being a horrible magical student? Talk about pressure. There was no choice, but to succeed.

It was a point vocalized by Edmond, one that caused the corners of her mouth to turn down in worry. “What happens if we don’t do well? Would we have to have a different House?” That probably sounded quite silly, but she really was concerned about it. Was there anywhere else she would fit? Half trying to reassure herself and half wanting him to like her, she switched to a smile and continued with the other things he had said, “You don’t have to apologize, but to put us on fair ground, I can tell you that we don’t have a lot of noise around home either except for when Veronica blasts the Wizarding Wireless Network.

That’s my younger sister. She’ll probably be here next year along with my other sister, Delilah. Usually, it’s the three of us either with Julianna or Dad.” Now, who was the one talking too much? She bit her lip and pushed some of the potatoes around on her plate in embarrassment. Glancing back up, hoping that her face wasn’t red, she concentrated on the actual question he had asked, “Anyhow, I’m not sure what I think it’ll be like. It’s hard to say since everything is new. I hope that Professor Taylor is nice and that my roommates are too. I’ve never shared a room before. I guess you haven’t either since you said there’s only two of you at home.”

0 Cassie Yes, it would, but now I get to be happy. 0 Cassie 0 5

Andrew

May 12, 2009 10:44 AM

Observations based upon differing points of reference by Andrew

Andrew smiled at his new friend and pushed his empty plate away, "A full Muggle born, huh? I'm half. My dad's a Muggle, and he has all sorts of problems with magic. That's why..." He paused for a moment. No need to bog down the conversation with that yet. So he changed subjects.

He picked up with his next statement like he hadn't just left his previous hanging mid-sentence. "I'm not exactly sure how everything here works. We get split up into houses, and take classes on how to use magic. I think mainly so we don't get ourselves into trouble with it." Andrew looked around at the hall again. "They do like to keep all of this sort of stuff secret as well. I'll bet there's a lot of training along those lines. Did you have to do a lot of that in the military?"

2 Andrew Observations based upon differing points of reference 145 Andrew 0 5

Daniel

May 12, 2009 10:57 AM

You weren't hiding very hard by Daniel

OOC: If you haven't seen it, yet . . . this post makes references to this journal entry. BIC:

Daniel attributed it to far too much exposure to Quentin that he looked to her hands when she said she had a good grip on herself. He very nearly pointed out that she didn't, but then got a metaphorical grip on himself. Just because he lived with Quentin was no reason to start sounding like him. Instead, he smiled back at Charlie and took the seat beside her.

He reached for some food; healthy, non-greasy items that would risk neither excess weight nor pimples. His brief foray into junky fast food could very well have been as responsible for his behavior on their date as Charlotte herself. As he felt no such tendencies now, even face to face with her, this theory was growing in likelihood. He swore off burgers, fries, and pizza for all eternity.

It gave new meaning to the conventional wisdom that you are what you eat. Apparently, in magic schools, that was even more true. He was clean and responsible, not oily and trashy.

At her question, he waited until he finished heaping his plate with chicken Caesar salad before glancing back to her with a crooked smile (the same crooked smile the fansites alternately called 'adorable' or 'hot' depending on the poster's age). "It'll be good to have a vacation," he told her dryly.

Then the smile faded nearly as quickly as it appeared and he looked around to make sure nobody was trying to eavesdrop, and added in a whisper, "And Dad and Barry nearly broke up this summer, so there's some residual fighting I'm just as glad not to be around for." He hadn't dared to write about that in his letters, but after his accidental revelation during last year's ill-fated date, Charlotte was the only person on the planet Danny felt able to talk about it with. As far as the rest of the world knew, Dad wasn't even dating anyone, never mind one legal contract away from married.

"Barry moved in with us during Holly's first year here," he confided, so Charlie could better understand the situation. "Dad and him met during the first season of Street Beat. He's one of the writers." Daniel grimaced, "But not the one responsible for the Carry episodes this summer. Were you watching? I think I was the only person not fooled into thinking Dad could be straight."

He scowled down at his plate and stabbed violently at a piece of lettuce, as if the salad were personally responsible for Barry's doubts. "Late July was kind of rough. Sorry I took so long to reply those couple of weeks. I didn't want to say anything bitter that you wouldn't have understood, and I'm too paranoid to write about Dad in my letters."

He took a deep breath and forced a smile. He was a professional actor, so it didn't even look difficult to do. "They've mostly worked it out, though, and Carry's out of the picture on the show, so things are almost back to normal. There's just some snipping going on. This is why I will never marry an actress and I'm going to quit being an actor once I graduate. Frankly, I'm surprised Barry stuck around this long without having a big blow up before now."

It occurred to him belatedly that Charlie had probably been expecting her question to be largely rhetorical. Maybe there was something to the theory that Charlie herself was responsible for his overly truthful reactions last year. "Sorry. I don't have anyone to talk to about it. Not even Holly knows about Dad. And since you do . . ." he shrugged. "I guess I needed to tell someone. When Mom gets a divorce, I can talk to Holly about it, but with her being mixed up with that WAIL group, I didn't think she was the best person to confide in."

1 Daniel You weren't hiding very hard 130 Daniel 0 5

Ian

May 12, 2009 12:37 PM

Step 3: Ignore silly advice. by Ian

Information noted in Ian's notebook regarding Jera Valson:

1: She was the daughter of the current Headmistress.
2: She was a third year in Aladren.
3: Her favorite professor, according to the yearbook, was her mother. (Ian had rolled his eyes at the time, when reading through the album. Plainly, she'd choose her mother. To not do so would be awfully telling, and while not impossible as an option, would certainly not be very wise.)
4: Voted, in previous years, as Most Bashful and Most Logical. (Ian had shared the latter title with her, so he'd been forced to extrapolate that the voting must, in some way, hold some truth to it.)
5: She had brown hair and brown eyes.

Beyond those details, Ian knew very little. Having neither a friendly manner or gregarious attitude, he'd managed to associate very little with his house mates, and even his year mates, beyond enforced class activities. Jera struck him as a quiet person, which could easily translate into associated adjectives such as brooding, plotting, secretive, or even his preferred taciturn. She was a girl, however, and as such, took a place in his newest notebook titled The Good, the Bad, and the Impossible. Currently, she was listed in a fourth category labeled a spare 'Eh'.

Ian bent to retrieve the dropped folder; it must have fallen when he'd removed his notebook earlier. After a half minute dedicated to inspecting its contents thoroughly, he pushed up his glasses and attempted to appear agreeable. He wouldn't learn much without some semblance of friendliness, he reasoned. "You're right, Jera. Sorry." The words still landed abruptly, probably due to their infrequent use from his lips.

Equally as abruptly, he dug through the basket intended to bribe Amelia with, and withdrew one of the chocolates, wrapped in a delicate gauze of chiffon and silk- two materials completely out of place being coupled with a confection, in Ian's opinion. "Have a chocolate." And, two beats later: "What do you think of this new professor being made Deputy Headmaster?"

It didn't occur to him that his question would sound suspiciously like milking a source, and considering Jera's relationship with the ultimate source of knowledge and information at Sonora, it would only be reasonable to suspect him of such.

0 Ian Step 3: Ignore silly advice. 0 Ian 0 5

Edmond

May 12, 2009 2:20 PM

Two is company. by Edmond

So Cassie had two sisters, too. Veronica and Delilah. Just knowing a few small facts, like the sisters' names and the habit Veronica had of sometimes blaring the Wireless, made her seem more familiar and therefore less intimidating. It was a pleasant change; though he could still hardly say he knew Cassie well, at least his sister wasn't the only soul in the room he was on speaking terms with anymore. He gave her a grateful smile for letting him off the hook over the rambling.

"Never," he confirmed when she brought up rooming. "Or been around other boys, really. I have Jane and two sisters, but no brothers or anything." Of course, he doubted brothers or roommates could do much more in the way of getting into his stuff than Jane had, so that might not be much of a problem to get used to. Jane was great for making sure his relative importance in the family didn't go to his head. "So that'll be an adjustment. The family wouldn't have let me come here if they didn't think I could handle it, though, so maybe it won't be too bad."

Edmond wasn't actually sure that was the case, but the idea was to make them both feel better about it all. The family, as a whole, hadn't wanted him to go to a real school at all this year. Robert and Julia had somehow talked them into it in the end, arguing that marriageable girls went to schools and that he couldn't learn how to interact with people in a social setting from a book, but he had heard Thomas was not best pleased. After all, look at what had happened to Gwen. She had been a good girl until she came to Sonora, and then all hell had broken loose.

He, of course, wasn't going to be like that. He'd spent his entire life learning about his responsibility to the family and his debt to Robert and Julia, neither of which gave him a lot of room for going wild. Pity the family wasn't overly inclined to take the word of an eleven-year-old.

"I don't think they can throw us out of the House, though," he said. This was something he was more sure of. "One of my sisters is in her seventh year here, and she's always sworn she's nothing like the other people in Pecari." Always was, of course, from the end of July to the present, but he felt no compunction to share that bit of information. "My sister who's graduated was in Crotalus, too, and she isn't that... conventional." Morgaine had talked much more about Gwen and Gwen's school years than she ever had about herself.

0 Edmond Two is company. 0 Edmond 0 5

Clarissa Marigold

May 12, 2009 2:26 PM

Talking to a second yearer by Clarissa Marigold

"Hello James," Clarissa replied brightly looking up, studying his face. "your in a year above me, right?, That's the second year, I probably sound stupid but this place is amazing, much bigger that i imagined". she thought he looked kinda geeky and he was talkking to me, a first yearer, he either had no friends or they were in the wagons that were running late. Clarissa considered the food on her plate, as James had said it was quite unhealthy but she thought she might as well spoil herself on her first day, after all she didn't want all the food to go to waste! However, she added a few crackers, some fruit and looked at the main course options. As everyone else was gorging themselves on lasagna she thought it was probably a safe bet. Clarissa scooped up a healthy sized portion and deposited it on the side of her plate, placing iceberg salad on the other side as a final addition.
Having finished making her selections, Clarissa returned her attention to the boy. "So, what's the best thing about being at Sonora then?"
Clarissa was being polite, but didn't want to encourage the second year too much as at her previous school she'd made friends with a girl who was quite neeky and unpopular and as a result Clarissa had been left out by everyone else as well. Clarissa smiled politely at James whilst chewing on some lettuce and looked around to see if any other first years were about.

0 Clarissa Marigold Talking to a second yearer 0 Clarissa Marigold 0 5

Bridjalyn Tuppin

May 12, 2009 4:41 PM

meeting Mike and Connie by Bridjalyn Tuppin

Despite her amusement at how her European greeting had clearly unsettled the poor boy, Bridjalyn maintained a straight face. When he rather dramatically held up his hand to stop her flood of questions and then started proclaiming his rules “no touching of my person” It got even harder to keep her face straight but she managed it with the utmost concentration.

