Good to be back on Cascade Hall

Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau

May 17, 2013 6:25 PM

Welcoming Feast!! by Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau

The summer had come and gone in a blink of an eye. Kiva’s baby, Harper, had turned a year old over the summer and with her big day, was also the big day that Kiva would have to acknowledge that her baby boy (who was not so much a baby any longer and would murder her if he knew she still thought of him as such) was now eleven and old enough to attend Sonora. Since she was already at Sonora, the only difference would be seeing him and Chloe during the day instead of just in the evening for dinner, much like her older adopted children, Angel and Ayita. Still, it was going to be an adjustment to know her son and step daughter were that old now.

That also meant that this sorting was extra special to Kiva. Of course, she knew that they were worried about sharing a name with the Headmistress. Either people may treat them differently because of her or they would ignore them entirely because of her. Kiva never really saw any sort of change in the students behaviors towards Ayita and Angel, but they had already been established members of the school before changing their names when they joined the family. She supposed they would just have to wait and see.

Kiva watched as the returning students found friends and found seats, everyone chatting on to one another about their summers. She liked to watch them during these times because this is when they often seemed the most sincere. Soon though, the first years were being brought in by the Deputy Headmistress and most of the student body’s chatter died down knowing that the feast would begin soon. Kiva tried not to be obvious when searching out for her two children, but she smiled a little happily when she was able to find them standing beside each other. She knew she was being such a mother at the moment, but one couldn’t help it.

Charming herself to be heard, Kiva greeted them all “Good Evening, Everyone! For the returning students, I say welcome back and to our new students, welcome to Sonora Academy. For those who do not know me, I am Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau, but feel free to call me Professor K.” This was a standard greeting, but it was always necessary. She didn’t want to just jump right into things and be too overwhelming.

“Our first priority for the moment is to have the first years sorted.” Kiva turned her hazel eyes to the newest group of students. “In order for this to be done, I need for each of you to step up one at a time to your new Deputy Headmistress Pierce, who is also the Coach, and take a sip from the potion she will offer to you.” Kiva explained, nodded to Amelia to indicate who Coach Pierce was. “Once you have taken a sip of the potion, your skin will turn into the color of the house you will be spending the next seven years in. Once your house is indicated, please have a seat at your house table. Yellow is for Teppenpaw, blue is for Aladren, red is for Crotalus, and brown is for Pecari. Please, if you could form a line and begin…” She gestured for the first student to step up.

Once the sorting had ended, Kiva regained the students’ attention. “I would like to have Regina Parker and Derwent Pierce the Fourth to please come up here and accept your new Head Girl and Head Boy badges.” Kiva called out and when both students approached, she grinned and handed each their appropriate badges. “Congratulations to you both.” She whispered to them before having them return to their seats. “I would also like to have Henrietta Boxton-Fox-Reynolds, Meghan Brownbriar, Alexandra Deveraux, and Waverly Canterbury join me up here for a moment.” Kiva waited for the four to be standing at her side before continuing. “Everyone, I would like you to meet your newest Prefects. Congratulations to you four, please take your new badges.” Kiva gestured for the four to return to their seats.

“Before I announce the event this year, I’d first like to introduce everyone to our newest staff member, please give a warm applause to Professor Chambers. She is your new Muggle Studies Professor.” Kiva clapped politely before moving on. “This year’s Midsummer Event will be the Fair. Every Fair we’ve always done things a little bit differently than the last, but this year we wanted to bring it around again.” Kiva advised them, knowing they probably had no idea what she was talking about.

“That is to say, we’re having student run booths. We’ll have the Fair games and the carnival rides like normal, but we’d also like to have students to work together, whether it be with friends or on an idea that you find you have in common with someone, and create a booth for you to run throughout the evening. Obviously, the booths have to be school appropriate, but they can be of your talents or skills. Or they can feature your clubs. You can do food booths or games booths as well. Whatever you want, within reason.“ Kiva explained to them. “We’ll discuss this more as time goes on and if you have any questions, you can ask any professor or staff member.”

Kiva waited for any commotion over this news to die down. At least Quidditch was back on, so the students wouldn’t freak out on her again. “In honor of tradition, please refer to your music sheets as we begin the School Song.” Sheets of music appeared in front of the students. “Let’s begin.”

Every day we strive
Learning to survive
Life’s hardships and to solve its mystery.
Learning to defend
Our honour and our friends,
Flying high to meet our destiny
We will stand and face those who want to harm us.
We won’t let the world transfigure, jinx or charm us
I won’t fight alone, as long as you are with me.
Sonora be my home, my tutor and my spirit
Vasita quoque floeat; Even the desert blooms.

Once the song ended, the food appeared before them. A feast of great magnitude. “Please enjoy the rest of your evening. When it is time to head back to your Houses, your Head of House will call for your attention and bring you to your destinations. That is all.” Kiva concluded and then took her seat at the staff table.

OOC: Welcome First years! Please do not post on any other board until your Head of House posts his/her welcoming speech, which should be up in a week's time. Have fun at the feast and remember the site rules. Happy posting everyone!

Subthreads:

Disappointment and Recovery. by Alicia Bauer with Ava Fletcher

Getting a feel of things. by Emery Kijewski-Jareau with Emrys Lucan, Emery

Not sure what to do with myself by Ji-Eun Park with Clara Abernathy, Chloe Jareau

I love a good feast. by Adam Spencer

The Worst Possible Place to Be. by Charlotte Spencer with Virginia Bellrose, Ginny Bellrose

Unimpressed. by Leo Princeton with Eleanor Vandenberg

Completely enchanted. by Noxienia Verailles with Portia Dobson, Noxienia Versailles, Darina Porter

Looking for a firstie to overwhelm! by Waverly Canterbury

My last welcome by Maximilian Joshua McLachlan

Not the best start to the term. by Brianna Japos with Valerie Lennox, Brianna

Good to be back by Carter Browning

Starting as I don't mean to go on (wotw) by Francesca Wolseithcrafte with Amity Brockert

Overwhelming doesn't even cover this by Dimitri Porter with Julian Umland

A year of last goodbyes. by Fae Sinclair with Topher Calhoun, Fae

Fairy Tale Summer Gone Wrong (RORY) by Analea Thornton with Rory Royale, Ana

I spilled my guts... by Aubrielle Thornton

Like me only better by Effie Arbon with Isabel Raines, Isabel

Must be serious, they used my full name by Henny B-F-R with Andrina Thornton, Henny B-F-R

Seventh Year can only get better by Derry Four with Regina Parker

One last time (Tag Russell) by Hope Brockert

Once invisible, always invisible. by Thaddeus Luther Leebridge III with Thaddeus Pierce II, Thaddeus-L, Thaddeus-P

Will you pass the dressing? by Addison Thornton

Ooo! Bangers and Mash! by Abigail Thornton

Ummmm pie! by Clarissa Clark

0 Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau Welcoming Feast!! 0 Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau 1 5

Alicia Bauer

May 17, 2013 11:30 PM

Disappointment and Recovery. by Alicia Bauer

Normally, returning to school was one of the highlights of Alicia’s year, a blessed escape from the constant stress and anxiety and helpless fury of her summer vacations. She spent weeks looking forward to it, working up to it, spending as much money as she could get away with on clothes and supplies, packing and repacking her trunk, rehearsing the lies she would use at the Opening Feast and afterward when people invariably asked her about her summer. She read all her textbooks twice and triple-checked her homework and was, in her head, very nearly back in school already days before she actually got on the wagon and flew away.

This year, she had gone through all the usual steps in the last days of summer, but it hadn’t worked quite as well as it usually did. Spending part of that time making contingency plans for what she’d do if she failed at something else had kind of cast a pall over everything.

She had been putting her knowledge of medicinal herbs to good use to hold off the worst of her nerves about the prefect selection, taking valerian root three times a day for two weeks in spite of its awful smell and taste to try to keep herself calm as she approached this, but as she went into the Hall, made greetings, and smiled until it hurt, she felt like she hadn’t done a thing. Her hands felt unsteady, her stomach was in knots, and an overwhelming pressure seemed to have fallen on both her temples and her heart, making it hard to think, hard to breathe. Not impossible, but harder than usual, something she didn’t appreciate at all under the circumstances. Because this was her year’s night, it was a given that the Sorting was going to take three times as long as usual, and that the Headmistress would talk until all the food got cold and they had to eat it reheated when the elves finally got to send it up. And she would have to appear calm the whole time, not batting an eye out of place or letting her smile falter once. It was going to be extremely difficult.

Difficult, but not impossible. She applauded as little blue people joined her table, and then was shocked when, right away, Derry Pierce and his girlfriend were called to the front for their badges. No announcements first. Just them. So they would get their badges, and then it would be the prefects, and they were already at the table, so she had no time to compose herself –

”I would also like to have Henrietta…”

The words cut through the rising panic, momentarily freezing her in place as she processed them. Henrietta Boxton-Fox-Reynolds. Henny’s real name. She heard it so seldom that it was easy enough to forget, but that was Henny’s real name. She glanced at the line again, wondering if maybe this was something else, but no, there was the greatest rival who’d never know Alicia was competing with her, Waverly Canterbury. Nothing with Waverly Canterbury in it could be bad. She had lost.

Blood flooded into her cheeks, warming them as she watched her roommate go forward. She had lost. The only one in the family besides Aunt Helena – well, and Aunt Lavinia, but she was a Squib and didn’t count – to do so. She had known it would be close, had known it was between her and Thad and Henny and that they were both highly capable and real competition for her, but she didn’t think she had really believed until right now, when it had happened, that she would actually lose.

But Aunt Helena turned out the best of anyone, she reminded herself, a line she had carefully prepared in anticipation of this maybe happening. Never had she been gladder to be paranoid. And you have plans to get Head Girl anyway. And Henny is your friend. And Thad and Cepheus both lost, too. You can turn this around.

The thought calmed her, soothed her. It was going to be all right. She had plans. Big plans. By the end of this year, she would make up for everything she had ever failed at. No one would ever be able to say she had been insignificant, or that she was a failure on the bigger stage. She was going to make this work, and bring Thad along with her, if she could. He would not be happy right now, probably even less than she was, all things considered, but she could work on that. He appreciated her because she was smart, because she had the ideas; he would, she was sure, be counting on her to make it all right. And it would be. She refused to accept anything else.

She smiled brilliantly as she applauded for the new prefects and the new Muggle Studies teacher, noticing the lack of a new librarian. That would be the first thing they could do, she decided: she and Thad could go to Professor Fawcett to voice their concern about the library and seize control of the whole monitor program before Waverly or Russell had a chance. She hated to do it to Henny, but Henny already had a pretty toy….She nodded to herself as the Headmistress talked about the Fair. She could tie her Friends of the Library idea into that, maybe, and include more people, including Henny in that. That would work. If she could get Professor Skies in on another idea she’d had, then she would maybe have to cede the running of one booth to someone else, but as long as the staff associated her with the setting up of as much as possible, she could make that work.

She sang the school song, feeling better, then turned to the food, looking in vain for the cup of tea she badly needed at the moment to take the edge off her growing excitement and lingering nerves. It was late, so there probably wasn't any, but she craned her neck to see if she could spot anything hopeful-looking and smiled at her neighbor when she thought she did. "Hi, that's probably iced tea right there, isn't it?" she asked, gesturing toward what she meant.

16 Alicia Bauer Disappointment and Recovery. 210 Alicia Bauer 0 5

Emery Kijewski-Jareau

May 17, 2013 11:43 PM

Getting a feel of things. by Emery Kijewski-Jareau

Emery had heard about Sonora his whole life. His mother had been pregnant with him when she had been working here as the Deputy Headmistress, but left when he had been two. From there, she had worked as a Magizoologist locally where their home was. But she still always told him stories about Sonora, both from her childhood and from her stint as a Care of Magical Creatures Professor. Emery had even gone on a school trip when he had been a baby. He, of course, had no memory of it. Either way, it was of no surprise that he held the school in the utmost highest regards. From all the stories that he grew up hearing about the different sorts of lessons he’ll have to the look of the school itself, Emery had high expectations of what his life would be like here. He hoped it didn’t let him down.

The wagon ride was a little too shaky for his stomach, but he didn’t say anything because his siblings might make fun of him or treat him like a small child. He had never been one for roller coasters as he was easily ill with motion sickness (made portkey use interesting). His mother had thought ahead though and once he was able to sit down and put food in his mouth, he’d take the motion sickness potion she had pocketed to him prior to him boarding the wagon.

Now standing in the hall, Emery tried to take everything in. The first thing he had noticed, was his mother. It was inevitable. She stood in front of everyone. His green/blue eyes immediately went to her. And then, he noticed the waterfalls and the chandeliers as well as the marble flooring. He had never seen anything like it. Closing his mouth, he gave himself a quick shake. There was no need for him to look so… new. He knew Chloe was loving all of this. He had known his sister his whole life, well before she had become family. This was the sort of thing she thrived off of. The unknown. Not Emery, but even reading brochures and listening to his mom hadn’t really prepared him for anything. Seeing it was so different.

The sorting began and Emery found himself following along with the other first years until it was his turn. He took the potion and waited only for a moment before turning blue. Knowing that this was Aladren, Emery quickly made a beeline for the blue table and sat in an empty seat. Angel and Ayita weren’t in this house. Chloe managed to get sorted into Ayita’s house. He didn’t know if that was good or bad, but he felt a little down at not being in the house with one of his siblings.

The rest of the announcements were had, but Emery didn’t pay much attention to them and only muttered along to the song. His brain was till processing everything that had happened that it was difficult for him to focus on what was happening around him.

At least until his stomach rumbled and he was reminded of the last meal he had eaten. Sitting up, Emery looked around at the large variety of foods before helping himself. Turning to the student next to him, Emery smiled, “Good Evening. Are you having a good start to term?”

6 Emery Kijewski-Jareau Getting a feel of things. 259 Emery Kijewski-Jareau 0 5

Emrys Lucan

May 18, 2013 12:09 AM

Who, me? by Emrys Lucan

Emrys was the oldest child in his family and both his parents had been homeschooled, so he barley knew anything about Sonora at all- his paternal grandfather has been quite staunch in his belief that the United States would never match up to Wales, and so refused to let his wife send Emrys' father to Sonora. Meanwhile, Emrys' mother's parents had been just as much nuts about Arthurian legend as Emrys' mother, Morgana herself was. In fact that's where Emrys got his name- Emrys was one of the names that Merlin had had. So all in all, Emrys was a little nervous about attending Sonora. His grandfather had given him a very long lecture about making the Lucan name proud and Emrys was not at all looking forward to disappointing him- as everyone his grandfather ever spoke to did.

Nerves aside, he hadn't liked the wagon ride over as he was rarely fond of non-foot travel. Emrys enjoyed walking as it gave him fresh air- or horseback riding, as it made him feel closer to the characters of the myths that he held so dear to his heart. He'd wanted to talk to someone, but he had instead (stupidly) opted to read one of his many books in the first part of the ride and then spend the next part of it feeling quite queasy and as if he was going to throw up.

When the wagon finally got to Sonora, his nerves only intensified the queasy feeling that he had and he twisted his long fingers in desperation as he waited his turn to drink out of the cup. Color? His skin was going to turn color?? Emrys was not too sure how he felt about that. While he may not have liked his freckles, he thought that they at least were natural.

When it was finally his turn to drink, Emrys walked on shakey legs to the cup, looked out at the expectant faces of his new school mates, and nearly threw up. But he forced himself a sip and looked down at his newly blue colored skin. Gross. Which house was that again? Aladren? He hoped so as he didn't particularly want to be called out amongst everybody for accidently going to the wrong house.
Once seated, he sat there in awe until the boy sitting next to him turned and spoke.

"What? Huh? Me?" Emrys stuttered stupidly. "Um, yes. Alright. I nearly threw up on the wagon ride- my fault for choosing to read a book at the beginning, but then again I never really travel much by any means except foot." He paused, wondering if he'd said too much and then realized that he had never introduced himself and stuck out a shaky hand. "I'm Emrys Lucan."

10 Emrys Lucan Who, me? 260 Emrys Lucan 0 5

Ji-Eun Park

May 18, 2013 1:03 PM

Not sure what to do with myself by Ji-Eun Park

Ji-Eun cast her dark eyes around the Cascade Hall, surveying the sea of faces looking her way. She tried not to be nervous but it was hard enough starting at a new school, far away from home, without being lined up at the front for everyone to have a good look. She knew she would have to get used to that if she really wanted to be a pop star but then she would have something to do. She would have songs to sing that people liked. Right now she was just standing here. Plus she was well aware that her ambition was more like a daydream than a goal she was actually working towards. She locked her hands behind her back in order to keep herself from fiddling with her hair, which was split into two braids, each with a silvery ribbon worked into it. She had had to go for something that would weather the long wagon journey ok but had still wanted to make it pretty. She liked experimenting with fun hairstyles, especially ones sported by her musical idols. She tried to focus on the headmistress, rather than all the people watching them, listening to how they would be sorted. She watched as the Coach came out with the goblet. Her parents ran a shop selling potion supplies and she was sure they would be interested to hear about this. Although first there was actually taking it to get through. She knew it was silly to be scared of a Potion, at least in this context where she could be sure it was harmless, but she still had butterflies as she took a step forward. She took a sip, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise as her skin turned brown. They had been warned of the effect and thus it was not this which surprised her but rather the result. She was sure that when her brother arrived the year after next, he would be sorted into Pecari. She had expected Aladren or Crotalus and rather suspected her parents did too. She hoped they wouldn't be disappointed. She could hope that so long as she brought home good grades that would pacify them but it didn't seem like an auspicious start.