She quickly resettled into her comfortable seat near the girl who had been about to introduce herself. As the boy sat down too, and started to respond to her questions she breathed a silent sigh of relief glad that it looked like there wouldn’t be any trouble on her first day. His answers might be clipped and irritable but it was probably just due to hunger and at least he had introduced himself. But as she heard his next words, she raised her eyebrows and again found herself battling to keep a straight face. Here he was giving orders again, this time to the first year who had defended her. She just bet that wouldn’t go down well. He was clearly a slow learner!

With anticipation Bridjalyn waited for the response, and it was not long in coming. At first it seemed the girl who introduced herself as Connie ( a very pretty name Bridjalyn thought)was going to ignore it as she pleasantly moved the pizza within his reach but then seemingly ignoring him and talking directly to Bridjalyn she launched her attack “ For example I think we should find out if he’s ticklish”

As Connie started tickling him Bridgie lost her battle with keeping a straight face and burst into peals of giggles, that she just couldn’t control. The shock on his face was hilarious!

\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Bridjalyn Tuppin meeting Mike and Connie 0 Bridjalyn Tuppin 0 5

Tawny

May 12, 2009 5:59 PM

As is my mouth by Tawny

As soon as Tawny finished introducing herself, she shoveled a fork full of lasagna into her mouth. Of course, that was the moment Insomnia chose to ask about her family.

Fortunately, the new Pecari was still chewing and had a moment to think it over. It was easy enough, really, Tawny did have plenty of family at Sonora, she just didn't know any except Pippa and she certainly didn't want to claim her as they'd just start comparing her to Pippa too.

Nothing said she had to give details though.

She swallowed. "Um, yes, I have one sister and several very distant cousins." There was no telling who that one sister was. Tawny was pretty certain there was another Brockert girl currently in the school. At least, she was hoping so. She vaguely remembered a girl who was a few years older than Pippa from a family wedding they'd gone to a few years ago. Her surname was Brockert right? One from the patriarchal line? That said, she didn't know what year or house that girl would be in, and didn't give them any more details.

11 Tawny As is my mouth 148 Tawny 0 5

Juri

May 12, 2009 10:25 PM

It is a good source of troubling fun. by Juri

A look of understanding crossed over Juri’s features when Euna mentioned that the summer had been very long and still too short. While it wasn’t the same for him as it had been for her, he could relate to the generalized feeling. It was an odd one when actually thought about. How could something be too long and too short at the same time? But that’s how summer had been. He felt like he didn’t see enough of either parent, yet even with the time he did get, it seemed like too much, especially when the guilt was laid on thick.

Though, he had to say that he was glad that through it all, he hadn’t had to put up with anything like hurricanes. The worst that ever happened in Pennsylvania was a tornado and to say how often they hit, well, he had never even had to seek shelter from one. However, he supposed it was all in what one was used to. It was quite possible that Euna would choose a summer filled with hurricanes than to endure the long, cold winters that he used to have to endure before coming to Sonora, but the Executioner did a well enough job making visits seem like them.

Maybe she needed something like the place that he was currently studying to chill out. It seemed so incredibly tranquil. “Looking at this, it’s hard to believe that anything could destroy it, even nature.” His mom was always talking about how it was humans that were killing the world. Maybe things like hurricanes were nature’s way of fighting back? It was certainly an interesting thought, but one that would have to wait for another day since he had other questions. That was one of the problems or maybe an advantage about Juri. He was observant.

“Thanks, I would,” he said, tucking the postcard into his pocket before moving on. “So, you help out?” It was more of a rhetorical question, but brought him to what he really wanted to ask, “Does your brother help out too?” Having a such a small class was an advantage in knowing who was related to who. It also brought about wishful thinking like how he always wanted to have a sibling. Maybe it would have made everything easier to go through or maybe it would have made it worse. Being muggleborn would have meant leaving them behind.

0 Juri It is a good source of troubling fun. 0 Juri 0 5

Talitha Cumni

May 13, 2009 1:54 AM

Surprise! by Talitha Cumni

Talitha stepped into Cascade Hall. She was late. Her wagon had some sort of spell malfunction and was delayed for repairs over Reno. Not great for her nerves. She still hated to fly. She got there just as Professor, no, Headmistress Powell announced the prefects. She smiled at her friend, Lutece’s shocked expression as she found out she’d just been named Prefect.

Good for her Talitha thought, genuinely happy for one of her oldest friends at Sonora.

It seemed like a lot more time had passed that just two years. Everybody she knew before looked so grown up! And the firsties! Was she every that small? How she wished she could have owled everyone and stay in touch, but it was against the rules of the spiritual center. She found out she’d been accepted and barely had enough time to let all of her friends know where she was going and why she wouldn’t be able to contact them until she returned home which was last night. Barely enough time to pack and hop the rickety old broken down wagon.

Talitha had been invite to an intensive training course on the ancient art of Indian Medicine. Not medicine in medical, but spiritual Medicine. She would be allowed to keep up with her normal studies, but even though there was a kind of magic in Medicine, no witchcraft was allowed as it might confuse the mind and soul and inhibit the journey except during study times.

She and a large group of other Native American teens, muggle and wizard, lived on a anthropological preserve in the Midwest, on the banks of the Mississippi river. They and the elders lived as the ancient Sak/Fox nation did about four hundred years ago before the European encroachment. So communications with the modern world was not allowed, magic or muggle. Owl went with, but he was just her companion. Talitha could tell it was wearing on him with nothing to do but be an owl.

It was an amazing experience. One she would never trade for the world. But she missed school and her friends so much it hurt. She’d grown too. She was far more mature than she had been and was healthier, stronger from all her living off the land. Healthy well-balanced living and working your fingers to the bone with no modern conveniences had it’s advantages.

She found that keeping her hair cut shoulder length was way more practical in the outdoors than growing it out. Her warm brown hair was sun streaked with honey blonde highlights. Her skin was much browner and complimented her turquoise sundress she wore under her robes. Her muscles were leaner, stronger. In fact her daddy had joked that she looked like she’d spent her time at a health spa than at a camp.

Since everything was done by hand and there were no souvenir shops to be had, Talitha had made gifts for all her special friends. They would find them on their beds when they got to their houses. There was a woven bead friendship bracelet for Charlie, a more elaborate one for Lutece, a flute for Jae, a bag full of rune stones with totem symbols for the Headmistress as was the HOH of Crotalus and her surrogate mother for four years and a very special surprise for Adam. Oliver was the hardest. Talitha loved her friend dearly, but had no clue what he might like that she could make that he would like. She settled on some really decent looking but completely useless arrow heads in different kinds of stone. They were among the thousand attempts she made to finally make on she could use for hunting. Perhaps he would like them for the effort or for the historical significance. Anyway, she hoped so.

She watched Lutece sit next to Oliver. Good. They still tolerated each other. No. There was something different. Something in the way they looked at each other. Talitha’s smile broadened. This was even better than she hoped for.

Quietly, she stepped up behind them and covered each one’s eyes with a hand. She bent between their heads and whispered, “Guess Who.”

0 Talitha Cumni Surprise! 102 Talitha Cumni 0 5

Jose

May 13, 2009 2:49 PM

Not full yet by Jose

Jose glanced over at the lasagna the other two seemed to be enjoying, but he thought he spotted meat in it. And there was definitely cheese. He took another helping of salad instead and chewed on a bite of that while Tawny mentioned her sister and distant cousins.

"Cool," he said after swallowing the lettuce. So Tawny had a sister and some cousins - Jose considered any cousin a cousin, no matter how distant - and Nia had potential secret relatives of unknown identity. He glanced over at Nia, "Well, if you want to borrow my relatives," but that was rude, so he added to Tawny, "or if you want some more, I've got Saul and Simon. Simon's the groundskeeper. He's pretty awesome. And Saul's in the seventh year and a prefect, so he can probably get away with anything." He grinned conspiratorially at Tawny, "According to him, none of the Pecari prefects are huge sticklers for the rules." In fact, he'd kind of gotten the opposite impression.

He shrugged at Nia. "He's got nothing bad to say about the Teppenpaw prefects either. Pepper, Briony - she's the Head Girl, and his girlfriend - and Eavan are all supposed to be super awesome." Jose shrugged. "But, according to Saul, everything about Sonora seems to be super awesome, so I don't know how much stock to put in that."

0 Jose Not full yet 0 Jose 0 5

Cassie

May 13, 2009 5:54 PM

Then, what's three? by Cassie

Edmond’s admission made her feel a bit guilty about being worried over sharing a room with other girls. While she hadn’t shared a room, she had been around other girls whereas he hadn’t been around other boys. Though, maybe it was a good thing that he hadn’t, because otherwise they might not be getting along so well at the moment. Actually, they might not have met at all yet since he would probably be talking to other boys in the year rather than to her. At the moment, she much preferred it this way simply because it gave her a fighting opportunity for friendship.

Growing up, there had been other children in the neighborhood, but she hadn’t really been friends with any of them. It was more than likely due to her intense nature. Just like Veronica, she could be quite bossy at times, but it was a different sort of bossy. Hers was the kind that came from wanting, no, needing, to have everything perfect whereas her sister’s came from wanting control over others. Thinking about it, she didn’t think either of them was deemed appropriate for roommates. But it was good to know that they couldn’t be kicked out for such things or by the way it sounded, anything really aside from major rule breaking.

Cassie breathed a sigh of relief, before commenting about his sisters, “Wow. You have a sister in the seventh grade and another one that graduated? They’re practically adults.” There was no actual practically about it since the older one had to be over seventeen if she was graduated. Though, it confirmed her suspicion about his family. She suddenly felt very insignificant next to him. Finished with the potatoes, she looked around for something else to eat, more just to find something to do with her mouth so foolish things wouldn’t come spilling out of it. Spotting the chicken, she took a rather large piece. Picking at it would keep her quite busy.

Giving her time to think, she was able to come up with more reasonable questions rather than focusing on his family’s reputation, “If your sister is nothing like the other people in Pecari, then why is she in that House and what’s that House like or Crotalus? You’re lucky to have older sisters that could tell you all about Sonora before you got here. That way you’ll have no surprises. Unless you like surprises, of course, then it completely ruins all the fun. Personally, I don’t like them at all.” That wasn’t entirely true. She liked them when they were good. It was the bad ones that took away from the entire surprise experience.

0 Cassie Then, what's three? 0 Cassie 0 5

Mike

May 14, 2009 12:16 PM

Anger Management might be in the works. by Mike

Mike took the proffered slices of pizza without complaint, his stomach winning out against his bad attitude. Two cupcakes quickly followed, and alternating between the two, he tuck into his belated dinner, paying little mind to the two first years he had (unwisely) chosen to be his victims. Granted, he had only intended to bother the first one, Bridjalyn, and the second- Red, he continued to call her mentally- had rallied to the first's rescue. Still, now he was stuck with two completely cheerful, unbothered, and not crying first years.

His intentions had been thoroughly spoiled, and the comfort of pizza and cupcakes was only helping a little.