There was nothing to do about it, however, but make her way over to the Pecari table. She listened to the headmistress' speech, clapping politely at the appropriate points even though none of the names really meant anything to her yet. A fair sounded quite fun but the end of her first year seemed like a rather distant prospect at present. There were more pressing things like what her teachers would be like or who her room mates would be. And dinner. The food appeared and she scanned the table, finding herself a little disappointed. It wasn't that she'd really expected Sonora to be big on Korean cuisine, or that she was unfamiliar with the stuff there but they ate traditionally at home. When they went out to eat, it was usually to Asian restaurants and most of her friends at home were Asian-American too. She had tried American, Italian and all other kinds of food from time to time but none of it was her favourite. None of it was comforting or familiar and, hundreds of miles from home, she really would have liked something that was. Her mother had packed her off to school with plenty of kimchi (the pickled cabbage which was a staple accompaniment to every meal) and hot pepper sauce, not to mention piles of snacks, but it was all upstairs, as were her chopsticks and spoon. Not that she didn't know how to use a knife and fork just, once again, it wasn't what she usually did at home, and it all served to compound how far away she was, and how different everything here would be.

She helped herself to some rice and chilli. It was something she'd eaten a few times and, outside of the foods she was used to, was one of the things she liked better. At least it had some kick to it. She liked spice, so long as it was the chilli variety. Curry spices were different and she found them way too hot. She added peas and sweetcorn to her plate and stirred it all together with her fork, remembering her mother's words the first time she could recall having to use one at a restaurant - just think of it like a skinny spoon with holes in – then you only need to panic if you've got soup. Smiling a little to herself, she tucked in.

She looked at the people around it her. There were so many. It should have been easy to find one to talk to. Somehow though, it was harder. If there had just been her and one other person, it would have been logical for them to chat. Here, everyone could choose anyone. And she wasn't really sure how to make them choose her. Every time she looked up, people seemed to be looking a different way. She could have just tried to say something to catch their attention but her ideas of things to say pretty much ran out at 'hi' so if she used that to get their attention she wasn't sure where she'd go from there.

13 Ji-Eun Park Not sure what to do with myself 268 Ji-Eun Park 0 5

Adam Spencer

May 18, 2013 4:11 PM

I love a good feast. by Adam Spencer

As delighted as Adam was that Charlotte was going to school with him, he was starting to tire of her constant clinging. Normally she wasn’t this terrible, but Adam had never been in a situation where she would be thrown into a crowd full of strangers. Even when she was a bit clingy, he hadn’t minded it. After an hour or so she would relax a bit and learn to say actual words to people, but this time around she couldn’t shut up. She had asked him a million different questions about Sonora and his friends and the people he’d met and the school’s dynamics and the courses; it was getting really wearing. By the time they arrived at Sonora’s step, he was about ready to disappear no matter how mean that would be. This was definitely a new side of Charlotte he was seeing. She was usually calm and collected, though shy, and Adam liked being the only one who ever saw her talkative side. But she needed to learn to make some friends of her own now that she was going to a real school. He couldn’t coddle her forever.

He was a bit worried, but not too much. Adam had faith she would get to know her house-mates and classmates soon enough. If she didn’t, well, he would be there to support her as he always had been. Maybe he could even introduce her to some of his friends as he had in the past.

Summer had been lovely. He had romped around the countryside with his mates and their parents on holiday. He had brushed up his dancing skills, a good reminder of the ball he had come from, and told his family all about America. Charlotte had seemed fascinated, but he knew she was scared out of her wits. He appreciated that she didn’t go into a full panic attack, but he could see it by how white her face got at times and her fidgety hands. There were stages into her panic attacks that would always end up with her crying and Mum would scold her lightly for that, but Adam could understand her. His parents knew Charlotte was shy, but he wasn’t sure they knew the extent of it. They certainly weren’t aware she had a completely relaxed and talkative side to her.

At the entrance, Adam did feel a little bad leaving his sister on her own as he went to sit with the Pecaris, but she had her cat. She still had the sorting ceremony to go through after the announcements, and when it came time to do that Adam watched, hoping for her sake she would be a Pecari. She had hardly any qualifications, but if the professors knew how shy she was perhaps they would have some sympathy on her. Not to mention he was a little worried about what would happen if she wasn’t. Their cousin was going through the ceremony as well and Adam wasn’t surprised to see Leo turn Crotalus red. He would be with Cepheus; how fitting.

Adam’s eyes turned back to his little sister and he watched, holding his breath, as she took a sip from the potion. Her skin turned as red as Leo’s and Adam released his breath in surprise. Charlotte looked for him desperately in the crowd as her feet led her to the Crotalus table. When they finally made eye-contact, Adam frowned and pointed at Leo, hoping she would get his message. Now Charlotte would have poor Leo to cling onto. Though Adam didn’t know Leo very well, he knew enough that he’d better keep an eye on them both.

The headmistress began her announcements and Adam was pleasantly surprised by the Midsummer Event for this year. Student-run booths at a fair? At least Adam had all year to think about that and who he wanted to work with. He had enjoyed his dancing partners at the ball and he hoped to continue to make stronger friendships here. He usually didn't have a difficult time making new friends, but it was different here than back home.

The feast began after a hearty song and Adam settled into his seat, ready to tuck in. This was going to be his second year and he was going to enjoy it. He was going to join Quidditch now that it was back on, do as well as he possibly could in his classes and keep an eye out for Charlotte. On the grounds of socialising, Adam smiled a greeting at the person sitting in front of him. “Good evening. Did you have a pleasant summer?”

40 Adam Spencer I love a good feast. 257 Adam Spencer 0 5

Charlotte Spencer

May 18, 2013 4:14 PM

The Worst Possible Place to Be. by Charlotte Spencer

It had taken everything in Charlotte’s power to not run away screaming from the wagon to take her to school. She wanted to hide behind her mother’s robes and be home-schooled forever. But she had dutifully taken Adam’s hand with her brand new kitten in her other arm and followed her brother in, squeezing his hand so tightly she thought she would cut off his circulation. She was sure she was paler than normal too. Charlotte hated the trip to America, firstly, and hated the wagon ride as well. It was bumpy and uncomfortable and filthy and she wished the whole time she had stayed at home. Adam did bring a little comfort. She hoped desperately they would be in the same house so she could cling onto him as much as possible.

Charlotte’s parents had kindly purchased her a brand new kitten to accompany her to this unknown land. She had named her Missy and the kitten kept Charlotte’s fears at bay for a little while. She was such a darling little thing and Charlotte loved her immensely. Still, even little Missy could only do so much to keep Charlotte’s mind occupied and distracted from what was to come.

They arrived at the school and Charlotte followed after her older brother tentatively, feeling frightened with every step. She had to give up little Missy with the rest of her luggage that was to wait for her in Charlotte’s new dorm room, wherever that was going to be. When Adam left as well, Charlotte about had a heart attack, but stayed alive long enough to follow after her classmates, looking calm and collected though her face was white and she was fidgeting with her hands. Charlotte thought she would die of embarrassment when she was forced to stand up in the front of the hall with her year-mates. She was self-conscious and tried to still her fiddling hands, but she couldn’t. The sorting finally began and she was eager to take the potion and rush to sit by her older brother.

But alas, the Fates were against her and her skin turned scarlet instead. Charlotte blushed, feeling self-conscious again, and looked desperately at her brother who pointed over at the Crotalus table. It was cruel of him to not pull strings to have her sit by him and she was almost indignant. But she respected the rules enough that she stiffly walked over to the Crotalus section. She would have stood out anyway among the ugly brown colours of his house. At least her house’s colours were nice.

Both Cepheus and Leo were in Crotalus and Charlotte felt a bit comfort in that, but not much. Neither of her cousins were Adam and she didn’t know them that well. She took deep breaths, but found both of her cousins preoccupied with no empty seats available near them. She was fretting and panicking. She had never had to socialise with a whole school of strangers before. She had always had Adam by her side or her mum and now neither of them were there. Charlotte was very tempted to run back to her brother and beg him to take her home. She would write to her parents immediately, as soon as this feast was over. She couldn’t take it.

Charlotte sat down timidly at the table, unsure of what to do. The Headmistress began speaking and she listened attentively, but was aghast at the Midsummer Event. She had to create a booth? What sort of people were these Americans? She would have to ask Adam to get her out of it. She refused to sing the song, staring instead at her plate, and only looked up again when people had stopped and conversations began around her.

People were eating, so she did the same by piling food onto her plate. She wasn’t used to serving herself and she could feel her face grow hot as not all of her peas made it onto her plate. Her hand was starting to shake and she felt like crying. She felt so alone even though Adam was in the same room and there were so many people she didn’t know and she didn’t even know how to begin a proper conversation by herself. Her cousins had their own friends and she was the only one with no one. Not even Missy to comfort her. She put her plate down so she didn’t spill anything more and stared at her plate, feeling red-faced and not hungry at all as she fiddled with her hands again in her lap. She hated school already and no one could change her mind, not even Adam.