Mike nearly choked mid-bite when he felt a sudden invasion of his body. Little hands were attempting, unsuccessfully, to tickle him; instead of inducing laughter, though, his irritation only tripled. For the second time that evening, he leapt into the air to distance himself from unwanted touching.

"Try to pay attention," he bit out, his words landing in heavy chops of consonants and vowels. "There is to be no touching of me. No hugging, no kissing-" His cheeks still reddened from the thought. "-and definitely no tickling. Geez, what the hell is wrong with-"

Mike broke off abruptly, his gaze caught on the Aladren table. His sister was sitting- and smiling- with that Juri creep. His dark eyes narrowed suspiciously as he saw his sister pass a familiar object across the table. That postcard- the very one she had been fiddling around with the whole plane flight and for half the summer; she'd bought it for him? That creep? Hell, Mike had never worked with the guy in class, but he knew enough about him to not like him.

For one, he was far too friendly with Euna. For seconds, Mike didn't like the way Euna seemed to be acting around the guy, all smiles and quiet hope. It was annoying and unnecessary; Euna didn't need friends- she had him. She was his particular and exclusive toy, for all entertainment and subsidiary purposes. And he didn't feel like sharing. The first years were ignored as he continued to glare across the room, his fists clenched.

0 Mike Anger Management might be in the works. 0 Mike 0 5

Euna

May 14, 2009 1:13 PM

Too bad there's not a fast-forward button for it. by Euna

Euna nodded slowly, wondering how to explain the family business without delving too much into its closely associated history. The nuclear family was a dying establishment, but in her community, the nuclear family had rarely ever been the status quo. Family was family, regardless of the generation or current status. Siblings with families of their own often lived together, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law sharing the same dinner tables and morning commutes. Cousins grew up together as siblings. Grandparents were honored and taken care of by their children for the last quarter of their lives, and that pattern trickled down in a long succession of tradition.

Her family's situation, while similar in practice, was rooted in a less circumspect history.

Her mother liked to tell the story as an unfortunate tragedy:there had been a car accident shortly before Min Ae was born and so they lost their father to circumstance and fate and God and whatever else Euna's mother liked to attribute it to. Euna had been eight when she learned the truth, her broken Korean capable enough to understand the heated argument her uncle and mother had shared one late night in the food hut. The wedding ring her mother wore had always been for show; her father had abandoned them twice: first when her mother was pregnant with Euna and then again, when she was pregnant with Min Ae. Considering that both she and Min Ae were magic users, chances were their father had been a wizard as well.

But these were hardly the things of dinner time discussion; Euna somewhat doubted she'd ever find the subject palatable enough for vocalization.

"I wash dishes mostly and greet people on the boardwalk." Euna glanced down at her hands, brown from time in the sun and rough from a summer of working. They were small hands, with short fingers and unpainted nails; to her eyes, they were unattractive and ugly, and self-consciously, she hid them from view under the table, where they knotted in her lap.

"Min Ae helps. . .sometimes." Truthfully, he avoided Is-Ha Key like the plague; he hated being cooped up for so long, trapped in the heat of the oil pans and greased griddle. Min-e relished freedom and space. Boundaries and orders made him volatile and unpredictable. Her gaze drifted across the room to the Pecari table; she stiffened, eyes widening. Min-e was openly glaring, and nervously, she turned back to Juri. "He tends to work on the boardwalk with our cousin Bae, giving tours. Min Ae's not old enough to be a guide, technically, but the tips pay well and it's not as restricted, so. . . "

Awkwardly, Euna posed a question of her own, hoping it sounded more like interest than curiosity. "I never asked before, but what about you- do you have any siblings?"

0 Euna Too bad there's not a fast-forward button for it. 0 Euna 0 5

Elly

May 15, 2009 11:56 AM

Good like doughnuts by Elly

Elly grinned broadly and made a high pitched squee-ing sound in greeting when Merry joined them. Yet they were discussing rather important matters, so any further chit-chat could wait until they were back in the dorm.

"I think they're all great," Elly praised Saul's ideas while reaching for some sweet potato. She'd already seen Roni's tricks first hand so knew the small rodent would be up to the task, and while turning all the food into the Hall into Saul's favourite had some charm and appeal, she'd been hoping his sights were set on a more long-lasting legacy.

"I like it, too," she agreed with Meredith regarding the Quidditch plans. "We could all transfigure our hair pink or our robes into Elizabethan costume," she mused outloud, her eyes taking on the mischeivous glint which now must be so familiar to her friends; it meant she was plotting something. "As for normal games, we could use categories - that would be really confusing. Like Irene could respond to any vegetable, and Merry could be, I dunno, types of cheese or something," she laughed. It sounded fun, but it might get too confusing for the team to be able to focus on the names as well as the game, and that was just pointless.

The idea of Saul pretending to be Matt was enough to make Elly laugh right there and then, but she couldn't see their other housemates going along with it. Matt might be convinced - he liked a good joke as much as the next person - but Elly thought they might have difficulty convincing Danae and Caedence to join in. There was no harm in asking around, though. Elly was on the verge of suggesting they ask the seventh and fifth years, too, but then remembered who that entailed. She smiled, then said, "Sorry, was just imagining us trying to get Morgaine and Cissy involved."

True enough, Morgaine had been far less scary than normal in her concert participation, but Elly guessed that childish pranks weren't quite the same thing. And she would sooner fall of her broom again than have to spend more time with the Tarwaters than she did already.

0 Elly Good like doughnuts 0 Elly 0 5

Jera

May 15, 2009 12:18 PM

Maybe I should just leave by Jera

"You're right, Jera. Sorry," Ian apologised, though his voice was still rather harsh. Nevertheless, Jera couldn't deny it was an effort, so she forgave him. She wasn't prone to bearing grudges anyway. Then he offerred her chocolate, which again was a bit unusual.

"Um, thank you," she said, accepting the treat and folding herself into the empty seat next to Ian. She started eating the chocolate, despite there being an array of savoury food before her, and was surprised again by Ian's next question. She'd always thought he was a bit strange, and he was doing nothing to revoke that opinion.

"I think," she said carefully, not doubting that the question being asked had more to do with what she might know by dint of being who she was than to do with her own opinions, "that Professor Flatt will carry out his responsibilities well." She gave Ian a pointed look, explaining that she wasn't going to say anything else on the subject. His thoughts, of course, were a valid talking point. "What do you think?" she asked in reply, her tone light and conversational.

0 Jera Maybe I should just leave 0 Jera 0 5

Cynthia

May 15, 2009 12:35 PM

Yay indeed by Cynthia

When Cynthia was done helping herself to a decent sized portion of lasagne, she placed the dish aside so she could pass the salt back across to the other girl. This idle politness was tiring; Cynthia would feel much more comfortable in her dormitory, on her own, eating this wonderful food than in a crowded Hall with every fool and his brother allowed into the Academy.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember your name." Cynthia was far from surprised - she didn't exactly make pains to ensure people knew who she was; the opposite was often true. Neither did it bother her that she wasn't memorable. If anything, she felt relief that she wasn't the only one of them at a loss of a name.

"Then we're both strangers," she muttered flatly. Then, with an effort to uphold the civilized manner they'd conducted so far, she said, "I'm Cynthia Smythe." She felt a strong urge to add, 'please don't judge me by my relatives,' but managed to supress it by inserting a forkful of food into her mouth. After a few seconds of controlled chewing, she added, "I transferred here last year." A short extract of information like that was always useful in placing someone.

0 Cynthia Yay indeed 0 Cynthia 0 5

Oliver

May 15, 2009 1:02 PM

You're right. by Oliver

"Okay, my mother and dad officially split, but dad's new apartment is hooked up to the Floo and he found an indoor arena I can Floo to for Quidditch, so that's good." Oliver knew her parents had been fighting for a while, so it was probably a relief for it to be sorted in what sounded like a final way. Lutece didn;'t seem that bothered by it either way, as she was talking about Quidditch already.

"Quality," Oliver replied, at a loss for anything else to say. Thankfully, Lutece kept on talking. He though he might be looking at her rather like a lunatic, and although he was doing his best to listen to what she had to say, all he caught was that it was about her siblings. They could have been climbing mountains or breeding flobberworms for all he heard. He zoned back in as his own sister was mentioned, and was saved the awkward moment during which he would have to figure out what she'd actually said by someone placing a hand over his eyes.

Well, over his glasses, really. Oliver had the advantage there that he got an extra clue, due to the hands being several shades darker than his own. And he would have swron that voice belonged to ... "Talitha?" he asked, his voice betraying his disbelief. She'd up and left with barely a word and he'd thought that was that for the time being. Oliver put his own hand around the wrist and removed her hand from his vision to get a proper look at her.

"Hey look who's all grown up," he said, unable to stop from grinning.

(OOC: *hugs!!*)

0 Oliver You're right. 0 Oliver 0 5

Charlotte

May 15, 2009 1:29 PM

Maybe I wanted to be found by Charlotte

Watching Daniel pile up his plate with salad, Charlotte cast a sorrowful glance at the chicken wings she'd dearly love, and instead picked up some pasta, high on the veg count, low in grease. Now that her show was over Charlie knew she could eat whatever she liked until auditions at Christmas, but she didn't want Daniel to think she was a pig. She would have to watch what she ate in front of him, that's all. No big deal.

What had been an idle question seemed to prompt Daniel into revealling quite deep stuff about his Dad's relationship. Charlie waved off his apology - she didn't mind at all. In fact, she felt quite priviledged to be the only person who know (despite the cringeworthy circumstances), and really liked the fact that Daniel felt that he could tell her this stuff. It also made her feel a tiny bit bad for not being honest with him - she certainly wasn't going to tell him about seeing Kevin over the summer. She'd had every right, of course, as she and Daniel weren't dating by any stretch of the imagination. But still, boys were fragile. Talking about ex's tended to upset them.

"I don't mind you telling me," she said, slowly eating the pasta, which did taste good, but that wasn't the point. "And you know I'll keep it to myself." Along with stories about Kevin and Greg and - that was enough about that. "And my brother thinks you sister's friends are weird," she added, careful not to implicate her brother as being opposed to Holly - that might be detrimental to any possible relationship Charlie and Daniel might have in the future. Charlie didn't want to put an end to something before it even began.

0 Charlotte Maybe I wanted to be found 0 Charlotte 0 5

Saul Pierce

May 15, 2009 2:06 PM

That is good then by Saul Pierce

Saul laughed. "Speaking on behalf of myself and Raoul, I'm going to veto pink hair. But Elizabethan garb or some other kind of elaborate costume is definitely possible. I can get costumes from my family, no problem, if we go that route." He grinned, "Elly's seen the costume van. We've also got hippie gear, and Simon could hook us up with pretty much anything else we might decide to try."

At Elly's mention of Cissy and Morgaine, Saul smiled, too. "Yeah, I doubt they'd go for it. Holly, either. But if we did other Houses as well as other years, we could maybe bring in the Warrens," he nodded at Irene since they were her cousins, "possibly some of the Teppenpaws, and maybe some more of the Santoros. Even if they don't want to pretend to be someone else themselves, we can get them in on the prank enough so that they call the right person by their relatives' or friends' names."

The more he thought about it, the more Saul like the Big Switcharoo idea. "I doubt they'd go for it, but I bet it would be funny if the Geoffs switched. Or maybe the Joshes or the Joses. Can you see little Hose trying to pass himself off as Matt's twin brother?" He laughed, "Or Josh S going to first year classes?" Saul could almost do the former, but definitely not the latter.

For Meredith's benefit, he pointed down the table at his cousin again, since he thought she might have missed the kid's initial introduction. "Hose is the newest California Pierce at the school. That one there in the John Lennon glasses. Pecari, of course."

1 Saul Pierce That is good then 82 Saul Pierce 0 5

Edmond

May 15, 2009 5:21 PM

A party or a disaster. by Edmond

"Yes," Edmond said, nodding as Cassie summed up his sisters and their situations. "Morgaine - the seventh year - turned seventeen a few days ago, and I think Gwenhwyfar's a little over eighteen." He couldn't say he knew how old Gwen was because he wasn't entirely sure about her birthday, but he felt sure enough it was in the spring to assume that she was still eighteen. Eighteen just sounded too old to be his sister's age, but it really wasn't. Since his birthday fell in December, he would also be eighteen when he left Sonora.

The way they were spaced out was odd, really. He was about six years younger than Morgaine, who was only a few months more than a year younger than Gwenhwyfar. They also failed to look at all alike - though Gwen looked almost as dainty as Morgaine in the pictures he'd seen, she wasn't as small in stature, had blonde hair and blue eyes, and didn't have so much as the look of her eyes in common with Morgaine in the face. He'd heard that he looked just like their mother while Morgaine took after their father and Gwen was almost their father's mother made over, but any stranger who just looked at the three of them would have never assumed their surnames were the same, never mind that they were all full siblings.

In blood, anyway. In reality, he couldn't see that they had much more in common with lives than they did with looks. He felt something for them - they were his sisters, and what kind of person felt nothing for his sisters? - but the day-to-day fact of the matter was that Jane, who barely had any blood in common with him at all, felt more as if she was his sister.

He considered Cassie's questions. "I don't really like most surprises, either," he admitted, deciding that would make a good place to start. "But Mor - er, they didn't tell me too much. Morgaine told me a little about the Houses, and I did some research on my own, but I think I'll get to have a lot of surprises here, too."

He thought back to what he'd heard or read about all of the Houses. "About the Houses...Morgaine doesn't know why she's in Pecari, since she thinks she belongs in Aladren. They're supposed to be sort of...rowdy." That would do. It wasn't a perfect word - he preferred to use words that didn't have a bias attached - but it would do. "A lot of Crotali are from the old families, conform, follow the rules, and sort of do their own thing away from the rest of the school."

Actually, Morgaine had described the Crotali as a psychotic sorority of repressed, would-be political socialites, but a more biased description was hard to imagine. Besides, there had to be some boys in the House.

"It might be really different in our year, though," he was quick to add. "I suppose we won't know until classes start and we get to know everyone."

0 Edmond A party or a disaster. 0 Edmond 0 5

Pippa

May 15, 2009 9:02 PM

Re: Yay by Pippa

"It's nice to meet you, Maiara." Pippa replied. She wasn't quite sure what else to say after that. Even after a year at Sonora, she still really wasn't used to socializing with people around her own age, aside from Tawny of course. In fact, Pippa was never around many people aside from her own immediate family unless she was at school at all. It was kind of intimidating, even now.

She wondered if Maiara was feeling that way too, since she was new. Pippa remembered how nervous she'd been her first day. Tawny didn't seem so at all. Maybe that was why she was in Pecari, she was braver than Pippa, bolder.

She took a bit of salad. Pippa wasn't that hungry between the general excitement of the situation and the fact that she was still kind of upset about Tawny ignoring her. Plus she had a small appetite in general. It wasn't as if she was unhealthily thin and never ate, she just didn't have a voracious appetite and she didn't have much of one now.

"So, where are you from?" Pippa inquired. "Does your family go here too?"

11 Pippa Re: Yay 132 Pippa 0 5

Insomnia Zannicci

May 16, 2009 12:11 PM

Picking by Insomnia Zannicci

Insomnia listened quietly to Tawny's and Jose's exchange, allowing her mind to digest and store all this new information. She was glad to know that the prefects all sounded decent as she really didn't want to stress about behaving perfectly all the time - she never managed it. Despite being friendly and good tempered in general she had been called "hot headed" and "rash" in her time.
Insomnia poured herself some water and sipped, shivering slightly at its coolness. "Gosh this water's cold" she mused, mostly to herself.
Insomnia picked at some slices of kiwi fruit although her stomach now felt uncomfortably full. She was starting to feel stiff and squirmed, shifting awkwarldy in her seat. She zoned out slightly from the conversation, too tired to concentrate, and wondered how the twins were getting on back home.

0 Insomnia Zannicci Picking 0 Insomnia Zannicci 0 5

Helena

May 16, 2009 1:13 PM

Verily by Helena

Cynthia Smythe. Nice name. Very...Crotalus. Helena nodded recognition of Cynthia's transfer status. "I thought so," she said. "But I was so busy last year, I forgot that I'd gotten a roommate half the time."

That wasn't quite true. She had always liked having a room all to herself at Sonora very much, and Annabelle's moving in had definitely been noticeable. In practice, though, an extra bed in the room hadn't really affected her. She had, as she'd told Cynthia, been insanely busy the year before, and most of the time she'd spent in her room had also been spent in a dead sleep.

Things would be slower this year, though. Geoff had warned her sixth year was still tough, but there wasn't the level of pressure associated with CATS present every last second of every last day. With Anne, whose mere presence out on a Pitch turned the entire game into a grim matter of life or death, gone, Quidditch might even become less stressful to her and everyone else. Maybe, at this rather late point in their school careers, she and Annabelle could make friends now.

Or, considering her ambition to be Head Girl, maybe not. She would just have to wait and see.

"I'm Helena Layne," she said, figuring it would be polite to introduce herself now that Cynthia had. "The Assistant Quidditch captain." That would do for a bit of info about her; that she was related to the Head Boy seemed obvious, since his name had been announced a few minutes ago. "Did you have a cousin or something in the Concert last year?"

16 Helena Verily 88 Helena 0 5

Marissa Stephenson

May 16, 2009 5:17 PM

...Though not from embarrassment. by Marissa Stephenson

As she entered the...dining hall (cafeteria really was not the word) of her new school, Marissa Stephenson felt quite sure of three things.

First, this was the most beautiful room she'd ever set foot in. The marble floors, sparkling chandeliers, and waterfall fountains covering the windows even topped the huge Atlanta ballroom her cousin's debut had happened in. Next to all of this, her old private school seemed as dingy as she'd heard public schools were.

Second, she felt sick to her stomach and probably had quite a few bruises. To look as nice as it did, Sonora Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry left a lot to be desired in its way of getting its students to school. She and her wagon hadn't taken to each other at all in the long ride from Georgia.

Third, she wasn't supposed to be here.

Right now, she was supposed to be languishing on a beanbag in Aria Redmond's floor, eating hors d'oeuvres and helping all her friends celebrate the beginning of the second full month of sixth grade. Supposed to be dancing around with a few of the others while Bella DeMarco sang karaoke off-key and honestly thought she sounded just like whoever she was imitating. Supposed to be texting her best friend, Addison Crymes, all the party details while Addison was home sick, at least until her mother called to make sure she was fine and about to go to bed.

In the bigger picture, she was supposed to be researching a variety of New England prep schools. Supposed to attend one of them and room with Addison all the way through. Supposed to go to Yale, finally doing the one thing she was sure her sister, Paige, never would by breaking into the Ivy League.

Those things were her life. The life she had always planned on. The life her parents had always wanted for her to have. Instead, though, a letter had been hand-delivered to her a month earlier and everything had changed at once. Now, she was an eleven-year-old witch at a school for them in Arizona. It still seemed unreal.

She took the cup of bubbly liquid she was presented with at once, then looked at it uncertainly with her wide gray eyes for a moment. The bubbles almost made it look like a brand of soda, but the more she looked at it, the more sure she was that it wasn't anything like that. It made no sense for them to all be handed sodas upon entrance - didn't most schools condemn soda anyway? - and that wasn't the least of it. Everyone else seemed to be drinking it, though, and she knew she was going to stick out if she continued to look at hers. Closing her eyes so she wouldn't think about what she was doing or swallowing, Marissa drank the substance down.

Finishing it, she lowered the cup from her lips and waited. She didn't feel much different than she had beforehand, and the gentleman who'd given them the cups was silent, but the consumption of the drinks must have had some purpose. After a moment, Marissa, geting nervous, looked down at her hands and inadvertently gasped aloud. They, along with her skinny wrists, were bright red.

Feeling herself start to shake all over, Marissa forced her frozen lungs to take in a deep breath and let it out slowly instead of all at once, as they wanted to. As she looked at the other students, she saw them begin to turn colors, too. Aside from the other reds - she wasn't the only red person, thank goodness - there were blues, yellows, and browns. The other students, as a whole, didn't seem too upset by this.

There was a rational explanation for the sudden mass change of coloring experienced by the sixth graders of Sonora.

As she started to notice color groups making their way to the same tables, a voice spoke right beside her. Startled by it, she turned and found herself looking at one of her fellow reds.

Apparently, she had something in common - there had to be a reason for certain people to turn the same color - with the would-be poet of the year. She liked reading, but using the kind of similes and metaphors in speech that she could read in a poem had never occurred to her. It sounded strange. At the moment, though, everything was strange, so why not toss in some simile? "Mine, too," she said, holding up her hands as proof. Her silver bracelet slid down her wrist, becoming lost in the long robe sleeve. "Do you know what it means?"

16 Marissa Stephenson ...Though not from embarrassment. 147 Marissa Stephenson 0 5

Maiara Landon

May 17, 2009 1:19 PM

Well... by Maiara Landon

"I'm from Brakenridge Orphanage in Ada, Oklahoma. Miss Hannah, my mother, says I came there alone. No one else in the Orphanage has the powers I have." She nodded as she finished her sentence, pushing her food around her plate nervously. She cleared her throat and shoveled in some food, if only to occupy her mouth.

She didn't like telling people she was from an Orphanage, it usually made people look at her funny. She just told them she was adopted, which people seemed to take to better. Her shady lineage wasn't a good topic. She didn't even know who her parents were, much less how she had come to be called Maiara. She only knew the inside of a dark car, the lamp posts flicking light in the windows every few seconds.