40 Charlotte Spencer The Worst Possible Place to Be. 265 Charlotte Spencer 0 5

Leo Princeton

May 18, 2013 4:18 PM

Unimpressed. by Leo Princeton

The moment Leo stepped into Cascade Hall, he yawned. That was probably a sign of how things were going to go here, but the trip here had been tiring. He’d talked very little during the entire route, opting instead to sleep or listen to Nellie chatter on about everything and Adam reassuring Charlotte that things weren’t going to be nearly as terrible as she thought. Leo had two older brothers who were fine with Sonora, so he was confident he would breeze through as well. While several younger siblings would want to get out of their older siblings’ shadows, Leo thrived in it. Professors and older students already had expectations of him and he could comply with those while doing his own thing on the side. It was brilliant especially because Cepheus wasn’t a terrible person and Rupert was outlandish enough for all three of them.

Nothing, in Leo’s critical eye, was better than his family’s estate in England, and this meagre school was no exception. Instead of gazing in wonder at everything, he took his time studying the students. Most of them were attractive, strong, athletic, thin. He had always been good at guessing one’s personality type from first impressions and could mould himself to work with it. Except for people like Charlotte, with whom there was absolutely nothing to work with. It wasn't until someone nudged him that he realised the sorting was going on. Potions. Interesting. It was very different from Hogwarts and Leo almost wished he had gone there instead.

On his turn, he smiled his thanks to the Deputy and took a sip, hoping it wasn’t filthy with everyone else’s saliva. His pale skin turned scarlet and he smirked. He was in the same house as Cepheus. As much as he didn’t interact with his eldest brother, he did respect him enough to be glad to be a Crotalus. According to Ceph, Crotalus was the most respected house. Brilliant.

However, much to Leo’s chagrin, Charlotte joined. Well, that was brilliant. He hoped she wasn’t planning on hanging off his arm like she’d been hanging off her brother’s. Leo made certain that he was surrounded by his classmates when she was sorted so she wouldn’t sit right next to him and cling on. This also gave Leo good reason to begin conversations with people and start figuring out his classmates. However, the Headmistress began speaking and he sighed inwardly.

The speech went over his head and Leo felt free to not listen to a word. He didn't think it pertained to him anyway, he being a first year with responsible older brothers to keep him updated. Once the feast began after some ridiculous singing, he turned to his neighbours. “Good evening,” said Leo to the person in front of him. “I don’t think I fancy the desert weather quite yet, but it’s a lovely change. How are you faring with it?”

40 Leo Princeton Unimpressed. 263 Leo Princeton 0 5

Clara Abernathy

May 18, 2013 6:37 PM

None of us really are...lol by Clara Abernathy

Clara returned to Sonora after the weirdest summer she had ever had in her entire life. She, all of her cousins, her aunts, her uncle and her dad along with a few other members of the family all showed up at her grandparents place in Sussex. It was probably the largest family reunion she had ever seen. Her grandparents had planned a huge party for all of the kids whose birthdays were in or close to summer time. They invited soo many of their friends and employees with children it was amazing anyone could move around the grounds. Just about all of her older cousins met someone they absolutely liked during the trip which was just odd to Clara. It almost felt to Clara like the whole thing was one huge set up. She grew even more sure of that feeling when she was “randomly” introduced to a few new faces herself. She was polite to the boys, but she had no interest in them. She was interested in one person and kept as close in touch with him over the summer as she possibly could.

She wrote to Lucian as often as possible telling him about everything. She was pretty certain that half the time she was probably boring the snot out of him with as much as she wrote, but it made her feel better and miss him less to include him in everything somehow. The two of them got closer to each other at the end of term ball at school. She had asked him to come to the ball with her and he had agreed. The dressed in themed clothes and had a great time. She had also gotten her first kiss and kissed a boy back all in the same night. She had no idea where she and Lucian would go from there, but it was going to be interesting finding out. She had mentioned the D’Alesandro family to her grandfather and he had merely nodded. He had dismissed her briefly and she was upset, but she let it go. She just hoped that her grandfather actually gave her idea some real thought.

She mentioned it to him because she had hoped that he would try talking to Lucian’s mother and a possible betrothal between them. She wasn’t certain if her grandfather ever really took her suggestion into serious consideration. She would just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, her aunt apparently met someone nice and she was happy, her other aunt ran into someone she hadn’t seen for years and she was ecstatic and her grandfather even went so far as to try setting up her dad with someone. It was like match-maker summer at the Abernathy Ranch. Clara was still shaking her head over it. She just hoped that returning to school took away some of the craziness. She rode the wagon back to school with her cousins including Dimitri and Darina, her aunt Charlotte’s twins. She chatted with them briefly as they made their way back to Sonora. She couldn’t wait for them to see the school and meet a few of her friends. Dimitri, she was certain, would like Rupert and Wendy. She was also fairly certain that Darina would like Waverly and Wendy as well. She, herself, couldn’t wait to see Lucian again.

Walking back into the school after such a crazy summer made her feel like she was returning to partial sanity. Yeah, stuff at school was challenging, but it was a cakewalk compared to her crazy family drama. She would rather deal with spells and potions any day than try and tackle that mess again. She followed the rest of the students returning for the year into the hall and after waving to some of her cousins who went to their houses’ table she took a seat at the Pecari table. She spotted Waverly and Wendy and waved cheerfully to them smiling. Clara knew that very soon they would begin the sorting and the Headmistress would make her announcements. She sat patiently, watching with interest as the new first years were called up for the sorting. She watched at least one of them come towards the Pecari table and take a seat next to Clara. She smiled at the new Pecari and turned back towards the front for the announcements once the sorting was completed. She clapped cheerfully for Derry and Regina as the new head boy and head girl. She clapped excitedly when Henny and Waverly were called up for their prefect badges. She even tried to whistle for Waverly which didn’t quite work too well.

She clapped politely for the new Professor and mostly mouthed the words for the school song. She still couldn’t bring herself to sing it even after being at the school for the last three terms. She mentally shrugged and waited for the food to appear before she turned back to the new first year. She decided she would try to make her feel more comfortable by being the first one to say something. “Did you enjoy the wagon ride?” she asked the new girl while she filled her plate with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and peas. “I don’t mind the wagon ride as long as I have someone to talk to,” she told her. She took a bite out of the chicken and chewed it up before attempting speech again. “Although it might have been an easier ride if all of my cousins hadn’t been talking at once,” she winked at the girl and laughed a bit. “Don’t get me wrong…I love my cousins, but good grief. What I wouldn’t have given for a pair of ear plugs,” she joked, taking another bite off of her plate. “I’m sorry,” she apologized after swallowing her food. “Here I am running my mouth as usual and I haven’t even introduced myself yet. I’m Clara Abernathy. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we end up being roommates. I would love to show you around if you’d like,” she offered cheerfully giving the girl a friendly smile.

0 Clara Abernathy None of us really are...lol 232 Clara Abernathy 0 5

Noxienia Verailles

May 18, 2013 11:44 PM

Completely enchanted. by Noxienia Verailles

Big hazel eyes stared wide above a small nose, and a mouth which was currently agape. Noxienia Versailles, or just plain Noxie for short, could not believe her luck. Not in a million years had she ever thought she would be sent a letter telling her she was a witch. She had grown up loving fairy tales of course, especially ones about animals, but never, not once, had she ever dreamed she'd actually be at a place like Sonora. She'd had a bit to get used to the idea, but it hadn't completely sunk in yet. Part of her thought maybe she was hallucinating, but then, a bigger part of her, knew this had to be real life.

As Muggles, Noxie's parents had been quite relieved when they'd found out it was magic Nox had been doing all along. From blowing bubbles out of her ears to her toys seeming to dance occasionally, they had been worried and taken her to several specialists throughout the years. When no one had any explanation for them except that maybe they needed more sleep, Mr. and Mrs. Versailles had come to the conclusion that they were just seeing things. After all, it was hard getting a decent night's sleep when you had people calling you with sick animals in need of emergency care nearly every night of the week. That was their duty being the only veterinarians in a small town.

Noxienia had loved everything about Sonora Academy since she had received her letter. She had adored shopping for school supplies, making sure to grab a couple of books about magical creatures in the process, and getting her school uniform. She had been especially thrilled about getting her wand, but even more excited when she had been allowed a chance to look around the pet shop. She hadn't been allowed to get a pet yet though, her parents saying they had enough animals at home and if they added any more it would be those who needed help finding forever homes. This had saddened Noxie a great deal and she'd fussed a bit, really loving the idea of having a puffskein all her own. Alas, her parents remained firm on this matter.

It was quite strange being so far away from her parents, Noxie thought. She'd never even spent a night away from them at a slumber party (she'd always called home crying to be picked up around bedtime) let alone away at school for a whole term before winter break! She was a big girl now, eleven, and she could do it. After all, Arizona was much farther away from New Hampshire than her friend Chrissy's house was from her's. Noxie's family had had to fly down, spend a couple days getting her school things and then, sent her off in a wagon to a school one could not locate on a map. Noxie had quite enjoyed riding in the wagon actually, it reminded her of all the old western movies her dad liked to watch.