She held onto that memory, always trying to see if she could remember faces. Miss Hannah had told her she'd been dropped off in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain. Miss Hannah brought this up a lot, mostly, she said, because her perm had been ruined by retrieving her.

Maiara glanced back at the Pippa girl and smiled. This was her chance to make friends. Friends who didn't get adopted and never see her again. Friends who could help her excel, not slow her down with goodbyes. "Do you have family here?"

0 Maiara Landon Well... 0 Maiara Landon 0 5

Mere

May 18, 2009 11:30 AM

Marvelous even. by Mere

Meredith sent Elly an amused glance at being called to as different types of cheese during a Quidditch match to confuse the other players. Strange and silly, but she wouldn’t write it off immediately. Back to prank matters, she wasn’t entirely sure what the costumes Elly and Saul mentioned would look like, not being much of a history buff and certainly not for muggle history, though the three years in Muggle Studies had helped. But just saying “elaborate” got her mind working.

“I think you’d look just darling with pink hair, Saul,” Mere said, feigning her lesson voice from Ms. Corona’s and then dropping it because she could only stand so much. “But if not, I got a cap from my brothers for my birthday a few years ago that turns your hair green.” It was lost amidst her things at home, but she could find it and it could be toyed with to suit whatever costume choice they made. One less spell to botch sounded good to Meredith and it would keep their hair colored all day. Max and Anthony were good at making spells last.

As she munched on another forkful of food, Mere smiled through her fork. The idea of having a school wide switch day was even more fun than just Pecari switching up. Despite all the people who probably wouldn’t play along, there were bunches more who would, including someone mentioned that Meredith didn’t think she could recall. Another Jose. Saul cleared it up…or tried.

“Pecari, of course,” she repeated with a smile, standing and leaning forward to see farther down the table. “The who glasses?” she asked and scouted for any outstanding glasses among the first years. As much time as she spent with her friends who were much more involved in the muggle world, Mere figured she ought to know more about it than she realized she did.

0 Mere Marvelous even. 0 Mere 0 5

Ian

May 18, 2009 12:01 PM

Wouldn't that involve unnecessary effort? by Ian

Ian made a brusque wave with his hand, annoyed by the obvious politesse of the answer. 'I think that Professor Flatt will carry out his responsibilities well.' What rubbish. That was no opinion at all- he frowned and resisted the urge to cross off her name entirely. He supposed (grudgingly so) that discretion and tact weren't entirely pointless traits in a person. They had their purposes, and he imagined that females, being considered second-rate to most, would need to use them more frequently. While Ian did not share the generalized opinion that women were the weaker sex (he knew the opposite to be true, what with his mother and grand-mother as prime examples), it was nevertheless a common enough thing that its influences could not be ignored.

For Ian, though, discretion and tact were unnecessary in his personal experience. Deception and honesty were the two strongest weapons in his arsenal when it came to dealing with people. Having successfully blackmailed his psychologist for years into doing his bidding, Ian knew without a doubt that his way was far more effective in getting what he wanted. It was in this mindset that he opted to respond.

"He's a plant," he answered bluntly. "I reckon the Cabinet's going to use him to keep an eye on things, but he seems kind of weak, so I don't imagine he'll be too effective."

Somehow 'friendly' and 'pleasant' had translated into weak in Ian's thoughts. Absently, he removed his thin framed glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It'll be interesting, nevertheless, to see what sort of propaganda he ends up teaching. Can't be any worse than Flatt Senior, I imagine- entertaining as he was. Had running bets on who'd be sent from the room sick or crying each lesson."

0 Ian Wouldn't that involve unnecessary effort? 0 Ian 0 5

Lita

May 18, 2009 10:14 PM

Just keep practicing! by Lita

Adelita laughed at Ethan’s quip, but was quick to hide her amusement behind a hand. She wasn’t sure why she always felt the need to stifle her laugh while at Sonora. She supposed because she thought someone would shush her if she laughed too loudly. Eventually, she’ll have to get over that random insecurity of hers.

Her eyebrows raised and her nose wrinkled slightly when Ethan explained that his sister had a crush on her Tio Mateo. The idea of anyone liking her Tio in that sense felt very foreign to her. It wasn’t that she wasn’t aware people would like her family, she wasn’t blind to what went on with the adults, but Tio Mateo was mean. He always dunked her in the water when she didn’t want to get wet. Always embarrassed her when she was dancing by yelling out her name. And he was constantly picking on her. No, her Tio Mateo was not someone Lita ever thought a girl could like. Of the twins, her Tio Jose was much nicer. He left her alone most of the time or would play with her when she asked. Not her Tio Mateo.

“Tia Izzy is in a band now. The Satyrs. That’s who she was auditioning for. She’s really good, so if your brother went, I’m sure he had fun.” Lita said rather matter-of-factly. She had never seen her Tia perform with her band until the video came out and she was able to watch it at her dance friend’s house, but Bella had sang in front of the family enough for Lita to get an appreciation for her Tia’s voice.

“Hip hop?” Lita asked, quick surprised that Ethan had thought of that dance style for her. “No, I dance Ballet and Contemporary. Although, maybe I’ll try hip hop. I’ve never really seen it done.” Adelita admitted to him, looking thoughtful. “Thanks for the offer to help, but Charlie dances Ballet too, so we’ll probably just practice together.”

OOC: Sorry for the wait.

0 Lita Just keep practicing! 0 Lita 0 5

Cassie

May 20, 2009 10:01 AM

Is it wrong to hope it would be a disaster? by Cassie

It was hard to imagine having a sibling that was eighteen. It was hard enough to imagine herself being eighteen let alone her sisters. It seemed like a lifetime away, but then so had coming to Sonora. When she had received her letter, she had read it over and over to the point that the piece of paper was folded up every which way. Sure, she had been anxious and scared about going, but she had also been excited. Because of that every day seemed to take forever so that the entire summer had been forever. It was as though it would never end and she would never get here, but she was here finally and there was just so much to learn!

Like how one couldn’t judge a person really on anything. There was no simple way of telling who was from a family of reputation and who wasn’t. It didn’t really matter to her whether or not they were other than she didn’t want to make some horrendous error, which would cause her to be a social outcast to prove Veronica right. Though, thankfully, she had yet to do so and her entire face lit up with a smile when she learned that she and Edmond had something else in common. She was keeping a mental checklist in her head. Thus far, they each liked creamy potatoes, had siblings, didn’t like surprises, and were in Aladren.

Then, there were the Houses to learn. They were sorted into them by whatever traits they might possess. She listened carefully as Edmond explained the differences between Crotalus and Pecari. The corners of her mouth turned down with the description that Pecari was rowdy. That didn’t sound good at all and she seriously hoped that neither of her sisters ended up there. She was more worried about Delilah than Veronica though. Deililah was a bit spunky when left to her own devices, which wasn’t often with her twin around. Maybe it wouldn’t matter what she was like, but how she behaved around her sister.

If that were the case, then they were sure to end up in the same House, which by the sounds of it, Crotalus was right up Veronica’s alley. She was a stickler for the rules, because to her, they represented power and control. It was a little scary, but for the time being, she was going to concentrate on what all this meant to her and those currently around her. She could freak out about the twins next year. Now, that she had an idea of classes, Edmond brought up another valuable topic, one that she wanted to ask about, “Have you done any research on the professors or know anyone that has?”

The latter part of the question was a subtle way of asking if he knew anyone already in their year. She had yet to decide if he did if it would be a positive or negative thing. If he did, then he might be willing to introduce her and she would maybe be able to be part of a small group. Of course, he might not want to and the reasons for him not wanting to were more extensive in her head. He might simply forget about her and go off with his friends or what she felt more likely to happen is that they would stand up and he would realize what a freak she was. Cassie was all arms and legs, too tall for her age.

She was taller than most of the boys, but then a lot of girls were, but she was taller than most of the girls in her neighborhood too. They tended to look at her like she was some sort of giraffe, but they were too polite to say anything or maybe they were just scared to get on her little sister’s bad side. It was rather explosive whereas she was rather calm in comparison. She wondered which category Edmond fell into, but she really didn’t want to find out. Actually, she didn’t want to find out what anyone’s temper was like. However, in theory, that would require getting to know someone first.

“Do you think it could really be different in our year?” Cassie asked. By the sounds of it, the other years stuck to their own Houses. Was it even possible to be different? Did she want it to be different? Did that open up the doorway to acceptance or rejection? Would it break down social barriers or just allow new ones to form? If the groups determined by House were broken, would that create the way for ones to be determined based on popularity or some form of social ranking? Would Edmond then be among those popular kids? It was all very disconcerting to think about and she really didn’t know which she preferred more. She really hated the unknown.

0 Cassie Is it wrong to hope it would be a disaster? 0 Cassie 0 5

Saul

May 20, 2009 12:41 PM

Fantastic, too by Saul

Saul made a face at Meredith when she suggested he'd be 'darling' with pink hair, but the expression turned intrigued when she talked about her brother's cap. A prank idea occurred to him that would work fabulously at home, but the people at Sonora had strange notions about respecting personal property and not wearing strange caps left lying around. If he did it here, Jose was probably the only person who'd fall for it.

“The who glasses?” Meredith asked, sounding baffled, when he pointed out said cousin.

"Not the Who. John Lennon." Saul corrected Meredith, the thought never crossing his mind that she might not be familiar with either of the sixties and seventies icons, or that he might have accidentally fallen into an Abbott and Costello joke. "I don't think anyone in the Who wore John Lennon glasses."

1 Saul Fantastic, too 82 Saul 0 5

Juri

May 20, 2009 1:28 PM

And waste moments like this? by Juri

Juri made a face at the idea of washing dishes. Doing dishes was one of his least favorite things to do, but one that was part of his chores both at his mother’s and at the Judge’s. Though, it beat doing something like using paper plates all the time. The Judge found paper plates to be a waste of money, which Juri didn’t really care so much about. His mother thought paper plates were harmful to the environment. She was always saying that there was no reason to make more waste than necessary and this is what stuck with him. They used energy saving light bulbs and cloth shopping bags. Maybe with magic, he would one day be able to do more.

The train of thought was interrupted when he noticed Euna looking over to the Pecari table. Following, he saw Min Ae starring back at them. The anger was obvious on his face. What the - ? Were they in the middle of having some sort of fight? That could explain Euna’s subtle change in posture and why she seemed avoidant about talking about her brother too much. He gave a shrug. It wasn’t really worth worrying about. At least, not yet, not unless he became aware that he was part of the problem. Then, well, things probably wouldn’t be very pretty. For as quiet as he was, he sure wasn’t shy about voicing his opinion.

For now, though, he concentrated on Euna. “Yeah, that makes sense, not wanting to be restricted.” He could understand not wanting to be restricted. When he visited his father, it was like a complete shift for him. He could imagine how it would feel if he weren’t an Aladren, but rather a Pecari. He always got the impression that it was near impossible for them to sit still so anything even a bit restricted had to feel like a prison. A brief smile of amusement crossed his face as he thought about the idea of being a Pecari and being in one of those military schools his dad was always going on about. He didn’t think Juri had enough discipline as it stood.