Noxie's eyes flitted about Cascade Hall, completely enchanted by the water falls flowing down the walls. All the people. The tables. Every little thing that she had been told or seen at Sonora Academy so far was just so... so wonderful! When it came time for her turn to drink the potion and find out which house she was in, Noxie was so distracted, she had to rush to catch up and tripped over her own feet. She tumbled to the floor, hands smacking against it harshly, stinging. She bit her lower lip anxiously and pushed herself up, cheeks now red with embarrassment. Had anyone see her fall? Well, of course they probably had, she was a first year about to be sorted...

Not wanting to make an even bigger fool of herself, Noxie sipped from the goblet held by the Deputy Headmistress quickly and then looked down at her hands. They had gone from being pale to yellow all in an instant, and then back again. Which house was the yellow one again? Noxie gazed around quickly. Right! Teppenpaw!

After finding her table, Noxie sat there, watching the finishing of the sorting and listening to the Headmistress speak. Then they sang the school song, which Noxie thought was quite fun, though she had a little trouble figuring out the tune and keeping up. And then finally, to her great astonishment, food appeared upon the table!

Stomach grumbling from a day filled with excitement, Noxie reached forward, loading her plate with mashed potatoes. Waterfalls inside, food that appeared seemingly on it's own... yeah, despite being away from her parents, this was going to be the best school year Noxie had ever had.

0 Noxienia Verailles Completely enchanted. 0 Noxienia Verailles 0 5

Waverly Canterbury

May 19, 2013 9:08 AM

Looking for a firstie to overwhelm! by Waverly Canterbury

A new term should have brought back that joy of being back with her friends and practicing her magic, but today it just reminded her of what coming here had cost her. Just a couple weeks after their one-year anniversary, she had broken up with her boyfriend and they hadn’t spoken since that night. He couldn’t understand why and Waverly couldn’t tell him why because of the stupid magical law. She was barred already from the pureblood world and now she was barred from fully engaging with the muggle world as well. She felt like a floater; she didn’t fit in anywhere. Breaking up with Brandon was a guilt Waverly carried around with her everywhere.

For the rest of the summer after that, she hadn’t seen any of her muggle friends and her mom had been a constant comfort. She was the one who had encouraged Waverly to get out of her sweats and dress up a little for the new term even though Waverly had no desire to do so. Her family had been a great support and she was really thankful for them. It was just really hard letting Brandon go. Seeing her parents do things the “muggle way” always made Waverly feel guilty again for being magical in the first place. It was a blessing, definitely, but it also came, at least for her, with guilt. Why was she magical when her parents weren’t? Were they ever bitter towards her? She didn’t think so, but she tried not to talk about magic as much as usual after her breakup. She could see now how much her parents didn’t understand and she just kept feeling guilty about it.

But she had taken her mom’s advice and was dressed up a little again, even wearing makeup that she hadn’t touched in a month and a half. It was a nice change and it even made her feel a tiny bit better. The wagon ride to Sonora was short enough that she didn’t have to dwell on her guilt long and when they got there she scurried into Cascade Hall, eager for a distraction.

She clapped for all the first-year Pecaris, happy that her house was getting some new students. She had always loved the first-years and how innocent and cute they were especially now that Waverly was much older than them. It always reminded her of how entranced she had first been by magic and those memories always warmed her, even now in her depressed state. There were things to look forward to, though. The Baking Club was going to be back on, there would be the volunteer library stuff to work on too if there was a new librarian, and she had her classes to work for as well as the other clubs she had joined. It would be busy as usual, but not as crazy as her third year had been. She didn’t even know how she had managed being that incredibly busy.

Waverly had been so wrapped up in her summer that she had almost forgotten about wishing and hoping to be a Prefect. When the Headmistress called up the Head Boy and Head Girl, Waverly’s heart leaped at the reminder that, with Head students, there were Prefects as well. She crossed her fingers and tried not to bite her lip as Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau called up Henny first, then Meghan, Alex, and then…her. Waverly’s stomach dropped at her name and she stood up, trembling with excitement. She couldn’t believe it. It felt so surreal walking to the front of the hall and standing next to her fellow Prefects. “Congratulations, guys!” she whispered to the other three as she beamed. She was happy mostly because Henny would be a Prefect with her. She gave her a thumbs-up as they went back to their seats.

Having a shiny new Prefect badge completely brought Waverly’s mood up as she nearly skipped back to her seat at the Pecari table. She couldn’t stop beaming and clapped vigorously for the new Muggle Studies professor. She had always wondered how the wizarding world really viewed muggles. It would be an interesting class to take. And with the mention of the Midsummer Event, Waverly knew exactly what she wanted to do. Baked goods, of course! That would be easy and she could rope in anyone who wanted to join her. When the song sheets appeared, Waverly, determined to be a good leader, sang the song as well as she could before the feast appeared. Her green eyes looked at everything in delight, her heartbreak almost forgotten in her current euphoria.

She singled out a first-year Pecari, eager to make them feel welcome and at home in their new house. Waverly kind of saw it as her job now and she was already loving the added responsibility. She could pounce on Jade and Jorge and her other housemates later. Her desire to forget her summer motivated her even more to be as hospitable and friendly as ever. As she put some pasta salad and Indian curry on her plate, she smiled at one of the new students. “Welcome to Pecari! I’m Waverly Canterbury. What’s your name?”

19 Waverly Canterbury Looking for a firstie to overwhelm! 218 Waverly Canterbury 0 5

Chloe Jareau

May 19, 2013 9:21 AM

I'm pretty sure of what to do! by Chloe Jareau

Chloe was so excited for school. She had been anticipating this moment for so long now that she really hoped she wouldn’t be disappointed. Really, her anticipation had skyrocketed the moment Angel and Ayita had come into her life. Since they were both older and both already in school, Chloe had points of reference whenever it came to questions that she had. She could have always asked her step-mother, but since Kiva was the head of the school, Chloe thought she was probably a little biased about the subject. That wasn’t to say that Chloe wouldn’t have believed everything said was true. It probably was. But that just made her all the more excited to go.

The day that they had all gone to the wagon pick up together, Chloe thought her little heart was going to explode. She was excited and nervous at the same time. She was also sad to be leaving home, which surprised her. And she would miss her dad, baby sister, and her Grandmother Kijewski. She would still get to see her step-mother everyday still, but it wasn’t the same. What would her dad and grandma do without her? They’ll be so bored!

The wagon ride wasn’t too terrible since they didn’t have far to travel. New Mexico was neighbors to Arizona after all, but she could tell that Emery was having a difficult time with the pumps. He was always weak about things. She left him alone though and instead, chatted aimlessly to Angel and Ayita about all the things she was excited for. Which was just about everything. Her biggest concern though, was not being able to make friends with her roommates. Chloe knew she was sometimes annoying, something she didn’t always pick up on until it was too late to stop herself from crossing that line, so she was hoping that her roommates wouldn’t see her that way too soon and then avoid her. Her dad told he she just needed to relax some and take a breath so that others have a chance to talk too, but Chloe’s head was so full of curiosity that she always felt the need to get it all out at once before she forgot. She’ll just have to pace herself going forward.

Now off the wagon, Chloe’s already large blue eyes, were round as saucers as she took in the school. She had seen pictures of it, there were plenty that her step-mother had over the years of working through, mostly of the events that they had done, but seeing it all in person held a different sort of ‘awe’ feeling about it. Chloe said good bye to Angel and Ayita and stood with Emery and all the other first years to wait for the start of the evening. When they were guided in by one of the staff members, Chloe’s eyes immediately fell onto her step mother’s being as she was standing at the front of the room. Chloe smiled widely and waved happily before looking around to seek out her siblings. It was harder to find them in the crowded tables, but she managed to find Angel quickly (his white hair helped) and Ayita soon followed. She waved enthusiastically to both of them.

Family members found, Chloe was finally able to look at everything else. The waterfalls, the floor, the ceiling, even the other first years that surrounded them. This was going to be so much fun! She couldn’t wait to find her house and meet her new roommates!

The sorting had started. Chloe’s turn came and she found herself with brown skin. It looked rather unnatural on her due to her long blonde hair and light eyes. Tanning had never been something easy for her to do, even with the hours she spent in the hot sun. The most she got were freckles. But she was a Pecari, like Ayita! Chloe was sad that Emery would not be in her house with her since he had turned blue, but that just meant that they would meet even more people together! Extra fun!

Chloe managed to find a seat next to anther first year based on the coloring and remained quiet throughout the rest of the speech. Normally, this was difficult for her to do since she had so much to say, but she did so out of respect for her step-mother. Her attention even perked up at the announcement of the Fair. Chloe loved fairs! She might even do a booth! If she could think of an idea and managed to make a few friends beforehand who wanted to do a booth too.

Food was there after the singing, which Chloe did loudly and probably off key, so she immediately started to grab the food that she enjoyed on pile it onto her plate. During this, she heard the girl one down from her, on the other side of the first year start talking. Listening to her, Chloe felt like the entire family were talkers, but she couldn’t say that with any considering herself. Her last statement though, had Chloe looking at her perplexedly. “You can’t be roommates, silly.” Chloe said to her as though she ought to have known. “You’re roommates with only the people in the same year as you.” This, Chloe knew to be fact because her family had told her. Otherwise, she would have meandered over to Ayita and declared them roommates. She was smiling at the older girl, Chloe was always smiling, so she hoped the girl knew her words weren’t meant negatively. She was merely repeating what was told to her.

“We’ll be roommates though.” Chloe said to the girl. “I’m Chloe Jareau. It’s nice to meet you Clara! I hope we can all be friends!” Chloe said this to both girls, giving them two thumbs up.

6 Chloe Jareau I'm pretty sure of what to do! 267 Chloe Jareau 0 5

Eleanor Vandenberg

May 19, 2013 10:19 AM

Also trying to be unimpressed...and failing by Eleanor Vandenberg

When Nellie had officially turned eleven, her parents had sat her down and put two offers in front of her. The first was to attend Hogwarts which was closer to home, or go to Sonora in America with Leo. Nellie had obviously chosen the latter to be close to her best friend even if that meant she would be far from her parents. Her mom was happy enough. Nellie had been born in California and, though she didn't remember living in the States, her mom did have family there if she ever needed a place to crash or something.

But Nellie was going solely for Leo Princeton. It was hard not to stop talking about school with Leo on the ride there, but he didn't talk much. She ignored his quietness since she and the other girl they were sharing a wagon with were the chattery ones. At the school, she looked at everything in awe, but after a glance at her friend, tried not to look as entranced by everything. It was really hard, though. Her family wasn't nearly as rich as Leo's was even if their blood was pure. She brushed her dark hair out of her eyes to look at everything better, but it was still not enough time to look at everything before they were presented with the sorting ceremony.

When Leo went ahead, she hoped desperately that she would be able to follow him. And when she drank the potion, her wish came true. She rushed after him and sat down next to him at the Crotalus table, happy that they would be able to stay together in the same house. It really helped that she had a friend here with her. She didn't feel as homesick with Leo around.

The announcements happened and then the feast began. Leo, again, didn't seem that interested in eating, but Nell was starved. Her mom had reminded her to eat properly and well especially with no one to regulate her eating schedules, and Nellie was determined to make her parents proud. After all, it wasn't cheap coming all the way from England to America for school. Leo started up a conversation and Nellie made a note to jump in whenever she found an opportunity to. If she and Leo were going to get married someday, she had to get used to being the hospitable, supporting wife. It would be good practice even if he wasn't aware of their to-be marriage yet.

19 Eleanor Vandenberg Also trying to be unimpressed...and failing 266 Eleanor Vandenberg 0 5

Portia Dobson

May 19, 2013 12:12 PM

It is pretty amazing, isn't it. by Portia Dobson

Portia was super excited to go to Sonora. It was like, the most important time in a young witch's life aside from betrothal and the following wedding. Her sister Nora had been betrothed pretty young so she was hoping to be as well. She hoped that there were lots of eligible young men in her class. Of course, her sister's fiance didn't go to Sonora so there was hope for her even if her yearmates were disappointing, like Willow's. The second year didn't seem to have a problem with it,as she often seemed to have other things on her mind but Portia had seen her sister's yearbook and not recognized the names of most of her cousin's classmates.However, she had confidence that her class would be better and that she'd make plenty of friends as well.

She was dressed for the occasion too of course. The new first year liked to look nice and pretty. To make an impression. Granted, Portia didn't think she'd have to try as hard as some. Her grandmother had been a Brockert. They were well established at Sonora and throughtout the west especially as an important family. She might not end up getting prefect or Head Girl-though it would be nice-but Portia knew she would succeed in general. It would be harder for people who weren't elite purebloods, especially Muggleborns. They didn't know the magical world at all.

Today, she was wearing a new white skirt with a new ruffly pink top. She loved the color pink and wore it often. It was just unfortunate that it was covered up by her school robe. That was going to be the worst part about school. She had curled her black hair, making sure to use enough hair products that it wouldn't get bedraggled on the wagon. Portia had on her finest jewelery as well. A strand of real pearls and a gold bracelet, also new. She wasn't allowed to wear make-up yet, but she had been allowed to get a French manicure for the first time. In fact, in addition to going to get her wand and other school supplies, her mother had taken her for a spa day. It had been wonderful .

Portia stood with the other incoming first years, extremely eager. Eventually her turn to be Sorted came and she drank the potion. She turned a brilliant shade of yellow. Teppenpaw. That was great, she'd be in the same house as Willow! And Hope would be there the rest of this year too. She wasn't with Nora, but that was to be expected. Portia really wasn't that academically oriented. Besides, most Aladrens would be horrified that she'd covered her Potions text with a book cover made out of pink silk and lace. Well, maybe not Evan. Granted, that would be too girly for him but he'd probably appreciate the creativity-and make far weirder book covers.

She found a seat across from another of the first years, a girl who was quite obviously to be her roommate, the poor girl who had tripped. Portia hoped she hadn't been hurt. "Are you all right?" The new Teppenpaw asked. "That fall looked really nasty. I am Portia Dobson, of the South Dakota Dobsons by the way." She was sitting down so it would have been difficult to curtsey, plus she didn't even know if this girl was someone she had to curtsey to anyway.

11 Portia Dobson It is pretty amazing, isn't it. 262 Portia Dobson 0 5

Ava Fletcher

May 19, 2013 2:34 PM

Homesickness and Blue Skin by Ava Fletcher

Ava Fletcher had always known that she was magic, so when she had made that shell as smooth as a...as smooth as a criminal (she thought that was right, her grandfather, Papa, certainly listened to that song enough for those words to be ingrained in her head), she hadn't been surprised. But she had acted like it as her poor grandfather had never known his daughter-in-law was a witch nor that his beloved granddaughter was magic as well.

Ava had been looking forward to her acceptance into Sonora since that day on the beach as it meant that her mother would take time out of her busy world traveling schedule and take her to go shopping for school supplies! But now that Ava was actually at Sonora, she wasn't too impressed. She was excited and all to be going to school and finally learning magic (she did want to be just like her mom after all), but she missed the sea breezes and the little house on the shore that she and her grandfather had lived in.

When she was waiting in line to take the potion, all she could think about was how much she wanted to be in the Aladren house because then her skin would turn blue. She wondered if it would stay like that forever or if it would fade away. Maybe it would even look like she was under water! When the potion she sipped did indeed turn her skin blue, Ava was disappointed to see that it was just a straight, plain blue. However, her musings had given her another wonderful idea to put together in her spare time- blue mermaids. She'd never thought to paint her mermaids anything non-skin colored, but seeing as they were supposed to be "mythical" creatures, or so Papa said, they should have brightly colored skin.

Pleased with her new revelation, Ava happily skipped over to the Aladren table and waited for the rest of the Sorting to finish and the Headmistress to end her speech before Ava could eat- boy was she hungry!

She was in the middle of piling food on her plate when the girl sitting next to her asked her a question about a jug sitting in front of them.

Ava shrugged. "Maybe, I've never really been a big fan though. I much prefer juice or coffee! Yes, I do love coffee!" She gave a huge smile to the girl sitting next to her. "What's your favorite?"

10 Ava Fletcher Homesickness and Blue Skin 258 Ava Fletcher 0 5

Emery Kijewski-Jareau

May 19, 2013 2:52 PM

Amongst other things by Emery Kijewski-Jareau

Emery blinked at the boy beside him who started stammering when Emery spoke to him. He half wondered if the boy was a Muggleborn and therefore, overwhelmed by everything that was happening around him. Emery was raised around magic, but his mother was only half and so, he knew parts of the Muggle world too. There were things in both worlds that amazed him. He could respect someone who was too taken in by everything to handle a simple greeting.

Of course, the way the boy began talking and the choice of topic he chose made Emery feel as though he would need a little work on his social skills. Emery wasn’t sure if regurgitation was the best topic one should bring up while people were eating. But, he seemed to have Emery’s issues with a weak stomach, so he couldn’t say much against that. Emery nodded to what he was saying. He could never read while moving. Mostly, because it hurt his eyes and often gave him a headache, but he supposed if he ignored that, he would likely end up with a worse case of the stomach nausea that he would have without reading.

What surprised Emery more was how closely their first names sounded. Emrys and Emery were not that far of a stretch. This may make sharing a dorm room together and classes interesting. Emery ran a hand through his newly chopped brunette hair (when longer, it tended to curl similar to his mother’s naturally spiral curls) and allowed that thought to muse over in his head for a moment. “I’m Emery Kijewski-Jareau.” He greeted, carefully watching the other boy to see if the name caused a negative stir. He never really knew how people would handle him having the same last name as the head of the school so he was weary of ever saying it out loud to people. Lesson would ruin that for him though.

“My mom gave me some nausea reliever for motion sickness potion to have if the wagon ride is too much for me.” Emery started. The little vial was sitting in his robe pocket. “My stomach is feeling much better, so you can have it if you want it. It might help you feel less like throwing up.” Emery suggested. He wouldn’t force the potion onto his new roommate, but he felt that it might help him feel better about everything. “Plus, it would be a shame if your stomach was too upset to eat the food. I always hear that it’s pretty good.”