Perhaps, the Judge would have thought less of the discipline if he did have siblings. “No, I have the misfortune of being an only child. My mom never remarried or anything after the divorce. My dad did, but they don’t have any kids. I’m not sure if they even want any.” One of his mother’s comments stood out in his mind. She hadn’t said it to him, but to one of her friends about how it was best that his dad and stepmother hadn’t with the limitations of that household. The children would probably end up desperately unhappy. He couldn’t deny that it would probably be true. He was any time he was over there.

“Maybe it’s for the best anyways. If I had any, I’d have to leave them behind every school year. I’m…muggleborn,” he admitted. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of the fact, but he had quickly learned that in the magical world, some people didn’t take well to the fact to be anything less than pure. He found it all rather silly since they were all just people, but it wasn’t as though societal importance didn’t exist elsewhere, so he just took it all in stride and left it all low key. “What about you? I know there’s Min Ae, but any other siblings? Anyone else that I’ll be meeting when you act as my tour guide to Florida?” He grinned, the corners of his eyes creasing, to let her know that he was teasing.

0 Juri And waste moments like this? 0 Juri 0 5

Ethan

May 21, 2009 2:39 AM

I hear it makes perfect by Ethan

He thought it was a little weird that someone who seemed as outgoing as Lita would be afraid to laugh. He saw girls do it all the time back at his elementary school. Beth Slauson even went so far as to try and not laugh, which always ended up as some strange nose snorting. Why anyone would think that was better than laughing was beyond him.

He laughed in return at Lita's face when he mentioned Eavan's crush. He probably shouldn't have mentioned it, but it was already out, and Ethan really didn't have room in head for apologies or regrets. In fact, it was about time that one little secret got out. Her diary the past few times he's read it, had been pretty dull.

"Yeah. Pretty sure he did," Ethan said simply. Actually he had no idea. Earl had been pretty tight-lipped about the whole trip. Ethan assumed it was because Earl was lording over everyone that he was an adult and didn't have to tell anyone anything anymore. He had found Earl's Satyrs cd in their room one day and he and Elliot had a listen. If that was her Tia singing and it was the same girl he saw in the yearbook, then he was sure Earl had a great time.

"Ballet, huh? Cool." Though Ethan though it far from cool. All that ran through his head was men in tights. Decidedly not cool. But it was all right for girls. And he was very glad Lita turned down his offer of help. Was he not thinking when he said that? Most likely. He knew Charlie by the sole fact that she was in the same house and year. Another person he really should be talking to.

"Let me know if you ever need an audience. I'm sure I can drag my brother out to see a couple of pretty girls dancing." Ethan smirked. That may not be such a bad outing, actually...

0 Ethan I hear it makes perfect 0 Ethan 0 5

Daniel

May 21, 2009 9:19 AM

Well, in that case, you didn't hide just fine by Daniel

Daniel gave Charlie a small smile - more of a brief quirk of the side of his mouth, really - when she assured him she didn't mind being his confidante, and that his secrets were safe with her. It began more distinctly a smile and warmer as his sister's friends were deemed 'weird.'

He huffed a short laugh. "Weird is one word for it," he agreed dryly. "You and your brother are too polite. She's a little princess." His tone made it clear this was not a compliment. He rolled his eyes and poked his fork at his salad, shaking his head. "Holly and I are . . . well, it's complicated. We usually don't get along - we're either too alike, or too different, and I honestly don't know which one it is - but, sometimes, we have a common enemy. When Mom's going through a divorce is really the only time we actually like each other."

He shrugged and stabbed another piece of lettuce with his fork and brought it up to his mouth. Before taking the bite, though, he looked at Charlie and asked, "What about you? Do you and Oliver get along? Is he your only sibling?"\r\n\r\n

1 Daniel Well, in that case, you didn't hide just fine 130 Daniel 0 5

Elly

May 24, 2009 8:20 AM

Like Mr Fox by Elly

This was the best; Elly continued to laugh along with her friends as more ideas were fed into the prank discussion. She could work with green hair, and she hadn't doubted for a second that they could ask Simon's help with costumes.

Elly giggled a little more as Saul and Meredith confused themselves around Jose's glasses - she could see where they were losing each other but wasn't going to point it out. Instead she pushed aside her finished sweet potato and her leek crumble, and reached for a large chocolate chip muffin. She took a moment to wonder whether other students would be wary of sweet treats found in the Hall from now on, and doubted her inhibitions prank last term would ever be traced back to her. Still, she could always claim glory for her deeds once she'd left the school.

"Okay, so should we start asking around to find out who'd be interested in the identity-staling prank?" she asked round a mouthful of chocolate chip. "We could aim it just before midterm, or sooner, if you like." Midterm pranks were always good because people weren't often around over the holiday to dwell on things that were supposed to be fun. Laughing about it and then going home was the best way to go. Still, this name switching idea and the Quidditch robes maybe weren't so much about Saul as they could be. He was the one leaving them, and he should take more glory. Elly decided she would think on it later - maybe she could find someway to surprise him? Without getting him into trouble, of course, but to ensure that he was remembered at Sonora... not that this was really an issue. Being the Guide, Pecari prefect, Quidditch Captain and Head Boy campaigner could do a lot to make a person memorable.

0 Elly Like Mr Fox 0 Elly 0 5

Jera

May 24, 2009 8:33 AM

Unnecessary? by Jera

Her pseudo-answer didn't seem to go down too well. Though Jera knew all about diplomacy; she wasn't going to be ruining anyone's future by saying something silly. Ian, on the other hand, didn't seem to be worrying about anyone's futures, and spoke his opinion about Henry Flatt quite plainly. It was even quite funny, the way he was so abrupt, and Jera smiled when she replied, "I don't think he's weak." True enough Henry Flatt wasn't forbidding nor menacing in any way, but he'd had an impressive history. Plus he had at least given an appearance of having control over Thaddeus Flatt - a feat no teacher had ever accomplished - and he was well connected. No, Jera didn't think he was weak. Whether he would be effective would reveal itself in time.

Though perhaps Ian didn't have a high regard for many people, because he didn't seem to think much of either Professor Flatt. Jera hoped he was joking about making bets on upset students - if he was joking then it was quite funny, but if he was being serious then he was quite horrid.

"Professor Flatt," Jera said, referring to Flatt Senior, "had some unorthodox teaching methods, which might have been outdated, but his knowledge was second to none and students usually achieved high grades in his class," she said, as always trying to be fair and see the other side of the story.

But talking about teachers was becoming dull. Not to mention there was a possibility they could head into dangerous territory. So Jera, deciding to stay, helped herself to a pasty of some sort and looked to change the subject. "I don't really like History that much, though," she confided. "My favorite is transfiguration. I'm so disappointed that I can't take Runes this year," she said with a shy smile. "I was really looking forward to being top of the class in something."

0 Jera Unnecessary? 0 Jera 0 5

Cynthia

May 24, 2009 8:45 AM

... looks around for a subject title... by Cynthia

So they'd finally gotten around to names. Helena Layne. Cynthia repressed a grimace. So the Laynes weren't exactly a family of an social standing - Cynthia was fairly sure she'd overheard unpleasant gossip about a girl who was probably Helena's younger sister - but as far as school went they were as good as Raines. Only a few minutes ago some relation of Helena's had been announced Head Boy, and Helena herself had proclaimed to be big in Quidditch. That was fairly cringeworthy in itself; Cynthia knew it was no secret at Sonora that her cousins hated Quidditch and even campaigned against girls playing. Hopefully her own reputation hadn't followed her to Sonora, but Cynthia couldn't be sure. In lieu of anything to say she simply nodded in acknowledgement at Helena and continued steadily chewing her lasagne.

"Did you have a cousin or something in the Concert last year?" Oh good grief they were still talking.

"Several," Cynthia replied with as little emotion as she could. Helena was probably referring to Amelia's abhorrent represenation of Professor O'Leary in the Crotalus play, but Dana had also performed with Pecari. Neither example was redeeming, and Cynthia felt the first hint of pleasure at Lucas being named prefect for Aladren; at least that was something she could tell people without feeling shame.

0 Cynthia ... *looks around for a subject title*... 0 Cynthia 0 5

Charlie

May 24, 2009 9:00 AM

Yay me by Charlie

Charlie was pleased her comment about Holly didn't seem to upset Daniel. She probably wouldn't mind anyone insulting her brothers, not in the slightest, but boys were supposed to look out for their sisters. Daniel admitted that he didn't get on well with Holly, and that was fair enough - Charlie could understand.

"I get on with Oliver just fine," Charlotte said. "I mean, he is mean to me sometimes and I tease him of course, but he's much nicer than Julian. He's our older brother," Charlie's voice rose at the end of the sentance so it sounded like a question. "Julian thinks he's too cool for magic or whatever," Charlie shrugged. She'd had a really tough time trying to convince her parents to let her come to Sonora, and she blamed Julian for that as much as she blamed them. Just as well Oliver had a brain between his ears or she'd be stuck a Muggle forever.

"Oh, I wrote about Julian and his new girlfriend Amy in one of my letters," Charlie suddenly remembered. Then with a blush, she added, "I guess I forgot to say he was my brother." She laughed. "I don't just write about random strangers." She had probably written something scathing about how Amy was far too nice to be with a loser like Julian and would dump him soon. Charlotte wasn't exactly sympathetic towards the person who'd spent most of her life being a bully.

0 Charlie Yay me 0 Charlie 0 5

Jethro

May 24, 2009 9:09 AM

I think it was the potion by Jethro

The girl was all red, too, which caused Jethro to believe he wasn't an anomoly. He was supposed to be red, and this girl was supposed to be red. There were other colored girls and boys around them, and the red ones were going to sit at a table with older students. "I don't know what it means," Jethro replied, "but I do think what it means and I think it means we have to go and sit over there." He gestured with his thumb and then with no hesitation he did as he suggested and went to sit with the other red people.

Finding an empty seat (because he didn't want to sit on someone else) Jethro sat down and then saw the same girl again. Obviously she had thought his idea of going to sit down was a good one, because she had done it, too. Jethro didn't have good ideas very often so this made him quite happy. "You're still here," he pointed out to her with a smile.

He wanted to tell his sister that a girl thought he had a good idea and followed him, but his sister had told him not to talk to her so Jethro remembered that and didn't even look for her. Well, maybe a little bit, but he didn't see her so he gave up real quick. He looked at the girl again and her still being there made him remember that she was probably one of the people in his new class, and then he remembered that people had names. "You must have a name," he said to her with confidence. "Would you like to tell me what it is?" If she wanted to tell him her name then maybe they could be friends. Jethro thought that would be nice. He'd never had any friends.