6 Emery Kijewski-Jareau Amongst other things 259 Emery Kijewski-Jareau 0 5

Noxienia Versailles

May 19, 2013 3:21 PM

Re: It is pretty amazing, isn't it. by Noxienia Versailles

Noxienia was digging in quite happily to her mashed potatoes, her eyes scanning around the room, taking in everything still. There were so many people here! Her elementary school back home had only around two hundred students total, and that was kindergarten through sixth grade. It was almost impossible to believe that such large schools existed. She had heard about schools in cities with over a thousand students, but she had always thought people were crazy or bluffing when they mentioned them. Here she was though, in a school with so many students and all of them magic as well. If she wasn't sure this was real life, Noxie probably would have admitted herself to be insane.

Noxie looked down at her food and heaved a sigh, noting that she had managed to get the end of one long auburn braid into her mashed potatoes. She quickly lifted it out and wiped at it with a napkin, hoping no one had noticed. She very rarely got her hair in her food anymore, but sometimes when she was especially distracted it just happened. When she had been younger, it had happened all the time and was to the point where her mother had used a clothes pin to clip her daughter's hair to the back of her shirt to keep it from falling forward over her shoulders. If only her mother re here now, she would laugh and tell Noxienia to be more careful.

Lost in her own thoughts, Noxie didn't even notice the other first year girl who had sat down across from her. When Portia spoke, it cause Noxienia to jump slightly and she turned her head to look at the other girl, her eyes wider than they normally were still. They were wide in general, but at the moment, they had shot open in quiet surprise.

"O-oh! Yes. Y-yes, I'm alright." Noxienia's cheeks turned red in embarrassment. So someone had seen her fall, but at least she wasn't being made fun of for it. That was much better than being teased. However, her eyes still strayed, looking down at her lap, though after a moment of fighting with her shyness, she managed to force them back up to look at Portia, not wanting to seem rude. Her father was always telling her she needed to look at people when they were speaking to her or they would think she wasn't interested in what they had to say. I was never that she wasn't interested though, just nervous,

Noxie's fingers tangled up in the green fabric of her robes nervously and she smiled. She was glad someone was speaking to her, though she always found it hard at first to make friends. Normally she waited for people to come to her, otherwise she felt like she was just going to annoy them if she spoke to them first. This girl spoke strangely though... More properly than Noxie was used to, but then, maybe that was normal for witches and wizards. Did they all speak that way? "It's nice to meet you, Portia. I'm Noxienia Versailles of... Er... The Lilac Grove Veterinary Clinic." Was that the correct way to greet. Fellow witch? It must be, since this girl had done so and she seemed like she knew what she was doing,

0 Noxienia Versailles Re: It is pretty amazing, isn't it. 0 Noxienia Versailles 0 5

Maximilian Joshua McLachlan

May 19, 2013 7:34 PM

My last welcome by Maximilian Joshua McLachlan

At the end of the summer, Josh was exhausted and completely ready to escape his sentence under Aunt Rhian’s roof. She was hard and controlling with a passive-aggressive husband who bent to her every wish. In the last three months, Josh had briefly experienced one of the three Unforgivable Curses for the first time, tested several potions that had made him extremely ill, learned how to concoct poisons against his will, and cleaned out so many cauldrons by hand that his fingers had been rubbed raw. But he had too much pride to let any of these hardships show when he went back to school. He was unwilling to share any of these experiences no matter the cost.

The one positive aspect of his summer was the stack of letters his uncle had sent him from Australia at the end of his sentence. Josh was surprised at first until he realized they were from Brianna. He had read each one carefully and felt the strange contentment at having someone to write to. It was just unfortunate that he had received them at the end of his summer. He had been so wrapped up in what he was going through that he hadn't been able to pay as much attention to her as before. At least she had Linus now. The other highlight of his summer was Inigo revealing hidden information to his nephew. Josh had never been more grateful for his uncle until then. He had found out how his parents had really been murdered and Josh could never forgive his family for it. It made him even more determined to get away and escape. But he needed to think it through clearly.

There was no way he was going to go back to that hell house for the winter break, so Josh had a full year to think of how he was going to escape from his family’s clutches. Legally changing his name and identity would be a step in the right direction, but he would have to move to a country the McLachlans hadn’t tainted yet with their presence. It was a lot to think about, but Josh was willing to do it to be free.

All these thoughts ran through his mind as Josh went into the dining hall for his last year at Sonora. It was scary thinking of what could happen to him after this school year, but he was determined not to be frightened by it. He focused on putting food onto his plate and into his mouth, looking up once to see where Brianna was. He would have to apologize for not answering her letters now that he was in Pennsylvania. The owls had followed the address, but they couldn’t possibly know where he had moved to with his aunt’s unplottable home.

His sharp gray eyes moved then to spot Henny. She had seemed strangely worried about him, more worried than before. Had she noticed something? It had led to more awkward conversations and Josh didn't really know what to make of her approaches. She was nice enough, though. His gaze turned back to people-watching. He wasn't sentimental, but he didn't want to forget this moment where things seemed so calm and peaceful. Every year since he had come to Sonora in fourth-year had been a whirlwind with different problems and complications and right now Josh wanted to put it all to the back of his mind. It would be one of the last times he'd have a moment like this.

19 Maximilian Joshua McLachlan My last welcome 184 Maximilian Joshua McLachlan 0 5

Brianna Japos

May 19, 2013 9:37 PM

Not the best start to the term. by Brianna Japos

Brianna didn’t say much of anything when she got onto the wagon. She sat quietly in her seat and passed the time lost in her thoughts. It had been a difficult summer for her. Not nearly as difficult as the one before, but it hadn’t been a picnic. Her parents had finally put the wrath of Merlin on the families in the building, but the summer was nearly over by the time it had happened and pointless. Brianna spent the last of it in her apartment. She wasn’t sure what was really the worst of it. Finding out that the guys responsible for ruining her life weren’t going to be punished at all. Probation meant nothing when their parents were rich. Nothing was being stripped from them. Nothing would change for them. It was as though they had humiliated her all over again. Was that the worst of it? Or was it that the girls of the building decided that it was their turn to kick her around and believed that she had done this to herself?

They had stripped her of everything. Over and over and over again. She only had to get through one more summer at that forsaken place before she could be rid of it forever. After that, she’d prove to everyone just what she was capable of.

The success of the summer though was that she was only using one crutch now. Jonah had been happy with her progress on the right side, but her left side was still weak and would need more work. So, the crutch would keep her left side afloat until she could get it under control. The other success was that she had a firm understanding of what she wanted to do after she felt Sonora. She wanted to get into the justice system. She wanted to make sure that people with money could never get away with breaking the law simply because they could pay it off while the victim was left without any sort of justice. No one should feel like their life is meaningless and those who commit the crime should be forced to take the consequence of it. The real consequence of it. Brianna didn’t get her justice, but she was damn sure someone else will.

Now back at Sonora, Brianna found a seat at the Crotalus table. Much like she had on the wagon, Brianna kept quiet, only speaking when someone spoke to her first. All she wanted to do was go back to her dorm room and sleep. The pain in her back had lessoned significantly since last year, but it still made her life uncomfortable and after an extremely long ride from New York City, her back was in more pain than it had been all summer long, minus the physical fight she had with the girls back home. It was so exhausting, but she didn’t want it to show. Last year had been a good year and she was determined to make this one a good year too.

She clapped politely at all the announcements and lip-read the along with the song. When the food arrived in front of her, Brianna realized how hungry she was. She hadn’t eaten since that morning. Brianna went to take a big bite of spaghetti, but some of the sauce dropped off her fork and landed on her robes. “Aw.” Brianna pouted, looking down at it forlornly. She knew magic would easily clean it for her, but she felt like this was an omen as to how the rest of the year would go. Pulling out her wand, Brianna cleaned herself up. Taking her mind off things, Brianna looked to the person next to her and gave a halfhearted smile, “Hopefully your evening is going better than mine.” She joked. “How was your summer?”

6 Brianna Japos Not the best start to the term. 203 Brianna Japos 0 5

Virginia Bellrose

May 19, 2013 10:16 PM

Oh, it's not that bad! by Virginia Bellrose

Ginny summer had been okay. Nothing splendid, but not too boring either. The community that she was currently living in always kept her busy and the kids made her happy, but she was still homesick for Ohio. Her mother said that soon they would be able to move back home, but she told that to Ginny every time she asked her. Ginny was losing her faith. She missed her home and she missed the staff. She hoped they were doing okay. She hadn’t seen them in over four years now. But she couldn’t think about that now because it would only make her sad.

Off the wagon, Ginny found a seat at the Crotalus table. This was exciting for her. Last year, she had been one of the first years being sorted, so this year, she would be able to see how it all pans out. After starting her first off with the challenges and getting to meet older students, Ginny was really confident in her place here at Sonora. She was still only a Beginner, but she wasn’t so nervous about her capabilities both with her magic and with people.

She watched the sorting with interest and then listened to the announcements with equal interest. She had no idea if she would do a booth this year because she didn’t know what she was good at other than dancing and singing, but those seemed to be a dime a dozen talents here with other students having grown up with the same lessons of etiquette and grace. But, maybe someone would ask for her to join their booth and that would be just as fun!