0 Jethro I think it was the potion 0 Jethro 0 5

Marissa

May 25, 2009 12:15 AM

I think you're right. by Marissa

Following the boy to the long table she'd noticed before he spoke to her, Marissa only hesitated slightly before taking the seat next to his. They were near the other new students who'd turned red, and she could just imagine what the table would look like from above if the angle was enough to catch their faces. Like someone's not-well-thought-out attempt at originality in an art class, probably.

She blinked as her new comrade-in-arms pointed out that she was still present, then smiled back cautiously. A poet, man of action, and stater of the obvious. Interesting combo. "I know?" she said. It came out like a question.

Her equilibrium was all off. She knew it had been a really long time since she'd tried to do anything without someone she knew around - the last time had to have been the first day of preschool - but this was ridiculous. She was better than this. "So are you," she added, trying for levity. The attempt fell a little flat.

She reminded herself to breathe. If they hadn't thought she could handle this, her parents would have kept her at home. Her parents knew best, and they believed she could do this. Even Addison's final words at the goodbye party had been to that effect: you're Marissa and you're fabulous. She would be fine. A little social awkwardness tonight would be no barrier to a whole lot of fabulousness in the morning.

After a moment, the boy turned back to her and confidently stated his belief that she had a name before asking her if she wanted to tell it to him. "Um, sure," she said. It was a step in the right direction, exchanging names instead of just sitting there like a really awful reinterpretation of American Gothic. "It's Marissa."

She had never actually liked her name. It felt...awkward, a little too grown-up for her age and too pretty for her even once she grew up. Paige was definitely the sole heir to the Stephenson looks; her mother's coloring was still very much Alice's own, but that was the only feature of hers that her second daughter had missed out on. The problem was that the bony frame and prominent cheekbones that looked okay on her mother looked just plain wrong on her. Her grandmothers and aunts all insisted she was pretty, but that was part of the relative job description.

"What about you?" she asked. "Would you like to tell me your name?"

16 Marissa I think you're right. 147 Marissa 0 5

Helena

May 25, 2009 6:38 PM

twiddles thumbs by Helena

Well, at least there was one good thing about this evening. If Cynthia had intended to shriek about her being a lesbian or throw something at her, she'd have done it more quickly. She couldn't be sure where most of the other Crotalus girls stood on the issue, and transfers and firsties were, as the unknowns of the House, automatically to be regarded warily. If the more established members of the House wanted to riot over her position, they probably would have done it by now.

"That's nice," Helena said noncommittally. All she knew of the Smythes were that they were northern, they were richer than she was, and there were several of them at Sonora, at least two of which had been around before Salem closed and the transfers came. One was Cecily, who belonged to one of those power cliques that seemed to pop up every few years, and one was Lucas, who'd somehow brought the Wrath of Anne down on his head one time. She was sure Amelia had started at Sonora, but now which year she'd done it in.

"I just remembered that one of the girls from the Crotalus act was named Smythe," she said, deciding to give up. This was going nowhere, and while her social life was certainly in dire need of resuscitation, her academic life had to be a priority. According to her father, she would need to get looking for programs and scholarships this year, not next. And help Geoff with his; he had little patience for all of the propaganda and paperwork, and he'd leave it sitting on the back burner until they got out for midterm if she left it to him. Since that would land them both in hot water at home... "Enjoy your supper."

16 Helena *twiddles thumbs* 88 Helena 0 5

Euna

May 26, 2009 4:24 PM

I'll grant you that. by Euna

As far as sibling relationships went, Euna shared an odd one with her brother. Only eight months separated them, and yet their personalities were opposite extremes. Where she was withdrawn, Min Ae was outgoing; where she was insecure, he was confidence incarnate. Their dynamic was a constant give and take, with Euna holding an exclusive position in the former. She didn't mind it for the most part, because despite Min Ae's bullying and lack of consideration, he was surprisingly gentle with her when it mattered. When classmates had ostracized her for her odd clothes and shy ways, it was Min Ae who sat with her during recess and lunch. Granted, he would often eat half of her meal, or do something like cut her shoelaces, but he was there when she needed him. She could depend on him, no matter what, and it was this fact that allowed her to overlook his more immediate failings. Failings that included unreasonable possessiveness, a sullen neediness, and a complete lack of consideration for her wishes.

Despite those flaws, though, she had never wished to be an only child. If anything, by the expression that crossed Juri's features, she imagined it would be a lonely thing indeed to be an only child, and she was lonely enough as it was.

Muggleborn. Her dark eyes glanced up slowly, Juri's hesitation making the word sound low and unseemly. Having been the victim of prejudice more times than she'd like to remember, Euna had thought that wizarding society would be above all that pettiness. Instead, it was almost worse. There was such an importance placed on blood, and yet no one could explain the science of it to her. What was it about her blood that made it any less equal in status as compared to someone who called himself a Pureblood? It seemed unreasonable to her, that in a group as small as the Magical community, that there were still such boundaries being placed.

"We're the only ones with magic," she answered, misunderstanding the question at first. A sheepish flush filled her cheeks when she realized what he really meant, the gentle teasing only increasing it further. "Oh, you mean my family, right? Um, there's my mom, my uncle Haneul, and my cousin Bae. But I'm really not much of a tour guide. I could cook for-"

Euna's words were cut off abruptly by a sudden interruption.

"No one's taking you on a tour, because you won't be visiting. Come on, Euna." With an expression of pure animosity, Min Ae reached down and yanked Euna to her feet, her fork dropping with a clatter on the ground. His other hand scooped up her bag, his angry gaze never leaving Juri's face.

Mortified by the rude display, she tried to appease her brother, whispering under her breath. "Min-e, stop it; you're hurting me." His grip loosened immediately, some of his anger dissipating at her tone. To Juri, she tried to apologize, a thin smile stretching her lips. "I'm sorry- I should probably go now anyway; I need to unpack. I'll talk to you later?"

She had no chance to hear his reply as she was literally pulled from the table and toward the exit. Five minutes later, her arm was finally released, her protests having landed on deaf ears for the entirety of the journey. Min Ae never bothered with an explanation, merely leaving her deposited in front of the library with the curt order: "Don't talk to that guy anymore. He's no good." He stalked off immediately after, and Euna was left with her hands pressed to her cheeks, equal parts embarrassed and perplexed.

What would Juri think of her after that?

0 Euna I'll grant you that. 0 Euna 0 5

Ian

May 26, 2009 5:08 PM

Funny, I don't recall stuttering. (^_^) by Ian

Jera, Ian decided, was kind of boring. Perhaps it was due to being raised by an academic, but she was entirely too diplomatic, and her follow-up conversation was full-on small talk. It was exactly the sort of thing he avoided at all costs, having neither the patience or temperament to pretend at caring. There were very few things that grated on him more than being asked inane questions about the obvious, like weather and dinner times and vague comments regarding the state of the universe. Outside of ward-casters, those traveling in the Gulf of Mexico during the summer, and meteorologists, who honestly cared about the weather? It was just silly and hugely a waste of his time.

And it bothered him how very tactful she was; how could anyone talk about Flatt the Elder and not think the man was a special kind of lunatic? Ian had liked him, no two doubts about it, but as a professor, he was entirely the wrong sort- even if Flatt had been terribly entertaining. Jera, it seemed, lived in a special place where politesse was a Pavlovian response to any comment requiring the rendering of an opinion.

Ian sated some of his irritation by helping himself to seconds of the asparagus. Nothing soothed him quite like vegetables.

"Grades are irrelevant," he declared after finishing his second bite. "They're hardly a trustworthy gauge on one's knowledge of a subject. Maybe you're a bad test-taker, maybe you dislike public speaking- maybe you don't particularly care to spend all your free time bent to a parchment discussing the finer points of ashwinder tongues. You're plenty clever as it is. A class level isn't going to change that."

Ian's words were fairly self-serving, as his class performance was entirely dependent upon whether he was interested or not. He considered his time extremely valuable and was not about to lose whole periods of his life to discussions about pygmy puffs. "Runes would have been a decent sort of subject to study, I'll admit. Its practical applications to the insurance industry aren't explored nearly enough."

0 Ian Funny, I don't recall stuttering. (^_^) 0 Ian 0 5

Tawny

May 26, 2009 5:57 PM

Pick, pick, pick by Tawny

"Oh that's good" Tawny replied to Jose's comment about the prefects not being sticklers. There was nothing more irritating than having to worry about being good and following the rules all the time. It did not come naturally to Tawny. She wasn't like her sister who seemed like Little Miss Perfect.

It seemed unnatural to Tawny too that even Pippa could be like that. Was she even human ? The Pecari had known her sister all her life, and to Tawny it didn't seem like it was an act, so she just had to go with the older girl really being that boringly perfect.

Maybe Pecari wouldn't be so bad after all. It seemed...relaxed. Tawny's own upbringing had been fairly sheltered and her maternal grandmother was pretty involved in it. And Gloria Winslow Royce was from one of those very old traditional families. The kind with all these irritating rules that Tawny found silly and difficult to remember.

"Are there many rules?" Tawny asked Jose. "What about people you have to watch out for?" She never asked Pippa these things naturally, being that they didn't have that close a relationship. Besides, Pippa never would have told her anything remotely negative about anyone. She was too darn nice , the kind of person who would only say the best about something. It was so annoying, especially when Tawny wanted the real dirt on something or at the very least a fair warning about something.

"Gosh this water's cold"

"Pardon?" Tawny asked. Nia had seemed to be drifting out of the conversation and she'd sort of forgotten the Teppenpaw was there.

11 Tawny Pick, pick, pick 148 Tawny 0 5

Lita

May 26, 2009 10:10 PM

And what does this 'Perfect' look like? by Lita

Adelita nodded her head when Ethan stated that his brother had fun with her Tia. It only seemed natural to Lita that such a thing would be true, whether or not the facts were known. As far as Lita was concerned, having fun while with her family wasn’t an option, it just happened. Of course, she was biased with that fact, but she had never heard any complaints when it came to her family. Then again, she never really listened anyway.

“Have you seen the video?” Lita asked for conversational purposes (and because she was a little bit proud to be related to her Tia) to Ethan. “I had to go to my friend’s house to see it because we don’t have a picture box, but I really liked it.” She hadn’t seen much of her Tia this past summer because of how busy her Tia had been, but she was still very proud and support of her career as much as she was with all her other Tias and Tios careers.

“I like Contemporary better.” Adelita admitted, even though she was fairly certain Ethan had no idea what Contemporary really was. “It gives you more freedom of movement than Ballet does. Less restriction.” Lita loved to dance and the older she became, the easier it was for her to find her own rhythm. It was just easier to find within Contemporary than it was in Ballet. Eventually, she would be able to dance her own solos without even thinking twice about the way her body moved. For now, though, she had to keep on practicing and the sooner, the better. She had perfected the pointe over the last year and a half, now she had to perfect everything else. Especially if she wanted the solo in the summer recital again.

Lita glanced at Ethan for a moment, thinking over his proposal. It wouldn’t hurt to have a fresh pair of eyes to look at her dance before the audition come Christmas. But, she wasn’t sure if the Valentine twins knew how to critique. Still, “I’ll keep you in mind. Sometimes it helps to have people watch to get the kinks out, you know?” Lita commented. “So, Ethan, now that you know I dance, what do you do for fun?”

OOC: Not sure if you noticed, but I did post Bella. If you aren’t going to reply, then no worries.

0 Lita And what does this 'Perfect' look like? 0 Lita 0 5

Ethan

May 27, 2009 3:15 AM

Well it's...uhhh...hmmm... by Ethan

OOC: I noticed, and I will respond unless you'd rather we just figure things out OOC.

IC:
It took Ethan a second to realize what a picture box was. He still had trouble with people who hadn't been born into a mixed family. He knew everything and still found it weird that Lita or anyone else would'nt know what a TV was...or Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans. It was weird, but funny. 'Picture Box' was what Taylor had referred to the tv as for a few months. "Naaa. Didn't know there was a video. I wanna see it though. Was it done professionally or did one of the band members have a video camera or something?

"I'm all for less restriction," Ethan said with a hint of a smirk. He had wondered how in the world he had gotten into Crotalus when it's description said it was the rule-driven house. Maybe the potion first year had known something he didn't. But Lita was in Crotalus too and she didn't seem all rule driven.

"For fun? Anything I can get my hands on." Ethan said as the first thing that popped into his head. He tried to do everything for fun. It was why he didn't really do much in History of Magic. Boring. "I play video games when I'm at home. And Baseball. And I plan on signing up for the Quidditch team this year. Finally being old enough and all. You like Quidditch?" Ethan didn't really figure her for a Quidditch fan, but you never knew with some girls. With how tomboyish Eavan used to be, it was a huge surprise that she didn't immediately sign up for the team. Girls were weird sometimes.

0 Ethan Well it's...uhhh...hmmm... 0 Ethan 0 5

Jethro

May 27, 2009 9:52 AM

Do I get points for being right? by Jethro

"Ma-riss-sa," Jethro repeated, sounding the words out. It was like a snake, all hissy and slithery between his lips. She didn't look like a snake though - right now she looked more like a lobster. Marissa wanted to know Jethro's name, too. Puffing his chest out proudly, he said, "Yes, I would like to tell you. My name is Jethro."

Just then a lady at the front called for quiet and then did quite a lot of talking. Jethro zoned in and out of the conversation, doing a lot more looking around at the hall and its inhabitants. His attention was drawn back again when the name 'Lucas Smythe' was called out. "That's my cousin," he told Marissa. "Actually," he considered outloud, "Lucas is my second cousin, but we call each other cousin anyway. Maybe it saves time, but not if I have to keep explaining it afterwards." He was quiet again then because the clapping that had started finished again, and there was a bit more talking, and then food arrived.

By this point, everything Jethro had already thought about vanished entirely from his head because there was suddenly all sorts of edible produce before him. Never one to refuse food, Jethro began helping himself to the nearest dishes. He didn't have favorites, nor was he fussy - it was the eating that mattered, not what was being eaten. So after a minute or two his plate held onion rings, broccoli, prawn salad and some hazelnut cookies.

0 Jethro Do I get points for being right? 0 Jethro 0 5

Pippa

May 27, 2009 5:02 PM

Re: Well... by Pippa

Pippa instantly felt bad for Maiara. She couldn't imagine not having her family and growing up in an orphanage. Her family was everything to her, even Tawny, which is why it hurt so much that Tawny didn't want to be around her. She wanted that close relationship with her but her sister didn't seem to.

At least it seemed that Maiara had been adopted, though she couldn't imagine why the younger girl referred to her mother as Miss Hannah rather than Mom or Mommy or Mother or something along those lines. Maybe it was because Miss Hannah wasn't her real mom and it was normal to call your adoptive mother something else.

She decided not to pry and just answer Maiara's question instead. "I have a sister here. Her name is Tawny and she's a first year like you, but she's in Pecari. I also have some cousins," Third cousins really "Quentin is a second year like me. There are some older ones too but I don't really know them very well." Pippa didn't even know Quentin that well. She knew his reputation but it wasn't like they talked much.

11 Pippa Re: Well... 132 Pippa 0 5

Maiara Landon

May 28, 2009 10:20 AM

Ah... by Maiara Landon

Maiara smiled, setting her fork down and taking a small sip from her cup. People with families usually had friends, she knew this from previous experience. Her first friend at Brakenridge, Holly, was part of a little group, her brothers, Tanner and Caleb, being there with her. She was a very popular person.

Adjusting her clothes, Maiara looked around the room.

"So, where is Tawny? Or Quentin for that matter?"

Faces, that's what she needed. If she memorized faces, it was easier to remember people. She kept looking, mentally taking pictures of each face she saw and wondering if she'd ever learn half of their names. Her food was good, she dug into it heartily, in a much better mood than she had been in.

0 Maiara Landon Ah... 0 Maiara Landon 0 5

Marissa

May 30, 2009 4:47 PM

You can have a gold star. by Marissa

Jethro. Not exactly a name Marissa would have expected from another sixth grader; most of the boys she'd known had been Joshes, Calebs, Ryans, Adams, and so forth. All plain, low-maintenance names. There were deviations - she'd had a Seth and a Kurt, both of which didn't sound quite in-pattern, in her first grade - but overall, parents in her corner of the world did not do tradition or originality when it came time to name their children. Maybe he' been named for one of his grandfathers or something nice like that.

Before she could ask, they were interrupted by a witch she was assuming was the Headmistress. Most of the speech made little sense to her since she was unfamiliar with the ones being talked about, but she made note of the Head Girl and Boy and the prefects. Those sounded like important people. She jumped a little when Jethro informed her that Lucas, a prefect for Aladren, was his cousin and began to expand on the topic.

Her initial impression that he was very literal was in no way compromised by the expansion. She, too, called all of her second cousins 'cousin'; 'second cousin' sounded more distant, like she was trying to seem as little-related to them as possible. Plus, it was completely irrelevant info unless she went completely insane and somehow got it into her head that marrying one of them was a good idea, which didn't seem likely. She knew them too well. Besides, that was gross and, to judge by famous royal people, lead to a lot of really unpleasant genetic abnormalities. And wars.

Though she was hungry, Marissa eyed the food cautiously for a moment before reaching for the macaroni and cheese. She'd very seldom tried foods not prepared in her house or at one of the restaurants her family especially liked. Her parents weren't the type to try every new restaurant that opened in a forty-mile radius. But how many ways were there to make a bowl of macaroni and cheese? She piled pasta onto her plate and added a few cookies. If there was ever a night it would be okay to eat comfort food, her first night away from home was it. Still feeling guilty about the lack of balance, she added a slice of roast beef, being careful to avoid letting it touch her macaroni.

She took a tentative bite of the macaroni and felt her eyes widen in surprise. It was good! Not quite what she was used to, but good. Somehow, she had imagined that the food would be awful, the way her cousin Daniel always said dining hall food was at his college. Emboldened by the discovery of her school's culinary superiority, Marissa took another bite of pasta and glanced sideways at Jethro's plate.

Well, at least she didn't have to feel bad about not making a well-balanced meal.

Marissa took a sip of what looked like orange juice in her glass and immediately put it back down on the table. She'd no idea what it was, but it definitely wasn't orange juice they were serving. It wasn't a bad taste, but definitely an unexpected one. To get it out of her mouth for the moment, she slid her fork under a few more pieces of macaroni before she turned back to Jethro. "Do you have a lot of family here?"

16 Marissa You can have a gold star. 147 Marissa 0 5

Edmond

June 01, 2009 11:48 AM

I'm...probably not the best person to ask that. by Edmond

Edmond shook his head regretfully when Cassie asked if he'd learned anything about the professors. "I'm afraid not," he said apologetically. "My sister is the only person here I'd ever met before tonight, and she said the professors change too much to bother telling me about them. I think my family might have done background checks on them all, but I wasn't told what they found."

His tone was matter-of-fact as he mentioned the background checks. Edmond was used to people being slightly paranoid, especially when it related to his safety. After all, there was nothing but tradition to stop his father from at least trying to take him back, which the family, for some reason of its own, definitely did not want. They couldn't be sure his mother's family wouldn't try something, either, and it would be doubly bad if they did. Security was always a big concern, which was why he'd gotten the distinct impression that Robert and Julia's house was Unplottable and that not many people even knew it existed.

It was enough to make him feel slightly bad, sometimes. If they, for whatever reason, hadn't been chosen to take care of him, they could have had a normal life. Jane would have had inferior tutors, but that was the only drawback Edmond could see of not having him around. Of course, Thomas knew best and did what was best for the family, but what was in the best interests of the family wasn't always in the best interests of its individual members. He'd never once heard Robert or Julia complain, but it was still...uncomfortable to think of himself as a burden to them.

He had meant his comment on how things could, theoretically speaking, be different in their year just as a reassurance, but her question made him actually think about it. It was a pretty interesting question. "Well," he said slowly, "there is always the possibility for change. If we don't go in assuming the Pecaris will be vulgar and the Crotali will look down their noses at us and then have some of them turn out nice, there's no reason why we couldn't have a multiple-House group."

Edmond actually found himself warming to the idea. While a friend (potentially Cassie) would be great, friends plural would also be nice.

OOC: Ack, sorry for the wait. The evils of RL got me for a while.

0 Edmond I'm...probably not the best person to ask that. 0 Edmond 0 5

Lita

June 01, 2009 8:22 PM

So, it's not something you've seen by Lita

Lita frowned slightly when Ethan admitted that he hadn’t been aware of a video. She didn’t exactly know what or how the picture box worked, but she was under the assumption that if something was on it, everyone saw it. So, if Ethan had a picture box, why hadn’t he seen the video? It was all very confusing and even though her father was a halfblood, he couldn’t exactly explain it all to her when she asked about it. And now that there wasn’t a Muggle Studies professor, Adelita couldn’t even ask anyone while at Sonora either. “Um…I think it’s Professional. Her label put it together and it looked well done. But, I don’t really know what videos look like to know the difference.”

She didn’t know how to take his comment. Was he still referring to her dance method or was he now referring to something else? Boys were utterly confusing to Lita. She didn’t understand where their train of thought went or why they didn’t like nicknames. The only boy she had ever really communicating with and thought of as a friend, was Nick from dance class. And, well, she didn’t really think of him as a boy. She wondered if that was a bad thing… not thinking of him as his gender.

“Oh, I don’t mind Quidditch.” Lita commented lightly. “Tio Jacob is a Quidditch star out in Portugal. So, we go to his games a lot when we’re home during breaks.” Adelita actually enjoyed watching the sport because the adrenaline rush that one got by simply watching it was enough to get her hooked. But she would never actually play the sport. She was far too concerned about breaking her leg and it not healing probably by the medic to ever dance again. “What position do you play?”

0 Lita So, it's not something you've seen 0 Lita 0 5

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