Although she wasn’t sure what this year would entail exactly, she was really happy to be back at Sonora. She wasn’t really sure if she could say she made super close friends, but she felt that she had really started the foundation of those and she wanted to expand and develop them even more. But first things first, the feast! The food at the community was limited because most everything was soy product. She missed eating chicken and red meat, so she ate as much as she could when she was at Sonora. Tonight, it would be meatloaf. Yum! However, in the process of getting her own food, she noticed the girl beside her spill some of her own and give up on it half way through.

The new first year girl sitting beside her didn’t look too happy with things. Ginny could understand if it were a little overwhelming and thus, didn’t know what to do with herself, but she shouldn’t look so sad about it. “Don’t worry.” Ginny said to her. “It gets better. The first day is always the worst.” This wasn’t so true for Ginny. She had met Percival on her first day and had managed to get through it just fine. But Ginny was aware that most things excited her rather than terrify her. “I’m Virginia Bellrose of the Alberta Bellroses.” She introduced herself with a pleasant smile. “It’s an adjustment, but everyone is really nice and eventually, you get used to how things are.”

6 Virginia Bellrose Oh, it's not that bad! 0 Virginia Bellrose 0 5

Darina Porter

May 19, 2013 11:50 PM

Amazing, for sure!! by Darina Porter

Summer had been a mix of wonderful and seriously weird for Darina and her family. Firstly, instead of being at home, spending time at the store and doing their Medieval re-enactments, the Porters had been in England at the weirdest and largest Abernathy/Thornton/Porter family re-union EVER! She felt like she’d belonged in the weird movie that her cousin Brielle liked to watch with that strange song ‘Tradition’ in it. It had all those girls with the weird thought of matchmaking. Fiddler on the Roof! That’s it… Darina thought to herself as she grinned from ear to ear. Her big cousins all met boys and some were completely enamored by them, others, were just… well… not…

Each of the school aged Thorntons, Abernathy’s and Porters all took the wagon from Uncle Bryan and Clara’s house near Napa, California to get to Sonora. There was something about that being the easiest place for them to all leave from, also to allow for Uncle Bryan to take cousin Airlea to her new school. Darina was upset to learn that her cousin wasn’t going to be joining them there at Sonora, but she understood with what had happened over the summer why she had to go to some other school in the Yukon. Airlea at first seemed to have been upset with Grandfather Abernathy’s suggestion at her going there instead of Sonora, but as the information of what she would learn came out, she got excited. She even almost made Darina herself wish she was going there with her.

Almost…

Darina couldn’t bare to be away from her twin brother long enough to have even given it a second thought, however. As much as they bugged each other, they loved each other and there would be nobody that could tell them any different. Sure, they pranked the other, but that was their weirdo twin relationship. The lot of them chattered through the wagon ride from Napa, and though when the wagon pulled away, Darina wiped away a tear from her cheek saying goodbye to her parents and baby brother, she was glad to be off to school.

That day she had put on a brightly colored ¾ sleeve shirt that was yellow with multicolored polka-dots and a just below knee-length black skirt with her multicolored stockings, black shoes, straight dark brown hair in a long braid at the back with a ribbon of the same color combination of her shirt. Sure, she figured people would think she was crazy, but what was wrong with a little color every now and again, right? That was her mantra. Color is good… she thought, nodding her head. If anyone knew anything about personalities, they would KNOW that this eleven year old girl was for sure sanguine. There was no doubt in her mind.

The wagon pulled up to the school and Darina looked up at it, awe shaping her eyes. “Wow…” she said as an automatic reaction to her new surroundings. “This is SO cool!” she added, not really caring if her brother or any of her cousins heard her. The group of them walked inside the main doors and Clara, along with the Thornton branch of their family walked inside, Clara having given both her and Mitri a hug, left them standing there. Rina watched them leave and looked at Mitri with a grin on her face. “Is this place cool, or WHAT?!” she asked him, grinning from ear to ear as they too, were called into what she could only assume was the dining hall.

They walked in and the group of first years stood together as a woman welcomed the students, introducing herself as Headmistress Kijewski-Jareau and then mentioned the sorting of the first years. Rina grinned and threw a thumbs up towards Clara and Brielle specifically. She was excited to change color as it seemed the pair of her older cousins had done to each other in their second year. Sure, they SAID it was accidental, but Darina wouldn’t put it past them to do it anyway as fun as they both were. Darina loved spending time with Clara and Bri, they knew how to have fun, which was more than she could say for some of her other stick in the mud cousins. It wasn’t that she didn’t love them, cause she did, but Clara and Bri were much more fun.

Coach Pierce was indicated and the colors they could turn listed with their possible houses and Rina bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet as she waited her turn. One of the first years tripped seemingly over her own two feet and Rina gasped, slapping her hands over her mouth with worry for the girl. When the girl stood up and kept going, Darina guessed that meant that she was fine and kept walking through the line till it was her turn. Mitri stood just off to the side of her as she walked up to Coach Pierce and took the potion from her. Taking her drink of it, she looked down at her hands as they paled and turned into a shade of yellow she didn’t expect herself to become ever in her life. “I’m a BANANA!” she whispered towards Dimitri and grinned at him. “Your go big brother!” she said as she skipped off towards the yellow girl who’d tripped over herself. As she passed by Brielle she whisper-sang, “I’m a banana… I’m a banana!” before finding a seat besides two girls who were also yellow. Turning back to look at Mitri, she watched him turn yellow too and cheered. “YES!”

Rina was glad her brother and Bri (yes, Addison too, sorta) were in her house. This will be fun. she thought to herself as her brother made his way to the table too. Once the sorting was over, the headmistress introduced the new Head Boy and Girl and the new prefects. Rina clapped with the rest of the students for them even though she didn’t know them. She was sure she’d get to know them, and if she remembered right, one of the girls, Waverly, was Bri and Clara’s best friend, so that was cool. She couldn’t wait to meet her.

The new Muggle Studies professor was introduced and the Midsummer Event mentioned before the song sheets showed up in front of them. Rina didn’t sing it, this time she only listened. Some people around her had nice voices, others, oh my… Some of these people need to not be singing out loud… she thought, slightly cringing, but not saying anything out loud.

The song ended and food just appeared in front of them. They were told they could eat and Rina smiled. This is fantastic! she thought to herself as she piled her plate high with tasty foods.

One of the two girls asked if the other girl was okay and Rina watched with interest in the answer, knowing she’d wanted to ask the same question to the girl, which was why she’d gone there to begin with. The other girl introduced herself as Portia Dobson of the South Dakota Dobsons and Rina smiled. She’s pureblooded…. Darina noticed that the girl who’d fallen had let her hair fall into her potatoes, but cleaned them off right away and answered by saying that she was alright. The girl who had fallen, introduced herself as Noxienia and had added of the Lilac Grove Veterinary Clinic. She’s not pureblood… Clearly. But that’s okay. I like all people! she thought as she smiled to both of them.

“I’m glad you’re okay Noxienia. I wanted to ask too, but Portia here asked first. It’s a pleasure to meet both of you. I am Darina Porter of the Tuscon Porters and I’m pleased to make your acquaintances.”

0 Darina Porter Amazing, for sure!! 0 Darina Porter 0 5

Emrys Lucan

May 20, 2013 12:14 AM

I like things by Emrys Lucan

“Oh, that’s a cool name! What does it mean?” Exclaimed, Emrys, glad that this boy- a new friend, perhaps?, didn’t seem to mind some of his random chatter. It was one of those aspects of his personality that his grandfather was always scolding him about and telling him to work on. “My last name, well I’m not sure what it’s supposed to actually mean, word wise, but Sir Lucan the Butler was a faithful servant of King Arthur. He helped to move King Arthur’s dying body off the battlefield so it wouldn’t be looted. It cost him his life, did you know that? My first name is after Merlin, did you know that one of Merlin’s names was Emrys? Isn’t it funny that our names are so similar? Emery and Emrys,” Emrys trailed off, smiling to himself.

Emrys shook his head politely, his nerves were starting to wear off- he always had that problem anytime he went somewhere new. All it really took was for someone to start talking to him and make him feel as if he might belong there too. “No thank you, I’m fine now, I just have really bad nerves,” he said and paused to take a scoop of macaroni. “Did you know that in King Arthur’s court they probably ate macaroni? Well, not macaroni exactly , but a predecessor called Macaroons.” He smiled again, his mother would be proud that he remembered that information, then frowned. “No, I think it’s actually pronounced Makerouns … Anyway, did you say your mother made you a potion? That must mean you're not Muggleborn then. I'm not either- pureblooded, though my mom adores Muggles. That was nice of your mother, I wish I had thought to ask my mom for that…”

OOC: I actually didn't even notice the last name when I replied, so I just had Emrys not recognize the last name either. I just thought it was funny/cool that Emery & Emrys were so close in look & sound.

10 Emrys Lucan I like things 260 Emrys Lucan 0 5